Tablets

Here's some Apple news that has nothing to do with today's Back to Mac announcements: The Dev Team today released PwnageTool 4.1, a jailbreaking app for OS X that allows users of iDevices--iPod Touches, iPads, iPhones--to load custom firmware on their gadgets.

The tool uses a variety of exploits to maintain carrier unlocks on unlocked devices, and works on any device that can run iOS 4.1 (3.2.2 for iPad users). The only devices it doesn't work on are the original iPhone and the first two generations of the iPod Touch, the Dev Team … Read more

The days of selling your used video games back to retail stores may be over sooner than we thought. The SF-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals recently made a ruling in the case of Vernor vs. Autodesk (LOL) that software publishers have the right to restrict the resale of their products to another users.

In the same way that many software companies require second round users to re-register for access, the ruling is major news for companies that buy back and sell video games, DVDs, books, and music.

But GameStop is definitely one of the bigger companies affected, as used game sales make up 46-percent of the company's gross income of $260 million per quarter. We knew the demise of GameStop would happen eventually, but thought it would because of games moving into the cloud.

And here's yet another reason not to join Facebook, if you haven't already. If you live in Victoria, Australia, police now have the court's approval to serve you papers via Facebook as a last attempt following prior attempts to contact you.

The subpoena comes in the form of a private message and even includes a video shot of the order that reads "as if the Respondent was being directly spoken to." They can also serve via text message as well, so just don't commit any heinous crimes and you'll be fine.

Tune into the rest of today's episode of The 404 Podcast to hear some personal stories about our high school jobs (yes, one of us was a dishwasher), as well as a long overdue Calls From the Public!

The Galaxy Tab will be made available on November 11 for $599.99, Samsung and Verizon announced today.

The Samsung-built tablet will boast Android 2.2 and "full support" for Adobe's Flash 10.1 platform. The device will feature a 7-inch display and a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor.

The Galaxy Tab will offer 3G connectivity via Verizon's network. Data plans for the Galaxy Tab will start at $20 per month for 1GB of data. Verizon did not immediately respond to request for comment on other data plans it would be offering for the Galaxy Tab.

Unlike … Read more

With less than eighty days to go before the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas, the tech rumor mill already is in high gear. Building off of the momentum created this year, I expect to see Android take on a major role at the electronics conference.

A big part of the platform's future hinges on tablets and the arsenal of iPad rivals that will be unleashed in the new year. DigiTimes is reporting today that Google is putting the final touches on Android 3.0 and is prepping sample tablets for a December rollout. Google is … Read more

We couldn't have said it better ourselves: Rent is Too Damn High isn't just a resounding truism for all NYers, it's also a candidate party AND a slogan created by NY governor hopeful Jimmy McMillan. At last night's NY gubernatorial debate, McMillan looked and sounded more like an SNL skit than a serious cry for change.

Regardless, we can definitely see this guy getting his own TV show, or at least a dedicated segment on the next Autotune the News video. Despite his karate expertise, he won't likely get our vote--not because we don't trust the guy, more due to all the GIFs on his "Web site."

"Man accidentally impregnates wife after losing Apple iPod" is a deceiving headline, but that's exactly what happened to 28-year-old Doug Wilson when he forgot to look at an iPod app pre-coitus that explained the details of the "rhythm method" (Google it) for contraception. Checking your phone before getting down isn't very romantic, although it does sound like something Wilson would do, so don't skip this segment or you might end up with a baby in beta.

Despite Steve Jobs' surprise announcement at yesterday's Apple earnings call that there will not be a 7-inch iPad, we're still waiting with open wallets for the next generation to come out. On the other hand, nasty news about the amount of germs on the average American's touch screen might put that purchase off for awhile.

According to a British study, cell phones have 18 TIMES the germs of a public toilet seat handle. Add that to the list of other filthy objects we touch on a daily basis, including elevator buttons, door handles, and money, and it's only a matter of time before Apple debuts its own line of sanitary gloves to use with all its touch screen devices--blech!

After a quick review of "Jackass 3D" by yours truly, we discuss whether or not Mark Zuckberg learning Chinese will help get Facebook back into the country's list of unblocked sites. Apparently the Facebook founder has set a personal challenge to learn the language one-hour per day, in an effort to understand the "language, the culture, and the mind set" of a country that has 420 million active Internet users. Tune in to hear Wilsons' personal experience with Web censorship in China, and what roadblocks Zuckerberg can expect to face.

