Att iPhone News, Hacks, App Reviews, How To and jailbreak

Official iOS user guide

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:52:00 +0000

While apple prides itself on developing software that works so well users never ever need support (sarcasm intended) they have released an official manual to the latest incarnation of the iPhone OS (now simply known as iOS).

The official guide can be found for direct PDF download and is a nice reference to have if needed.

Now if only it were available via iBooks... Hmmmmm.

Why iPhone iOS 4 multitasking "sucks"

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:33:00 +0000

If the iPhone iOS 4 has one "killer app" it was supposed to be the multitasking feature that was built in.
It took apple such a long time to implement that people reasoned surely it would be a perfect elegant solution...

So why were we given such a "broken" mess with no true multi threaded application support?

When you close or switch almost any app made for any version of iOS prior to 4.0 you are simply closing the app and leaving the icon in the tray.
iOS 4 ready apps can stream music or give directions in the background or can complete a task and send you a notification when done, but never truly stay running (only the apple built apps stay running in their entirety)

But why? Now we are left to micro manage a tray full of icons. Not so elegant apple!

Truthfully the tray full of icons needs to be managed or else you have literally dozens of icons down there and have to hunt around to find what you want.

A better solution is to allow users to specify if they want 3,5, or 10 recents in addition to what's already running. Make the recents a dim sort of appearance so we know they aren't running and mak them stay to the right of whatever is always running.

Apples main concern here FYI is memory. On the iPhone 4 with 512 megabytes or ram it's less of an issue but as someone who has jailbroken and seen the size of mobile safari with a system profiler app I can tell you safari takes up to 150 megs of the 256 in most peoples iPhone 3GS models.

Low ram effects an iPhone just like any other computing device, this is why they do not allow endless apps running.

This is not in defense of apple, these are just logical explanations.

MobileMe plus AT&T = epic fail

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:16:00 +0000

Yesterday I finally signed up for apples MobileMe service. After successfully using it on my Mac and iPhone whole connected to wifi, I have been unable to upload a single image over 3G or EDGE data yet.

I have to chalk this up to poor AT&T data performance.

More AT&T fail.

Like my music? Check your iq!

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:06:00 +0000

So somehow I have fans.
And this I don't get. I mean, have you ever listened to my music? Example is my latest album where my single has me saying "baby please" like 1564 times
That's not music, that's an incantation. Meaning that you are basically a part of a cult by listening.

That was ushers plan though, to make a cult and get tax exempt status. Black people hate paying taxes.
Oh, and if i sound racist, so sorry!!
The truth is never ever pretty

NEVER MESS WITH JUSTIN BIEBER, YO!

Did AT&T break contract? Is the Verizon iPhone Imminent?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:43:00 +0000

Did AT&T break a contract clause with Apple regarding all you can consume data?
If so it's possible that the Verizon iDevice is closer than ever.

The website "Boy Genius Report" which generally gets things right is reporting that Verizon may be testing the iPad on it's network, which would coincide with next weeks WWDC conference in which Steve Jobs may announce carrier agreements to the already unlocked device which right now runs only on GSM networks in north america.

With the announcement of the end of "all you can eat" data plans for the iPad from AT&T earlier today this is an interesting development.

From BGR website:

“According to a highly placed source of ours, Verizon Wireless is currently testing Apple iPad devices on their network.” The guinea pig model, if you will, is a CDMA-compatible device. “It would appear," adds BGR, "like the gates of heaven have opened, as we’re probably going to see not only an iPhone but also iPad on Verizon very soon, huh?”

However don't hold your breath on the iPhone jumping over to Verizon any time soon.
Chances are better than ever though as the possibility that AT&T BROKE an agreement with apple regarding the $30 unlimited data plans for iPad by discontinuing the plan means that Apple could be in the clear to take the iPhone and iPad anywhere they wish.

Att Ends Unlimited Data Plans... The Party is over!

