Apple has been teasing users/developers with their iOS 5.1 betas for weeks and weeks now, causing many to wonder when will users get the opportunity to download the latest iOS software onto their mobile devices. Now, reports are surfacing that Apple’s iOS 5.1 software update will be released publicly about one month from today. Leaks of operator profiles set to be sent out to various iPhone carriers point directly towards a March 9th release date.

According to YourDailyMac, those profiles were aimed towards the mobile operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden, and the updates aim to ensure network compatibility with the new iOS version. The report stated that, “Since iOS updates are normally rolled out at the same time worldwide, so everyone should expect iOS 5.1 to become available next month.”

For a while now, Apple’s iOS 5.1 has remained in a beta testing mode. Based on several leaks from the iOS 5.1 beta, it will include upgrades and bug fixes and also promises to bring support for additional languages to the Siri software on the iPhone 4S. Let’s see if the iOS 5.1 update will finally resolve the bug issue that’s been plaguing iOS owners when it comes to the battery drain on the iPhone.

Many bloggers are speculating that if those dates are accurate,t Apple could be paving the way for the March release date of the next generation of the iPad 3. Apple has been known to unveil new iDevice products alongside new iOS update. So, its possible Apple was holding out on this update to time up nicely with the launch of the iPad 3.

When Apple decides to rolled out with this iOS 5.1 update, it will be fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad, and iPad 2.

Via [Your Daily Mac]

AirPlay mirroring is a very cool iOS feature, although its major downside is its limitation to iDevices such as the iPad and Apple TV. Even though the app is merely a prototype for now, it will be a huge step forward for AirPlay mirroring once it’s released, either on the Mac App Store as Stanfill is hoping for or even elsewhere unofficially should Apple turn it down once it’s ready. As of now, only the iPhone 4S and iPad support its AirPlay mirroring technology. However, more iDevices are expected to be supported soon, and best of all, jailbreaking is not a requirement for use.

Look out for further details on Hacksugar from Napkin Studio as development progresses and a public release gets closer. Let’s hope Apple takes the high road and allows this into the Mac App Store once it’s ready, as Stanfill surely deserves it for his hard work in bringing us this amazing new AirPlay implementation.

Via [TUAW]

Desktop:

• Windows – 92.05% (92.23%)
• Mac – 6.39% (6.36%)
• Linux – 1.56 (1.41%)

In the Mobile/Tablet category, iOS was still well out in first place, recovering some of the ground it gave up in December. JavaME slipped more than two points, most of which seems to have accrued to Android, now in a very close third place. Symbian lost about half a point, while RIM’s snake-bit Blackberry shed nearly a full point—significant when you are in the low single digits. Newcomer Kindle jumps into sixth place already, while Windows Mobile was up a hairsbreadth but fading fast, with Samsung still ahead but losing a fifth of the tiny share it had  in December.

Mobile/Tablet:

• iOS - 53.65% (52.10%)
• JavaME - 19.19% (21.27%)
• Android - 18.12% (16.29%)
• Symbian - 5.20% (5.76%)
• BlackBerry - 2.59% (3.51%)
• Kindle - 0.34%
• Windows Phone - 0.29% (0.27%)
• Samsung - 0.20% (0.25%)
• Windows Mobile – 0.12% (0.17%)

Desktop Operating System Versions

In terms of OS specific versions, Windows stays  in front by a wide margin, with ancient XP gaining agaon on the month, while Windows 7 slipped a bit although remaining solidly over 35 percent, and sad sack Windows Vista faling back a bit more. Apple’s OS 10.6 Snow Leopard at 29 months since its release in August, 2009 remains the most popular Mac OS version, but OS X 10.7 Lion is closing in and OS 10.5 Leopard is well back in third place in the Apple OS spectrum, but grew its share by remarkably little in November. OS X 10.4 Tiger held on to a O.24 share. As noted, Linux gained ground again, moving above a  1.5 percent share.

