Caller ID spoofing has been around for several years now and the controversy surrounding it has not waned. Call spoofing is the act of changing the phone number that appears on someone's call display when you place a call to them. Instead of blocking or revealing your real number, you choose the number that is displayed.
Although it is still somewhat unknown to the general public, this type of service has continued to gain in popularity and is used by everyone from regular individuals to professionals, law enforcement, and even celebrities. It's a tool that allows people to retain anonymity and keep their identity, or at least their phone numbers, private. Even when placing a call to someone that is familiar and trusted, there is a chance that the person's telephone could be lost or stolen with your number contained on it. For celebrities in particular, this could be disastrous.
There are several providers that offer the call spoofing service to anyone. In addition to call spoofing, other services and calling features have been added over the years. Some of these include voice changing, call recording, SMS spoofing, personal Spoof Numbers, and, most recently, mobile applications.
SpoofTel, one caller ID spoofing provider, has recently released an iPhone application that allows you to use its service from your iPhone. Due to its controversy, it has not become available on the iPhone store but is still available for download on other sites. Although it is still fairly new, the application has already been downloaded by thousands of iPhone users.
Caller ID spoofing has appeared in various news stories over the years, typically related to some type of proposal to ban or outlaw the service. There is a lot of controversy surrounding call spoofing because it has been know in the past to be used by scammers. Certain individuals have used spoofing services for fraudulent and illegal purposes in the past. However, most providers have become quite successful at preventing scammers from exploiting their services and it has not been as large of a problem as it was in the past. As well, spoofing services are used by many individuals for a multitude of purposes. The majority of individuals use spoofing services legitimately.
With spoofing providers continuously producing additional services and features, it doesn't look like caller ID spoofing is going anywhere any time soon.
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Sunday 28 March 2010
Apple iPhone Insurance - Top 3 Loopholes
Apple iPhone insurance is definitely a pretty touchy subject for me. After all, I lost two brand-new iPhones within a two-month period, and guess what, they weren't insured. I couldn't believe it. The main reason I didn't get my act together and insure my precious phones was because I was disgusted with the amount I had to pay through the 'big swinger' high street providers.
Are you having the same issues? Well dont hold off and make the same mistakes I did. Save yourself £1000 and alot of heartbreak and stress. The key is though not to go with the expensive £15 per month option. Follow my three little loopholes below and you will save yourself plenty of cash.
Apple iPhone Insurance - TOP 3 LOOPHOLES
1. Online Insurance companies are the way forward - No overheads = lower premiums. It makes sense right? Carry out a simple Google search for 'Apple iPhone insurance' and you will quickly see that there is a huge amount of companies out there who will save you up to 50% on the high street prices, for exactly the same cover. What really bugs me is the large corporations think they have the market cornered, and most people dont even question the high premiums. Find a good online company, do your research and save yourself up to 50%. Its that easy - why haven't you done it before?
2. Do you have a premium bank account? - Another sneaky loophole to save money on Apple iPhone insurance. Some banks offer their premium bank account holders FREE mobile phone insurance. Lloyds TSB for example offer fantastic cover which wont cost you a penny. The only downside is that not everyone will qualify for this account. Be prepared though to really work for your claim by filling out alot of paperwork. And also check the amount that the bank will pay out, as it usually wont be the total amount for the latest iPhone. Still though, its pretty spectacular cause its free!
3. Are you a home owner? - Another really cool loophole that's available to most people. When you purchase a home, you will almost definitely have home contents cover. What this means is that you will be able to protect your personal belongings (on top of household goods such as flat screen TVs) when you are inside and outside your home. For example, this may include gold watches, engagement rings and yep, you guessed it, mobile phones! An important point to remember is that you dont want to make a claim and break your no claims bonus. But I actually rang up and added 'no claims bonus protection' to my policy for a nominal amount per month. it really was that easy. Again, you may not be covered for the full amount of your mobile phone, and you will also have to fill out quite a bit of paperwork to make a claim.
So there you have it folks, my top three loopholes on how to save money on Apple iPhone insurance.
In all honesty though, my the best loophole is to go with and independent insurance company, mainly because its hassle free, fast and offers the best value for money.
Are you having the same issues? Well dont hold off and make the same mistakes I did. Save yourself £1000 and alot of heartbreak and stress. The key is though not to go with the expensive £15 per month option. Follow my three little loopholes below and you will save yourself plenty of cash.
Apple iPhone Insurance - TOP 3 LOOPHOLES
1. Online Insurance companies are the way forward - No overheads = lower premiums. It makes sense right? Carry out a simple Google search for 'Apple iPhone insurance' and you will quickly see that there is a huge amount of companies out there who will save you up to 50% on the high street prices, for exactly the same cover. What really bugs me is the large corporations think they have the market cornered, and most people dont even question the high premiums. Find a good online company, do your research and save yourself up to 50%. Its that easy - why haven't you done it before?
2. Do you have a premium bank account? - Another sneaky loophole to save money on Apple iPhone insurance. Some banks offer their premium bank account holders FREE mobile phone insurance. Lloyds TSB for example offer fantastic cover which wont cost you a penny. The only downside is that not everyone will qualify for this account. Be prepared though to really work for your claim by filling out alot of paperwork. And also check the amount that the bank will pay out, as it usually wont be the total amount for the latest iPhone. Still though, its pretty spectacular cause its free!
3. Are you a home owner? - Another really cool loophole that's available to most people. When you purchase a home, you will almost definitely have home contents cover. What this means is that you will be able to protect your personal belongings (on top of household goods such as flat screen TVs) when you are inside and outside your home. For example, this may include gold watches, engagement rings and yep, you guessed it, mobile phones! An important point to remember is that you dont want to make a claim and break your no claims bonus. But I actually rang up and added 'no claims bonus protection' to my policy for a nominal amount per month. it really was that easy. Again, you may not be covered for the full amount of your mobile phone, and you will also have to fill out quite a bit of paperwork to make a claim.
So there you have it folks, my top three loopholes on how to save money on Apple iPhone insurance.
In all honesty though, my the best loophole is to go with and independent insurance company, mainly because its hassle free, fast and offers the best value for money.
Thursday 25 March 2010
Apple’s Latest iPhone Sees Slow Japan Sales
Two months after its launch, the latest version of Apple Inc.’s iPhone is showing strong sales around the world — except in Japan.
Apple’s partnership with Japan’s third-largest mobile operator, Softbank Corp., to sell the iPhone 3G certainly created a buzz. Like elsewhere, Japanese consumers lined up at stores in advance of the phone’s release on July 11, and many locations sold out almost immediately. But now analysts estimate that demand in Japan has fallen to a third of what it was initially and analysts are now expecting fewer iPhone sales. There is no supply shortage: The device is readily available in Apple and Softbank stores and other outlets. Major electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera’s megastore in the western city of Osaka, for example, recently had more than 100 of them stacked up in open view.
A spokesman for Softbank, which has 19.5 million wireless subscribers, said the iPhone continues to be popular, but declined to provide details. A spokesman for Apple Japan declined to comment. Sales have been slowed by the iPhone’s relatively high price and the fact that Japan is already home to some of the world’s most advanced cellphones. The iPhone’s limited success so far shows how tough it continues to be for foreign manufacturers to crack the Japanese cellphone market.
More than 10 domestic handset manufacturers compete for a slice of Japan’s cellphone market, one of the world’s largest with annual sales of 50 million phones. Nokia Corp., the industry leader in global shipments, has less than 1% share in Japan. Instead, Sharp Corp. leads the Japanese market, with about 25% of shipments. The global market is more than one billion phones.
Still, expectations had been high that if anyone could break into such an insular market, Apple would with the iPhone 3G because of its strong brand name and popularity of its iPod players and Macintosh computers. The original iPhone wasn’t sold in Japan.
According to market-research firm MM Research Institute, Apple sold about 200,000 phones in Japan in the first two months. Since then, however, demand has been falling steadily, and analysts now widely believe sales are unlikely to reach a total of 500,000 units. That is half the one million units that they previously thought Apple could sell. One big challenge is that Japanese users already have access to some of the most advanced mobile-phone technologies in the world. Models currently sold by Japanese cellphone makers typically contain a high-end color display, digital TV-viewing capability, satellite navigation service, music player and digital camera. Many models also include chips that let owners use their phones as debit cards or train passes. Noriko Tanaka, a 34-year-old Softbank customer in Tokyo, said she likes the iPhone’s touch screen, but would prefer a phone with digital television capability. “The touch screen looks fun, but I’m not sure I could get used to it,” said Ms. Tanaka.
Another challenge for Softbank is that Apple’s marketing for the new iPhone has touted the devices compatibility with 3G wireless networks, which give users faster access to the Internet. While this is a relatively new service in the U.S., 3G access has been a standard feature on Japanese phones for years.
“The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn’t have,” says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. He said one small but must-have feature that is often cited as a deficiency in the iPhone is the lack of “emoji,” clip art that can be inserted in sentences to jazz up emails. Japanese consumers have also shied away from the phone because of its high price. Through a complex discount equation, Softbank makes a 16-gigabyte phone available for about 58,560 yen, or around $540, for current Softbank customers or 34,560 yen, or around $320, for new customers, both prices require a two-year contract. That compares with a U.S. price of $299 with AT&T Inc. under similar conditions.
In addition, Japanese customers pay as much as $60 a month to access the Internet and download software applications, along with the usual calling charges. Softbank has lowered its starting data service price since the iPhone launch, but the potential cost is prohibitive for some people, particularly when many Japanese phones are on sale at a lower price.
One iPhone feature that is unique even to Japanese users is the App Store, Apple’s online clearinghouse for software, such as games and reference guides. The App Store is popular among U.S. users, but hasn’t taken hold as much in Japan, where consumers tend to be more cautious about making purchases online.
Takuro Hiraoka, an analyst for GfK Marketing Services Japan Ltd., says Apple could take more advantage of this feature to boost sales going forward. “Japanese users don’t know what to do with an iPhone,” he said. “Sales could grow if Apple provides specific examples of how it can be used.”
Apple’s partnership with Japan’s third-largest mobile operator, Softbank Corp., to sell the iPhone 3G certainly created a buzz. Like elsewhere, Japanese consumers lined up at stores in advance of the phone’s release on July 11, and many locations sold out almost immediately. But now analysts estimate that demand in Japan has fallen to a third of what it was initially and analysts are now expecting fewer iPhone sales. There is no supply shortage: The device is readily available in Apple and Softbank stores and other outlets. Major electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera’s megastore in the western city of Osaka, for example, recently had more than 100 of them stacked up in open view.
A spokesman for Softbank, which has 19.5 million wireless subscribers, said the iPhone continues to be popular, but declined to provide details. A spokesman for Apple Japan declined to comment. Sales have been slowed by the iPhone’s relatively high price and the fact that Japan is already home to some of the world’s most advanced cellphones. The iPhone’s limited success so far shows how tough it continues to be for foreign manufacturers to crack the Japanese cellphone market.
More than 10 domestic handset manufacturers compete for a slice of Japan’s cellphone market, one of the world’s largest with annual sales of 50 million phones. Nokia Corp., the industry leader in global shipments, has less than 1% share in Japan. Instead, Sharp Corp. leads the Japanese market, with about 25% of shipments. The global market is more than one billion phones.
Still, expectations had been high that if anyone could break into such an insular market, Apple would with the iPhone 3G because of its strong brand name and popularity of its iPod players and Macintosh computers. The original iPhone wasn’t sold in Japan.
According to market-research firm MM Research Institute, Apple sold about 200,000 phones in Japan in the first two months. Since then, however, demand has been falling steadily, and analysts now widely believe sales are unlikely to reach a total of 500,000 units. That is half the one million units that they previously thought Apple could sell. One big challenge is that Japanese users already have access to some of the most advanced mobile-phone technologies in the world. Models currently sold by Japanese cellphone makers typically contain a high-end color display, digital TV-viewing capability, satellite navigation service, music player and digital camera. Many models also include chips that let owners use their phones as debit cards or train passes. Noriko Tanaka, a 34-year-old Softbank customer in Tokyo, said she likes the iPhone’s touch screen, but would prefer a phone with digital television capability. “The touch screen looks fun, but I’m not sure I could get used to it,” said Ms. Tanaka.
Another challenge for Softbank is that Apple’s marketing for the new iPhone has touted the devices compatibility with 3G wireless networks, which give users faster access to the Internet. While this is a relatively new service in the U.S., 3G access has been a standard feature on Japanese phones for years.
“The iPhone is a difficult phone to use for the Japanese market because there are so many features it doesn’t have,” says Eimei Yokota, an analyst with MM Research. He said one small but must-have feature that is often cited as a deficiency in the iPhone is the lack of “emoji,” clip art that can be inserted in sentences to jazz up emails. Japanese consumers have also shied away from the phone because of its high price. Through a complex discount equation, Softbank makes a 16-gigabyte phone available for about 58,560 yen, or around $540, for current Softbank customers or 34,560 yen, or around $320, for new customers, both prices require a two-year contract. That compares with a U.S. price of $299 with AT&T Inc. under similar conditions.
In addition, Japanese customers pay as much as $60 a month to access the Internet and download software applications, along with the usual calling charges. Softbank has lowered its starting data service price since the iPhone launch, but the potential cost is prohibitive for some people, particularly when many Japanese phones are on sale at a lower price.
One iPhone feature that is unique even to Japanese users is the App Store, Apple’s online clearinghouse for software, such as games and reference guides. The App Store is popular among U.S. users, but hasn’t taken hold as much in Japan, where consumers tend to be more cautious about making purchases online.
Takuro Hiraoka, an analyst for GfK Marketing Services Japan Ltd., says Apple could take more advantage of this feature to boost sales going forward. “Japanese users don’t know what to do with an iPhone,” he said. “Sales could grow if Apple provides specific examples of how it can be used.”
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Google Android-Powered Phones Get Delayed – Rumours
Despite of expectations and promises, the long-awaited phones featuring Google Android operating system (OS) may note emerge on the market until sometime in late Q1 2009 since handset maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has certain software related problems.
