Archive for September, 2007
September 30, 2007
iPhone owners may have noticed something peculiar after they updated their iPhone software, which could be a good side-effect brought about by iPhone firmware update 1.1.1: a bug lets the iPhone stream music wirelessly to Bluetooth headsets, after accessing Visual Voicemail.
Now the question is: is this a good thing, or a bad thing? If it’s good, can we call this a “feature” instead of a “bug”?
The bug is activated whenever someone enters the Visual Voicemail application, and then touch the Audio button at the upper right-hand corner of the iPhone’s screen. An option to “Change Audio Source” pops up, and there are the three choices, one of which is “iPhone Bluetooth Headset”.
For some reason, the Bluetooth Headset connection will not be disconnected even after the user exits the Visual Voicemail interface, and streams every sound to the Bluetooth Headset, including clicks as well as MP3 tracks played on the iPhone.
All in all, it’s a pretty nifty option for those who prefer to use their wireless headsets…that is, if Apple decides not to fix the accidental feature.
September 30, 2007
In the social networking arena today, when Facebook sneezes, the entire blogosphere stands at attention. The latest news is that Facebook, as expected, will let its members organize friends into groups, such as business, family and school, enhance the worbvk profile and provide controls for who can see what (see Techmeme). It’s a logical […]
September 30, 2007
Apple gets sued once again, and this time they’re getting chewed out over something that was meant to make customers happy. iPhone owner Dongmei Li has filed a lawsuit against Apple, Steve Jobs, as well as AT&T over the iPhone price cut, and the US 100 rebate given to early adopters of the iPhone.
As previously reported, Jobs announced the iPhone price drop to US 399 in the same media event where he introduced the new iPod products. Some iPhone customers were disgruntled with the sudden price drop, but were appeased by the US 100 coupons sent to those who bought the iPhone launch units.
According to Li, she is now a victim of price discrimination as a result of the above business decisions that Apple and Jobs made, because she cannot resell her iPhone for the same value as those who bought it after the price drop.
Li stated that there was no reason behind the price cut, which she said was grounds to underselling.
The lawsuit also covers AT&T, due to accusations of forcing customers to sign two-year service contracts, which have US 175 termination fees attached to them. Li then goes on to say that it was unfair simply because those who purchased the iPhone were able to use unlocking applications that freed them from the contracts.
This may seem like a story of another day, another lawsuit, but we do hope that this gets resolved properly, and soon.
September 30, 2007
Apparently, Apple is anything but unforgiving to the many people who are happily unlocking their iPhones all over the world. Ever since the release of the 1.1.1 firmware, countless reports of bricked iPhones have been popping up.
No worries, though. Some ingenious people at the Hakintosh forums have detailed a few steps on how to unbrick those unfortunate victim’s phones. It basically runs around the concept of downgrading the firmware back to the previous 1.0.2.
However, don’t expect your iPhone to be totally up and running despite the fix - while WiFi and third party apps will be restored once again, there’s still no way to dial outside calls. As always, take care when trying to unbrick your iPhones.
Anyway, here are the steps on how to fix those poor little iPhones:
- Make sure you have a copy of the 1.0.2 firmware
- Reboot iPhone holding the top button (power) and the home buttons.
- Release the top button 10 seconds after that, right after the screen goes dark. But keep the home (bottom) pressed for a while.
- The iPhone screen will appear to be off. Now start iTunes manually.
- iTunes will tell you it has found an iPhone in “restore mode.”
- Press option key and then click the restore button.
- Select the 1.0.2 firmware .ipsw file
- The phone will restart and there will be an error out at the end. Don’t worry. It was bound to happen (if the iPhone returns to Restore Mode instead of Activation Mode, then you may have to restore the 1.1.1 firmware, wipe all information in the iPhone and then repeat from above. But first, try to restart the iPhone.)
- Shutdown iTunes.
- Launch the latest iNDpendence (Mac-only for now.)
- Activate the phone using a expanded 1.0.2 file (to do that, make a copy of the 1.0.2 ipsw file, then select “Open with…” from the Finder’s action menu and use BOMArchiveHelper.app (it will appear in the menu.) The ipsw are really .zip files.
