homebrew

Windows Phone 7 home-brew hole to be plugged

The team behind ChevronWP7, an application that was released last November as a way for users to install applications without going through Microsoft's Marketplace application or signing up for a paid developer account, says that Microsoft has fixed the "error" that had allowed the hack, and will be rolling out that fix as part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 software update.

ChevronWP7 was available for user download for just a few days before being taken down by its three-man development team. Brandon Watson, director of developer Eexperience for Windows Phone 7, had gotten in touch with … Read more

Windows Phone 7 home-brew app tool pulled

Just a few short days after its debut, a tool that would allow anyone to install and run unauthorized applications on their Windows Phone 7 devices has been pulled.

ChevronWP7, which was the creation of developers Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, Long Zheng, was released late last week and offered those who were not enrolled in Microsoft's Windows Phone developer program a way to install applications onto Windows Phone 7 devices without going through Microsoft's Zune software or the phone's built-in application installer.

According to the trio, the decision to pull down the software was done in order … Read more

The 404 439: Where we make out with mic

It's only been about a week since the release of Sony's PSP Go, but hackers are already ahead of the game, despite Sony getting rid of the removable battery in an attempt to stop the siege. We don't have a link to the actual game you have to use to release the exploit, but hackers are using it as a proof-of-concept for future homebrews and pirated gaming. As usual, these guys are ahead of the curve, as we've seen before in Sony's previous PSPs. Of course, you can always get free games if you can somehow get a job reviewing them for a big Web site...right, Jeff?

In other news, Facebook can now measure what they're calling the GHP, or the Gross National Happiness. The popular social-networking site is using text analysis software to index how its users are feeling based on positive or negative words in their status updates. You can see on this chart that there were major spikes last year around November 23rd for Thanksgiving, as well as in December for Christmas and New Years. Check out the podcast to hear Jeff's reason why Hanukkah is nowhere to be found.

It's also time again for the Beck's Beer semi-weekly Audio Draft! Jeff's pick for today is an oldie but a goodie, The Rx Bandits! Jeff and I are huge fans of the bands from when we were wee lads. They're rooted in Seal Beach in Southern California, and while their ska sound grew popular in the early '90s, they have successfully pulled out those roots and progressed into a super eclectic alt/prog/rock/reggae sound. They just released another full length entitled Mandala, which also includes one of today's featured tracks, "Bury it Down Low." Here's to many more years with the Rx Bandits!

Oh yeah, everyone's password got hacked.

EPISODE 439 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Fully Equipped: Will PSP Go keep pirates at bay?

In recent days, a few blogs have picked up on the fact that the battery on Sony's upcoming PSP Go will be sealed into the unit and not be user-replaceable, just as it is on all of Apple's latest portable devices and plenty of other new gadgets. The integrated battery isn't new news. But what caught people's attention was an old quote from John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing, which PlayStation Insider recently ripped off from a June Ars Technica article that had Koller explaining that the move to a built-in battery was a … Read more

Will PSP Go keep pirates at bay?

In recent days, a few blogs have picked up on the fact that the battery on Sony's upcoming PSP Go will be sealed into the unit and not be user-replaceable, just as it is on all of Apple's latest portable devices and plenty of other new gadgets. The integrated battery isn't new news. But what caught people's attention was an old quote from John Koller, Sony's director of hardware marketing, which PlayStation Insider recently ripped off from a June Ars Technica article that had Koller explaining that the move to a built-in battery was a … Read more

Palm Pre gets virtual keyboard, unofficially

The WebOS Internals crew on Friday released a virtual keyboard patch for the Palm Pre.

Now, with the homebrew patch installed (homebrew apps are developed and distributed through third-party sources, not Palm or through the official App Catalog), Pre users can type without opening the slider keyboard.

Having an onscreen keyboard is a godsend for browsing the Web in landscape mode. Instead of rotating the phone and using the built-in keyboard, users can now just double-tap the gesture area and type away--without all the twisting, sliding, and pressing.

