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!

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... :)

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)

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!!!!!

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! :)