According to Trip Chowdhry, an analyst of Global Equities Research, HTC is “having structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set”. Apparently, HTC is “demanding a guaranteed minimum revenue surety from Google”, from which Mr. Chowdhry concludes that “HTC does not think there will be enough demand for GPhone,” reports Barrons web-site.
The fact that Google demands pre-specified feature-set from the Android-powered phones is definitely positive, as it greatly eases choice for end-users. However, the fact that HTC is unsure about the success of the so-called Gphone is alarming.
In fact, according to the analyst, who cites industry sources, Google Android operating system “is not able to attract enough developers because toolkits offered by Microsoft, Apple, Research in Motion, and Nokia’s Symbian software group, have sucked up software developers’ attention”. This is exactly a thing to worry about: without third-party applications many end-users may not become interested in Google-powered devices, not only because they are used to their Blackberry or Nokia, but also because of lack of software for the Android platform.
Google itself denied the report from the analyst and said that the Android remains on-track.
“We remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset this year and we’re very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, handset manufacturers, developers and consumers,” a spokesperson from Google said in an interview with News.com.
According to Trip Chowdhry, an analyst of Global Equities Research, HTC is “having structural problems to incorporate Google’s demanded feature set”. Apparently, HTC is “demanding a guaranteed minimum revenue surety from Google”, from which Mr. Chowdhry concludes that “HTC does not think there will be enough demand for GPhone,” reports Barrons web-site.
The fact that Google demands pre-specified feature-set from the Android-powered phones is definitely positive, as it greatly eases choice for end-users. However, the fact that HTC is unsure about the success of the so-called Gphone is alarming.
In fact, according to the analyst, who cites industry sources, Google Android operating system “is not able to attract enough developers because toolkits offered by Microsoft, Apple, Research in Motion, and Nokia’s Symbian software group, have sucked up software developers’ attention”. This is exactly a thing to worry about: without third-party applications many end-users may not become interested in Google-powered devices, not only because they are used to their Blackberry or Nokia, but also because of lack of software for the Android platform.
Google itself denied the report from the analyst and said that the Android remains on-track.
“We remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset this year and we’re very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, handset manufacturers, developers and consumers,” a spokesperson from Google said in an interview with News.com.
Sunday 21 March 2010
The GFlash+ iPhone Flash Card Solution Turns more than Cards
Well, since I haven’t quite figured out how to make money being a gadget nerd, I’m forced to keep my day job. Unfortunately for me, that day job requires that I be up to date on all state-required licenses, and wouldn’t you know it, its time for renewal. So with a week or so before exam date, I’m given study material and some time off.
“I’m screwed,” I thought, staring at the 300 page study guide with intimidation. After about half an hour of highlighting the same sentence over and over, my trusty iPhone came to the rescue. To the App Store! I knew I had come across a flash card application on there that might be just what I needed to keep focused. Sure enough, gWhiz mobile’s gFlash+ [iTunes Link] showed up in my search and better yet, was available for free.
The application is about as simple as it gets. It comes with 3 sample topics, showing off the app’s ability to offer flash cards in standard Q&A form, True or False form, and even multiple choice. After browsing the small catalog of flash card topics, it was obvious I was going to have to make my own. This is also fairly simple, as long as you have some sort of google account (iGoogle, Gmail, documents, etc.) because the program depends upon google documents’ spreadsheet application. Here you put your question in column A, and your answer directly beside it in column B, and this will make up the front and back of your flash card.
After making all your flash cards, you’ll need to download them onto your iPhone. I know it seems like I’m being repetitive but this, too, is extremely simple. From the main menu you choose the ‘download your own data’ option, and after a quick google sign in (you’ll only have to do this once), you’re looking at all downloadable data in your google documents folder. Of course, you’ll select the spreadsheet you just devised, and it’ll take a second to download.
I myself made about 100 flash cards of vocabulary words and definitions. The first card shows up with the word, and after I answer, I touch the card to turn it over and reveal the correct answer. The program does keep track of your progress by allowing you to press a check mark or an x depending on if you got the questions right or not. It is optional for you to have your total correct answers display at the top of the screen.
Over all this program is extremely functional and easy to use, it definitely served its purpose. I can study anywhere, anytime I want. I can do a few vocab words, or the whole 100, it’s fantastic. As an iPhone application, though, it’s held to high standards. The GUI could be dressed up a bit, and if anyone from gWhiz is listening, how about a full screen view, with actual note card backgrounds. And as long as we’re throwing out ideas here, how about voice recognition ability that can tell if you answered correctly or not. Well, for now, let’s just work on making this software more reliable.
Anyone who has read my reviews in the past, knows how much I hate crashing, and this one tended to do it more than I wanted it to. But gFlash+ is nonetheless great at what it does, and it has helped me out tremendously, being able to take my studying with me wherever I go. A note should also be made that this software is also available for blackberry/treo phones, and while not as cool as the 3G, it enables my co workers to download my license exam review from the gWhiz website for their cell phones. Guess who the most popular guy at the office is?
P.S.
Another hi tech studying tip is recording yourself reading material you have to study/remember with a recording app on your iPhone. Now when you go to sleep tonight, pop in your head phones, and put the recording you made earlier on loop. I’m not promising you’ll wake up in the morning with a head full of knowledge, but at least you are increasing your exposure to the material. Thank you, thank you, hold your applause.
“I’m screwed,” I thought, staring at the 300 page study guide with intimidation. After about half an hour of highlighting the same sentence over and over, my trusty iPhone came to the rescue. To the App Store! I knew I had come across a flash card application on there that might be just what I needed to keep focused. Sure enough, gWhiz mobile’s gFlash+ [iTunes Link] showed up in my search and better yet, was available for free.
The application is about as simple as it gets. It comes with 3 sample topics, showing off the app’s ability to offer flash cards in standard Q&A form, True or False form, and even multiple choice. After browsing the small catalog of flash card topics, it was obvious I was going to have to make my own. This is also fairly simple, as long as you have some sort of google account (iGoogle, Gmail, documents, etc.) because the program depends upon google documents’ spreadsheet application. Here you put your question in column A, and your answer directly beside it in column B, and this will make up the front and back of your flash card.
After making all your flash cards, you’ll need to download them onto your iPhone. I know it seems like I’m being repetitive but this, too, is extremely simple. From the main menu you choose the ‘download your own data’ option, and after a quick google sign in (you’ll only have to do this once), you’re looking at all downloadable data in your google documents folder. Of course, you’ll select the spreadsheet you just devised, and it’ll take a second to download.
I myself made about 100 flash cards of vocabulary words and definitions. The first card shows up with the word, and after I answer, I touch the card to turn it over and reveal the correct answer. The program does keep track of your progress by allowing you to press a check mark or an x depending on if you got the questions right or not. It is optional for you to have your total correct answers display at the top of the screen.
Over all this program is extremely functional and easy to use, it definitely served its purpose. I can study anywhere, anytime I want. I can do a few vocab words, or the whole 100, it’s fantastic. As an iPhone application, though, it’s held to high standards. The GUI could be dressed up a bit, and if anyone from gWhiz is listening, how about a full screen view, with actual note card backgrounds. And as long as we’re throwing out ideas here, how about voice recognition ability that can tell if you answered correctly or not. Well, for now, let’s just work on making this software more reliable.
Anyone who has read my reviews in the past, knows how much I hate crashing, and this one tended to do it more than I wanted it to. But gFlash+ is nonetheless great at what it does, and it has helped me out tremendously, being able to take my studying with me wherever I go. A note should also be made that this software is also available for blackberry/treo phones, and while not as cool as the 3G, it enables my co workers to download my license exam review from the gWhiz website for their cell phones. Guess who the most popular guy at the office is?
P.S.
Another hi tech studying tip is recording yourself reading material you have to study/remember with a recording app on your iPhone. Now when you go to sleep tonight, pop in your head phones, and put the recording you made earlier on loop. I’m not promising you’ll wake up in the morning with a head full of knowledge, but at least you are increasing your exposure to the material. Thank you, thank you, hold your applause.
iPhone 2.2 Jailbreak Officially Out!
Recent the development of the group come up with their latest firmware 2.2 and at the same time in their Blog, we get the latest information, so every jailbreaker should be changed and then try to have their own iPhone. and I don't like copying large part from other people's blogs but I feel like it's necessary in this case as I want to make sure you fully understand the methods and the risks you're taking if you decide to go ahead and jailbreak your iPhone. You can also read this post on the Dev Team's blog.
- GOLDEN RULE: If you have a 3G iPhone and want potential soft unlock in the near future do NOT use QuickPwn, and do not use the official ipsw or the iTunes update process without using PwnageTool.
- Read item 1 again and again.
- At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the latest versions of PwnageTool and QuickPwn.
- These are suitable for the recent 2.2 release.
- Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
- The ‘late 2008' MacBook/air/pro line of computers have an issue with DFU mode, it is possible to go from Pwned 2.1 -> 2.2 but going from stock to Pwned does not work, if in any doubt use a different machine.
- Choosing the correct tool is crucial. Be warned!
Baseband 101
The ‘baseband' is the generic name given to the internal components of the iPhone that handle the phone calls and Internet access. This ‘baseband' is a tiny and unique independent computer system that runs inside your iPhone, it is separate to the main system that handles the applications (such as email and google maps) and it talks to the main part of the phone over an internal communications network. Think of it like a cable modem or other peripheral that is attached to your home PC that needs occasional updates. When a software update is released and presented to you within iTunes the baseband is sometimes updated (to fix bugs or add new features). The 2.2 update for the iPhone 3G contains such an update, so running the vanilla updater straight away with iTunes will reprogram and update the baseband. This could be bad for certain people, depending on your ultimate aim.
SIM Free/SP Unlocked/Factory Unlocked iPhone 3G
This applies if you bought your iPhone 3G for $$$$$$$ . This model of iPhone 3G doesn't have an Service Provider lock (aka factory unlocked) and you are able to put any SIM card into the phone and get service. Your phone is already unlocked so you do not need to worry about baseband updates, simply upgrade to 2.2 using iTunes and then use QuickPwn to Pwn and Jailbreak. This will add Cydia and Installer too.
Locked iPhone 3G – Preserve Baseband
This applies if you have a locked iPhone 3G and you wish to update to 2.2 but preserve the iPhone's current baseband software. Preserving the baseband will give you the maximum chance for any upcoming software unlock. To upgrade your phone to 2.2 and preserve the state of the baseband you need to create a custom .ipsw with PwnageTool. This custom .ipsw will not contain the baseband update but of course will still allow all the cool new stuff from 2.2.
There are plenty of tutorials about this process on the web, but PwnageTool contains intuitive graphics and easy to follow prompts that should have you up and running in no time at all.
Locked iPhone 3G
If you are using your iPhone with one carrier and have no interest in the possibility of an iPhone 3G unlock in the near future then just restore or upgrade to 2.2 using iTunes and use QuickPwn to Jailbreak and add Cydia and Installer.
Locked iPhone 2G (1st Generation)
Restore your iPhone 2G with iTunes then run QuickPwn to do the magic, ‘nuff said.
iPod Touch 1G (Original iPod Touch)
Update to 2.2 with iTunes and run QuickPwn.
iPod Touch 2G (New iPod Touch)
Sorry, no support at this time.
Bittorrent Releases
- PwnageTool 2.2 for Mac OS X is here SHA1 Sum – 97ee6096aaa1967498431bf01c36c18d0e877545
- QuickPwn 2.2 for Mac OS X is here SHA1 Sum – 254b8af0e19870a4660b7b11e3b6f6ae1d6bc66f
- QuickPwn 2.2 for Windows is here SHA1 Sum – ffdbc561224c61ffc2713cb6a6e696b6d429c4ca
I'm gonna be working on a QuickPwn 2.2 Guide and a PwnageTool 2.2 Tutorial and I should post this within hours.
Unlock Your iPhone 2G 2.2 Using QuickPwn
This guide will show you how to use QuickPwn 2.2 to jailbreak and/or unlock your iPhone 2G. This tutorial is for PC users but I assume the steps are the same on a Mac. This tutorial is NOT for iPhone 3G. If you’re only interested in jailbreaking your iPhone (not unlockink), please may read our QuickPwn 2.2 guide.
Before doing anything, I suggest you read this important message from the Dev Team.
Click here to download the MobileInstallation patch for 2.2
Note that you are pwning your iPhone at your own risk… Success is not guaranteed!
Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of iTunes. Update or restore your iPhone to firmware 2.2 using iTunes. Restoring is the preferred way to do it as it won’t waste space on your iPhone. Plug your iPhone and make sure iTunes has detected it. If you’re iPhone is already jailbroken, you may want to remove all the apps that you have downloaded from Cydia. Certain applications such as Winterboard, Categories and more cause trouble. You will be able to reinstall them later.
Create a folder called “QuickPwn” on your desktop. Download your appropriate iPhone 2.2 firmware from here. Also download the QuickPwn 2.2 from here, the bootloader files BL 3.9 and BL 4.6 from here.too. Place these files in the newly created QuickPwn folder on your desktop.
Extract QuickPwn zipped file.
Launch QuickPwn and select your iPhone version.
You will be asked to select your iPhone firmware. Select the firmware you downloaded in Step 1.
If the firmware you selected is valid, QuickPwn will show a green checkmark. Click Continue.
You will then have the opportunity to select Cydia, Installer, custom boot logos and “unlock iPhone”. You have to select Cydia and “unlock iPhone”. You may also choose to install Installer. Click Next.
You will now be asked to select your bootloader files. Click the Browse button and select the 3.9 bootloader from the Pwnage folder on your desktop. Likewise do the same thing for the 4.6 bootloader file. Then click the blue arrow button to continue.
QuickPwn will now ask you to confirm that your iPhone is connected. Click the blue arrow to continue.
