Sep 14, 2007 Sep 16, 2007 Saturday September 15, 2007
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The State of the iTouch Jailbreak
Filed under: iPod Family, Hacks, iPhoneNo news to report yet but since I'm being bombarded by email, here's a status report: iPhuc. Recompiled and working. Recovery mode. Achieved both by hand and by software. The old restore commands do not work. iTouch uses a new restore protocol. Instead of pushing data from iTunes, the iTouch pulls data via request. It used to be that iTunes sent a request, and the iPhone returned results. Now iTunes starts a restore mode and waits for requests from the iTouch and serves the requested data. File read/write from disk. Achieved. Pretty much all the normal inside-jail stuff works. File system mount. Not there yet. GRestore. Partial success.RAM disk decryption. Not yet. No luck yet on finding the key, which may be getting served from Apple.Shell mode. Maybe. Normal mode debug access workingState. Arminius: Cranky; Pumpkin, tE_gU, Kroo, Roxfan, BloomFilter: Exhausted. Martyn: Bits of his ipod scattered about his workbench. Me: Frustrated. Jailbreak seems increasingly unlikely at this point. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Some iPhone Rebate Codes Invalid
I got a chance to head down to my local Apple Store (conveniently under renovation but still “full featured") to buy something with my $100 Apple Credit. Since I applied for my rebate code as soon as it was announced I was plagued with a minor problem, mine was invalid.…
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iPhone Dev Team releases free GUI unlocking app, AT&T weeps
Hopeful iPhone owners around the world, rejoice! The iPhone Dev Team has released what you've all been waiting for: a free, 100 percent GUI iPhone unlocking app.Read More...
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anySIM is here: open source GUI iPhone unlock app
Filed under: Cellphones We've seen a couple of early versions of GUI iPhone SIM unlock apps from the open source community, but it looks like the iPhone Dev Team's got its proper release in order. Unfortunately, the app's source code won't be released for a couple days yet, so if you want to see how the Dev Team got from iUnlock (and iUnlock Reloaded) to their "final" anySIM solution, you'll have to wait a little while longer. In the mean time, we've mirrored the tool here on our super-fast server farm. Oh, and don't blame us if it doesn't work or bricks your phone -- especially because we've yet to test this thing. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Using Your Store Credit on iTunes: An Update
Once again, Apple shows us it’s not always good to go first. After all the hubbub yesterday of how the iPhone Apple Store Credit could not be applied to gift cards or gift certificates for the iTunes Store, a new development has occurred. I am unsure of whether…
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iPods blocked from synching with Linux
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable VideoAccording to the blog iPodminusiTunes, Apple has blocked the new iPods from synching with third party applications (i.e. anything that isn't iTunes). The most significantly affected userbase in all this is the Linux community, who've been able to upload songs to their older iPods using free software such as gtkpod and Amarok for a while now. The tweak to the new iPod database files doesn't appear to be incidental either, with a number being added to the front of the database file causing the iPod to be exclusively tied to a single copy of iTunes. Fortunately, the problem isn't beyond a little bit of reverse engineering, so Apple's rather pointless meddling could be reversed given time.[Via BoingBoing] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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iPhone Dev Team announces free GUI iPhone Unlock Tool
Filed under: Cool tools, Hacks, iPhoneThe iPhone Dev Team has released a simple-to-use GUI tool that allows you to unlock your iPhone for use with any SIM. The tool, which is based on their previous command-line work, provides one-touch speedy unlocking. This is a big improvement on the first generation release. It no longer requires you to use special files or to dump nor data. You can download your copy from the DevTeam website or, soon, from Installer.app. "Wheat" is the guy responsible for those amazing graphics.Find out more at the #iphone channel at irc.osx86.hu Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Don't panic? Tell that to the public and the markets
In scenes you wouldn't normally see outside a banana republic, the queues of worried savers and mortgage holders at Northern Rock branches on Friday told their own story. Don't panic, Adam Applegarth, the bank's chief executive, told them. Your savings are safe with us.
