By Aldo Panessidi

For those of you loyal readers who have been following and reading my blogs…. you no doubt noticed my propensity to provide you with industry and market statistics and information.

Keeping with this tradition, I came across a study – IT in the Toilet conducted by 11 Mark… according to this report, we shouldn’t be surprised if we hear a toilet flush in the background while on the phone with friends or colleagues; as a whopping 3 out 4 in America use their cell phones while in the bathroom.

Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans… although men seem more tethered to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, “I don’t go to the bathroom without my mobile phone.”

Since only 14% of respondents reportedly cleanse their phones after a toilet session…  I would highly recommend protecting both their devices and ultimately themselves with iSkin protective accessories‘ revolutionary  Microban technology.  Built-in to products during the manufacturing process, Microban antimicrobial product protection inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause stains , embarrassing odors and deterioration of both cell phones and other mobile devices.

Check out the following video for in-depth information on Microban iSkin protective cases and skins.

More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That’s not all, however: What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom—20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.

As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the “mobile everywhere” movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.

While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom.  The study indicates that 87% of Droid users (Motorola Droid RAZR, Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Amaze, LG Optimus 2X) and 84% of Blackberry users (Bold 9900 Touch, Bold 9790 , Curve 9370) followed by  77% of iPhone users are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.

“The writing is on the stall,” said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. “This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private.”

By Aldo Panessidi

At one point in time HTC was the crowned king of Android… releasing nearly a dozen different models in Canada last year.  From the HTC Amaze being like its namesake amazing, the HTC Desire being sleek and alluring to the HTC Raider having a big bold display .  However, HTC’s market strategy to have a model to please everyone, in fact, ended pleasing a very small portion of the smartphone market space.

In a recent interview HTC’s Phil Roberson made it clear that HTC was moving away from its strategy of flooding the market with devices in favour of focusing  on delivering ‘hero’ based technology and designs.   As Roberson indicated “HTC had tried to do too much in 2011 and oversaturated the field with devices.  This year would be about making something special or having fewer but more distinctive devices.”

Leaving your valuable HTC mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

A consolidation might be necessary in the face of stiff competition. Its profits fell by 25 percent this fall after both Apple and Samsung carved into its once safe sales. Apple is virtually the opposite of HTC and has just three iPhones on the market, two of which were old models with configurations trimmed back. It has had no problems faring well by both outpacing and outselling the Samsung cell phones , which itself is in HTC’s situation of having many phones that cater to every possible niche.

Enhance your mobility and turn your HTC device into a power tool with select  accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

In Canada, the “hero” devices are the Samsung Galaxy S II series, which HTC CEO Peter Chou called “nuclear weapons.” And though HTC has seen its fair share of success, 2012 needs to be a year of re-growth and rebuilding for them, focusing on fewer smartphones centred around a core brand.

By Aldo Panessidi

Does it come as a surprise to anyone that Absinthe jailbreak for both iPhone 4S and iPad 2 has been installed a million times within three days of it becoming available.  The Absinthe jailbreak application for OS X and Windows versions now sit at version 0.2, and  are said to both be bug-free

The Absinthe program has been updated to fix some faulty issues incorporated with the original program issue.  These issues focused on improperly forcing a reboot on typical iDevice coupled with  causing some icons to show up white on the home screen —otherwise it remains unchanged.  These tweaks were from the iOS hacking “dream team” of pod2g, MuscleNerd and the whole Dev-Team. The release encompasses iPhone4S: 5.0 (9A334), 5.0.1 (9A405), 5.0.1 (9A406); and iPad2: 5.0.1 (9A405). If you haven’t backed up your SHSH blobs with TinyUmbrella yet, do so right away, as Apple will as a defensive move, more than likely accelerate the release of iOS 5.1 as a result of this jailbreak.

Get the latest in iphone 4S Jailbraking insight from this tutorial Video

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Recently, the iPad 2 received and untethered jailbreak with iOS 4.3.3 which alleviated the need for you to be near a computer in the event that your iPhone or iPad required a reboot.  Until then, the only iOS 5.0.1 jailbreaks for A5 devices have been tethered, meaning the device would have to be re-broken every time it rebooted.

The following video provides instruction on how to jailbreak your iPad 2

Finally the last video provides direction to create an untethered jailbreak for the 4th-gen iPod touch

If you need more information on jailbreaking… visit the JailbreakMe website where jailbreak apps are set to look as in a typical AppStore… click the “Free” button, then “Install” and 2 minutes later you’re done.