- It will flash all sorts of errors, but don’t worry.
- Activate the phone.
- It will show the SIM error but now the iPhone will work again with your Wi-Fi and your apps
September 30, 2007
Remember that bit where I said upgrading from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2 was a one-way trip? Looks like I spoke prematurely. Tonight, reports are trickling in about successful 1.1.1-to-1.0.2 iPhone firmware downgrades using this method described at the “iPhone Devteam” wiki, which relies on a combination of firmware-fu and the INDependence software. TUAW reader skwasha tipped us off to an ongoing conversation at the hackint0sh forums that got the ball rolling on this.
I have not yet been able to confirm this downgrade so let us know in the comments if the method worked for you or not.
pdate: After downgrading your iPhone will most likely not work as a phone. But you’ll be able to use it with third party apps and WiFi. Developing.
Update 2: More detailed instructions here at Nate True’s blog.
Update 3: This method is now called “pulling a kmac” after the original poster who figured this out.
Update 4: If you’re getting the “Please Connect to iTunes” thing, you’ll need to set some environmental variables. You can do this with either iBrickr/iphoneinterface or with iPHUC. Instructions for both at Nate’s blog.
Via http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/29/breaking-reports-of-1-1-1-to-1-0-2-iphone-downgrades-trickling/
September 30, 2007
Now that you own an Apple iPhone (or you will soon), pair it with one (or all) of these iPhone accessories, including a bikini leather case and docking station. We did it. We survived. The Apple iPhone hype is over. No more waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, thinking that we missed the release. No more grabbing for our asthma inhalers or keeping caffeine close at hand. Yes, we made it through the iPhone storm. Sigh. If only it were true. This is likely just the beginning, with the hundreds of iPhone accessories we’re bound to see in the coming months. Heck, even before the device was released there were plenty of iPhone cases and Bluetooth headsets for sale. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up a slew of awesome iPhone accessories, so that you can get the most out of your $600 device immediately. Here are a couple of the products you’ll find in today’s 10 Awesome iPhone Accessories slideshow: 1.Apple iPhone Dock
The first thing you’ll want to do when you pick up your shiny iPhone is charge it and add some music to its onboard memory. Apple’s iPhone Dock ($49) can be connected via USB port for syncing or charging. Plus, you can use the audio line out to hook up your stereo and listen to the tunes you store on the device. Also included in the package are an Apple USB Power Adapter and Apple Dock Connector to USB Cable. 
2. iSkin revo
Keep your iPhone’s touch screen sparkly and spotless with Boxwave’s Screen Puffs. They’re puffy wipers made of non-abrasive and lint-free material to clean dust and dirt from the screen. Screen Puffs are also small and portable: just attach it to your iPhone or case. Choose from seven colors, including black, blue, and yellow. Screen Puffs sell for $2.95 each or $15.95 for the Happy Pack (all seven colors). 
3. BoxWave Screen PuffsKeep your iPhone’s touch screen sparkly and spotless with Boxwave’s Screen Puffs. They’re puffy wipers made of non-abrasive and lint-free material to clean dust and dirt from the screen. Screen Puffs are also small and portable: just attach it to your iPhone or case. Choose from seven colors, including black, blue, and yellow. Screen Puffs sell for $2.95 each or $15.95 for the Happy Pack (all seven colors). 
4. MarWare Quick Vue for iPhone
The Quick Vue for iPhone from MarWare is a hard, rubberized case for protecting your iPhone. Attach it to your belt clip horizontally and use the handy quick release hatch, giving you instant access to your iPhone’s screen, dock connector, camera lens, and more. The headphone port is accessible while the case is both open and closed. Purchase the Quick Vue today for $29.95.
5. Incipio Technologies Bikini
This summer, slip your iPhone into something sexy, like Incipio Technologies’ Bikini. It’s a leather case that covers “the bare essentials,” meaning the top and bottom of the device. The case comes in 14 unique colors, including safety orange, chocolate, and army ranger. Each Bikini sells for $19.99.