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Millionaire boss who joked he couldn't make the tills balance counts the cost
When Adam Applegarth first started working at Northern Rock he was lousy at his job. "As a cashier I was particularly inept," he said, "because I could never get the till to balance."
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iPod touch unboxed and, um, touched
Filed under: Features, Portable Audio, Portable Video Yeah, we know we're running slightly behind on fooling around with a retail iPod touch, but we've finally got one here. You already saw our first impressions when we played with it at launch, but as the days have gone on, we've just become bewildered by a number of things, like: why does the screen look so different from the iPhone's? (More on that later.) Why'd Apple switch back to the shiny, scratch-magnet rear casing? Why can you add contacts, but not calendar appointments to the touch? And what was their methodology in selecting apps to use on the touch and not on the iPhone? While we ponder these questions (and many more) check out the full unboxing and hands-on gallery. More to come.Gallery: iPod touch unboxed and, um, touched Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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How Open will the iPhone Get?
Daniel Eran DilgerThere is obvious interest in iPhone development, and users of the device have good reason to demand a vibrant software ecosystem growing up around it. There are a lot of applications Apple doesn’t have the time or inclination to deliver, but which would greatly increase the value of the phone and subsequently expand sales. Apple needs third party help.At the same time, I have taken it upon myself to act as the tiny minority voice in explaining why I think Apple isn’t simply being foolish and shortsighted in the way that it is rolling out its iPhone software platform. Back in January, I explained why Apple might face resistance from third party developers, and why it might be best suited following a managed platform strategy in the model of video games, where Apple would developing its own apps and work with developers to co-publish, without setting up a wide open development platform like the Mac or Windows. [Inside the iPhone: Third Party Software]I also defended against the market-speak droids that came out in a vengeance against Apple’s so called “closed platform� by highlighting the absurdity of ABI’s claim that not running third party software made the iPhone “not a smartphone,� pointing out that the overwhelming majority of today’s third party mobile software either:solves problems in Windows Mobile that shouldn’t exist.fills voids left by Windows Mobile that Microsoft should have covered.exists without reason as frivolous garbage-ware.is overpriced trash.or will work on the iPhone already.[More Absurd iPhone Myths: Third Party Software Panic]With Journalists Like These, Who Needs to Report a Factual Story?In May, I went to Apple’s shareholder meeting (just barely; they use metal detectors for security and I have a metal plate in my arm from a motorcycle accident), and used the opportunity to ask Steve Jobs about iPhone development In front of all those rich stockholder and media types.“While Apple's closed platform policy may make sense for consumers,� I asked, “does Apple recognize the needs of large, institutional buyers who are excited about the prospect of applying low cost, handheld computers with their own custom development?�Jobs went on record to answer that Apple was working to balance the needs of software security and deployment with demands for custom development on the iPhone. The “real� press, including Ellen Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle and Troy Wolverton of the San Jose Mercury News, failed to ask any interesting questions or even note the interesting answers. Instead, Lee published a diatribe about how Jobs was “feisty� and “fired back� at anyone who dare ask any questions. Lee also described an unhappy shareholder contingent based entirely upon--as reader David Barnes noted--conversations with two union leaders with clear political goals. She may as well have invented that story from her desk and saved herself a trip.Wolverton turned in a tepid report in May, but then tried to retell Lee’s story in August, in an incendiary article that spun the meeting’s vote--three months later--as a hotbed of shareholder outrage and discontent. Wolverton still hasn’t got back to me as promised to explain away his documented record of half-truths and negative spin on all things Apple. What a coward![Answers from Steve Jobs at Apple's Shareholder Meeting][RoughlyDrafted Forums - Answers from Steve Jobs at Apple's Shareholder Meeting][Troy Wolverton Documents Faux Apple Shareholder Outrage]An iPhone SDK at