Note:  Pure Mobile neither endorses or disapproves of jailbreaking activities… its role is limited to  simply  being and acting  as a provider of technological information.  We do however, want to convey to our readers that hacking any format is against the law.  In addition, Pure Mobile will not held responsible for any damages incurred to any device when engaging in any jailbreak application(s) that are aforementioned in this blog or downloaded from any other sites.

By John Castell

Get excited iBooks users! The iOS jailbreak known as Corona that was released last month for the iPhone4S and iPad is now updated to support Apple’s e-reader, iBooks. Be sure to get your updates though, as it is the build for version iOS 5.0.1.

But what does this new jailbreak upgrade mean for your Apple experience? While not as gratifying as playing with a new acquisition from the phenomenal family of accessories for each of the tablet, iPod media device and smartphones that will be covered by this new software update, it could address some of the issues occurring during browsing sessions on these same devices.

Because if you have experienced the launcher crashing on occasion, it is this upgrade that will doctor it up. There are some other bugs that will be fixed as well, but the addressed launcher is the biggie (for the really technical of you out there, the build is also included in redsn0w 0.9.10b4). So, with this update you need not fear having to remove your favorite Apple handset or tablet from its cozy protective case to play tech detective.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky! Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

For those of you who already have jailbroken iPhone4 or iPad devices, Corona can be found and run through the Cydia store. Another option is downloading the updated OS X for Windows version (redsn0w) which will have the same impact.

And if you do not yet possess this untethered jailbreak, you can find more information on compatibility for iPhone 3GS, iPhone4, the first generation iPad, iPod Touch 3G and the iPod Touch 4G. Clearly this development team has been hard at work to bring this jailbreak technology to Apple’s various device offerings of smartphones, tablets and media players. Now, if we can keep that open concept movement to empower customers at other levels of purchasing and freedom of customization, amazing innovation is in the works.

Now to await their next upgrade to include iPhone4S and iPad2…

By Mitch Stevens

Since the release of the first iPhone in 2007 I have been jail breaking the iphone. I have been caught up in conversation many times about the ability of the iPhone. When I referred to the iPhone it’s often hard for me to perceive it without being able to include the many Cydia applications I use with the wonderful IOS operating system.

Many people have often looked at me as if they were very confused, and say. What is jailbreaking? This is the single most question I am asked when discussing the iPhone. I have thought long and hard on the simplest way to explain jailbreaking to a person who does not understand what it is at all about. To this nd, I have crafted the following jailbreaking overview So I have tried to think about this as elementary as possible to facilitate reader understanding.

Jailbreaking allows the iPhone or other idevices such as the iPad and iPod user more freedom. When Apple developed the iPhone in their mega-billion-dollar factories, the developers, at their own discretion determined what we could and could not do with our iphones. That is a decision , I do not agree with that in any terms. Like many people I paid for this product with my personal money and believe that I should be able to decide on changing its appearance or the sounds it makes when it rebooting. Yet in 2008 or 2009 jailbreaking your iPhone was declared illegal.

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Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications from a store called Cydia. In this store many developers have been denied the chance to sell their application in the ” Apple store”. Many of the applications in the Cydia store are better applications than many I have downloaded from the Apple store. That being said these applications are hosted on repositories which are sources in the Cydia store. These applications have gone through a screening process as the Cydia operators are stand up characters and would not ruin their reputation by enabling applications that are unethical or damaging to your device.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

I have often had many people argue that they were afraid to download the applications from Cydia because they weren’t signed from Apple. There is a huge open source environment on the web… wherein different developers collaborate together to create new or enhance existing application with more powerful features. As such, just because an application does not originate from Apple it does not mean it hasn’t been fully screened or the code has not gone through an extensive testing process to filter or eliminate viruses.

Many of the applications from Cydia are just small tweaks. Such as, being able to swipe the status bar to open what’s called SB settings. Inside Sbsettings you can control Bluetooth, reboot, and much more. This is just an example of some of the applications that are available in Cydia. Also in Cydia you can download themes for your idevices. What I mean by theme is you can change the physical appearance of the iPhone. Whether it’s the size of the icons or the color of the status bar and much more. Needless to say, the question, What is Jailbreaking? could revoke a 500 page book. I’m trying to do it in just a few paragraphs. So to putt short and sweet. Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications and themes. This will allow the user to use their phone however they wish. If you want to open the settings menu by swiping the status bar, that can be accomplished. There are many great applications and tweaks inside Cydia. Since this article is about what is jailbreaking? I am going to include a few must have applications from Cydia.

Top Must Have Cydia Applications :

· SBswitcher a tweak for iOS which will basically add a new pane over the multi-tasking pane, which will allow you to bookmark nine of your most-used apps. Now this new pane will allow a very quick access to all your favourite apps. This app also gives you an easy access to a few of your System Settings. Bundled with its core feature, this app is definitely worth $0.99. Props to the developer Tolani. He has added in the release notes that this tweak is not yet available for iPad but should be soon.

