Category: News (Page 49 of 130)

Unlocking and jailbreaking your phone is now legal

Cydia.It may surprise you to learn that unlocking and jailbreaking your cell phone has to this point been against the law. It’s especially surprising considering some of the first news when a new iOS build is released is who can jailbreak it the fastest.

The legality, at least, will no longer be in question. Feds ruled to make it a legal practice to remove the barriers between you and the awesome powers of your phone. In reality, this doesn’t do much. It’s not like jailbreaking was being enforced in any serious way in the past. This also won’t change things for the current jailbreakers. They’ll keep going, hacking as they have in the past, and the people using alternative app stores will likely continue to do the same. The only people this really affects are the few entrepreneurs out there who will try to make a legitimate buck by opening yet another app store for interested parties.

If you are such a party, start looking for your new apps soon. Otherwise, as you were, folks. Nothing to see here.

I knew Twitter didn’t matter

A twitter logo is seen on a cell phone screen in Tehran, Iran on June 23, 2009. (UPI Photo) Photo via Newscom

Ever since the Twitter launch, people have been trying to convince me that the service is important – some go so far as to say it’s a vital part of the internet community. While I agree that it is somewhat of a phenomenon, I’ve never come around to see the real point of Twitter. The only thing that’s good about Twitter is that it’s free, and it seems even the Twitter-using population agrees.

The story comes courtesy of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s 2010 Digital Future Study, which found that a mammoth zero percent of Twitter users would pay for the service. Zero. Now, part of that is certainly that it’s tough to transition users from a free service to a paid model. In the same vein, though, users that truly care about a service will pay to keep it alive. Ninja Video, a video site that was recently raided by the feds, had sizable donations from its members, even though it wasn’t required for use of the site. The fact that Twitter is ZERO percent – not 0.8, not 0.6, not 0.005 – says a lot to me.

No, this post is not invitation for your views on Twitter. I realize some people think it’s valuable. Some people Know it’s the greatest thing in the world. If it was that important, though, you’d probably be willing to pay for it.

Apply for your free iPhone 4 bumper today

bumper caseApple has officially started to reimburse iPhone 4 owners who purchased a bumper case on their own, and it looks like the rest of us can send away for a free bumper now, too.

Apple is managing the promotion through an app, available now in the App Store. Instructions are pretty simple. You download the app, sign in using your Apple ID, and select your bumper or case. As it stands you can only get one color (black) and you’re looking at a three to five week delivery window. As for time limitations, here’s the official word:

For iPhone 4 purchases made before July 23, 2010, you must apply no later than August 22, 2010; otherwise, you must apply within 30 days of your iPhone 4 purchase. To qualify for this program, you must purchase your iPhone 4 by September 30, 2010.

Remember, you don’t have to get a bumper. You can get any of the approved cases for free as well.

iPhone 4 joke stickers turn into real business

Antenn-aid.After all the noise surrounding the iPhone 4’s antenna/reception issues, a couple designers from Brooklyn decided to make a sticker for the phone that looked like a band-aid. It was all supposed to be a joke. And then they started to get an order every minute.

The sticker, which the designers have cleverly called the “Antenn-aid,” is just a colorful band-aid for the seam between the antennas on the iPhone. It’s a great satire, and the two designers have hammed it up to poke a little extra fun at Apple.

You can buy the Antenn-aid in packs of six for $4.99 plus shipping. Does it work? The official website says it “Works like magical.” Well done, fellas.

Science unlocks one of Da Vinci’s secrets

Mona Lisa XRF.

The Mona Lisa has been and will likely always be one of the most mesmerizing examples of fine art known to man. For centuries, scholars have marveled at the detail, the absence of brushstrokes, the subtle shadows, and of course, the source of her wry smile.

Science has unlocked the secret (or part of the secret) behind at least one of those attributes by using X-ray fluorescence to determine the composition of oils and paints Da Vinci used for Mona Lisa’s baffling skin tone and shadow work. From the original story at CNN:

[Researchers] found that some layers were as thin as one or two micrometers and that these layers increased in thickness to 30 to 40 micrometers in darker parts of the painting. A micrometer is one thousandth of one millimeter.

They believe this characterizes a technique of painting that uses a glaze, or very thin layer, to build up shadows in the face.

The manner in which Da Vinci painted flesh, “his softened transitions,” were pioneering work in Italy at the end of the 15th century, say the researchers, and were linked to his creativity and his research to obtain new paint formulations.

While this is certainly a victory for science, it also adds to the mystery behind Da Vinci and his technique. Micrometer-thin, virtually undetectable brush strokes made at the turn of the 16th century? I would love an explanation for that.

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Gadget Teaser

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