Square Cash Registers: Great Revolution in Financial Sector

There is a great revolution taking place in the financial sector in the modern world today concerning how payments are sent and received. Square, a firm established by Twitter co-founder and co-director Jack Dorsey, is one such companies which is revolutionising the financial sector. Square offers a modern method of accepting payments through a smart phone or tablet to individual and small sized microenterprise firms.

Square charges a low flat rate of 2.75 per cent per transaction carried out. The company also provides the required mobile application and a reader for credit card for free. Apple has adopted the avenue that this project is expected to offer to consumers in terms of expanding the existing market based of credit card transactions. Apple has integrated the credit card reader in their Apple stores and Visa who have invested so heavily in Apple stores.

Square has come up with the latest application which may render all cash registers useless and thus removing them from the market. The initial application which Square has called square registers uses iPad and it is out doing the traditional conventional bulky and costly cash registers. The square registers come with a touch enabled point of sale software which has the ability to process and transmit digital receipts.

This device will also assist the business owners to communicate with their clients through a location based directory system. The directory shall allow the business firms to be discovered by local clients. Apart from the local directory, the square registers will also have a featured menu, which will offer a digital sandwich board for advertisement including the costs, common products and daily specials via clients’ mobile phone.

Most of the features integrated in the square registers use the latest card case app. The firm is also trying to make the square registers iPhone and android compatible. The app provides a platform for customers to access the location based directory and featured menu powered by the square register. More interestingly, it also enables the clients to open tabs with firms. The tabs are more much similar to one click purchases in online shopping. The one click purchasing is efficient and user friendly as it eliminates the need for a client to carry a credit card. Credit card information can easily be accessed and verified by the retailer through the square register. After the purchase a product using the credit card through a participating merchant, a text message invitation activates the card case app. The square register app can be downloaded through the App store.

Slimmer, Thin and Seamless iPhone 5

Stephane  Richard, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of France Telecom and one of the renowned member of the worldwide Orange network in an exclusive interview with one of the media companies, discussed about the future for RIM, the challenges Microsoft Nokia could encounter, net neutrality and how to meet the cost for up surging needs of consumers.

Unexpectedly, he also talked about Apple’s intentions to eliminate the use of SIM cards from phones, which will make the next generation of iPhone much smaller and slimmer. Stephane Richard also confirmed that the giant iPhone manufacturer, Apple had been engaged in talks with the Orange networks to replace the SIM card with a software technology solution, what is referred to as electronic SIM (e-SIM) in telecommunication industry. Nevertheless, Orange networks do not agree with Apple’s idea of rendering SIM card useless and has termed the move misplaced and bad. The major concern of Orange network is the issue of security and authentication offered by the ordinary SIM card. Eliminating the use of the physical SIM card will therefore jeopardise the security of both the user and that of the state. In foreseeing the benefits of the concerns raised by the Orange networks, Apple embarked on a project in partnership with the Orange networks to reduce the size of SIM cards.

The aim of the project arose out of the need of space which was required by Apple to expand the memory and other feature of the new iPhone 5. Stephane Richard added that the next generation of iPhone, which is read to imply that the iPhone 5 will therefore be much smaller and thinner. Considering these aspects, the volume inside the phone casing will therefore go at a premium, and in case the SIM card is eliminated, the iPhone 5 would accommodate a lot of features making it the most powerful phone in the market.

The issue of eliminating the SIM card is nevertheless unforeseeable. For this reason, Apple will have to contend with the idea of reducing the SIM card size as the best alternative for its project. The expected new iPhone 5 features are still vague and are considered as rumours. Although still considered as rumours, the expectation is that the iPhone will have a slim and thin look with a larger graphics with an edge to edge display.

On the other hand, if the information regarded as a rumour at moment is a fact, then the new iPhone 5 will have a tapered look with a four inch edge to edge display. Apple has also recently invested heavily of a number of glass cutting machines and it is believed that the iPhone 5 glass cover will be made from this machines. With the small size of the iPhone, Apple will have to maximise on the small space available in the iPhone. As the small size inside the iPhone casing may impact negatively on the output of this project, eliminating the SIM card seemed a sure way of making the project successful.