Windows:

• Windows XP - 47.19%  (46.52%)
• Windows 7 - 36.40%  (36.99%)
• Windows Vista - 8.22%  (8.44%)
• Windows 2000 - 0.13%  (0.14%)

Macintosh:

• MacOS X 10.6 - 2.95% (3.05%)
• Mac OS X 10.7 - 2.18% (2.02%)
• Mac OS X 10.5 - 0.97%  (1.00%)
• Mac OS X 10.4 - 0.24% (0.25)

Linux - 1.56% (1.41%)

Mobile/Tablet Operating System Versions

In the mobile/tablet category, Apple’s iOS remains on top, gaining more than a point of share—all iPhone. Jave ME slipped, and the recent Androids were all up in January.

iOS - 53.65% (52.10%)

• iPhone - 27.37%  (24.53%)
• iPad - 23.97%  (24.91%)
• iPod - 2.32%  (2.32%)

JavaME - 19.19%  (21.27%)

Android – 18.12% (16.29%)

• Android 2.3  10.31%  (8.92%)
• Android 2.2  4.35%  (4.10%)
• Android 2.1 1.16%  (1.20%)
• Android 3.2  0.77  (0.60%)
• Android 3.1 0.56% (0.50%)

Symbian - 5.20%  (5.76%)

BlackBerry - 2.59%  (3.51%)

Windows

• Windows Phone OS 7.5 - 0.21% (0.18%)
• Windows Phone OS 7 - 0.07% (0.09%)
• Windows CE - 0.09%  (0.14%)

For more information, visit netmarketshare.com.

Browser Share

In browsers, Safari’s usage share on the desktop slipped marginally again. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer still has a commanding lead in desktop Web browsers, and even gained nearly a point on the month. Second-place Firefox was down again, but interestingly, so was Google’s Chrome. Fifth-place Opera gained back a little ground over the month.

In the Mobile/Tablet browser category, Safari for iOS is still way out in front, increasng its overall share by more than a point in January. The many versions of Opera  Mini cumulatively remain in second place, but are sharply dropping, while Android in third-place is the big story for January, gaining more than two points of mobile browser share.

Desktop Browser Share:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer – 52.96%  (51.87%)
• Firefox - 20.88%   (21.83%)
• Chrome - 18.94%  (19.11% )
• Safari - 4.90%  (4.97%)
• Opera - 1.67% (1.66%)

Mobile/Tablet Browser Share:

• Safari - 54.85% (53.30%)
• Opera Mini - 19.58% (21.66%)
• Android Browser - 17.78%  (15.87%)
• Symbian - 2.83%  (3.33% )
• BlackBerry - 2.11%  (3.05%)
• Proprietary or Undetectable - 1.15%
• Opera Mobile - 0.38%  (0.41%)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer - 0.37%  (0.41%)

You can check it out at netmarketshare.com.

iOSOpenDev expands Xcode and the iOS SDK to allow for open development beyond the limitations imposed by Apple, and will include templates for common Cydia packages, such as Notification Center widgets, SBSettings toggles, and many others. iOSOpenDev even allows developers to build the .deb files required for submission to a Cydia repository right from within Xcode.

Prior to this project, iOS developers wishing to create apps, tweaks, etc. for the jailbreak community had to look elsewhere as Xcode and the iOS SDK would not permit things such as modifying system files. This caused most App Store developers to shy away from unofficial development, although hopefully iOSOpenDev will change that upon its release. Fortunately, this should occur within about a week from now, as James claims he’s in the final stages of packaging and testing the project. For now, you can watch the following video to see iOSOpenDev in action through the development of an SBSettings toggle using Xcode and you can expect the project to go public very shortly.

Via [ModMyi]

If you’ve jailbroken your iDevice(s), you may be aware of a really cool tweak in the Cydia Store that provides the ability to multitask through touch gestures alone. This tweak, called Zephyr, has just been updated to version 1.1, bringing with it the ability to also navigate to the home screen without having to use the home button.

Although arguably not the best way to implement this new feature, as there is a lot of room for user error and the accidental closing of an app when the intention was to bring up the App Switcher, it is great that this feature has been added, especially for those with troublesome home buttons. Essentially, Zephyr has almost replaced an iOS hardware function with a software alternative, except in a few cases, such as when having to enter DFU mode. The new feature, being able to close applications (and therefore getting to the home screen) using touch gestures, has been integrated with Zephyr’s original feature of bringing up the iOS App Switcher. While using an application, swiping up completely will exit the app while swiping up but stopping approximately halfway will bring up the App Switcher instead. While on the home screen, swiping up will bring up the App Switcher regardless of how far a user swipes as there is obviously no open application to exit.