6. Macally mClipLooking for a comfortable way to watch video on your iPhone? Macally’s mClip features a swivel belt clip that doubles as a stand. That way, you can prop the iPhone on a desk or table. The mClip also protects all the corners of the iPhone. Pick one up for $19.99, coming soon. 
7. DLO Jam Jacket for iPhoneYou may already be familiar with DLO’s Jam Jacket for iPod: a silicone case that lets you neatly wrap your earbud cords behind the case. Well, now you can do the same thing with your iPhone. DLO’s Jam Jacket for iPhone is a gripable, silicon case that is lint-resistant and allows full access to the iPhone. It’s available now at AT&T and DLO.com for $19.99 each. 
8. Belkin Sport Armband for iPhonePlanning on using your iPhone while jogging or working out at the gym? Then attach it to Belkin’s Sport Armband for iPhone. We know, the iPhone is a bit large to be carrying on your arm, but Belkin doesn’t seem to think so. The Armband provides hands-free entertainment, full screen protection, volume-control access, and an internal pocket to store your keys or earbuds. It’s also water-resistant and has a reflective material for use in the dark. Look for it this month with a retail price of $29.99. 
9. Jawbone Bluetooth headsetSitting next to the Apple iPhone at the Apple Store will be the $119 Jawbone Bluetooth headset. What’s so special about such an expensive headset? Jawbone’s “perforated shield curves to match the outline of your face while the inside surface is made from medical grade plastic to provide a soft and smooth feel on the skin.” We tested the headset and found that it produces awesome sound and is comfortable to wear. It can be worn on either ear and has a rated talk time of about 6 hours. 
10. Gomadic Rapid Car/Travel ChargerThere’s no question that you’ll be using your iPhone in the car, or lugging it on business trips. That’s why you’ll want the Rapid Car/Travel Charger for the Apple iPhone from Gomadic. The included charging adapter fits cigarette lighters in vehicles with a 12 to 24 VDC. Plus, its removable cable tips let you use the charger for your other devices. Power up for $19.95.
September 30, 2007
The iPhone 1.1.1 update has a hidden little surprise for y’all: Bluetooth audio streaming is now available off of your iPhone for whatever you darn please, meaning you can finally listen to music from the phone wirelessly. Oddly enough, this “function” has been unleashed by a Visual Voicemail bug that leaves Bluetooth audio on even after you’ve left the Voicemail interface. Of course, it’s only mono audio, and the audio keeps playing out of your built-in speaker — if you plug in headphones to cut off the speaker you’ll lose Bluetooth streaming as well — but it’s nice to see Apple forking over some “should have been there in the first place” functionality accidentally to go along with all that stuff of the same ilk 1.1.1 took away from us.
September 30, 2007
Good news. PQ Computing company has release a safe and efficient iphone unloking software :
One-click iPhone Unlock,which can let your iphone work on any network supports a standard GSM sim, . Enable your iPhone to be Phone+WIFI+iPod.
Features
- One Click to Unlock your iPhone in seconds
- 100% easy. No computer knowledge needed.
- 100% safe. You need’t worry about anything.
- Fully optimized for iphone.
- System Required: Microsoft Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP
- Unlock software for Mac OS will be coming soon
- Enable you to hack/activate iPhone to use any services without AT&T’s two-year contract
- Need’t to give any of your money or personal information to AT&T NSA.
- It is the easiest way you can find to unlock an iPhone.
User Gudie
You can also refer to FAQ for one-click iphone unlock software.
1. Restore iPhone to the default settings through iTunes
2.Connect your iphone to the computer and run the one click iphone unlock software.
3.When the software says “Imported Successfully”,then you go to the iphone and run the “unlock” application on the dashboard. The unlocking process may take several mintues,please wait patiently.
4.Congratulations!Your iphone is fully functioned,you can insert other SIM card now and the AT&T restriction will never bother you again
September 30, 2007
What’s this picture, sent to us by reader Mike, and found on Apple’s website? Why, it’s a screengrab from iTunes, with a nifty little battery icon right there next to the iPhone listing.