 

Outstanding Feature Of Iphone 3GS

The third generation iPhone was released in United States in 2007. According to Apple, the current iPhone 3Gs is much faster and has a more powerful features than its predecessor, iPhone 3G. Although the two smart phones have similar looks in form and design, the iPhone 3Gs has more outstanding features than iPhone 3G. This article highlights some of the best features of this outstanding and remarkable gadget. When introducing the iPhone 3Gs, Apple announced that the smart phone had a faster processor, better memory and outstanding performance capability. Although the iPhone 3G is not a bad phone, it has been noticed that it is rather slow when opening and closing applications.

There are two versions of iPhone 3Gs. These versions are categorised based on their storage capacity. The two versions are the 16 gigabytes (GB) and 32 GB iPhones. Its predecessor came with 4 GB, 6 GB or 10 GB storage capacity or memory. The iPhone 3G cannot be able to record a video and can be termed by many consumers as a phone that does not have basic features. Therefore, the addition of a video recording to the iPhone 3Gs is a major improvement to many consumers who may want to own an iPhone.

The improved version of the three generation phone also comes with a three mega pixel camera. The camera is auto focused, an improvement on the iPhone 3G, which is only two-mega pixel and is not auto focused. Although the camera of the improved version lacks a flash, the three mega pixel to a large extent improves the images shot. The ability of the camera to tap an area on the screen to focus on is remarkable and offer easier mobile photography.

The iPhone 3Gs also uses what its manufacturer terms as voice control. This feature enables the user to make a call at the same time play music while speaking. The feature can also locate entries in your contact directory. To make a call, the user only needs to say a name or phone number. The user can also command the iPhone to play a song in the album stored in the phone in a similar way.

The improved version of the iPhone 3G is also a navigating gadget. It has an inbuilt digital compass which works perfectly well with Google maps. This inbuilt compass rotates the maps to fit the direction the user is facing. Interestingly, for internet users, the iPhone is also a modem which can be connected either to a Mac or PC through a USB or other wireless connections like the Bluetooth in some wireless networks.

The phone has also certain features which enable peoples with disabilities to use the iPhone like the Voice Over function. This feature reads aloud what appears on the iPhone screen, zoom function with a possibility of magnification up to 5 times and improved contrast as a result of white displays on a black background. The iPhone is also Nike + iPod compatible accompanied with a remote enable headphones.

How To Get iOS 5 Without A Developer Account

Desperately want iOS 5 but don’t have an Apple developer account? Well, we just heard a way of getting the OS on your device without one — but be warned, it’s very risky. Gizmodo posted this walkthrough, and while it seems to be successful for most attempts, this is an early beta of iOS so not completely functional, and it looks like it might be difficult or impossible to downgrade back to iOS 4.

If you’re willing to bite the bullet, here’s the way:

1. Download the iOS 5 IPSW file from the web (it’s easy and readily available. Just Google it and torrent it down).
2. Update your iPhone using iTunes. To do this, connect your iPhone to your computer, click on the Check for Updatebutton with the Option (Mac) or Shift (PC) key pressed. Select the iOS 5 IPSW file from the place you downloaded it to.
3. Wait until it upgrades. A new activation screen will appear.

1. Triple click the home button. This will activate the Voice Over.
2. Triple click the home button and Emergency Call will appear.
3. Click on Emergency Call and, while it’s switching, swipe with your three fingers down.
4. The Notification Center will appear!
5. Click on the Weather widget. The Weather app will load.
6. Click on the home button to exit to the iPhone’s springboard.

Pretty straightforward, huh? However, the comment thread of the tutorial is filled with people offering warnings and saying you definitely need to back up your SHSH blob before doing so, and even then you may not be able to downgrade.

It’s risky, but what price getting access to a free upgrade a couple of months early?

As always, we accept no responsibility for you screwing up your phone if you do this.

Apple Design Awards Winners Announced

The Apple Design Awards are an annual event at WWDC recognizing excellence in design, innovation and technical excellence across iOS and OS X. Last year saw a bumper crop of excellent apps win prizes, and this year’s winners were equally excellent. The winners scored a MacBook Air, iPad 2, iPod Touch and a big old trophy. Here’s a list of the winners, courtesy of TUAW:

There are some pretty steller apps on that list!

Steve Jobs Wants Flying Saucer Building For Apple Campus

In order to house the growing number of employees that work for Apple, Steve Jobs is pushing for a new building in Cupertino, an enormous space-age spaceship to house 12,000 employees. It’ll be based on former HP land that Apple bought from them in 2010, and will function as its own primary power source, only drawing from the grid as a backup. “There’s not a single straight piece of glass in this building,” said Jobs.

