firmware

iPod troubleshooting: Corrupt or not found firmware files

Some users may experience an issue when attempting to update the firmware on their iPods where the firmware file cannot be found or is found to be corrupt.

If your iPod software update cannot be found or is corrupt, meaning that iTunes could not update or restore your iPod, you can delete the iPod software update files. iTunes will then be able to download a fresh copy of the latest firmware update from Apple, and you should then be able to install it.

According to a recent knowledgebase article from Apple, follow these steps to delete the files:

Eject your … Read more

Apple releases hard-drive firmware update for 2010 iMacs

Apple has released a firmware update for the mid-2010 iMac systems (both 21.5- and 27-inch models) that addresses a problem where the systems were not booting properly. The update is a small 767KB download that should be available through Software Update for relevant systems, but can also be downloaded directly from the update's Web page.

The update will require you to restart your computer, and especially since this one affects the storage medium on your system, be sure to fully back up your hard drive before installing. Download and run the installer file, and follow the onscreen instructions … Read more

HSN 'previewing' Nook Color's app store and Flash capabilities

As promised, the Home Shopping Network has begun previewing some of the new features that are part of an upcoming "mid-April" update to the Nook Color that we reported on a few days ago. Barnes & Noble has confirmed in a press release that the update would include the new app store but HSN is the one talking up the Nook Color's upcoming ability to watch Flash videos.

… Read more

Western Digital adds TuneIn Radio to WD TV players

Western Digital announced today that it has released a firmware update that adds TuneIn Radio, the world's largest Internet radio guide with more than 30,000 free radio stations, to its WD TV players, including the WD TV Live, WD TV Live Plus, and WD TV Live Hub media center.

In addition, the update gives the WD TV Live Hub media center access to Deezer, a personalized on-demand music service that was already available on the WD TV Live and WD TV Live Plus.

The new firmware update, depending on the specific player, also offers better support for media … Read more

Geohot starts blog, raises cash for legal fees

George Hotz, better known by his hacker name "Geohot," started a blog over the weekend to fire shots at Sony and raise cash for his legal bout with the company.

Hotz launched his new blog on Friday with a flurry of posts outlining his stance against Sony. His first post, entitled "This is war," claims that Sony Computer Entertainment America "has declared war on hackers." He followed that up with three "facts" that he believes, everyone should know about him.

"I have never pirated a PlayStation 3 game in my life, … Read more

Did Sony add a rootkit to PS3 firmware update?

Gamers on a forum accuse Sony of adding a rootkit to its latest version of PlayStation 3 firmware.

Rootkits, in general, have a bad reputation. Security watchers often associate them with malware. In this case specifically, though, the alleged rootkit would allow Sony to peer into users' system files without their knowledge.

A user dubbed N.A., who first mentioned the alleged rootkit last week on the Neogaf forum and cited work performed by developer Mathieulh, alleged that a rootkit in firmware version 3.56 allows Sony to "remotely execute code on the PS3" when users connect to … Read more

Nook Color gets 1.1 firmware upgrade

We're still waiting for Barnes & Noble to expand the Nook Color app offerings and open a Nook app store for the device. But in the meantime the company has released a small but somewhat significant firmware upgrade that fixes some bugs and adds a few new features highlighted by the ability to pinch-and-zoom in the Web browser.

On its Nook Web site, Barnes & Noble has the following message:

Barnes & Noble is providing a minor update to NOOKcolor firmware that will improve NOOKcolor's Wi-Fi connectivity; improve Home and Shop performance; add the ability to pinch and zoom in browser; enhance the reading experience for magazines and children's books; add a text banner to easily identify NOOK kids Read To Me books; and other general bug fixes and performance improvements. The software update is available immediately via a manual download and will also be delivered via an automatic download for devices connected to Wi-Fi, over the next few days.

The update had yet to automatically download to our Nook Color review unit as of this morning so we went ahead and did the manual install and it went off without a hitch.… Read more

PS3 jailbreak prompts restraining order from Sony

Sony yesterday filed a restraining order against well-known iPhone hacker George Hotz, known as "Geohot," and other individuals for allegedly bypassing "effective technological protective measures" in PlayStation 3 firmware version 3.55.

The recently released jailbreak for firmware version 3.55 allows PlayStation 3 owners to run custom packages on the console. Geohot's ultimate goal is to bring back the "Other OS" option that was removed from the PlayStation 3 last year.

Sony's restraining order attempts to stop Geohot from offering the jailbreak. The company claims that the jailbreak violates the Digital … Read more

Random shutoff results in 'shutdown cause' error

Though the OS X operating system is very robust at handling software-related crashes and hangs, there are times when a problem may be beyond the scope of the operating system's abilities to manage and the system can either crash or freeze. When this happens, the system may show some clue in the system console, but likely it may only be a brief but repeating message that mentions something like the following:

Dec 20 13:33:23 localhost kernel: AppleSMU -- shutdown cause = 3

What is happening here is the system's power manager (called the Power Management Unit or &… Read more