QuickPwn will now automatically put your iPhone into recovery mode. Once its in recovery mode you will be prompted to: Hold the Home button for 5 seconds, Hold the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds, then release the Power button and continuing holding the Home button until your iPhone is in DFU mode. Watch the prompts carefully and follow along.
Once QuickPwn detects your iPhone in DFU mode, it will start the jailbreak process.
Finally, QuickPwn will let you know that pwnage process was completed successfully.
Done!
Let us know how it goes!
Before doing anything, I suggest you read this important message from the Dev Team.
Click here to download the MobileInstallation patch for 2.2
Note that you are pwning your iPhone at your own risk… Success is not guaranteed!
Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of iTunes. Update or restore your iPhone to firmware 2.2 using iTunes. Restoring is the preferred way to do it as it won’t waste space on your iPhone. Plug your iPhone and make sure iTunes has detected it. If you’re iPhone is already jailbroken, you may want to remove all the apps that you have downloaded from Cydia. Certain applications such as Winterboard, Categories and more cause trouble. You will be able to reinstall them later.
Create a folder called “QuickPwn” on your desktop. Download your appropriate iPhone 2.2 firmware from here. Also download the QuickPwn 2.2 from here, the bootloader files BL 3.9 and BL 4.6 from here.too. Place these files in the newly created QuickPwn folder on your desktop.
Extract QuickPwn zipped file.
Launch QuickPwn and select your iPhone version.
You will be asked to select your iPhone firmware. Select the firmware you downloaded in Step 1.
If the firmware you selected is valid, QuickPwn will show a green checkmark. Click Continue.
You will then have the opportunity to select Cydia, Installer, custom boot logos and “unlock iPhone”. You have to select Cydia and “unlock iPhone”. You may also choose to install Installer. Click Next.
You will now be asked to select your bootloader files. Click the Browse button and select the 3.9 bootloader from the Pwnage folder on your desktop. Likewise do the same thing for the 4.6 bootloader file. Then click the blue arrow button to continue.
QuickPwn will now ask you to confirm that your iPhone is connected. Click the blue arrow to continue.
QuickPwn will now automatically put your iPhone into recovery mode. Once its in recovery mode you will be prompted to: Hold the Home button for 5 seconds, Hold the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds, then release the Power button and continuing holding the Home button until your iPhone is in DFU mode. Watch the prompts carefully and follow along.
Once QuickPwn detects your iPhone in DFU mode, it will start the jailbreak process.
Finally, QuickPwn will let you know that pwnage process was completed successfully.
Done!
Let us know how it goes!
Fuzzyshot – Photo Uploading & Sharing
I admit it – I'm an iPhone photo-holic. I'm addicted to taking photos with my iPhone. And the site I use to upload to from my iPhone is Flickr. However, Flickr does not have a full-featured iPhone app and many apps that can upload to Flickr are very basic.
That's where Fuzzyshot Photo Blog [iTunes link] comes in. Although users of Fuzzyshot will definitely benefit, new users can easily create an account right on your iPhone. And the app can do just about anything the web version does. You simply snap your photo, set your post title and comment, select public or private and whether you want your photo geotagged or not. You can also easily e-mail your photo straight from the app.
Browsing other people's Fuzzyshot pictures is also easy in the app. The most recent pictures are featured in your feed (so if you don't want your family's pictures spread across the internet, you should select private) and you can also check out the most viewed and most discussed pictures in the last 24 hours. You also get a unique web address as well as an RSS feed for your photos.
I had never heard of Fuzzyshot before reviewing this app, but it appears that it has a well-established photo blogging community. If you want EASY photo uploading take a look at Fuzzyshot. It's free to download and free to sign up.
Thursday 18 March 2010
How to Use Tansee iPhone Transfer
It is essential for iPhone users to copy important data from iPhone to computer for backup purposes. Some iTunes users could not copy music files from iPhone to computer directly because iTunes blocks iPhone-to-computer song/video transfer. Luckily, Tansee iPhone Transfer, a very easy-to-use tool, is a full solution to this. With Tansee iPhone Transfer, iPhone users can transfer songs/videos from iPhone to computer easily.
Steps:
Download and install Tansee iPhone Transfer . You also need iTunes version 7.3 or higher installed.
Connect your iPhone to your computer.
Launch Tansee iPhone Transfer, and all the contents of your iPhone including music and videos will be automatically scanned and displayed instantly.
Select the photos to be transferred to your computer. The selected file will marked with red border. You can select photos by click on each one, or just drag a rectangle to select a bundle of photos. You can also select all photos by click right button of your mouse or click “File” to choose.
Click “Copy” button on the bottom right side to set output path and start to transfer songs or videos to your computer.
The trial version will only allow you to select the first 5 songs.
Steps:
Download and install Tansee iPhone Transfer . You also need iTunes version 7.3 or higher installed.
Connect your iPhone to your computer.
Launch Tansee iPhone Transfer, and all the contents of your iPhone including music and videos will be automatically scanned and displayed instantly.
Select the photos to be transferred to your computer. The selected file will marked with red border. You can select photos by click on each one, or just drag a rectangle to select a bundle of photos. You can also select all photos by click right button of your mouse or click “File” to choose.
Click “Copy” button on the bottom right side to set output path and start to transfer songs or videos to your computer.
The trial version will only allow you to select the first 5 songs.
iPhone Countdown App
Open up Xcode and click: File->New Project.
Select: iPhone OS ->Applications-> View-Based Application and name it whatever you would like.
Lets start with the UIView.
Double Click.xib” to launch “Interface Builder”
Click: Tools -> Reveal In Document Window -> View
Click: Tools -> Attributes Inspector
Select the background attribute and set it to Black
Now add a UILabel, it should be as simple as dragging it out of from Tools->Library.
To reference this label in our code we need to change its outlet id.
In the document window “File’s Owner”
Click: Tools->Idenity Inspector
In the inspector click the + under “Class Outlets”
Change myOutlet1 to “countdownLabel”
Change id to UILabel
Click enter to make sure they commit
Now lets generate the code for the controller we just created.
Still in interface builder make sure “File’s Owner” is still selected in the Document Explorer
Click: File->Write Class Files
Make sure you select your active target, which should be the name of your program.
Now we need to wire up the Label in Interface Builder to the UILabel in the class file
Reopen Interface Builder
Select the Label in the View or in Document Window
Click: Tools -> Connection Inspector
Move your mouse cursor over the empty circle to the right of text “New Referencing Outlet” (the circle will change to a Plus(+))
Mouse Click then drag the Plus (+) to “File’s Owner” in Document Window
When you release select countdownLabel in the popup list
Click: File -> Save then close Interface Builder
Creating the timer
In xCode open
InController.h add the line -(void)updateLabel; right before the line @end
InController.c add the lines
-(void)updateLabel {
}
right before the line @end
InDelegate.h add the field “NSTimer *timer;” and the method signature “-(void) onTimer;”
InDelegate.m
Start the timer in “applicationDidFinishLaunching”
Add the method onTimer that will update the label in the view controller
Invalidate the timer in the method “applicationWillTerminate”
release the timer in dealloc
Updating the label
OpenController.c
Add a font in method “viewDidLoad”
Add code to get current time and update label in our new “updateLabel” method.
Build & Go!
Select: iPhone OS ->Applications-> View-Based Application and name it whatever you would like.
Lets start with the UIView.
Double Click
Click: Tools -> Reveal In Document Window -> View
Click: Tools -> Attributes Inspector
Select the background attribute and set it to Black
Now add a UILabel, it should be as simple as dragging it out of from Tools->Library.
To reference this label in our code we need to change its outlet id.
In the document window “File’s Owner”
Click: Tools->Idenity Inspector
In the inspector click the + under “Class Outlets”
Change myOutlet1 to “countdownLabel”
Change id to UILabel
Click enter to make sure they commit
Now lets generate the code for the controller we just created.
Still in interface builder make sure “File’s Owner” is still selected in the Document Explorer
Click: File->Write Class Files
Make sure you select your active target, which should be the name of your program.
Now we need to wire up the Label in Interface Builder to the UILabel in the class file
Reopen Interface Builder
Select the Label in the View or in Document Window
Click: Tools -> Connection Inspector
Move your mouse cursor over the empty circle to the right of text “New Referencing Outlet” (the circle will change to a Plus(+))
Mouse Click then drag the Plus (+) to “File’s Owner” in Document Window
When you release select countdownLabel in the popup list
Click: File -> Save then close Interface Builder
Creating the timer
In xCode open
In
In
-(void)updateLabel {
}
right before the line @end
In
In
Start the timer in “applicationDidFinishLaunching”
Add the method onTimer that will update the label in the view controller
Invalidate the timer in the method “applicationWillTerminate”
release the timer in dealloc
Updating the label
Open
Add a font in method “viewDidLoad”
Add code to get current time and update label in our new “updateLabel” method.
Build & Go!
QuickPWN 2.2.1 Guide & Tutorial
This guide will show you how to use QuickPWN to jailbreak your iPhone firmware 2.2.1. Please read carefully all the steps and warnings before attempting to use QuickPWN to jailbreak your iPhone. The following tutorial is for PC users.
Before doing anything, I suggest you read this important message from the Dev Team.
GOLDEN RULE: If you have a 3G iPhone running 2.2 firmware and you want to keep your ability to use yellowns0w (or the option to use it in the future) do NOT use QuickPwn, and do not use the official ipsw or the iTunes update process without using PwnageTool.
Yellowsn0w will NOT work with the baseband version (02.30.03) that is present in the recent 2.2.1 update – you will need to create a custom ipsw that will allow you to update safely without affecting the baseband.
Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
Read items 1, 2 and 3 again and again.
At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the latest versions of PwnageTool and QuickPwn.
These apps are suitable for the recent 2.2.1 release.
The Yellowsn0w version has been updated to 0.9.7. Yellowsn0w is available from Cydia or Installer - this version allows compatibility with pwned 2.2.1 system (not baseband) - again – remember 0.9.7 yellowsn0w DOES NOT WORK WITH 2.2.1 (02.30.03) directly - you need to be running a ‘pwned’ version of 2.2.1 which doesn’t upgrade the baseband.
Users of OS X 10.5.6 will be unable to use DFU mode correctly, please see the note towards the end of this post to easily fix this issue.
What does that mean? It means that you can only use this method if you don’t care about unlocking your iPhone in the future with YellowSn0w. If you’re a “legit” AT&T iPhone user and you have no interest in unlocking your iPhone in the future, then this is for you.
On the other hand, if you’re not a “legit” user or if you do want to be able to unlock your iPhone in the future using YellowSn0w, then this is NOT for you. If that’s the case, you will have to jailbreak your iPhone using PwnageTool, which will preserve your baseband. I will do my best to provide you a PwnageTool tutorial asap!
This being said, this QuickPWN guide will help you jailbreak your iPod Touch, iPhone 2G, and iPhone 3G. There is no jailbreak available yet for iPod Touch 2G!
MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING BEFORE STARTING TO USE QUICKPWN. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR FREESTYLE!!! YOU ARE USING QUICKPWN AT YOUR OWN RISKS!
That was sort of my disclaimer as I am tired of people messing up their iPhones and holding me responsible for it. So again, you’re using QuickPWN at your own risks. If you have any issue during the process, please leave a comment.
Everything you need to download is in the iPhone Downloads section of the site.
1. On your desktop, create a folder called Pwnage. In this folder save a copy of the 2.2.1 firmware (make sure you use the appropriate firmware!) as well as QuickPWN 2.2.1.
2. Unzip QuickPWN.
3. Make sure you have the very latest version of iTunes. It is extremely important!! If you don’t have the latest iTunes, download nad install it. After the install, make sure to restart your computer. This is a very important step!
4. Plug your iPhone to your computer and wait for iTunes to detect it. Now you have 2 options. You can either update to 2.2.1 or restore your iPhone to 2.2.1. I always prefer restoring as you will start with a fresh and clean firmware and it will not create wasted space on your iPhone. As an alternative to restoring, you may want to read my post about upgrading a jailbroken iPhone. It’s your choice but again, I recommend restoring. To restore, simply hit SHIFT + Restore. A window will pop up asking you to choose what firmware you want to use to restore. Use the firmware 2.2.1 you downloaded in step 1.
5. After restoring (or updating), launch QuickPWN. QuickPWN should recognize your device automatically.
6. Click “Browse” to select the firmware 2.2.1 you downloaded in step 1.
7. QuickPWN will display a green checkmark if the firmware is correct. In this case, click the blue arrow to continue. If it’s not, it means that you have downloaded the wrong firmware.
8. Now QuickPWN will let you install Cydia, Installer, and custom boot logos. Note that you HAVE TO install Cydia but Installer and custom boot logos are optional. So make sure you select at least Cydia, then click the blue arrow to continue.
9. QuickPWN will now ask you to “please make sure your device is connected via USB before continuing”. Click the blue arrow to continue.
10. This is the most important step! QuickPwn will now automatically put your iPhone into recovery mode. Once it is in recovery mode you will be prompted to:
Hold the Home button for 5 seconds,
Hold the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds,
Then release the Power button while continuing holding the Home button until your iPhone is in DFU mode.
Watch the prompts carefully and follow along!
11. If you did this correctly, QuickPWN will detect your iPhone in recovery mode and will ask you to “wait while your iPhone is prepared for jailbreaking”.
12. As a final step, QuickPWN will tell you that “the pwnage process appears to have completed successfully. Please wait for your device to reboot in its newly modified state”.
13. Voila!
Before doing anything, I suggest you read this important message from the Dev Team.
GOLDEN RULE: If you have a 3G iPhone running 2.2 firmware and you want to keep your ability to use yellowns0w (or the option to use it in the future) do NOT use QuickPwn, and do not use the official ipsw or the iTunes update process without using PwnageTool.
Yellowsn0w will NOT work with the baseband version (02.30.03) that is present in the recent 2.2.1 update – you will need to create a custom ipsw that will allow you to update safely without affecting the baseband.
Please read all parts of this post before downloading and using these tools.
