Here is a summary of the articles that were published on the site this past week. If you like any of them, please feel free to share them on Facebook, Twitter, etc...
Is GeoHot working on unlocking baseband 05.12.01 on iPhone 3.1.3? F0recast: find out if you can jailbreak, unlock, downgrade What is unlocking an iPhone? Hey Apple, ban this! Pocket Blu: control your Blu-Ray from your iPhone Who said the iPhone camera sucks? Traveling with an iPhone: my experience in Thailand Is Steve Jobs using a jailbroken iPhone?Month: February 2010
Is Steve Jobs Using A Jailbroken iPhone ?
9 to 5 Mac has an article today about a Mac user who emailed Steve Jobs and received an answer back from him, showing that Steve-o was still using an iPhone running OS 3.1.2.
Why would Steve Jobs use an iPhone with 3.1.2? Well, my guess is that he simply has a jailbroken iPhone and he doesn't want to update to 3.1.3 because he knows it brings nothing more than 3.1.2, except the few usual "bug fixes".
Additionally, I believe Steve doesn't want to lose the ability to unlock his iPhone so he can use it with T-Mobile.
Any other reason why you think Steve Jobs would still be using an iPhone on 3.1.2?
Traveling With An iPhone: My Experience in Thailand
If you follow this blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I'm traveling for a few months and that I am sharing my experience getting pay-as-you-go plans for my iPhone in every country I visit. So far, I've documented my experiences in Australia, New Zealand, Bali, and it is now time to tell you about Thailand.
Before even going to Thailand, I had done a little research on the web about possible options. Turns out that there are only 2 mobile carriers in Thailand. Additionally, I learned that there is no 3G in Thailand as the communication infrastructures to support 3G haven't been put in place yet.
As soon as we went through the customs at Bangkok airport, I turned on my iPhone, which was still under my Balinese carrier. I received a text message telling me to switch to the Balinese partner in Thailand called DTAC. So I did just this, hoping that I'd be able to get on Edge to at least check my emails. No luck for me. While I was able to make calls, I couldn't get on the Internet.
Easily enough, there was a DTAC store right inside the airport. I went to the counter and inquired about prices. The guy was super friendly and spoke a better English than I do, which is always nice.
So he told me that for $3 I could buy a SIM card, and that they had various plans for talk time and data. Since I'm more interested in data than talk time, I asked him if it was possible to have unlimited Internet for a month.
He gave me a pricing sheet that showed me the various options. For unlimited Internet for 30 days, the price was about $30. So I chose this plan and added $10 worth of talk time so we can call hotels and stuff.
In about 5 minutes from the time I walked in to the time I walked out, I had a brand new Thai phone number with unlimited Internet and about 2 hours of talk time. That was without a doubt the most painless experience ever!
Edge is not very fast but I'm used to it now. And to be honest, it feels like Edge in Thailand is as fast as 3G in Bali or Australia.
The coverage is amazing too! We've been traveling to remote little islands and I've always been able to get coverage. Heck, even on ferries while island hopping, I was still able to tweet and email.
Next stop for us is Cambodia. Hopefully my experience getting a plan for my iPhone there will be as pleasant and easy as it was here in Thailand. To be continued...
Who Said the iPhone Camera Sucks?
I said the iPhone camera sucks so many times that I can't even count. Lately though, I have rediscovered the CameraBag app and I have been playing with it. I say "rediscover" because I had completely forgotten about this app and stumbled on it again by accident.
If you don't know CameraBag, basically it's an app that allows you to apply some cool filters to your pictures.
Here are a few images I tweaked with Camerabag (pix from my Australia and Thailand trip)
While CameraBag can't improve the quality of the images, I think it does a great job at getting the most out of them.
CameraBag is available from the App Store for $1.99. I know there are other apps in the Store that pretty much do the same job but I'm too lazy to look for them. If you know any, please let us know by leaving a comment.
Pocket Blu: A Blu-Ray Remote For Your iPhone
Any iPhone totin' PS3 users out there? You might want to turn your bluetooths up, the folks over at Deluxe Digital Studios have a killer app for your 2 favorite gadgets. It's called Pocket Blu, a lovely little client application that talks to any internet capable Blu-ray player (PS3) that happens to be playing a BLU capable DVD.
Awesome thing is, it turns your iPhone into a Blu-ray remote for your PS3. Not so awesome thing is that it doesn't work on all Blu-rays, just ones that are BLU capable, which judging by their library isn't too many.
The app also has some special features for the movies like lost scenes, interviews with the actors, even live reviews from other Pocket Blu users, of the movie you're watching. Debbie Downer told me that it requires a wifi connection to the PS3, but I have a feeling that's not a huge problem for most of our readers.
