At last! Someone has the ingenuity to develop a workable solution for
the perennial problem on the iPhone: How the heck do we do Copy &
Paste?!?!
Apple has been really dragging its feet with this, saying its not a
priority right now while releasing firmware updates that include silly
things like "lets move the google searchbox so its next to the Safari
URL line!"
The guys at Proximi have made a very cool app called MagicPad
(currently free!) that has a very nice interface for C&P. It took me
some getting used to, but it works just fine. Of course, as the app
is sandboxed in its own environment, the clipboarded items are limited
to MagicPad only. However, they've thought it through and made this
video proposal for system-wide C&P, as well as other text editing
functions. Its a total of about 15mins, but its very clever and to
the point. Highly recommend you download MagicPad to try it out and
leave a review on the App Store - Let Apple know how highly you regard
this app and hopefully they'll take notice and consider their proposal!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Migrate using Time Machine
Does what it says on the tin
Alternatively, use the Firewire cable if possible.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Last Macworld for Apple: Jan 2009
Lots of noise has been made about Apple's decision to withdraw from Macworld after Jan 2009.
I personally think that there are several reasons behind this, the biggest being that Apple would rather announce products on its own schedule and venues rather than be forced to wait until January every year to build up the hype. It has already done this several times on its own Special Events, with invites to the press sent out literally days beforehand. The speed of this tactic means that Apple can still keep every detail under wraps until it is really ready, rather than make pre-announcements for products that will not ship until several months later, which disappoints everyone. Worst still, they had to pump up the hype by announcing products such as MobileMe and iPhone 2.0 which caused such a shock to everyone who expected better from Apple. I think they've learnt their lesson and are refraining from over-hyping their products now.
It would also save Apple a ton of money on the venue and logistics of setting up a large booth there.
As a fan, I'm a little hurt by this news, and that I'll never be able to attend one now, but there are two facts here to deal with: 1) It's really too far for me to make a quick trip to San Francisco just to attend and then return, not to mention the cost. 2) Macworld seems to have lost its momentum and buzz after the big iPhone announcement in 2007. It's a shame to lose the big event that everyone gets so excited about, and looking forward to seeing new products, but if there's nothing to announce, then it all ends up rather anti-climatic, and probably even worse than not having one.
I personally think that there are several reasons behind this, the biggest being that Apple would rather announce products on its own schedule and venues rather than be forced to wait until January every year to build up the hype. It has already done this several times on its own Special Events, with invites to the press sent out literally days beforehand. The speed of this tactic means that Apple can still keep every detail under wraps until it is really ready, rather than make pre-announcements for products that will not ship until several months later, which disappoints everyone. Worst still, they had to pump up the hype by announcing products such as MobileMe and iPhone 2.0 which caused such a shock to everyone who expected better from Apple. I think they've learnt their lesson and are refraining from over-hyping their products now.
It would also save Apple a ton of money on the venue and logistics of setting up a large booth there.
As a fan, I'm a little hurt by this news, and that I'll never be able to attend one now, but there are two facts here to deal with: 1) It's really too far for me to make a quick trip to San Francisco just to attend and then return, not to mention the cost. 2) Macworld seems to have lost its momentum and buzz after the big iPhone announcement in 2007. It's a shame to lose the big event that everyone gets so excited about, and looking forward to seeing new products, but if there's nothing to announce, then it all ends up rather anti-climatic, and probably even worse than not having one.
DFU mode "disabled" by OSX 10.5.6 update
Some tips from the iPhone Dev Team on how to overcome this issue:
DFU Issues in OS X 10.5.6
Lots of users have been experiencing problems with the use of DFU mode after applying yesterday’s 10.5.6 system update.
We believe this behavior is due to a kernel bug not a specific countermeasure by Apple. Possible fixes are (try at your own risk!) -
1. Replace the following plugin kexts from within IOUSBFamily.kext with the ones from 10.5.5 and then rebuild kextcache (if you don’t understand this, then you shouldn’t attempt it!)
/System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBHub.kext
/System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext
2. Use a USB hub in-between the DFU device and the Mac and insert/reinsert the iPhone’s USB cable.
3. Use a PwnageTool created .ipsw on Windows! Oh the irony!
DFU Issues in OS X 10.5.6
Lots of users have been experiencing problems with the use of DFU mode after applying yesterday’s 10.5.6 system update.
We believe this behavior is due to a kernel bug not a specific countermeasure by Apple. Possible fixes are (try at your own risk!) -
1. Replace the following plugin kexts from within IOUSBFamily.kext with the ones from 10.5.5 and then rebuild kextcache (if you don’t understand this, then you shouldn’t attempt it!)
/System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBHub.kext
/System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOUSBCompositeDriver.kext
2. Use a USB hub in-between the DFU device and the Mac and insert/reinsert the iPhone’s USB cable.
3. Use a PwnageTool created .ipsw on Windows! Oh the irony!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Access iDisk via Cyberduck to avoid Finder issues
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20081203103957517
How to use CyberDuck to access iDisk for stable and efficient data
backups.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Change TimeMachine backup intervals
Great tip from TUAW
Filed under: Terminal Tips
Sometimes you want your Mac to be backed up more frequently than usual. If you want to instantly back up using Time Machine, you could click on the menu bar item and select "Back Up Now," but what if you want to change the backup interval indefinitely? With this Terminal Tip, you can do just that.
Time Machine is set to automatically back up every hour, but if you would like to change it to every half hour, you can use the following Terminal (/Applications/Utilities) command:
sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 1800
You will need to authenticate as an administrator, since this command is run under a "sudo." The time interval is measured in seconds, so you can enter any time you wish there; just make sure it is in seconds. By default, Time Machine backs up every 3600 seconds (every hour). If you wish to revert to the original, just replace "1800" with "3600."
Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Terminal Tips section!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Simpsons take on (m)apple
This is just too hilarious to ignore!
The Simpsons taking a satirical look at Apple! :)
The Simpsons taking a satirical look at Apple! :)
http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/01/the-simpsons-mocks-m-apple/
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Potential MobileMe alternative
Something that could take over the synching duties of MM for
AddressBook, Calendar, Safari.
However still in beta mode and iPhone OTA support not ready yet.
AddressBook, Calendar, Safari.
However still in beta mode and iPhone OTA support not ready yet.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The cheapest laptop stand ever!
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/24/the-diy-dumbguy-laptop-stand-so-easy-even-a-dumb-guy-can-make/
Title says it all really!
Sadly, doubt it would support a Macbook since Apple's laptop screens only ever bend to a 135deg angle from the front... but maybe if you add 3-4 of those wire hangers.... :P
Title says it all really!
Sadly, doubt it would support a Macbook since Apple's laptop screens only ever bend to a 135deg angle from the front... but maybe if you add 3-4 of those wire hangers.... :P
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Using iPhone in cold weather
iPhone's touchscreen only reacts to actual skin contact, so you can't use it while wearing gloves during winter. So whats the solution? Some have already opted for a pen-stylus Called Pogo which looks a little ackward attached beside the iPhone, but here's something new - a pair of gloves that actually have dots on the fingertips to help you interact with the iPhone.
Smart stuff. Doesn't seem that expensive either at US$15.
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/22/dots-gloves-let-you-use-your-iphone-even-when-its-cold/
Pogo Stylus: http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php
Smart stuff. Doesn't seem that expensive either at US$15.
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/22/dots-gloves-let-you-use-your-iphone-even-when-its-cold/
Pogo Stylus: http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php
Sync gCal with iCal
Perhaps abit of an alphabet soup, but being able to merge and sync Apple's iCal with Google's gCal will be useful for me for one simple reason:
SmartTime iPhone app will soon support syncing with gCal.
This app is brilliant and easily the best productivity app I've used so far (and I've tried practically every free ToDo app on App Store!). Its dead easy to add new tasks, and rearrange them one one of three viewpoints. There's alot more functionality they could include, and I'm sure given their responses on their website forum, that they will include in future releases.
One of the requests was to sync it with either gCal or MobileMe/iCal and since Apple hasn't released the APIs for MobileMe syncing, gCal is the next best thing.
Here's the instructions on syncing on Google's webpage:
http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=99358#
SmartTime iPhone app will soon support syncing with gCal.
This app is brilliant and easily the best productivity app I've used so far (and I've tried practically every free ToDo app on App Store!). Its dead easy to add new tasks, and rearrange them one one of three viewpoints. There's alot more functionality they could include, and I'm sure given their responses on their website forum, that they will include in future releases.
One of the requests was to sync it with either gCal or MobileMe/iCal and since Apple hasn't released the APIs for MobileMe syncing, gCal is the next best thing.
Here's the instructions on syncing on Google's webpage:
http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=99358#
Monday, September 22, 2008
Definition of irony
"Lenovo loads Vista on machines it sells to customers. For its own use, however, Lenovo still runs Windows XP as its corporate standard. Make of that what you will." Dan Lyons, Newsweek journalist, 2008.
Great article about how Microsoft's Vista is so bad, that even its business partners that are desperately trying to sell their hardware pre-loaded with Vista, are still using WinXP themselves to avoid issues. Classic. If you look carefully, you'll also notice the magazine ads that PC vendors have a logo stating "Lenovo recommends using Windows Vista". Shame they won't follow their own advice for their own computers!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160064
Great article about how Microsoft's Vista is so bad, that even its business partners that are desperately trying to sell their hardware pre-loaded with Vista, are still using WinXP themselves to avoid issues. Classic. If you look carefully, you'll also notice the magazine ads that PC vendors have a logo stating "Lenovo recommends using Windows Vista". Shame they won't follow their own advice for their own computers!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160064
Saturday, September 13, 2008
QuickPwn
Some links on QuickPwn:
http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2008/08/21/quickpwn-tutorial-easy-jailbreak-for-202-fw.html
http://www.touchpodium.com/2008/08/21/quick-pwn-your-phone-a-guide-to-quickpwn/
http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2008/08/21/quickpwn-tutorial-easy-jailbreak-for-202-fw.html
http://www.touchpodium.com/2008/08/21/quick-pwn-your-phone-a-guide-to-quickpwn/
Entering DFU mode
This is reminder how to enter the DFU recovery mode, for when the iPhone crashes irrevocably.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
What to do if your iPhone cannot surf on Wifi
I just had a bizarre issue with my iPhone - It was on Wifi at home, but could not access anything on the internet.
When opening the built-in apps from Apple like Safari, I got the following error:
I tried restarting it, and even Reset Network Settings in the Settings section. Still didn't fix it. Note that using the laptop and mac mini on the same wifi network was fine going online.
The one thing that I did find useful was to set the Wifi settings from DHCP to Static, and removing the DNS entry there and replacing it with the OpenDNS servers. Type in these IP addresses then try again:
208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
EDIT: Seems that the laptop and mac mini already had the OpenDNS entries placed into their network settings... explains then why those worked fine!
When opening the built-in apps from Apple like Safari, I got the following error:
I tried restarting it, and even Reset Network Settings in the Settings section. Still didn't fix it. Note that using the laptop and mac mini on the same wifi network was fine going online.
The one thing that I did find useful was to set the Wifi settings from DHCP to Static, and removing the DNS entry there and replacing it with the OpenDNS servers. Type in these IP addresses then try again:
208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
EDIT: Seems that the laptop and mac mini already had the OpenDNS entries placed into their network settings... explains then why those worked fine!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Backing up Time Machine
Just spotted a potentially useful how-to about backing up the contents on your Time Machine hard disk to another, so that the internal Time Machine disk can still be used for remote backup of laptops etc. Kudos to MacFixIt for publishing this! :)
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20080829123830927
And here's the full article details copied verbatim for convenience:
How-To: Migrate Time Machine to a new drive.
