The iPhone Dev Team are waiting for the v3.1 software release from Apple before “officially” making the hack available, ostensibly to avoid the hack being patched by Apple. But as it is already ready, Geohot, a member of the Dev Team, has gone ahead and put it out for download.

The unlock is Windows-only, and you’ll need an iPhone 3GS to use it on, of course. I have neither, so I can’t test it, but GeoHot at least has a good reputation. According to The Register, Hotz says the hack, named “purplera1n” is “awesome.” Maybe, but if it lets you load up the carrier-unlocking applications available for jailbroken iPhones. we’ll probably agree.

Product page [purplera1n via the Reg]

After an entire week of claiming to have visited my house at 5AM to deliver a package, the DHL man finally dropped off the Myka today. Not that I actually saw him: the guy scuttled off  into the heat haze of the street like a gecko, leaving the package, alone, in the middle of the lobby floor. Thanks, DHL!

We first saw the Myka, then still a pre-production prototype, over a year ago. Now it is finally shipping and we have one for review. The Myka is a BitTorrent-enabled set top box which is the same shape and size as a Mac Mini. The model here has a 250GB hard drive inside along with a slew of ports on the back.

The full review will come soon, but here are a few first impressions before I even plug the thing in. First, 250GB is a little small these days, that being the size of an average laptop drive. I actually have half a gig in my MacBook, double the size of the Myka. For our review it makes no difference, but if you were buying one, perhaps consider the 1TB drive. Second: Look at that remote. It’s huge, and fugly compared to the sleek Myka box (itself changed little from the prototype, and pretty enough to be Lady Approved®).

The third surprise is the Wi-Fi. Instead of being built-in, it comes in the form of a USB dongle. It is at least 801.11n, but this seems kludgy, especially as - if you use the 90º elbow adapter to plug it in - you obscure the Ethernet port.

Otherwise, the package seems to be pretty self sufficient. There is an HDMI cable, a gold-plated(!) USB cable and a set of phono connectors for older TVs. You can also plug in a USB keyboard should you wish — useful at least to enter Wi-Fi passwords at the beginning

I’m excited to try it out, an will be hooking it up to the 14″ portable TV (it’s our only TV) this weekend and BitTorrenting some legal content. A Linux distro perhaps, or some lame music. That seems to me to be a much better way to spend a Saturday than eating Turkey and arguing with my family in the sweltering summer heat. Wait, that’s Thanksgiving right? Independence Day is the one with spaceships destroying buildings.

Product page [Myka]
Myka: One Set-Top Box to Rule Them All? [Gadget Lab]

We’re all for wearing a USB drive around the neck, and there are some basic but good-looking models which you could even let hang outside your clothes. But Sempercura’s tat would look more at home on my mother’s mantlepiece next to the crystal butterflies than it does adorning the chest of any self-respecting geek.

The saddest part is that Sempercura actually takes the time to ensure that the drive part is reliable, with flash memory supplied by Alcro, and that the base case for the drives - a brushed, monolithic rectangle - is pretty smart looking before all the crushed-glass crap is applied. Go take a look at the gallery. There’s even Swarovski in there. As someone close to me said, “Ack! Gaaah!”

Product page [Etsy via Geeky Gadgets. Thanks, Julian!]

It’s a little slow paced for a music video, but Steve Ellington’s “Technologic Overkill”, shows us what we all knew already. It’s not the camera that counts, but what you do with it. Steve says the video is the “first music video shot on an iPhone 3GS,” and we won’t argue — it’s certainly the first one we’ve seen.

The movie shows that the quality of the 3GS video camera, while certainly nowhere near hi-def, is at least good enough. It even has a rather nice filmic look to it, although we suspect there may be a little post-processing involved judging by the artistic vignetting.

What we like the most, though, is imagining Steve actually shooting. Think about the looks he would have gotten from passersby as he squatted on the mall floor jiggling a little blue toy robot in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

Movie page [The Automatic Filmmaker]

Could this be the answer to riding a fixed-gear bike with (horror!) flip-flops? I have been “palping” a fixed for a few months now but in the summer heat, the need for regular shoes to fit in the toe-clips keeps me on my Dutch city bike where I can cruise in a pair of Havaianas.

