If you feel that your iPhone alone no longer carries the cachet it once did, what with the price dropping and all, this may be just the modification that you need to stand out among the crowd. iPhones.ru has a teaser glimpse of an iPhone hack that causes the Apple logo on the back of the device to light up when the screen is turned on. Details are sketchy, but it appears that the hack involves replacing the metal insert on the back of the phone with an LED-equipped plastic one; custom software allows the user to select the brightness of the glowing effect independently of screen brightness... or maybe they're just using the backlight.
iPhone with a light-up Apple logo
If you feel that your iPhone alone no longer carries the cachet it once did, what with the price dropping and all, this may be just the modification that you need to stand out among the crowd. iPhones.ru has a teaser glimpse of an iPhone hack that causes the Apple logo on the back of the device to light up when the screen is turned on. Details are sketchy, but it appears that the hack involves replacing the metal insert on the back of the phone with an LED-equipped plastic one; custom software allows the user to select the brightness of the glowing effect independently of screen brightness... or maybe they're just using the backlight.
USB wall charger
[rbhays] did this sweet little hack back in 2006. He took a Motorola cellphone wall charger and modified it into a USB wall charger. He needed to charge his iPod, but misplaced the original charger. A replacement would have cost him $30. So he did what any respectable hacker would do, he cut up something else to make it work for him.
He had one sitting around that was equipped with a mini USB end. He checked it out and it was the perfect voltage. Some commenters below the project noted that their motorola charger had a higher voltage rating than his. Those would still work, but would require some extra steps to bring the voltage down.
After some careful soldering, and a bit of super glue, he's left with a perfectly good wall charger. He can charge most things that only use the juice from the wall. Some things refuse to charge though, such as Zunes. There was another project by [Cvesey] that claims to charge Zunes as well. While wall chargers may be available fairly cheaply now, many of us have some of these cellphone chargers just sitting around. Now we have a use for them.
iphone-dev team progress update
The iphone-dev team hasn't been resting on their laurels since releasing the iPhone Pwnage Tool 2.0 nearly two weeks ago and decided to update everyone on their progress. Despite the iPhone 2.0 jailbreak, there still isn't a way to unlock a 3G phone. They've managed to do other things like downgrade a 3G to an older baseband firmware, which demonstrates their ability to bypass security checks and run unsigned code on the baseband. A nice side effect of all the downgrade work is that they've perfected the percautions they take to prevent bricking. The team has been following threads about using SIM proxy devices for unlocks as well, but concluded that the devices are a kludge at best and reliability can vary wildly depending on the phone's location. They also pointed out the fine work that RiP Dev has been doing on Installer 4 which will help you install software that isn't from the AppStore.
Essential Bluetooth hacking tools
[via Digg]
Teenager invents vehicular antitheft system
We are very inspired by the story of [Morris Mbetsa], an 18-year-old Kenyan who's invented the "Block & Track", an antitheft and tracking system for vehicles that's phone-based. [Mbetsa] has no formal training, but he's been a lifelong inventor and tinkerer. [Mbetsa] combined voice, DTMF, and SMS text messaging technologies with cellphone based services to allow the owner to control the vehicle's electrical system remotely. The owner, using his cellphone, can take control of the ignition, and disable it at any time. Other features include the ability to lock the car remotely, and the capability of dialing into the car and listening in on any conversations taking place within the vehicle. [Mbetsa] is currently looking for funding to take his invention to the next level; we're eager to see what he'll come up with next.
[via Digg]
Honeybike: bicycle thief honeypot
[liseman] decided to build a honeypot for bicycle thieves. He mounted a pay as you go cell phone and a gutted stun gun inside a water bottle. When the phone is dialed, the stun gun is activated thanks to a tap on the vibration motor inside the phone. He also installed some tracking software on the phone so the bike can be traced when stolen.
Location of the stun gun probes depends on certain assumptions: will the thief ride off on the bike, or simply toss it in the back of a truck. (Check your local laws if you're contemplating doing this yourself.)
iPhone Pwnage Tool 2.0 released
Earlier today, the iPhone Dev Team teased that they wouldn't release their latest Pwnage Tool until Sunday. Since this was yet another in a week long bit of teasing, we were somewhat surprised when a few hours later they posted a rather relaxed Thanks for waiting :) post announcing that Pwnage Tool 2.0 is available. Here's a direct link to the tool and a mirror courtesy of [_BigBoss_].
