Sep 16

iphone jailbreak

So you updated to the new 2.1 firmware on your iPhone or iPod touch, now you want to jailbreak it? Well you’re in luck! The iPhone Dev Team has just released their jailbreak tool for both the iPhone and iPod touch. Head on over to the iPhone Dev Team’s blog for the jailbreak tool.

-Ray

[Source: arstechnica]

Sep 16

podcaster

Apple has been pulling apps off the App Store recently that they feel don’t serve a purpose, but many of these apps are really cool and many iPhone owners still want them. A developer found a slick way of still getting these banned iPhone apps. The article below discusses exactly how to get these banned iPhone apps:

What prompted the debate in the first place was Apple’s decision to reject an app known as the Podcaster, which would have permitted you to listen to podcasts without first downloading them in iTunes. Because the app “duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes,” says Apple, they decided to reject it from inclusion in the App store.

To get around what many people consider to be an unfair ban, Alex Sokirynsky, the developer of the Podcaster app, decided to utilize a little-known feature of the iPhone/iPod Touch: “Ad Hoc App Distribution.” This largely unknown feature allows any developer to distribute apps themselves, without using the App Store to do so.

Unfairly Rejected?
On almerica.blogspot.com, Sokirynsky wrote how he doesn’t understand why Apple can reject his app for duplicating iTunes functionality when similar apps do the same. Specifically he mentions how any calculator app duplicates the functionality of the Apple calculator. Yet what’s even more strange, he notes, is the fact that there are already several apps that allow you to listen to a podcast outside of iTunes. For example, popular apps like Diggnation and Mobility Today are designed just for streaming podcasts. Those apps are not banned from the App Store, so why is his?

Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 15

iphone pay as you go

It’s been recently discovered that the new Apple iPhone 3G works without a contract for both voice and data without any hacks or modifications or even a jailbreak. Just use an AT&T Pay as You Go SIM card with a data plan and it will work as usual. Too bad you need to monthly plan to even buy a new iPhone 3G or this would be a great option for many people. This would come in handy for international use however. Maybe 2 years from now when all those pesky plans will be up users can keep their 3G iPhones, dump their plans and just pay for however many minutes they feel they’d need.

-Ray

[Source: tauw]

Sep 5

Jonathan Zdziarski, a data-forensics expert, was the saviour who opened up the iPhone to 3rd party developers. Now in a surprise move, Zdziarski is planning to hold a webcast on September 11 to show law enforcement officials how to bypass the iPhone’s passcode lock by using a custom firmware bundle. The purpose of the webcast is to educate law enforcement to perform forensics on iPhones and iPod Touches dropped by criminals. If this were the case, it would be easier for law enforcement to attain sensitive data in such devices, but at the same time, it would make it easy for anybody to attain such information. I’m not too sure about how I feel about this webcast. What I find troubling about this webcast is Zdziarski’s motivation for doing this. Showing this online would give hackers and others better access to information we would not want in the wrong hands. Check back as more information comes our way.

- Geoff

[Source: Wired]

Aug 18

There isn’t much to hate about Jail-breaking your phone, but one thing I have to complain about is having to sit and wait for your iPhone to restore every time a Firmware update comes around. This restoration takes the better part of an hour, and as you can imagine it isn’t much fun at all.

Luckily, a few days ago the iPhone Dev-Team released a version of QuickPwn, that allows you to jailbreak your iPhone without having to restore your iPhone’s entire contents. This app is Windows only and is still in it’s beta stages, so just ignore the bugs and the Wonky UI for now.

-Jameson

[Source: The iPhone Blog]

Jul 29
Brando iPhone 3G Replacement Screen

Brando iPhone 3G Replacement Screen

One of the big surprises to come out of the iPhone 3G was that the LCD touch screen is now user replaceable. This means for those of you whom may end up dropping your phone, there is hopes of redeeming your shattered screen.

This prospect is now even more attainable due to Brando’s recent announcement that they will begin selling replacement LCD screens specifically for the iPhone 3G. These screens sell for $85, and require some DIY skills, but it sure is better than paying Apple big bucks for a brand new phone. You can check out the Brando Store here.

-Jameson

[Source: iPhone Alley]

Jul 17

This article was originally posted on the iPhone Spies blog

The iPhone Dev team is well known for their Pwnage Tool, the software which allows people to unlock their iPhone’s to install unauthorized third-party applications. The upcoming release of the newest tool will be the biggest due to the fact that it will have the capability to jailbreak the original iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPhone 3G. This version will be released soon, however the Dev Team has put a slightly disheartening disclaimer on it: it will not be able to “unlock” the iPhone 3G. The team says that the 3G is going to be a bit more difficult to unlock to other carriers than that of it’s predecessor. So if you were looking to get out of that At&t contract soon, you may have to wait another month. Either that or stick with a first generation iPhone.

-Jameson

[Source: Engadget]

Jul 7

Belgian coder Thomas Joos has made history, by posting up a video of his iPhone running Flash Lite on YouTube. This comes several weeks after Adobe announced plans to bring Flash to the iPhone, and Apple said that they had no intent to bring it to the iPhone.

Watching this video, you can see that it is obviously possible to have Flash work on the iPhone. The only problem is trying to integrate it into the Safari browser. Hopefully this prompt Apple to look further into working with Adobe to the iPhone, which I can only hope for.

-Jameson

[Source: Gizmodo]

Jun 30

Phone plans for Apple’s iPhone comes with a certain number of text messages depending on what plan you have but it’s easy to go over this allotted number, and pricey! Macsimum News has provided a way to send free text messages via the free service Teleflip.com. Enjoy!

1. Create a new email message.
2. In the To: box, type 10digitnumber@teleflip.com. (1235551234@teleflip.com)
3. Type a message and click send.
4. The message will be sent to the cell phone with the number in the To: box
5. All recieved text messages will be sent to you as an email.

-Ray

[Source: Macsimum News]

Jun 26

The iPhone’s greatest vice is the fact that it gives of a ridiculously large amount of cell phone resistance when near a radios or speakers. Attempting to combat the annoying buzzing that is prevalent when and iPhone is near, people have come up with creative ways to prevent it.

One of the most interesting inventions I’ve seen thus far, is the Redbull can interference-shield method.

To do this it requires some sharp scissors, an empty Redbull can, an iPhone dock, and a lot of patience. The end result looks like the picture above.

I suppose I would try this, but the dock that came with my iPhone doesn’t work for syncing. The only thing I can use it for is charging my phone. In addition to this, i have to take my Agent 18 case off every time I want to use it.

-Jameson