Reviews and News » iPhone

A Jailbreak-Proof iPhone 3GS? Not Really

Noel Kuhlman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:26:40 +0000

Reports of updated bootroms on the latest shipments of iPhone 3GS handsets earlier this week pegged the latest versions as jailbreak-proof. Unfortunately for Apple, that’s not really true, according to iPhone Dev team member Eric McDonald.

Speaking with Wired Magazine, the hacker disclosed that the new bootrom really does disable the “24kpwn” exploit currently used in jailbroken phones. However, that specific hack is only intended to allow the phone to boot in a jailbroken state. The rest of the existing tools should continue to work on the new 3GS, as they have on previous versions.

What happens to the new batch of phones when jailbroken? According to Eric, they can’t power up on their own. If you shut off the phone or lost power on the road, you’ll have to tether it to a computer before being able to boot. Otherwise, it will remain turned off.

Is the change going to deter new iPhone 3GS owners from jailbreaking? Probably for some. Not being able to turn on my phone if I accidentally power off until I connect to a PC makes it a largely impractical device. For the greater majority, however, my guess is jailbreaking will still be rampant, especially since an update to the PwnageTool is probably in the horizon.

According to the Dev Team, the exploit to bypass the tethered boot has already been found. Of course, integrating that into the current system, along with the required testing, may take some time. I doubt it will be long, though.

The iPhone Is Getting A Physical Keyboard…Sort Of

Noel Kuhlman — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:35:00 +0000

The headline is a tad misleading. Everyody’s favorite handset isn’t getting an actual keyboard as part of its hardware suite. Instead, it’s getting the Blackberry treatment with an accessory iPhone case (of sorts) that makes the thing look like one of RIM’s units with a front-mounted QWERTY keypad. And it’s inexplicably called the iTwinge.

One of my long-awaited features for the iPhone has been an actual keyboard that I can either plug in or connect to via Bluetooth. Heck, I’ll give up carrying my netbook around when one of those come out. I won’t get that here. Instead, we get a dock with a three-row QWERTY panel that lets you type on the iPhone using a physical keypad.

The thing, in all honesty, looks ridiculous. Even worse, the mechanics by which it functions look equally simple, which makes it hilarious that Mobile Mechatronics (the company behind the iTwinge) is being cagey about its inner working. From what we can tell, it simply absorbs the physical key presses and passes it along to a capacitive nodule directly touching the screen – you touch a letter, it touches the same.

iTwinge is supposed to work with all iPhone 3G and 3GS models, with a release slated for November 19. I would have guessed it’s a joke peripheral, but they’re taking actual orders beginning last Wednesday, so I don’t know.

Major failure, if I do say so myself.

iPhone OS 3.1: Why Many Aren’t In A Hurry To Upgrade

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:49:01 +0000

iPhone OS 3.1 rolled out this week. If you haven’t installed it or checked out reviews, let me give you the down low: install at your own risk.

Before thinking there’s something nasty in the new OS, let me assure you there’s none. In fact, a couple of good things come with upgrading. One is the new App Genius, a version of Apple’s song-recommendation engine ported for apps. Basically, it takes an inventory of all software you have installed, compares it with other users’ and builds a list of suggestions of ones you may like. While it comes with some flaws, it does offer a small reprieve to the problem of wading through over 75,000 entries in the App Store.

Another is the ability to organize your installed apps on the handset directly from iTunes 9 on your computer. Anyone who has slaved through the tedious thumbing and swiping to put some sense on the mess of icons on their phone will surely appreciate this. Other minor updates include improved media syncing, improved Exchange support and a couple of others.

Now, why the warning at the start? Well, 3.1′s major changes actually happen in the “features removal” category. More specifically, the new OS update removes the ability to tether from your iPhone (via that oh-so-easy flashing the firmware method) and removes anything and everything that has to do with Cydia (the unauthorized app store). Even worse, you can’t revert back to 3.0 once you upgrade, so you’re stuck without tethering (until AT&T actually lets you pay for it) and no cool, unauthorized apps.

Most folks will need more incentive than a recommendation engine to lose all that tethering goodness, Apple.

Real Tennis 2009 For The iPhone: Beautiful Graphics, Challenging Gameplay, Extremely Fun

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:44:20 +0000

Real Tennis 2009 is gorgeous for an iPhone game. While it doesn’t offer the most exciting gameplay, it is extremely fun and offers quite the visual delight.

First up, this is not an easy game to play. If you think you can handle video game tennis, Real Tennis 2009 will probably change your mind, as it’s not easy at all. In fact, I’d say this offers one of the steepest learning curves among action and sports titles on the platform. Once you get the hang of it, though, it can lead to an entertaining, while not overly-addicting, time.

You can play singles or doubles, with the CPU playing your partner during the latter. In Singles mode, the game can be pretty unforgiving, making you work really hard to get into position for shots. In Double mode, this problem is remedied greatly, allowing you to focus a bit more on strategy and swings. Even better, the AI-controlled teammate usually plays great – a true testament to how advanced game AI on a whittled-down processor like a mobile phone can be, if you pay enough attention to it.