WWDC?Prior to WWDC in June, I explained why I didn’t think Apple would release a software development kit for it, and that it would likely orient apps around the web as Dashboard-like widgets instead. I outlined reasons why, in addition to pointing out that being “closed� did not necessarily mean being a completely locked down black box, and that Apple’s viewpoint was subject to change as the surrounding circumstances did. [Mobile Disruption: Apple's iPhone and Third Party Software][An iPhone SDK? Predictions for WWDC 2007!]An Open iPhone Software Plan.Days before the iPhone’s release, I pointed out that Apple had already gone on record about its plans for the iPhone back in an April earnings report:CFO Peter Oppenheimer stated, “We believe the iPhone is a revolutionary device that is years ahead of the competition. At Macworld, we demonstrated a number of the iPhone's breakthrough features, including its pioneering multi-touch display and user interface, visual voicemail, desktop class e-mail and web browsing, and of course, the best iPod ever. “We plan to build on this incredible foundation by continuing to develop new software features as well as entirely new applications and incorporate them into the iPhone. Since iPhone customers will likely be our best advocates for the product, we want to get them many of these new features and applications at no additional charge as they become available.“[Apple's Secret iPhone Application Business Model]Since then, I’ve pointed out the same thing: the iPhone isn’t likely to become a Mac-like open platform anytime soon, but its really not accurate to call it a closed platform either. Two recent articles presented more details on why, integrating in the historical events of the Office Wars.[Six Reasons Why Apple May Never Open the iPhone][How Closed Is the iPhone?]Reasons for Wanting an Open iPhone SDK.Reader Ken Tozier responded with three main reasons he thinks Apple should open up the iPhone to developers. He wrote:“A supported SDK would eliminate the negative ‘hacker’ stigma for third party applications. Since Apple never partners with anyone but large corporations, under the closed model, the little guy will never get a chance to legitimately write applications for the iPhone. Without this legitimacy, only a miniscule proportion of iPhone users will ever take the risk on hacked applications. The average user will just be too scared off by the label ‘hacked.’
“A supported SDK would bring a large percentage of developers, who want to create iPhone/iPod-Touch apps under Apple's control. It's just easier and faster to use Apple's Cocoa classes than plod through open source SVN trees trying to  stitch together disparate code fragments into your own ‘big idea.’
“Small developers are the ones who will be writing the most creative iPhone apps. Fleshing in the iPhone universe with myriad stars, that are just too small for Apple to bother with. Bar code readers based on the camera. Foreign language flash cards, Road trip license plate games for kids where, when they see a new license plate, they could press a button for info on that state. Lava lamps, virtual fish tanks. Carpenter's levels. Nail finders. The possibilities are endless and Apple will never do any of them.“The iPhone already contains a large chunk of ARM adapted Cocoa classes with the exact same method prototypes that have been in use for years in OS X. Apple isn't going to change classes like NSDictionaries, NSStrings, NSURLs etc for the simple reason that it's battle tested, ‘just works’ and changing these would break all their stuff too.“So, that just leaves a handful of high level iPhone specific classes. For example, I'd be a happy camper if, in addition to file read/write, Apple gave us the following iPhone hardware accessor classes:NSBasebandServiceNSBasebandClient
NSBluetoothServiceNSBluetoothClient
NSWiFiServiceNSWiFiClient
NSMultiTouchClientNSAccelerometerClient“With NSBasebandService and NSWiFiService, it would be possible to create a wireless modem application where your laptop talks to the phone in WiFi-ese and the phone talks to another phone on the other side of the world through the baseband. Teleconferencing from a camp site.“With NSMultiTouchClient, you could use the raw coordinate (and pressure?) data however you wanted. Keys on a virtual instrument, pads on a virtual drum kit, whatever.“With NSAccelerometerClient you could create really cool multi-player games and physics demonstrations for the classroom.“Apple needs to do this. I can't put an accurate percentage on it, but my gut feeling is that third party apps could increase iPhone sales by 10 to 15 percent. Maybe even more if someone comes up with something revolutionary.