Users may wish to change their hard drive configurations for convenience in workflow, adding a new drive, or just for the sake of changing things up. In many cases, users may wish to migrate their Time Machine backups to a new, larger drive, but Apple does not provide a good way to do this.
In order to change the Time Machine database over to a new drive, users cannot just copy the files manually, but instead must use a cloning software package to mirror the current TM drive over to the new one. The procedure is very straightforward, as follows:
Obtain a version of Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper cloning software packages. (NOTE: It may be possible to use Disk Utility's "Restore" function for this, but these software packages have been known to work well for cloning drives.)
Turn OFF Time Machine and deselect the backup drive in Time Machine's preferences.
Connect the new drive and ensure it is mounted and available on the Desktop (formatting with Disk Utility does not matter, unless the drive cannot be accessed).
In the cloning software, select the current Time Machine drive as the source, and clone it directly to the newly mounted drive. This might take a while, depending on the amount of data on the drive and the connection speed.
For convenience, change the name of the old drive and then ensure the new drive has the same name as the old drive (ie, if the old drive was named "My Backups", ensure the new drive has that name). The cloning software should take care of this. Temporarily unmount (eject) the old drive as a safeguard to ensure it is not accessed by the system.
With the new drive mounted, open the Time Machine preferences and select the new, cloned drive. Then ensure everything is working by manually starting a backup instance, and invoke Time Machine to ensure old backups are accessible.
When everything checks out, mount the old drive and use Disk Utility to erase or partition it as is desired.
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20080829123830927
And here's the full article details copied verbatim for convenience:
How-To: Migrate Time Machine to a new drive.
Users may wish to change their hard drive configurations for convenience in workflow, adding a new drive, or just for the sake of changing things up. In many cases, users may wish to migrate their Time Machine backups to a new, larger drive, but Apple does not provide a good way to do this.
In order to change the Time Machine database over to a new drive, users cannot just copy the files manually, but instead must use a cloning software package to mirror the current TM drive over to the new one. The procedure is very straightforward, as follows:
Obtain a version of Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper cloning software packages. (NOTE: It may be possible to use Disk Utility's "Restore" function for this, but these software packages have been known to work well for cloning drives.)
Turn OFF Time Machine and deselect the backup drive in Time Machine's preferences.
Connect the new drive and ensure it is mounted and available on the Desktop (formatting with Disk Utility does not matter, unless the drive cannot be accessed).
In the cloning software, select the current Time Machine drive as the source, and clone it directly to the newly mounted drive. This might take a while, depending on the amount of data on the drive and the connection speed.
For convenience, change the name of the old drive and then ensure the new drive has the same name as the old drive (ie, if the old drive was named "My Backups", ensure the new drive has that name). The cloning software should take care of this. Temporarily unmount (eject) the old drive as a safeguard to ensure it is not accessed by the system.
With the new drive mounted, open the Time Machine preferences and select the new, cloned drive. Then ensure everything is working by manually starting a backup instance, and invoke Time Machine to ensure old backups are accessible.
When everything checks out, mount the old drive and use Disk Utility to erase or partition it as is desired.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Kensington laptop locks easily removed with cardboard!
This is just incredible!
The famous Kensington locks for securing laptops while you're away from it can be beaten with just a toilet roll and some gaffer tape!
Don't believe me? Watch the clip below.
A more detailed walkthrough is at this site:
http://chaosradio.ccc.de/ctv029.html (Don't worry, the guy speaks in English)
Because of this, some have suggested that mac laptop users try out "Undercover" http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/
It reports on the current network settings of the laptop once online, takes regular screenshots of what the thief is doing, and even use the built in iSight camera to take snapshots of the mugger.
If that still fails, it will simulate a dead system, hopefully forcing the thief to sell it or repair, at which point it will alert the new owner what has happened and offer a finder's fee. This is certainly impressive and I think I would buy this if I carried around a Macbook. More details on the URL.
The famous Kensington locks for securing laptops while you're away from it can be beaten with just a toilet roll and some gaffer tape!
Don't believe me? Watch the clip below.
A more detailed walkthrough is at this site:
http://chaosradio.ccc.de/ctv029.html (Don't worry, the guy speaks in English)
Because of this, some have suggested that mac laptop users try out "Undercover" http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/
It reports on the current network settings of the laptop once online, takes regular screenshots of what the thief is doing, and even use the built in iSight camera to take snapshots of the mugger.
If that still fails, it will simulate a dead system, hopefully forcing the thief to sell it or repair, at which point it will alert the new owner what has happened and offer a finder's fee. This is certainly impressive and I think I would buy this if I carried around a Macbook. More details on the URL.
Get A Mac ad: "Off The Air"
Another funny ad, but this time conveys the strong message that Windows users won't switch because they simply don't know how to. Apple resolves that by having Mac Geniuses do it all for you for free, when you buy at a Apple Store.
Now when the hell will they open one in HK! :D
YouTube clip below, but all can be downloaded at better resolutions as usual at: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
Now when the hell will they open one in HK! :D
YouTube clip below, but all can be downloaded at better resolutions as usual at: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Jobs being openly honest on MobileMe and iPhone app crashes
Just yesterday, I received an email from The MobileMe Team saying that they're still working out some kinks, and offer 60days free extension of MobileMe as a token of apology! That's on top of the previous 30days granted free soon after it kicked off.
Also, according to the usual blog sites (Engadget, Appleinsider, etc) Steve Jobs has been open and said that they've now identified the issue with the crashing 3rd party apps, and its related to the Fairplay DRM system. The only timeframe he gave was "September". Hopefully it will truly resolve the crashing problems, as the iPhone really does deserve to do better.
Here's hoping that Copy n Paste will follow through soon! (Fingers crossed!)
Also, according to the usual blog sites (Engadget, Appleinsider, etc) Steve Jobs has been open and said that they've now identified the issue with the crashing 3rd party apps, and its related to the Fairplay DRM system. The only timeframe he gave was "September". Hopefully it will truly resolve the crashing problems, as the iPhone really does deserve to do better.
Here's hoping that Copy n Paste will follow through soon! (Fingers crossed!)
New "Get A Mac" videos
Apple's just released some more Get A Mac video ads, and they're so funny!
My favourite out of the new releases is the Calming Teas... its soooo true! hahaha
Watch them at http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
In fact, its so funny, I just had to embed it here! :P
My favourite out of the new releases is the Calming Teas... its soooo true! hahaha
Watch them at http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/
In fact, its so funny, I just had to embed it here! :P
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
2.0.2 update can be done directly via iTunes - Unlock still works
Prior to going to work, I tried the new firmware update.
I option-clicked the Restore button, as per the usual instructions for updating Pwn'd custom firmwares.
But everytime it finished, it shows a display on the iPhone of a USB plug indicating upwards to iTunes (ie. to be activated).
I also tried going into DFU mode ("Device Firmware Upload") to ensure that the iPhone won't load up its usual security checks on bootup, but still has the same problem.
But some users have claimed that they are using 1st Gen iPhone already unlocked, activated and jailbroken, and can just run this new firmware and it goes fine! End result: updated firmware, more stable and snappier, unlocked and activated, but not jailbroken.
So what's going on??
Turns out that the option I SHOULD have used is the UPDATE button on iTunes, instead of RESTORE. The assumption is that the new firmware will take on the existing condition of the iPhone, including it being activated and unlocked. Using Restore means that I would have fully replaced the current firmware, and thus because its not customised to be pre-activated and pre-unlocked, the iPhone would not know any better.
Can't wait to do this tonight and then report back!
Here's some juicy tidbits from a forum I use: http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49742&page=3
EDIT: - IT WORKS!!!! Took a bloody long time tho.... took about 3hrs from clicking Update, through downloading the firmware and backing up the iPhone, right to the moment I can pickup the unit and start marvelling at its speed! Don't forget to leave some time for you to re-sync the music and media!
I option-clicked the Restore button, as per the usual instructions for updating Pwn'd custom firmwares.
But everytime it finished, it shows a display on the iPhone of a USB plug indicating upwards to iTunes (ie. to be activated).
I also tried going into DFU mode ("Device Firmware Upload") to ensure that the iPhone won't load up its usual security checks on bootup, but still has the same problem.
But some users have claimed that they are using 1st Gen iPhone already unlocked, activated and jailbroken, and can just run this new firmware and it goes fine! End result: updated firmware, more stable and snappier, unlocked and activated, but not jailbroken.
So what's going on??
Turns out that the option I SHOULD have used is the UPDATE button on iTunes, instead of RESTORE. The assumption is that the new firmware will take on the existing condition of the iPhone, including it being activated and unlocked. Using Restore means that I would have fully replaced the current firmware, and thus because its not customised to be pre-activated and pre-unlocked, the iPhone would not know any better.
Can't wait to do this tonight and then report back!
Here's some juicy tidbits from a forum I use: http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49742&page=3
EDIT: - IT WORKS!!!! Took a bloody long time tho.... took about 3hrs from clicking Update, through downloading the firmware and backing up the iPhone, right to the moment I can pickup the unit and start marvelling at its speed! Don't forget to leave some time for you to re-sync the music and media!
Apple firmware 2.0.2 out
Well, its been rather busy for me these few weeks so I haven't updated this. But for those who were anxiously biting their nails waiting for my verdict on the 2.0.1 firmware, yes its more stable and slightly more responsive than before. If you have used the PwnageTool 2.0.2, you would also get the new Installer.app. However, over the past two weeks I have not seen anything worth installing from there yet. Perhaps there will be, but I have a feeling it will only host tricks such as "Kate", apps that display details relevant for Today (Calendar events, new emails and new SMS). There will also be some of the old hacking tools like OpenSSH etc, but after the simplicity of the AppStore and being able to install anything wirelessly, Installer.app doesn't hold that much interest for me anymore.
Now, word has got out that Apple's released iPhone firmware 2.0.2. What does it do? "Bug Fixes".
There have been various reports on the blogs already about how useful it is. Most seem to agree that it does make the Contacts.app seem abit snappier, not too shabby. Those on 3G also claim that it makes it have better reception.
One important fact for me is that 1st Generation iPhone users can run this update WITHOUT having to wait for PwnageTool to be revised. The iPhone will still be unlocked, but not jailbroken. I only care about unlock as I need to use a local HK SIM card for unlimited EDGE use. Jailbreak doesn't bother me so much now so its not an issue.
Download the update from Apple's servers at
http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iPhone/061-5246.20080818.2V0hO/iPhone1,1_2.0.2_5C1_Restore.ipsw . Remember that OSX will download the file as a ZIP file, then usually automatically unzip the contents. To get the actual .IPSW file, you can find it in the Trash bin.
Will try this later this evening and report back later!
Now, word has got out that Apple's released iPhone firmware 2.0.2. What does it do? "Bug Fixes".
There have been various reports on the blogs already about how useful it is. Most seem to agree that it does make the Contacts.app seem abit snappier, not too shabby. Those on 3G also claim that it makes it have better reception.
One important fact for me is that 1st Generation iPhone users can run this update WITHOUT having to wait for PwnageTool to be revised. The iPhone will still be unlocked, but not jailbroken. I only care about unlock as I need to use a local HK SIM card for unlimited EDGE use. Jailbreak doesn't bother me so much now so its not an issue.
Download the update from Apple's servers at
http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iPhone/061-5246.20080818.2V0hO/iPhone1,1_2.0.2_5C1_Restore.ipsw . Remember that OSX will download the file as a ZIP file, then usually automatically unzip the contents. To get the actual .IPSW file, you can find it in the Trash bin.
Will try this later this evening and report back later!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Some quirks about PwnageTool
When an application crashes on the iPhone and even causes it to immediately reboot, you would no longer see the Apple logo... instead its replaced by a bitten pineapple! That's the hackers little prank, and its a little annoying afew a while (yes, my iPhone has rebooted that many times already).
