hacksugar: Wireless iTunes syncing makes it to jailbroken iPhones
Cables, schmables. Why occupy valuable USB slots when you can make iTunes data fly magically over virtual intertubes to and from your home computer? New to the jailbreak world, Wi-Fi Sync introduces over-the-air sync to iPhone devices.
The application works like this: you install a client app on your desktop computer (10.5 and 10.6 Mac only at this time), which you can download for free from the Wi-Fi Sync website. Then, run the $9.99 Wi-Fi Sync application on your iPhone. Your phone will appear in iTunes' sources list as a connected device. You can then sync your device, just as if it were plugged in at a standard USB port.
Unfortunately, the iPad is not yet supported, but developer Greg Hughes promises he is working on that. "I'm hoping to have it ready within the next 2 months. It'll be a free update, and depending on the release of OS 4.0, I might time it to coincide with 4.0 compatibility," he told TUAW. "I'm also working on Windows support."
So why is Wi-Fi Sync not in the App Store? After all, it doesn't seem to break any of the standard App Store rules. It doesn't use private APIs and it doesn't bypass any Apple restrictions on the iPhone. How did it end up being relegated to Cydia?
Hughes told TUAW that he submitted the application in late April but didn't hear back until now. "Apple called me yesterday and said it was being rejected. I had a good conversation with the guy there. He said it reached a very high level of escalation within the company, but they had to say 'no'." The rep was apologetic but there was nothing more to be done.
But the best part of the whole story? The rep asked Hughes to send along his CV. Apple may have given Hughes' app thumbs down, but clearly they were impressed by his development ingenuity. Said Hughes, "It was cool to hear that from someone at Apple." For the record, Hughes is just 19 years old.
Wi-Fi Sync is currently available from the Cydia store for $9.99. It can be installed on jailbroken iPhones and iPod touch units to allow over-the-air syncing with iTunes.
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[Thanks, Optimo]
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Cables, schmables. Why occupy valuable USB slots when you can make iTunes data fly magically over virtual intertubes to and from your...
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BUYER BEWARE - Do NOT expect ANY support from Greg Hughes if you encounter any problems with his Wi-Fi Sync software. I purchased the Windows version of Greg’s Wi-Fi Sync software and attempted to install on several PC’s with the same results “application failed to startâ€. I submitted a friendly trouble ticket on Greg’s support site over a month ago and Greg has made NO attempt to respond. A second trouble ticket also went unanswered as did a request for a refund. PayPal will only assist if the software was purchased via EBay, not Cydia. Jay Freeman of Cydia also didn’t respond to my email requesting assistance. BUYER BEWARE!
July 01 2010 at 1:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMy 3GS s to have slowed down a lot recently, with unexpected pauses/time outs -this app is one of the few I have installed recently. Anyone have this experience?
May 18 2010 at 2:16 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIt's not just "doing without plugging in a cable". Means I don't have to go upstairs and set it in the dock that's on the cable that's on the 'puter. So mornings when i'm updating my podcasts and getting ready to roll out the door, don't have to take that detour into the office.
loaded the (fixed version ) on my PPC itunes server and on my 1st Gen iPhone.
sweet!
This will be SICK when the iphone gets 802.11n!
May 15 2010 at 3:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyfound a copy of this online since i wanted to try it first before buying it. it works as advertised. synced about 100mb worth of apps from itunes 9.1.1 on my mac (10.5.8) to my 3g iphone (3.1.2) over wifi in about 2-3 minutes. not sure if it's worth $9.99 though. i think $3-$4 would be more reasonable.
huzzah!
The jailbreak developers tend to be the ones leading the way. They make interesting modifications, Apple figures out how they would do the same thing and it's a new, "magical" feature. Without jailbreakers, I doubt the app store would exist.
May 15 2010 at 9:32 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI paid for this app, I have not bought for many but this was worth the money I paid.
May 15 2010 at 12:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHi all, I'm the developer of Wi-Fi Sync. Maybe I picked the wrong arbitrary threat -- because it appears a lot of you guys are taking it way too seriously. I have now updated the site to say that pirating the app causes impotence.
May 14 2010 at 7:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNow for sure I'm not gonna get it! LOL Just kidding Hughes. Good job on the program!
May 14 2010 at 11:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhat app did he use to disable back-ups?
May 14 2010 at 6:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyyou can also run this command in terminal to disable automatic backups:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true
set it back to false to do backups. i believe some third-party apps like MacPilot can also set this.
in case you missed the divisive, but funny; http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/
AND to be clear, Apple, PC, this website AND Every one of you here owe it all to nerd/enthusiasts, 'jailbreakers', 'hackers', 'rooters', modders',[Erica Sadun's, Sauriks, Geohotz', iphndevteam] and every school kid who deigned to 'think for themselves', learn about downloading, then eventually hacking, modding, jb, or anything DIY
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