TiPb asks: Have you switched to Spotify or are you using something else?

Following months of rumors and tons of hype, Spotify finally made it’s US debut last week and… we’re curious as to whether or not you’ve switched to using it for most of your mobile music fix? Given that iPhone users could already choose between Pandora, Slacker, rdio, Napster, Rhapsody, and pretty much everything except Zune Pass (come on Microsoft!), not to mention Amazon Cloud Player, Google Music Beta, and iTunes sync (and soon, iTunes Match), there’s some strong, established competition for Spotify to contend to.

If you did switch, why? If you didn’t, why not? What’s most important to you in a streaming music service? That they offer tons of tracks, that they let you upload your own, rare music, that they offer streaming or subscriptions, that they have playlists or genius/recommendation engines?

Bottom line, have you switched to Spotify or are you using something else? Vote in the poll up top and give us the details in the comments below!

ZENandTECH 8: The perfect plague

The plague of perfectionism — when what you do is never good enough for yourself or for someone around you. Does Apple suffer from it? Do you? Georgia and Rene discuss what it is, why it can negatively people, and tools to help you identify and deal with perfectionistic tendencies, and why gadgets may not always be your friend. This is ZENandTECH!

RingO Holder for iPad 2 now available at all Apple stores

It has been a long time coming but right it is finally here. Vogel recently announced that the first mounting system for all iPad 2 systems will be available at all Apple stores across the US and Europe (on-line and retail). There are numerous third-party systems that provide this sort of functionality but this is the first that one is being introduced in the Apple Stores.

The RingO holder, as the name suggests, features a ring that allows users to quickly secure the iPad on a wide range of different mounting systems. This allows you to enjoy music, videos or even access a variety of apps while in the bathroom, kitchen or backseat of the car. The added functionality allows for hand’s free use and minimizes the risk of damage to the iPhone because you will not have to carry it around everywhere you go.

The system is very easy to use. All you have to do is press to release and click to secure it on a different mount. The simplicity of the system means you will not have to spend too much time figuring out the system or spend hours trying to install the mounting systems. Once you are done, you will be able to display the iPad in an all most futuristic setting. Unlike other mounting systems, the entire iPad will be displayed in all its glory.

Each mount is customized for the environment it is meant to be used in and each one allows the same level of flexibility and ease of use. This also means that you will not have to constantly customize your mounting systems. In addition, the mounting system will work seamlessly with the Smart Cover. This is especially important because you will not have to purchase additional protective gear for the iPad.

Multiple Accounts, One iPad: Sharers, Meet iUsers

Maybe you like passing your onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ipadngravy.com');" target="_blank" title="iPad" href="http://www.ipadngravy.com">iPad out to friends. Maybe there’s always that one guy or gal asking if they can flick around the homepage and open an app or two. Maybe, just maybe, you’re the CEO of a company and store sensitive info on your i tablet that others could mess up. Or maybe you’re lucky (but really unlucky) enough that your family has an iPad that’s “for everyone.” iUsers solves some of the issues attributed to sharing a personal computing device by giving everybody their own account.

For all intent and purposes, each account is almost like a different iPad. Meaning that each has its own customized homepages, app data, etc. Every “iUser” gets what is close to their own fresh install of iOS that can be configured to their liking.

Well, it comes close enough to totally individual usage; there are a few catches. Everybody is still forced into having the same apps installed (though again, app data storage including saves is individually allocated and modified) along with the music and video library being a joint collection. Nonetheless, the value here for guest account creation and especially users with shared devices is immense since data is securer and experiences become more exclusive.

With Apple toting how families can share an iPad, it’s a no-brainer to think that a similar feature will make its way into iOS eventually. Really, it should have been there from the start simply due to the nature of the tablet. To their credit, there are complications with how apps would be shared and smart utilization of the iPad’s limited storage space so that MBs and GBs can be maximized.

Of course, Cydia is home to iUsers. So you will need to jailbreak your iPad first, but it’s a quick, painless process as long as you didn’t jump on iOS target="_blank" href="http://www.iphonealley.com/news/apple-fights-back-against-jailbreakme-with-ios-4-3-4-update">4.3.4. (A 4.3.4 onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.engadget.com/2011/07/16/ios-4-3-4-jailbroken-with-pwnagetool-on-ipod-touch-iphone-and-i/');" href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/16/ios-4-3-4-jailbroken-with-pwnagetool-on-ipod-touch-iphone-and-i/">jailbreak is possible, but not as easy as going to a website and kicking back while the process runs.)

Take a look at the video below to see the variegated user account action:

width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tq8sjcOdAsc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

[tweak discovered by onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.engadget.com/2011/07/17/iusers-frees-your-ipad-of-monogamy-enables-multiple-user-profil/');" target="_blank" href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/17/iusers-frees-your-ipad-of-monogamy-enables-multiple-user-profil/">Engadget]

Apple Fights Back Against JailbreakMe with iOS 4.3.4 Update

After JailbreakMe was recently updated for compatibility with all iOS devices running software version 4.3.3 and earlier, including onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ipadngravy.com');" target="_blank" title="iPad" href="http://www.ipadngravy.com">iPad 2 for the first time, it did not take long for Apple to develop its own update in its fight against exploits that allow iOS to be jailbroken. This time around, Apple did not wait for anything notable, not even a bug fix, to release iOS 4.3.4. The update’s only purpose is to close the hole that allowed users to hack into their iOS devices with JailbreakMe.