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Att announced today that it is ending its unlimited iphone data plans for $30 a month, introducing new plans for new customers on June 7th, 2010:

DataPlus -- Provides 200 megabytes (MB) of data. for example, enough to send/receive 1,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 150 emails with attachments, plus view 400 Web pages, plus post 50 photos on social media sites, plus watch 20 minutes of streaming video

DataPro -- Provides 2 gigabytes (GB) of data. for example, enough to send/receive 10,000 emails (no attachments), plus send/receive 1,500 emails with attachments, plus view 4,000 Web pages, plus post 500 photos to social media sites, plus watch 200 minutes of streaming video

This is terrible news for new customers.
Thankfully existing contracts are not effected, and Att is "generously" offering to allow existing contracts to chose this new plan with no contract extensions.

New plans cost $25 a month for the DataPro and $15 for DataPlus.
Att has announced it is also ending the unlimited iPad data plans.

$30 for unlimited data with an existing plan, or $25 for limited?
Each 1 gigabyte over costs a user $10 and Att will send a txt to a device nearing the monthly limit.

When will iPhone 4g (or HD) launch?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Just a sidenote.

With the recent announcement of iPhone insurance starting June 6th and new data plans June 7th one has to wonder when the new iPhone will really launch.

I am just purely speculating but is it really possible that Steve Jobs will stand on the stage at WWDC and announce "available today at 5pm"?

All these changes at the same time are a perfect storm of change.
We will have to wait and see.

An Intelligent Blog - About Boardgames

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Sat, 15 May 2010 21:03:00 +0000

Yes, boardgames.

I think the last time I played a boardgame it was scrabble. I got frustrated because we were missing two "a's" and an "I" so most of our words sounded like an autistic third grader made them up after we burnt through the few we had.

So anyhow check out a boy names Dug which is a smart guy talking about stuff that's somewhat interesting to me (and perhaps positively intriguing to you).
I found him by searching for something regarding my car. Go figure.

Ok then so check that out.
Boardgames are fun eventhough Candyland sounds like somewhere that pedophiles would hang out.

SOLVED: Pandora for iPhone Choppy and Skipping?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:44:00 +0000

Lately my Pandora App has been skipping and choppy for the first several minutes it is playing after I launch it.

I tried to make sure I was connected to a good signal however the problem persisted even after I was connected to my own wifi network. Along with this, album artwork took a long time to appear.

The solution is simple:
uninstall and reinstall the app

Simply remove the app through the springboard (for all the casual users who don't jailbreak, that is what the iPhone "desktop" environment is called) and for good measure, restart your device (restart is optional) and redownload the app from the AppStore.

This works to clear up all issues pandora is having with your network.

After doing this I can even connect to the network with the much slower edge data connection and stream flawlessly.

Questions? Please post them in the comments below!

How Strong is the iPhone Glass Screen?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Question:
How Hard Can u Hit The iPhone 3G Screeen With Out Breakiing It?

How hard can u hit the iPhone screen. When my dad uses my iPhone he hits tha iPhone he hits my screen hard.. Can the iPhone take that impact will it break more easy?

--

Answer:

The iPhone screen is made of GLASS. This is different than most other phones on the market today which use plastic.
The glass screen is necessary as apple uses a special type of touch screen which requires glass as opposed to plastic in order to properly function.

The fact that it is glass also means that there will be very little scratching on the screen, and apple also coats the screen with a scratch resistant layer.

How hard can you hit it before it breaks?
That depends.
I've had an iPhone drop a few feet on concrete and shatter. I've also had one drop several feet and had nothing happen.
The glass breaks from the corners, and a direct STRIKE on it doesn't seem usually to crack it, but a pressure point on any of the four corners are the best bet for breakage.

If the glass breaks, Apple does not cover you, sobe careful!

In short, you should always be careful with your electronics. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Have fun, but be careful.

iPhone Glass Stress Test!

