When the Absinthe A5 untethered jailbreak solution hit yesterday it opened Apple’s iPhone 4S and iPad 2 for more creative uses by their owners — as long as they were on OS X. Now the team has returned with a version of the tool built for Windows users who enjoy iLife mixing and matching. All the usual restrictions, warnings and directives apply, but you know what you’re here for — hit the source link below to download a ZIP file straight from greenpois0n’s servers and get going, or check the other links for more information on the exact steps to follow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Absinthe A5 Jailbreaker for iPhone 4S / iPad 2 now available for Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Jailbreak Story, @p0sixninja (Twitter)  |  Direct Download, greenpois0n  | Email this | Comments
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Internet feeling a bit sluggish recently? Yeah, we get that — but before you sail the malware-laden sea of software that promises to “speed up” your computer, you may want to check out Firefox 9. Mozilla’s latest browser update features a tweak in its Javascript engine that boosts its benchmark performance by over 30 percent — meaning that the new Firefox ought to give script heavy websites a run for their money. In addition to the new Javascript trick, which is called Type Inference, Firefox 9 improves theme integration and swipe navigation for Mac OS X users. Have a need for (javascript) speed? Hit the source links below to get your fix, or simply wait for your browser to auto-update.

Firefox 9 now available, boasts speedier JavaScript handling, Lion optimizations originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ExtremeTech  |  Mozilla (Windows), (Mac), (Linux), (Release notes)  | Email this | Comments
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Step 1: Get Spotify

There are two ways to get a Spotify account: either by invitation for a free account, or by paying for premium or unlimited accounts. Once you have an account set up, you’ll need to download and install the Spotify OS X client application. Then just start browsing for music and create playlists. Just a few more steps, and you’ll turn your house into one big Spotify jukebox.

Step 2: Extend AirPlay to any Mac music app with Airfoil

Next you’ll need Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil for Mac. Airfoil has been around since long before Apple introduced AirPlay and the second generation Apple TV. Any audio application on the Mac (including Spotify), or even the Mac’s system output can be made accessible to AirPlay devices with Airfoil.

1. Download and install Rogue Amoeba’s Airfoil for Mac.
2. Choose Spotify in Airfoil as the application you want to play.
3. Choose the AirPlay and/or Airfoil device(s) you want to connect to.
4. Play music using Spotify.

Step 3: Extend your range with Airfoil speakers

One of the limitations of Apple’s AirPlay has been the fact that iOS devices themselves are not able to receive AirPlay streams, only send them. Luckily, Rogue Amoeba created an app called Airfoil Speakers Touch for iOS devices that allows Airfoil to play music on any and all iOS devices connected to your local network. This works great if you want to extend your playback to speakers that otherwise would not be connected. There’s also a version of Speakers for OS X (.zip file) that will allow you to extend your playback to all the Macs on your network. Keep in mind that you are limited to your local network, so this is not a workaround for taking your library on the go, which is only included in the premium and unlimited Spotify accounts.

Bonus: Remote control options to round it all off

Now that you’re playing music from Spotify around your house, how can you also control it remotely? There are two good third-party solutions to help with this: One will let you control Airfoil on your Mac, and the other will allow you to control Spotify.

• Reemote for Airfoil. Kai Aras’ Reemote lets turn on and off different combinations of Airfoil and AirPlay enabled devices on your network. You can even control their individual volumes, to some extent, and you can switch your audio source application on the host Mac. There is an iPhone as well as an iPad version of Reemote. To make this work, you’ll also need to download and install the Reemote Server application for Mac.
• Two Remotes for Spotify. To control what playlists you’re listening to from within Spotify on the Mac, there are two good solutions. Axel Moller’s Spot Remote and Anders O’s Remoteless. Both apps are universal, supporting both the iPhone and iPad. Both allow you to browse and start Spotify playlists, as well as search for tracks, artist and albums. Another thing they both share is the use of an open source library called SIMBL. The server software for Spot Remote as well as Remoteless requires that SIMBL be installed on the host Mac in order for either solution to work. SIMBL allows third-party developers to enhance the functionality of other applications from other developers. Unfortunately, while it seems to work for some, OS X Lion does not yet appear to be officially supported by either solution.

Since this does require a bit of setup, it isn’t quite as easy as just using iTunes and an Apple TV. But if you’re looking for an alternative that makes use of Spotify’s great new service, maybe this is the whole home music solution you’ve been waiting for.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
• Connected Consumer Q1: The Over-the-Top vs. Pay TV Battle Heats Up
• A 2011 Connected Consumer Forecast

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Does it hurt your brain to look at the picture above? That’d be Chromium OS — running on a MacBook Air! Pretty much the definition of “worlds colliding,” this feat is brought to you by Hexxeh, whose most recent mind-warping project put Google’s operating system on an iPad. The platform-mixing maestro says in this case everything works except Bluetooth, owing to a lack of support. But hearty souls who seek to follow in his footsteps, take heed: there’s no dual-boot option, and you will lose OS X — so perhaps this is a job for your now outdated model. Click the source link for 14 easy steps to turning your svelte laptop into Frankenstein’s monster, but sadly, there’s no mention of where to buy that hopelessly cute Chrome pillow.

Chromium OS running on a MacBook Air: somewhere, a mad scientist cackles in the night originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wired Top Stories

Show notes for this episode:

• Miro 4 can be downloaded for free from the Miro web site, and it’s available for OS X, Windows and Linux.
• The makers of Miro are also behind the Miro Video Converter, which we showcased in a recent episode of Cord Cutters.
• Want to just browse the Miro podcast directory without downloading the software? Here you go.

Which software do you use to sync media with your Android phone? Let us know in the comments, get in touch with us on Twitter (@cordcutters) or email us at cordcutters @ gigaom.com.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Got a Cable Subscription? There’ll Be an App for That
• Mobile Q1: All Eyes on Tablets, T-Mobile and AT&T
• A Media Tablet Forecast, 2011 – 2015

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