Tag: App

How To: Disguise An App

So let’s say you have an App on your phone that you really need, but other people would keep going on it and you don’tDisguise App really want them using it or seeing what it is. Well there is a simple way to disguise an app on your iPhone as anything you want.

Let’s say the app we want to hide is Cycorder.

Getting Started

First of all you have to SSH into your device and go to your Applications folder and open the relevant folder, in this case being Cycorder.app.

Once this is opened you will see the following files:
Cycorder
icon.png
info.plist
loading.png

Note: these will vary on application, but the files needed will remain the same.

Now copy the files icon.png and info.plist to your computer.

Before editing either it’s a good idea to backup the files just in case you go wrong.

Editing The Icon

People using the iPhone will most likely use icons to refer to an app, so changing the icon of the app you wish to hide is the first thing to do.

First you need to get the icon from another app or you could make one yourself. Simply pressing the Home button and Sleep/Wake button will capture a screen shot of your home screen and you edit the icon to the correct size etc.

Note: Always save the icon as a png image and make sure it’s transparent.

Downloading a free app off the App Store would maybe be a better idea for this as it gives you a quick and disposable way to disguise an app. However think about if people are likely to click on it, so find something boring.

Once you’ve edited and saved your new icon, save it as a png and copy it back to the app folder on the iPhone, replacing the original.

Changing The Name

The second way people will know which app is which, is via the name underneath the icon (which by now you will have changed).

To change the name simply open the plist either using a text editor or a dedicated plist editor such as iPodRobot’s plist editor.

Look at the plist and find the tag called
<key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>

and change the value below it what you wish the app to appear as on the home screen.

Once this is done, save the plist and copy it back to your device, overwriting the old one.

Now re-spring or re-boot your device and the application will now be disguised.

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Coming To iPhone

Rockstar Games have announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, from Rockstar Leeds, is coming to iPhone Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars iPhoneand iPod Touch later this year. The award winning game is making it’s way from the Nintendo DS to the PSP platform and now the iPhone & iPod Touch.

“Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple’s new gaming platforms.”

The game follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

App Reviews Coming Soon

Although I’m probably going to be returning my laptop soon to get it repaired I will soon be starting doing App reviews as Apple iPhone 3G WWDC 2009a separate section of the blog. I will go over some old apps as well as new apps and will begin posting them when I get my laptop back.

Also just a note that once my laptop is sent back I may not be able to update the blog properly for a week or maybe up to 4 weeks so there might be a gap in posts but I will try my hardest to update the blog.

Apple Announces 1.5 Billion Downloads In App Store

Apple announced yesterday that they have had a total of 1.5 billion app downloads on just over 65,000 apps. There App Storeare currently 40 million iPhones and iPod Touches that are able to run the App Store, and over 100,000 developers registered in the iPhone Developer program making all these apps.

Apple today announced that customers have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications in just one year from its revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. The App Store is also growing at an incredible pace with more than 65,000 apps and more than 100,000 developers in the iPhone? Developer Program.

“The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up.”

Apple Removes BeautyMeter

After all the complaints that have been directed towards the photo rating app, BeautyMeter, Apple have finally pulled it down.

BeautyMeter

The app is photo sharing platform where you rate others pictures based on appearance, however the company does not directly check each picture and so pictures of underage girls were found on the app and caused a huge uproar against Apple’s approval process, once again.

Developers Continue To Fight Piracy

As the iPhone user-base increases, so does the piracy user-base of iDevices. Many developers have been or are now implementing features to stop piracy of their apps. You will have read how BeejiveIM stopped working for pirated copies, now Spokko, the makers of Light Wars have also implemented a feature that stops pirated copies from working.

Spokko Pirate Version

This has only been implemented into the new update but from what I know the original 1.0 release will not stop pirates using it, it’s interesting to see how developers are taking different methods to stop piracy.

Stack v3 Review [Updated]

stack3a1

Stack v3 for iPhone is the latest project from Steve Troughton-Smith, the project brings the Mac dock Stack feature to the iPhone in true style.

Stackv3_1

Shown above is the fan style which fans out the icons of added apps much like on the Mac does with files. The stack can be placed anywhere on the dock. The function of Stack for iPhone is to give a quick and easy access to your most used apps to save time from switching between screens.

