Thursday, August 14, 2008

StealthSIM 3G SE: Unlock your iPhone 3G

Remember the days of owning a first generation iPhone, but having it come with 1.1.2 firmware? That time period was pretty painful for the folks who could only activate and jailbreak their iPhones and use them as “iPhone Touches”. But, as with anything eventually an unlock came out through a “SIM solution”. One that worked out well for a lot of people out there was the StealthSIM.

How to Unlock your iPhone 3G: StealthSIM SE Edition

Anyways, fast forward to the iPhone 3G. The makers of the StealthSIM have now created theStealthSIM SE, a new method to unlock your iPhone 3G. It works just like the old StealthSIM. It is a thin wafer circuit that goes over your SIM card, and will allow you to use your iPhone 3G on ANY GSM network. These new StealthSIMs are thinner than the last bunch. I am getting a sample coming in the mail and will have a full review up soon.

Why is Unlocking Important? Who Needs This?

If you’re using your iPhone 3G on Rogers and Fido at the present moment, you don’t need this. However, if you’re going to be doing a lot of travelling and want to use your iPhone, this could save you a lot of money. Instead of paying the excessive Rogers roaming charges overseas, this StealthSIM SE will enable you to use local GSM carrier SIM cards.

So if you’re hitting up Hong Kong for the weekend, you can just buy a local SIM and use that. Easy as pie and you won’t have to deal with the wait for a software unlock and risk of damaging your iPhone.

The StealthSIM SE currently it retails for $99 and may come as pricey to some of you. However if you desperately need your iPhone 3G unlocked, this easy and painless solution could be priceless in the long run! Click here to visit the StealthSIM SE website.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Congratulations Apple, you made the iPhone less stable than Windows Mobile


Congratulations Apple, you made the iPhone less stable than Windows MobileAfter a couple of weeks since the iPhone 3G launch, I gave in and picked up a device at the Apple store just over a week ago to personally give it a try. It is a good device, but the only two improvements over my original iPhone are the 3G support and GPS. The 3G has been very spotty, especially compared to the solid reception I am seeing on the Nokia E71-2, N95-3, and HTC Advantage. I saw 3G at work for the first couple of days, but for the last four days all I get is an EDGE connection. GPS is nice and I have actually used it twice to help me quickly navigate around traffic jams and in an unfamiliar area, but I could have just used Google Maps and the approximate position on my original iPhone to do the same thing. Recently the device has almost ended up going airborne across the room because of the constant instability with both 3rd party and native applications and I am strongly considering a return of the device this week.

As a person who enjoys trying out and using lots of 3rd party applications on my mobile devices I expected issues with some applications because not all developers are created equal and Apple doesn’t seem to be performing much of any kind of actual review in letting applications appear on the iPhone App store. However, I have had way too many experiences where I go to start an application, it appears to load and then I am taken right back to the home screen again. The only way I have figured out how to get the application back up and running is to remove it and then reinstall it on the iPhone. I also discovered that for paid applications you have to “repurchase” the application on your device and then as you go through the process a pop-up will appear that states you already paid for the application and would you like to download it for free. Thus you don’t actually have to buy the application again, but that is the method you have to follow to redownload it. I would think that the iPhone would be smart enough to know which applications I purchased before you have to get to this point and think there is definitely some room for improvement in the App Store on the iPhone.

There have also been syncing issues where I load the application on the phone itself and then when I sync it to my Mac the application disappears. Also, when I delete an application on the phone it gets reinstalled when I sync at times. I think Apple is having a difficult time managing the store synchronization between the device and a Mac/PC.

I was actually willing to forgive some of these early adoption/third party application issues, but lately I have been noticing major issues with the native Safari web browser that I never see on Internet Explorer Mobile or Opera Mobile on Windows Mobile. Over the last 4-5 days, I have noticed I’ll be just scrolling down a web page reading it when the browser will just close and kick me back to the home screen. I will then relaunch the browser and surf for a while before it kicks me off again. It isn’t even a case of trying to do something crazy like watch a video or stream something, but I am just trying to read the text on a page. I spend quite a bit of time browsing the web on my mobile devices and if the iPhone 3G is going to keep kicking me out of the browser then it is going back.

