The Apple Is Decaying, And Even Getting Rotten...

With the finding that the low-end model of the iPhone 7 has SIGNIFICANTLY slower write speeds than the other models, I feel obliged to write the following rant. Let me say first that even though all the things I am about to say are the degradation of something I once loved and had an extreme passion for, Apple remains the best option out there today for quality, user happiness and pleasure of usage. It isn't as much now as it used to be, and that is on the decline, but Apple remains the best. If you don't believe me, it's because you haven't used enough Apple products or haven't acquainted yourself with iOS or OS X (now macOS). The OS's that Apple produces are vastly superior to anything else on the market today, use one of them for 30 days and you WILL agree. That said, the bastardization of the Apple brand is upon us. It was predicted by many, as well as myself, that these things would come to pass after the sad demise of Mr. Jobs. More slowly than I thought, but no less it is happening. I won't even put this on Mr.Cook, because it didn't matter who took the helm after Steve's passing, because whomever would have assumed control of Apple, had it not been Mr. Cook, would have done the same thing, maybe even faster. So I will credit Tim for that much. The transition of Apple to "just another brand" would have happened much more rapidly I believe had another took leadership. That said, the fact remains that it is happening. Things like this, and a flurry of other things that would have NEVER happened had Steve been in control are cheapening the Apple brand. A brand that I dearly love and appreciate, as well as continue to recommend over all other platforms in whatever area they may be merchandising in. Be it smartphones, computers, tablets, music players, HTPC's..etc, etc. I still stand behind what is left of the Apple brand that I once had a passion for, because even with the cheapening and conformity to the norm that was the antithesis of the Apple brand circa 2011, they remain the top of the line in overall quality, performance and sheer joy of use over all other brands. The problem is that this is on a slow decent into oblivion. It hurts my heart to see something that was once so special and unique, the product of a perfect mix of perfectionism and sheer genius slowly curl up and die like a wounded animal. I'm well aware that no one that matters in the Apple upper echelons will probably read this, and my meager comment won't change that fact, butI just have to say it. For those of you who are relatively new to Apple products, you don't know what I'm talking about, because you had two know the market during the time of Mr. Jobs' reign. Apple was FAR superior, and if it wasn't right, it didn't get produced. Of course there were your anomalous errors, but perfectionism and just plain getting it right were the rule. Other brands didn't even compare. All that has changed now, and it is a very sad thing to witness. Well, that's all I've got as far as my "the Apple is decaying, and even getting rotten" rant. If you fell the same, I'd like to hear your feelings on the subject. Also, if you disagree with me, I'd like to hear that as well.

Icefilms is currently blocking Kodi users

If you've had an error using Icefilms in Kodi recently, and it says "Icefilms error, check log for details", then you are experiencing what I have been trying to figure out this entire past weekend. I have tried changing URL's, installing scripts, even going as far as checking on all of my devices, namely a Windows computer, a Mac, a Raspberry PI2, and my iPhone. All of them failed. I even tried clean installs of Kodi and the Super Repo repository, with the Icefilms add-on freshly downloaded to no avail. When I checked my log, I saw that there were updates over the past week for Icefilms and there was one instance where the log stated that Icefilms kept changing its URL. After a considerable amount of research and Googling, I have discovered that Icefilms is blocking Kodi users. Why a site based on piracy would EVER block anyone in any way, shape or form from accessing it's content is beyond my comprehension. I find this to be an extremely malicious and just downright crappy move from them. So for now, all we can do is sit back and use 1Channel instead in all of its SD glory...smh :/  Keep checking back with me and I will be sure to post the instant I find a work-around for this problem. Until then, loot on pirates, and exploit away, hackers.

A guide to cutting the cord...AKA F*&% Cable!!!!