The sole update note Apple provided with 4.3.4 is that it “Fixes security vulnerability associated with viewing malicious PDF file.” In other words, “your move, jailbreak community.”

With the latest version of JailbreakMe, clever hackers found that special PDF files with “malicious” code were the key to a PC-free jailbreak on iOS 4.3-4.3.3. Then all users had to do was point Safari to a PDF on the JailbreakMe site. Within minutes they were on their way to Cydia, the “app store” for apps that wouldn’t be allowed in the App Store, fun.

Nobody can blame Apple for wanting to get the update out so quickly for just this reason since harmful viruses could have utilized the same PDF exploit. That is unlikely though, seeing that there have been no widespread or even noteworthy iOS viruses. Apple was maintaing its anti-jailbreak stance more so than keeping iOS virus-free with the quick release.

Head over to iTunes and update to protect yourself from any potential viruses utilizing the PDF exploit. Jailbroken users need not apply. Actually, regular users have no reason to hurry and update anyway, especially since this is such an insignificant update and there is (currently) nothing dangerous surfacing as a result of not having the exploit patched.

PD convertor for the iPad

Sometimes the best apps are the simplest apps, which is true in the case of the PDF Convertor released by Readdle for the iPad. As the iPad becomes more mature and starts appealing to a wider consumer base, apps like this will become increasingly more important, if not essential for everyday use.
 

Since, its inception, the iPad has been snapped up lots of business type users and naturally the iPad is used to handle a variety of documents (perhaps, creating a paperless office someday) with different formats. Certainly, it is easy to share files directly from the iPad but one of the easiest types of files to deal with is the PDF format.
 
Thankfully, Readdle’s PDF Convertor allows users to convert files on the iPad to PDFs directly from the iPad itself. This means you do not have to transfer the files on to a computer or on-line website (security here can be questionable anyway) to convert your files to PDFs.
 
Once you have downloaded the app, you will be able to access it from the “Open In” menu. This basically allows users to convert a variety of different content into PDF files including web pages, photos, contacts, email attachments, etc. This saves people from the added hassle of maintaining and sharing multiple different file formats, which wastes time and can get very frustrating.
 
The app also supports MS Office and iWork document formats, while keeping the original formatting elements mostly intact.
 
You can purchase the PDF Converter for $6.99, which is compatible with iOS 4.3 or later. The price is quite high, but for the level of functionality and simplicity onboard, it is well worth the money. Certainly, not everyone will be interested in this app but if you are a writer or business user, then you will really find this useful for everyday use.

iDJ Live for the iPad

The genesis of the iPad and iPhone can be traced to the iPod. Thus, one could easily see how Apple’s entire product line has a very distinct musical gene. As a result, even the software is geared towards simple, effective and mind-blowing music experience courtesy of the iTunes music library, which is used across iOS, Linux and Microsoft platforms. With all this at the disposal of amateur music fanatics, professional DJ’s are facing some serious competition. Meanwhile, basement parties are getting a serious musical experience.
 

One of the latest products to empower the budding DJ is the iDJ live. While the system is basically a docking device for the iPod, iPhone and the iPad, it allows includes a very realistic turn-table mixing facsimile. The iPad is the best option because there is really nothing that can compete with its brilliant 10-inch screen and amazing performance.
 
The iDJ live allows users to have a dynamic mixing experience including the ability to mix, overlap, fade and scratch the music available on the iTunes library. The system also includes a set of headphone and a custom audio cable, which will allow you to connect it to other speakers as well. This allows you to customize virtually every element of the musical experience, which is great if you already have an awesome set of speakers.
 
Right now, there are numerous other products on the market as well including Bose and the iHome. Even Apple is developing its own home DJ system: Airtunes. However, the experience of the iDJ is far better in comparison to its rivals. Keep in mind that this is still very portable despite the fact that it is capable of providing an amazing performance. The product is available for download in the App Store for $19.99. In any case, this is one product that deserves the attention of every budding DJ.

iOS 4.3.4/4.2.9 also kills untethered exploit dead

While the hoopla surrounding the recently released iOS 4.3.4 (and iOS 4.2.9) focused on it killing the PDF exploit that allowed JailbreakMe.com to function — and could potentially allow bad guys to attack the iPhone and iPad as well — it looks like Apple also patched an exploit that had been used to achieve untethered Jailbreakers since iOS 4.1. According to @i0n1c:

For those that did not get it: iOS 4.3.4 does not only fix jbme3 as announced, but also silently kills the ndrv_setspec() integer overflow.

In addition to that iOS 4.3.4 also adds code to dyld to detect attacks with binaries using “incomplete code signing”.

“Incomplete codesigning attacks” were used for all untether exploits from at least iOS 4.1.0

Wonder if {Apple] only tried to stop my xploit from modifying LCs at runtime with the new check, or if they knew it would stop [incomplete codesigning] attacks.

That last tweet revives the debate about wether or not Apple is simply concerned about iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch security, or if they’re specifically targeting Jailbreak exploits to close down. Some, like JailbreakMe.com, are such a risk Apple closes them as soon as possible. Others, like ndrv_setspec() survived for months and several IOS updates.

Either way, we once again thank the Jailbreak developers for their time and tenacity in always looking for new exploits and new ways to Jailbreak.

[@i0n1c, thanks @sethclifford]