Yes, but Mike, I hear you saying, what does that mean? It means, my friends, that a new iTunes update is right around the corner. 7.4.3 doesn’t have this icon, and so it’s very likely that within the next day or two, we’ll see a brand new version of iTunes, complete with this nifty battery icon, and who knows what else.
Why Mike, I hear you saying again (I have great hearing), that’s terrific! Could this, you say, have anything to do with the recent 1.1.1 iPhone update? Will this coming iTunes update affect, perhaps, my homemade ringtones, or my jailbroken iPhone?
To those questions, I don’t have solid answers– the update is probably due out fast, so we’ll know soon. But I do, like many of you, have a Magic 8-Ball. I’ve consulted it, and in this case, it’s telling me: “Outlook not so good.”
Via http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/28/new-itunes-coming-with-battery-indicator-for-iphone/
September 30, 2007
Let me address this today by writing about the various options you have of using Twitter from your iPhone.
Having a choice is always good and in case you are addicted to the fast-paced social network then you will happy to know that there is not one but 5 ways to use Twitter on Apple’s iPhone in case you didn’t already know. Do you know all the 5 ways? Maybe you can find out after the jump.
Twitter, the free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users can be accessed using the iPhone and you have 5 ways to use Twitter on the iPhone. Don’t forget to take the poll to tell us which one of the options you prefer to use or you are already using to access Twitter from your iPhone.
SMS
All you need to do is register/verify the number of your iPhone on Twitter’s website, and simply SMS your messages to 40404 (in US). But do remember that depending on your tarrif plans, you will be using up free monthly SMS for each Twitter updates you send using this option.
Instant Messenger
Twitter supports Jabber, AIM, Gtalk, and Livejournal chat addresses and we have already seen quite a few web-based instant messaging clients such as Mundu IM iPhone Edition, JiveTalk for iPhone that have brought instant messaging to the iPhone and support AIM and Gtalk so verify your IM address in case you have not already done at Twitter and using one of the above clients you should be able to send Twitter updates using your iPhone. For instructions on how to verify Instant Messenger follow this link.
Twitter Mobile friendly website:
In case you didn’t already know another option and like the SMS option this one too is available for mobile phones having a browser, is Twitter’s mobile browser friendly site over at http://m.twitter.com/. All you need to do is point your iPhone’s Safari browser to the above address and use it like you normally do on the website on your computer.
Email:
TwitterMail:
TwitterMail lets you tweet using email from your iPhone as simple as that. So all you need to do is to register at TwitterMail to give them your Twitter credentials and they will inturn supply you with a TwitterMail email address eg. abcdef1234@twittermail.com. If you send an email using iPhone’s email client to the email address that they have provided while registering then it will be posted to Twitter.com. Other than sending and receiving updates TwitterMail also provide other features. Click here to get more details on TwitterMail.
It is safe to assume that you didn’t come to an iPhone specific site to read about the above four options, so if you are looking something which is specially optimised for iphone’s interface then read on.
Web-based Twitter Client for iPhone:
There are two web-based Twitter clients for the iPhone already they are PocketTweets and Hahlo 2.0. I know I could put this under the Twitter Mobile friendly website but I felt that it is important to differentiate between a website and web-based client as they are expected to provide better user experience.
PocketTweets:
PocketTweets is a web-based Twitter client optimized for the Apple iPhone. Using PocketTweets you can see the atest tweets from your contacts, update your status remotely, or see what’s happening around the world by viewing the public timeline using either AT&T’s Edge network or over Wi-Fi.
Visit http://pockettweets.com/ using your iPhone’s Safari browser to check out the Twitter client developed for the Apple iPhone.
Hahlo:
Hahlo is another web-based Twitter client for the Apple iPhone. It would have been a little premature to write about Hahlo v1.0 earlier but with v2.0 just released it is probably perfect timing as Dean says over at his blog says:
“version 1 had ended up probably doing more harm than good, and while the basics worked well enough it had a few failings which unfortunately resulted in many people switching to other alternatives. Now with Hahlo 2.0 a lot more thought has gone into how things should work, and how they should fit together. On top of that there are also a huge pile of new features and enhancements which will hopefully bring those that had left back to Hahlo”.