You can get around this by repeating the PwnageTool process again but digging into the Advanced settings instead, and unchecking the two custom logos. The resultant custom firmware will have the Apple Logo at bootup restored.
One other thing about PwnageTool is that it automatically builds in the Cydia application installer.
From some reports on the web, like Hackint0sh.org and everythingicafe.com, some of the stability and performance issues cited by users on firmware 2.0 have pointed fingers at Cydia for running its own version of BSD Subsystem on the iPhone.
I'm considering to try the Advanced mode again to remove Cydia, and see how it runs. Will update this blog when its done. In all honesty, I am very happy with using the AppStore, and will be ok with not using Cydia or Installer to run 3rd party apps.
And lastly, while not directed at PwnageTool, I have noticed that iTunes keeps throwing this this weird alert everytime I connect the iPhone to the USB dock: "An update to the carrier settings for your iPhone is available. Would you like to download it now?"
Whether you select Cancel, or Update, nothing really happens. It might be only applicable to those units on official networks, in that it updates the APN settings for the data transmissions, IP addresses, etc. But that's no use to me, and thankfully it causes no harm. No word yet on how to avoid this annoying little critter, but at least it hasn't stopped my phone from working!
You can get around this by repeating the PwnageTool process again but digging into the Advanced settings instead, and unchecking the two custom logos. The resultant custom firmware will have the Apple Logo at bootup restored.
One other thing about PwnageTool is that it automatically builds in the Cydia application installer.
From some reports on the web, like Hackint0sh.org and everythingicafe.com, some of the stability and performance issues cited by users on firmware 2.0 have pointed fingers at Cydia for running its own version of BSD Subsystem on the iPhone.
I'm considering to try the Advanced mode again to remove Cydia, and see how it runs. Will update this blog when its done. In all honesty, I am very happy with using the AppStore, and will be ok with not using Cydia or Installer to run 3rd party apps.
And lastly, while not directed at PwnageTool, I have noticed that iTunes keeps throwing this this weird alert everytime I connect the iPhone to the USB dock: "An update to the carrier settings for your iPhone is available. Would you like to download it now?"
Whether you select Cancel, or Update, nothing really happens. It might be only applicable to those units on official networks, in that it updates the APN settings for the data transmissions, IP addresses, etc. But that's no use to me, and thankfully it causes no harm. No word yet on how to avoid this annoying little critter, but at least it hasn't stopped my phone from working!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
iPhone 2.0 + MobileMe... Where's my contacts???
I panicked.
I thought that all my contacts had been deleted!
All I did was go into Settings and and the new option called "Mail, Contacts, Calendar", where you can select your .Mac address and select which of these will have Push sync with MobileMe cloud.
So I toggled them all to ON. When I did that for Contacts, there came up an alert warning that all contacts would be wiped.
No problem... I had synced my Mac with MobileMe already.
I then immediately went to the Phonebook on the iPhone, and.... it was all blank!!!!
After afew seconds, I noticed afew data transfers happening next to the wifi icon.
Waited abit longer, and still nothing. Whats going on???
I was on All Contacts then went back to the Groups level in the top left corner.
When I went back to All Contacts, BOOM! All the names were there again!!! Hurrah!! It worked!!!!
I even did a quick test on me.com (surely the shortest URL in the world!), creating a fictitious person called "A Test", and adding afew numbers. After afew seconds, it got pushed onto my iPhone! I tried to add an entry into A Test on the iPhone, and see how long it takes to push back to the cloud. Roughly about a minute. And I still had the browser open on that A Test contact entry. Not bad... not bad at all.
I think I could get used to this... :)
I thought that all my contacts had been deleted!
All I did was go into Settings and and the new option called "Mail, Contacts, Calendar", where you can select your .Mac address and select which of these will have Push sync with MobileMe cloud.
So I toggled them all to ON. When I did that for Contacts, there came up an alert warning that all contacts would be wiped.
No problem... I had synced my Mac with MobileMe already.
I then immediately went to the Phonebook on the iPhone, and.... it was all blank!!!!
After afew seconds, I noticed afew data transfers happening next to the wifi icon.
Waited abit longer, and still nothing. Whats going on???
I was on All Contacts then went back to the Groups level in the top left corner.
When I went back to All Contacts, BOOM! All the names were there again!!! Hurrah!! It worked!!!!
I even did a quick test on me.com (surely the shortest URL in the world!), creating a fictitious person called "A Test", and adding afew numbers. After afew seconds, it got pushed onto my iPhone! I tried to add an entry into A Test on the iPhone, and see how long it takes to push back to the cloud. Roughly about a minute. And I still had the browser open on that A Test contact entry. Not bad... not bad at all.
I think I could get used to this... :)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
PwageTool 2.0.1 - It Works!
1st Generation iPhone successfully hacked to run a custom firmware that combines official 2.0 firmware (VPN, Contacts search, Push email for Exchange and MobileMe webapps, AppStore applications) with the classic Installer.app homebrew scene!
PwnageTool, developed by the iPhone Dev Team, is a very slick piece of software, currently only for Macs. As long as you have the correct firmware for your model (1st gen iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod Touch), and you have both bootloaders 3.9 and 4.6, it mixes them up into a custom firmware that you "restore" onto your iPhone via iTunes. I found it easiest to get the whole package from a torrent site demonoid.com. If you would rather not torrent, then skip below and follow the instructions on the two blog sites I mention further down that have screenshots documenting the steps.
PwnageTool 2.0.1 w/ Firmware 2.0 + bootloaders for 1st Gen iPhone :
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559508/
PwnageTool 2.0.1 w/ Firmware 2.0 + bootloaders for 3G iPhone :
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559510/
PwnageTool 2.0.1 with Firmware 2.0 for iPod Touch
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559506/
(I cannot vouch for these, as they are 2.0.0 not 2.0.1)
iPod Touch Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559516/
1st Gen iPhone Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1558434/
3G iPhone Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1558435/
The steps are clearly documented with screenshots at these two blog sites below. Make sure you read them thoroughly and repeat until you have a clear idea of what to do next.
http://coachhowland.blogspot.com/2008/07/pwnage-20.html
http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2008/07/19/pwnage-20-jailbreak-iphone-3g-now.html
And here's the original website from iPhone Dev Team: http://blog.iphone-dev.org/post/42931306/pwnagetool-2-0-1#disqus_thread
Once you've done that, you will see that your iPhone is now on 2.0, but with the very welcome icon of Cydia on it too. Cydia is a repository application installer, like Installer.app. Currently homebrew apps that ran well on 1.1.4 are not compatible with 2.0 yet, so give the developers some time to convert them over. But to be really honest, most of the apps you saw on Installer are already available on the official App Store too (both the good and the bad!)
Don't forget to sync over your media and also setup MobileMe on your iPhone! (http://www.apple.com/mobileme/setup/iphone/mac.html)
PwnageTool, developed by the iPhone Dev Team, is a very slick piece of software, currently only for Macs. As long as you have the correct firmware for your model (1st gen iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod Touch), and you have both bootloaders 3.9 and 4.6, it mixes them up into a custom firmware that you "restore" onto your iPhone via iTunes. I found it easiest to get the whole package from a torrent site demonoid.com. If you would rather not torrent, then skip below and follow the instructions on the two blog sites I mention further down that have screenshots documenting the steps.
PwnageTool 2.0.1 w/ Firmware 2.0 + bootloaders for 1st Gen iPhone :
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559508/
PwnageTool 2.0.1 w/ Firmware 2.0 + bootloaders for 3G iPhone :
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559510/
PwnageTool 2.0.1 with Firmware 2.0 for iPod Touch
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559506/
(I cannot vouch for these, as they are 2.0.0 not 2.0.1)
iPod Touch Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1559516/
1st Gen iPhone Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1558434/
3G iPhone Firmware 2.0 Pwnage for Windows
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1558435/
The steps are clearly documented with screenshots at these two blog sites below. Make sure you read them thoroughly and repeat until you have a clear idea of what to do next.
http://coachhowland.blogspot.com/2008/07/pwnage-20.html
http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2008/07/19/pwnage-20-jailbreak-iphone-3g-now.html
And here's the original website from iPhone Dev Team: http://blog.iphone-dev.org/post/42931306/pwnagetool-2-0-1#disqus_thread
Once you've done that, you will see that your iPhone is now on 2.0, but with the very welcome icon of Cydia on it too. Cydia is a repository application installer, like Installer.app. Currently homebrew apps that ran well on 1.1.4 are not compatible with 2.0 yet, so give the developers some time to convert them over. But to be really honest, most of the apps you saw on Installer are already available on the official App Store too (both the good and the bad!)
Don't forget to sync over your media and also setup MobileMe on your iPhone! (http://www.apple.com/mobileme/setup/iphone/mac.html)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Ripping DVDs... its it worth it?
Just read a post on Engadget where someone's asking "I have an extensive DVD library that I would like to archive on a network drive and be able to access via my PS3, menus and all."
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/10/ask-engadget-whats-the-optimal-dvd-archival-solution/
Reading through some of the suggestions from fellow posters, some guy came up with this hilarious statement:
"How about get off your lazy butt and switch the DVDs manually. Jeezus what a lazy pud..."
Followed by another pragmatic guy:
"The funny thing is, he'd put more work into creating the media "archive" then if he just got off his "lazy butt and switch[ed] the DVDs manually.""
And to be really honest, I have to agree with them! I think its a techie's fantasy come true to have all your media accessible via one simple interface (regardless whether it be PC, Mac or console-based). If you already have the DVDs, then its going to take you MORE effort to actually get the disc, put it into the PC, then do the following per film:
1. MacTheRipper (To rip the encryption)
2. Handbrake (To encode it to mp4, m4v, etc)
3. MetaX (for meta tags and artwork)
4. Enjoy on AppleTV or XBOX 360 if you have connect 360 that is.
Just to put it into perspective, ripping the DVD will take roughly an hour or two (as its literally just copying the data from disc to HDD, without the crappy region copy protection). Then you need to encode it to whatever video format with extras. This is a big task, and may take hours depending on processor, ram, and HDD speed. I've never used MetaX, so I dunno about that. And THEN you can sit down on your couch to watch it from there. So, you're spending at least 5hrs doing prep work (as well as a huge cost on hardware to process and store these files!) to watch a movie that lasts 2hrs, that you STILL need to account for anyway! Per movie! And after all that hard work, you either delete the files, or you keep them on your RAID drive, or back them up somewhere else too. More cost.
I dunno, maybe being married and spending time with the wife has made me care less about these technical achievements. For sure I can appreciate the kudos of having an entire catalogue of movies easily selectable via the remote control, but the effort-to-achieve is so high that you really have to question: Is it really worth it?
Disclaimer: Of course, if you're doing it the torrent way, then of course you'll have all the media already digitized for hard disk use. But thats illegal. Just for the record. :)
I have been ripping my own DVDs to iPhone format so that I can enjoy them on the go while commuting to work. Its a great way to catch up on some of the DVDs that I've bought but never got around to seeing. And its unlikely I'll be able to watch it at home since there's always something else to do. So thats why I put it onto the iPhone, for that 1hr or so travelling. However, I still find it a really tedious task to do, even if ripping it overnight. And in this hot climate in HK, I'd prefer not having machines generating even more heat and consuming energy.
I guess the answer to my problems would be to have an Apple TV and iPhone formatted movies downloaded as and when I wish. Pre-formatted, available 24/7, and watchable within afew minutes. now, if only HK allowed iTunes movie downloads!!!!!
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/10/ask-engadget-whats-the-optimal-dvd-archival-solution/
Reading through some of the suggestions from fellow posters, some guy came up with this hilarious statement:
"How about get off your lazy butt and switch the DVDs manually. Jeezus what a lazy pud..."
Followed by another pragmatic guy:
"The funny thing is, he'd put more work into creating the media "archive" then if he just got off his "lazy butt and switch[ed] the DVDs manually.""