Overall its a pretty sweet little app, easily worth the free download. If you're a frequent Blu-ray watcher with a PS3, you'll find some space on your springboard for this guy. Imagine you're getting ready to watch a movie, you got your snacks, and your drink. You've forgotten what you wanted in the kitchen twice already and can't wait to finally sit down and start the show. You sit in your favorite chair, and just as you go to recline back and start the movie, you realize, you don't have the PS3 remote. As your left eye starts to twitch, you'll remember you read this article and you'll say to yourself "Thank you Cody" and pull out your iPhone.
Hey, your welcome, and here's hoping we see many more movies become "BLU" capable.
UPDATE: Interestingly enough, there is an extremely similar application is BD Touch Remote by BD Touch LLC. Exact same premise except with "BD Touch" capable blu ray discs. I call this, 2 apps, 1 review.
Any question or comment, please feel free to write us a comment below!
Hey Apple, Ban This!
You may have heard that Apple removed over 4,000 sexy apps from the App Store. Apple SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller explained in the NY Times the reason behind the ban:
It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see.
I think it's very hypocritical from Apple to do that, especially because they still allow apps such as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit or Play Boy. Why keep those apps then?
When asked about the Sports Illustrated app, Mr. Schiller said Apple took the source and intent of an app into consideration. “The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format,” he said.
So I guess parents won't be as upset at what their kids can see on those 2 apps because they come from well-known companies. I fail to understand the reasoning behind this...
Next step for Apple might be to ban Google or even Safari from the iPhone because a simple search on Google Images brings up the following results.
I could have gone much more graphical with the image but you get my point.
I understand the App Store is Apple's own playground and that they can do whatever they want there. What's bugging me though is the dictatorship they have put in place. Not allowing sexy apps in the first place would have been one thing, but removing thousands of sexy apps that were perfectly ok a few days ago is just a Hitler-like move.
Whether you like it or not, it's just the way it is. Personally, I really don't care about these sexy apps but I think it is scary how Apple can change the rules at will. But what are we going to do? Meh, we'll just write a blog post about it, and let it go, because that's all we can do. Once again, I feel like Apple has stabbed iPhone users and developers in the back.
What do you think?
What Is Unlocking?
Unlocking is an extremely easy concept to explain, sort of . Unless stated otherwise, cell phones purchased from carrier retail stores are "locked" to that specific carrier. For instance, a Blackberry storm from Verizon won't work on an AT&T calling plan. The Sprint Palm Pre won't work on T-mobile. Even your iPhone from AT&T is "locked" to that infamous blue-mapped carrier.
So what do you do if you want to purchase a phone you like but use it with a different carrier, perhaps one that costs less or gets better reception in your area? For most folks I'd say " eh fa-gettaboutit ! " (in a pretty sweet Brooklyn/Italian accent might I add). But for those of you lucky enough to have apples on the back of your phones, there are ways to relieve your beloved iPhone from AT&T's struggling network.
Hardware Unlock Vs. Software UnlockTechnically, there are 2 ways to go about unlocking your iPhone. There is a hardware unlock, which is invasive (you have to open the phone), that I don't recommend that anyone tries unless they've got a pretty extensive background in some kind of electrical engineering.
The 2nd, much easier way, the software unlock, could be done on your lunch break by your 6th grader. Just like jailbreaking, this can be as easy as hooking your iPhone up to the computer and clicking 'start'. However the requirements for unlocking and the rules you must follow are very different.
Things to Consider Before UnlockingThere are guidelines to follow when thinking about unlocking your iPhone.
First off you need to make sure that the carrier you are wishing to go to supports the iPhones technology. I'll save everyone here stateside some time and just let the cat out of the bag. If you unlock, really your best option is T-Mobile, the other major wireless GSM carrier. Other, smaller CDMA carriers (any centennial wireless users out here??) have had users confirm the unlock to work, but chances are if your reading an article on unlocking, they are referring to T-Mobile (at least here in the states).
Secondly, you need to know your firmware version and modem firmware version (or baseband as its often referred to). This is easily discovered by popping into your iPhone settings and opening the 'about' window. Now if you can't seem to find it, I'm scared for you, but I'm here for you, I've provided some pictures below to help you out.
These 2 things are important to know, as they determine whether you can unlock your iPhone or not. If you are even thinking of jailbreaking or unlocking, best practice is to stay away from updating your iTunes or iPhone software, as the war between the Dev Team and Apple rages on, each new update could disable or prevent future unlocks.
I always check http://blog.iphone-dev.org/ to see the latest unlock available. As you can see right now, they have one working for firmware version 3.1.3 and baseband 05.11, but if you have updated your iPhone recently and have the 05.12 baseband, you're out of luck for the time being. An unlock is in the works but the ETA field is empty so, don't hold your breath.