With Hahlo v2.0 you can now do just about everything that is available from Twitter’s website, and the good news is that there are still more features expected in future versions. I could write all about Hahlo but think Dean has done a great job in detailing out all that you need to know about Hahlo for the iPhone so follow this link to find out more.
Via http://www.iphonehacks.com/2007/09/iphone-twitter.html
September 30, 2007
Apple’s 1.1.1 iPhone update is out, and while there’s a healthy list of new functionality and tweaks, all eyes are still on the unlock situation. After Apple’s warnings (which some took as threats) that hacked iPhones could potentially turn into expensive, slender bricks after the update process, owners of modded handsets scurried desperately to find ways to restore authenticity to their iPhones. Whether that’s necessary or not seems to vary; there are conflicting reports coming in from around the blogosphere as to if the 152.3mb update kills or not.
Gizmodo are saying that their iPhones have updated okay but that any third-party apps installed have disappeared from the launcher screen (although the programmes themselves are still believed to be in the flash memory); some of their readers, however, are finding their newly-updated (and previously hacked) iPhones are throwing up SIM errors. That’s the result iPhone Central’s Jonathan Seff has had - his hacked, unlocked iPhone is refusing to recognise the AT&T SIM (although the SIM itself will still work in other handsets). Hackint0sh are similarly putting out the warning that unlocked iPhones get relocked following the update, and won’t recognise the original SIM.
Right now we’d have to suggest that anyone with an unlocked iPhone should NOT attempt to update to 1.1.1, at least until a verified way to restore the AT&T lock becomes available. If you’ve used Jailbreak to open your iPhone up to third-party apps and custom ringtones then you’ll need to decide whether the new features in the update are worth losing those add-ons, since Jailbreak and Installer.app won’t work after the firmware change.
Let us know how you get on!
From http://www.myitablet.com/update-bricks-unlocked-iphones-271567.php
September 30, 2007
Apple continues posting warning signs around their stores, cautioning customers that unlocked and modded iPhones fall outside their warranty. And at the same time, Apple Geniuses around the country quietly are reportedly accepting bricked iphones, slipping into the back and returning with functioning units.
We’re not sure whether they’re doing a low-level reflash or just swapping units out. We have reports of at least four customers who walked in with iBricks and walked out with iPhones. It is unclear at this time whether these customers unlocked their iPhones or not–we’re also receiving reports of iBricks from people
From http://www.tuaw.com/2007/09/27/apple-geniuses-are-reportedly-unbricking-iphones/
September 30, 2007
What goodies does Apple have in store for us this time around? Quite a few, we’d say! Follow the break for more!
1: We deleted installer.app on ours and kicked off the update, things are taking a while but no obvious problems yet. Stay tuned.
2: Success! The phone’s restarting now.
3: WiFi Music Store, check. New calculator icon to match the iPod touch, check. Phone had to be reactivated.
4: We’re hearing numerous reports of “Incorrect SIM” errors on unlocked iPhones after the update — user beware!
From Engadget
September 30, 2007
So I can see that some guy nicknamed lymnjuice has figured out how to get video streaming on iPhone. He wrote a web application in PHP in an external server (probably his own PC) and is able to access it through Safari in iPhone by typing the address to his local Apache/PHP server. Pretty simple, but this already gives some ideas for future development.
A while back I did something (somewhat) similiar, but instead of using an external server, why not just use lighttpd, which can be installed directly into iPhone?
Here is a little step-by-step:
PS: I’m using Windows, so I’m doing this with iBrickr. With that you can upload files into anywhere on the iPhone and easily install 3rd party packages and apps. I’m guessing this could be easily done in a Mac using iFuntastic.. not sure.. but pretty sure 
1) With the Installer app, install lighttpd, which is a very light http web server.
2) With iBrickr, download the file /usr/local/etc/lighttpd.conf into a local folder in Windows. Edit the file and add the following line to it:
dir-listing.activate = “enable”
3) Upload it back to the original directory and restart iPhone (or just lighttpd, if you have the Ulctl app installed.
This allows the browser to view all local files in your file system, which starts at the default document root directory /private/var/root/Sites/ in your iPhone.