And to be really honest, I have to agree with them! I think its a techie's fantasy come true to have all your media accessible via one simple interface (regardless whether it be PC, Mac or console-based). If you already have the DVDs, then its going to take you MORE effort to actually get the disc, put it into the PC, then do the following per film:
1. MacTheRipper (To rip the encryption)
2. Handbrake (To encode it to mp4, m4v, etc)
3. MetaX (for meta tags and artwork)
4. Enjoy on AppleTV or XBOX 360 if you have connect 360 that is.
Just to put it into perspective, ripping the DVD will take roughly an hour or two (as its literally just copying the data from disc to HDD, without the crappy region copy protection). Then you need to encode it to whatever video format with extras. This is a big task, and may take hours depending on processor, ram, and HDD speed. I've never used MetaX, so I dunno about that. And THEN you can sit down on your couch to watch it from there. So, you're spending at least 5hrs doing prep work (as well as a huge cost on hardware to process and store these files!) to watch a movie that lasts 2hrs, that you STILL need to account for anyway! Per movie! And after all that hard work, you either delete the files, or you keep them on your RAID drive, or back them up somewhere else too. More cost.
I dunno, maybe being married and spending time with the wife has made me care less about these technical achievements. For sure I can appreciate the kudos of having an entire catalogue of movies easily selectable via the remote control, but the effort-to-achieve is so high that you really have to question: Is it really worth it?
Disclaimer: Of course, if you're doing it the torrent way, then of course you'll have all the media already digitized for hard disk use. But thats illegal. Just for the record. :)
I have been ripping my own DVDs to iPhone format so that I can enjoy them on the go while commuting to work. Its a great way to catch up on some of the DVDs that I've bought but never got around to seeing. And its unlikely I'll be able to watch it at home since there's always something else to do. So thats why I put it onto the iPhone, for that 1hr or so travelling. However, I still find it a really tedious task to do, even if ripping it overnight. And in this hot climate in HK, I'd prefer not having machines generating even more heat and consuming energy.
I guess the answer to my problems would be to have an Apple TV and iPhone formatted movies downloaded as and when I wish. Pre-formatted, available 24/7, and watchable within afew minutes. now, if only HK allowed iTunes movie downloads!!!!!
iPhone 3G, App Store, MobileMe
Been busy moving flats, so I haven't really updated this much.
As everyone knows by now with all the media coverage, iPhone 3G is officially released today. Afew lucky New Zealanders made "history" by being the very first people to own the new handset from 00:01am there.
Reviews from Wall Street Journal, NYTimes and USAToday have all been positive about the iPhone 3G, especially the advent of a new development platform that Apple will host as the App Store. The negatives are that it still doesn't have Copy & Paste, MMS and the battery only realistically lasts about 4.5Hrs talktime or web use. On that note, I think its still a good attempt by Apple, and I'd say even better than other Smartphones, which are horrible to use, and still only last at most 3 days, because no-one bothers using any of their "features". From my experience, the iPhone 2G was such a joy to use, that you will definitely end up killing the battery on a daily basis. But that's what happens when you have good design - you tend to use it more and will enjoy it too.
Moving onto the App Store, its available via the new iTunes 7.7 released yesterday. You might need to enable "Applications" from the Preferences, but there's also a big banner ad on the main iTunes page anyway. There are literally hundreds of apps already, and a good portion of them are free too. However, that's not to say they're all useful. Some are as meaningless as a cow going "Moo" each time you shake it. In my view, these should be vetoed out so customer focus can remain on the good stuff like the iTunes and AppleTV remote app, Bloomberg app, Epocrates (identifying medication) NetNewsWire and many other intriguing apps. There's even a VOIP app called TruPhone! Of course games are there too, and I will definitely get the SuperMonkeyBall app. Bomberman is there too, but I doubt that it will be that fun. In fact, Gizmodo has already started tested several apps, and they dont rate the thumb-flick for movement, as your thumb obscures most of the screen. But if it has wireless play to other friends, then multiplayer mayhem could counter that fault :).
MobileMe is the Apple's great way of syncing mobile devices with desktops and laptops, wherever you might be. It is really interesting for me because it means that my wife can now use iCal to input new events, tasks and set timers, that will then sync to my iPhone and beep at the required time! A great way to save me picking up her calls, only to forget when the time comes. And I'll also be able to use the online web calendar to type in new entries, or even use Outlook if required (nah....!) and type up easier than on the iPhone. Its just one of those things that would make life that little bit simpler.... if only it gets its bugs fixed out of the way! As of today, its still down and inaccessible, so there must be afew niggly things remaining for them to fix. Lucky I still have the account under trial for now! :)
As everyone knows by now with all the media coverage, iPhone 3G is officially released today. Afew lucky New Zealanders made "history" by being the very first people to own the new handset from 00:01am there.
Reviews from Wall Street Journal, NYTimes and USAToday have all been positive about the iPhone 3G, especially the advent of a new development platform that Apple will host as the App Store. The negatives are that it still doesn't have Copy & Paste, MMS and the battery only realistically lasts about 4.5Hrs talktime or web use. On that note, I think its still a good attempt by Apple, and I'd say even better than other Smartphones, which are horrible to use, and still only last at most 3 days, because no-one bothers using any of their "features". From my experience, the iPhone 2G was such a joy to use, that you will definitely end up killing the battery on a daily basis. But that's what happens when you have good design - you tend to use it more and will enjoy it too.
Moving onto the App Store, its available via the new iTunes 7.7 released yesterday. You might need to enable "Applications" from the Preferences, but there's also a big banner ad on the main iTunes page anyway. There are literally hundreds of apps already, and a good portion of them are free too. However, that's not to say they're all useful. Some are as meaningless as a cow going "Moo" each time you shake it. In my view, these should be vetoed out so customer focus can remain on the good stuff like the iTunes and AppleTV remote app, Bloomberg app, Epocrates (identifying medication) NetNewsWire and many other intriguing apps. There's even a VOIP app called TruPhone! Of course games are there too, and I will definitely get the SuperMonkeyBall app. Bomberman is there too, but I doubt that it will be that fun. In fact, Gizmodo has already started tested several apps, and they dont rate the thumb-flick for movement, as your thumb obscures most of the screen. But if it has wireless play to other friends, then multiplayer mayhem could counter that fault :).
MobileMe is the Apple's great way of syncing mobile devices with desktops and laptops, wherever you might be. It is really interesting for me because it means that my wife can now use iCal to input new events, tasks and set timers, that will then sync to my iPhone and beep at the required time! A great way to save me picking up her calls, only to forget when the time comes. And I'll also be able to use the online web calendar to type in new entries, or even use Outlook if required (nah....!) and type up easier than on the iPhone. Its just one of those things that would make life that little bit simpler.... if only it gets its bugs fixed out of the way! As of today, its still down and inaccessible, so there must be afew niggly things remaining for them to fix. Lucky I still have the account under trial for now! :)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
.me, .mac, and .myself
The WWDC opening keynote by Jobs on Monday June 9th, 2008 is going to packed full of stuff, if we're to believe all the rumours that are going around right now in the blogosphere! There'll be the 3G iPhone with GPS, and its 2.0 firmware with 3rd party development support. There'll also be the expected 70+ new countries pledging telecoms support for the JesusPhone. It doesn't just stop there though. Bloggers are expecting there to be newly updated MacBooks and MacBook Pros, OSX 10.5.4 (despite 10.5.3 just being released!), the preview of OSX 10.6, and the revamping of .Mac into what is suggested to be .Me, or MobileMe.com.
The latter is just about the only thing where I can do something about it. If Apple were to migrate all .Mac users over to .Me, thus enveloping iPhone and Windows users too, then the existing .mac usernames have to be ported over. Some blog forum users gave an inspired post, saying that if the email address would beomce@me.com, then they would immediately register stoplaughing@me.com! Hilarious!
But why wait until June 9th? If you register for a Free Trial at www.mac.com, you have 30 days to try it out, and hold onto that username past the WWDC keynote. And so off I went to register! Sadly, that poster did register "StopLaughing" username... mac.com was suggesting I use "StopLaughing1" which really doesn't cut the mustard. So I went for something similar: "EveryonesLaughing", which hopefully should evolve into "EveryonesLaughing@me.com"!
Which, funnily enough, is true! :D
What wouldn't be funny is if this rumour is false, and it remains as "EveryonesLaughing@Mac.com".... I might get lynched by the Mac Fanboys for that.... :S
EDIT: my boss just signed up a fantastic one: DontThrowShit@me.com :D
The latter is just about the only thing where I can do something about it. If Apple were to migrate all .Mac users over to .Me, thus enveloping iPhone and Windows users too, then the existing .mac usernames have to be ported over. Some blog forum users gave an inspired post, saying that if the email address would beomce
But why wait until June 9th? If you register for a Free Trial at www.mac.com, you have 30 days to try it out, and hold onto that username past the WWDC keynote. And so off I went to register! Sadly, that poster did register "StopLaughing" username... mac.com was suggesting I use "StopLaughing1" which really doesn't cut the mustard. So I went for something similar: "EveryonesLaughing", which hopefully should evolve into "EveryonesLaughing@me.com"!
Which, funnily enough, is true! :D
What wouldn't be funny is if this rumour is false, and it remains as "EveryonesLaughing@Mac.com".... I might get lynched by the Mac Fanboys for that.... :S
EDIT: my boss just signed up a fantastic one: DontThrowShit@me.com :D
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
MobileScobbler - everything you wanted to know about your current song!
Just added this app which looks interesting. Once you have a login at www.last.fm, this app will check what you're listening to and compare it against what others have been listening too. Keywords such as genre, artist, comparable artists, and other factors are selectable. Thus this gives you the opportunity to broaden your exposure of music beyond your existing iTunes collection. It even has a shortcut to let you buy the album from iTunes music store!
If it just offered that alone it would be quite good. However, MobileScrobbler goes further in listing a biography of the artist, and even lyrics to the current song! There is also another button called Events, would be interesting to see what's listed there if it really is updated.
PS. It works great over EDGE!
PPS. It eats up the battery too! Best to disable all MobileScrobbler functions in Settings, and check its logo is off the top status bar.
PS. It works great over EDGE!
PPS. It eats up the battery too! Best to disable all MobileScrobbler functions in Settings, and check its logo is off the top status bar.
Friday, May 30, 2008
A P2P app for the iPhone??
At first this sounds ludicrous... why on earth would you want to have a P2P app on your iPhone? Battery is already limited enough as it is... let alone drain it even more with constant downloading and uploading. And exactly how many TV shows can you fit onto the 8GB model?
Well its all made clear with iSlsk. This app is a pretty slick app.
If you can imagine the iTunes music store, but free, then thats a close approximation!
Of course, the developer makes the disclaimer that you should only download music that you've bought legally.
But it works astonishingly well. You can search for songs, and select which one you want, and what bitrate its at.
After downloading to \var\mobile\media\downloads folder, the app then gives you a choice of importing the song into the iPod app, and playing it there! Amazing.
One problem though, is keeping the song. Once synchronised to iTunes, the music is lost. You would need to SSH into the iPhone to copy it out, before re-importing into iTunes and then back to the iPhone. The iTunes music store is still one step ahead of the competition.... :)
EDIT: It does crash abit, but when you reconnect, it can resume from where it left off.
Also, as long as you don't import the songs into the iPod app immediately, and leave the songs in the /var/mobile/media/downloads section, you can sync with iTunes without issues.
Hutchison Telecom to offer Apple's iPhone in Hong Kong, Macau
HONG KONG (AP) - Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd. said Thursday it signed an agreement with Apple Inc. to offer the popular iPhone in Hong Kong and Macau later this year.
Terms of the deal were not released.