Hello Technorati... QRCXET4VDYJ9

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:45:00 +0000

A quick post for technorati to index me.
QRCXET4VDYJ9

I hope that by getting listed I can get some good exposure to the rest of the blog world.

Here goes something!

AT&T Early Upgrade Changes Proof of iPhone Launch Date?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:20:00 +0000

Yesterday eagle eyed AT&T subcribers may have noticed that their upgrade eligibility changed to June 21st, 2010.
That is very good evidence that the new iPhone is on it's way, and with the WDC scheduled for the beginning of June, chances are there will be an announcement and launch a few weeks later, similar to last years iPhone 3gs and this years iPad announcement.

--

If you want a great resource to cover the iPhone 2g, 3g, and 3gs, Then check this book out, it helped me get started with iPhone :-)

Jumigamer for iPhone App Review

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:43:00 +0000

update: a step by step setup guide at the bottom of this post

	Jumigamer Review. Perfect or Flawed Just Enough to Really Infuriate? Is the jumigamer iPhone Game Controller really worth the money? I love emulators. For the record, I do not actually own all 768 original Nintendo Entertainment System games that I downloaded yesterday, but I do own the ones that I plan on playing, but they are in a storage box in Canada, waiting patiently for me to come get them.
Recently I became inspired to start playing some of the old classic games that were a part of my childhood, and I thought that Jumigamer would be the perfect iPhone App to get me playing through the classics again. Simple Set Up Setting up the jumigamer is simple. Buy the App from the AppStore and then head to the companies website and install the software on your pc. Within minutes you will be able to use the app as though it is a real wireless controller on your PC. Simply start your chosen application and configure it through the options. I used a Nintendo Entertainment System emulator and configuration was easy.
	The Only Problem? The Controls... The only problem that prevents me from actually enjoying my new wireless controller is the fact that it is next to impossible to look at the character I am controlling on the screen and mash a virtual gamepad on my iphone without losing track of where the buttons are located. If you play iPhone games on an
iPhone, this is rarely a problem with a touch screen d-pad or action button, after all you are staring at the screen and controller at the same time. However when you play something on a screen other than the iPhone, you find that without the tactile feel of a game controller, you are lost when you cannot simply feel your way back to the controls. For this reason how can one really recommend this app? While it does exactly what it says it does, the actual execution was to me, a bad experience. If you are on an extreme budget and you can't really afford a basic PC USB Game Controller, then maybe this is for you. Otherwise, best to stay away from jumigamer.
How to Retro Game in Style: If you want to really game in style, then be sure to check out the product pictured here. The FC3 is the ULTIMATE muti function machine, playing all consoles: Nintendo Entertainment System Super Nintendo Sega Genesis All THREE consoles on ONE MACHINE. An amazing deal, and you can let your heirloom consoles remain in safe keeping

UPDATE: STEP BY STEP SETUP (May 13. 2010)

Because I've started to see search results asking specifically How to Set Up jumigamer I am going to cover that here as well.

How to Setup And Install JumiGamer on iPhone and iPod Touch

Step 1.
Download jumigamer from the AppStore and install it on your device

Step 2.
Make sure you are connected to the same wifi network on both your computer and iPhone/iPad//iPod touch

Step 3.
Download the proper software and install it on your computer by clicking here (direct download from jumitech's website)

Step 4.
After it is setup, launch the file and it will be sitting in your system tray near your clock.
When it runs you will be asked to enter a password. Enter one as later you need to enter this on your iPhone jumigamer app as well.

Step 5.
You should then launch jumigamer on your iDevice. You should see your computer listed.
If it is not listed then click the gear icon in jumigamer to be sure "autodiscovery" is enabled.

And then simply tap your computer in the list. If it asks you enter the password from earlier and the control pad appears on your device.

After this you need to set up the game you are using. Every game is different and you need to refer to the games instructions or manual but it is basic, instead of pressing a keyboard key in the games setup menu you will press the button on the jumigamer app on the iPhone.

THAT SHOULD COVER IT!
Any questions, post them in the comments (no registration needed) and thanks!