I haven't posted anything for quite some time now, mainly due to the simplicity of modern jalbreaks and the fact that the new cell phone unlocking law was passed, making all new devices usable on any network. So this post is going to be a bit off topic, and concentrate on "Cord-Cutting", or using Kodi media player to eliminate the need for cable TV. This will be a tutorial. A complete guide with links to get you set up to be able to watch any TV show or movie on demand via stream, and also be able to watch live steaming HD cable channels. Let's begin.
  Firstly, we need to discuss which type of device you are going to use to run Kodi. Your options are many. You can use an old laptop, an old desktop, an Apple TV 1 or 2, or a Raspberry PI (if you buy a Raspberry PI, make sure it is a RPI2). It is also possible to use Kodi with Android devices, such as Amazon Fire TV's, and Android TV boxes, but I'm not going to touch on those. They are very unstable, and I HIGHLY recommend against you attempting it. That said, when I say that you can use an older PC, I don't mean one running Windows XP and with 512MB RAM. That won't work. You need at least Windows 7, 2GB RAM, and a decent video chipset-whether it be dedicated graphics or integrated. Typically, the Intel GL40 works on SD, but forget about HD. Honestly, the best bet for you, if you want full functionality, ease of use, and a device that can for sure run Kodi well....invest $120 in a Raspberry PI 2 and use it. Here are links for all you need for a Raspberry PI2. First you will need a raspberry PI 2. Get one from eBay that already has a case with it. These are the best deals I have found, with the best case. Other cases that you assemble yourself are cheap, and break easily. http://www.ebay.com/itm/201322325219?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Next you will need a few more things. A USB WiFi Dongle, a remote keyboard for controlling your Raspberry PI2, a MicroSD card to use as it's SSD (Solid State Drive), a micro USB to USB 2.0 cord (standard Android charging cable), and an HDMI cord. I am not posting links for the micro USB to USB 2.0 or the HDMI cable because they can be found pretty much anywhere. Here are links to the USB WiFi dongle and the MicroSD card. Please note that even though you may have a MicroSD card lying around, you probably don't have the right one. Not all are made equal. You need a class 10 one to play HD content reliably.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301380783079?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251819458549?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Now that you have all your parts, we can move on.

If you are using a Windows PC to run Kodi, you will want to install Kodi as a program in Windows. Here is the link to the site. http://kodi.tv/download/ There are also installs here for other platforms, but if you are using a Raspberry PI2, you won't want this install, you will want OSMC. You will install it to the MicroSD card while it is plugged in to your computer via an installer program. That way it will run as the operating system of the Raspberry PI2. Here is the link for OSMC Installer. https://osmc.tv/download/

By this point, I am assuming that you have your device ready with Kodi or OSMC up and running. If you are running OSMC on a Raspberry PI2, we need to change the skin to Confluence at this point. You will need to go to the center icon in the round configuration of the OSMC home. That is "My OSMC". So go to My OSMC and scroll down to settings. Select it and then select "skin". Change it to the only other option.."Confluence". For future reference, I will be be using filepaths to get you to a certain place in the operating system. So the path to where we just went in OSMC would look like this. My OSMC/Settings/Skin/Confluence. Much easier to write, and it's an easy road map to follow.

 Now we set up Kodi. You will need to add a source. So go to System/File Manager/Add Source. In the field where you see "<None>" written, click and enter "srp.nu" without the quotations. Then in the field To enter a name for the media source, type in "Super Repo"...once again without the quotes. After you have done that, you will need to go to System/Settings/Add-ons/Install from zip file. Select Super Repo/helix/video/repository.superrepo.org.helix.video-latest.zip. That will download all the add-ons you need. Now you just need to enable them. Now go to Videos/Add-ons/Get More.../ and find these three add-ons. 1Channel. Icefilms. Navi-X. With 1Channel you can watch any movie, any TV show....EVER. The only thing is that it's in SD (Standard Digital). For HD content, use Icefilms. Once you find your movie or show, you will see a list of sources to stream it from. If using Icefilms, try to use Hugefiles. Usually no buffering, but you do have to enter a Captcha code. My backup for an Icefilms source is 180Upload. In 1Channel, Vidzi is usually good, and you can also go by how many times it has been streamed...(the number in parentheses off to the right of the source).

  Now we need to set up for live streaming of Cable TV. You will need to go to System/Settings/Live TV and make sure it is enabled. You should be prompted to install a PVR Client. Select PVR IPTV Simple Client. If you are not prompted to install it, go to System/Settings/Add-ons/Disabled add-ons and enable it.

 Now we will go into Navi-X. Go to Videos/Add-ons/Navi-X. Select "Navi-X start here". After the next screen loads, go to "Most recently updated". Now scroll down and find (Live International TV) All Working!...it will have a dish world screen display to the left when scrolled to. Right click it and download the .plx file. After that, select it again and open it, and you will see live streaming cable TV. Keep in mind that this is always a work in progress, some things may not always work, and it may take a while for the buffering to catch up, depending on your internet speed. For the most part, I have found that this is better quality than the cable I was paying for!!!

SUMMARY....So there you are. All set up with Kodi installed. On demand ANYTHING. Watch TV the way you want, not the way anyone else wants you to. No commercials. Complete series back-to-back-to-back episodes without missing a beat. No more paying to rent movies or for Netflix or Hulu. ENJOY!!!

Apple lets ANYONE become a developer..FOR FREE!!!!

This is something I have been hoping for for a long, long time. Apple has finally made it free to become a registered dev, and have access to all tools, and beta versions of software. Which means even to the standard user, you will be able to preview iOS 8, and future versions of OSX before their public release!!! I personally upgraded to OSX 10.9.3 last night. No real noticeable changes, but my battery life does seem to be improved. Check it out here-https://developer.apple.com

iOS 7.1.1 Released...Still No Public Tool for Jailbreaking A5+

Apple recently released iOS 7.1.1. There is still no public jailbreak tool for this on A5+ devices. You can use Opensn0w to jailbreak the iPhone 4, but that takes quite a bit of know-how, and it will still be tethered. On a good note, battery life is significantly improved with this version. SO, if you are on 7.1, you may as well upgrade. As always, stay away from OTA upgrades for future jailbreak options, upgrade via iTunes on your computer.