I wonder if anyone on the Cupertino City Council is going to try and shoot down an idea like this, one that is so clearly a “holy crap, we live in the future!” proposal.

We’ve included some bulletpoints cribbed from TC after the jump:

 

iOS 5 Hints At Multiband iPad 3

The good folks at TUAW have gone codediving on iOS 5 beta 1 and have found references to new iPhones and iPad Inside the system they found strings referencing ”iPad3,1″ and “iPad3,2″ and “iPhone4,1″ and “iPhone4,2.” For those of you who have been keeping track at home, the iPhone3,x designation was for the iPhone 4, and the iPad2,x designation was for the iPad 2. So this would be the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. Whew.

What’s really interesting is that there are only two variants of the iPad instead of the current three. Right now we have iPad2,1″ (Wi-Fi), “iPad2,2″ (GSM), and “iPad2,3″ (CDMA). One of those is going bye-bye. My guess? We’ll finally see a multiband iPad that’ll work on both GSM and CDMA.

It’s time for Apple to kill what’s left of the iOS NDA

I’m a developer or at least I have a developer account that is used to submit the everythingiCafe app to the App Store. I’m also a tech blogger who covers Apple. The lines between those two started blurring within the blogosphere a long time ago. Apple’s Developer program, priced at just $99 per year, allows developers the ability to download the latest beta versions of iOS. When you do so, you must agree to a lengthy non-disclosure agreement or NDA. The NDA effectively means that you shouldn’t discuss any aspects of the software you’ve just downloaded. Remember, the reason for downloading the software is to be able to test your applications with the new version of iOS. There have been rampant abuses of the NDA since last year. The level at which it is being disregarded has reached epic proportions. So why is Apple allowing so many to have blatant disregard for their contracts?

People want as much information as they can get about the latest version of iOS. That’s only natural. New software is almost like having a new phone. iOS 5 offers a vast number of new features that dramatically changes the way we’ll use an iPhone. With the emphasis from WWDC being strictly on software, there is even a greater demand for information, beyond what is available on Apple’s site.

Technology bloggers are in the business of providing the latest information about new operating systems and hardware. Outside of the found iPhone 4 prototype, it’s virtually impossible for bloggers to get a hold of unreleased hardware. Software, that’s easy. All it takes is $99 and one’s willingness to install beta software on their iPhone. If you post information about Apple’s new version of iOS, you will see an increase in site traffic. Video walkthroughs will boost views on YouTube and increase subscribers. Visitors are happy and site owners are even more happy. Increased pageviews means more advertising revenue. Seems to be a win, win if it weren’t for that pesky NDA.

Most companies would cringe at the thought of beta software entering the public realm. Apple doesn’t seem bothered. Perhaps they want the added exposure. Perhaps they feel confident that iOS, even it’s beta stage, is not going to reveal anything that would cause concern among those planning to upgrade. These reveals often show features that don’t end up being in the final product. Remember gestures?

As far as Apple is concerned, it’s all good. If that’s the case, then it’s time for Apple to drop the iOS NDA on beta software. Their inaction and indifference seems to indicate to many, including MacWorld’s Jason Snell that the NDA is completely dead. All that’s left is for Apple to remove the rotting corpse that was once a non-disclosure agreement.

Thanks anonymous!

New iOS Features Come To Light: Custom Vibrations, New SMS Tones, Emoji and More

With the beta of iOS 5 in everyone’s hands right now, small and nifty features are starting to come to light, which make us want to play with the OS even more.

For those of you who have longed for more options for your text alerts, it appears that you can buy new tones with iOS 5. The store isn’t up right now, but it seems you’ll be able to purchase new sounds to go off when a text arrives. But what about making your own? We haven’t heard anything about that yet, but given there’s now an avenue to get new sounds onto the phone, you can bet someone will have a workaround, right quick.

On the subject of messages, custom vibration alerts allow you to tap out a pattern on the screen, and it’ll transform that into a custom vibration for your contacts. Easy way to recognize if your mom’s trying to call you without pulling out the phone.

The iPod app has been retitled Music, and completely overhauled giving it a faux-real look like iCal and much else of iOS 5.