According to TUAW, Pwnage Tool 2.0 will activate, jailbreak, and unlock first generation iPhones running any firmware up to and including version 2.0. Unfortunately, it will not unlock an iPhone 3G (at least, not yet). iPhone 3G owners can still use the tool for activation and jailbreaking (so you can run 3rd party apps not supported by Apple and the new iPhone App Store).
So far, skimming through the 1322 comments on their announcement post, I've not seen any complaints or death threats about the tool bricking iPhones, but one should still proceed with caution. According to one update to the post, some people either get an error 1600 from iTunes or they notice a "failure to prepare x12220000_4_Recovery.ipsw" in the log. They've provided a workaround, however. If this happens to you, simply
mkdir ~/Library/iTunes/Device Support or alternately nuke all the files in that already extant folder and re-run Pwnage Tool.UPDATE: Image is from Engadget's iPhone review we covered earlier.
Creating web applications for the iPhone
[via digg]
OpenMoko usability review
[Dave Fayram] has put out two videos covering the interface of the FreeRunner from OpenMoko. For those unfamiliar, we've covered it a few times before. It is an opensource mobile platform that includes a full X server. They encourage people to make their own software and even release the CAD files for chassis modification.
He points out some glaring faults and compares it to his iPhone. Some of the major faults he has listed and shown are:
- Bezel around screen makes input difficult.
- Extremely slow interface
- Can't play mp3s.
- On screen keyboard is tiny.
[via Daring Fireball]
SIM card reader
Adafruit Industries just announced their next kit: a SIM card reader. Using the kit, you can read or write any SIM card. You could use this for fun things like recovering deleted contacts and SMS messages. The kit looks like a very straight forward design (based on [Dejan]'s work); the only chip is a hex inverter and the board is powered by a regulated 9V battery. With all through-hole components, it should be easy to assemble. You can talk to it using the board mounted serial port or connect to the extra pin header using an FTDI USB cable just like the Boarduino. The FTDI option is bus powered, so you won't need the battery. [ladyada] has collected some resources in case you want to learn more about smart cards.
Maximize the iPhone 3G's battery life
Gizmodo has posted a guide for extending the battery life of your shiny new iPhone 3G. Apple is notorious for pushing products with unimpressive battery life, and the new iPhone is no different. The battery isn't user-replaceable, which means you can't keep a spare, and the energy needs of the 3G chipset adds to the problem. Apple provides some useful tips on maximizing battery life for your iPhone. The tips include common sense advice that applies to nearly all electronic devices - turning down the brightness on your LCD screen, turning off radios not in use like Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 3G, and setting Auto-lock to a minute or less will keep your devices running smoothly for longer.
We like to carry an extra USB battery like this one; you can also make your own like this one with an Altoids tin.
iPhone 3G: Under the hood
TechOnline has cracked open the iPhone 3G to find out what makes it tick. They've released detailed diagrams as well as some videos of the dissection.
Calling this an incremental update, they note that the changes seem to be additions and improvements rather than a total rebuild of the original platform. They get into the nitty gritty, discussing not only the layout and structure, but even the importance of each chip manufacturer.
Some of the improvements are obvious, like 3G. Others include the battery not being permanently attached, and the headphone jack being flush mounted. Most of the changes were in who manufactured each chip.
[via TUAW]
iPhone dev team shows ssh access
They still haven't released the jailbreak yet, but the iPhone dev team hasn't been sitting idly by either. They recently posted this video of ssh access on the iPhone 3G. Not only have they succeeded in hacking into the phone, they say that apple can't fix it without a hardware change. Having root level access to the device opens up many more possibilities than just hooking an API.
iGiveUp Bluetooth handset
Instructables user [ManaEnergyPotion] has posted a rather humorous Bluetooth handset hack. He simply took apart an airsoft handgun and a Bluetooth headset, and then placed the components neatly within the case. The earpeice is actually in the barrel of the gun, while the microphone is in the handle. You pull the trigger to answer a call, or to end a call. The best part is that they took this to the iPhone product launch, and posted a video of people's reaction to this as an actual product concept. You can check it out after the break.
iPhone dev team releases jailbreak video
The iPhone dev team, notorious for jailbreaking the iPhone has just released a video of the iPhone 3G hacked. Keep up to date with it and watch for a release on their blog. This is a major update to the PwnageTool which is already available for previous versions of the iPhone.
They have added a lot of new features such as: canned web searches, custom installer configuration, and custom root partitions. They promise to release it soon, but state that it will not be this weekend. You can get a the high resolution version of the video from our mirror.