Read items 1, 2 and 3 again and again.
At the bottom of this post are the bittorrent files for the latest versions of PwnageTool and QuickPwn.
These apps are suitable for the recent 2.2.1 release.
The Yellowsn0w version has been updated to 0.9.7. Yellowsn0w is available from Cydia or Installer - this version allows compatibility with pwned 2.2.1 system (not baseband) - again – remember 0.9.7 yellowsn0w DOES NOT WORK WITH 2.2.1 (02.30.03) directly - you need to be running a ‘pwned’ version of 2.2.1 which doesn’t upgrade the baseband.
Users of OS X 10.5.6 will be unable to use DFU mode correctly, please see the note towards the end of this post to easily fix this issue.
What does that mean? It means that you can only use this method if you don’t care about unlocking your iPhone in the future with YellowSn0w. If you’re a “legit” AT&T iPhone user and you have no interest in unlocking your iPhone in the future, then this is for you.
On the other hand, if you’re not a “legit” user or if you do want to be able to unlock your iPhone in the future using YellowSn0w, then this is NOT for you. If that’s the case, you will have to jailbreak your iPhone using PwnageTool, which will preserve your baseband. I will do my best to provide you a PwnageTool tutorial asap!
This being said, this QuickPWN guide will help you jailbreak your iPod Touch, iPhone 2G, and iPhone 3G. There is no jailbreak available yet for iPod Touch 2G!
MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING BEFORE STARTING TO USE QUICKPWN. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR FREESTYLE!!! YOU ARE USING QUICKPWN AT YOUR OWN RISKS!
That was sort of my disclaimer as I am tired of people messing up their iPhones and holding me responsible for it. So again, you’re using QuickPWN at your own risks. If you have any issue during the process, please leave a comment.
Everything you need to download is in the iPhone Downloads section of the site.
1. On your desktop, create a folder called Pwnage. In this folder save a copy of the 2.2.1 firmware (make sure you use the appropriate firmware!) as well as QuickPWN 2.2.1.
2. Unzip QuickPWN.
3. Make sure you have the very latest version of iTunes. It is extremely important!! If you don’t have the latest iTunes, download nad install it. After the install, make sure to restart your computer. This is a very important step!
4. Plug your iPhone to your computer and wait for iTunes to detect it. Now you have 2 options. You can either update to 2.2.1 or restore your iPhone to 2.2.1. I always prefer restoring as you will start with a fresh and clean firmware and it will not create wasted space on your iPhone. As an alternative to restoring, you may want to read my post about upgrading a jailbroken iPhone. It’s your choice but again, I recommend restoring. To restore, simply hit SHIFT + Restore. A window will pop up asking you to choose what firmware you want to use to restore. Use the firmware 2.2.1 you downloaded in step 1.
5. After restoring (or updating), launch QuickPWN. QuickPWN should recognize your device automatically.
6. Click “Browse” to select the firmware 2.2.1 you downloaded in step 1.
7. QuickPWN will display a green checkmark if the firmware is correct. In this case, click the blue arrow to continue. If it’s not, it means that you have downloaded the wrong firmware.
8. Now QuickPWN will let you install Cydia, Installer, and custom boot logos. Note that you HAVE TO install Cydia but Installer and custom boot logos are optional. So make sure you select at least Cydia, then click the blue arrow to continue.
9. QuickPWN will now ask you to “please make sure your device is connected via USB before continuing”. Click the blue arrow to continue.
10. This is the most important step! QuickPwn will now automatically put your iPhone into recovery mode. Once it is in recovery mode you will be prompted to:
Hold the Home button for 5 seconds,
Hold the Home and Power buttons for 10 seconds,
Then release the Power button while continuing holding the Home button until your iPhone is in DFU mode.
Watch the prompts carefully and follow along!
11. If you did this correctly, QuickPWN will detect your iPhone in recovery mode and will ask you to “wait while your iPhone is prepared for jailbreaking”.
12. As a final step, QuickPWN will tell you that “the pwnage process appears to have completed successfully. Please wait for your device to reboot in its newly modified state”.
13. Voila!
The numbers of the iPhone firmware followup
Confirmed: if you're a developer who's only compiling for the latest iPhone firmware, you are locking potential customers out from your App Store products. Ars looks at a one-week and 90-day breakdown of iPhone use by firmware platform.
Which SDK should you compile for? 2.2.1? 2.2? Choosing an active SDK version can affect both your target audience and possible App Store sales. We recently wrote about SDK choices, noting that building for 2.2.1 (the latest version, as of this writing) might cut out users who had yet to upgrade from the 2.2 firmware.
Ars readers responded both in comments and e-mail, asking whether delaying the firmware upgrades were typical of iPhone users or whether they indicated the relatively small audience of jailbreakers, who purposefully held off on upgrades. To answer this question, we turned to a few experts on the subject.
Michael Burford of Headlight Software has created more than a dozen App Store products. Headlight, which uses its own internal advertising solutions, is able to capture firmware specs from the platforms it publishes to. Burford was kind enough to share with us a one-week snapshot for approximately 20,000 unique IP addresses. These addresses represent about half (49.75 ercent) of iPhone units, with the remaining units being iPod touches of various vintages. The numbers he collected offer a short-term look at which platforms are using which firmware releases.
Data courtesy of Headlight Software
Admittedly this data is a little skewed in that it shows per-use, not per-platform information. At the same time, it provides valuable insights about the distribution of firmware. Take a look at these numbers: by compiling to 2.2 (approximately 92.10 percent of use) rather than 2.2.1 (65.49 percent of use), you may increase your potential sales by nearly 50 percent above the expected 2.2.1 installations. That's staggering.
To get another view of the information, I contacted Eric Litman of Medialets . Medialets is an analytics and ad platform that provides solutions for native mobile applications, working with over 700 iPhone developers to provide analytics, and in some cases rich media ads, into their apps. Litman was kind enough to task one of his engineers to find out how the firmware installations broke down over a longer time frame. Bill Hatch assembled a 60 day overview, representing over 12 million devices, offering a firmware-specific report.
Data courtesy of Medialets
Looking at this 60-day snapshot offers valuable information that augments the one-week picture. Recall that firmware 2.2 was released on November 21, 2008 and that 2.2.1 debuted on January 27, 2009—approximately 45 days ago. All the numbers you see in this table reflect data that was collected from a month and a half after the iPhone had already moved into 2.2 firmware.
You cannot look at these numbers and not realize that adoption delays will affect the way you sell applications. During January and February of 2009, a third of iPhone and iPod users continued using firmware 2.1. Software compiled for and deployed solely to 2.2 or later, let alone 2.2.1, could not be installed on these units until the user upgraded.
What can we conclude from these numbers? I think it's obvious that user-delayed upgrades are a real phenomenon that affects the entire user base, and not just a niche phenomenon of the jailbreak community. As with any consumer device, users are not going to automatically upgrade their units even though iTunes offers one of the cleanest and easiest upgrade solutions for users. So, here are a couple of suggestions to take away with you:
First, after doing as much bug evaluation and testing as possible, consider compiling for as much backward-compatibility as possible without sacrificing stability in order to maximize your potential customer base. The lower the firmware release number you compile for, the greater the chances you'll be able to run on any given iPhone or iPod touch.
Second, make any minimum firmware requirements clear in your App Store marketing materials. Don't let users buy your application and then be aggravated when they cannot install it on their device. Recent purchasers of Ego and Oregon Trail have been surprised, and not in a good way, by discovering that these applications are 2.2.1-only releases.
Yes, there are certainly trade-offs when choosing a distribution SDK. Our earlier talked about bug issues and stability. However, there's also something to be said for increasing compatibility, especially with numbers as compelling as the ones shown here.
How to Downgrade Your iPhone 3.0 OS
Lots of us have been using the iPhone 3.0 beta full-time. Now we're rolling back, because it is decidedly NOT ready.
Now, we're not saying we're surprised, or angry, or anything. It's beta software, and beta software is by definition not ready for everyday use. But in the pursuit of the latest and greatest thing, we all have learned that a little bit of inconsistency or crashiness is often a fair price to pay for being on the cutting edge.
Not so in iPhone 3.0. It's slow as hell, locks up on everything from launching an app to entering a phone number on the numeric keypad, sucks down battery life like an alcoholic who just found his first bottle of MD 20/20 in days, and so on. Add to that a lack of support for MMS as of yet and no apps to take advantage of the background notifications, and you have a fairly useless upgrade, right now. So let's roll it back.
Note: Your iPhone 3.0 OS backups (your phone settings, unsynched photos, text messages, etc) will not be compatible with 2.2.1 once you go back down. So make sure you have a backup from the 2.2.1 days to restore from, or else you'll be starting from scratch.
iPhone EDGE
If you're running OS X 10.5.6, you'll need to do the USB DFU fix outlined in our jailbreaking guide before proceeding.
1. With your phone plugged in, put it into DFU mode by holding both the power and home buttons for 10 seconds, then releasing power and continuing to hold down home until iTunes recognizes a phone in “recovery mode.”
2. Download the 2.2.1 firmware .ipsw file from Apple. Hold down option (Mac) or shift (Windows) and click on restore. Choose the stock iPhone 2.2.1 file you just downloaded.
3. Let it do its thing, and you should be in business. Restore your backup should you have one, and proceed to jailbreaking if you want to.
iPhone 3G
On the iPhone 3G, the 3.0 software flashes the baseband (the chip that controls voice and data network traffic), which confuses iTunes when you try to downgrade. So you have to jump through a few more hoops to downgrade your 3G, but it's still easy enough.
1. Follow the first two steps above for iPhone EDGE, only using the iPhone 3G 2.2.1 firmware package of course. Again, OS X 10.5.6 users will have to do the USB driver switcheroo detailed above.
2. When it's done restoring, you'll get an error message that looks like this:
As long as it's a four-digit error number like 10xx, don't worry, that's just iTunes telling you it's confused by the updated baseband on your phone. Everything will work fine, but unfortunately your phone will be stuck in restore mode until you jailbreak it, which is what we're doing next.
3. For Mac (Windows users skip to step: Download a utility called iRecovery . This tool forces your phone to reboot out of restore mode, which is necessary for the QuickPwn jailbreak software to recognize it.
4. Go to the terminal and change to the iRecovery directory, wherever it is on your system, and type these two commands:
chmod 755 libusb-0.1.4.dylib
chmod 755 iRecovery
5. Next, copy the “libusb-0.1.4.dylib” file to the /usr/local/lib directory on your machine (you'll have to shift-command-G to go to this folder in Finder).
6. And finally, with your iPhone plugged in, go back to Terminal and type:
./iRecovery -s
You'll get a prompt, where you should then type “fsboot” (no quotes) and hit enter. If nothing happens after 10-15 seconds, type it again and hit enter again. Your phone should boot.
7. Download QuickPwn and jailbreak your phone. Restore your 2.2.1 backup in iTunes, and you should be in business.
8. For Windows : After you restore to 2.2.1, you can skip straight to running QuickPwn to get your phone up and running.
And that's it. Enjoy an iPhone free of horrible slow-downs until summertime.
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Announcing the Android 1.0 SDK, release 1
This Post from: http://android-developers.blogspot.com, Posted by Dan Morrill
About this time last year, my colleagues and I were preparing for the first of the “early look” SDK releases. I remember being a little freaked out—November 12 was starting to sound awfully close! But I think I can safely speak for the entire Android team when I say that we were all very excited about that upcoming release. In the year since, we’ve run and concluded the first Android Developer Challenge, given away $5,000,000, released more SDK builds, and worked with our partners to prepare the first device for users. It’s been quite the whirlwind of a year.
In one of those strange cosmic symmetries, here we are a year later, and we’re once again very excited about an upcoming release. I’m referring, of course, to the first Android-powered device that our colleagues at T-Mobile have just announced—the T-Mobile G1. We can’t wait to see our hard work on store shelves and in the hands of users, but today we’re almost as excited because we’re announcing the brand-new Android 1.0 SDK, release 1.
Yes, that means we’re officially at 1.0. Of course the SDK won’t remain static—we’ll keep improving the tools by adding features and fixing bugs. But now developers can rely on the APIs in the SDK, and can update their applications to run on Android 1.0-compatible devices. The Android Market beta will also launch with the T-Mobile G1, providing developers an easy and open way to distribute their applications on that and later devices. I’ve already seen a lot of applications that have me stoked, and I can’t wait to see things really come together as developers cross that final mile to prepare their applications for Android 1.0.
So what’s next for us? Well, we’ll keep working on the SDK, as I said. But we’re also working hard with our partners in the Open Handset Alliance on the open-source release, with the aim of making the code available in the fourth quarter. The second Android Developer Challenge is also on the horizon—watch this space for more details. We’re also already working on the future of the Android platform, and on more devices. We’ve updated the Developer Roadmap, and we’ll keep updating it as more information becomes available.
It has indeed been quite an exciting road to get to where we are today. The road stretches on ahead though, and we’re not slowing down for a moment. I look forward to meeting and working with many of you developers out there—and trying out your apps on my phone!
About this time last year, my colleagues and I were preparing for the first of the “early look” SDK releases. I remember being a little freaked out—November 12 was starting to sound awfully close! But I think I can safely speak for the entire Android team when I say that we were all very excited about that upcoming release. In the year since, we’ve run and concluded the first Android Developer Challenge, given away $5,000,000, released more SDK builds, and worked with our partners to prepare the first device for users. It’s been quite the whirlwind of a year.
In one of those strange cosmic symmetries, here we are a year later, and we’re once again very excited about an upcoming release. I’m referring, of course, to the first Android-powered device that our colleagues at T-Mobile have just announced—the T-Mobile G1. We can’t wait to see our hard work on store shelves and in the hands of users, but today we’re almost as excited because we’re announcing the brand-new Android 1.0 SDK, release 1.