Finally if you meet the above requirements and are ready to unlock, you must first jailbreak. Now as you can see from all the hyperlinks in this article, I wrote an article on jailbreaking, and I know Sebastien's got great tutorials in the blog's 'tutorials' section, so if you haven't done that, check that stuff out, meet me back here in 5.
Who Comes Up With Unlocks?The last part of our segment today on unlocking is software, pioneered by the great Dev Team and the prodigy kid from New Jersey GeoHot. GeoHot, who recently announced hacking the PS3, actually received media attention for his iPhone unlock and was given a new Nissan 350z by the co founder of Certicell, not bad eh.
But the backbone of the jailbreak/unlock community, the Dev Team, have been the steady frontrunners ever since. Their software QuickPwn, RedSn0w, and PwnageTool have been staples in the iPhone hacking community for years.
Generally when you're using these programs to jailbreak they ask you if you'd like to unlock in one of the steps it takes you through. Here lately though, 1 task programs like UltraSnow have been relevant, also done by the Dev Team, also available in our downloads section.
ConclusionWell that's unlocking in 10 minutes or less, the key really is what version your firmware/modem firmware you're running, and understanding there's no unlock for 3.1.3 firmware if you have 05.12 modem firmware (baseband).
The model of your iPhone matters as well, whether it is the iPhone 3G , 3GS, or original version. Model compatibility for any unlock software is generally noted in the description of the download. And if I haven't completely crushed your dreams yet, there's no way to downgrade your baseband (let us know if you get Fuzzyband to work, we hear the bootloader's to high). What am I talking about bootloaders, basebands, you guys should probably get out of here before things get really crazy.
Make sure to hit us up with any questions or comments.
F0recast Tells if You Can Jailbreak, Unlock, Untether, Downgrade Your iPhone
F0recast is a new tool by iH8Sn0w (the developer of sn0wbreeze) that I think is going to be of tremendous help to many jailbreakers and unlockers out there.
It's become quite complicated to follow up with the jailbreaking and downgrading requirements lately and many people just can't figure out whether they can jailbreak, unlock, downgrade or not. That's where F0recast comes in.
f0recast is a tool for Windows® that will check your iPods and iPhones to determine whether it is tethered, or unlockable (iPhone Only).
It is just a real simple app for users who are confused about their device being tethered or able to unlock.
It even tells iPhone user's their Boot loader, so if you are an iPhone 3G user with the 5.8 Bootloader, it will notify you that you can downgrade your baseband if you wish to unlock.
So basically, F0recast will tell you:
if you can have an untethered jailbreak or not if you can unlock or not and what tool you can use to unlock if you can downgrade or notYou can download F0recast for free from here.
Is Geohot Working on Unlocking Baseband 05.12.01 for iPhone 3.1.3?
Did Geohot change his mind? A few weeks ago he said that he would not work on OS 3.1.3 but what he tweeted yesterday suggests otherwise.
Apparently Musclenerd and Geohot are talking to each other to figure out whether his exploit is the same as the one discovered by Sherriff a few days ago.
This unlock would sure be a life saver to the many iPhone owners who "accidentally" updated their device to 3.1.3.
iPhone News You Missed This Week
Sunday is recap day! If you missed any of this week's articles, here is a summary of everything that was posted on the blog.
How to backup and restore your jailbreak apps How to Fix iPhone Errors 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604 iPhone Password Breaker How to disable automatic iPhone backup Apple Store manager calls mall cops on jailbreaker Does Apple have to worry about fakes?Does Apple Have to Worry About Fakes?
A very good friend returned from a recent trip to China and called it the country of fakes – from Apple to Blackberry, China had all the recent models of mobile phones cloned and selling at less than half their original prices. They’re not exactly the same as the originals of course, although they look strikingly similar and are built with even more features than the models they’re supposed to be aping.
The fake iPhone for example is available at one-fourth of the price of the original, and it looks and feels like the real deal although those who know their Apple products and are blessed with sharp eyes will realize right off the bat that the dimensions are a bit off (the screen is not as wide as in the original).
While I do admit that Apple does a great job with quality, I do have a grouse against them not only because their products are priced exorbitantly, but also because they don’t standardize their offerings.
In short, it bugs me that I have to pay a bomb to buy from Apple and yet not be able to use their products with other gadgets. When there is no USB port on the new, much-hyped-about iPad, how on earth are you supposed to connect it to most other storage and communication devices?
Well, the fakes take care of that for you – the copycat iPhones include a mini USB connector instead of the iPod dock connector and they also have many more features that the real iPhone does not. Also, if you’re buying a fake iPod, you know you can use it as a mass storage device as well and just plug it to play or load songs from your PC.