�The Hacker Stigma.Tozier raised some good points. However, regarding the hacker stigma, what great or useful applications do people not use because of such a stigma? Mac the Ripper, Handbrake, and torrent apps and sites are wildly popular, even though they are known to be "grey area" and require thwarting of laws and jurisdictions just to host them. People might be afraid of putting unknown third party software on their mobile, but they should be. If Apple rubber stamped its approval on all third party software to remove this stigma, it would only confer all rage related to glitches, battery loss, spyware, and other problems directly upon Apple. Why would Apple want to take responsibility for a bunch of hobbyist apps when it faces regular petty lawsuits over "whether it adequately informed users that batteries might wear out" and other frivolousness?Frozen Cocoa: Tastes Great But Doesn't Flow.The hackers are already working to use Apple's Cocoa classes. There is no alternative system on the iPhone to use. Just as on the Mac desktop, many apps are existing Free and Open Source Software wrapped in nice Cocoa interfaces. That's what iPhone apps would largely be as well. But for Apple to offer official support for this, it would have to freeze its Cocoa frameworks and make them public.Apple already maintains private frameworks in Mac OS X; developers can't really use these, not because Apple wants to reserve them for itself, but because they are in flux. Apple commonly develops a framework privately, then after testing it in production and refining it, opens them up for developers to use in the next release of Mac OS X. If developers were allowed to build against the closed versions, their work would break as Apple made improvements. It's the same on the iPhone. If Apple opened up its internals as a public API, it would then be hamstrung to make any changes.We already know that Apple plans to make major changes to a number of things, particularly Notes and Calendar in relation to Leopard. If Apple allowed developers to go out and build a "Notes+" they would be angry after Apple released its own plans related to Notes, and "outraged Mac users" would be paraded around offering their opinion that Apple shouldn't step on developers shoes and should pay third parties before offering a similar solution to the same problem. Think of Watson and Konfabulator.An Expanding iPhone Software Ecosystem of Small Developers.At the same time however, Tozier raises salient points about the breadth and depth of software that Apple will never provide solutions to. I have an iPhone. I want to install cool things on it. I can imagine things that would be incredibly useful and powerful and fun. I'm surprised Apple hasn't made any allowance to even package up "local web apps" that developers could distribute that could do things without a network connection. It would be great if Apple could deliver a sandbox environment that would skirt around all the problems I raised and deliver a vibrant software ecosphere for the OS X devices.I can also think of a dozen other things It would also be great if Apple could tackle. Unfortunately, market realities mean that the company's abilities are constrained and it has to focus on the most valuable opportunities. As the company builds the iPhone platform, I think it will make sense to progressively allow increased access to third parties. Steps Toward Open.I think "local web apps" would be an extremely important first step, along with simpler Dashboard-like widgets similar to the iPhone’s Maps, Weather, and Stocks. Put them on a separate set of pages behind "Dashboard" or something. Very little risk.A second step would be to allow access to the cooler stuff via the web, so local web apps could access sensors and Bluetooth and other things. This begins to raise security risks and liability risks. The first apps are going to be used to copy around songs and pop up ads; there is too much money in "not paying for content" and "pushing messages at people." Look at Windows: open ubiquitous platform, satiated with software piracy and viral adware.I agree that the idyllic paradise is flowing with the milk and honey of third party software, but there are real threats to defend against as well. Which is why I brought up Mac OS licensing. Who would have guessed that software licensing would cost Apple more money that it made? Good ideas are sometimes really just ideas.But ideas are so much fun to speculate about. Let’s play Reverse Bingo for iPhone Software, by trying to correctly guess which icons will fill up the iPhone’s home page. I have a few ideas, but there’s still time to suggest your own.What do you think? I really like to hear from readers. Comment in the Forum or email me with your ideas. Like reading RoughlyDrafted? Share articles with your friends, link from your blog, and subscribe to my podcast! Submit to Reddit or Slashdot, or consider making a small donation supporting this site. Thanks!