OTHER NEWS: iPad Jailbroken

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:02:00 +0000

In case you missed it, the ipad has been jailbroken.
Something that I prediected would happen here ages ago.

A good resource on jailbreaking can be FOUND HERE.

What's Spirit?

Spirit is an untethered jailbreak for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch on the latest firmwares.

Spirit is not a carrier unlock.

If you currently are using a tethered jailbreak, you have to restore to use Spirit.
Do not upgrade if you use an unlock on an iPhone 3G or 3GS. (You can, however, restore to 3.1.2 if you have SHSH blobs for that version.)
Requirements
Any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch on firmware 3.1.2, 3.1.3, or 3.2.

An activated device: one not stuck on the Connect to iTunes or Emergency Call screen.
Any version of iTunes 9 (including 9.1.1).

Note: On iPad, all this is still sort of beta. Some packages in Cydia, not designed for iPad, might screw up your system and require you to restore. Be careful. (And no, Cydia's appearance is not final.)

So this also jailbreaks 3gs it would seem. Yay for people who have newer devices.

About time huh?
What is your experience using Spirit? Anything special to share? Let us know.

I've Got The Power! - iPhone and iPod Battery Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:13:00 +0000

iPhone and iPod Battery Pack Round Up
The three BEST power solutions for your on the go needs.

We've all been there...

How many times has your battery been low when you are on the road? How many times have you had to stop listening to music, browsing the internet, or have been forced to turn off your iPhone's 3G capabilities in order to conserve precious battery life?

Here are three (yes only three, because there is a BIG difference between a good battery pack and a cheap one) battery packs to help keep your iPod or iPhone running strong.
Which do you use? Let us know in the comments!

Kensington Battery Pack and Charger for iPod; iPhone 1G, 3G Kensington has been making iPod and iPhone accessories for years. This powerful solution will allow for you to take your power on the road with you. It is an external power supply that attaches via USB and allows for charging, anywhere. Also powers other devices! Compatibility: iPhone 1G, 3G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod nano 3G Rechargeable battery pack extends playing time up to 100 hours of music, 21 hours of video, or 6 hours of talk AC power adapter with USB allows you to recharge your battery pack Includes dock connector to power and charge your iPhone and iPod Mini USB cable included to power and charge other mobile devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, and more	For the latest prices, reviews and to buy CLICK HERE
Imax Power IMP500 3G 3Gs iPhone iTouch External Battery, 5000mAh A light and powerful external battery for your iDevice. This battery adds up to 38 hours of life to your device and is very light weight at the same time. The Imax will also power other devices! Enjoy 38 hours video playing time for 3Gs iPhone and 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation itouch Compatible with all generations of iPhone Boost 3G iPhone video play time up to 38 hours (with speaker on), with 400% of backup 3G iPhone battery life Boost 3G iPhone internet time to 38hours, audio time up to 180 hours Ultra light weight 130g or 4.6 ounces, dimensions: 3.9"x2.2"x0.6"	For the latest prices, reviews and to buy CLICK HERE
Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPod; iPhone 1G, 3G (Black) A portable solution, gets rid of the wires and allows you to have a one piece solution. May not provide as much power however it is smaller, and when it comes to batteries, bigger always means more power. Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone Power and charge your iPhone or iPod--extends play time up to 30 hours of music or 6 hours of video (on iPod nano 3G) or 3 hours of talk (on iPhone) Includes retractable USB charging cable High-capacity, rechargeable Lithium-Ion polymer battery pack for increased energy efficiency Small enough to keep connected to your iPhone or iPod	For the latest prices, reviews and to buy CLICK HERE

Att has 3x more dropped calls than verizon?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:41:00 +0000

From the files of the "Obvious Department" it turns out that AT&T uses experince more dropped calls than any other wireless carrier.