Yes, that means we’re officially at 1.0. Of course the SDK won’t remain static—we’ll keep improving the tools by adding features and fixing bugs. But now developers can rely on the APIs in the SDK, and can update their applications to run on Android 1.0-compatible devices. The Android Market beta will also launch with the T-Mobile G1, providing developers an easy and open way to distribute their applications on that and later devices. I’ve already seen a lot of applications that have me stoked, and I can’t wait to see things really come together as developers cross that final mile to prepare their applications for Android 1.0.
So what’s next for us? Well, we’ll keep working on the SDK, as I said. But we’re also working hard with our partners in the Open Handset Alliance on the open-source release, with the aim of making the code available in the fourth quarter. The second Android Developer Challenge is also on the horizon—watch this space for more details. We’re also already working on the future of the Android platform, and on more devices. We’ve updated the Developer Roadmap, and we’ll keep updating it as more information becomes available.
It has indeed been quite an exciting road to get to where we are today. The road stretches on ahead though, and we’re not slowing down for a moment. I look forward to meeting and working with many of you developers out there—and trying out your apps on my phone!
TMobile G1 Phone, Google’s Android-Powered Cell Phone, Unveiled
NEW YORK — The first phone that harnesses Google Inc.’s ambition to make the Internet easy to use on the go was revealed Tuesday, and it looks a lot like an iPhone.
T-Mobile USA showed off the G1, a phone that, like Apple Inc.’s iPhone, has a large touch screen. But it also packs a trackball, a slide-out keyboard and easy access to Google’s e-mail and mapping programs.
T-Mobile said it will begin selling the G1 for $179 with a two-year contract. The device hits U.S. stores Oct. 22 and heads to Britain in November and other European countries early next year.
The phone will be sold in T-Mobile stores only in the U.S. cities where the company has rolled out its faster, third-generation wireless data network. By launch, that will be 21 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.
In other areas, people will be able to buy the phone from T-Mobile’s Web site. The phone does work on T-Mobile’s slower data network, but it’s optimized for the faster networks. It can also connect at Wi-Fi hotspots.
The data plan for the phone will cost $25 per month on top of the calling service, at the low end of the range for data plans at U.S. wireless carriers. And at $179, the G1 is $20 less than the least expensive iPhone in the U.S.
Android, the free software powering the G1, is a crucial building block in Google’s efforts to make its search engine and other services as accessible on cell phones as they already are on personal computers. The company believes it eventually might make more money selling ads that get shown on mobile devices than on PCs, a channel that will generate about $20 billion in revenue this year.
Both Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. also are investing heavily in the mobile market in hopes of preventing Google from extending the dominance it enjoys in searches initiated on PCs.
T-Mobile USA showed off the G1, a phone that, like Apple Inc.’s iPhone, has a large touch screen. But it also packs a trackball, a slide-out keyboard and easy access to Google’s e-mail and mapping programs.
T-Mobile said it will begin selling the G1 for $179 with a two-year contract. The device hits U.S. stores Oct. 22 and heads to Britain in November and other European countries early next year.
The phone will be sold in T-Mobile stores only in the U.S. cities where the company has rolled out its faster, third-generation wireless data network. By launch, that will be 21 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.
In other areas, people will be able to buy the phone from T-Mobile’s Web site. The phone does work on T-Mobile’s slower data network, but it’s optimized for the faster networks. It can also connect at Wi-Fi hotspots.
The data plan for the phone will cost $25 per month on top of the calling service, at the low end of the range for data plans at U.S. wireless carriers. And at $179, the G1 is $20 less than the least expensive iPhone in the U.S.
Android, the free software powering the G1, is a crucial building block in Google’s efforts to make its search engine and other services as accessible on cell phones as they already are on personal computers. The company believes it eventually might make more money selling ads that get shown on mobile devices than on PCs, a channel that will generate about $20 billion in revenue this year.
Both Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. also are investing heavily in the mobile market in hopes of preventing Google from extending the dominance it enjoys in searches initiated on PCs.
Google Keeps Supporting The iPhone
So, when the T-Mobile G1 was released a week ago and the new Android platform was introduced to the world, did you think that Google would stop supporting the iPhone? Well, it seems the answer is a resounding, “No!” Google keeps its relationship strong with Apple and its iPhone users with a new app this week.
In addition to Google Maps, which already comes with the iPhone, you can download Google Earth [iTunes link] from the App Store for free. When I first opened up the app, I immediately drew a comparison with the Earthscape [iTunes link] app which is also free. Both apps use a 3-D rendered landscape. Google Earth for the iPhone includes Wikipedia entries and photos from Panoramio. You can set it to see your longitude and latitude as well as the altitude at which you are virtually viewing the globe.
Unlike the desktop version of Google Earth, the iPhone app has no street overlay. Boo. So, basically it is a big 3-D globe with Wikipedia entries and Panoramio photos. Boo. I'm disappointed to say the least. Especially so since Earthscape has gotten quite good over many updates and has built up a photo community. Right now, you cannot take pictures within the Google Earth application.
Google Earth also has some bugs. Near my house, there is a weird 3-D wall along my street which doesn't exist in real life (see picture, right). Looks like a bad render to me. Unfortunately, it doesn't go away. Boo.
Google Earth does have some interesting features that even Earthscape doesn't have. To see Google Earth in 3-D, you tilt your iPhone. It has a Google Street View effect, although you can only tilt up and down. Also, clicking the compass in the upper right corner makes the top of your screen north.
Hopefully, most of my complaints will be addressed in future updates. In the meantime, go ahead and download BOTH Google Earth and Earthscape and let us know which app you like better.
iPhone tethering coming soon according to AT&T
According to Harry McCracken of Technoligizer, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega reportedly told Michael Arrington that the iPhone will be allowed to work as a modem for your notebook soon via wireless tethering over a Bluetooth connection. Michael Arrington’s MobileCrunch site, one of the sites in the TechCrunch network, repeated the news in a later post so it would seem legitimate.
One of the largest complaints about the iPhone, both since it was first introduced and since the release of the iPhone 3G, has been the lack of any sort of sanctioned tethering solution that would allow users to connect their computers to the iPhone via a wireless Bluetooth connection and use the internet connection from the iPhone to serve as a wireless modem for the laptop. Since the news is coming from an AT&T executive rather than from Apple, this is less a feature of the phone itself than it is a service which AT&T will start allowing and for which AT&T will most likely charge a subscription fee.
Current guesses for the tethering connection are around $50 to $60 a month, which is on par with the $60 cost of a monthly 3G connection via a wireless laptop card, like the AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver. If the prices are that close, although it would mean a second contract with AT&T, you may want to go the wireless laptop card route, as the price will be nearly the same, you’ll have two separate bandwidth caps for both the 3G card and the iPhone rather than sharing the same 5GB per month cap, and the USB connection for the laptop card will take less of your batteries’ charge than the drain that maintaining a Bluetooth connection will cause on both your laptop and your iPhone.
No mention has been made on wether there will be an EDGE only tethering plan at reduced cost for people with first generation iPhones.
One of the largest complaints about the iPhone, both since it was first introduced and since the release of the iPhone 3G, has been the lack of any sort of sanctioned tethering solution that would allow users to connect their computers to the iPhone via a wireless Bluetooth connection and use the internet connection from the iPhone to serve as a wireless modem for the laptop. Since the news is coming from an AT&T executive rather than from Apple, this is less a feature of the phone itself than it is a service which AT&T will start allowing and for which AT&T will most likely charge a subscription fee.
Current guesses for the tethering connection are around $50 to $60 a month, which is on par with the $60 cost of a monthly 3G connection via a wireless laptop card, like the AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver. If the prices are that close, although it would mean a second contract with AT&T, you may want to go the wireless laptop card route, as the price will be nearly the same, you’ll have two separate bandwidth caps for both the 3G card and the iPhone rather than sharing the same 5GB per month cap, and the USB connection for the laptop card will take less of your batteries’ charge than the drain that maintaining a Bluetooth connection will cause on both your laptop and your iPhone.
No mention has been made on wether there will be an EDGE only tethering plan at reduced cost for people with first generation iPhones.
Google Voice App finally out! Rohit’s Take On It
Friday – an anxious wait for google voice app, Saturday – frustration over it not being out, Sunday – the big question whether apple is deliberately holding back the release, Late Monday – the revolutionary product from Google is finally out! This pretty much explains the Google Voice App wait saga. The long wait process was indeed killing and with every passing minute, the rumor that Apple would nip Google's cool voice app in the bud was annoying me. I couldn't help but remember the fate of netshare, podcaster, castcather and a galore of other apps which had to face the axe from Apple. But a voice in me kept whispering that Apple couldn't be naive to just turn down the Google Giants voice app especially when they have Google CEO, Eric Schmidt as a board member. So despite the rumours that Apple had killed the Google Voice application, I carried on my wait with bated breath. Was it worth it? Oh Hell yeah!
Before I mention about its fascinating features, an important thing you need to know is that you won't find the voice feature the moment you open the updated Google mobile app. It's turned off by default so go into the settings option and there you will find a Voice search on/off button. Besides this you also get to decide whether you want contacts, previous searches and websites to be included in your Google search. Then ofcourse there is a gallery of various Google Apps which we all love. (Wish these Google apps launched in an inbuilt browser instead of safari!).
Leaving aside all the features which come packed with the app, the real icing on the cake without a shadow of doubt is the Voice feature. I was a little skeptical as to how effectively it would work but I was fascinated with its easy usage and almost spot on voice recognition capability. However, it may get annoying some times and also there is an issue of lag in the recognition process. But one cant deny the fact that this is a giant leap in voice search and Google will only make it better from here.
All said and done, this truly is a brilliant app which deserves to be on your iPhone!
Sunday 14 March 2010
iTunes Plus coming to 3 remaining majors?
Apple is discussing deals with the three major music labels yet to sign on to iTunes Plus to remove the locks on their music as well, alleged sources tell CNET. Two reported contacts describe “preliminary” negotiations that would expand Apple’s deal for music without copy protection beyond EMI and independents to include Sony, Warner and Universal. The talks are said to have been spread over the past several months for at least two labels and aren’t certain to result in a favorable income.
The report claims that the switch would use MP3s as the choice of format to produce truly cross-platform files usable anywhere, though such a switch would be unusual for Apple. Current iTunes Plus files are encoded in unprotected AAC, which itself is a standard and is playable on competing devices such as Microsoft’s Zune lineup and Sony Walkman players.
A change to music free of Digital Rights Management (DRM) on iTunes would represent a dramatic shift away from copy protection in digital music but also a relatively late shift for Apple. Online retailers such as Amazon MP3, Napster, Rhapsody and Walmart have all either launched or converted to DRM-free music stores in the past as they have seen relatively little uptake for protected Windows Media or other non-Apple formats.
Certain cases, such as Universal’s initial ventures with Rhapsody and Walmart, are believed by some to have been deliberate attempts to heat competition with iTunes by giving rivals iPod-ready music as well as to gauge the impact of opening music to competition.
It would also partly dismantle complaints from Norwegian officials and other government bodies accusing Apple of an unfair tie-in between iTunes songs and iPods that prevents competing players and software from working with Apple products.
The report claims that the switch would use MP3s as the choice of format to produce truly cross-platform files usable anywhere, though such a switch would be unusual for Apple. Current iTunes Plus files are encoded in unprotected AAC, which itself is a standard and is playable on competing devices such as Microsoft’s Zune lineup and Sony Walkman players.
A change to music free of Digital Rights Management (DRM) on iTunes would represent a dramatic shift away from copy protection in digital music but also a relatively late shift for Apple. Online retailers such as Amazon MP3, Napster, Rhapsody and Walmart have all either launched or converted to DRM-free music stores in the past as they have seen relatively little uptake for protected Windows Media or other non-Apple formats.
Certain cases, such as Universal’s initial ventures with Rhapsody and Walmart, are believed by some to have been deliberate attempts to heat competition with iTunes by giving rivals iPod-ready music as well as to gauge the impact of opening music to competition.
It would also partly dismantle complaints from Norwegian officials and other government bodies accusing Apple of an unfair tie-in between iTunes songs and iPods that prevents competing players and software from working with Apple products.
MobileMe Syncs Contacts, Captures Criminals
Outage prone PIM push service by day, crime busting super sync utility at night? Seems that way. According to TUAW, MobileMe whipped off its mild-mannered glasses and swooped down and caught an iPhone 3G thief!
While at the dry cleaner one day, Rob’s iPhone was stolen. He immediately chalked it up as gone forever, and proceeded to purchase a brand new one that same evening. It was the next day when unfamiliar contacts began to appear on the new phone. The (not-too-bright) thief was unwittingly supplying him with names and phone numbers of his or her closest friends, via the magic of MobileMe synchronization from the stolen phone to the cloud and eventually to his new phone. “It didn’t take long for me to realize that MobileMe was leading me right to the thief!” wrote Rob.
What’s next, saving the world from Steve Ballmer Lex Luthor?
While at the dry cleaner one day, Rob’s iPhone was stolen. He immediately chalked it up as gone forever, and proceeded to purchase a brand new one that same evening. It was the next day when unfamiliar contacts began to appear on the new phone. The (not-too-bright) thief was unwittingly supplying him with names and phone numbers of his or her closest friends, via the magic of MobileMe synchronization from the stolen phone to the cloud and eventually to his new phone. “It didn’t take long for me to realize that MobileMe was leading me right to the thief!” wrote Rob.
What’s next, saving the world from Steve Ballmer Lex Luthor?
The Top 10 Web Platforms of 2008
1. iPhone SDK
ReadWriteWeb named Apple as our Best BigCo of 2008, largely due to the iPhone platform. The iPhone truely reached a mainstream audience in 2008, when the 3G iPhone was launched to much acclaim in July. But more significant than the phone itself was the simultaneous launch of the Apple App Store. There were 552 applications available at launch and at time of writing that's risen to over 10,000 applications . So in less than 6 months, the number and variety of iPhone apps has expanded greatly. Indeed, any startup worth its salt has an iPhone version of its web app – the ultimate proof of a successful Web platform.
