A review of GTA is coming in the next few days. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss it.
Believe it or not, it's NOT the best game out there...

CONSPIRACY ALERT!

Apple is trying to sell more new iPod touch hardware by bforcing users to play the most wanted new games on a new generation iPod touch.

The newest iPod touch hardware includes the same insides as the latest iPhone. The second generation iPod however is required to play the new Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game on the AppStore.
Strange considering the first generation iPhone can play the game just fine.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Luckilly a thread on the website toucharcade outlines how with a regular iPod and about ten minutes you can get this game to run on any idevice:

*YOU DO NOT NEED A HACKED OR JAILBROKEN IPOD TOUCH FOR THIS

First of all buy the game using iTunes. You cannot buy a game on your iPod touch if apple has deemed it incompatible.

1. Be sure you have a program to open zipped files. Winrar is the best choice for windows. Unrarx is a good choice for mac.

2. Go to the ‘Mobile Applications’ folder in your iTunes folder (under My Documents \ My Music \ in Windows, ~user/music/ on the Mac)

3. Find the GTACW.ipa file and move it to your desktop. You can copy it from the mobile applications folder and paste it to the desktop

4. Go into iTunes and make sure to delete GTA: Chinatown Wars from your Applications list.

5. Unplug and replug your ipod touch into thr computer. Re-sync your iPod Touch and then disconnect.

6. Use your Zip tool top open the ‘.ipa’ file
Inside the new folder there will be a folder names ‘Payload’. Open this and look for the file “RslP1.app” – that is the actual game.

7. Drag & drop RslP1.app to iTunes – it should come up with a ‘Processing File’ progress window.
Make sure that you see the game listed in your applications list.

8. Re-sync your iPod Touch and the game should be there.

You'll have to go into the applications listnandnactuslly check the box to force it to sync to your iPod but it will work!

Have fun and check back for my full review coming soon (hint hint, the controls are a deal breaker)

I suppose the first question is whether or not the Apple Tablet will need Jailbreaking.

It is not clear whether or not the device will be an open sourced and free to modify system like Apple's desktop OSX operating system, or if it will be another appstore based OS similar to the iPhone/iPod Touch OS.

If the device requires only "Apple Approved" apps to be installed, it will only be a matter of time until it is opened up by the jailbreaking community.

The tablet need not be unlocked as it is reportedly being offered to both At&t and Verizon wireless.

But who will be first?
Geohot?
Devteam?

Or will some other group emerge?

And would YOU buy a locked down device to start with?
Sound off and let us know!

For more on iPod/iPhone Technical issues, please see:
How to Jailbreak iPod/iPhone	How to Restore (Fix) iPod/iPhone	Best Cydia Repositories

Today I found myself doing a favor for a friend of the family.

Her grandson (14 years old) had recently been given an iPod Touch for Christmas and I offered to jailreak it for him so he may customize it and mod it any way he would like.

After running blackra1n and restarting I ran the blackra1n app on his phone and sat staring at the two choices for installer, "Rock Your iPhone" and "Cydia."
I had to make a choice of one over the other. If it were me I would install both (I've had both installed before) but in this case I actually found myself installing the newer Rock Your iPhone over Cydia.

WHAT'S BEST FOR THE GOOSE NOT FOR THE GANDER

So why did I chose this. Why might you want to chose one over the other?
It came down to a few factors in this case:

INTERFACE

To be honest, Rock Your iPhone looks much more user friendly and similar to the native Apple Appstore. This may not be an issue for a seasoned and experienced iPhone jailbreaker, but in the past I found I would get calls from people who's phones I had worked on asking me how to work cydia and if a certain mod would be ok for their phone.

Rock Your iPhone:

The Rock Your iPhone interface showing an install

Cydia:

The Cydia interface showing an install

As you can see the interface of the two are similar in many respects, however the Rock app seems far more polished and fleshed out.
There are little nuances everywhere that make it easier to use (not necessarilly more powerful) and it helps new users feel more at home.

ACCESSABILITY:

This was also a factor.
It ties into the interface, however it is more than looks.
The Rock app has a feature which allows you to back up your list of installed apps. You do this by creating a free account on their servers which allows you to keep a list of installed packages.
This is useful later if you need to restore and rejailbreak your device. You can quickly recover where you left off.
Granted the power user likely has a mental checklist of all the mods and hacks they have done, and may never use this feature.

Cydia also has options for developers that Rock lacks. This is great for a developer who needs the terminal app installed, but can lead to problems for new users.
This is a good reason to leave out Cydia and go for Rock Your iPhone.
Less chance of mistakes made by the user installing something they should not install is worth the switch to Rock.

SPEED:

Speed is also a factor.
I have never had much luck getting Cydia to load in less than five seconds.
It has always been the manager to take the longest time to load and reload, and Rock wins the speed test hands down.
It is a matter of preference. Both will install your packages, but one will do it much faster.

CONCLUSION:

In the end Cydia is the winner for most folks.
I know that Rock Your iPhone had problems at launch with crashing iPhones however these issues are long gone and it seems to be a good solid piece of hardware for the new user and veteran jailbreaker.
It wins the newbie battle though based on its friendly graphical interface and easy to navigate menus.
Its speed also makes it easier to use and more convenient.