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Average Joe's Tips

How to: Why and How to Check and Verify the SHA1 Checksum

Throughout the eternal marathon of jailbreaking and counting down the days to get the new software released by the devs, one question rises into many people’s mind. Is the software safe, and how can I compare the file against the source. SHA1 enables you to check the file integrity against the source, so that you are able to make sure the file has not been modified. Apple and the iPhone Dev Team uses the SHA1 hash to prove the integrity of their downloads. SHA1 (Secure Hash Algorithm) is a cryptographic hash function created by the well respected Geeks at NSA (National Security Agency). SHA1 is the most widely used hash algorithm today, development of the SHA3 hash is ongoing and expected to be completed by 2012.

How Do I Use SHA1 On My Mac?

SHA1 is simple to access and use on your Mac. First, launch the Terminal application (Applications>Utilities>Terminal). Then, from the template below, use this for your situation:

The SHA1 checksum should equal = 2eb722f340d4e57aa79bb5422b94d556888cbf38

/usr/bin/openssl sha1 [full path to file]

Example: /usr/bin/openssl sha1 /Users/test/Documents/1024SecUpd2003-03-03.dmg

Example Output: SHA1(/Users/test/Documents/1024SecUpd2003-03-03.dmg) =2eb722f340d4e57aa79bb5422b94d556888cbf38

Awesome! In this example, our SHA1 checksums match; therefore, our integrity has not been tampered.

What do you think about SHA1, let us know leave a comment!

Categories
News

Apple TV. Worth it? I think Not!

Apple TV (Fall 2010)

Now that the 2010 Apple TV, is released we think to ourselves, are we ready to yet another device that does most of the stuff that all our latest devices already do. For example, Blu-ray is now becoming the hottest thing on the market, so all of us are rushing to run out and getting a fancy Blu-Ray player to set in our living room so we can see that full 1080P High Definition. Yet Apple TV’s largest resolution is 720P and no Blu-Ray. Now a days most of us have DVR’s from our TV service providers, or we invest in TiVo, and if your too lazy to hit record on your DVR, and record in full 1080i and skip through commercials, then go ahead and pay $1 to buy the full show for 24 Hours, or record it, watch whenever, and delete whenever for the our favorite price, free. Also check to see if you have a device that already does what Apple TV offers. For example, most of us have a ps3 or Sony Blu-Ray player, and both have many streaming choices such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Flicker and many more.

I have been going on a while on what why we shouldn’t buy it, but there are some pretty cool features about it such as airplay, and the sharing your iTunes library through your home network. They changed the name from air tunes, to air play, strictly because the iPad update 4.2 is coming out in November and will be able to stream video directly to play off Apple TV and on your TV. Although this is a cool feature if you could mirror your image on your iPad to your Apple TV, we would have liked to see the ability to mirror an image from your computer, like Intel is with their wireless display technology. The second thing is we have is the fact you can see other computers running iTunes in Apple TV. This is great if your iTunes library is organized and you have a party and can click a playlist and boom all the right songs are playing at the right moment. But most of us don’t have the time to sort through all the music that we have collected over the years, and if we have guests in our house, we don’t want to have to go to our computer and open iTunes just to listen to music. I mention this because Windows has media servers which run in the background and are accessible on just about every device, from receivers, to ps3. So before you pre-order Apple’s latest gadget, check to see if you really need it and think you will be the coolest kid on the block, when you could save $100 towards a Netflix subscription or Hulu Plus.

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News

October 20th, 10.7 Lion Preview?

Lion + Back to the Mac =  Mac OS X 10.7 Lion?

“Come see what’s new for the Mac on October 20, including a sneak peek of the next major version of Mac OS X.”

What are you expecting. Will 10.7 run iOS apps? Let us know what you think. Leave a comment.