The telecom company _ majority-owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. _ operates second-generation mobile-phone services
Earlier this month, four other Asia-Pacific mobile providers announced a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone in their respective markets later this year.
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. will sell the multimedia gadget in Singapore; Bharti Airtel Ltd. in India; Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines; and Optus in Australia.
The announcement comes as Apple looks to expand sales of the iPhone _ a combination phone, music player and Web browser _ that was launched in the U.S. in 2007.
Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. has been snapping up contracts with wireless providers around the world in recent weeks ahead of the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in June in San Francisco, where Chief Executive Steve Jobs is widely expected to announce the next-generation iPhone.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Quake3 on iPod Touch
Wow, this is so cool. Forget Doom on iPhone, this is real hardcore 3D gaming!
And this one shows how smooth the Quake3 demo runs... fast and smooth!
And this one shows how smooth the Quake3 demo runs... fast and smooth!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Finally made it to iPhone firmware 1.1.4
After a long time researching on exactly how to update my iPhone's firmware to 1.1.4, I finally took the plunge and did it! Took less time than i imagined really. It was a YouTube video that really gave me the confidence to do it (Thank god for the Internet!)
Before we go on, here are afew things that you need to know and prep beforehand:
Prep work:
1) Backup your iPhone via iTunes
You'll want to do this so that iTunes stores your latest data from Contacts, Calendar, SMS, Notes, Stock portfolio, Weather locations etc. It wont backup your 3rd party apps so make a note of your repo sites. If necessary, backup any game saves by using SSH into your iPhone (if you know how to get the games on there, you already know how to do that). Once you have run iLiberty+, your iPhone will be unlocked etc, but will have no data until you restore from this backup.
2) Download the 1.1.4 firmware package
The file is called iPhone1,1_1-1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw.zip and is accessible from here . Now, my Mac tried to be ultra friendly and download the ZIP file and display its contents in Finder like a folder. However, when you try to "Restore" the iPhone to 1.1.4 firmware in iTunes, it is expecting a ZIP file, not a folder. I sort of got around this by renaming the folder into "iPhone1,1_1-1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw.zip" and downloading it again. It may be possible to just archive the entire folder into a ZIP file, but I'm not going to go down that road since it works for me. :)
3) Download iLiberty+ for OSX or PC
This software is wonderfully packaged into a nice neat UI you could almost hug. And it works too! Get it from here
4) Check what Bootloader version you're using. Assuming your iPhone is cracked, use Installer to add this repo site: http://www.trejan.com/irepo
Install BBInfo under Utility category. Run this to see whether your Bootloader is 3.9, or 4.6.Actual instructions:
1) Backup iPhone to iTunes.
Once you sync it, it should do a backup. If not, manually click on SYNC. Proof of backup is viewed in iTunes' preferences > Syncing
2) Connect iPhone to USB connector
You should see the iPhone summary page popup.
3) "RESTORE" from specified location.
Important note: Click RESTORE, not the Upgrade button! Afew people tried that, it iLiberty+ didn't work.
On OSX, hold ALT key and left click Restore. On Windows, its SHIFT click Restore. Specify the firmware ZIP file, and just let it do its thing. It will then do several things, and eventually return to the iPhone summary page but display message along the lines of "This sim card is not the original AT&T one, please insert that one." We'll sort that out in the next step. I believe Windows users also need to ensure that iTunes recognises the iPhone again by unplugging it and reconnecting. Once its recognised, Windows users need to close iTunes app down before doing the next step.
4) Run iLiberty+ and tick all three options. I believe you can tick the 3.9FB option too if you know you have 4.6 Bootloader on your newer iPhone model. Let it do its thing and it should only take 3-4mins max. For Windows users, CAREFULLY follow the instructions to remove and plug in the USB connector. Once its finished, you'll see the app congratulate you with an "Enjoy" message, and the iPhone reboots to the "recharging" screen.
5) Start up iTunes again and restore. iTunes is smart enough to release it backed up this iPhone, so restore from previous backup. Once done, all your standard data will be restored. Songs and movies are sync'd separately.
6) Sync songs and movies. As per the usual way, click on the tabs and select your playlists etc.
7) Add in your Installer sources again, and enjoy! My previous post on sources can be found here: http://onceyougomac.blogspot.com/2008/01/iphone-sources.html
Recommended reading / Further information:
Tutorial steps and screenshots on using iLiberty+
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=847 (OSX screenshots)
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=849 (Windows screenshots)
http://hacktheiphoneitouch.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-unlock-your-iphone-with-iliberty.html More screenshots, and even snapshots of what you see on the iPhone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic9w_toaVuM YouTube video tutorial
Friday, May 9, 2008
Slim Aluminum wireless keyboard even works on Windows!
Ever since it was debuted on the Apple online store, I've been lusting for this.
I already have the original white bluetooth wireless keyboard, which has served me very well.
However, on my frequent trips to the local Apple retailers, and while in the UK Apple store testing the Macbook Air, I fell in love with the tactile feel of these keyboards. Its small, tiny footprint means it hardly takes up any desk space. In fact, it looks as if its been embedded into the desk! I no longer need any of those soft gel wrist rests now.... the desk now becomes one giant rest! Its that low!
Hooking up to my Mac Mini was no problem at all, once you load up the Bluetooth Connection Manager.
And just out of curiosity, I tried pairing it with a USB Bluetooth dongle on Windows XP SP2. It worked!!!!
Well, upto a point. I took it to work and just loved how it saved so much more space on my desk. Then something struck me as I tried to lock the keyboard - Where's the CTRL-ALT-DEL??? Yep, Macs have no need for that (well, they do... its CTRL-ALT-ESC i think, to Force Quit unresponsive apps). But the Delete key Macs recognise is the equivalent of Backspace, on Windows keyboards. After much researching via Google, it turns out the problem is solved by running this little application called SHARPKEYS.EXE. Its a small app that makes a tiny change to the registry, mapping one keystroke to an action. In this case, I mapped the left Command key (defaulting to be a Windows key) to now be the Delete key. After a quick reboot, it works just fine!
I still can't get the Fn key to be recognised, but I suspect thats because its a special key for Apple, and as such requires specific keyboard drivers usually only acquired through Boot Camp, and its resultant driver disc. It's not a deal-breaker, so I'll keep it at this for now.
FYI, if you fancy going down the same route, download SharpKeys from here: http://www.randyrants.com/2006/07/sharpkeys_211.html
Alternatively, you can try AutoHotKeys, which apparently does the same: http://www.autohotkey.com/
I already have the original white bluetooth wireless keyboard, which has served me very well.
However, on my frequent trips to the local Apple retailers, and while in the UK Apple store testing the Macbook Air, I fell in love with the tactile feel of these keyboards. Its small, tiny footprint means it hardly takes up any desk space. In fact, it looks as if its been embedded into the desk! I no longer need any of those soft gel wrist rests now.... the desk now becomes one giant rest! Its that low!
Hooking up to my Mac Mini was no problem at all, once you load up the Bluetooth Connection Manager.
And just out of curiosity, I tried pairing it with a USB Bluetooth dongle on Windows XP SP2. It worked!!!!
Well, upto a point. I took it to work and just loved how it saved so much more space on my desk. Then something struck me as I tried to lock the keyboard - Where's the CTRL-ALT-DEL??? Yep, Macs have no need for that (well, they do... its CTRL-ALT-ESC i think, to Force Quit unresponsive apps). But the Delete key Macs recognise is the equivalent of Backspace, on Windows keyboards. After much researching via Google, it turns out the problem is solved by running this little application called SHARPKEYS.EXE. Its a small app that makes a tiny change to the registry, mapping one keystroke to an action. In this case, I mapped the left Command key (defaulting to be a Windows key) to now be the Delete key. After a quick reboot, it works just fine!
I still can't get the Fn key to be recognised, but I suspect thats because its a special key for Apple, and as such requires specific keyboard drivers usually only acquired through Boot Camp, and its resultant driver disc. It's not a deal-breaker, so I'll keep it at this for now.
FYI, if you fancy going down the same route, download SharpKeys from here: http://www.randyrants.com/2006/07/sharpkeys_211.html
Alternatively, you can try AutoHotKeys, which apparently does the same: http://www.autohotkey.com/
Do not install "KATE" on iPhone!!!
A work colleague installed this, hoping that it would be brilliant since its on the FEATURED list on Installer.app.
However, after reloading, he could only touch into an app in Springboard, and then... nothing.
No other gestures were recognised, it was as if KATE had installed some veil over the screen that was invisible, and you could not get rid of it, either by soft reset or hard reset.
Even on forums on Hackint0sh.org and everythingicafe.com, no one has a repeatable solution... aside from doing a full restore and jailbreaking again.
However, after reloading, he could only touch into an app in Springboard, and then... nothing.
No other gestures were recognised, it was as if KATE had installed some veil over the screen that was invisible, and you could not get rid of it, either by soft reset or hard reset.
Even on forums on Hackint0sh.org and everythingicafe.com, no one has a repeatable solution... aside from doing a full restore and jailbreaking again.
What to expect from iPhone SDK
I haven't been playing around with the iPhone apps that much these days, as its coming close to June and I thought I'd wait to the SDK apps start appearing and get them loaded officially. (God only knows how I'll be able to unlock it to continue using my HK sim card while being officially tethered to iTunes, but thats another matter to deal with later).
But one app that really caught my eye while casually flicking through hackint0sh.org was this 3D racing game demo, called Raging Thunder. Its really amazing that the developer has managed to get a proper 3D racer deployed to a jailbroken iPhone! Think Ridge Racer, and you're there! Of course, its still got bugs and playability issues to resolve, but its a mighty good indicator of how far gaming can really go on an iPhone! Here's a little youTube clip for you to watch while you download it from the BigBoss repo (which is think is part of the community sources these days. Look it up under Games).
But one app that really caught my eye while casually flicking through hackint0sh.org was this 3D racing game demo, called Raging Thunder. Its really amazing that the developer has managed to get a proper 3D racer deployed to a jailbroken iPhone! Think Ridge Racer, and you're there! Of course, its still got bugs and playability issues to resolve, but its a mighty good indicator of how far gaming can really go on an iPhone! Here's a little youTube clip for you to watch while you download it from the BigBoss repo (which is think is part of the community sources these days. Look it up under Games).
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Fortune interviews Steve Jobs
In an exclusive interview, Apple's CEO talked with Fortune senior editor Betsy Morris in February in Kona, Hawaii, where he was vacationing with his family, about the keys to the company's success, the prospect of Apple without Jobs, and more. Here are excerpts. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0803/gallery.jobsqna.fortune/
On the birth of the iPhone
"We all had cellphones. We just hated them, they were so awful to use. The software was terrible. The hardware wasn't very good. We talked to our friends, and they all hated their cellphones too. Everybody seemed to hate their phones. And we saw that these things really could become much more powerful and interesting to license. It's a huge market. I mean a billion phones get shipped every year, and that's almost an order of magnitude greater than the number of music players. It's four times the number of PCs that ship every year.
"It was a great challenge. Let's make a great phone that we fall in love with. And we've got the technology. We've got the miniaturization from the iPod. We've got the sophisticated operating system from Mac. Nobody had ever thought about putting operating systems as sophisticated as OS X inside a phone, so that was a real question. We had a big debate inside the company whether we could do that or not. And that was one where I had to adjudicate it and just say, 'We're going to do it. Let's try.' The smartest software guys were saying they can do it, so let's give them a shot. And they did."
On Apple's connection with the consumer
"We did iTunes because we all love music. We made what we thought was the best jukebox in iTunes. Then we all wanted to carry our whole music libraries around with us. The team worked really hard. And the reason that they worked so hard is because we all wanted one. You know? I mean, the first few hundred customers were us.