· Activator-Free- add gestures to open application.

· Infiniboard-$1.99Vertically scroll the springboard. Addis many applications as you wish to each page. No limits

· Packagebackup-$7.99 Simple way to save your Cydia application in one centralized location. Should you need to do are store simply do so with a couple clicks.

· iFile $4-Great way to SSH into the device without connecting to a computer. Do things such as change icons to much more advance task.

· Springtomize$2.99- This application has over 50 tweaks inside it. You can change the color of status bar, size of icons, change carrier, and more.

· Winterboard- FREE This is how you add themes to the device for changing its physical appearance. You can also add themes to the lock screen, change reboot sounds. This application is free however many of the themes are paid.

By Aldo Panessidi

Take inventory of your tech devices. You likely have a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, an iPod media player, and maybe an errant MP3 player lying around. That is a lot of devices to manage, juggle, and keep tidy – a huge concern for those who like clean décor and want to incorporate these devices. So as the newest offerings of technology were paraded out at CES, who are the winners for top accessory innovators at this year’s conference?

To start, Samsung had some wonderfully well designed speakers and docking stations for their Galaxy S 2 smartphones and Galaxy tablets that had a range of classic to contemporary. They looked to have dedicated woofers and tweeters to ensure a great sound as well as a great look.

Next we have iLuv which you likely know for its Apple accessories. This year they branched out to showcase their newest Android offerings as well. Customers looking to replace a laptop with a tablet will like the folio-plus-Bluetooth-keyboard that gives the option of a hard keyboard or using their tablet with the soft keyboard. If considering a desktop replacement, iLuv’s workstation is affordable and a really neat design that will dock your device, is adjustable for height, and has an integrated wired keyboard. Benefits of a dedicated workstation with the mobility of a tablet? Yes, please! Showing even more innovation for its Apple offerings, iLuv is a must to check out for products that will fit your lifestyle and needs.

Another mobile accessory company that wowed at CES is Scosche. The coolest tech in their array of gadgets was their desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers. For phones they had a case, the flipCHARGE rogue and switchback flips via headphones. For emergency charging situations, keep a ClipSYNC keychain on hand and it will undoubtedly come in handy.

For protecting these mobile devices, bags, sleeves and cases are imperative. Otterbox continues to be a top manufacturer for the best protective cases and skins for all iPhone styles and now the top selling Android handset models. Best mentions at CES for Otterbox was the Commuter.

There were many other wonderful accessories to meet the need of charging multiple devices at once or store and protect tablets. As these become available to the public and we have more information on them, we will keep you posted!

By Megan Fleet

The appeal of Apple and its iPhone, iPad, and other products has often been one of exclusivity.  In the spirit of a handsfree world, Visual Voicemail gives customers access to voicemail without dialing and has been one such feature iPhone users have been able to take advantage of.

Luckily for consumers with both unlocked cell phone or regular  handsets, they already have their pick of Bluetooth and headsets to up their convenience and safety abilities. And, the Visual Voicemail functionality may be coming their way shortly. Recently documents were leaked indicating that Visual Voicemail will become available on select Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S 2, the Motorola Droid RAZR as well as the BlackBerry Bold 9900 .

For Canadian customers on the Rogers’ network, they will have the benefit of an in-house developed application. Rumors noted that service should be available in February and will cost the same as the non-visual enhanced voicemail currently available with Rogers. For RIM,the launch will extend these new services to support BlackBerry 9700 and Blackberry 9790 devices.

The service will be named “Visual Voicemail Plus” and finally offers an edge on iPhone users: the capacity to save voicemail messages indefinitely. As ever, this kind of storage is exactly the kind of convenience that customers look for at every level of their experience which accounts for continued use of memory cards with smartphones.

Undoubtedly, additional platforms and devices will supported after the launch. The leaked documents noted that any phone with MMS functionality will have Visual Voicemail made available as well. This will include less popular mobile OS like legacy Symbian and Windows Mobile. The biggest question mark is whether the new Rogers Visual Voicemail Plus offering will require additional data plans as the product works through data usage in lieu of dialing.

By Aldo Panessidi

When Apple launched the iPhone 4S there were plenty of bystanders that were disappointed that the latest smartphone was not the elusive iPhone 5. The silver lining is that this prolonged release has given plenty of fodder for the tech gossip mill as we all speculate if the next generation iPhone will be drastically different.