I also do not like that jumping between tabs does not always take you back to where you were on the page. The page may refresh or go back to a previous page and the browser does not seem to do a good job of maintaining the state you left it in. The browser supports up to 8 open tabs and I tend to limit myself to 6 so I can open another tab or two when I find a link I want to check out so it isn’t a case of trying to open up more tabs than are supported. This type of performance reminds me of using the Blazer web browser on a Palm device that rarely, if ever, let me go back to where I was browsing previously. I never have this issue on Windows Mobile or S60 devices and browsers.

In addition to the application sync/loading issues and browser crash issues, the iPhone 3G will tend to pause or slow down (especially noticeable when using text input and seeing a significant lag) and require me to reset the device. In the old days of Windows Mobile I would have to soft reset it from time-to-time when a 3rd party application would lock me up and the current performance, or lack thereof, on the iPhone reminds me of those good old days. I NEVER experience resets on current Windows Mobile non-touch screen devices (like the T-Mobile Dash or Shadow) and they are rock solid. I occasionally have to reset the Windows Mobile touch screen devices (like the Touch Diamond), but at this time the Apple iPhone is requiring more resets than even these devices and I don’t see much of an advantage in the iPhone over these more stable devices. I rarely (and mostly never) experience resets on S60 devices either. The Windows Mobile and S60 devices are also multi-tasking with 3rd party applications so the fact that they are more stable while the iPhone is only running a single 3rd party application with a native application or two in the background is also significant.

Other rants: As long as I am talking about some major issues I am seeing on the iPhone, I wanted to mention a couple other things that bother me on the iPhone. People used to constantly complain about Windows Mobile’s lack of ability to work as a reliable alarm clock, but that has now been fixed for the most part. I find the iPhone to be practically worthless at ever waking me up and keep going back to a reliable and loud Nokia S60 device to serve as a trustworthy alarm. Basic functions like this used to be required for a device, but we seem to let these issues slide today. Also, why do I have to turn on the device and slide across the display to get to the Home screen to see how many text or email messages I received? The notifications on the iPhone are very weak in comparison to other mobile devices.

I know that we have been clamoring for 3rd party applications on the iPhone and there are some awesome applications available (and some really stupid ones). However, the stable days of pre-iPhone 2.0 may be gone forever and Jobs may not like the can of worms that he has opened up. It is particularly a shame when the native applications on the device can’t even perform reliably and I just have to keep remembering this is the early days of the iPhone and I suppose it is similar to the early days of the Pocket PC when stability was also an issue. I did cut Microsoft and Nokia a break back then when they were starting out and I’ll keep using my original iPhone because I do think that many of the applications are useful and well designed and we will see lots more coming from developers. I expected Apple to have a better product with this second generation of iPhone though and have been  disappointed with its performance. I think I’ll wait and see what the 3rd generation brings us next year (we are on a yearly cycle, right?) since it took these other companies a few tries to get it right as well.

8 More iPhone Tricks You Might Not Have Known

Iphone_cards_2


We recently showed you "12 iPhone Tricks You Might Not Know", and we're back to give you more. Due to all the great feedback our readers gave us, and some further iPhone experimentation (a.k.a. iPerimentation) on our part, we've found some other tips and tricks that can enhance your iPhone experience.


While you might find some of these iPhone tips and tricks elementary, I'm sure there's atleast something on this list that you didn't know of. And if you did, congrats iPhoner - now see how you stand up against the ultimate iPhone glossary.



1.   Double tap space bar for a period -

When typing on your iPhone, double tapping the space bar at the end of a sentence automatically enters a period followed by a space. No need to press "123" to get to the numbers and symbols page where the period typically resides. I use this trick daily and it heavily increases my typing speed (especially when texting).

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Spacebar2


2.  Tap the bottom corner to navigate home screens

When on your home screen, try tapping the bottom right/left corner to switch between pages instead of swiping your finger accross the screen.

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3.   Take out your SIM card during backup and sync -

We've all experienced it. You're backing up and syncing your iPhone, and the hour long back up is nearly complete. Then all of a sudden you get a phone call, and the whole back up/sync is null and void.

To avoid this happening, simply start the backup/sync, then pull out your SIM card. Do not worry, this does not damage your phone at all. Put it back in once everything is complete. This way, your backup won't get interrupted.

This tip is also useful if you need to make a phone call while your iPhone is backing up/syncing. Since unlocking your phone cancels the process, just take out your SIM card, pop it in your old cell phone, and call away.