Our Emoji guide is one of our more popular posts of the last few years, but the technique still doesn’t work for everybody. Now the emoticons will be baked into iOS, saving everyone the trouble.

You can now swipe in the camera app to access the camera roll.

We’ll be sure to keep you informed of other cool features as they come to light.

Richard Dreyfuss Reads The iTunes EULA

Have you ever bother to read that mammoth EULA you agree to when you install a new version of iTunes? Nope, me neither. But now the good folks at CNET have made parts of it immensely entertaining by getting hollywood star Richard Dreyfuss to read excerpts from that exceedingly tedious document. Mr. Dreyfuss gives adds a dramatic flair to the otherwise dry material, the “effective until” excerpt is especially powerful.

Unfortunately, we can’t embed it natively, but click through the link above and have a listen. Definitely worth it!

Poll: Will you still jailbreak post iOS 5?

Will you still jailbreak post iOS 5?survey software

So will you still Jailbreak now that Apple has included notifications, lock screen info, and so many other features into iOS 5? Granted most of them don’t do as much as their Jailbreak counterparts, but you aren’t required to Jailbreak to use them either.

Are you a hardcore Jailbreaker and you’re going to do it no matter what? Are you taking a more wait-and-see attitude? Or has Apple finally done enough to convert you from #TeamJailbreak to #TeamPure?

Vote in the poll up top and give me your reasons in the comments below!

iTunes 10.3 now available with beta iCloud support

With the iCloud unveiling yesterday, Apple also announced that a new version of iTunes and a beta version of iCloud would be available now (with the rest rolling out in the Fall). Users have been reporting iTunes 10.3 downloads becoming available over the past 24 hours. Now, it appears to be available for everyone.

Keep in mind only some iCloud services are available now (and they’re still considered beta). The rest will be rolled out this Fall. You should already see changes to the App Store on your devices as those were rolled out wireless yesterday.

iTunes 10.3 will let you do the following right now –

Automatic downloads – Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices

Download previous purchases – Download your past music purchases again at no additional cost. Your purchases are available in the iTunes Store on your Mac or in the iTunes app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.

The rest of the services will be available this Fall, along with iOS 5.

Did you download it already? Any bugs so far or is it working for you like Apple said it would?

iBooks update brings ‘read-aloud’ feature

iBooks for iPhone and iPad has been updated to 1.3 and includes new read-aloud feature that reads the book to you. It’s only available for “enhanced” books and some books will even highlight the words as they are read to you.

This will be a great feature for children learning how to read. If you have any books with this feature enabled, let us know what you think!

[Free - iTunes link]

David Ashman talks LockInfo post iOS 5 notifications

David Ashman is the developer behind LockInfo, the popular notification and lock screen information app for Jailbreak — and he’s just seen Apple add their own version of both those features to iOS 5. So how does he feel about that, and what does it mean for the future of LockInfo?

Check out the video above, shot at WWDC 2011 the day after the keynote to see what he says. (Spoiler: While Apple may fill the needs of casual users, LockInfo is going to make the pros very, very happy for a long time to come.)

[LockInfo]

iOS 5 jailbroken in less than 24 hours

Last night Musclenerd posted a tweet saying that iOS 5 has indeed been jailbroken using the limera1n exploit. In his tweet he posted a picture of an iPod touch 4 Springboard with the Cydia icon placed nicely on it.

The full jailbreak story after the break!

The Apple keynote ended less than 24 hours ago, and the iOS 5 beta dropped to developers in even less time and the devs have already managed to jailbreak the firmware. According to @musclenerd, Cydia runs smoothly. This, however, is a tethered jailbreak and there is no word on when the tool will be released. So, if you are already jailbroken on a previous firmware, stay there, do not upgrade to iOS 5 beta 1 if you like your current jailbreak.

What do you all think of this? The jailbreak came quick, but do you think Apple will fill the hole in a new beta of iOS 5? Let us know in the comments.

Daily tip: How to for developers installing a beta version of iOS via XCode or iTunes beta [Mac only]

Here is a tip for developers on how to install a beta for iOS using XCode or iTunes. One of the coolest things about being an iOS developer is being able to check out new versions of iOS before they’re publicly released. With WWDC 2011 upon us, we should see a beta of iOS 5 soon. If you’re a new developer, or you’re testing for a current developer, you’ll want to make sure you install beta firmware correctly. If you don’t, this can lead to problems when upgrading to official or later versions of iOS.