Instructions for flashing an iPhone 5, 5(c), or 5(s) to Page Plus

You will need to be on iOS version 7.0.6 or an earlier version of iOS 7 to be able to do this, because a jailbreak is required, and there is no public tool for jailbreaking iOS 7.1 or 7.1.1 on the A5 (iPhone 4(s)) or later models. First, you will need to jailbreak your device. Then, add this source-cydia.myrepospace.com/wirelessworkshop

Install the commcenter patch for iOS 7. Reboot. Then, add the source cydia.xsellize.com, and then install iFile. Navigate in iFile to the carrier bundles. They are located in this path../System/Library/Carrier Bundles/iPhone. Then, if your phone is Verizon, rename the Verizon_LTE_US.bundle to Verizon_LTE_US.bundle.bak and rename the Tracfone bundle to Verizon_LTE_US.bundle. Reboot. Dial *22890 to activate your iPhone on Page Plus. If you can’t dial *22890, swap your SIM. By this, I mean take your SIM out, and put a Sprint. AT&T..etc..SIM in, and let it recognize the SIM, then put yours back in. Note:This applies ONLY if you have activated your MEID with Page Plus. The same method works with Sprint iPhones, just rename the Sprint_LTE_US bundle to Sprint_CSIM_LTE_US.bak, and the Tracfone bundle to Sprint_CSIM_LTE_US. If data doesn’t work, try renaming the Sprint bundle to the verizon LTE bundle and dialing *22890 before renaming it to the tracfone bundle, then dial *22890 again.  Please note that there have been mixed results with this method. Approximately 50% of the phones that I’ve flashed the data and MMS didn’t work on, only talk and text. I haven’t figured out why, but even at that, if you have a Sprint bad ESN iPhone 5 or 5c or 5s, it’s definitely worth doing. Good luck.

iCloud Lock Bypass For iPhone 4

Here it is. I know that there are a LOT of people out there with an iPhone 4 that is iCloud locked...well here's your solution. Please note that this is for the iPhone 4 ONLY. Not the iPhone 4(s), not the iPhone 5, not the iPhone 5(c), and not the iPhone 5(s). THIS IS FOR THE iPHONE 4 ONLY!!! You will need a couple of tools before you do this. Also, your iPhone will NOT get a signal. You will be left with an iPod, but at least you'll have SOMETHING!!! Please be aware that this takes a little know-how, and isn't recommended for people with novice-level computer skills. If you aren't tech-saavy, let that friend that is do this. So...if you're using Windows, you'll need to make sure that you have Java 32 bit installed, along with the 32 bit version of Java Development Kit. It is PARAMOUNT that you get the 32 bit version...NOT the 64 bit version. You will also need .NET Framework installed. iTunes and Tiny Umbrella must be installed as well. Finally, you will also need WinSCP and the ssh.rd tool from here...https://github.com/msftguy/ssh-rd If you have a Mac, you will need to install Java, CyberDuck, RecBoot and the ssh.rd tool. Let's begin.
1. Plug your iPhone in.
2. Put your iPhone 4 in DFU mode. to do this, you need to power your iPhone 4 off. Then you will put it into DFU mode by following this button sequence.
 a. Hold the power button for 3 seconds
 b. While still holding the power button, begin holding the home button also for 10 seconds.
 c. Release the power button while continuing to hold the home button for 15 seconds.
 d. You are now in DFU mode. The screen will be black, and if you are on a Windows machine, it  
      will install DFU drivers. Make sure that if iTunes opened up, you close it.
Now open the ssh.rd tool. While opening it, make sure to right click and run as an administrator if you are using Windows. It will do it's magic. After it has completed, open WinSCP or CyberDuck, whichever is pertinent to you. Connect to your device by using SFTP as the protocol, username is root, password is alpine, to localhost port 2022. Open the command line in WinSCP or CyberDuck, and type in mount.sh
You will then see mnt1 and mnt2. You will be going in to mnt1. You will go into /Applications.
You now need to delete the setup.app from/Applications. Reboot your iPhone. When you reboot, your iPhone 4 will be in recovery mode. To get it out of recovery, open RecBoot if you are using Mac, or Tiny Umbrella if you are using Windows. Click the exit recovery button, and your device will reboot on it's own, and voila!!!, you now have access to your iPhone 4. Sadly, you will not have cellular service, but at least you can use all the other features!!! Good luck with all this, and may the force be with you!!!