I’m sure you remember when < ahref="http://www.slashgear.com/tuaw-hacks-apple-tv-now-ios-devices-can-play-3rd-party-video-over-airplay-24116222/" target="other">Erica Sadun / Steven Troughton-Smith whipped up some code to allow AirPlay to work with more third-party players than just the standard player Apple allowed? Well now a developer by the name of Zone-MR’s whipped up a new hack to allow you to transmit video through ALL apps including Safari. Does the quickness of this hack’s discovery mean Apple will allow this sort of thing standard in the future? Below is a video including both the way for you to get this hack working for yourself as well as a video showing it working in the wild.
You can download the hack over at this Cydia repository, and have lots of fun playing all sorts of internet video and video through VLC and on your awesome or crappy 3rd party players, wherever: http://cydia.zone-mr.net. Just remember, like always, that this is a hack and it can potentially reap your device straight to heck, so use all caution, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it at all.
You’ve waited a long while for this day to come, but here it finally is. Apple is today rolling out iOS 4.2 to iPads and qualifying iPhones (3G, 3GS and 4) and iPod touches (second, third and fourth generation) across the globe, delivering the long-awaited multitasking and app folder enhancements to a tablet that was already supposed to be magical and revolutionary. To see whether this new update — replete with Game Center, AirPlay and AirPrint additions — really helps the iPad step up to doubleplusgood territory, check out our full review; everyone else, hit up your nearest iTunes 10.1-equipped computer to get your update on.
Update: Plug in your iPhones and iPads, the 624.3MB update is rolling out now. Looks like it’s starting in Europe, given the joyous cackles from our editors across the pond. Screenshot after the break.
Update 2: Now available within US borders as well.
We knew it was coming, and now we’re hearing from MacStories (and their source at AT&T, who was probably wearing a trench coat and fedora) that iOS 4.2 for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad will roll out beginning this Friday, November 12, at 10AM PST. Of course, in order to take advantage AirPlay we’ll have to see an update to iTunes as well, which is good because iTunes 10.1 is rumored to be coming tomorrow today at some point. But that ain’t all! It seems that the website of note for Mac stories has been hearing from devs that references to AirPrint have been disappearing from online documentation in the iOS developer center, leading to speculation that Mac OS X 10.6.5 (also rumored to hit tomorrow today) will not have the ability to print wirelessly after all. We can’t speak to the veracity of all these claims, but we’re pretty sure we can look forward to a new OS for our Apple handhelds before the week is over.
Update: Of course, as Benedict Murray pointed out in the comments, if there really were a conspiracy afoot to disappear AirPrint, Apple certainly would have dropped it from the product page. So we’ll see.
The iPad’s ticket to multitasking freedom — better known as iOS 4.2 — has moves past the beta phase and onto GM, which means retail units should be seeing it soon. Besides the iPad, Apple is also providing builds for the second, third, and fourth generations of the iPod touch, along with the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4… so if you’ve got a friend with an iPhone Developer Program subscription, now would be a great time to get cozy.
Update: Apple made some last minute tweaks that give fast access to brightness, volume, and AirPlay controls right in the multitasking bar (pictured after the break). Apple’s also on the verge of allowing MobileMe service logins using an Apple ID.
Apple’s long-awaited update to the Apple Remote app has finally arrived [iTunes link], and v2.0 takes good advantage of the company’s more recent hardware. A universal app with iPhone/iPod touch and iPad versions, Apple Remote 2.0 still allows you to control iTunes streaming to various AirPort Express units, but now also supports the new Apple TV and AirPlay.
If you buy one of the new Apple TV units, for instance, you can now use the Apple Remote app to view album, movie and TV show details and artwork, manage playlists, control playback in various zones, search your library and also enter text for searches. If you don’t have an Apple TV then it’s still useful, as you can browse a shared iTunes library instead. You can download it free here [iTunes link].
Apple has submitted a full eleven patent applications this week, all of which detail various potential aspects of functionality for its AirPlay and AirPrint technology. As well as the basics – speaker systems, PMPs and docks being able to wirelessly connect to iPhone, iPod and iPad devices, and play multimedia through them – the applications also cover a wide range of other possible peripherals, including home appliances, security and CCTV hardware, gaming controllers or mice, medical devices and in-car automotive systems.
The patents collectively describe an ecosystem where peripherals could not only be controlled – and media playback managed – from the iPod/iPad itself, but conversely from the peripheral’s own interface. One application covers remotely accessing an iPod playlist from a media player, while another documents using the peripheral’s buttons and other controls to remotely operate the Apple device.
Meanwhile there’s also IP around broadening the ecosystem and the technological details of its management. That includes an adapter box that could add AirPlay functionality to a non-compliant device, together with the underlying pairing, multiple concurrent sessions and application-specific limitations of each peripheral. As ever, there’s no telling whether Apple will actually use any of these ideas commercially.
While there’s plenty of room for the home media manufacturers out there to make brand new things to feature the recently announced AirPlay from Apple, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a few of the “oldie-but-goodie” systems out there need to be completely forgotten. The AVR-4311CI from Denon is set to get optimized for the newest wireless media streaming service.
The news comes from Denon’s product listing, which just got updated itself. The update to the AVR-431CI is set to drop some time this Fall, but there’s no exact date given at this time. And, as you probably already know, the AirPlay functionality will allow you to stream your music wirelessly, and easily enough, to the system. While it’s great enough that Denon’s unit is getting the upgrade, it might now be safe to assume that other “older” models can get the update, too. So, while the new home audio systems might be enticing in their own right, if you’ve already got your favorite unit in your house and don’t feel like buying something new, it may pay out to just wait a little bit.
A company like iHome is probably supposed to showcase something that Apple shows off only days before. The company makes a killing off creating some of the best accessories for Apple’s line-up of mobile media devices, so why shouldn’t they showcase a brand new portable speaker, featuring Apple’s just-announced AirPlay feature?
This is the first speaker to feature the wireless media feature. The new feature will be made ready by the release of iOS 4.2, which is set to hit the iPad, and other iDevices, in November this year. As you can tell from the picture, it’s not a complicated piece of equipment. A single-piece design, the speaker is specifically manufactured to accept audio input over a WiFi connection. What you’ll also notice is that the iHome speaker doesn’t have a dock of any kind. It’s meant to proactively promote the WiFi streaming, from your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.
It also has a built-in battery, so that means that at particular points in the day, like when you’re not charging it some how, it will be completely wireless. That’s probably where that “portable” aspect comes from. Unfortunately, iHome isn’t saying when the speaker will be released, or how much it will cost. They do say that it will be ready to buy by the holidays, though, so that’s good. It probably won’t be the cheapest speaker out there, but if you’re looking for that wireless home, this is one step towards that goal.
