Hacks

Reader report: Rebel SIM working with 3G iPhone

A reader in Barbados sent us a message today describing the success he had with a Rebel SIM card and his 3G iPhone. Having purchased a 3G in Canada, he returned to Barbados and ordered the Rebel, which has been working perfectly with no dropped calls.

Barbados does not have 3G service, but decent GSM. Of course, we can’t confirm the story (though we’ll gladly fly over to sunny Barbados to try it out!), so your experience my vary. In the meantime, you may want to read this article on how to remove your iPhone’s SIM card, or our chat with jailbreaker Pytey.

Popularity: 7% [?]

PwnageTool 2.0.2 is live

Erica took a look at Pwnage 2.0 recently, recommending that “casual jailbreakers” wait patiently for the kinks to be worked out. Well, Pwnage 2.0.2 has dropped while most of us in American are sleeping. Well, some of us, anyway. Meanwhile, the iPhone-dev team released the much-anticipated update with ninja stealth.

The iPhone-dev team recommends using the built in updater to get the latest version … “Check for Updates” in your current version of PwnageTool. If you don’t have luck with that, there are mirrors posted in the release announcement, along with notes regarding Installer.app/Cydia:

“Installer 4 Beta is included, it is added in any mode by default. The main installer package management interface within PwnageTool isn’t enabled yet, and will report that installer.app isn’t available, but the actual Installer.app package is added as a default option in both modes.”

“The latest Cydia is also enabled by default.”

Happy jailbreaking, and the usual disclaimers apply: back up your data, use at your own risk, and remember that Apple does not support software like PwnageTool.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in! [iphone-dev]

Popularity: 18% [?]

Found Footage: iPod glove liner offers new hope to snowbound music lovers

Jason W. has submitted a video demonstrating his latest innovation: a glove liner with magnetic contacts which functions as a wintertime remote and looks like a sweet way to geek out your cold-weather gear. It might quite possibly also be a less-expensive solution than some previously available winter gear.

Jason designed the interface — which assigns functions to each finger and is activated by touching that finger to a receiver — after watching a snowboarding friend repeatedly remove her gloves to control her iPod. I spend a fair share of time in the cold, and know the inconvenience well. I also happen to lack the ninja skills needed to control an iPod located in some of the awkward positions that armbands and winter jackets can place one in, which only heightens my interest in this invention. The subtle nature of the glove-bound controls promises a chance for me to look like that much less of a dork when attempting winter sports.

I haven’t been able to determine whether this is compatible with an iPod touch/iPhone yet. I would find it infinitely more useful with a touchscreen than with a clickwheel, which I had actually become relatively adept at using upside down and backwards before the advent of the iPhone. Some older remotes work fine, so perhaps this might already be an iPhone match.

You can see the video of the iPod glove liner on YouTube and revel in the chilly possibilities. [youtube]

Popularity: 11% [?]

Extending your iPhone’s battery

IntoMobile has a few good tips on how to extend your iPhone’s battery life, and most of them involve the most obvious thing you can do to keep your iPhone running: cut down on any and all extra functions. They actually recommend to turn off 3G, but you don’t have to go that far — just by holding down the Home button, you can close any background applications sucking up juice. And by resetting your phone, you can do the same thing — clear out anything running that you’re not using.

Actually, while I was in Los Angeles last week, I heard the great Leo Laporte mention a great tip on his radio show: turn off the “Ask to join networks” feature in the WiFi settings. If you’re like me, you almost always know when there’s a WiFi network around that you can use on your iPhone, and so it’s pointless (and a waste of battery life) for the iPhone to be constantly searching for one. You can always flip it back on if you do want to do a little poking around, but leaving it off will significantly help battery life.

In fact, when in extreme trouble, you can go even farther and just switch the whole thing into Airplane Mode. It’ll make your phone useless, but when you really need it — out on a trip, or waiting to make an important call — the extra battery time might make all the difference.

[via Apple Enthusiast]

Popularity: 13% [?]

Unlocked iPhones a growing industry

A cottage industry has grown up surrounding unlocked iPhones, and two new companies are looking to cash in.

Brazilian company DesbloqueioBr came up with a clever way of using a SIM-card adapter to enable unlocking the phone and choosing a carrier at your discretion. It’s much like the Turbo SIM unlock. (There’s video showing how this works at our sister site, Engadget.)

It ain’t cheap: according to this site, the company plans to charge as much as $375 for the hack. Trouble is, the call quality is apparently worse, and Apple can break your unlock with a software update.

So, if you’re not willing to drop that much for a hack, and you’re into totally shady, fell-off-the-truck deals, then this is for you: You can order a “original” Apple devices direct from a dealer in Hong Kong. You do have to place a minimum order of $1,000, but everything you get will be network-unlocked.

Who knows, though, if they’ll get here.

Popularity: 6% [?]