How to change the iPhone backup location (Windows)

Posted on by xh
  1. Close iTunes
  2. Move the backup folder (residing at C:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR_USERNAME>\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup” to a place where you wish to sync your backup to (e.g. D:\iTunes_backup\Backup)
  3. Download Junction.zip (get it free from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896768.aspx) and extract junction.exe
  4. Open Command Prompt and type the following commands (assume you extract it to the desktop folder):
    cd Desktop
    junction “c:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR_USERNAME>\Application Data\MobileSync\Backup” D:\iTunes_backup\Backup
    (ensure that there’s no Backup folder in c:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR_USERNAME>\Application Data\MobileSync when you are typing the above command if not it will say that the path exists)

Basically the junction type creates something like a symbolic link (like in *nix operating systems)

How to install Flash (Frash) on iPad

Posted on by xh

The Developer who brought Spirit, managed to port over the Adobe Flash runtime for Android to the iPhone (named as Frash). This allows iOS devices to view flash content on the default Mobile Safari browser.

Demostration Videos


Requirements

  • Jailbroken iPad (download Spirit from http://spiritjb.com/ and run the program to jailbreak)
  • Frash-0.01.deb , Frash-0.02.deb (mirror) – credits:  Grant Pannell
  • openSSH installed (Get from cydia)
  • UserAgent Faker installed (Optional. Get from cydia. Good to have to fake your MobileSafari as Firefox 3.0 so that websites will not redirect you to their iphone/ipad page which is non-flash)
  • SBSettings (Get from cydia. Recommended so that at least you can turn off/on SSH or UserAgent)

Installation

So assume that you have already got openSSH and it’s turned on (I believed it is turned on by default)

Method 1 (Expert users)

  1. SSH into your iPad and transfer Frash.deb to your iPad (e.g. I copied to /var/root)
  2. Type dpkg -i Frash-0.01.deb
  3. Open up MobileSafari and load a flash page (you should see a Flash icon like below where you can click on to load the Flash content)

Method 2

  1. Download and install WinSCP (windows) or Fugu (mac) or any ssh file transfer client you are familiar with (Refer to http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=3221 if you need the detailed steps)
  2. Connect to your iPad using the ssh file transfer client
  3. Navigate to /var/root/Media
  4. Create a new folder called Cydia (if not available)
  5. Create another new folder AutoInstall (if not available)
  6. Update Frash-0.01.deb to that path (/var/root/Media/Cydia/AutoInstall)
  7. Reboot you iPad (you iPad will auto install the deb files in /var/root/Media/Cydia/AutoInstall when your iPad boot up) (you might need to reboot this a couple of times)
  8. Open up MobileSafari and load a flash page (you should see a Flash icon like below where you can click on to load the Flash content)

Issues/Comments

  • Flash Video is quite smooth (some text colors, quality is not as good as the desktop version)
  • Sound works properly
  • Flash games works but I notice that’s some lag in the interaction. For e.g. when touching a button, it might be slightly misaligned, and you might need to press and hold to trigger the touch event)
  • Another issue with flash games is that, when you need to press-hold-move around the screen, safari might scroll the page thinking that you want to scroll the page which makes this kind of flash games pretty much unplayable
  • There are still some problems loading some flash. You might get things like “Socket error: Connection reset by peer” etc
  • Unlike Adobe Flash 10.1 Player beta on Nexus One (Froyo), I feel that frash on iPad is smoother than Nexus One  (At least when scrolling the page, it won’t feel sluggish)
  • It messes up embedded youtube videos (in apps and mobile safari) so you might not be able to view/expand youtube videos
  • This is not exact perfect yet, but still it’s really a leap off over previous Flash workaround like Cloud Browse or VNC into your desktop

Researcher iPad Solution: GoodReader + iAnnotate + iFile

Posted on by xh

After using iPad for a few weeks, I realised it is a wonderful device for reading ebooks/pdfs etc. One of the most common activity of a researcher is to read tons and tons of research papers. While reading, it is often the case that we want to highlight certain points, make notes etc. iAnnotate which is an iPad apps make it a perfect solution. The way to sync (upload) documents to the iPad is through the Aji PDF Service (desktop application). However, I’m quite reluctant to do that. Instead I’ve been using GoodReader which provides a very easy way to upload/download documents.

In this guide I will provide a method to combine the benefits of both.

Requirements:

iAnnotate

GoodReader

iFile
iFile is a file manager with capabilites to email, edit, delete, copy, cut, paste, rename, view, compress, uncompress, install and transfer files. This can only be installed on a jailbroken iPad

You would want to create bookmarks for iAnnotate and GoodReader since the application folders are not really that readable (in /var/mobile/Applications/)

Go to the GoodReader Application folder, the documents will be in the Documents folder

Select the PDF and copy it

Go to the iAnnotate Application folder

Paste it into the Documents folder of iAnnotate

And when you open up the iAnnotate, you should be able to see the PDF and annotate as usual 🙂

It would also be nice if there’s a way to combine Zotero with iAnnotate.