IDevice

• Tech Industry
• Kickstarter
• IDevice
• Cooking
• Culinary art

The latest contender for your automated kitchen: the $200 smart frying pan

Ben Lovejoy Nov 21 2014 - 4:23 am PT

1 Comment

I’m a big fan of home automation gadgets – right down to my kettle – but even I would have thought a smart frying pan was a bit of a stretch. Seems not: a Kickstarter campaign for the $199 Pantelligent pan is almost fully-funded.

Frying pans have barely changed in thousands of years, but Pantelligent is the next evolutionary leap in the kitchen: a frying pan that actually helps you cook. Pantelligent has a temperature sensor inside it that communicates with the Pantelligent smartphone app. Together, the pan and the app guide you to cook everything perfectly, just the way a professional chef (or your mom!) would cook it. No more overcooked, undercooked, or burned food. You’ll know exactly when the pan is at the right temperature, when it’s time to flip or stir, and when your food is perfectly done.

It works in a similar way to the Connected Scales we mentioned recently, the accompanying app walking you through recipes step-by-step. The Pantelligent pan has a built-in temperature sensor, so it knows how hot it is and how hot it should be for the food you are cooking, letting you know when you need to adjust the heat up or down, and telling you when the food is properly cooked.

There are only a few dozen recipes in the app at present, but more are promised – and you can also enter your own, complete with temperatures and timings so that the app can alert you in the same way it does for the supplied ones.

The rather lengthy video below provides a complete, unedited demo. If you want to grab one, you can back the project for $199 and expect to receive your smart pan in January.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScLOkv0ly9g]

• Apps
• iOS
• iPad
• iPhone
• iCloud

Box for iPhone app gets Touch ID support and new features geared to ease of use

Ben Lovejoy Nov 12 2014 - 4:42 am PT

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Box for iPhone and iPad – an app designed to allow convenient access to more than 100 document types in the cloud – has been updated to allow unlocking via Touch ID and given a bunch of new features designed to make it easier to use.

Touch ID support should make a big difference to heavy users, who the company says typically use the app 50 times a day.

A Notification Center widget makes Box significantly more convenient, allowing you to view recent files and add new notes. A new Favorites feature allows fast access to frequently-needed files without having to load them into the app first.

What’s New in Version 3.5.0

• Now use Box from your Today view in Notification Center to quickly and easily create Box Notes, view recent documents and more (requires iOS 8)
• Use your fingerprint to unlock the Box app at the touch of the home button with Touch ID (compatible devices only, requires iOS 8)
• Add files and folders to a Favorites list for easy access without having to download any data ahead of time with our new Favorites feature
• In-folder search capabilities
• Box Bookmarks are now accessible
• Support for previewing password protected Office and iWork files
• Automatic photo upload for Personal Pro subscribers and Enterprise users
• Additional stability improvements and bug fixes

Box appears to be a favored app at Apple, featured in Best New Apps and used to demonstrate app extensions during this year’s WWDC.

Box for iOS is a free download from iTunes, with 10GB of storage included. An in-app purchase of $79 a year for the Pro version boosts storage to 100GB and allows individual files of up to 5GB to be uploaded.

• iOS
• iPad
• iOS Devices
• iPhone
• Apple News

Chinese iOS malware stealing Apple IDs and passwords from jailbroken devices

Ben Lovejoy Apr 22 2014 - 4:10 am PT

9 Comments

Security researcher Stefan Esser (via ArsTechnica) has discovered that an issue reported on Reddit as causing crashes on jailbroken iPhones and iPads is actually a piece of malware designed to capture Apple IDs and passwords from infected devices.

This malware appears to have Chinese origin and comes as a library called Unflod.dylib that hooks into all running processes of jailbroken iDevices and listens to outgoing SSL connections. From these connections it tries to steal the device’s Apple-ID and corresponding password and sends them in plaintext to servers with IP addresses in control of US hosting companies for apparently Chinese customers.

Early indications are that the source of the malware is likely to have been from a tweak downloaded from somewhere outside of Cydia. Esser has identified that the code only runs on 32-bit devices, meaning that the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display are safe, while other devices are vulnerable.

The blog post says that the malware is easy to check for, but may not be easy to remove. Using SSH/Terminal, check the path /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/ for the presence of either Unflod.dylib or framework.dylib.

Currently the jailbreak community believes that deleting the Unflod.dylib/framework.dylib binary and changing the apple-id’s password afterwards is enough to recover from this attack. However it is still unknown how the dynamic library ends up on the device in the first place and therefore it is also unknown if it comes with additional malware gifts.

We therefore believe that the only safe way of removal is a full restore, which means the removal and loss of the jailbreak.

Cydia developer Jay Freeman, aka Saurik, pointed out on Reddit that adding random download URLs to Cydia is as risky as opening attachments received in spam emails.

• Mac
• iOS Devices
• Bluetooth
• Headphones
• CES

Audio specialist Blue promises true hi-fi quality wireless audio by the spring

Ben Lovejoy Jan 6 2014 - 5:43 am PT

3 Comments

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/83331745]

I take the view that wires are evil: anything that can be wireless should be wireless. My iOS devices sync via wifi, my keyboard and trackpad are Bluetooth, I have Wemo-controlled lighting, Tado-controlled heating and love cloud services.

But there’s one thing in my living-room that still relies on a wire: the connection between Mac and hifi system. I tried a Bluetooth link, and the quality just wasn’t there. I quickly reverted to the 3.5mm cable that runs around the skirting board.