As a forewarning, betas are only intended for developers and testers. Don’t expect a beta to be flawless, expect the opposite. I also recommend installing betas on a test device when you can in case something goes wrong.

So if you’re new to this process, hit the jump for a walkthrough of how to provision your device and install a beta version of iOS. And obviously, betas are Mac only.

There’s a couple ways to add your UDID to the provisioning portal. The easiest is with XCode (which is what you should be using anytime you are installing beta firmware).

1. Simply open XCode with your device plugged in. It should bring up your device in the side bar. Right click and choose to add it to the provisioning portal. XCode should ask for your developer login.

Alternately, you can also log into the developer portal and add a UDID via the provisioning portal as well. The XCode option is just a lot easier as it does it for you. You can pull your UDID from XCode or from iTunes (simply click your serial number until it changes to the longer 40 digit number, that is your UDID and what you need to enter into the provisioning portal.

As a side note, if XCode does not load the Organizer window, simply go to Window, Organizer and you should then see your device.

If you’re installing via a beta version of iTunes, skip this section and jump down to the iTunes install instructions below.

Once you’ve provisioned your device with the developer portal and downloaded the newest beta of iOS, you’re ready to install it via XCode. It is always a good idea to back up your iPhone and restore it clean before installing a beta as well. Not required but I recommend it. If you are jailbroken, it is especially a good idea to restore stock before attempting this.

If you’ve already installed using XCode, no need to go any further, you’re done!

Almost all betas will need to be installed using a beta version of iTunes. In the case of iOS 5, you’ll need iTunes beta 10.5.

1. Open iTunes and click on your device. (Always back up before installing ANY new firmware, beta or not.)

Under the main Summary tab, you’ll see the normal restore button. Simply hold down the alt+option key on your keyboard and click restore.

A window will pop up that will let you navigate to the saved beta firmware. Simply select it and click Open.

Let iTunes do it’s thing. Once it’s done, it will prompt you to Set up as new iPhone or Restore from a backup. You’ll probably want to restore from your backup. But you can choose which one you’d prefer.

Let your stuff sync back over and you’re done!

And again, I can’t say this enough times – beta software is just that, beta. It is meant for developers and testers only. Please do not attempt to install beta firmware without a developer license or permission. And I strongly urge developers to not “sell” UDID spots under their account to people who just want early access to the beta. The purpose is for Apple to get legitimate feedback from developers before a final release. If you do not intend on submitting crash logs and bug reports, please wait for an official release.

Nuance VoiceOver technology still coming to iOS 5?

It looks as if iOS 5 may still be coming packed with the rumored Nuance VoiceOver technology even though it wasn’t given an official mention during Monday’s WWDC keynote.

If you look closely at the image above presented during the iOS 5 portion of the keynote, you’ll notice a few interesting tidbits pertaining to iOS VoiceOver integration.

This implies that Apple and Nuance may not have been fully prepared to show off their iOS 5 VoiceOver system in time for the keynote, but that it’s still in the pipeline and should be ready to go this fall when iOS 5 drops. It’s unclear whether Apple will allow 3rd party apps to take advantage of these new features or if it will only extend to system apps.

What do you think, will we see Nuance/SIRI VoiceOver technology baked-in to iOS 5 or are we just wishful thinking?

Angry Birds Rio updated, 15 new levels

Angry Birds Rio has been updated with 15 new levels and a new bird type.

We know how much you love your Angry Birds, so if you get a chance to take a break from getting 3 stars on the new levels and mastering the technique of the new bird, come back and let us know what you think!

[$0.99 for iPhone - iTunes link] [$2.99 for iPad - iTunes link]

New and updated iPhone and iPad apps for Wednesday, June 8

Every day, TiPb gets flooded with announcements for new and updated iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps and games. So every day we pick just a few of the most interesting, the most notable, and simply the most awesome to share with you!

Reincarnator: Which one you like? Monitor,Wood,Football,Washing machine,… Just select right objects and get to the final point.reincarnate objects to eachother and solve the puzzles. [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Camera+: Now you can share via SMS! [$0.99 - iTunes link]

ProCamera: Now with RapidFire mode, QuickFlick album, social networking support and iPad 2 support! [$2.99 - iTunes link]

Death Rally: Now with a new car, challenges, achievements, paint jobs, and more! [$0.99 - iTunes link]

Any other big apps or game releases or updates today? If you pick any of these up, let us know what you think!