Gameplay is facilitated by an onscreen controller, where you get your choice of a D-Pad or joystick, along with buttons. It’s basically as you would imagine playing a sports game on a DS or a PSP to be, except it’s on an iPhone, which is pretty neat. On the downside, the virtual controllers can sometimes end up blocking the action.

Real Tennis 2009 offers a good deal of options, including characters, playing surfaces, difficulty levels, multi-player support (up to four participants) and different play modes (Instant Play, Championship and Tournament). It’s a complete tennis game, with impeccable graphics, fun gameplay and enough challenge to keep things interesting.

8Bitone For iPhone Brings A Full-Featured 8-Bit Synthesizer To The Platform

8Bitone For iPhone Brings A Full-Featured 8-Bit Synthesizer To The Platform

Noel Kuhlman — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:23:00 +0000

If you’re looking for a music-based iPhone app that’s more than just a novelty or a toy, you should definitely take a look at 8Bitone, an audio sequencer application for the platform. More than a casual tool, it’s a fully-functional instrument that capably mimics a real 8-bit synthesizer from yesteryears.

The iPhone has been especially noteworthy for the variety of apps available from its download storefront and this particular tool showcases the great variety and depth that can be accomplished with such a small machine. With 8Bitone, it manages to fit in an entire 80s-style synthesizer, allowing you to roll out compositions fit for Nintendo gaming systems from those times.

Instead of a dumbed-down toy app, 8Bitone realistically mimics a real portable synthesizer, bundling in a piano roll screen, a sequencer and a full synthesizer. It’s got controls for plenty of aspects of the sound, including oscillator, envelope and arpeggio. While it only does four tracks, this is as close as you can get to a real-deal 80s-style electronic music box in a freaking cell phone.

Being a realistic musical instrument, the app is primarily targeted to real musicians, who know how to work with synthesizers. Casual iPhone users will likely encounter a steep learning curve, which is why Yudo offers plenty of tutorials for it.

Composing an entire song on 8Bitone should take a couple of hours, just like in a real box. You’re allowed to save and load your creations, but you can’t export it in an MP3 format directly from the iPhone. Instead, you’ll likely have to connect your handset to a PC and record it from there.

Developed by Japanese company Yudo, the 8Bitone is one seriously good app and worth every penny of the premium $8.99 price.

Pricing Challenges: Mobile App Business Growing Pains

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:02:27 +0000

People have been talking up the iPhone 3GS’ souped-up hardware capabilities, particularly, its potential to upstage gaming handhelds such as the PSP and DSi. Despite that, it’s highly unlikely that the platform will do so at its current stage. The reason has nothing to do at all with either the hardware or the software. Instead, it’s all about price.

During a recent analysis of App Store pricing from developer App Cubby, one thing became apparent: the App Store is becoming a bargain basement storefront for cheap software. According to the research, the new unofficial price ceiling is now at $5, down from the $10 it was before. That means that general user perception dictates that anything over $5 is “too expensive,” essentially restricting the software’s ability to sell in large numbers.

The problem is that $5 isn’t exactly the kind of price tag you want to put on a piece of software that you invested an entire year of development for, making it a less-than-desirable platform for unleashing top-end applications. Before the iPhone can rival the PSP and DSi, it has to be able to provide the same profit levels that game studios can realize developing for the dedicated platforms – something that’s clearly not possible at this stage of its development.

Average App Store pricing is now $1.39 for games and $2.58 for all apps, with majority of consumers refusing to pay for anything that even goes near two dollar digits. With tens of thousands of decent apps for 99-cents, of course, who can blame them?

Like every new business model, the App Store is currently in the process of maturing. Will pricing finally be able to reflect quality? Eventually, yes. How quickly it will happen, though, is the question and it doesn’t appear to be soon.

Blackberry App World Review

iPhone 3GS Jailbreak Outed Prematurely, Available Now

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:18:22 +0000

George Hotz, the same man credited with first unlocking the original iPhone, has broken rank and proceeded to release the much-awaited iPhone 3GS jailbreak. A joint creation of the iPhone Dev Team, the tool was being held as the group waited for Apple to release the OS 3.1 software. According to reports, the idea was to keep the jailbreak from being patched in 3.1 (which is expected to come out soon), allowing the hack to remain unsolved for a much longer period.

Hotz, as it turned out, wasn’t too keen on the idea. Posting on his blog, he proceeded to explain his reasoning for outing the hack. He argues that waiting around strategically was counter-productive and not “worth the wait” as every fix can be hacked and vice versa, with releasing solutions as soon as they are available being the prudent thing to do. According to him, “That isn’t how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes.”

The jailbreak tool, which bears the Princely moniker purplera1n is now available for download from a dedicated website that Hotz created specifically for it. If you’re looking to perform a jailbreak on your phone right now, here’s how to carry it out:

1. Find a Windows PC (purplera1n only works with XP and Vista; no Windows 7 and Macs).
2. Download purplera1n.
3. Run purplera1n (which will also install Freeze on the PC).
4. Run Freeze (which will install Cydia, among other things).
5. Reboot your phone and you’re good to go.
6. Those looking to unlock ties with their mobile carrier can use the last version of ultrasn0w available.