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iPod Classic firmware update improves Cover Flow performance
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable VideoApple has already seen fit to give the new iPod Classics a firmware update, which according to the company does nothing but fix bugs. Members of iLounge's forum know otherwise, with members reporting that it improves previously sluggish menu and CoverFlow performance: one of the few gripes with the updated iPod. Notice anything else? Let loose in the comments.P.S. Sick of all the fruit-related news? Don't moan, just check this out.[Thanks, Julian] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Adobe Photoshop CS3 for iPhone
Scott Kelby and company put together this video to show at their recent Photoshop World keynote in Las Vegas. It pokes fun at Apple's iPhone demonstration video and a bit at Adobe Photoshop. Well... ....Read more on MacMerc.com
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6th Gen iPods won't work with Linux, Winamp
Filed under: iPod Family, Open SourceThere's no such thing as a 'naked iPod' -- at some point, if the iPod is going to be useful, it has to be paired with a computer to have music loaded. Despite appearances, the set of iPod owners does not map exactly to the set of iTunes users; there are folks who prefer to manage their iPods via Winamp, Anapod or Ephpod on the Windows platform, and for Linux users (with no iTunes version at all) there are open-source apps and libraries like gtkpod/libgpod (libgpod is also the engine behind Senuti, the freeware reverse-iTunes tool). All of these utilities depend on an understanding of the iTunesDB file found on every iPod to be able to read out the list of songs on the device and manage them independently.The landscape appears to have changed, however, with the release of the new iPods. According to a post on the iPodMinusiTunes blog, the iTunesDB file now contains a couple of encrypted hashes that validate the information in the music list; this 'fingerprints' the iPod/iTunes pairing and also prevents third-party apps from modifying the iTunesDB without access to the hash key. Those applications now may show '0 songs' when examining the new devices (although our own Nik Fletcher reports that Senuti appears to be working as expected with his new Nano, so your mileage may vary). This change has unfortunate implications for those users who depended on the third-party apps to manage their iPods; until and unless the development community cracks the iTunesDB lock, the new gear will be inaccessible to anything but iTunes for management. At this point, we don't know that Apple modified iTunesDB specifically to foil non-iTunes utilities; there may be legitimate technical or infrastructure reasons (WiFi iTunes Store?) to make this change. Still, for the slice of the iPod market that depends on the extra-iTunes management capability, this is going to stifle any plans to upgrade to the latest and greatest until the software can catch up.Thanks, Dave.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPod Nano (3rd Generation) software updated to v1.0.1
Filed under: iPod Family, Software Update, Apple If, like yours truly, you're besotted with your Third Generation iPod Nano, you might want to check for updates within your Nano's sync screen. It seems that Apple has pushed out a new software update for the new devices. It appears this is just a routine bug-fix update - with suitably short release notes - and the download weighs in at a little over 57MB.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPod Touch Technical Specifications
According to their tech specs pages, the iPod Touch and iPhone both have 3.5-inch displays with 480 × 320 resolution, but the iPhone checks in at 160 ppi, the iPod Touch at an ever-so-slightly-denser 163 ppi. So they apparently don’t use the same display. (Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.) ★
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iPod touch having display issues?
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video No rest for the weary on the Apple LCD front -- hot the heels of reports that the 20-inch iMac's screen is less than impressive, word on the street (and Apple's support forums) is the iPod touch is having trouble displaying blacks correctly. Posters have described is everything from a "negative black effect" to "shimmering" to simply "washed-out." We're hearing that simply bringing a defective unit back to an Apple Store will result in an immediate swap, but it certainly looks like Steve was glossing over a detail or two when he said the touch had the "same screen" as the iPhone, eh?[Thanks, Mobilehavoc] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Apple's iPhone Heads for Europe