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News

Slide on causes cracking iPhones

iPhone’s are being cracked because of cases? Mainly the slide on cases is causing dirt to be trapped in between the phone and case causing it to scratch. The scratching can lead to cracking or shattering the iPhone’s glass. This is very suspicious because Apple has been giving out free bumpers to protect and try making the bad reception problem better. Why would a case lead to the problem of the iPhone cracking so easily? Is the iPhone that fragile that only bumpers or non slide on cases work with it? Apple will fix this problem quickly because this is actually a bigger problem then we realize. Personally I like the slide on cases. They provide easy access to taking the iPhone out of the case. Most slides on cases have very good designs too. Many people are probably not aware of this issue because it has just recently developed. Apple will figure out this issue soon because they have many teams that work and fix these issues quick. I hope that if a person’s screen has been cracked because of the case, they either get a new iPhone or at least a refund on the phone.

[Source]

Categories
Reviews

Apple TV vs Google TV

Apple and Google have competed with each other year after year. When Apple comes out with a new iPhone, Google comes out with another Droid phone. The competition has been great for the markets and nobody has complained. I believe that the competition brings many great debates between these two major corporations. The newest debate is between Google TV and Apple TV.

We all saw this in the near future, Google trying to compete with Apple TV and it has come out with a bang. Google features 4 GB of RAM and a 1.2 GHz Intel Atom Z515 that is featured in many netbooks. Google TV has dual HDMI and dual USB ports. Google certainly has a faster processor than Apple and is not afraid to show it. The TV box itself is bigger and not the most attractive thing next to your TV. It definitely is not home friendly and I would definitely try to hide it so it is not an eye sore. Google has brought in almost every internet source to push into this little box. It boasts Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, NBA Game Time, Blip.TV, VEVO, Pandora, and Napster. Google runs their Android O.S. to power their TV. It is a proven O.S. that is built in the Android phones. The problem with the Andorid O.S. is that it has no regulations. Many users will soon come across bugs and will start to notice that Google TV will run slower. Google will be releasing an sdk for developers to start making their own apps. Apple TV does not have this feature, but an App Store may be coming soon. Google does support flash, something that Apple cannot say and probably never will on their devices. Google lets you “Fling” which allows you to start a show on your phone, pause or stop it, and pick it back up again on your TV. Many of these features are very handy when it comes down to the wire, but Google may be trying to push this feature just so that it looks better on paper.

Apple has certainly made a name for themselves in this department with the Apple TV. Apple TV has been around since the start of 2007. Apple has 256 MB of RAM and 1 GHz from the Apple A4 chip. The A4 chip is also in the iPad and iPhone and is extremely reliable and nobody can say that the A4 chip is not great. The A4 chip has impresses us all on the iPad. The iPad looks extremely and runs almost flawlessly.  Apple TV has an HDMI port, optical audio, and micro-USB. Apple TV is a looker, it is definitely prettier then the Google TV, but that is what Apple does best. They make great innovative designs that attract many buyers to the product. It is definitely something that you want to be shown right next to your TV. Apple TV has iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr. Apple definitely has less video and non-video content but, that is something that Apple is not afraid of. Apple has iTunes which is extremely proven to hold many videos and music videos. Apple does have set backs because of what Google TV has brought to the table. Google has had more time to make the Google TV but Apple will not take any excuses. Apple is a lot easier to control, considering the fact that everyone is familiar with Apple’s devices. Apple TV features AirPlay which allows users to stream content from their iPad or iPhone to their TV. You can also start watching a movie on your device, then continue from where you left off.

Both of these products are extremely good. Apple hasn’t disappointed us again with their simple and easy interface that makes it very user friendly. Google has definitely surprised me with all of their features that makes Apple TV look slower and smaller. Google boasts more content and video and non-video content. Apple of course has their own remarkable operating system, but the android O.S. isn’t to bad itself. Many people will have trouble choosing between these two products because they are just that good. The competition has been brought forth from Google and they definitely have no disappointed. People that are die hard apple fans, or like the user friendly and sleek design. On the other hand, if you are willing to try something new, Google TV will certainly match every expectation you have for the device. Google has certainly not disappointed us and has made a strong statement that better things will come in the future for Google.

[Source]