Software

Wired has a how to up explaining various ways to secure your iPhone. The post covers everything from enabling auto lock (who would’ve have thought of that) to remapping the home button (what the?) If you’re serious about securing your iPhone and keeping your data away from prying eyes this is a good place to start.

Don’t feel too secure because if you tune into an O’Reilly webcast on September 11th you’ll be instructed on how to bypass the passcode lock by hacker Jonathan Zdziarski. Don’t worry, your security efforts won’t be for naught, the technique uses a custom firmware bundle and likely won’t be as easy to implement as the double tap crack.
via Wired

If you aren’t quite sure what ZiPhone is, allow mw to explain. ZiPhone is one of the (if not the only) most popular tools for automatically jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones.

Yesterday, the software has updated to version 3.0 and includes some much anticipated features by some. They include, No more need of fix nvram, solution for GREYED wifi, no need for YouTube Fixes, embedded apps installer, and customized plugins.

The new release is available in both Mac and Windows versions and you can get it here. Enjoy!

One of the main gripes of the iPhone when first introduced was the lack of a physical keyboard which allowed for tactile feedback. This was very difficult to implement considering the iPhone utilized a touch screen which manipulated the keyboard, any sort of feedback was eliminated altogether. Malcolm Hall and Eve Hoggan, students at the University of Glasgow overcame this limitation and implemented a Haptic keyboard system.

Although the concept exists, the prototype is less than ideal due to the few bugs found that killed the demo experience. However, it is a big first step in the right direction despite this being a prototype. The concept is demonstrated in a text editor but cannot be enabled for other Apps such as Mail, Notes or even Safari.

For the daring, the Haptic demo can be downloaded here.

Via: TUAW

Apple rolled out a new Firmware update for the iPhone yesterday with nothing more than Bug Fixes being listed. For all we know the underpinnings for SkyNet could’ve been installed but then again ignorance is bliss. The update appears to have only patched some left over bugs from 1.1.3 such as the SMS ordering bug, Mail not being sent properly and fixing compatability with Bluetooth devices.

Via: iPhone Atlas

The dominant Application for skinning and changing even the most minute of the iPhone’s interface is the very aptly named “Customize.app” and while it’s the only good thing available, the folks behind Unsanity are aiming to introduce their sorely missed skills to the iPhone.

You might recall the massive crap storm that brewed when users found that the program Application Enhancer which interferes with the OS on a very deep level to change many aspects of the interface caused problems when users tried to install Leopard. While the problem was solved they’ve decided to apply their expertise (and I use this term lightly since I have yet to see any major GUI improvements from them, only from the community) to the iPhone in perhaps the most horrid way possible. And by horrid I mean on the levels of the school bully taking your lunch money except he pretends to be Jason Statham.

The proposition is $20 for six months to use an Application that lets you set your Springboard wallpaper to N-Sync’s lead singer. No, don’t write a comment wailing at me for not supporting the development community… more...

Rumors continue to trickle in about the iPhone’s imminent SDK but the outlook does not look good.

Erica Sadun reports that the SDK should ship on schedule for late February but be in crippled form and the full package won’t be out until April. A Simulator will be made readily available.

It wouldn’t be surprising if there were delays, Google has dedicated more time than Apple to developing their SDK and mobile OS. Apple jumped up to get a SDK out when the announced October.

Via: TUAW

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Many of the iPhone users who have refrained from jailbreaking their mobile phones are now beginning to see functionality previously only available thru third party applications. As all good things come to those that wait, there are two programs that give you access to your iPhone, as if it were mounted to your computer as a disk drive. Access to some, but not all directories, as well as drag and drop file transfer from/to your computer is supported. Neither program requires you to jailbreak you iPhone.

The programs TouchCopy from wideanglesoftware and iPhoneDrive from icamm, both provide this access. However there are a few cavaets for both programs, that users should be aware. Currently TouchCopy comes on the Macintosh and Windows. However, the Mac version only allows access to the iPod, not the iTouch or iPhone.  As a matter of fact, they have a pointer to the icamm website, suggesting that an iPhone owner use the iPhoneDrive software. The price for either program is only $19.95. I was able to purchase the iphone drive for a $9.95 special early adapter price. Right after… more...

Chances are after upgrading to 1.1.3 on either your iPhone or iPod Touch, you’ve needed to downgrade back to 1.1.1 just to Jailbreak the latest Firmware update. Although the process is tedious (especially if you have an iPhone, iPod Touch owners have it easy) its been simplified thanks to Jailbreakme.com.

For those not in the know (and you really should know if you’re into Jailbreaking on even the lowest level), Jailbreakme.com utilizes a TIFF exploit in Safari to gain access to the iPhone and Jailbreak it. This allows you to install 3rd party Apps along side Installer.

The improvements stream line the process greatly by reducing install time and prepping your iPhone for a 1.1.2 Jalbreak.  In addition, Community Sources are installed by default allowing for a greater selection of Applications.

Jailbreak away

Via: TUAW

Ecamm Network has recently updated iPhone Drive to 1.4 bringing enhanced data access.

The new update allows users to archive photos and SMS messages alongside play music directly from the iPhone, a feature missing from iTunes despite the inclusion of being able to manually manage music on the iPhone.

Existing users can grab the update and new customers can try out a demo before purchase ($19.95).

Via: iLounge

After Nate True went rogue and released a very clunky Jailbreak for 1.1.3, the Dev Team changed plans and released an official method. Luckily, the new way is a hell of a lot easier than the old.

The process is very straightforward but requires a lot of patience and knowledge of what you’re doing. Take it from me, it can be a very long process if not done right.

You can find multiple guides online but keep in mind that if you are hoping to Jailbreak 1.1.3, you’ll have to be on 1.1.2 Jailbroken already. You can downgrade but the process is very tedious and you’ll be mucking around with the Base Band. 1.1.3 upgrades the Base Band for Google Maps’ Locate Me feature, downgrading does not change the BB at all and changing the Firmware prevents you from calling until you upgrade back.

As always iPhone Atlas has a very detailed guide on the procedure and iClarified has a very thorough walkthrough for Windows, Mac and running it directly from your iPhone.