Enter microphone specialist Blue. The company is teasing a true hifi-quality wireless connection between digital devices and headphones (and presumably hifi systems) under the name Mo-Fi.

Where digital music technology has advanced, headphones have lagged behind. We’ve seen dramatic advances in the quality and convenience of digital music, yet headphones –designed specifically to bring us closer to sound— have failed to bridge the gap from hi-fi to mobile. Headphones are the last barrier between us and the audio trapped in our digital devices. What if we liberated our music from overhyped lo-fi to true mobile hi-fi? We can. Blue is offering the first sneak peek at CES 2014.

We’ll bring you more details when we have them.

• AAPL Company
• iOS
• iPad
• Apple TV
• iPhone

Amazon Instant Video for iOS updated, adds Airplay support, IMDB integration

Benjamin Mayo Sep 17 2013 - 4:46 am PT

3 Comments

Amazon has updated its Instant Video app to version 2.1. Most notably, the update adds AirPlay support which has been a long-requested feature. This means that Amazon video content can now be watched on the Apple TV, via an iOS device with this app.

In addition, the update adds deeper integration with IMDB — which Amazon owns — to show information about cast, crew and other trivia. Users can also see iTunes-esque metadata such as “customers who watched this also watched” and drill down to other videos featuring the same director. Alongside with the usual performance and bug fix improvements, the app also allows users to download more than one video simultaneously for offline viewing.

• iPad
• iPhone
• Reviews
• Amazon
• USB

Review: NewTrent Travelpak Dual USB Port 5V/2A travel charger

Seth Weintraub Jun 25 2013 - 12:00 pm PT

0 Comments

The New Trent Travelpak 4000mAh plug in adapter makes a handy replacement to your iOS device AC USB adapter. I’ve been using the Travelpak 4000mAhfor about 3 months now and find it to be the perfect travelling companion for my phones, tablets and other USB-charged devices. At 4000mAh, you’ll get about 2 full iPhone charges. At 5V/2A, you’ll also get a speedy charge on your iPad, though not as fast as possible. For those focusing on iPad charging, there are bigger versions that come in the 7000mAh and 11200mAh sizes. In fact, the bigger 6000mAh has more ports, a more convenient form factor, and costs less ($39.99). Need more than that? Time for some Hyperjuice.

What’s nice here is that the portable Travelpak can charge two USB devices at the same time while plugged in. It has a nice bright 5 bar light system telling you if it is charging or how much charge it has left (making it a night-light as well). What’s even nicer and contrasts from other plug/batteries is that it turns off when unplugged and only starts charging again when you hit the power button on the side.  Where typical generic AC USB batteries will drain unless they are powered down, these will automatically turn off.

On the down side, when the plug is extended, the 4000mAh version can cover up the other plugs in a wall outlet or surge protector making this aspect of the design puzzling. Still, the other plusses far outweigh this technical oversight. It appears that the new high end 6000mAh and 11200mAh form factor fixes this issue and at a cheaper price, it is hard not to recommend this version.

The Travelpak  is currently $41.54 at Amazon off the List Price of $79.95 for the 4000mAh version that I tried, but it would appear that the larger 6000mAh version at $39.99 might be the better deal, especially since it adds a MicroUSB port and doesn’t cover up an additional plug.

• Tips and Tricks
• Best Buy
• Star Wars
• IDevice
• MacMall

9to5Toys weekend roundup

9to5 Staff May 4 2013 - 8:36 am PT

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9to5Toys has some pretty impressive daily deals today including:

• AOC 22″ 1080P LED DVI/VGA Monitor $100 shipped
• 3M Streaming Projector powered by Roku, projects up to 120″ $170 Shipped ($130 Savings)
• Seagate Backup Plus 4 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $150 Shipped ($50 Savings)
• The Sims Medieval (Mac / PC download) $8 (Save $12)
• Barnes & Noble NOOK HD/HD+, save up to 33%, starting at  $150
• Apple iPad mini 16GB WiFi $299 or free $30 gift card w/ purchase
• Sony 32GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card: $16 shipped
• Dropcam HD WiFi video monitoring camera $121 shipped (20% off)
• Onkyo HT-RC460 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver for $250, free store/$5 ship
• Kindle Fire HD $20 off for Mother’s Day: $179
• Colorful Retro Phone handsets for smartphones and tablets: $15
• iPods up to $25 off at Best Buy. MacBooks on sale too.
• Griffin Technology 25% off sitewide (Lightning cables, Mac accessories, cases)
• MacMall slashes SSDs incl.500GB Samsung 840:$349, 24″ Viewsonic Display: $135
• Apps: Grand Theft Auto Vice City: $2 ($5), Tropico 3 Gold: $15 ($30), more
• Bluetooth over ear Runway headphones $57
• Freebies!  Audiobook converter
  

There are also some impressive Mac Software Bundles running this week including:

• $10 “Name your own price” bundle which includes Mac Blu-ray Player, Snapz Pro, Disk Tools, CrossOver, Paperless OCR, Gemini de-duper, more
• Mac SuperBundle: Parallels Desktop + 8 Mac Apps For $49
• The $49 Mac Productivity Bundle 4.0

Bookmark 9to5Toys.com (RSS, Facebook, Twitter or Email), Specials, and the new Daily Deals section for up to the second gear and deals.

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