Zephyr’s settings allow users to enable or disable the new feature introduced in version 1.1, where doing so will only bring up the App Switcher upon swiping. Whether you find this feature a useful addition, Zephyr is a great tweak that makes the home button much less of a necessity.

If you’ve got an iDevice and think Zephyr is something you could use, you can buy it on the Cydia Store for $2.99.

Via [ModMyi]

If this DMCA exemption is allowed to expire later this year, that will be some seriously bad news for jailbreakers. Corporations such as Apple will be able to go after jailbreakers and developers of jailbreaking tools, who could in turn face monetary penalties and even potential prison time. To prevent this from happening, the exemption that has declared jailbreaking legal must be renewed before it expires.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) hopes to make that renewal a reality, while also extending the exemption to cover tablets and video game consoles, as it arguably already should. The group has created a web page which outlines how you can contact the U.S. Copyright Office and what to include in your message to them. The messages are due soon (February 10th at 5:00 pm EST), so if you want to keep the ability to legally jailbreak your handsets (as well as your tablets and video game consoles, should that extension also be granted) please take the time to let the Copyright Office know.

Via [TUAW]

Absinthe A5 is unfortunately only available on OS X right now, although the Chronic Dev Team assures us that Windows and Linux versions are in the works. This untethered jailbreak supports the iPad 2 on iOS 5.0.1 (build 9A405) and the iPhone 4S on iOS 5 (build 9A334) and iOs 5.0.1 (builds 9A405 and 9A406). The jailbreak process is remarkably user-friendly, and shouldn’t cause the average user any issues, but those that are completely new to the jailbreaking world should get familiar with what they’re getting themselves into before going any further.

The iPhone Dev Team will also be releasing their own tool for the untethered A5 iDevice jailbreak, which will include a command-line tool that gives users more control over certain aspects of the jailbreak. For now, if you’re running OS X and don’t wish to wait any longer, grab yourself a copy of Absinthe A5 and begin enjoying the world of unofficial third-party software!

Product [Absinthe A5]

whited00r—which provides users of discontinued iDevices such as the iPhone 2G/3G and iPod touch 1G/2G features found within versions of iOS that these iDevices are unable to support—has been updated to version 5.1. The update mainly adds features from within iOS 5 to these iDevices, bringing them up to date with newer iDevice models…with a few exceptions, of course. Some features, such as iCloud, cannot be made available to these iDevices without Apple’s consent, but whited00r provides built-in alternatives. For example, whited00r firmwares use a built-in Dropbox to replace iCloud.

Aside from the new features and changes in version 5.1 of whited00r, everything else remains the same, including the installation instructions. If you have a discontinued iDevice and would like to install whited00r firmware onto it, head over to their web site, download the firmware for your specific device, and follow the guide to install it.

A full changelog consisting of the updates and changes in whited00r version 5.1 is as follows, pulled directly from the whited00r web site:
Installed Features

