How to jailbreak any iOS 6 device, including iPhone 5

(Credit: Jason Cipriani/CNET)

If you've been waiting to jailbreak your iPhone 5, or any device running iOS 6 and higher, today is your lucky day. A new tool called evasi0n was released just this morning.

The new tool is very simple to use -- in fact, it's easier to use than the iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak tool I covered last year. Taking far less time, and only a few steps, if you're comfortable clicking a few buttons on your computer and tapping an icon on your iOS device, you're more than prepared to use evasi0n.

A required warning, however: At times things go wrong while jailbreaking a device. Apple never intended for this kind of stuff to happen. As such you should be comfortable troubleshooting any issues you run into, including completely restoring your device through DFU mode.

Now that that's out of the way, let's start the jailbreak process.

• Before you start, make sure you have a current backup of your iOS device. You can back up through iTunes or use iCloud. The choice is yours. This is a crucial step to ensure you don't lose important data should something go wrong and you have to restore.

Renderings tease what a 4.8-inch iPhone would look like

Apple took lots of flack for the design of the iPhone 5. The company's decision to go taller instead of wider even spawned a meme or two. Would the company -- quite literally -- take that design to the next level?

The latest rumor says Apple is, in fact, eyeing an even larger screen for the iPhone, one that's close to 5-inches in size, up big from the current 4-inch model.

Despite an earlier report today saying such a device wouldn't see the ligh

Bigger iPhone still coming -- just not this year, report says

iPhone 5

(Credit: CNET)
In an about-face, Digitimes -- the purveyor of numerous Apple rumors, some of which have been true -- says not to get your hopes up for an even larger version of the iPhone. At least not this year.

The tech news site says Apple's still working on one but that it won't come in the second half of this year, as Digitimes excitedly reported earlier this month. That report made waves with the claim that Apple was working on a low-cost model with an even larger screen than the 4-inch display found on the iPhone 5.

"Previously it was said that Apple would release a lower-cost version of its iPhone with a bigger screen in 2013," Digitimes said this morning. "But the sources claimed that Apple is indeed developing an iPhone with a bigger screen, but that will not be among the models to be lancuhed [sic] this year."

The reasoning behind the time frame, the updated report offers, is that the supply of the larger displays could be creating production issues.

The report follows one from the Chinese language outlet Commercial Times yesterday, which said Apple has a low-cost, 4.8-inch iPhone model in the hopper , dubbed the "iPhone Math." Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, who watches Apple's supply chain closely, put out a note to investors this morning agreeing with that possibility.

"Our checks agree three different models are scheduled for launch in 2013 but disagree on the details," Misek said. "We believe a lower-cost 4.3" iPhone and multicolor 4" iPhone 5S will launch in June/July. Additionally, we believe a 4.8" iPhone model is scheduled for the end of October. We do not know what this phone will be called and think 'Math' might be a mistranslation or a code name."

Apple currently sells three different models of the iPhone but has only ever introduced one model at a time, choosing to sell the older model at a lower price. There were numerous rumorsahead of the iPhone 4S in 2011 that Apple planned to change that with the simultaneous release of a 4S and the 5, something that proved to be wrong.

by Josh Lowensohn via CNET

Yes, the iPhone 5 does vibrate differently

if you’re the proud owner of an iPhone 5, you may have noticed something different about the way that it vibrates. Well, you’re not imagining it, because there is something different about it: the vibrating motor.

Back when the iPhone 4 was introduced, it was still using the same vibration motor that all earlier iPhones had used. This was a rotational vibrator that basically consists of a cylinder with a wedge cut out of it that spins on a motor. The vibration is created by the imbalance of that counterweight.

Here’s an image of it from the AT&T iPhone 4 teardown by iFixit:

These are very common motors, found in a lot of other smartphones too. But they have some flaws. They’re loud, and they’re harder to accurately start and stop in oder to create crisper-feeling vibrations. They’re generally considered a sloppier option for vibrators.

Then, when the Verizon iPhone 4 rolled around, Apple had swapped it out for the nicer linear oscillating vibrator, which provides a smoother, more ‘accurate’ and quieter vibration. The iPhone 4S also used this nicer optionfor its vibration motor, here is what it looks like:

Which brings us to the iPhone 5. When iFixit went in to tear it down, they likely expected to see the now-familiar linear oscillating vibrator, but they didn’t. Instead, they discovered that Apple had gone back to using a rotational motor with a counterweight. Here it is:

So, if you’ve been feeling that the vibration in your iPhone 5 sounds louder and rougher and just more ‘violent’ overall, that’s why. Apple — for some reason — decided to go back to the older, less refined design for the vibration motor.

I’m not really sure why it was swapped back. Perhaps it was cost? But neither of these types of vibrators run more than a few cents. One cluecould be in this comparison shot, also from iFixit:

From that comparison, it appears that the rotational vibrator is significantly smaller than the linear version. So it could be that Apple needed to save all of the space it possibly could in order to keep the package of the iPhone 5 as thin as possible. It was reduced 18% in thickness from the iPhone 4S and Apple likely had to save space everywhere they could. Perhaps the vibrator was a casualty of that.

Anyway, I’m sure you’re sorry you just read 400 words on the iPhone 5′s vibrator, but now you know why it feels like a bunch of tiny angry gnomes are doing a tapdance on your thigh every time you get a text
.

[iPhone] Facebook Messenger Updated With Unlimited Free Voice Calling for U.S. Users

Facebook Messenger for iOS is a handy way to message and keep in touch with your Facebook contacts – but thanks to a recent update, it now serves as a way to make free VoIP audio calls as well! As noted by The Verge, Apple initially tested the feature with Canadian users, but has now officially rolled it out throughout the U.S. as well.

Apparently, the test went well — a new free calling button has appeared in the app. Facebook has confirmed to The Verge that the feature beg

The iPhone we've always wanted

if you want a great, all-around, beautifully engineered smartphone that covers all bases, here it is. Just like the MacBook is to the world of laptops, the new iPhone is one of the top three, if not the best-designed, smartphone around. It's better in all the important ways.

Editors' note: We are continuing to update this review with additional observations and test results. Among the latest additions (October 4, 2012) are the inclusion of 4G LTE speed tests (see "4G LTE: Faster, at last" section); detailed comparisons to camera quality between the iPhone and rival smartphones (see "The camera" section); and detailed battery test results for both video playback and talk time (see "Battery" section).

(Credit: Sarah Tew)

What's different?
Look at our review of last year's iPhone 4S, where we said, "Even without 4G and a giant screen, this phone's smart(ass) voice assistant, Siri, the benefits of iOS 5, and its spectacular camera make it a top choice for anyone ready to upgrade."

(Credit: CNET)

Well, guess what? Now it has 4G LTE and...well, maybe not a giant screen, but a larger screen. That's not all, though: the already great camera's been subtly improved, speakerphone and noise-canceling quality has been tweaked, and -- as always -- iOS 6 brings a host of other improvements, including baked-in turn-by-turn navigation, a smarter Siri, and P

Google for iPhone

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Stay connected on the go with iPhone apps by Google.

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Best iPhone apps from Google

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Apple’s iPhone 5 – Official Specifications!

The countdown is over. See our updates below for the IPhone 5 specifications.

There are rumors already circling stating that it’s just going to be called the iPhone 5. Do you think so? We will find out shortly for sure. There have been numerous leaks ahead of Wednesday’s event, from individual components like screen size guestimates and dock plugs to full-fledged prototypes of the iPhone. Of course, all of these remain suspect until Apple makes it official. Some leaks even suggest that there will be new li