4.   Move "dock" icons

You'd be surprised how often this tip is overlooked. The 4 icons located on the grey bar at the bottom of your iPhone - Phone, Mail, iPod, Safari - are movable, just like the rest of the icons. Just press and hold the icons, then drag them while they are shaking. Press the home button when you're done. You can put any 4 icons on your dock.

In the screenshots, note the difference between pic 1 and 2.

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5.   Automatically capitalize and add apostrophes

The iPhone automatically capitalizes certain words ("I" when you type "i"). It also automatically adds apostrophes ("I'm" when you type "Im").

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6.   Double tap a column on Safari to fit-to-page

When browsing the Internet on your iPhone's Safari browser, double tap any column, word, or picture to fit it's width to your iPhone's screen. This is extremely useful for reading blogs.

The first screenshot is the page when it firsts load. The second screenshot is the page once the main text was double tapped.

Width_tip1

Width_tip2


7.   Manually select the icon image for a bookmarked webpage

This one's a little more confusing. When you are browsing a website on your iPhone's Safari browser and want to add its icon to your home screen, press the plus sign and select "Add to Home Screen".

The image in the icon, however, is a screenshot of the page you were on. So if you want the icon to look a specific way, zoom in on a particular item on the page. Whether you want the website's logo, or some picture on the page, simply zoom in on that part of the page before you press "Add to Home Screen".

Note: This doesn't work with all websites. Popular sites like Google have special icons for the iPhone's home screen. 

Bookmark1

Go to your website of choice.

Bookmark2

Zoom in on your favorite part.

Bookmark3

Press the + sign and choose Add to Home Screen.

Bookmark4

Name the bookmark appropriately (Digg - Apple).

Bookmark5

Now that exact part of the webpage is displayed in your icon.


8.   Your iPhone's headphones have a multi-function button!

You'd be surprised how many people don't know that the iPhone's native headphones have a button on the microphone.

Just squeeze the microphone together, and the button gets pressed.

The buttons functions:

In call...

    • Press once to answer a call
    • Press twice to send the call to voicemail
    • Press once to hang up a call

Out of call...

  • Press once to activate iPod and play song
  • Press once to pause song
  • Press twice to skip to next song

 


Iphone_3g_lineup


Using these 8 tips will not only increase your iPhone IQ, but improve your overall iPhone experience. For more iPhone tips and tricks, check out our older article "12 iPhone Tricks You May Not Know".

Be sure to share your new found knowledge (or atleast inform people that their iPhone's headphones have a button).

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Whether you're an iPhone rookie or a weathered pro, take a look at these quick-and-easy iPhone tips, hacks and tricks which not only save you time, but ease your overall iPhone experience.

Digg’s Digs












Today I finally had a chance to visit digg, whose headquarters, like Laughing Squid, are also located in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. Eddie Codel and I stopped by digg’s digs and met with Kevin RoseDaniel Burka and Timeless. Leah Culver was there as well and six of us took a walk in the rain to get some lunch atAxis Cafe. After lunch they gave us a tour of their offices, where we saw the new space that they are expanding into, as well as their building’s rooftop with great views of downtown San Francisco.

Oh and I think Kevin has problems with sweaty poodles.

Here are a few photos I shot from our visit.

UPDATE 1: The illustration of Alex and Kevin is a modified version of the one created by Landon Nordby for a Diggnation sci-fi graphic novel being produced by Jay Santos. Heres more info.

UPDATE 2: The digg hoodie that Daniel is wearing is available through J!NX along with a bunch of other great digg stuff.

UPDATE 3: Valleywag’s Nick Douglas (yeah, he still writes for them) investigates“What’s On Kevin Rose’s Desk: Insider’s Edition” with an annotated version of my photo of Kevin at his desk. Of course Nick’s write-up has been submitted to digg, so now we have a super-meta double digg of digg’s digs.

Monday, August 11, 2008

How this kid make $60 million in 18 months

Kevin Rose on the cover of August 14 BusinessWeek

One of the valley boys...

Is iPhone’s 3G Connection a Disappointment?


nullNow that I’ve been using the new iPhone 3G for nearly a month, its capabilities and deficiencies are becoming clearer. The newer design makes it sleeker, easier to grip and a joy to look at. And the GPS chip has made the device infinitely useful, though it doesn’t appear that the developer community has started to leverage the technology very effectively.