Stackv3_2

This shows the grid view which Mac users will also be familiar with, this gives the user a lot more space to have there most used apps compared to the fan view.

Stackv3_3

To add an app to the Stack just drag it onto the icon and it will be added. To remove an app open the Stack and hold down then move your finger to bring up the shown notification which allows you to remove the app, this can be turned off in the settings to just remove without asking you first.

Stackv3_4

In the latest alpha (6b), the stack rename feature has been activated and allows you to rename the Stack so it appears to be a normal app.

Stackv3_alpha6b

Once the Stack has been renamed, you must re-spring the springboard for it to take effect.

Overall the Stack app is very stable and although in alpha, I have experienced few problems with it; there may be the odd UI tweaks needed here and there, but overall the app works amazingly well for those searching for a quick way to access apps.

As the Stack v3 is currently in alpha, to get a copy you must donate via the official site to get a copy, plus I must add it is only for Jailbroken devices, as Apple wouldn’t allow this sort of app. If you wish to test out the previous version for free then go here.

The project shows a lot of potential and I’m very excited to see what else can be added to this and keep following the developers twitter to get updates on the project along with others.

I’d like to thank Steve Troughton-Smith for allowing me to get hold of the alpha so that I could write this review.

Stack v3 Alpha Review Coming Soon

If your an iPhone owner you will of most likely have heard of, or used one of Steve Troughton-Smith’s app’s at some point or at least heard of them. He was the one who worked out how to tether the iPhone months ago.

He currently has 6 projects listed on his official website some of which are App Store approved, others are available via Cydia, however a project he’s been working on a lot recently is the Stack app, which gives the iPhone and dock like Stack feature. The new v3 has a lot of things to look forward to and the early alphas are promising, I’ve got hold of the alpha earlier and will be writing up a full review over the weekend.

Stack v3 Alpha

Palm Pre, iPhone Killer? Not Quite.

So with the upcoming release of the Palm Pre and the rumoured release of a new iPhone following WWDC. People are saying that the Palm Pre, is the iPhone killer.Palm Pre

Over the last few years touchscreen devices has become very mainstream and most brands have their touchscreen phone, however none of them have come close to what the iPhone has done to the market.

However even with the Palms quicker CPU and sleek design with a physical QWERTY keyboard, here are the reasons that the Palm Pre will not kill the iPhone.

  • The App Store, with over 1 Billion downloads since it’s launch there has never been a mobile software store like it.
  • Games, you may not think it but the iPhone is considered a gaming platform as well as a Phone, due to the App Store and the works of the likes of Electronic Arts, the iPhone have some high quality games. However at current standing the Palm Pre has no games and unless Palm allow deeper access to their SDK, developers will struggle.
  • Show off factor, Yes it may seem a strange thing to compare but if you pull an iPhone out people are drawn to it, they want to see the Apps they’ve seen on TV and heard everyone talk about, but with the Palm Pre people will just assume it’s just another touchscreen phone.
  • The Palm Pre does come with a 3 Megapixel camera with LED flash but for most people who own an iPhone 2 Megapixels works fine.
  • Easy typing, this is only true for some people but I now find it a lot easier to type on an iPhone keyboard than a normal mobile phone, however with a QWERTY keyboard it may be easier but the keys look small and aren’t as adaptable as the iPhone’s on-screen keyboard.
  • iTunes, Yes some love it and some hate it, but it gives users an easy well to purchase new music on the go and a central place for all their media.

Those are just a few reasons that I believe the Palm Pre will not kill the Apple iPhone, it may give a bit of a go at it, but overall the iPhone will remain at the head of it’s market, majority because of the App Store and the 1000’s of Apps.

How Will In-App Payment Affect Crackers?

iphone30So if you use an iPhone or iPod Touch,  I’m sure you have heard of  ‘cracked apps’; these are App’s that have been legitimately purchased but then been cracked so that it can run on a modified device with no cost.

But with the release of iPhone OS 3.0 drawing ever closer, how will the cracks work with In-App payments?

Because if an App comes with just the bare-bones of the App and you must pay for the extras then using the cracked App in theory will not work, seeing as In-App payments will be done server-side and not in the App.

So if an App gets cracked and used then will In-App payments work or will they work a way out to crack those too. Anythings possible but just an interesting theory.