Published August 15, 2007
in Apple.
So you say writing SIMs all by your lonesome isn’t part of your daily routine, but you’re still interested in freeing the iPhone from AT&T’s surly bonds? Yeah, we can’t blame you — we’re pretty much in the same boat — so we’re glad to see that an ever-so-slightly easier unlocking trick has bubbled out of the hive mind just a week after the original. This new hackery involves a specialized SIM card called a “Turbo SIM” manufactured by the Czech Republic’s BLADOX. The idea behind the Turbo SIM is that you can add… well, stuff to the Turbo SIM, sandwich it between your regular SIM and your phone, and the loaded material then becomes available to the handset; traditionally, that “stuff” is value-add software like customized SMS directories, security, logging, and the like. In this case, though, the chip is used to pass through the original AT&T SIM’s identifying information to the phone while preserving the calling capability of the Carrier X SIM of your choosing. Of course, a 59 (about $81) Turbo SIM has to be ordered from afar to get this accomplished, the phone has to be jailbreaked, and a handful of files need to be downloaded, edited, and executed, so this still isn’t for the faint of heart. As always, buyer beware, and find a nice stack of paper that needs weightin’ in case everything goes south in a hurry.
[Via iPhone World]
Published July 31, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Software, Apple, OS X
We’re not sure why Apple chooses to reveal such juicy tidbits to dry, uptight market analyst types before… oh, say us for example, but be that as it may, it seems Apple’s VP of iPod Product Marketing has spilled some tasty beans in a chat with RBC Capital Markets this week. RBC’s research note indicates that an “iPhone update patch is expected shortly,” while “management expressed excitement at plans to increase iPhone value over time via new software features.” We figure that doesn’t mean that this very first update will fulfill all of our wildest dreams for the iPhone’s true potential, but RBC is speculating that patches will eventually add MMS, Leopard-specific integration of some nature, location-based services, and — naturally — new widgets. We don’t suppose this first update could have something to do with a particular vulnerability, could it?
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Published July 31, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Handsets, Apple
Arguments have surely ensued over the iPhone’s polarizing touchscreen keyboard, and while you just knew it was lurking out there somewhere, the patent application describing the aforementioned device has finally surfaced. Dubbed “Keyboards for Portable Electronic Devices,” the documents outlines an adaptive board with multi-symbol icons, and aside from using it solely on the iPhone, it looks like the technology could be implemented on nearly any handheld gizmo. Of course, the verbiage does mention handset mainstays such as word recommendations and predictive text entry, so it’s hard to believe that all of this stuff is completely Apple’s creation. Regardless, who needs license agreements when you can just hack one for your own good? [Warning: PDF read link]
[Via UnwiredView]
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Published July 31, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Culture, Handsets, Apple
If you felt a bit snubbed after reading up on just how much loot you’d be paying out if and / or when your dear iPhone does break, you’re not alone by a long shot. Reportedly, New York’s Consumer Protection Board “issued a letter to Apple’s CEO Monday asking for the iPhone to be a little more consumer-friendly,” noting that the $79 charged to replace the battery, $29 “loaner fee” for using a temporary handset, and the ten-percent restocking fee were all asking too much. Moreover, the CPB suggested that “consumers should be able to replace the battery themselves,” which admittedly seems to be a (somewhat) common belief. Granted, not all of these requests are exactly rational, but more importantly, we highly doubt his Steveness is gonna go change up price schemes to appease a few disgruntled board members, amiright?
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Published July 31, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Handsets, ATT, EDGE, Apple, OS X
When the time came and your battery died, you were probably thinking you’d have to send your iPhone off to Apple as part of their expensive and complicated battery replacement program — but now you’ve got a sketchy DIY option instead. Once again, a mysterious Chinese company has stepped in and “created” a “solution” to your problem with its iPhone battery replacement kit. For just $20, which is cheap enough to elicit genuine concern, you get a 1400mAh, 3.7V iPhone battery, some type of screwdriver-like tool, a strange plastic shiv, and an instruction manual (presumably in English, but you never know). All you have to do is crack open your $600 phone, de-solder your old battery and solder in the new one… and probably some other, more complicated stuff too. At this price, it seems unlikely that this battery won’t explode, so buy at your own risk, and definitely try at your own risk.
[Via I4U, thanks Luigi]
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Published July 30, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Software, Apple, OS X
It’s still a little way off from meaning anything to the average user, but the enterprising folks over at iPhone Dev Wiki have finally turned out binaries and source code for their very first compiled iPhone app. Of course, all it does is spit out the ubiquitous programmer shout-out “Hello World,” but make no mistake — this is a huge step in getting usable, real-world apps into end users’ hands without Apple’s or AT&T’s official blessing, and the fact that anyone can download this source and roll their own proof of concept is pretty darned comforting. “Hello World,” indeed.
[Via TUAW]
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Published July 28, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Handsets, Ringtones, Software, ATT, Misc, Apple, OS X
If you were enthralled by the sound of what the Dev Wiki crowd was cookin’ up, yet you just couldn’t understand the majority of what they were telling you, you’re in luck. bitSplit, the man that brought you iFuntastic, has released version 2.0 of the software, which goes the extra mile and enables mere mortals (read: folks who aren’t down with code speak) to “add ringtones, change the carrier logo, and reorder their iPhone applications.” Best of all, this here software is completely free to use, but unless you’ve got an Intel-based Mac, you won’t get very far. So go on, tag the read link and see what fun awaits you.
[Thanks, Dustin]
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Published July 28, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Handsets, Telstra, Apple
Although the voiceover on this YouTube video was almost too soothing to listen to, the demo being explained definitely got our excitable attention. We’re not sure about this hack’s details, but the user demonstrating his iPhone’s non-AT&T outgoing call usage here gets two thumbs up from us. Apparently, his iPhone was modified to allow non-AT&T SIMs to make outgoing calls on the Telstra network, although no incoming calls were demo’ed in the video. From watching it, wethinks registration on any GSM network would probably be possible. And catch that authentic GSM radio noise interference that’s clearly audible.
[Thanks, Greg]
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Published July 28, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: GSM, Apple
Apart from Steve’s not-so-subtle hatred of buttons, Apple has traditionally been a fairly accessibility-aware company, and its latest patent application, for the “Multimedia data transfer for a personal communication device,” outlines a method by which the visually-impaired can use services like SMS. The system eliminates the need for backend servers and data transfers by having the transmitting device first read the text and then send it over a voice channel to the receiver. The application also details an extension of the system where received voice transmissions are forwarded to a mail server and stored for later retrieval — kind of like reverse voicemail. As always, Apple’s pretty vague about how we might see this patent applied, but that doesn’t make trying to read the patent tea leaves any less entertaining.
[Thanks, Brian]
[Via MacNN]
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Published July 27, 2007
in Apple.
Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Apple
Well, this should be welcome news for all the people out there that have Hacktivated their handset, finally, some video content that works — as Youtube does not. Until we get some proper Flash support, we look to clever, helpful individuals to offer “iPhone” versions of their sites with Quicktime encoded content as a working stop-gap. Thanks Dailymotion, our hats fly off to you.
[Thanks, Aniki]
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