After 100 relatively trouble-free weekly episodes, it's at number 101 that things really start to fall apart. Over the weekend, our entire video podcast studio was ripped out and replaced with a new high-definition version.

That's great, and today's video stream looked awesome, but unfortunately, the day one gremlins are also holding our video of this week's show hostage.

Until we get that worked out, you'll have to settle for the audio version, available below.

In actual news, Apple has a big press event this week, so naturally we're in full-on prediction mode, especially when it comes to 11-inch MacBook Air laptops. We also debate the coming 4G/LTE wave in New York, and what it means for the iPhone/Android wars.

Finally, we take a look at the new deluxe Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang guitar, and compare it to a real-life guitar. Pics and a side-by-side video demo are here.

Don't forget: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

… Read more

Apple's iPad will help sales of media tablets around the world hit 19.5 million units this year, according to a Gartner forecast out this week.

Hot consumer demand will also prompt tablet sales to jump 181 percent to 54.8 million units next year, followed by 208 million units by 2014, projects Gartner.

North American consumers will account for 61 percent of tablet sales this year. But as these devices reach out to more of the world, North America's share will drop to 43 percent in four years. This year, tablets with both Wi-Fi and cell (3G) connections will add up to 55 percent of all sales. But by 2014, these dual-connection devices will scoop up 80 percent of all sales.

Gartner defines a media tablet as a slate-type touch-screen device with a lightweight operating system, such as Apple's iOS, Google's Android, HP's WebOS, or Nokia's Meego.

Media tablets will play a part in the business world, though only as companion devices, suggests Gartner. For now, workers are taking tablets on the road for quick access to e-mail, the Web, and a few online business applications. But these devices are often third in line behind notebooks and smartphones. As a result, companies aren't paying for tablets for corporate use--rather employees are buying their own tablets to use at work and home.

Tablets will also become more of a family gadget as well as a personal one. Seen as simpler than full-blown PCs, tablets also appeal to a wider range of people from technophobes to power users. As their prices drop, these devices will become one of several that hang around the house to be shared by the entire family.… Read more

Today on The 404, we use Justin's absence as a way to introduce a new friend of the show, "Stoopid" Andy. Ironically enough, Andy isn't as dumb as his name implies as we all learn the man is quite the nerd. Andy shares some geek secrets on hacking DVR boxes and spending weekends reprogramming drivers.

Also joining us today is longtime 404 friend and guest Kenley, aka "Flow." We'll chat about Apple's initiative to trademark "There's an app for that," and other commonly used phrases countless people utter every single day. Then it's off to a discussion about the iPad hitting other carriers, which leads to a heated conversation about the inevitable fallout resulting from the iPhone's migration to Verizon.

Finally, we all try to come up with ways we'd take advantage of Taskrabbit.com, the service that allows customers to outsource common tasks. Of course, we can't think of anything that wouldn't be illegal, so if you've got ideas, feel free to send them our way.

Unless we've miscounted somewhere along the way (a distinct possibility), this week marks the 100th episode of our little outpost on the information superhighway.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Digital City show if everything ran smoothly, so you shouldn't be surprised to find that Scott has been called away on urgent business and is here only in spirit (plus, he sent a note).

Standing in is CNET News reporter Greg Sandoval, who joins the discussion on Windows 7 phones and Google's top-secret music cloud project -- but is stunned into silence by our extreme nerd-out over the past weekend's New York Comic Con.

The rest of us, however, happily narrate our photo galleries from the show, showcasing the usual collections of costumed character and overpriced collectibles.

Speaking of collectables, in honor of our centenary, we're pleased to offer the greatest Digital City giveaway ever. We're sending one viewer/listener a sweet pile a video game t-shirts -- the ultra-rare promo-only items sent to journalists and industry insiders. These are all mint condition, never worn, and include shirts for Dead Space, GTA4, and many more.

To win the Ultimate Video Game T-Shirt Collection just hop on over to the show's Twitter account, @digitalcitycnet and follow us, then RT the post about this episode.

We'll pick a random winner at the end of the week, and there are also a pile of runner-up prizes, including some Red Dead Redemption swag and a copy of the new Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light game for DS.

Special bonus: At long last, download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here!

… Read more