Latest reports note that Apple’s upcoming device will be slimmer than the iPhone 4S and iPhone handsets and will also strut some new tech as well. The iPhone 5 may have a quad-mode chipset from Qualcomm that will work on all 4G LTE and 3G networks which has the implication of making this unlocked cell phone device more widely available across mobile carriers.

Giving credence to these details is a BGR exclusive last month that reported Apple’s intention to launch a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall. It will have an aluminum case and a rubber or perhaps plastic bezel that will protect and cover a new wrap-around antenna.  Possibly more dependable accounts came from Morgan Stanley’s analyst, Katy Huberty, who noted that Apple sent a communication to clients last Friday. Those statements assured that Apple’s business will continue to grow even with a slowing demand for high-end smartphones. There is no question that the company’s strength is in its iTunes, iCloud and other proprietary technologies that marry customers so closely the OS platform.

Included in Huberty’s comments was the mention of Apple’s next generation tablet, the iPad3 which is slated to launch at some point in the first half of the year. With traditional pricing strategy in play, the iPad2 will be lowered in cost to attract additional customers to the iOS platform and to Apple’s strength in the tablet market.

Surely these new smartphone and tablet devices will come with revamped and original peripheral accessories.   Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

App Downloads and Virtual Goods at CES

By Megan Fleet

Anyone with a tablet, smartphone, or is in the vicinity of someone with these devices knows about apps. Downloads of apps on smartphones and tablets are projected to be in the 41 billion range for 2012. With those kinds of numbers, there is some serious cash to be made on the focus and popularity of apps. The industry knows it and these small applications have become all the rage at this year’s CES. More and more consumer are leveraging the power of unlocked cell phones to choose their preferred service providers and break away from long term service contracts… while customizing their phones with both apps and cell phone accessories of their choice.

The flip side of this is that costs of downloads is ever decreasing with the increase of competition. To counterbalance these declining revenues, players are looking to virtual goods. Already ahead of the curve, both Apple and Android are evolving to inhabit this space. In turn, they will keep customers hooked into their ecosystems and continue to diversify the different kinds of devices and accessories are integrated into consumers’ lives on their platforms. Experience the mind blowing clarity of XMI Speakers. Uncompromised sound quality and a revolutionary design accentuating today’s interactive lifestyle. Our earpieces and headsets combine sophisticated style and precision engineering that deliver brilliant sound for your total listening pleasure

Both Apple and Android own the lion’s share of app downloads to date, but according to Josh Martin, Director of Apps Research at Strategy Analytics, “The introduction of tablets from Amazon and Barnes and Noble and a renewed push for Windows Phone ensure an intensifying battle for the third horse in the apps ecosystem race.” Customers are bound to vote with their wallets and their thumbs with consideration of unlocked devices as well. The industry is changing, becoming more competitive and giving consumers more options of how they receive their data and how they communicate.

Luckily for us customers, this spirited competition is the recipe for lower prices, more choices, and better technology as developers scramble to win us over with must have accessories that make life better and faster speeds. Clearly this is the free market at its best (ignoring carrier exclusivity in this last statement!).

Are Carriers Prepared?

By John Castell

When the iPhone 4S was released, there were a fair number of naysayers out there questioning if this latest Apple smartphone would make the kind of mark its past devices have. Sure it has Siri and some other upgrades, but it looks similar. It fits the same protective case accessories and docking stations and the like, so many were speculative of the impact this one would make. According to a recent research by Arieso, this latest generation iPhone is definitely having an impact.

How? Data is showing that iPhone 4S consumers use practically twice the amount of data as its predecessor, the iPhone 4. Throw in the statistic of these hyper-users consuming more than 3 times the data of the original iPad 3G and jaws start to drop. Even Arieso’s chief technical officer, Michael Flanagan marveled “the data usage numbers I am seeing make me wonder what I am missing.”

The likely culprit is Siri. Michael Flanagan and other iPhone 4 users are bereft of the virtual assistant’s powers that aid in searching which (although not stated in the report) is the obvious suspect for the increased data consumption. Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Also striking is Arieso’s reporting that it is a mere 1% of data users consuming half of all downlink data. Flanagan did need to note, “while the report provides general trends, the studies on which they’re based demonstrate the importance to operators of understanding the increased consumption each type of smartphone brings.” But are carriers listening? Data usage will only continue to increase as tablets and smartphones become more prevalent, but mobile providers don’t seem to be heeding the trends that will eventually compromise the quality of service for their subscribers.

With this kind of ostrich behavior from carriers, consumers should be clamoring for more unlocked phone options so they have the freedom to seek out services that will provide the speeds, complimentary accessories, and forward moving innovation that consumers are paying for.