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The answer is yes. Finally! The prayers of many dismayed iPhone buyers have been heard. As confirmed by CNN, an organization of techies from iPhoneSIMfree has successfully cracked the mobile phone. By designing software that unlocks the iPhone, users can now have the option to use any SIM card from any network on the unit. It looks like AT&T won’t be having the last laugh on this one.
CNN reported in early September 2007 of a certain Brett Shulte from iPhoneSIMfree who demonstrated unlocking the iPhone. There was no soldering or breaking open required, just a few minutes with the software, and voila! He inserted a T-Mobile SIM card into the iPhone and it worked. According to CNN, the actual software is yet to be released for public purchase.
Unlocking the iPhone does pose many advantages for its buyers. For one, there is no need to switch to AT&T if you already have an existing subscription elsewhere, just so you can get the iPhone. The iPhone can now be available in countries outside the United States. You don’t need to pay for roaming charges if you’re outside the US. All you have to do is switch your SIM with a local SIM, and you’re ready to go. One more thing, using another network may improve the performance of the unit, as many critics say that AT&T has yet to make the iPhone compatible for 3G speeds.
The iPhoneSIMfree minds have currently released FAQ about the software, but no pricing yet. According to the FAQ, the iPhone still retains its usual functions, even when it is unlocked. Voice and data functions are unlocked and can be used with any network, and in any country. The phone can still be unlocked even after updating the software of the iPhone. More FAQ can be viewed form their site http://iphonesimfree.com.
According to the iPhoneSIMfree site, they are encouraging journalists to contact them about the software if they’re interested to test it out. They encourage interested people to send their comments to the team. They are already working on the immediate public release of this software.
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Well, nobody is perfect. In this case, no phone is. When the much-awaited iPhone appeared in United States stores in June 29, 2007, hundreds of thousand flocked to the stores. Within 30 hours of its release, an unbelievable 270,000 iPhones have been sold. After a few months of letting the hype die down, was the iPhone really worth the fuss?
John Naughton, from the British publication, the Observer, has some things to say about the iPhone. First of all, the price is quite outrageous for a mobile phone. You had two choices: expensive or more expensive. The 4GB iPhone costs $499, while the 8GB unit costs $599. Also, you can only get the iPhone if you tie yourself down for an AT&T subscription for 18 months. AT&T has exclusively locked the iPhone for their network.
Regarding connectivity speeds on this model, it really isn’t that amazing after all. The iPhone does not have 3G packet data, although it has Wi-Fi, so you can get connected if you’re in the right zone. You can opt to cancel AT&T’s internet service on the iPhone if you want it to run solely on Wi-Fi, but you can’t use the iPhone on other mobile data networks. AT&T and Apple have struck a deal that leaves their customers at their mercy.
Because of these limitations imposed by the iPhone, many individuals have taken a crack at unlocking the unit. There have been some reports of geniuses tampering with the hardware and software of the iPhone to make it run on other SIM cards and networks. It took them a little over a month to do so.
There have been legal issues that have arisen from the uncontrolled unlocking of the iPhone. But what can AT&T and Apple do? There is no written law at the moment that says unlocking a mobile device is indeed illegal. After all, if the iPhone, or any other mobile device, is the property of the buyer, then he has the freedom to do whatever with it.
The iPhone is set to launch in the United Kingdom before 2007 ends. There is still no news as to which UK cellular service provider will be holding the reins. All the Brits can do for now is wait.
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The Los Angeles-based earphone producer V-Moda has been reputed for creating stylish and high-performance headsets for mobile phones and portable music players. Since 2006, V-Moda has come up with funky cool models that have a price range of medium to high. These babies are not your everyday earphones, for that price, they really are something else.
In July 2007, shortly after the debut of the iPhone, V-Moda released their Vibe Duo earbuds, made especially for Apple’s wonder phone. The headset plug is tailor-made for the recessed jack of the iPhone, which many have complained to be incompatible with other earphones. These earbuds come with 32 inches of cable, and an additional 12 inches at the Y-junction before the earpieces. The earbuds have clear and black silicone fittings to hold securely in the ears.
The cable of the Vibe Duo earbuds is covered with synthetic cloth fiber, much like that of nylon shoelaces. This makes the cord rather tangle-proof. Plus, the black and chrome design of the earbuds are perfect for anybody who’s after class and style. When not in use, you can place your Vibe Duo buds in the carrying pouch included with the purchase.
The Vibe Duo buds has a built-in microphone so you can take voice calls, too. There is a function button for answering and ending calls, plus you can control the music player of the iPhone through the Vibe Duo. There is also an attached shirt clip for the microphone. Audio quality is great for all music genres, according to critics. Though the microphone was sensitive enough to capture background noise when calling, quality of voice calls were still superb.