For many years now everybody has been predicting that the next year will be the one that the Mobile Web breaks through. 2008 was finally that year – and it's mostly thanks to the iPhone development platform.
2. OpenSocial
November was the first anniversary of Google's OpenSocial , an open API framework for social networks and websites. During 2008 OpenSocial gained a lot of traction; statistics released in November stated that OpenSocial had reached 675 M registered users at that time and there were 7,500 applications.
Most impressive is the list of organizations who signed onto OpenSocial and are actively developing apps for it. That high powered list includes MySpace, AOL, Bebo, hi5, LinkedIn, Ning, Orkut, Yahoo!. Of course still missing from OpenSocial are Facebook and Microsoft, but at the rate OpenSocial is ramping up – they may not need them.
3. Adobe AIR
As we noted in our Best BigCo 2008 post, this was a year in which Adobe's ‘Rich Internet App' strategy bore some juicy fruit, with many compelling apps released that were built using AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime). AIR is a platform that makes it easy to build attractive Internet connected applications that live outside the browser. Last year we noted its potential – AIR was called ‘Apollo' for much of its beta – but in February 2008 AIR was officially launched and soon we saw a lot of stunning apps emerge.
We've named it our number 3 Web platform of the year, because it breathed new life into Rich Internet Apps this year.
4. Twitter API
The importance of Twitter's API to its success this year can't be overstated. The number and variety of Twitter reader clients alone is amazing, let alone the many other ways Twitter's data is being used (e.g. for e-commerce purposes). It must be said that Twitter has experienced much downtime and many technical glitches throughout the year, but even so it has continued to expand its API service. As Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said a ReadWriteTalk interview last September :
“The API has been arguably the most important, or maybe even inarguably, the most important thing we've done with Twitter . It has allowed us, first of all, to keep the service very simple and create a simple API so that developers can build on top of our infrastructure and come up with ideas that are way better than our ideas …
So the API, which has easily 10 times more traffic than the website, has been really very important to us. We've seen some amazing work built on top of it from tiny little mobile applications like an SMS timer that just allows you to set a reminder over SMS to call your mom or something like that, to more elaborate visual recreations of Twitter like twittervision.com , which shows an animated map of the world and what everyone's doing around the world with Twitter. … The [Twitter] API has really been a big success for us, and it's something that we want to continue to focus our efforts on, looking forward.”
5. Facebook Platform
Facebook continued to become more popular throughout 2008, reaching 140 million active users by end of the year and growing at a rate of 600,000 users each day. For that reason we gave it an honorable mention in RWW's Best BigCo 2008 post.
However in terms of the Facebook platform, overall we felt that Google's OpenSocial overshadowed it in 2008. As we wrote in our mid-year review, Facebook Platform: The Fanfare Revisited, when the Facebook platform debuted last year it was touted as the next big thing. You no longer needed to bring the audience to your app. Instead your app could be delivered to one of the largest audiences around the web. And not just delivered, but injected into a massive social network. But while it started great, it turns out things are not that simple. Three fundamental issues surfaced:
- Technical: Should the app be just a teaser that leads users to their site or should it be a duplicate and have full functionality?
- Business: If e.g. New York Times builds a Facebook app, will it be economic for them (since there's little revenue in Facebook)?
- Provider costs: Does it pay for Facebook to maintain the platform? As a business with a huge valuation, Facebook needs to maximise profit.
Despite these issues, Facebook's platform shows no signs of slowing and many startups have ported their web apps to Facebook. It may not be the bee's knees anymore, but it's still a very effective platform for startups to utilize.
6. Android
Google's open mobile OS platform, Android, burst onto the scene this year as a rival to Apple's closed iPhone platform. Google spent a lot of time this year encouraging developers to create applications for Android – and rewarding them for doing so with cold, hard cash with the Android Developer Challenge . This led to many third party apps and multiple App Stores. The first Android phone – the “T-Mobile G1 With Google” – was launched in September, followed by a second Blackberry-like phone in December. Android apps are showing steady growth and we can expect to see this ramp up in 2009 as more handsets come on the market.
Android went open source in October, which starkly set Google apart from Apple's controlled platform. While iPhone was our top platform in 2008, Google has the opportunity to challenge for this mantle next year.
7. Amazon Web Services
Amazon's leading edge Web Services stack was first introduced to the world in 2006 and it continued to impress in 2008 – albeit with more of a business focus. Amazon Web Services basically became a more mature offering in ‘08 and it shored up its support services.
Amazon Web Services, led by Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), was the first major cloud computing platform and today it powers the backend for many startups. At the beginning of the year we noted that Amazon's web services now accounts for more bandwidth than all of Amazon's global web sites combined. Then in April, Amazon announced premium for-pay support packages for some of its core infrastructure services. S3, EC2 and Simple Queue Service (SQS) each received the gold and silver level support treatment. In October Amazon announced that EC2 was coming out of beta and that it now supported Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server (i.e. expanding beyond Linux distributions and OpenSolaris). At the same time Amazon offered a Service Level Agreement for EC2 and promised an availability of 99.95%.
8. Live Mesh
The Live Mesh service launched in April as an invite only “technology preview”. It is Microsoft's attempt to tie all of our data together. Live Mesh synchronizes data across multiple devices (currently just Windows computers, but theoretically it will extend to mobile and other devices in the future) as well as to a web desktop that exists in the cloud. It can sync data across devices used by a single users, as well as create shared spaces for multiple users.
Essentially, Live Mesh is a collection of feeds (which can be expressed as ATOM, JSON, FeedSync, RSS, WB-XML, or POX). Every piece of data entered into a user's Mesh — be it a file, a folder, a message, a user permission, or a new device — is rendered as a piece of information in a feed. The feeds are then synced with other devices that are part of that Mesh following rules for how to sync each particular piece of information (i.e., File A may sync with Users 1, 2, and 3, while File B may only be told to sync with Users 1 and 2).
9. Fire Eagle
Earlier this year Yahoo announced that the closed beta period for its location platform Fire Eagle had ended and that the service was now open for everybody. A number of high-profile services, including Brightkite, Movable Type, Dopplr, and Pownce have implemented Fire Eagle through the numerous APIs Yahoo provides for accessing the service.
As we wrote about Fire Eagle when the beta was first announced, it offers API kits in five different programming languages, it's got user authorization protocols already available for web, desktop and mobile apps and it's using the open standards community built oAuth to facilitate faster, more secure mashups. So this platform is leveraging universal open standards.
Note: also see our coverage of the Yahoo! Internet Location Platform, a collection of in-depth geo-location based APIs.
10. Mozilla Weave
This year Mozilla announced Weave , a new web platform that will store users' browser metadata in a cloud environment for access anywhere. Weave is a “framework for services integration” that will, according to Mozilla, “focus on finding ways to enhance the Firefox user experience, increase user control over personal information, and provide new opportunities for developers to build innovative online experiences.”
The basic idea is that browser metadata (things stored in your Firefox profile like bookmarks, history, RSS feeds, usernames and passwords, etc.) is pushed into the cloud and stored on Mozilla's servers. The data is available to users from wherever they get online and users can share information with friends, family, or third parties while retaining control over how, when, and if the info is shared.
IDG Holding Town Hall To Decide Future Of Macworld Expo
After Apple’s announcement that they would not be attending Macworld after next week’s event, there has been a lot of curiosity among the diehard Apple fanboys and girls about what it will mean for the annual event. For those of you who are lucky enough to be going this year, IDG, the company who put on the event along with Macworld, is hosting a town hall meeting on Wednesday, January 7th, where you can voice your opinions and hear what others are saying. We’ll be there. Will you?
Maximizer Mobile CRM Now Available for HTC Google G1 Smartphone
Maximizer Software Inc. (TSX: MAX), a leading provider of simple, accessible customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, again widened its applicability across smartphone platforms today by announcing that its mobile CRM solution is now available for the HTC Google G1 smartphone. The touch-screen Google G1, which debuted in late Q3 2008 with T-Mobile, is powered by Google’s Android, the first ever open source mobile device platform and operating system. Maximizer Mobile CRM supports the largest number of smartphones in the industry, including BlackBerry?, Windows Mobile?, Palm and iPhone(TM), as well as Nokia and many other handsets powered by the Symbian operating system.
By accessing Maximizer Mobile CRM through a wireless web browser, sales and service professionals who use the HTC Google G1 may now view and update critical customer, sales and service information in real-time, directly from the smartphone to the corporate CRM system. Maximizer’s wireless application enables on-the-go management of customers, leads, sales opportunities, service cases and document repositories.
“Maximizer’s support of the Google G1 smartphone highlights our commitment to making our mobile CRM solutions compatible with all the latest smartphones in this diverse and growing market,” said William Anderson, executive vice president of technology, Maximizer Software. “This gives our existing and potential customers more choices, as small to medium-sized businesses rapidly move towards mobilizing their organizations. Google’s Android platform is an exciting addition to the mobile market and we take pride in being the first CRM solution to support it.”
Availability & Pricing
In addition to its availability for the Google G1 smartphone, Maximizer Mobile CRM is available for BlackBerry?, Windows Mobile?, iPhone(TM), Palm, and Symbian-supported smartphones. Please call 1-800-804-6299 or visit http://www.maximizer.com/mobileCRM for further information and demos.
About Maximizer Software
Maximizer Software is a leading provider of simple, accessible, customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, providing the best value for small and medium-sized businesses. As a pioneer in the CRM industry for more than 20 years, Maximizer offers sales, marketing, and customer service staff and managers access to customer information through mobile devices, online, or the desktop. Maximizer’s solutions enable organizations to accelerate business growth by streamlining sales, marketing and customer service processes, while exceeding client expectations. Maximizer Software has sold over one million licenses to more than 120,000 customers, ranging in size from entrepreneurs to multi-national organizations, including: Siemens, Societe Generale, HSBC, TD Securities, Lockheed Martin, Brian Tracy International, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Oxford University Press, and Cathay Pacific. Maximizer Software is a global business with offices and over 400 business partners throughout the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit: www.maximizer.com.
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements reflecting Maximizer Software Inc.’s current expectations. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market and competition, technological and competitive developments, and potential downturns in economic conditions generally. Additional information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results are detailed in documents filed from time to time with the provincial securities commissions in Canada. All trademarks or registered trademarks stated herein are properties of their respective owners.
By accessing Maximizer Mobile CRM through a wireless web browser, sales and service professionals who use the HTC Google G1 may now view and update critical customer, sales and service information in real-time, directly from the smartphone to the corporate CRM system. Maximizer’s wireless application enables on-the-go management of customers, leads, sales opportunities, service cases and document repositories.
“Maximizer’s support of the Google G1 smartphone highlights our commitment to making our mobile CRM solutions compatible with all the latest smartphones in this diverse and growing market,” said William Anderson, executive vice president of technology, Maximizer Software. “This gives our existing and potential customers more choices, as small to medium-sized businesses rapidly move towards mobilizing their organizations. Google’s Android platform is an exciting addition to the mobile market and we take pride in being the first CRM solution to support it.”
Availability & Pricing
In addition to its availability for the Google G1 smartphone, Maximizer Mobile CRM is available for BlackBerry?, Windows Mobile?, iPhone(TM), Palm, and Symbian-supported smartphones. Please call 1-800-804-6299 or visit http://www.maximizer.com/mobileCRM for further information and demos.
About Maximizer Software
Maximizer Software is a leading provider of simple, accessible, customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, providing the best value for small and medium-sized businesses. As a pioneer in the CRM industry for more than 20 years, Maximizer offers sales, marketing, and customer service staff and managers access to customer information through mobile devices, online, or the desktop. Maximizer’s solutions enable organizations to accelerate business growth by streamlining sales, marketing and customer service processes, while exceeding client expectations. Maximizer Software has sold over one million licenses to more than 120,000 customers, ranging in size from entrepreneurs to multi-national organizations, including: Siemens, Societe Generale, HSBC, TD Securities, Lockheed Martin, Brian Tracy International, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Oxford University Press, and Cathay Pacific. Maximizer Software is a global business with offices and over 400 business partners throughout the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit: www.maximizer.com.
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements reflecting Maximizer Software Inc.’s current expectations. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market and competition, technological and competitive developments, and potential downturns in economic conditions generally. Additional information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results are detailed in documents filed from time to time with the provincial securities commissions in Canada. All trademarks or registered trademarks stated herein are properties of their respective owners.
Thursday 11 March 2010
Unbound Medicine Announces Download Support for iPhone(TM) and iPod(R) Touch Devices
Today, Unbound Medicine, a leader in knowledge management solutions for healthcare, announced that the Unbound(TM) Platform now supports application download to Apple(R) iPhone(TM) and iPod(R) touch devices. Adding delivery of iPhone applications to existing support for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS devices strengthens Unbound Medicine’s position as a leading provider of point-of-care clinical information in the healthcare segment.
The first native iPhone application to become available on the Unbound Platform is Nursing Central(TM), the best-selling nursing application that provides up-to-date information on diseases, tests, drugs, and procedures. Designed to take full advantage of the iPhone’s exceptional visual and navigational support, Nursing Central also provides cross-links connecting related information and personalized bookmarking of favorite topics. Unbound’s unique interface takes full advantage of the iPhone’s outstanding internet capabilities by delivering frequent content updates, tables of contents from just-published journals, and citations and abstracts from more than 18 million medical journal articles.
“When I saw Nursing Central on my iPhone, the first thing I noticed was the elegant design of the application and how it makes the most of the capabilities of the device,” said Brent Thompson, RN, PhD, Associate Professor at West Chester University. “I was extremely comfortable navigating through the software and finding the patient care information I was looking for.”
Adding native application support for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch was a logical step in Unbound’s continued expansion into the growing smartphone marketplace.
“Although Unbound has supported the iPhone since it was launched, we are delighted to now support native applications delivered through iTunes,” said Bill Detmer, MD, president of Unbound Medicine. “By adding the iPhone to the long list of devices supported by the Unbound Platform, we can help busy health professionals answer questions that arise during the course of patient care and also stay abreast of the latest developments in their fields.”