Untethered jailbreak may be fully patched in iOS 5

Prominent iPhone hacker i0n1c revealed in a tweet yesterday that the untethered jailbreak he created has been fixed in iOS 5.

R.I.P. – I just heard Apple killed the ndrv_setspec() integeroverflow and his friends in iOS 5.0b1 – if this is true the untether is dead

It was discovered yesterday that the tethered jailbreak in limera1n worked perfectly in iOS 5 with Cydia running smoothly, but for those hoping the untether from i0n1c would work, it looks like those dreams have been put to rest.

This doesn’t mean another untethered jailbreak won’t be discovered, although the jailbreak community most likely wouldn’t release it until the iPhone 5 is available to prevent Apple from finding the exploit and patching it at the hardware level.

Would you be open to using a tethered jailbreak with iOS 5 or would you stick with iOS 4 until an untethered jailbreak is available?

PlayStation Vita (PSP2) Bests iPod touch’s Hardware for $250

Yesterday, Sony took to the E3 gaming conference stage to announce launch details on its new handheld device, the PlayStation Vita. PlayStation Vita is the first true successor to the PlayStation Portable (which launched in the U.S. over six years ago), bringing forth the best of modern technologies in a strikingly-affordable package.

For a handheld device that is smaller than standard tablets, PlayStation Vita is unmatched in terms of prowess. Not only does it feature a PowerVR GPU that packs more of a punch than that of the one found in Apple’s A5 chip, but also a four-core ARM processor. Both are similar technologies from the same companies to what is found in the A4 and A5 chips, but the PSV (as an editor, I am going to pioneer the use of that acronym for the new Sony handheld) includes more powerful variants of the tech.

Modern technology also means a touch-screen, front and rear cameras, motion tracking, GPS, and a 3G option, all of which the PSV has. If that was not enough, the touch-screen is a 5″ 960×544 OLED display, there is a touchpad on the back of the device for unique controls, plus the system sports a full, built-in controller.

At a $250 price for the Wi-Fi model and $300 for built-in 3G support compatible with AT&T’s network, PSV is priced very aggressively. Unless Apple throws an A6 chip with upgraded hardware into the next iPhone and iPod touch, they will fall behind in mobile power. Such a low price for so much hardware may cause other companies, including Apple, to rethink their own pricing. Without a doubt, PSV and iPod touch will be close competitors this holiday season.

[via Sony]

Walmart Puts New iPhone 4 On-Sale at Cheapest Price Yet

Okay, we know that you would need a reason to go to Walmart for an iPhone 4 purchase. Prior to today, it would be easy to come up with tons of reasons to go elsewhere to a more tech-savvy store (wait, it still is). Does a 26% discount entice you? Because that is exactly what Walmart has begun offering.

For $147, you can take home a brand new black or white 16GB iPhone 4 with a two-year contract on Verizon or AT&T. To find out stock availability and whether such a sale extends to the 32GB iPhone 4 (if that model is offered at your local store), you will have to contact retail stores.

Oh, and it’s a total coincidence that the two posts preceding this also mention prices. With keynote after keynote and shiny new products (or services, no-new-WWDC-product-announcements Apple), money makes the industry spin round.

As a bonus, check out this not-totally-unrelated video below. You weren’t shopping at Walmart for a discounted iPhone, you were at the AT&T store next door, right?

[via Walmart]

Tutorial: Non-Devs Can Also Easily Update to iOS 5 Right Now

Well, that didn’t take long. A few easy steps will get iOS 5 onto your device(s) of choice in no time, regardless of whether you have a developer account or not. In case you need a refresher, iOS 5 is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, along with the third and fourth-generation iPod touch. If you want the shiny new version of iOS a few months early, read on.

Disclaimer: iOS 5 is currently in beta with months of development time left for polish, so there is no guarantee that this will be a stable release suitable for everyday usage. Though it is unlikely that problems will arise during installation, we cannot promise that updating will be a smooth process for everyone. Thus, follow this guide at your own discretion.

That wasn’t difficult, was it? Now, go try iOS 5 and let us know your experience in the comments!

Gizmodo had received a tip from a developer who has cracked the proverbial code preventing regular users from using and installing the iOS 5 beta onto compatible iOS devices, leading to the creation of this tutorial.