"ChangeWave Research, the company that does the polling for the InvestorPlace.com site, released the results of a survey of 4,040 smartphone users in the US done during March of this year. They were looking into "trends in customer satisfaction and loyalty, future market share demand, and the issue of dropped calls," and discovered that AT&T's results were in a death-spiral on all those measurements. As far as dropped calls go, while Verizon customers reported that 1.5% of their calls were dropped - the best result of the 4 US major carriers - AT&T customers said that 4.5% of their calls were dropped. Sprint and T-Mobile customers were essentially in a tie for second, with 2.4% and 2.5% of calls dropped respectively. And unsurprisingly, only 23% of AT&T customers said they were "very satisfied" with their service, as opposed to 49% of Verizon customers."

So maybe us iPhone customers are not simply crybaby types. Perhaps there is more to it than AT&T wants to admit.

Will AT&T's investment in new towers pay off? And how will we customers fare when the new iPhone is released later on this year. Will chaos ensue or will we see a smooth ride?

No Verizion iPhone?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:21:00 +0000

No Verizon iPhone till 2011 says an analyst.

Look for the iPhone to be exclusive to AT&T for at least the rest of 2010 and first half of 2011 says an analyst.

According to Brian Marshall, a Wall Street analyst at BroadPoint AmTech, "AT&T had to do something dramatic to get the iPad." So what they did was to give Apple the rock-bottom pricing it wanted for 3G data. No other US 3G carrier can touch the $29.99 all-you-can-eat plan, and so, Marshall told Computerworld's Gregg Keizer, "AT&T was able to negotiate a six-month extension on the iPhone exclusive."

So it seems that all those people who thought that $29.99 iPad unlimited data plan was "to good to be true" were right. However true as it is, it was a business decision to extend AT&T's exclusivity through the key Christmas shopping season.
Consider this a loss leader for AT&T who may lose money on the iPad data plan on some customers, but who will gain new subscriptions and customers looking for phones over the Christmas season.

Cannot reinstall apps on iPhone?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:39:00 +0000

How to reinstall apps on iPhone when the AppStore tells you an app already exists, and it doesn't.

Is iTunes acting up?
Does your iPhones AppStore tell you that an app is installed when it isn't?

There is a solution for that:

The iPhone is not perfect and sometimes these strange things happen.
Try the following to straighten your phone out:

Sometimes when you sync your phone apps are installed by iTunes on your computer. To see if fabecook is already installed:

First, press the home button twice. The first time sill bring you to the first home screen, the second time brings up search. Type the first few letter of the app you are looking for. Do you see what you are looking for? Great, it's already Installed.

If not try:

1. Restart the phone.
Hold down the top button you usualy turn the screen off with and the front button on the face at the same time for about ten seconds until th phone restarts and you see an apple logo appear

try and see if the phone let's you Install your app now

2. Connect the phone to your computer. Open iTunes and on the main screen where you can manage you iPhone see under "applications" and make sure the box is not checked for the the app you want to install. Check this box and click sync below. iTunes will install the app for you.

Hope this solves your problem!

Click here for more on the iPhone Operating System related posts!

What Models Cannot be Jailbroken

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:44:00 +0000

I am writing this so Google can index it. I have been asked this several times and there is a good way to tell using free tools and a general rule.

WHAT IPHONE AND IPOD MODELS CANNOT BE JAILBROKEN?
Can my iPhone or iPod Touch be jailbroken or dos it require tethering?

Generally speaking, all iPhone 3g and older models can be jailbroken.
The same can be said for the iPod Touch up to second generation.

ANTI PIRACY BY APPLE:

After the release of the iPhone 3gs, Apple started to put a different type of memory (RAM) in the iPhone and iPod touch. This memory prevents the device from staying in an always jailbroken state.

Each time the device restarts either due to a user restarting it or a complete battery drain, it must be connected to a computer and you must run blackra1n to rejailbreak. Even though this takes only a few moments to do it is a major hassle if you do not have access to a pc.