• Cydia 1.1.3 Preinstalled (last stable release)
• YouTube certificates needed for hacktivated device
• PNGs optimization for native apps and global GUI
• Improved Brightness menu
• New Touch Menu for user with problems to touch screen
• Reset menu modded: reset a jailbroken device causes problems
• Custom whited00r Copyright page
• iOS5 animated Bootlogo ready for LogoMii (not installed by default)
• iOS5 shadows included in default wallpapers (good looking without slow down the device)
• Wallpaper on HomeScreen (thanks to Darlo770)
• iOS4 wallpapers set by default (ready at the first boot)
• iOS5.1 wallpapers included (ported from iPad firmware)
• Fake wallpaper preview menu (thanks to iHalo)
• Real multitasking: backgrounded apps keep in running state
• Keep home button pressed to background
• Old Backgrounder version without Activator dependance (faster and iOS3 stable)
• Phone and Mail app really could be kept closed if not used (no autolaunch in background)
• iPodControls on Multitasking dock (thanks to Darlo770)
• Rotation Lock button on Multitasking dock (thanks to Darlo770)
• Respring easter egg in Multitasking dock (swipe dock to extreme left)
• Respring toggle in Settings-General menu
• System sounds sounds from iOS5
• All ringtones from iPhone4
• TipToes and Calypso SMS sound from iOS4
• Character Count for Message app
• Custom carriers bundles (thanks to stbox for collaboration)
• Carrier Bundles from iOS5
• CommCenter patched to run Unsigned carrier bundles (thanks to stbox for collaboration)
• CommCenter patched on iPhone 2G to enable MMS and Tethering
• Custom tethering APN thanks to the possibility to use unsigned carrier bundles
• GUI modded as much as possible to suite iOS4/iOS5 one without slow down the device
• PNG in other.artwork modded (thanks to iHalo)
• App glossy mask from iOS4 (thanks to iHalo)
• iCould copy to save your App and Games saves on Dropbox and sync with other device
• iCloud menu is Settings to provide quick usage instructions
• Share on Twitter in Safari bookmarks
• Reader (as iOS5 one) in Safari bookmarks
• Find on Page in Safari Bookmarks
• Safari Bookmarks to launch Official Apple AppStore
• Many Bookmarklets in Safari Bookmarks
• Alphanumeric Passcode Installer in Safari Bookmarks (Tools folder)
• Shake to shuffle for iPod disabled by default
• Mobile Terminal preinstalled
• /var/mobile/Configurator custom script to enable/disabled features and speed up the device
• /var/mobile/RemoveLanguages custom script to remove unused languages and get free space
• /var/mobile/RemoveRetina custom script to remove all useless retina images and get free space
• /var/mobile/RestoreInstalld custom script to restore App-In Purchase
• /var/mobile/PatchInstalld custom script to restore AppSync patch (3Store)
• Cycorder application preinstalled (thanks to Saurik) for the best video record quality
• Video Editing for Video moved to Camera Roll
• Reminders app preinstalled (thanks to Soltmeal)
• Newsstand web oriented app to keep in touch with Whited00r community
• Default icon position on first boot according to iOS5 one
• No unified iPod for iPhone like in iOS5
• Whited00r.deb for automatic script running post installation
• Installd (AppSync) patch to enabled 3Store apps installation (we don’t support piracy)
• 3Store alternative AppStore to find iOS3 compatible apps

Yesterday, we reported that the developer pod2g demoed on video the iOS 5.0.1 untethered jailbreak on an iPhone 4S. The video showed the iPhone fully running the untethered jailbreak without any hiccups while running the Cydia app. Now, the infamous Chronic Dev hackers have posted an image of an iPad 2 with Cydia v1.1.3 running iOS 5.0.1. The hacker Pod2g mentioned in the caption that its full release is only days away.

The team recently revealed that even though a public release might be approaching, users have to be careful about Apple upcoming iOS 5.1 software update. For those using the older iOS 4.3 on their iPad 2, it is advised to update their iDevices to latest iOS 5 without having to lose the window of opportunity to jailbreak iOS 5. This hints at the possibility that the jailbreak will only work on the current version of iOS 5.0.1, and when Apple releases 5.1 the update, it will certainly break the Corona exploit found within the upcoming jailbreak.

Via [ijailbreak]

Following Pod2G’s untethered jailbreak for the A4 chip iOS devices running iOS 5, it looks as if the hacker might be slowly making progress on the remaining two iOS devices: iPhone 4S and iPad 2. Pod2g now has others involved in the project to assist him on the jailbreak, and within a couple of weeks, he along with planet being and MuscleNerd have made significant progress since encountering A5 cache issues.

Last week, hackers were able to get an iPhone 4S to run unsigned code which proved helpful to the jail-breaking procedure. Today, Pod2g posted a video which demonstrates an untethered jailbreak running smoothly on an iPhone 4S with the latest version of the iOS 5.0.1. The video shows that the iPhone successfully rebooted, demonstrating the untethered progress state and launching the Cydia app.

For the jail-breaking community, this is a huge breakthrough. According to the Pod2g’s tweet, the users of the newer devices with the A5 chip could expect an untethered jailbreak for their iDevices within a couple of weeks. But it looks like the hackers are still facing tough days ahead before any jailbreak for iOS 5 to get publicly distributed.

While there hasn’t been an official ETA from the developers, Pod2g states a hack will come in “just matter of days.”

Read [pod2g's iOS blog]