The patch modifies the operation of the onscreen keyboard that WebOS uses to insert symbols … Read more

30 Days Came And Went

All good things have to come to an end, with that said I would like to throw out one final thanks to groups of people that have made this all possible. First Of all I would like to thank Palm, Sprint, And CNET for making all of this possible by working together to help promote this great phone and WEBOS as one. I would also like to thank everyone at SmartPhoneJunkie SPJ and PPCGeeks PPCGEEKS for bringing this opportunity to my attention as well as convincing me to try placing in my "application" for this contest. Without all of the above being a part of this I would not have been able to test this great device and blog about many of the useful features, how the device works, the size factor, etc. And finally thanks to the readers because without you none of this would have been thought of since the user themselves are the people that make a blog or webpage what it is and as a Co-Founder of a site i can't stress that enough. But without further ado here is my overall thoughts on the device. The form factor and overall look of the device is amazing for the most part. The solid gloss black color screams for the consumer to pick it up, the bright clear screen draws you in with the millions of colors, the slideout qwerty keyboard screams to be pressed, ans the great angled slide grabs the attention and keeps the eyes focused on it. In a design for a device you cant ask for more than that, but with the good comes the bad. When the device is slid open revealing the keyboard it exposes a semi-sharp cheese like slicer that overlaps the recessed keys so they don't make contact with the screen when closed. This to the frequent phone user is troublesome since the keyboard is a huge thing on a device and having an imperfection there can be the beginning of the end. The only other flaw with the general make-up of the device is the "Oreo Problem" that many users have faced. The oreo problem is where the phone can move quite a bit from side to side as if you were un-twisting an oreo. (you can check this out i the video below and sprint does replace these devices with new ones.)… Read more

Need That Latest HomeBrew App? Drag N Drop Or On Pre?

Many know that the process for getting homebrewed applications and games on their devices was not the easiest and consisted of either rooting your device (not beginner friendly)or by using the SDK back door method that I blogged about a couple days back. Now for those that don't want to do those methods there are two new ways, you can now either drag and drop or install straight from your device. Each way will need the SDK installed initially but will make the process smoother and quicker for future downloads. I cannot give enough credit and praise to Jason Robitaille and Brian Jost for all their hard work in this process. I have tested both methods and both work without troubles. For those users that have a X64 bit system or a vista machine there is a workaround for the process of getting the files to work in my previous blog from this one. I take no credit for these apps and wanted to share the ease of use with everyone and get the work out. This could be huge and I'm excited about this in many ways, not only will i be able to download and install applications and games on the go but this could also turn into an alternative app store for the Palm Pre right through Palmcentral.net. Without further ado here is the information and the tutorial on how to do so.… Read more

Installing Homebrew Apps Without Rooting Device (Firmware 1.04)

Thanks again to Sir Mycroft over at PalmCentral for the great tutorial on how to do this. I was skeptical since I have rooted devices in the past on whether this would fully work. I decided to help a buddy out and try this on his device and surprisingly it works without any troubles. I found that this tutorial is mainly for XP users but does include a workaround for the vista users as well as fellow X64 bit users. I have found this to be the easiest and quickest way to get those neat homebrew apps and games onto your device quickly and stress free. I would recommend this to any of the users that don't feel comfortable rooting their device to get homebrew apps on their devices. Sir Mycorft has put the following how-to guide together to let anyone who wishes to enjoy some of the fine homebrewed applications that are being produced by the members at Precentral. This guide should not be viewed as a way of derailing the efforts of other members to develop a packaged means of delivering applications to stock Pres. I certainly wish to encourage that development. This guide is instead meant to act as stop-gap measure for those who want the great apps being produced, but do not have the desire to root their Pres, and no longer have the option of exploiting the e-mail hole after the 1.0.4 WebOS update. The how-to guide is in plain English, and is extremely simple. You need not be a techie or hacker to get homebrewed applications onto your Pre. If you are able to download a program from the internet and drag and drop a file, you have what it takes to get these great programs up and running on your Pre. If you had the wherewithal to find this thread in Precentral and currently possess a desire to get the applications in the homebrew section, you can do this. You have my word on it.… Read more