V-Moda is planning to release an improved version of the Vibe Duo, with a plug that will make it compatible with other mobile phones and mp3 players besides the iPhone and the iPod. As of the release, the Vibe Duo earbuds cost about $100. Many iPhone owners were not exactly psyched by the price of the earbuds, having shelled out $499 to $599 for the iPhone already. So far, there is no announced date as to the release of the new Vibe Duo earbuds.
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PC World Magazine reported last August 31, 2007 that Ambrosia Software has come up with a custom ring tone application for iPhone fanatics. Since 1993, Ambrosia Software has been designing custom games and applications specifically for Macintosh operating systems.
The iToner costs $15 and is available for free trial or download at http://www.ambrosiasw.com. The user interface of iToner is similar to that of the iPhone, which makes it easier to navigate with. Your Mac screen will flash a virtual version of the iPhone that says “Drag ring tone sound files hereâ€, so you can visualize what you’re doing.
Once you get the iToner loaded up on your Mac, you can sync up your iPhone to get custom ring tones. Simply drag and drop mp3 or AAC files from your Mac and your iPhone can use them as ring tones. You don’t need to reconfigure your iPhone or reset it when you want to use iToner.
Custom ring tones on your iPhone give you the freedom to organize your phonebook contacts. You can assign a romantic song for a loved one who calls, a pop song for your friends, or other types of music for individuals or caller groups.
Many users are raving about the iToner for its ease-of-use and functionality. Uploading two sound files onto the iPhone takes only about 10 seconds. The iToner program will run with future iPhone OS updates. For your Mac, running the iToner requires OS v10.4.10 or later.
Apple recently came up with other ways of putting ring tones into their iPhone, one of which is a service that lets you convert iTunes downloads into ring tones. It comes with a fee, of course. Many users comment that they would rather pay for the iToner once, than pay iTunes every time a ring tone download is made.
Ambrosia Software has already designed many games for Mac OS like Apeiron, Swoop, Maelstrom, Cythera X, Aquaria, and many more. Some of their developed utilities for Mac are Wire Tap Pro, Snapz Pro, and Dragster. The company hopes to come up with more utilities that can work both on the Mac and the iPhone.
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Filled in: Electronic
The greatest thing about the Blu-ray is not just its high definition media, but the high storage capacity of each blu-ray disc. Nothing more than a cd by looks alone, the beauty lies on each surface of the blu-ray disk that really holds the magic. Unlike the cd and dvd, the data on each blu-ray disk is placed above a 1.1 mm polycarbonate layer. By putting the data on the actual disk surface, the problems common to the dvd and cd playback is completely eliminated. These include disk tilt problems and birefringence or double refraction in which the laser light is split into two.
To protect the data, it is then covered with a 0.1 mm layer of polymer coating to make it scratch resistant and easily cleanable with a soft cloth. TDK uses Durabis on their blu-ray disks while Verbatim uses their own technology called ScratchGuard. The coating is still not like the DVD disk which sandwiches the data layer with two disks for protection, which are then glued together. The disk protecting the DVD data is not scratch resistant as experience has taught us. But the Durabis and ScratchGuard promises to be sandpaper proof and dust proof. Childproofing of course is a whole other technology.
A single layer blu-ray disk has been superseded by a dual layer blu-ray disk which can hold twice the data at 50GB per disk. But current developments have made strides on the super capacity of the blu-ray disk. Currently, a quad layer disk which can hold 100 GB of data has been successfully developed. Both TDK and Hitachi have developed a single sided blu-ray disk with 200GB capacity with 6 layers of 33GB. But Ritek seems to have pushed the boundaries of physics just one more time, and claim to have been successful at developing the world’s first true high density blu-ray disk. At ten layers, that’s 250 GB of pure blu-ray goodness.
But before rushing out to the stores and scoring yourselves one of these babies, you will have to keep in mind that you are still at the mercy of current blu-ray players available in the market. Most blu-ray players and recorders currently support dual layered blu-ray disks, and at a measly 4x “super†speed, you’d better be glad there’s nothing more than 50GB of blu-ray disks out on the market. Just imagine how long it will take you to burn a single 200GB blu-ray disk on 4x speed. That would take an eternity plus a lifetime.
But given the relatively shaky technological ground the blu-ray stands on, nothing is ever final. Philips has currently revealed that they have developed 7x, 10x and 12x write speeds on blu-ray discs. With the ever expanding capacity of the blu-ray looming over the horizon, speed has taken a significant role in the blu-ray development.
Currently, the only setback the blu-ray seems to have is hardware compatibility. But even that is being addressed as we speak. Stand alone players and game consoles were the first to piggyback the blu-ray disks. Recordable players, home theater systems and personal computers were next to integrate the blu-ray technology into their systems. As recent as last August, Hitachi has announced its development of the world’s first blu-ray camcorder. It would not be long before blu-ray would be completely integrated into our daily lives. It’s just a matter of when. GP
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