With Apple (AAPL) self-imposed deadline of Sept. 30 rapidly approaching and a mysterious press event scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 18 in London, the rumor sites have fallen into line and concluded that Steve Jobs is finally set to unveil his plans for rolling out the iPhone across the pond, as CFO Peter Oppenheimer promised last July. For the phones themselves, Europeans will have to wait a little longer -- probably until November. Much of what Apple will announce in the next two weeks is hardly a secret anymore. FT Deutschland reported in August that the company had signed contracts with three European cellular network operators -- T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France and O2 in the UK -- that included a 10% kickback to Apple on revenue collected from iPhone calls and data transfers. Since then reports have surfaced almost daily to flesh out the details, including the image at left that purports to be an ad for a 16 GB German iPhone priced at 499 euros ($692). The ad may well be a fake, but the price corresponds with the most authoritative rumor to date, Reuters' report on Friday that Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit will sell the iPhone in Germany for an initial price of 399 euros ($554). Presumably that's the price for an 8GB model. Although Reuters' source predicted that the T-Mobile deal would be announced this coming week, Apple has not yet issued press invitations in Germany. The event in London -- cryptically entitled "Mum is no longer the world" -- is to be held at 10 a.m. local time at the Apple store on Regent Street, a surprisingly modest venue for what most observers expect will be the O2 announcement. The Apple Expo in Paris, which runs from September 25 to 29, would seem a more propitious time for Steve Jobs to share his iPhones plans for Continental Europe. The only suspense left may be when the phones start shipping and whether they will sell. Peter Oppenheimer in July said only that Apple was on track to start shipping iPhones to Europe before the end of the year, which hasn't stopped the rumor sites from putting their chips on earlier dates. On Friday Think Secret cited "fresh information" suggesting that the phone would arrive in the U.K. during the week of November 12, in France "around November 29" and in Germany "some time in November." If the German advertisement is to be believed, Europeans could see 16 GB iPhones before Americans do. Early speculation that the new devices would run on Europe's 3G networks has largely been dismissed, leading some analysts to suggest that a 2.5G iPhone might be received by cellphone sophisticates on the Continent with a yawn. But the eagerness with which Apple enthusiasts abroad have been snapping up iUnlock and other programs that free the phone to work in Europe suggest that there might be quite a bit of pent-up demand.
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iFixit rips apart an iPod touch
Filed under: iPod FamilyThose wacky folks at iFixit.com are at it again. This time they are ripping apart the most recent addition to the iPod lineup, the iPod touch. These pictures aren't for the faint of heart, but the braver amongst you might want to take a peek at the images.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iUnlock Reloaded: free iPhone unlocking for dummies now available
Filed under: Cellphones Wake the kids, phone the neighbors, the graphical version (we think it has a GUI, it's unclear at the moment) of the iPhone unlocking software is now out, official, automatic (or as much as it can be) and free. Developed by the iPhoneDev team, the new software makes opening up your iPhone to any GSM carrier simple as pie. According to the Dev Team, "This new version needs only be copied over to the phone and executed, it's full automatic. No more needs for fls or extract bin files out of the nordump. It should also cut the time down to max. 3-5 minutes." We'll bring you more just as soon as we get hands-on with the new wares (er, all our iPhones seem to be unlocked already) and as long as Apple doesn't drop the hammer with a new iPhone firmware release. We know it's coming, and chances are it will wreak havoc with the unlock.Download Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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iPhone $100 credit can be used for iTunes gift cards
Filed under: iTS, iTunes, Apple, iPhoneChris Tutor, from our sister blog Autoblog, emailed us a link to this Bloomberg article about the $100 iPhone credit (you have yours, right?). The first thing many people wanted to know about the credit was, 'Can I buy stuff from the iTunes store with it?' A quick look at the FAQ would make you think this is not possible, but Bloomberg spoke with an Apple rep who clarified the whole thing.Here's the lowdown: you can't apply the $100 credit directly to your iTunes account, but you can swagger into any Apple Store, or log onto the online store, and buy yourself a $100 (or less) iTunes Gift Card. The only question that remains is, what are you going to spend all that loot at iTunes?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the iPod Classic, the new iPod Nano and the "zippy" Canon PowerShot G9.
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iPhone interface thrown on Archos 605 WiFi
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video It's not unusual to see engineering users cram a different interface (or even a different OS) on their handheld, but for a certain individual parked over in France, the wait for an iPhone became too much to bear. Consequently, Archos Lounge member olidiams crafted what he so eloquently dubbed the "archiphone," and while details on the modified 605 WiFi are still slim at this point, the finished product doesn't look too shabby. Hold tight, dear Europeans, your bonafide iPhone should be arriving soon -- but till then, be sure and hit the read link for a few more looks.[Via iTrafik] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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iPod on the Run: Musical Inspiration or Dangerous Distraction?