These new toes straps from Hold Fast might be the answer. They’re shaped toe-straps which, due to some stiffness and a conical shape mean they don’t need a metal cage to hold them open for easy entry. They’re also a lot wider than many standard straps so the pressure on a bare foot-top should be a lot less.

And before you haters hit the comments — my fixed has a front brake, which I use all the time. So no, riding fixed in sandals or flip-flops isn’t suicidal.

The Hold Fast straps are mail order only, and can be gotten from the makers Jeremiah and Rob, based in Brooklyn, for $55 a pair.

Product page [Hold Fast via Prolly]
Photo credit: Prolly

It’s also matte, from the soft-touch finish to the zero-gloss screen. Finally, it’s $6000.

That price isn’t quite as crazy as it first seems. The computer has been specced to the max from Apple before Colorware even picked up the spraygun. Buying a similar, silver, MBP from Apple, with 3.06 GHz processor, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD would run you to $4250, meaning that the custom paint-job comes in at “just” $1750, or enough for a MacBook Air and several cups of Starbucks coffee. If you want one, you’ll have to hurry. Only 10 are being made.

Product page [Colorware via Uncrate]

The idea of haptic tactile feedback is such: The iPhone’s vibrations would simulate the vibrations felt when typing on a physical keyboard, so when you’re typing you can “feel” the edge of each key. This would eliminate the need to look at the screen while typing.

Another patent explains fingerprint identification on the iPhone. Not in the traditional sense to secure your iPhone (although it could probably be used for that, too) but rather fingerprint IDing as an input method to play music and navigate the iPhone menu. For example, a fingerprint from the index finger would trigger the Play and Stop buttons in the iPod. And a fingerprint from the middle finger would trigger fast-forwarding in the iPod. Pretty neat idea, huh?

A third patent covers how a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader would work on iPhone. RFID tags are generally used for tracking items such as library books; thus, an RFID reader would more likely have business applications. Apple suggests using an RFID antenna placed in the touch sensor panel.

See Also:

• Experimental Touchscreen Has Physical Buttons That Can Pop Up …
• Pulsing Touchscreen Tech Spells Out Braille
• iPhone Keyboard Worse Than QWERTY?
• Software Allows iPhone Users to Type Without Looking
• Wired 14.05: The RFID Hacking Underground
• RFID-Enabled Phones Could Let Credit Card Companies Track Users …
• RFID Tags Track Path and Condition of Nuclear Materials

Haptic Feedback, Fingerprint Identification, and RFID Tag Readers in Future iPhones? [MacRumors]

It’s time for another camera bag review, but with a few differences. First, it’s our first camera backpack review. Second, I actually bought this bag for myself to use, and have given it a good workout over the last month or so. And three, I’ll give you the conclusion right now: If you’re in the market for a camera backpack, buy the Kata 3N1 (three in one. Get it?). It’s not too expensive, it has some great features and it comes in three sizes. Better still, it looks good. So good that the lady even said the rain cover looks cool, and you know how she normally hates nerdwear.

To find out why, read on. Warning: Lots of pictures.

The name 3N1 comes from the three different strap configurations. This bag is the 3N1 20, the middle-sized model. Here it is in standard backpack mode. Even fully loaded this is comfortable enough to wear for hours without feeling it. You can see the padded back, under which the straps can be slid when not in use, and the two hip pads (color coded, more on that in a moment). There is also a thin but effective enough waist strap.

Here the straps are crossed. You can also opt for a sling configuration which just uses one shoulder. Either way, from here you can swing the bag around from back to front and access the main section through the side pockets. If you’re using the red strap (right shoulder) you should pack your camera on the side with the red hip pad.

Pull the clip and open pops the pocket. Both zippers pull open as you do this.

This is what you see. That’s a Nikon D700 with a large-ish lens and metal lens hood, and there’s plenty of room. This is the exact orientation you’ll find when you have slung the bag around to your front. You can get at your camera in a few seconds.