"It's not about pop culture, and it's not about fooling people, and it's not about convincing people that they want something they don't. We figure out what we want. And I think we're pretty good at having the right discipline to think through whether a lot of other people are going to want it, too. That's what we get paid to do.
"So you can't go out and ask people, you know, what the next big [thing.] There's a great quote by Henry Ford, right? He said, 'If I'd have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me "A faster horse." ' "
On choosing strategy
"We do no market research. We don't hire consultants. The only consultants I've ever hired in my 10 years is one firm to analyze Gateway's retail strategy so I would not make some of the same mistakes they made [when launching Apple's retail stores]. But we never hire consultants, per se. We just want to make great products.
"When we created the iTunes Music Store, we did that because we thought it would be great to be able to buy music electronically, not because we had plans to redefine the music industry. I mean, it just seemed like writing on the wall, that eventually all music would be distributed electronically. That seemed obvious because why have the cost? The music industry has huge returns. Why have all this [overhead] when you can just send electrons around easily?"
On what drives Apple employees
"We don't get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? So this is what we've chosen to do with our life. We could be sitting in a monastery somewhere in Japan. We could be out sailing. Some of the [executive team] could be playing golf. They could be running other companies. And we've all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it. And we think it is."
On why people want to work at Apple:
"The reason is, is because you can't do what you can do at Apple anywhere else. The engineering is long gone in most PC companies. In the consumer electronics companies, they don't understand the software parts of it. And so you really can't make the products that you can make at Apple anywhere else right now. Apple's the only company that has everything under one roof.
"There's no other company that could make a MacBook Air and the reason is that not only do we control the hardware, but we control the operating system. And it is the intimate interaction between the operating system and the hardware that allows us to do that. There is no intimate interaction between Windows and a Dell notebook.
"Our DNA is as a consumer company -- for that individual customer who's voting thumbs up or thumbs down. That's who we think about. And we think that our job is to take responsibility for the complete user experience. And if it's not up to par, it's our fault, plain and simply."
On whether Apple could live without him
"We've got really capable people at Apple. I made Tim [Cook] COO and gave him the Mac division and he's done brilliantly. I mean, some people say, 'Oh, God, if [Jobs] got run over by a bus, Apple would be in trouble.' And, you know, I think it wouldn't be a party, but there are really capable people at Apple. And the board would have some good choices about who to pick as CEO. My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that's what I try to do."
On his demanding reputation:
"My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better. My job is to pull things together from different parts of the company and clear the ways and get the resources for the key projects. And to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better, coming up with more aggressive visions of how it could be."
On Apple's focus
"Apple is a $30 billion company, yet we've got less than 30 major products. I don't know if that's ever been done before. Certainly the great consumer electronics companies of the past had thousands of products. We tend to focus much more. People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.
"I'm actually as proud of many of the things we haven't done as the things we have done. The clearest example was when we were pressured for years to do a PDA, and I realized one day that 90% of the people who use a PDA only take information out of it on the road. They don't put information into it. Pretty soon cellphones are going to do that, so the PDA market's going to get reduced to a fraction of its current size, and it won't really be sustainable. So we decided not to get into it. If we had gotten into it, we wouldn't have had the resources to do the iPod. We probably wouldn't have seen it coming."
On his management style
"We've got 25,000 people at Apple. About 10,000 of them are in the stores. And my job is to work with sort of the top 100 people, that's what I do. That doesn't mean they're all vice presidents. Some of them are just key individual contributors. So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get people talking about it, argue with people about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people, get different people together to explore different aspects of it quietly, and, you know - just explore things."
On finding talent:
"When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself. They'll want to do what's best for Apple, not what's best for them, what's best for Steve, or anybody else.
"Recruiting is hard. It's just finding the needles in the haystack. We do it ourselves and we spend a lot of time at it. I've participated in the hiring of maybe 5,000-plus people in my life. So I take it very seriously. You can't know enough in a one-hour interview. So, in the end, it's ultimately based on your gut. How do I feel about this person? What are they like when they're challenged? Why are they here? I ask everybody that: 'Why are you here?' The answers themselves are not what you're looking for. It's the meta-data."
On the benefits of owning an operating system
"That allows us to innovate at a much faster rate than if we had to wait for Microsoft, like Dell and HP and everybody else does. Because Microsoft has their own timetable, for probably good reasons. I mean Vista took what -- seven or eight years? It's hard to get your new feature that you need for your new hardware if it has to wait eight years. So we can set our own priorities and look at things in a more holistic way from the point of view of the customer. It also means that we can take it and we can make a version of it to fit in the iPhone and the iPod. And, you know, we certainly couldn't do that if we didn't own it."
On his marathon Monday meetings
"When you hire really good people you have to give them a piece of the business and let them run with it. That doesn't mean I don't get to kibitz a lot. But the reason you're hiring them is because you're going to give them the reins. I want [them] making as good or better decisions than I would. So the way to do that is to have them know everything, not just in their part of the business, but in every part of the business.
"So what we do every Monday is we review the whole business. We look at what we sold the week before. We look at every single product under development, products we're having trouble with, products where the demand is larger than we can make. All the stuff in development, we review. And we do it every single week. I put out an agenda -- 80% is the same as it was the last week, and we just walk down it every single week.
"We don't have a lot of process at Apple, but that's one of the few things we do just to all stay on the same page."
On dealing with roadblocks
"At Pixar when we were making Toy Story, there came a time when we were forced to admit that the story wasn't great. It just wasn't great. We stopped production for five months.... We paid them all to twiddle their thumbs while the team perfected the story into what became Toy Story. And if they hadn't had the courage to stop, there would have never been a Toy Story the way it is, and there probably would have never been a Pixar.
"We called that the 'story crisis,' and we never expected to have another one. But you know what? There's been one on every film. We don't stop production for five months. We've gotten a little smarter about it. But there always seems to come a moment where it's just not working, and it's so easy to fool yourself - to convince yourself that it is when you know in your heart that it isn't.
"Well, you know what? It's been that way with [almost] every major project at Apple, too.... Take the iPhone. We had a different enclosure design for this iPhone until way too close to the introduction to ever change it. And I came in one Monday morning, I said, 'I just don't love this. I can't convince myself to fall in love with this. And this is the most important product we've ever done.'
"And we pushed the reset button. We went through all of the zillions of models we'd made and ideas we'd had. And we ended up creating what you see here as the iPhone, which is dramatically better. It was hell because we had to go to the team and say, 'All this work you've [done] for the last year, we're going to have to throw it away and start over, and we're going to have to work twice as hard now because we don't have enough time.' And you know what everybody said? 'Sign us up.'
"That happens more than you think, because this is not just engineering and science. There is art, too. Sometimes when you're in the middle of one of these crises, you're not sure you're going to make it to the other end. But we've always made it, and so we have a certain degree of confidence, although sometimes you wonder. I think the key thing is that we're not all terrified at the same time. I mean, we do put our heart and soul into these things."
On the iPod tipping point
"It was difficult for a while because for various reasons the Mac had not been accepted by a lot of people, who went with Windows. And we were just working really hard, and our market share wasn't going up. It makes you wonder sometimes whether you're wrong. Maybe our stuff isn't better, although we thought it was. Or maybe people don't care, which is even more depressing.
"It turns out with the iPod we kind of got out from that operating-system glass ceiling and it was great because [it showed that] Apple innovation, Apple engineering, Apple design did matter. The iPod captured 70% market share. I cannot tell you how important that was after so many years of laboring and seeing a 4% to 5% market share on the Mac. To see something like that happen with the iPod was a great shot in the arm for everybody."
On what they did next:
"We made more. We worked harder. We said: 'This is great. Let's do more.' I mean, the Mac market share is going up every single quarter. We're growing four times faster than the industry. People are starting to pay a little more attention. We've helped it along. We put Intel processors in and we can run PC apps alongside Mac apps. We helped it along. But I think a lot of it is people have finally started to realize that they don't have to put up with Windows - that there is an alternative. I think nobody really thought about it that way before."
On launching the Apple store
"It was very simple. The Mac faithful will drive to a destination, right? They'll drive somewhere special just to do that. But people who own Windows - we want to convert them to Mac. They will not drive somewhere special. They don't think they want a Mac. They will not take the risk of a 20-minute drive in case they don't like it.
"But if we put our store in a mall or on a street that they're walking by, and we reduce that risk from a 20-minute drive to 20 footsteps, then they're more likely to go in because there's really no risk. So we decided to put our stores in high-traffic locations. And it works."
On catching tech's next wave
"Things happen fairly slowly, you know. They do. These waves of technology, you can see them way before they happen, and you just have to choose wisely which ones you're going to surf. If you choose unwisely, then you can waste a lot of energy, but if you choose wisely it actually unfolds fairly slowly. It takes years.
"One of our biggest insights [years ago] was that we didn't want to get into any business where we didn't own or control the primary technology because you'll get your head handed to you.
"We realized that almost all - maybe all - of future consumer electronics, the primary technology was going to be software. And we were pretty good at software. We could do the operating system software. We could write applications on the Mac or even PC, like iTunes. We could write the software in the device, like you might put in an iPod or an iPhone or something. And we could write the back-end software that runs on a cloud, like iTunes.
"So we could write all these different kinds of software and make it work seamlessly. And you ask yourself, What other companies can do that? It's a pretty short list. The reason that we were very excited about the phone, beyond that fact that we all hated our phones, was that we didn't see anyone else who could make that kind of contribution. None of the handset manufacturers really are strong in software."
On failing, so far, with Apple TV
"Here's how I look at it. Everybody's tried to make a great product for the living room. Microsoft's tried, we've tried -- everybody's tried. And everybody's failed. We failed, so far.
"So there's a whole bunch of people that have tried, and every single one of them's failed, including us. And that's why I call it a hobby. It's not a business yet, it's a hobby.
"We've come out with our second try -- 'Apple TV, Take 2' is what we call it internally. We realized that the first product we did was about helping you view the content of whatever you had in iTunes on your Mac or PC, and wirelessly sending it to your widescreen TV.
"Well, it turns out that's not what people really wanted to do. I mean, yeah, it's nice to see your photos up on the big screen. That's frosting on the cake, but it's not the cake. What everybody really wanted, it turned out, was movies.
"So we began the process of talking to Hollywood studios and were able to get all the major studios to license their movies for rental. And we only have about 600 movies so far ingested on iTunes, but we'll have thousands later this year. We lowered the price to $229. And we'll see how it does. Will this resonate and be something that you just can't live without and love? We'll see. I think it's got a shot."
On managing through the economic downturn
"We've had one of these before, when the dot-com bubble burst. What I told our company was that we were just going to invest our way through the downturn, that we weren't going to lay off people, that we'd taken a tremendous amount of effort to get them into Apple in the first place -- the last thing we were going to do is lay them off. And we were going to keep funding. In fact we were going to up our R&D budget so that we would be ahead of our competitors when the downturn was over. And that's exactly what we did. And it worked. And that's exactly what we'll do this time."
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008
iPhone "Package download failed"
If you've updated the Installer on your iPhone, you may see this error when trying to update or install any new software.
It happened to me, but its stopped now, and i think its something to do with adding installs to the Queue.
Anyway here are some suggested solutions to the problem, posted up on hackint0sh.org:
http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32597
had the same problems
i solved it with doing the fllowing steps:
goto "Installer"
hit "Install"
choose "Sources"
install "Community Sources"
after these steps everything worked on my 2 iphones
greetings
If that doesn't work try:
Tap 'install' on any of the installation and then tap 'Clear Queue'
Try a few times if it still doesn't work.
Hope that helps.
Simpy go to
Uninstall - Installer - Reinstall
The only solution which worked for me.
It happened to me, but its stopped now, and i think its something to do with adding installs to the Queue.