Nursing Central is the first of many iPhone applications arriving soon from Unbound Medicine. For a demonstration of Nursing Central on iPhone or to learn more about upcoming releases, visit www.unboundmedicine.com/iphone.htm.
About Unbound Medicine
Unbound Medicine, Inc. develops next-generation knowledge management systems for healthcare. The company’s handheld, wireless, and web-based technology platform and its information architecture services provide healthcare professionals with advanced systems for acquiring, managing, and sharing knowledge.
The first native iPhone application to become available on the Unbound Platform is Nursing Central(TM), the best-selling nursing application that provides up-to-date information on diseases, tests, drugs, and procedures. Designed to take full advantage of the iPhone’s exceptional visual and navigational support, Nursing Central also provides cross-links connecting related information and personalized bookmarking of favorite topics. Unbound’s unique interface takes full advantage of the iPhone’s outstanding internet capabilities by delivering frequent content updates, tables of contents from just-published journals, and citations and abstracts from more than 18 million medical journal articles.
“When I saw Nursing Central on my iPhone, the first thing I noticed was the elegant design of the application and how it makes the most of the capabilities of the device,” said Brent Thompson, RN, PhD, Associate Professor at West Chester University. “I was extremely comfortable navigating through the software and finding the patient care information I was looking for.”
Adding native application support for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch was a logical step in Unbound’s continued expansion into the growing smartphone marketplace.
“Although Unbound has supported the iPhone since it was launched, we are delighted to now support native applications delivered through iTunes,” said Bill Detmer, MD, president of Unbound Medicine. “By adding the iPhone to the long list of devices supported by the Unbound Platform, we can help busy health professionals answer questions that arise during the course of patient care and also stay abreast of the latest developments in their fields.”
Nursing Central is the first of many iPhone applications arriving soon from Unbound Medicine. For a demonstration of Nursing Central on iPhone or to learn more about upcoming releases, visit www.unboundmedicine.com/iphone.htm.
About Unbound Medicine
Unbound Medicine, Inc. develops next-generation knowledge management systems for healthcare. The company’s handheld, wireless, and web-based technology platform and its information architecture services provide healthcare professionals with advanced systems for acquiring, managing, and sharing knowledge.
Sony Ericsson Ruriko Project, 1 GHz CPU and 12.1 Megapixel Camera, Perfect?
We've shown you the Sony Ericsson Ruriko concept teaser before and finally we've got images of the “real” device, designed by the famous Esato board user Razec. This superb concept handset packs a 3.5 inch external AMOLED display with capacitive touchscreen surface, a Qualcomm QSD8250 1GHz CPU, 256MB RAM and 16GB Flash Memory.
There's also a unique slide hinge included in its design, a brushed metal back finish, 1080p HD video support, a 12.1 megapixel camera (Exmor CMOS, 28mm wide Carl-Zeiss Sonnar, Xenon Flash, HD 720p video recording) and the Android OS v2.0 with Sony Ericsson GUI.
Ruriko also incorporates a second camera (1.3 megapixels), used for videocall and live chat, a 3.5 inch internal WVGA AMOLED display, touch sensitive multimedia keys, a QWERTY keyboard, a 4 way DPAD plus a 2.1 stereo subwoofer. Isn't this Sony Ericsson concept a bit better than your Eee PC?
Next time we'll have have a look at Razec's concept interfaces for the Android OS.
The Palm downs “exaggerated” anti-iPhone claims
Palm in an uncharacteristic move late yesterday submitted an SEC filing hoping to dampen expectations created by Elevation Partners founder Roger McNamee during a Bloomberg TV interview. The US document specifically singles out McNamee's claims that the Palm Pre would convert all early iPhone users and describes them as an “exaggerated prediction” that it wants to withdraw. Assertions that the OS roots of the BlackBerry and iPhone are 13 and 9 years old are also “inherently imprecise” and also taken back, Palm says.
Although the investor was roughly accurate with relative market share for iPhones, BlackBerries and smartphones as a whole, Palm further corrects him and says that the Pre won't necessarily be “several times faster” than the iPhone as it's still under development. Touting webOS as superior is also difficult when it's in a beta state, the company notes, and claims that Sprint's 3G network is better than those for AT&T and Verizon are just “generalizations” that are likely to vary by area.
The filing prevents legal ramifications from McNamee's statements but also underscores Palm's awareness of the Pre's role in the market, where it's expected to be one of Apple's most direct competitors and one of Sprint's few true “halo” devices that could lure customers to its network. Where McNamee has been known for making aggressive claims about Palm's competition with the iPhone since the Pre was introduced at CES this January, the company has regularly backed down and is best known for having preemptively claimed there would be no patent disputes with Apple over the use of multi-touch with the Pre's interface.
Nokia 5320 XpressMusic Review
The Nokia 5320 XpressMusic is another model on the Nokia XPressMusic series, which is dedicated to the music lovers, and that can be seen not only by the name, but by the presence of dedicated multimedia keys on the case.
It presents a standard candybar design, with glossy surfaces and refined details. It measures 108 x 46 x 15mm, making it a very compact phone. The 2″ QVGA display has a resolution of 240×320 pixels and views more than 16 million colors.
Even though this model is geared to a multimedia use, the other features are also rather good. It's a Quadband GSM, which means it works on the four GSM frequencies: 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz. The internet navigation is done through the WAP browser and the GPRS technology.
The data synchronization with other devices is done through USB cable or bluetooth. Other features related to the telephony are the built-in handsfree, voice recording, voice command, converter , calculator, world clock, alarm clock, agenda, chronometer and a phonebook with capacity for 2000 contacts.
Other features are the built-in handsfree, voice-activated calls, phonebook, agenda, calculator, alarm clock and many others. It also supports MMS, SMS and e-mail messages, with the text-to-speech feature that allows the phone to “read” messages.
Being an XpressMusic model, it also features many multimedia functions. Starting from the 2 Megapixel photocamera with integrated LED flash, 4x digital zoom, image editor and brightness/contrast settings. With this photocamera it's also possible to record videos, while a second photocamera placed on the front part is reserved to videocalls.
The music features also include the FM radio with the RDS function for an easier station search and the Visual Radio that allows the user to interact with radio stations. The multimedia player is accessible through the dedicated keys on the case, and one of these is the My Own key usable with the Play and Say feature, that allows the user to play a song by simply saying its name. It's also usable for N-Gage games.
The 5320 XpressMusic also features other applications such as Flash Lite 3.0, Windows Live (through download), Flickr, Yahoo Go! and Yahoo! Messenger. The internal memory has 140MB and it's expandable through microSD cards, and a 512MB one is included on the package.
The package also includes, besides the 512MB microSD card, a battery recharger, the Music brochure, the CD with the Nokia software and the Nokia headphones.
The battery, according to the official data, should guarantee 3.5 hours in conversation modes, 250 hours in standby and up to 24 hours of continuous music playing.
Pros:
- Good quality screen
- FM radio
- microSD card included on the package
- UMTS support
Cons:
- Photocamera could be better
- Size
Conclusion:
The Nokia 5320 XPressMusic is definitely a high-quality cellphone that offers a great network coverage, advanced functions such as voice recognition and voicecalls, FM radio with RDS and Virtual Radio. The photocamera could have a better resolution. The fact that the microSD card is included on the package is also a plus.
Google allowing tethering apps for non-T-Mobile users
After performing a mass sweep of tethering applications from the Android Market earlier this week, Google have backtracked. Rather than a total ban, their suggestion is to leave tethering software available to “users outside the T-Mobile US network”:
“We inadvertently unpublished your application for all mobile providers; if you like, we can restore your app so that all Android Market users outside the T-Mobile US network will have access to your application” Google statement to WiFi Tether for Root Users developer.”
It looks as though, as we suggested, Google has a filtering system which allows them to limit Android Market content depending on carrier. It’s arguable whether that’s good news or bad; one perspective is that at least developers can promote Android software that, while perhaps falling foul of some carriers’ Terms of Service (ToS), would still be usable by those with unlocked devices on different networks.
However, a different view might maintain that by giving in to carrier pressure, Google has set a precedent which could significantly impact future software, such as VoIP apps. The layering of ToS and distribution agreements involving users, carriers and Google themselves makes keeping track of which apps will be permitted, whether partially or totally, difficult, and it’ll only get worse as more carriers sign up their own Android devices.
“We inadvertently unpublished your application for all mobile providers; if you like, we can restore your app so that all Android Market users outside the T-Mobile US network will have access to your application” Google statement to WiFi Tether for Root Users developer.”
It looks as though, as we suggested, Google has a filtering system which allows them to limit Android Market content depending on carrier. It’s arguable whether that’s good news or bad; one perspective is that at least developers can promote Android software that, while perhaps falling foul of some carriers’ Terms of Service (ToS), would still be usable by those with unlocked devices on different networks.
However, a different view might maintain that by giving in to carrier pressure, Google has set a precedent which could significantly impact future software, such as VoIP apps. The layering of ToS and distribution agreements involving users, carriers and Google themselves makes keeping track of which apps will be permitted, whether partially or totally, difficult, and it’ll only get worse as more carriers sign up their own Android devices.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
HTC Snap Phone Review – Features,Price and Specifications
The most exciting news from HTC is HTC Corporation has just announced its latest QWERTY smartphone, the HTC Snap, which has a new function called ‘Inner Circle' that sorts emails based on a user's preferences. By pressing a button, the smartphone can bring emails from a preselected group of people to the top of the inbox — so users can read and reply to them more conveniently. This is very wonderful, no wonder it is has been loved by so many people in such a short time.
What's better, HTC Snap Phone has an ergonomic QWERTY keyboard with extra-large domed keys and tactile feedback for easier typing. The Snap runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and integrates Wi-Fi, high-speed HSDPA Internet, Bluetooth, GPS, a microSD expansion slot and a 2.0-megapixel camera. Those people who are interested in taking photos will love this cellphone like crazy. I'm quite sure about this.
HTC Snap Phone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard on a 528 MHz processor, and have 192 MB of RAM. It comes bundled with the standard suite of productivity and entertainment applications that are a part of this platform.
It includes high-speed 3G HSPA connectivity for Europe and Asia. HTC also plans to release an alternate, unlockedversion with N. AmericanHSDPA support (850/1900 MHz).
The most special thing is HTC promises HTC Snap will deliver up to eight and a half hours of talk time with the standard 1500 mAh battery. This is very cool. You know, I always hate that the battery runs out when I'm talking with people. Now with HTC Snap, I will be very happy about this.
HTC Snap Features
1) With the touch of a button, emails from a user's “inner circle” rise to the top for quick access and streamlined communication
2) Update calendar, manage contacts and emails and stay organized with the familiar experience of Windows Mobile
3) Texting is faster and more comfortable than ever with the QWERTY keyboard with natural offset pattern and raised keys
4) High-speed 3G HSPA connectivity makes it quick and easy to send pictures to friends, access favorite social networking sites or download large files
With these cool features, people will love this phone more, just like you will love your girlfriend more if she wears more beautiful clothes.
We haven't known HTC Snap Price, but it is said to be very affordable, so you guys don't need to worry about it.
So what do you think about HTC Snap Phone?
Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch Review
Full touch is an understatement when it comes to Samsung's 2009 style phone flag bearer, the S8300 Ultra Touch. Behind its 2.8-inch anti-scratch, anti-smudge AMOLED touchscreen is the upgraded TouchWiz user interface that's not only intuitive, but customizable, too. This 0.5-inch-thin smartphone also boasts a wide range of features, including an eight-megapixel cam, high-quality 30fps video recording, GPS navigation, geotagging, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA connection, among others. Now, if touchscreen ain't your thing, simply slide out the keypad and do things the good old tactile way.
GSM GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
* 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity
* Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
* 2.8″ 16M color, AMOLED touchscreen
* 8 MP CCD Camera, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
* built-in GPS
* FM Radio with RDS
* 80MB of on board memory
* microSD (TransFlash) card slot, up to 16GB
* Divx playback
* Stand by up to 350h
* Talk time up to 4h
BlackBerry App: Facebook version 1.5 now available for upgrade
With a new download and install, Facebook v1.5 is available now for the BlackBerry today.
On my Storm, I’m getting version 1.50.31, a pretty hefty 994 KB download (723KB on the 8900). RIM says this update is good for any BlackBerry running OS 4.2 and greater (none with a trackwheel). I’ve been using 1.5 on my 8900 for a few weeks.
I like having the Facebook calendar integrate with my onboard BlackBerry calendar, as well as integrate with my device Address Book.
Download the Facebook 1.5 from here on your PC by sending an email link to your BlackBerry. You can install via the PC at the same link with your BlackBerry connected via USB.
On my Storm, I’m getting version 1.50.31, a pretty hefty 994 KB download (723KB on the 8900). RIM says this update is good for any BlackBerry running OS 4.2 and greater (none with a trackwheel). I’ve been using 1.5 on my 8900 for a few weeks.
I like having the Facebook calendar integrate with my onboard BlackBerry calendar, as well as integrate with my device Address Book.
Download the Facebook 1.5 from here on your PC by sending an email link to your BlackBerry. You can install via the PC at the same link with your BlackBerry connected via USB.
LG GT500 Touchscreen Phone Preview
LG will soon launch a new cell phone – LG GT500. The appearance of this cell phone looks simple and the atmosphere, it is suitable for business use, LG GT500 is equipped with a resolution of 240×400 WVGA touch screen, built-in 5 megapixels camera, Bluetooth and 3.5 mm headphone jack.
This might be just something else tossed at us from the rumor mill, but if we tell you that this little morsel of info was spotted coded onto LG's own website, would that add some credibility to it? Well, may be it would. The folks over at MobileSyrup did some diving on LG's site and came across an xml document that is named “LG-GT500R-Rogers.xml,” which could be a dead giveaway that the GT500R (R for Rogers?), which is scheduled for a T-Mobile opening this summer, will be hopping the Canadian boundary and end up with Rogers some time soon. The specs may be a little bland for some, with its 5-megapixel camera, 3G support, GPS, and a 3-inch touchscreen display to name a few, but then, they aren't such a big disappointment either.