And for those of you who worry about the size of the iPhone, well, there’s a miniature alternative available – the CECT m188 is exactly like a dwarf iPhone which is available unlocked and which supports dual SIM cards. It comes with an MP3 and MP4 player and also supports GPRS connectivity.
But even with all this direct attack on, I don’t think Apple has anything to worry about – whatever their faults, you do have to admit that they come out with products of the highest quality with efficient operating systems and attractive features and that look really great. They make great status symbols, and this is one thing the clones can never take away, the power of the brand called Apple.
What Apple does have to worry about is the threat of legitimate competition from manufacturers of other smart phones and gadgets, companies who are known for their status and quality too, and who finally may score over Apple just because they allow for standardization in their products and are not as hoity-toity as Apple.
This guest post is contributed by Brenda Harris, who writes on the topic of executive mba programs. She can be reached by email at brenda.harris91@gmail.com . If you would like to guest post on this blog, please check out the guidelines.
Apple Store Manager Calls Mall Cops On Jailbreaker
That's a funny story that HotRod1964, one of my Twitter buddies, sent me the other day. It's quite a long story but I'll try to make it short.
Basically, our friend went to the Apple Store to kill time for an hour. While in the Apple Store he talked with one of the employees and showed him his jailbroken iPod Touch. The employee then called up the manager who wanted our friend to turn his "illegal" iPod in.
So what did Mr Manager do? He called the mall cops, who pretty much told him to F off as there was no reason why he would have the power of taking our friend's iPod from him.
You can read the full story below:
Went to local APP STORE about 2 weeks ago. For nothing other then I was in the area and had an hour to kill. Figured I'd browse around. Obviously, they were very polite and a salesperson approached me to see if I needed some help (store was not busy at all). Told him "Nope, just browisng". Being that they were not busy he starts asking me what type of comp I have, what kind of phone and etc...When I told him I dont have an iphone he asked why and if I was interested in 1. I explained why and told him I am not interested due to apples unwillingness to allow owners to 'do their own thing' and that I have no intention of paying for an iphone if apple is going to handcuff me....he kept going on and on about what I was missing out on......I then told him I was more then happy with my new droid and I was more then happy with my Itouch. he said "Oh, so you do have an iTouch then?" I said yep and pulled it out. Flipped the case open and hit the home button and he saw my lockscreen, which is the Grateful Dead with some other 'goodies' on there. he sort of stepped back and his eyes popped wide. he asked if he could look at it..I would NOT hand it to him, but what the hell, it is my device so screw em....I slid the lockscreen to access the device and very obviously (i'm sure he knew as soon as he saw my lockscreen) at first look he knew it was JB'd. he didnt say anything other then going sort of quiet and saying "wow"......He walked away.....I was then approached by the manager. He said " I was informed you have an ILLEGAL iTouch".....I replied "I do have an iTouch but that it was not ILLEGAL". he then asked if it was 'modified'.....I said ( and happily I may add) "Yep, it IS MODIFIED...You should get one yourself as you dont know what you are missing out on"....he then said "Sir, that is an ILLEGAL device"....I said "Your NUTS....It is my device I paid for. I own it and can do anything I damn well please with it".....he then said "Sir, the device you have IS illegal....I must now ask you to turn over the ILLEGAL device at once". I responded and said "Dude, your nuts, it is not illegal and if you think I am giving it to you, I have a bridge in the sahara desert I'd like to sell you"....he then said "sir, if you refuse to turn over your ILLEGAL device I must have a copy of your drivers license"......I said " Dude, you really are nuts..your not taking my itouch and you have no right to ask for my DL"..he then said I had to either give him my itouch or my DL or he will contact security...LOL..Oh boy..the MALL POLICE!!!.....I told him "go right ahead..I'll make myself comfy and wait".....Instead of the MALL POLICE..and actual Police Officer came....They spoke to the manager..then came to me.....I told them I am breaking no laws and there is no way in hell anybody is taking my itouch unless the COURTS order me to turn it over...I said..here is my info...take me to court.....Otherwise, get off my friggin back or I will sue apple and file complaints against you as just because you have a badge does NOT give you the right to detain me or ask me to give you my personal possessions unless you can tell me WHAT LAW I AM BREAKING.....They walked away.....talked to the manager...came back and said "sorry for the inconvenience. You have a pleasant day"......and I left.........Anyway, just thought I'd share this since I see others posting about geting banned from their stores and etc, and I want to make sure everybody knows..DO NOT LET THEM CON YOU INTO GIVING UP YOUR DEVICE...some are intimidated by the authorities so may give up their device out of 'fear'....DONT DO IT.....Tell them to explain what law you are breaking and to either arrest you or get F*cked...do not let them CON you into giving up YOUR PERSONAL iphone/itouch!!!!!