On a running path, an iPod can be an indispensable aid, offering inspiration and cadence to exercise. However, on a starting line, it's illegal, a safety hazard and, some say, a threat to the purity and spirit of running itself. San Jose, Calif., area high school coaches discourage portable listening devices at practices, and under national rules, they are not allowed in competition. However, when the race ends, iPods begin to surface. Kept tucked away in the pockets of backpacks most of the day, they finally can be drawn into daylight without guilt.
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Wacom shipping Bamboo tablets in the US
Filed under: Peripherals We'd heard about Wacom's small and inexpensive Bamboo input tablets a few months ago, but it looks like the company is getting ready to ship both the $79 Bamboo (aimed at casual photo retoucher) and the $99 (small) and $199 (medium) Bamboo Fun, which costs more because it comes with a mouse and is apparently more fun. Both models feature four ExpressKeys, the "touch ring" zoom / scroll controller, and a textured surface designed to emulate the feel of a real pen on paper. Both models should work well with both OS X's InkWell and Vista's Tablet features, so those of you interested in eating up Martha should keep your eyes open.[Via MacWorld] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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iPod touch splayed but Bluetooth mystery continues
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video What a tease. The ifixit tear down we've all been waiting for on the iPod touch fails to specifically exclude the existence of Bluetooth silicon or even point out which chip is providing the WiFi. After all, Broadcom, Marvell, and CSR all offer single-chip solutions with combined WiFi and Bluetooth radios. Hell, they'll even integrate an FM radio if you ask real nice. Ah well, perhaps those of you with more IC-focused eyes can take a look at these snaps and bring an end to the Bluetooth in iPod touch mystery once and for all. Otherwise, we're looking at a Foxconn manufactured iPod with Toshiba NAND, Wolfson audio chip, and what appears to be a Samsung manufactured ARM processor presumed to be "very, very similar" to the proc found in the iPhone. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
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Apple iPhone Store Credit: Not As Generous As You May Think
I received my iPhone Store Credit today. And it is not as generous as you may think. Here is my story. I was excited to hear that not only had Apple announced instructions on how to receive the $100 store credit but they made it possible to redeem…
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Backstage: About that iPod touch review
As a brief note to readers: our iPod touch review could have been online already, but we're holding it back. We consider timeliness of our coverage to be imporant, but we consider accuracy to be even more important. It goes without saying that haste is the enemy of certainty. After years of iPod releases passed without massive media attention, it seems like everyone's now rushing to be “first” with a “review,” terms…
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Reminder: Talkcast Sunday night 9 pm, iPod touch 1st impressions and more
Filed under: TUAW BusinessWe've got a new night and time! Please join us online and live on Sunday night, 9 pm Eastern Time, for a half-hour chat with the TUAW team.This week's show: the week in review, first impressions from the new iPod touch owners, and (availability permitting) an extended iPhone/iPod touch development Q&A with Erica Sadun, who has been sharing her initial attempts at hacking the iPhone's little brother. Bring those toolchain questions and application requests.For those of you who haven't registered with Talkshoe yet, good news; the conferencing system has been opened up to allow anonymous call-in for anyone with a phone, no PIN needed (if you want to participate in the simultaneous text chat, a PIN and the new Talkshoe client are still required). To call in without a PIN, just dial the general number (724-444-7444), enter the Talkcast ID (45077), and then enter 1#.If you don't want to use a phone, Skype, Gizmo or XMeeting, rest easy -- there's another way. The Shoephone VoIP client is now embedded in the Talkshoe app, so you can simply click and talk. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Revolymer develops new non-stick chewing gum
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsNah, Revolymer's latest concoction won't play music or record your favorite shows, but if it passes European health and safety tests, it could end up in your mouth before long. The Bristol University spin-out company "claims that it has created a new material (dubbed Rev7) which can be added to gum that makes it much easier to remove from surfaces," and in testing, it actually "vanished from street surfaces within 24 hours," presumably from rain or street sweepers whisking it away. Moreover, the newfangled gum would even dissolve quicker than traditional pieces, and if all goes as planned, it could be launched as "early as next year." Shoe soles, rejoice.[Via NewScientist] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!