NO MORE PROBLEMS, HERE ARE SOLUTIONS:

For those of you who want to know whether or not your iPhone or iPod is good to jailbreak, there is a quick rule of thumb. If your device has a model number starting with MB you are likely fine.
For those of you with an MC model chances are you are destined to tether your jailbreak.
Another sign can be found five characters into your serial number, this indicates the week your iPhone was manufactured during the year. The lower the better if your iPhone was sold In 2009 as after week 42 almost all iPhone and iPods were made with the new anti-piracy memory chips:

An even better solution recently launched is the free tool called F0RECAST which will query your device to see what can be done with it. You can download the f0recast tool here

iPhone/iPod Question: what us that strange exclamation point icon for?

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:44:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I installed androidlock from cydia and noticed that I started to see an explanation point next to my battery indicator like the one pictured here.

Any jailbreaker will tell you that when your phone acts "strange" you worry because it could mean a restore which can lead to complications and a possible dead iPhone (referred to as a "bricked" iPhone)

I thought that it may refer to my battery itself which worried menbut apple has nonsuch article referncing this icon.

From research online which only brought up one page these indicators seem entirely related to push notifications.

Whenever I receive a notification from Facebook, The Weather Channel Max or CNBC Real Time I get the icon. It is cleared after the app that sent it is opened.

Mystery solved but I still don't know if this is an iPhone "feature" or a byproduct of my jailbreak.

HOW TO: Make iPhone apps for a profit and sell on the AppStore!

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:46:00 +0000

iPhone apps for profit?

Do you want to develop the next "big thing" in the iPhone world? That would be the next app... The apps you see in the apple iPhone commercials were made by someone, many people with no computer programming experience at all. So why not you! Why can't you make that BIG MONEY?

THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT

The past few years has witnessed a change in the ecosystem of the wireless world.
Time was that cell phone companies were responsible for selling games and applications to their customers.
These apps were programmer in the java language using J2RE. Not only were these apps hard to develop, they were also severly limited due to several different factors:

- compatability with multiple phones
- limited hardware
- small screen size

When apple launched the iPhone in 2007 and the AppStore a year later, the world of mobile development forever changed.

A GAME CHANGER

The AppStore is an integrated distribution system for developers to sell applications on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. It is pre-installed on all of these devices and is dead easy to use.

Since it's launch in 2008, in only a year and a half over TWO BILLION APPS have been downloaded from the AppStore and the numbers keep increasing day by day!

And it will only GET BIGGER with the iPad coming in the next few months!

THE APPLE METHOD

Ultimately apple makes it relatively simple to become an app developer. You need to join the apple developer program and program your apps.

You need three things:

1. An idea
2. An annual subscription to Apples development program
3. A computer to program your app on (Windows or Mac will do)

After you write and code your app, submit it to Apple for approval and wait to get listed on the Appstore and the money to start to come in.

BUT I'M NO COMPUTER PROGRAMMER!!

Fear not because I'm about to tell you the secret of how anyone can learn to write and sell an app on the AppStore.
It makes it NEARLY GUARANTEED that you will be able to

A. Make BIG $$$
B. Start on a real career as an app programmer.

Who knows, maybe you will be the next big thing! Most downloaded apps do make a profit.
Even selling an app for a dollar and making $0.50 profit after your comission still NETS YOU $5000.00!

HOW TO GET STARTED:

If this sounds good to you, and you found this article useful, then you need to check out the secret so many app developers know but don't share...

I know it can be done and you don't need to be a computer genius either!

HOW TO: iphone 101, Activate an iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:05:00 +0000

So your iPhone died and was restored and needs to be activated? Follow these simple steps to get back into business:

You may activate the phone at a AT&T store however the staff there does the same thing you can do at home which is connect the phone to iTunes and do it online.
Apple store employees also simply use iTunes to activate the phone.