BeBot For iPhone: A Serious Music Synthesizer App On A Mobile Platform

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:26:59 +0000

Mobile phone apps that allow you to create music generally range from the ridiculous to the mundane. On first glance, Normalware’s BeBot, with a singing and dancing robot right on the interface, looks to be another one of the lot. Spend a few minutes with it, though, and you’ll find that it’s a more serious tool than you ever imagined.

In truth, BeBot is a full-featured four-voice musical synthesizer that can create an incredible array of sounds I never thought I’d hear out of the current generation of cell phone devices. Using your fingers on the multi-touch interface, you can fashion amazing tunes that might as well have been coming from an actual keyboard synthesizer.

Apart from capably playing four notes at the same time, it offers analog-sounding filters, plenty of effects (e.g. looping, overdrive), user-programmable scales, autotune and programmable presets. It basically creates a complex musical instrument hiding underneath an Apple-branded phone – a truly amazing feat.

Musicians and tinkerers alike can literally create an infinite number of voicing on the BeBot, allowing it to be used both for passing the time and serious music purposes. Barring the inability to save your recordings (yep, though I expect to come as an update soon) as well as share saved presets with other handsets, it’s quite possibly the single most complete music-creation app available on a mobile platform, bar none.

Seriously, it’s apps like BeBot that make it worthwhile to get an iPhone.

iPhone 3G S Can Do Graphics That Trump The PSP

Noel Kuhlman — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:08:16 +0000

According to Fishlabs honcho Michael Schade, the iPhone 3G S can do graphics better than Sony’s latest PSP. That’s right, the Jesus Phone can trump the PSP at its own game, apart from the thousand other smartphone talents it can do.

That pronouncement, of course, stems from the hardware components Apple has fitted the latest iteration of its iPhone with. Apart from coming with an undeniably faster 600MHz processor (as opposed to the PSP Go’s 412MHz CPU), the 3G S offers native hardware support for Open GL ES 2.0, the shading language that allows devices to render full 3D graphics. Put simply, the latest version of the handheld gives it the ability to become a full-fledged gaming platform.

Of course, just because the phone packs hardware that can render better displays than the PSP, it doesn’t mean we’ll actually be seeing titles doing that. With gaming still considered an accessory feature on the iPhone, there’s just no assurance game studios can actually sell $40 epics the way they do on the PSP. In fact, the majority of games on the handset consist largely of casual titles intended as a side distraction instead of a full-featured experience.

In the same vein, Schade was quick to point out the kind of investment studios will need to make in order to code games for ES 2.0, which will all have to start from scratch. Worse, those games won’t be compatible with the iPhone 3G, which uses the older Open GL ES 1.1. Unless we see 3G S adoption surpass the 3G (unlikely, since AT&T is now pimping the second-gen iPhone for only $99 with a two-year contract), it may take a while before we see efforts on that end.

Case in point: the upcoming Doom Resurrection for the iPhone. While developer Id Software, no doubt, has been long aware of the 3G S’ new shader technology, they opted to look the other way and create the title for 1.1 instead. Game makers, after all, still have to think about the profits and, in the end, you’ll make more money supporting the widest available technology.

Still, you can’t help but be amazed at the iPhone’s evolution as a future gaming platform. There’s no doubt in my mind that in a year or two, we’ll see it as a third major player in the handheld console market. Sony and Nintendo better be ready to respond.

Apple Introduces The New iPhone 3GS, Prices Old Model Aggressively

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:52:53 +0000

At today’s WWDC 2009 event, Apple introduced the much-anticipated update to the iPhone. Dubbed the iPhone 3GS, the new device features hardware and software upgrades that just might steer attention away from the recently-launched Palm Pre among smartphone users.

Speed is the order of the day for this new iteration from Apple, who updates the iPhone with some pretty impressive processing power. Users, supposedly, can expect apps to load 200% to 300% faster than the iPhone 3G, with websites rendering in similarly boosted fashion. Web connectivity also gets a step up, with the phone now sporting 7.2Mbps HSDPA reception, compared to the 3G’s 3.5Mbps.

The phone also gets Bluetooth +EDR support, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and, Apple claims, a souped-up phone camera. While offering moderate resolution of 3.2 megapixels, the phone touts autofocus, auto white balance and macro capabilities. Camera functions are all accessible to other applications, which should pave the way for some pretty nifty apps, along with geotagging. A much requested feature, video capture is also now available on the handset, with VGA recording capabilities at 30 fps. Video mode offers quick-sharing features over MMS, email, MobileMe and YouTube.

Hailed as a potentially usable platform for gaming, the 3GS gets fitted with native hardware 3D talents, making the prospect of faster and more complex games an exciting proposition. Touschscreen has been reinforced with oleophobic coating, which should help it keep off fingerprints much better than previous models. Other features include voice dialing, data encryption, onboard compass and increased battery life.

The iPhone 3GS will go on sale beginning June 19th, with 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($299) models. Price of the Apple 3G gets bumped down to $99 with contract, making it a seriously inviting alternative to other handsets right now.

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