Now, all you have to do is point Safari do the usual http://127.0.0.1 , but remember there is a file called “index.html” which was installed with the lighttpd package. This default file contains a “hello world” showing a nice — but useless — picture of an iPhone.
If you erase that file, Safari will create a default HTML that lists all the contents of that directory. Now you can navigate to and access any file that is placed in that folder.
You can place eBooks that are in PDF/HTML formats, Word documents (including Word 2007 *.docx documents), Excel spreadsheets, MP3/WAV files… whatever Safari can handle in iPhone.
As a result, this allows you to use your iPhone to read books, access files and references quickly with very high quality and fidelity to the original documents. Of course, this is all valid if you don’t care about the crappy-textual navigation provided by lighttpd. You still won’t be able to edit any files, since there is no support for that inside a simple browser. But it sure gives a great document viewer (especially for PDF files, which look EXACTLY the same as they do on your PC!)
As a suggestion to developers out there, one could be clever enought and prepare lighttpd to execute PHP or Python scripts, which are also available for download via Installer app inside the iPhone! With some simple work and time in your hands you can start writing apps for the iPhone that can run locally. Some ideas and starting points could be:
- YouTube proxy, converting youtube videos (and/or other video sites) into a video format that can be streaemed through Safari.
- Alternative video/music library manager to be used instead of iTunes. Playlists could be dynamically generated using PHP and — as of this moment — MP3 files can be easily streamed through Safari.
- Integration with existing services, such as Flickr, Orkut, Digg, Google Reader, eBay, Amazon…
Even though possibilities are endless, you can’t beat the nice native SDK Apple uses to create smooth awsome widgets… but anyway… this presents itself as an alternative to iPhone development as long as Apple keeps iPhone SDK closed behind doors.
From http://juliohm.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-view-local-pdf-doc-xls-txt-and.html
September 30, 2007
The iPhone Dev team have release new version of free GUI based iPhone SIM unlock tool anySIM 1.0.2 in which they have fixed lots of bugs and also optimized the unlock process further. However, the best part of this update is that you can now install it on your iPhone using the cool Installer.app. So if you are one of those who tried unlocking iphone byusing anySIM 1.0.1 and faced problems then you can check the latest version of the unlock tool.Follows are the detail steps.
- Download the iUnlock_Reloaded.zip from here, here or here. Save it to a directory.
- cd to where you just saved the download and unzip it.
- in another wiindow, ssh into your iPhone and run: mkdir /unlock
- back on your Mac, scp the three files to your iPhone: scp -p iUnlock_reloaded *bin root@youriphoneip:/unlock
- on your iPhone, run: cd /unlock
- on your iPhone, run: ./iUnlock_reloaded
If it worked, and says your iPhone is unlocked, you’re done. If not, read on.
If it says that the flash went ok, but the unlock failed, do this:
- put a copy of the 1.0.2 firmware in a directory on your Mac. If you need to download it, get it from here.
- rename the extension on the firmware from ipsw to zip
- unzip it
- run: dd if=009-7698-4.dmg of=ramdisk.dmg bs=512 skip=4 conv=sync
- use finder to navigate to the directory where ramdisk.dmg is and double-click it to mount it.
- copy the following files to the directory you unziped iUnlock_Reloaded.zip in:
- /Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/bin/bbupdater
- /Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/standalone/firmware/ICE03.14.08_G.eep
- /Volumes/ramdisk/usr/local/standalone/firmware/ICE03.14.08_G.fls
- copy those three files to your iPhone: scp -p bbupdater ICE* root@youriphoneip:/unlock
- on your iPhone, run: cd /unlock
- on your iPhone, run: launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
- on your iPhone, run: ./bbupdater -f *.fls -e *.eep
- on your iPhone, run: launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
- on your iPhone, run: ./iUnlock_reloadedIt should successfully flash and unlock this time.
iPhone owners may have noticed something peculiar after they updated their iPhone software, which could be a good side-effect brought about by iPhone firmware update 1.1.1: a bug lets the iPhone stream music wirelessly to Bluetooth headsets, after accessing Visual Voicemail.