Anyway here are some suggested solutions to the problem, posted up on hackint0sh.org:
http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32597
had the same problems
i solved it with doing the fllowing steps:
goto "Installer"
hit "Install"
choose "Sources"
install "Community Sources"
after these steps everything worked on my 2 iphones
greetings
If that doesn't work try:
Tap 'install' on any of the installation and then tap 'Clear Queue'
Try a few times if it still doesn't work.
Hope that helps.
Simpy go to
Uninstall - Installer - Reinstall
The only solution which worked for me.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The perfect match: iPhone UI on Blackberry?
Ok ok, so the blackberry doesn't have a touch screen, but hey, if WinMobile users can apply a skin/theme on their Microsoft OS, then why can't the Blackberry users?
This is the end result of one hobbyist who decided to give it a go:
http://rogersmj.com/tech/blackberry/bphone/
Well... I guess at least he has the copy/paste functionality, if nothing else!
This is the end result of one hobbyist who decided to give it a go:
http://rogersmj.com/tech/blackberry/bphone/
Well... I guess at least he has the copy/paste functionality, if nothing else!
Friday, February 29, 2008
SDK is the key to... Everything?
Is it really true that once the SDK is released, corporate
applications such as Lotus Notes will be porter over to the iPhone?
Microsoft Exchange compatibility? If so, it will be a Big Thing as
that will allow the device to really join the corporate band of
enterprise mobile devices, currently enjoyed by WinMobile and
Blackberry units.
But consider this: if consumers are already fretting about the lack of
selecting, copying and pasting, how will business users react? Ergo,
would Apple have finally resolved that matter by the time the SDK is
announced?
As a consumer device spcifically made for entertainment and basic
telephony (albeit packaged into a beautiful UI) the iPhone is
fantastic. As a business device there is much to be improved on.
So here is my own wish list of things that would need to be addressed:
1- Ability to select, cut, copy and paste text and images. Pretty much
essential.
2- Undo and Redo at least past 5 mistakes. Can you imagine how
frustrated users get when they cannot recover something imprtant that
they deleted accidentally?
3- Horizontal typing in SMS, Mail and Notes as a minimum. If this can
be standardised across all apps, this would be even better, as it
eliminates guesswork and allows users to type in their preferred
orientation.
4- Spotlight-like indexing to quickly find all data matching criteria.
The vertical roladex is very cool, buy business users would definitely
require even faster and efficient access to that information. If this
can also expand to cover Notes and Calendar too, it would make a
fantastic CRM device!
5- To Do list that is synchronised to Mail, Outlook or Lotus Notes.
applications such as Lotus Notes will be porter over to the iPhone?
Microsoft Exchange compatibility? If so, it will be a Big Thing as
that will allow the device to really join the corporate band of
enterprise mobile devices, currently enjoyed by WinMobile and
Blackberry units.
But consider this: if consumers are already fretting about the lack of
selecting, copying and pasting, how will business users react? Ergo,
would Apple have finally resolved that matter by the time the SDK is
announced?
As a consumer device spcifically made for entertainment and basic
telephony (albeit packaged into a beautiful UI) the iPhone is
fantastic. As a business device there is much to be improved on.
So here is my own wish list of things that would need to be addressed:
1- Ability to select, cut, copy and paste text and images. Pretty much
essential.
2- Undo and Redo at least past 5 mistakes. Can you imagine how
frustrated users get when they cannot recover something imprtant that
they deleted accidentally?
3- Horizontal typing in SMS, Mail and Notes as a minimum. If this can
be standardised across all apps, this would be even better, as it
eliminates guesswork and allows users to type in their preferred
orientation.
4- Spotlight-like indexing to quickly find all data matching criteria.
The vertical roladex is very cool, buy business users would definitely
require even faster and efficient access to that information. If this
can also expand to cover Notes and Calendar too, it would make a
fantastic CRM device!
5- To Do list that is synchronised to Mail, Outlook or Lotus Notes.
Those are just enhancements on existing 1st party software, let alone
3rd party development.
What else would you like to see on iPhone that would be required
before it can bf accepted into the Enterprise world?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
New Macbooks and Macbook Pros out
Quietly updated with newer, more efficient CPUs (Penryn) and upgraded hard disks. For the MBPs, they have beefed-up graphics processors, upto 512MB vram! External appearance remains the same, which is cool.
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/
Sound argument for Apple choosing EDGE over 3G
Macworld.com features an article about the merits of Apple choosing for the slower EDGE over 3G for its iPhone, and even speculates about the ramifications of having a 3G model released. Interesting read.
http://www.macworld.com/article/132267/2008/02/edge.html
http://www.macworld.com/article/132267/2008/02/edge.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Nokia is upto something good...
This is rather interesting.... found this YouTube clip on Betanews.com and it shows how Nokia and University of Cambridge are researching the use of Nanotechnology to allow mobile devices to be integrated and converted from one form to another. The result: Morph.
And a gaping jaw!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Unboxing Macbook Air video makes me envious!
I hate all those unboxing videos that people put onto Engadget and YouTube.
It makes me drop my jaws and fill me with envy, stirring my mind into thinking "I NEED THAT!"
Have a look and see whether it does the same for you too....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUaI2_zkfKA
Friday, February 1, 2008
Easier way to increase Application storage space
I came across this new source, NewATTiPhone.com, that shows a app that promises to move applications to the larger partition, without the hassle of Terminal commands.
I suggested this on hackint0sh.org forum, and someone reported back that it works flawlessly.
This is good, because there have been some reports that BossTools does not always succeed.
One of those reports was from me!
If you urgently need to increase the space for installing apps, I suggest you try this first, before BossTools.
Source URL: http://newATTiPhone.com/repo.xml
Edited some more on the Native Apps entry
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Cheers!
iPhone imitates Samsonite ad
Remember the Samsonite ad where a 18-wheeler truck runs over a samsonite hardcase, but still remains intact? Well some guy in the US apparently had that happen to his iPhone! He's put up photos of the back of his iPhone getting quite badly scratched on the back, but claims that the front screen is still relatively safe and not shattered. I imagine that he dropped it face upwards, as the tyres would not incur any damage, only on the back against the road.
Maybe he should have used the InvisibleShield eh? :P
Click here to go to the Flickr site, where he also posted up detailed story about what happened.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The best iPhone native apps
Here's my list of native 3rd party apps that I have kept on my iPhone!
EDIT: I've now categorised them into Sections for easier viewing, with each app listed in sequence of what you should install/try out first:
Essentials - Quality apps that should have been provided by Apple in the first place!
Reference - "Productivity" apps that just make life a little easier. Isn't that what PDAs are for?
Games - Obvious really... Isn't this what PDAs are REALLY made for??? :P
Fun stuff - Toys, gimmicks or just sheer fun stuff to mess around with.
Network - Afew things related to networking that techies might find useful, not essential for the casual user
Format:
App name > Source URL (if i can remember it!)
Reason
----- ESSENTIALS: -----
BSD SUBSYSTEMAlthough not an "app" per se, but its an important thing to have installed as it allows you and some 3rd party apps to run.
OPENSSH
Also not an 'app' that you can see on the Springboard screen, but it does allow one important function - allow you to remotely access the iPhone's innards via your PC (using Putty, WinSCP, iNdependence or iBrickr) or Mac (Terminal, Cyberduck or Fugu). It's also a lifeline if you suddenly mess up the iPhone and make ALL your apps vanish (Yes, it happened to me).
CUSTOMIZE
This utility allows you to re-shuffle your apps around the screen, as customise the dock to have between one and nine shortcuts. You can also set some icons to be invisible, eg. Preview, which you don't need to see, but is available if you open a file from within MobileFinder. There are also tweaks there like customising the Wifi signal strength icon, etc.
SEARCH > polarbearfarm.com/repo
Spotlight-like function to find contacts or calendar entries that have anything to do with what you type in. Eg. Type in "friend" and it will automatically shortlist all contacts where you put in the Notes section "Friend of xxxxx"
TODO LIST
One of the most obvious omissions from the default iPhone apps. Although still basic, its functional.
SMSD
Another obvious omission by Apple, but has recently been rectified in their latest 1.1.3 firmware. But if you're sticking with fw1.1.1 or 1.1.2, you'll be happy to have this. It will allow you to send SMS text messages to more than one receipient. There are afew other tools there like setting Templates and searching for keywords in SMS conversations.
BOSSTOOL
The iPhone 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 defaults all Application installs into the OS partition of 300MB. This quickly runs out as you install apps. To overcome this, you would need to move the Applications directory over to the 7GB section (where you store music, videos, etc), and have a symlink or shortcut from the old location to there. You can either follow instructions on manually typing in UNIX commands to do this, or run this application to help you do it all. There's another app that does this same task, will check it out and report back soon.
----- REFERENCE: -----
LOCKBOXApp for storing all your confidential information. Of course, its locked by your specified password, so you're screwed if you can't even remember that!
CONVERTER
Converts practically every measurement like length, weight, volume, etc. Sadly, wont do forex conversions... :P
WEDICT
Customisable app that can work as a Dictionary, Thesaurus, CIA's Fact Book, or whatever else people have uploaded to the repository! Works well as a mobile offline dictionary.
NATIVECN
Allows Chinese input in one of seven methods. Even I was able to type my name in, using "Ping Yum" method, which is really typing in the phonetics of the word.
PDFVIEWER
Once you create a folder under /var/root/media/PDFs, this app will be able to open any PDF you save there, and resize, scroll, flip pages etc. You can even format some eBooks into PDF to be read here.
BOOKS
A native eBook reader, works well. You can download free eBooks from several places... will note them here later.
VNOTES
Voice recording app, best for dictation really. Not used it much, but it fills the needs of those who demanded it.
----- GAMES: -----
IPHYSICSAbsolute must-have. Objective is to move a ball (or vehicle in some mods!) to a target but drawing objects to dynamically move it. Laying a plank over the ball moves it slowly, but if you devise a plank over a fulcrum, then dropping a solid block on one end, what happens? Give it a go and find out!
IZOO
Bejeweled clone, with several different skins, presumably to avoid a lawsuit! Plays well and is very addictive. Doesn't have rewards like line-blasters when you line up 4+ units yet, but its still entertaining to try and best your current top score.
LABYRINTH
Roll the ball around a maze by tilting the iPhone. Very smooth and tempted to donate US$7 to the developer to unlock levels beyond the 10 free demo ones.
TTR
Think "Dance Dance Revolution" but for your fingers over three vertical lines. There are some templates already made where songs posted by others have set rhythm beats to hit. However, you can also set your own hits as well. I hear there's a Guitar Hero mod to this too?
GPSPHONE
Misleading name aside, this is a pretty good Gameboy Advance emulator. The controls are transparent overlays on the screen, which looks cool, but does obscure the gameplay abit. Probably more suited for turn-based games like Advanced Wars, but Tekken and Virtua Tennis does play pretty well! Don't expect the sound to be perfect tho.
PSX4ALL
The next evolution of emulators on the iPhone. Still work-in-Progress, it stutters along to games like Final Fantasy VII and GTA2 (top-down gameplay) at around 5-10fps, but its a good proof of concept. Hopefully the Apple SDK will help it unlock some more performance out of it.
SCUMMVM
ScummVM is an open-source project to port all kinds of adventure games like "Sam & Max", "Day of the Tentacle" and "Indiana Jones and the Fate Of Atlantis". It takes up alot of space on the iPhone, but its interesting to play these classic games on the iPhone this way.
ISOLITAIRE
Solitaire for the iPhone. Feels abit more intuitive than using a stylus or mouse.
IBLACKJACK
Needs no introduction really.
LIGHTS OFF
Puzzle game thats quite challenging. Toggle the light cells on the board with your touch until they're all off.
TETRONIMO
Tetris clone, works ok but I wish you could just hold the DOWN key to speed up the falling blocks. Doesn't have the catchy tune tho.