How to activate iPhone:

1. Download the latest version of iTunes from http://www.apple.com/iTunes
install it

2. Connect your iPhone to the computer. After a few minutes any drivers needed are installed on your computer (windows version only not mac) and the phone is recognized

3. The iPhone will come up in the iTunes window and is automatically activated.

4. You are asked if you want to set the phone up as new or restore a backup

from here on just follow prompts.
If you do nit have an active Internet connection this does not work and you will need to bring the phone in to an stt or apple store.
Do not go to an att retailer but an actual corporate store. They deal with customer service type issues.

HOW TO: grab a single frame from a video on an iPhone 3gs

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:30:00 +0000

Although the iPhone 3gs natively takes spectacular video, you cannot simply take a frame grab but there is an easy solution that involves no jailbreaking or hacking.

Step 1:
select the video you want a frame from in your camera roll and turn your phone on its side to enter landscape mode (so it's wider than tall) the video automatically fills the entire iPhone screen.

Step 2:
use the scrub bat up top to skip to the frame you want to capture. Pause the video on this point

Step 3:
tap on the screen anywhere to make the video controls dissapear and all you can see just the video.

Step 4:
hold the sleep/wake button on top of the phone and then press the home button on the front of the iPhone and a screenshot is taken and saved to the camera roll.

You now had a still image of the frame on the movie you want!

I isn't the same an iPhone photo though the resolution is less and it's in PNG format but unless you get the photo on a computer and use a professional video editing program it's the closest you can get.

Also the iPhone video is only 640x480 resolution so it won't create anymore than a VGA resolution still from a video.

HOW TO: restore an iPhone 3g or earlier to a older firmware:

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:46:00 +0000

Has your iPhone died?
Want to restore but not upgrade?
Since you have an iPhone 3g or earlier you can restore your phone to an earlier version. This method will notnwork with a 3rd generation iPod Touch or iPhone 3gs as apple must digitally verify all iPhone restores. They as of this writing are not verifying any firmware but 3.1.3 on these two newest iDevices.

(Btw, for a great resource on jailbreaking I recommend checking THIS BOOK out, it's an awesome reference manual!

If your phone is in the "connect to iTunes" screen then it likely isnt actually in DFU mode.
DFU mode has to be entered by a user. More on that in a minute.

1. The first thing you need to do is download the appropriate firmware for your device.
You can get a list of firmware downloads from:
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750

The file you want is:
3.1.2 (3G): iPhone1,2_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw
(or earlier)

Download that file. They are large so be patient. Also take note of where it is saved as you need it later on.

Now you are ready to put the phone into restore mode if it isn't already:

Step 1. Turn off your iPhone.

Step 2. Hold down the power and home button.

Step 3. When you see the Apple logo, release the power button but continue holding the home button down.

Step 4. Open iTunes and wait for it to tell you that its in restore mode.

At this point you will see a message in itunes telling you that an iPhone in recovery mode and that it needs to be restored.
Click ok to dismiss this dialog box.

Next on the iTunes screen hold SHIFT and click the restore button.
Instead of downloading the newest firmware it opens a file dialog box.

Navigate to the file you just downloaded and select it.
The rest of the process is automated and will take maybe between 15-20 minutes.

Don't Miss These Awesome iPhone Hacking Related Books

iPad is Not Widescreen. Sad But True

noreply@blogger.com (Steven J. Campbell) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:43:00 +0000

(UPDATE: the iPhone uses a 3:2 aspect ratio which is not rectangular but not square. It is an Apple only format.)

The "Apple screwed the iPad up" camp scored another point when Tuaw pointed out that the screen on the device is 1024x768 and a 4:3 ratio.

This means that:

A) yes it does do high def movies...
However
B) it is 4:3 ratio.

if the numbers seem strange, and you don't see any issue, just remember when you first saw a widescreen DVD playing on a square tv, and remember those black bars because you will be seeing more and more of them.

Even YouTube content is going widescreen, so the Apple decision to use a 4:3 aspect is strange.
This is likely a limitation of the iPhone OS or possibly done so games and apps are always universally programmed form both the iPhone and iPad devices.