Anybody care to wager who will get it first? Rogers or T-Mobile? Americans or Canadians?
The T-Mobile G1 v2: Exceeding Info on Next-Gen Android Device
We interrupt your steady stream of iPhone rumors to bring you new investigate on that different famous smartphone: the Android-powered T-Mobile G1. second its successor, the T-Mobile G2 (aka HTC voodoo) has yet to hit America, there’s now gossip of a “T-Mobile G1 v2″ that could be coming soon to a store up you.
Meet the T-Mobile G1 v2
Word of the supposed T-Mobile G1 v2 unparalleled hit when tech blog TMOToday naked an light coming map of Wal-Mart’s mobile launch schedule earlier this extent. The map shows a G2 figure becoming available this summer, bury the G1 v2 following pressure the hopping. The G1 v2 is referred to due to “Bigfoot” and “Morrison” in various places.
Now, we’re receiving a pre-eminent glimpse at how the oddly named phone could look. (To appear as fair, Microsoft’s rumored smartphone of the unborn is codenamed “Pink,” so we’ll style HTC some slack.) The sleuths at The Boy Genius invoice have published what they clear to be a leaked abstraction of the G1 v2. The shot shows a slick-looking device disguise a slideout QWERTY keyboard — vital the T-Mobile G1 had but the G2 lacked.
Sale Speculation
So far, no specs hold been leaked, though there’s speculation the T-Mobile G1 v2 will vouchsafe seeing about $148 plant a two-year engage through Wal-Mart. That’s the same price at which Wally World’s been selling the G1 since draw out October. With all the talk of Apple considering a smaller, lower-priced iPhone (not to adduce lowering its iPhone lift plans), a price tag under $150 could make Android’s seemingly full-size offering an attractive option.
Initial Impressions
It’s immense to jaw much more about the alleged T-Mobile G1 v2 without having any firm attainments. My initial impression, based on the truncated and problematical info we have, is that the phone could determine to possess a strenuous clot of the G1’s further the G2’s strongest features: It appears to have the sleekness besides zip of the latter, bit reclaiming the slide out keyboard skill of the former (something I, now one, value — those iPhone/iPod Touch keyboards are damn operose to use).
Meet the T-Mobile G1 v2
Word of the supposed T-Mobile G1 v2 unparalleled hit when tech blog TMOToday naked an light coming map of Wal-Mart’s mobile launch schedule earlier this extent. The map shows a G2 figure becoming available this summer, bury the G1 v2 following pressure the hopping. The G1 v2 is referred to due to “Bigfoot” and “Morrison” in various places.
Now, we’re receiving a pre-eminent glimpse at how the oddly named phone could look. (To appear as fair, Microsoft’s rumored smartphone of the unborn is codenamed “Pink,” so we’ll style HTC some slack.) The sleuths at The Boy Genius invoice have published what they clear to be a leaked abstraction of the G1 v2. The shot shows a slick-looking device disguise a slideout QWERTY keyboard — vital the T-Mobile G1 had but the G2 lacked.
Sale Speculation
So far, no specs hold been leaked, though there’s speculation the T-Mobile G1 v2 will vouchsafe seeing about $148 plant a two-year engage through Wal-Mart. That’s the same price at which Wally World’s been selling the G1 since draw out October. With all the talk of Apple considering a smaller, lower-priced iPhone (not to adduce lowering its iPhone lift plans), a price tag under $150 could make Android’s seemingly full-size offering an attractive option.
Initial Impressions
It’s immense to jaw much more about the alleged T-Mobile G1 v2 without having any firm attainments. My initial impression, based on the truncated and problematical info we have, is that the phone could determine to possess a strenuous clot of the G1’s further the G2’s strongest features: It appears to have the sleekness besides zip of the latter, bit reclaiming the slide out keyboard skill of the former (something I, now one, value — those iPhone/iPod Touch keyboards are damn operose to use).
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Do you need to know these top iPhone’s secret silicon?
The precise specifications for many iPhone chips are murky. Should Apple be more open about its secret ingredients?
We know the precise dimensions of the outside of the iPhone–but what's inside?
(Credit: Apple)Granted, many people don't care about the silicon inside their iPhone. They just want it to work. That said, I think more than a few people would like to see the specifications for the iPhone's core silicon posted on Apple's Web site.
By comparison, take your typical laptop. Prospective buyers are able to see the exact specifications and make an informed buying decision. Though the iPhone isn't offered in different processor SKUs (models) like a laptop, the iPhone comes close to a PC in its capabilities and demands more disclosure.
Nikkei's TechOn Web site takes a stab at what the iPhone's main chip might be–generically referred to as an application(s) processor: “An LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) printed with Apple Inc.'s logo (”339S0036 ARM K4X1G163PC-DGC3″) was embedded on the center right of the board. It was assumed to be an application processor with an ARM core. Because it included a letter string beginning with ‘K,' it seemed to be manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. of Korea.”
Semiconductor Insights is a little more specific, saying it's a “Samsung ARM11-based design.”
Here's my point: Am I getting a smartphone with a Samsung, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Freescale, Nvidia or Intel processor? As high-end smartphones proliferate (such as those based on Intel's upcoming “Moorestown” processor), it would be useful to know up front who makes the applications processor and other core silicon and what the rated performance-per-watt of that chip is. And right now, the iPhone is the most prominent high-end smartphone.
Don't think smartphone makers should go down the same path as laptops, which are plastered with Intel, AMD, ATI, Nvidia, and Microsoft stickers? Maybe not. But more about what makes the device tick could only be helpful.
Would anybody else like to know?
We know the precise dimensions of the outside of the iPhone–but what's inside?
(Credit: Apple)Granted, many people don't care about the silicon inside their iPhone. They just want it to work. That said, I think more than a few people would like to see the specifications for the iPhone's core silicon posted on Apple's Web site.
By comparison, take your typical laptop. Prospective buyers are able to see the exact specifications and make an informed buying decision. Though the iPhone isn't offered in different processor SKUs (models) like a laptop, the iPhone comes close to a PC in its capabilities and demands more disclosure.
Nikkei's TechOn Web site takes a stab at what the iPhone's main chip might be–generically referred to as an application(s) processor: “An LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) printed with Apple Inc.'s logo (”339S0036 ARM K4X1G163PC-DGC3″) was embedded on the center right of the board. It was assumed to be an application processor with an ARM core. Because it included a letter string beginning with ‘K,' it seemed to be manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. of Korea.”
Semiconductor Insights is a little more specific, saying it's a “Samsung ARM11-based design.”
Here's my point: Am I getting a smartphone with a Samsung, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Freescale, Nvidia or Intel processor? As high-end smartphones proliferate (such as those based on Intel's upcoming “Moorestown” processor), it would be useful to know up front who makes the applications processor and other core silicon and what the rated performance-per-watt of that chip is. And right now, the iPhone is the most prominent high-end smartphone.
Don't think smartphone makers should go down the same path as laptops, which are plastered with Intel, AMD, ATI, Nvidia, and Microsoft stickers? Maybe not. But more about what makes the device tick could only be helpful.
Would anybody else like to know?
Sony Ericsson Unveils PS3-compatible Phone (Sony Ericsson Aino)
As part of its Christmas line-up of products, Sony Ericsson introduced a new phone that will allow consumers to connect to their PS3 gaming consoles remotely. The new phone, known as Aino, will let users access media content such as music, videos, and photos from the PS3 while on the go. Sadly, Aino will not allow users to play games or access high-definition video from the phone.
Aino can also synchronize with media files on your PC using Sony Ericsson 's Media Go multimedia manager. As for the phone itself, Aino features an 8.1-megapixel camera with geotagging capability; 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity; a physical keypad; and a three-inch touchscreen.
Sony Ericsson, the world's fifth largest handset maker, has lost some of its market share as competition in the mid-market handset segment has increased. The company believes wireless operators are hungry for phones that can drive data usage without requiring huge subsidies. Given that interest in the company's years-old Sony-branded Cybershot camera phones and Walkman music phones has faded, Sony Ericsson now must find new models to renew interest in its brand. The Aino is one of three new phones the company hopes will help it make a comeback.
In February, Sony Ericsson announced the Satio (previously known as the Idou) at the Mobile World Congress show. The Satio has a 12-megapixel camera, a 3.5-inch widescreen touchscreen display, and runs on Symbian S60 5th edition. Satio users will also be able to play 3D and high-definition games on the handset as well as watch various types of media files.
Another new Sony Ericsson phone called the Yari contains accelerometers that can be used for motion controls with games similar to Nintendo's Wii controllers. The Yari has a 5-megapixel camera, assisted-GPS, instant messaging, and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support.
Expect the new phones to be available in select markets later this year, likely in the fourth quarter. No U.S. launch dates have been given, however, Jon Mulder, head of North American product marketing, did say “currently we do anticipate that these models will be unlocked in various channels in the U.S. We have yet to announce operator partnerships.”
Sony Ericsson also plans to launch a virtual software applications store. The company plans to announce additional details concerning the store at next week's JavaOne Conference.
iPhone 3G S arrives on June 19 for 16GB and 32GB
Apple has officially taken the wraps off the third incarnation of the iPhone. Dubbed the iPhone 3G S, it will come in 16GB and 32GB flavors for $199 and $299 respectively, with the current 3G model available unchanged for $99. The iPhone 3GS will be available on June 19; iPhone OS 3.0 will arrive two days before that, on June 17.
Those in the US, Canada, France, Italy, UK, and Spain will be able to get their hands on the new iPhone on the 19th. The iPhone 3G S will gradually be introduced worldwide as new countries are added every few weeks. Keep in mind that those prices are with AT&T contracts; “naked” iPhones will run $499, $599, and $699 for the 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB models respectively.
The software
In addition to a number of features we saw at the iPhone OS 3.0 event earlier this year, like MMS, Push Notifications, Spotlight, and expanded language support, Apple SVP of iPhone software Scott Forstall also showed off the new video downloading features of iTunes, confirming previous rumors of this feature.
He also gave an impressive demo of a “Find My Phone” feature. This feature allows a user to log in to MobileMe to locate a lost iPhone using geolocation. Further, said Forstall, “If you lose your phone, you can send it a message from online or your home phone—it'll play a sound whether or not you left it in silent mode.” The sound will allow you to find it in your house, or if you left it at a restaurant, for instance, help a waiter find it. And, if the phone is truly lost, you can send the phone a wipe command remotely using MobileMe—keeping your personal data safe from thieves.
Forstall also discussed iPhone OS 3.0's support for MMS messages to send multimedia messages as well as tethering an iPhone to a laptop to use it as a 3G modem. While he noted that 29 of the carrier partners will support MMS messaging at launch, the audience was noticeably upset about AT&T delaying support until later this summer. The audience loudly booed, however, when it was announced that AT&T was not one of the “lots” of carriers supporting tethering.
Forstall then demoed an improved version of Mobile Safari. The version included in iPhone OS 3.0 will execute JavaScript three times as fast as the current version. It will have HTML 5 support, including offline storage and support for streaming audio and video . HTML 5 audio and video support will also include automatic selection of the appropriate bitrate to use for streaming based on network speeds. Autofill can optionally remember usernames and passwords for logging in to your oft-used websites.
Like the iPhone OS 3.0 event this spring, a parade of developers were brought on stage to demo apps using iPhone OS 3.0 features. GameLoft showed off racing game Asphalt 5, ScrollMotion showed downloadable textbooks, TomTom demoed—to great applause—a GPS navigation app, ngmoco showed off its sci-fi tower defense game Star Defense and its additional level add-ons, Pasco demoed collecting science data using its sensors and its Spark app, Zipcar showed an app for reserving cars on its car-sharing service with integrated Google maps, and Line6 showed off a control app that can control its line of DSP-based amplifiers.
iPhone OS 3.0 will be available to all previous iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide beginning Wednesday, June 17. Developers attending WWDC are being treated to a 10-day head start on the rest of us and being given a GM version of iPhone OS 3.0 today.
The hardware
For those that have been waiting on edge for new iPhone hardware, the keynote did not disappoint. Phil Schiller came on stage to announce the iPhone 3G S—with the “S” standing for “speed.” It will have the same physical form factor as the current iPhone 3G, so all the rumors of black bezels and rubber backing weren't accurate. But most of the rumors of hardware improvements were.
The improved processor (and possible RAM) will speed up most applications as much as two to three times, and will also introduce support for OpenGL ES 2.0, bringing significant improvement to 3D graphics. It will support HSPA data speeds of 7.2Mbps where available. Additionally, it will support a number of new features like built-in hardware encryption for data security, a digital compass, and Nike+ for logging running workouts. Accessibility has been improved with VoiceOver—which can read aloud text on screen—and high contrast screen settings.
Apple has also added a much-requested feature: voice control. Voice control can be used to dial contacts by simply saying “dial” and then a contact's name. While that feature has been available on a number of other phones for some time, it's still a welcome improvement. The control feature also works with the iPod app to control playback. It can even activate the iPod's Genius feature when a users simply says “play more songs like this.”
Perhaps the most universally appreciated update comes in the form of vastly improved camera hardware. The new camera has three megapixels for an improvement in detail and color accuracy, as well as an autofocus lens for much-improved sharpness. The Camera.app software also has a number of improvements, including improved auto exposure and white balance, improved low-light sensitivity, and a “tap to focus” feature, which allows the user to simply tap on an object on the screen to change the camera's focus point. The autofocus can switch into an auto “macro” mode, allowing the camera to focus as close as 10 cm.
Furthermore, the camera supports video recording, as previously rumored. The iPhone 3G S is capable of recording 640×480 resolution at 30 fps with audio. The Camera app will allow basic editing along with recording, and it will store all the videos along with the stills in your library.
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