MARBLE
Tilt the marble to reach the exit over increasingly challenging courses. Woudl be easy, were it not for some vindictive CPU balls trying to bounce you off-course!
BALLFIGHT
Flick your set of balls against the CPU's ones in order be the last one standing, sort of like Pong but without a bat.
----- FUN STUFF: -----
SKETCHESFun app that works like an Etch-A-Sketch. Either use a blank background to make a drawing, scribble over an existing photo, or take a new snapshot and highlight something in particular then email it out. Endless possibilities!
SCREENSHOT
App for taking screenshots of the iPhone. Useful for showing off the GBA Emulator playing Tekken, or even requesting help from others by showing the particular error or problem. Combined with SKETCHES, its a great way to show something in particular on your iPhone.
SENDFILE
iPhone's Mail app doesn't really expect you to send out attachments other than photos, but with this, you can specify files. This would work well if you hacked Safari to allow direct downloads into your iPhone, or if you needed to send a particular file to iPhone Forums for help.
SENDPICS
As said above, Mail can send photos, but they are usually compressed even further to make them easier to send. This application sends the same photo uncompressed, in all its 2Mpixel glory.
SENDSONG
Not only allows you to share your music with friends, it is also indispensible for its ability to convert songs into Ringtones! Does not always work, and the iPhone resets itself once you sync it via USB. However, its the only option for 1.1.1 users. 1.1.2 owners have the preferred method of using Garageband to customise a song into .m4r format, and keep it as a permanent ringtone saved on the iPhone and iTunes. Details to be posted up later.
TUNEWIKI
This app requires Wifi, but when you play a tune, it will go online to search and display the lyrics. The impressive trick is that it even scrolls in time with the song! This is dependent on contributions from users, and the more people contribute, the more songs get synced accurately. Very impressive.
EVOLUTIONRGB
Intruiging demo. Hard to explain really, but its quite intriguing.
----- NETWORK: -----
MOBILECHAT / APOLLOInstant Messenging app compatible with AIM, .Mac, GoogleTalk, MSN and ICQ clients. This native app worked ok most of the time, but I have seen it stutter and crash. You may be better off with one of the Webapps like Meebo.com or ebuddy.com. Afterall, you need to be online to chat to your friends anyway!
SERVICES
Toggles EDGE, Bluetooth, Wifi and SSH functions, although weirdly EDGE keeps persistently coming back on. Useful for turning off SSH when you need to conserve some more battery.
VNSEA
VNC Client that allows you to remotely connect to your PC or Mac, that has VNC Server installed. For Mac, I used OSXVNC, but some hackers have tried to exploit the default port of 5900 (which has to be opened on the firewall if you're to VNC in from Starbucks wifi), and remotely enter in some Windows commands to further open exploits. Little did that bot know that I was using a Mac... :) I've since stopped the OSXVNC until I change the port on my firewall. But this app works well, is smooth, and allows scaling and zooming, and even a virtual keyboard for remote text entry.
MOBILEFINDER
Literally a Finder for your iPhone's system. From there, you can copy, move, rename, delete and open files and folders. You can even change the permissions of anything to 0755 (which is the ideal privilege level for letting native apps run).
MOBILETERMINAL (Term-vt100)
A proper command prompt to enter hardcore UNIX commands directly to your iPhone, proving that it does indeed run OS X. Probably not for everyone to try, but its very intruiging nonetheless.
Promising apps that I haven't had time to fully try out yet.
RSS
CameraPro
TextEdit
Connect
Dropcopy
Categories
Pocketmoney
APLogger
Listen
iShare
iStudy
iMoneyTrackin
Chess
iPhone Sources
The big thing about jailbreaking iPhones is that you can start to to install 3rd party apps natively onto it, without having to resort to Web Apps.
Once jailbroken, the first thing you have to get is the Installer.app.
From there, you can install the 3rd party apps that are stored on Repository sites, otherwise known as Sources.
There is the extensive list of sources from www.hackint0sh.org (with a zero instead of o) that's updated regularly at http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20096
In another post, I'm going to put up what I think are the best native apps for the iPhone, and which sources they belong to.
Format: Developer > source > Stuff
1. AppTapp Official > repository.apptapp.com > installer
2. Conceited Software> conceitedsoftware.com/iphone >
3. Ste Packaging > psmxy.org/iphone-apps >
4. AlohaSoft 1.0.2 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/102.xml
5. AlohaSoft 1.1.1 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/111.xml
6. AlohaSoft 1.1.2 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/112.xml
7. Apogee LTD > apogeeltd.com
8. aXP > lostsoul.aeroxp.org/iphone/index.xml
9. BigBoss > markmon.mine.nu:90/iphone/repo/repo.plist
10. CedSoft > prog.cedsoft.free.fr (iSnake/Bounce)
11. CopyCoders > homepage.mac.com/hartsteins/copycoders/copycoders.xml (Network Apps)
12. Death to Design > iphone.deathtodesign.com
13. HighTymes > hightymes.org/iphone/plist/index.xml
14. iApp-a-Day > iappaday.com/install
15. Imagine09 > home.twcny.rr.com/imagine09/Imagine09.xml
16. iBlackjack > iphonefanclub.com/native
17. iSpazio > spaziocellulare.com/ispazio.xml
18. iSwitcher > web.mac.com/iswitcher2/list.xml
19. iUnlock > i.unlock.no
20. Limited Edition iPhone > limitededitioniphone.com/lei.xml
21. Loring Studios > loringstudios.com/iPhone-schnapps/index.xml
22. Mateo > bblk.net/iphone (BeatPhone)
23. Mobile Stacks > mobilestack.googlecode.com/svn/repository/internal.plist
24. ModMyiFone.com > modmyifone.com/installer.xml
25. MTL Repository > home.mike.tl/iphone
26. Shai’s Apps > ride4.org/shai.xml
27. R4m0n > iphone.r4m0n.net/repos > iPhysics
28. scummVM > urbanfanatics.com/scummvm.xml
29. Slezak’s Stuff > spencerslezak.com (nothing on it yet)
30. Soneso Repository > soneso.com/iphone
31. Studded > studded.net/installer/index.xml
32. Surge > iphonesurge.com/iphonesurge.xml
33. Swell > lyndellwiggins.com/Swell.xml
34. weiPhone 中国 > app.weiphone.com/installer >weTools/weDict
35. Arabic > apps.iphoneislam.com
36. Chinese 中国／香港 > iphone.org.hk/repository.plist
37. Danish > iphone.vildmedmac.dk/install
38. FrenchIphone > rep.frenchiphone.com
39. Greek > greek-iphone.com/grloc
40. Hebrew עברית > ihebrew.net
50. Norwegian - iFon > install.ifon.no
51. Polish iPolish > krzak.net/iphone
52. Russian iPhone по-русски > russianiphone.ru/beta
53. Russian Tools (in English) > russianiphone.ru/beta/en
54. Spanish Phyros iPhone-ES > iphone.frickr.es/index.xml
55. Swedish iFun.se > ifun.se/swe
56. Taiwanese > iphone4.tw/unlock
57. Vietnamese > iphone.billydragon.net
58. Belgium-iPhone > rep.belgium-iphone.com
59. iCosta 中文键盘 > iphone.freecoder.org/rep/
60. LumaQQ 中文 > lumaqq.linuxsir.org/update/repository.plist
61. varies mods for 1.1.1 homepage.mac.com/bioss/vm.xml
62. Dutch iFoneguide > ifoneguide.nl/repo
63. Automator to add all sources in installer > ride4.org/shai.xml
64. Polar Bear Farm > polarbearfarm.com/repo
65. Robota software house > iphone.robota.nl > chess, guitar, screenshot
66. Belgium-iPhone > rep.belgium-iphone.com
67. various mods for 1.1.1 > repo.aakqtr.com
68. iPhoneBus > iphonebus.com/apps/sky.plist
69. iPhoneSurge > iphonesurge.com/installer.xml
70. iRussian и iUkrainian localizations for iPhone > irussian.com-a.googlepages.com/irussian.xml
3. Ste Packaging > psmxy.org/iphone-apps >
4. AlohaSoft 1.0.2 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/102.xml
5. AlohaSoft 1.1.1 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/111.xml
6. AlohaSoft 1.1.2 > homepage.mac.com/reinholdpenner/112.xml
7. Apogee LTD > apogeeltd.com
8. aXP > lostsoul.aeroxp.org/iphone/index.xml
9. BigBoss > markmon.mine.nu:90/iphone/repo/repo.plist
10. CedSoft > prog.cedsoft.free.fr (iSnake/Bounce)
11. CopyCoders > homepage.mac.com/hartsteins/copycoders/copycoders.xml (Network Apps)
12. Death to Design > iphone.deathtodesign.com
13. HighTymes > hightymes.org/iphone/plist/index.xml
14. iApp-a-Day > iappaday.com/install
15. Imagine09 > home.twcny.rr.com/imagine09/Imagine09.xml
16. iBlackjack > iphonefanclub.com/native
17. iSpazio > spaziocellulare.com/ispazio.xml
18. iSwitcher > web.mac.com/iswitcher2/list.xml
19. iUnlock > i.unlock.no
20. Limited Edition iPhone > limitededitioniphone.com/lei.xml
21. Loring Studios > loringstudios.com/iPhone-schnapps/index.xml
22. Mateo > bblk.net/iphone (BeatPhone)
23. Mobile Stacks > mobilestack.googlecode.com/svn/repository/internal.plist
24. ModMyiFone.com > modmyifone.com/installer.xml
25. MTL Repository > home.mike.tl/iphone
26. Shai’s Apps > ride4.org/shai.xml
27. R4m0n > iphone.r4m0n.net/repos > iPhysics
28. scummVM > urbanfanatics.com/scummvm.xml
29. Slezak’s Stuff > spencerslezak.com (nothing on it yet)
30. Soneso Repository > soneso.com/iphone
31. Studded > studded.net/installer/index.xml
32. Surge > iphonesurge.com/iphonesurge.xml
33. Swell > lyndellwiggins.com/Swell.xml
34. weiPhone 中国 > app.weiphone.com/installer >weTools/weDict
35. Arabic > apps.iphoneislam.com
36. Chinese 中国／香港 > iphone.org.hk/repository.plist
37. Danish > iphone.vildmedmac.dk/install
38. FrenchIphone > rep.frenchiphone.com
39. Greek > greek-iphone.com/grloc
40. Hebrew עברית > ihebrew.net
50. Norwegian - iFon > install.ifon.no
51. Polish iPolish > krzak.net/iphone
52. Russian iPhone по-русски > russianiphone.ru/beta
53. Russian Tools (in English) > russianiphone.ru/beta/en
54. Spanish Phyros iPhone-ES > iphone.frickr.es/index.xml
55. Swedish iFun.se > ifun.se/swe
56. Taiwanese > iphone4.tw/unlock
57. Vietnamese > iphone.billydragon.net
58. Belgium-iPhone > rep.belgium-iphone.com
59. iCosta 中文键盘 > iphone.freecoder.org/rep/
60. LumaQQ 中文 > lumaqq.linuxsir.org/update/repository.plist
61. varies mods for 1.1.1 homepage.mac.com/bioss/vm.xml
62. Dutch iFoneguide > ifoneguide.nl/repo
63. Automator to add all sources in installer > ride4.org/shai.xml
64. Polar Bear Farm > polarbearfarm.com/repo
65. Robota software house > iphone.robota.nl > chess, guitar, screenshot
66. Belgium-iPhone > rep.belgium-iphone.com
67. various mods for 1.1.1 > repo.aakqtr.com
68. iPhoneBus > iphonebus.com/apps/sky.plist
69. iPhoneSurge > iphonesurge.com/installer.xml
70. iRussian и iUkrainian localizations for iPhone > irussian.com-a.googlepages.com/irussian.xml
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