Also inside the pocket is this pouch, which velcros into place and can hold memory cards. It’s handy, I guess, but there are better places for the cards.

This is the same compartment when empty. The yellow inserts can be put almost anywhere, but in practice you can’t stray too much from the standard layout if you want to use the bag as it is meant to be used. The flash is a huge SB900, which runs all the way through the bag but fits fine.

And here is the almost standard layout. If the flash were smaller I would have space at the top to add another lens, and there is in fact a spare yellow divider I’m not using here. Look close and you’ll see a small lip at the bottom of the opening. This is enough to stop things falling out.

These are the side pockets on the upper section. They expand with a dart in the zipper section and have a mesh pocket inside. You can slip in filters or, as in the picture above, something bigger like a flash diffuser. The outside of these pockets is padded.

This is possibly the best part of the whole bag. It’s a zippered section up top which can be used for anything you like, including more lenses and other kit. But because it is separate it’s ideal for all the other junk you don’t want to mix with the camera gear: Cellphones, notebooks, headphones, books, anything. There is an internal zipper so the compartment can be joined to the rest of the bag, but if you’re that short on space buy the bigger model.

This strap lets you mount the bag on a trolley to roll it along, but the bag is so light there’s really very little point.

Finally, the rain cover, which folds into an integrated pouch and doubles as a handy bit of padding for small lenses. The bright yellow color is smart, too, keeping you visible in dull gray weather.

To sum up, the 3N1 is probably my favorite bag I have. It works well for storage and lugging lots of kit but is also very easy to work out of, and that top section means I don’t have to carry my personal junk elsewhere. It’s comfortable and very light when empty, especially in comparison to the Lowepro bags we’ve tested, which are so well padded as to be heavy.

Downsides? A small chest strap would be nice, although in crossover mode it would get in the way. A mesh water bottle pocket on the outside would also be welcome, as would a few extra strips of velcro on the inside for attaching dividers. But these are small gripes. Like I said, if you’re looking for a backpack camera bag, you won’t go wrong with this one. $100.

Product page [Kata]

See Also:

• Hands-On with LowePro’s Quick-Action Toploader Bag
• Make It: Stealth Camera Bag
• Hands On With Lowepro’s ‘Stealth’ Camera Bag
• Three Of The Best Camera Bags You Can Buy
• Hands on With the Lomo Sidekick Camera Bag

The application lets users upload pictures of themselves and then other people vote on their face, body and clothes (or lack thereof). The internet was set afire yesterday when it appeared that a 15-year-old girl had uploaded a snap of herself, clearly showing nipples and “partially nude at the bottom” as our own prudish Brian Chen put it yesterday. Probably as a direct consequence, the application is no longer available for download.

The problems for Apple are clear. By setting itself up as a guardian of the store, Apple can’t win. Any time a controversial application is approved, or non-allowed elements are snuck into an application post-approval, Apple is blamed. If these apps are pulled ahead of time, Apple is called out as an evil censor.

In this case, we think that nudity is the only problem. First, if the photo in question was uploaded by the girl herself, who is committing a crime? Second, I have friends who have browsed enough porn sites to know that the ages are almost always revised down. It might say 15 on the page, but that doesn’t mean that it’s true.

See Also:

• Porn Comes to the iTunes App Store
• Child Porn Is Apple’s Latest iPhone Headache
• Apple: No Porn Allowed in iPhone’s App Store
• E-Reader iPhone App Rejected Because Users Can Download Kama Sutra …

Matthias Ries has come up with an ingenious solution for carrying water bottles on bikes, especially for the accessory-phobic fixed-gear rider. The Bottleclip is a standard sized screw cap and a snap-on clip combined into one small plastic chunk. Screw in almost any normal PET water bottle and it hangs from the top-tube of the bike. It might not be quite as convenient as grabbing a bottle from a proper cage, but it is a lot easier to fit and won’t spoil your fixie’s lines when not being used.

It’s simple and cheap looking enough to find its way onto a counter-top display in your local bike shop. We’d like to see a version which could also hold a D-lock to the frame as you ride.

Matthias Ries: New Work [Design Boom]