The first thing I was looking to setup when I first switched on my iPad 2 was FaceTime. But to my dismay, I couldn't find it! After a bit of Googling (They should make this an official word in the dictionary), I found that FaceTime had been blocked in the UAE and all the iOS units in the UAE were sold without FaceTime.
FaceTime is there in the firmware, just that during activation, it's blocked from showing up. Jailbreaking your iPad fixes everything.
Step 1: Add the iPhoneislam repo to your sources. It's http://apps.iphoneislam.com.
Step 2: Search for and install FaceTime Hacktivator.
Step 3: Restart your iPad.
This will enable FaceTime on your iPad but the problem is that UAE's network blocks FaceTime calls itself. Installing and enabling a VPN service on your iPad can solve that problem. You will now be able to make FaceTime calls as long as you are connected via VPN.
Alright, so you've jailbroken your iPad 2, what next? Head over to Cydia to install tweaks and apps that customise iOS to be the way it should have been. Firstly, most of the tweaks are paid but you can add a few repositories to your sources and get these tweaks for free.
So add these repos to your Sources via Sources -> Edit -> Add.
Hackulo - http://cydia.hackulo.us
Insanelyi - http://repo.insanelyi.com
HackYouriPhone - http://repo.hackyouriphone.org
SinfuliPhone - http://sinfuliphonerepo.com
PiMPMYi - http://cydia.myrepospace.com/pimpmyi
HackStor - http://cydia.myrepospace.com/hackstor/
Once this is done, you can continue to install all the paid tweaks and apps for free. You just need to search for the app/tweak, find the latest version that's out in the Official (paid) BigBoss Repo (Tip: The app name will usually be highlighted in blue) and check out the same version of the app in the other repos that are free.
I'll walk you through the installation procedure for one of the Tweaks and then it's the same for the rest.
1. RetinaPad
If you've ever installed an iPhone-only app on an iPad, you'll notice that the app's resolution in the magnified mode is pixelated and useless. Well, RetinaPad changes it all. RetinaPad is a great new tweak that effectively increases the resolution of Retina-ready iPhone only apps when displayed on an iPad.
I must say that the screenshots don't do much justice to the app and it looks far better with RetinaPad.
Step 1: Open Cydia, goto Search, type RetinaPad and click on Search.
Step 2: Click on the result that is highlighted in blue. This is the official paid version of the tweak. Note that it says 'from BigBoss' too. Note down the version that's written below the name of the app. It's 1.2 in this case. Go back to the Search results (by clicking on the 'Search' button on the top left.
Step 3: Click on the other search results and Install the one that is the same version as the official one. If you can't find the latest version for free, check to see which is the latest among the free ones and install that. You should also check whether that version is compatible with your OS.
That's it! You're done!
2. SBSettings
SBSettings is a great add-on to iOS that will display an additional box with a toggle menu and additional options to ReSpring, Power off your device etc. By default, the box can be displayed when you swipe the status bar (where the clock and wifi icon is displayed) although this can be changed. Definitely a must-have!
3. iSHSHit
This app helps you backup your SHSH blobs directly from your device and email it or upload it to your Dropbox. SHSH blobs are required if you ever want to downgrade your device firmware.
4. iFile
The best file browser for your iPad 2. Enough said.
4. CyDelete
Normally, to delete and app that you have installed from Cydia, you need to open Cydia, goto the Installed section and delete the app from there. This tweak allows you to delete all apps installed from Cydia like a normal app.
5. Installous 4
This nifty app is a replacement to the App Store that enables you to download and install all the paid apps for FREE!
6. Springtomize
Springtomize enables you to tweak every little aspect of iOS and allows you to customize it the way you like. You can say that it's a collection of all those tweaks available in Cydia. So instead of installing all those tweaks separately, you can just install Springtomize!
7.Barrel
Barrel lets you change the page-scrolling animation on your iPad. Instead of the normal swipe, Barrel lets you have cool 3D animations. Although some look a bit buggy, I really love the 'Curl and Roll Away' animation.
8.Graviboard
This is just one of those cool apps you can install to show off your iPad 2. The video has all you need to know about the app.
That's it for now. I'll keep updating the blog with my new finds.
Finally! The day has come! After the long wait, @comex released Jailbreakme 3.0 that enables us to jailbreak a plethora of iOS devices including the iPad 2!
I've got my hands on something I'm rather ashamed to own. I never thought I'd ever own one in my life. I got it as a very loving gift and it really means a lot! I'm grateful for it but at the same time ashamed. I guess this is called irony. Anyways, I'm a true gadget freak and can never part ways with any gadget I own. My old and beloved Nokia N-gage lying alongside my Dad's old Nokia 6610 in my top drawer speak for themselves!
So here we go, Lo and Behold!
The iPad 2 in all it's glory!
Yes, it's the iPad 2. My first Apple product. I've had my fair share of complaints about it so here goes..
It's truly a luxury, something that not everyone needs.
It's not as flawless as people claim it to be. It has it's fair share of glitches. Safari has crashed on me a couple of times (just did this morning). The touch screen has failed to respond a couple of times when I've taken it out of standby.
It's got no Facetime. The models being sold in the UAE come without Facetime. Ridiculous! Although there are good replacement apps available in the App Store like Yahoo! Messenger, Vtok (Gtalk for your iPad) and Fring.
The only workaround for the lack of Facetime is to jailbreak it and enable it via Cydia.
I'm still waiting for the Skype app for iPad to be released. I'm also waiting for the official Facebook app for the iPad to be released. These guys really need to up their game. These apps are now what everyone considers essential on their smartphone!
But wait, I'm not all complaints about the iPad 2.
Video conferencing is really great with it. I could give a virtual tour of the new flat I moved in to recently to my parents quite easily.
It's portability and big screen makes it really great for travelling. Watching shows and movies on it and surfing the web really kills time when on the move.
I'm sure I'll be able to add more to this list once the jailbreak has been released (hopefully tomorrow, fingers crossed..come on Comex!). One thing I'd like to add is that it really needs a notification light like the ones Blackberry has - would be really helpful.
I'll be compiling and posting a list of apps that are great and useful once I get to play around with it a bit more. For now, I still have to get used to the fact that I actually own an iPad. Ugh.
Do you own a Belkin Wireless Router? Have you noticed that while on LAN, all your websites will load perfectly, but whilst using Wifi, your pages don't load and you need to hit refresh a couple of times (maybe more) till your page eventually loads?
I've been plagued by this problem since ages and tried every damn thing from upgrading the firmware to getting a replacement from Belkin (for free). But the problem still existed.
The solution was a very simple one. I came across it a couple of days back whilst searching for a solution on one of the forums. Go to the router settings and disable the Firewall!