What’s bad about it? There are a few things (the battery, for instance), but nothing compares to the disappointing 3G wireless connections from AT&T. As I pointed out earlier, there were some issues with AT&T 3G network, though company officials vociferously denied that was the case.

Thirty days later, I can safely say that there are definitely problems with the connection. The speeds are marginally better than the old EDGE network, and videos on apps like MLB At Bat are of poor quality. The signal strength rarely exceeds two bars in most places (except my living room, where it’s at full strength.)

I’m not sure if this is a Bay Area problem or a nationwide problem, nor do I know the cause — the network or the iPhone. One thing is for sure, the new device is pushing Internet data usage and revenues for AT&T in a big way. What is your experience? Share it with rest of us.

CNet News.com reports that there have been widespread complaints but that AT&T isn’t making any statements just yet. “What we’re seeing is that the iPhone 3G is performing very well,” Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T, told News.com. “I’m not denying that people are having problems. But we have to deal with these on a case-by-case basis.”

Kevin Rose Gets kissed


Last night GigaOm, Om Malik and Xing held a party at Pier 38, although technically not a birthday party for Om, everyone helped him celebrate with well wishes and cake.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

When Waves Collide

The Ladies Room

Apple's iPhone to Play a Prominent Role in the Future of Mobile Connectivity, says Turner Investment Partners Commentary

Consumers' desire for mobile connectivity -- the ability to access information and digital applications any time, anywhere, and through any wired or wireless medium -- is on the rise. With the launch of its new smart phone, the iPhone 3G, Apple is likely to figure prominently in the advance of this global mega-trend. That's the conclusion of the latest Sector Focus commentary by five technology sector analysts at Turner Investment Partners.
Turner, an investment firm based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, publishes Sector Focus commentaries monthly as part of the continuing efforts of its five analyst teams to monitor the market sectors for its growth-stock portfolios.
The commentary, entitled Apple's iPhone makes a mobile connection, was written by Tara Hedlund, security analyst/portfolio manager; Dan Hirsch, security analyst; Mike Lozano, security analyst; Chris McHugh, senior portfolio manager/security analyst; and Bob Turner, chairman and chief investment officer. The authors contend that Apple enjoys several competitive advantages in the mobile connectivity market and its iPhone could be "the smartest and most popular of the smart phones, in light of Apple's design, technical, and marketing savvy."
The analysts point to Apple's complete control over the iPhone's design and development, the quality of the phone's operating software, and the ample number of outside application developed for the phone as factors that could propel the company's share of the smart-phone market from 3.7% in 2007 to 28.0% in 2009.
The analysts estimate that the "worldwide market for mobile connectivity is likely to generate accelerating double-digit growth over the next five to 10 years." And they note that emerging markets present the greatest growth potential for telecommunications, due to the massive numbers of people there who use their handsets as both their phone and their computer in the absence of desktop or laptop computers.
To read this August 2008 Sector Focus in its entirety, see the Turner Investment Partners Web site,http://www.turnerinvestments.com/SectorFocus. Or call 484-329-2439 for a free copy of the piece.
The views expressed represent the opinions of Turner Investment Partners as of the date indicated and may change. They are not intended as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment recommendations, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. Opinions about individual securities mentioned may change, and there can be no guarantee that Turner will select and hold any particular security for its client portfolios. Earnings growth may not result in an increase in share price. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Turner Investment Partners, founded in 1990 and based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, is an investment firm that manages more than $26 billion in stocks in separately managed accounts and mutual funds for institutions and individuals, as of June 30, 2008.
As of June 30, 2008, Turner held in client accounts 2.7 million shares Apple.

iPhone hackers go too far, get shut down by Apple

I was all set to give this week's column over to a new register-direct implementation of a JavaScript interpreter that's many times faster than all currently available implementations. It's not exactly growing hair on a billiard ball, but a nitro-boosted JavaScript will put a shine on AJAX and keep my most beloved language on track to becoming the gold standard for dynamic languages.

Apple decided to nix that story in favor of yet another iPhone piece, this one to celebrate the short life of a project that opened the iPhone and the iPod Touch Unix to developers. The keepers of the project are responsible for its demise, because they made it impossible for Apple to discern between innocent developers looking to create an unencumbered open source community on Apple mobile hardware, and those who want to force Apple to break its exclusivity deal with AT&T.

Up until a couple of days ago, it was possible to develop software for iPhone 2.0 devices (the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch running 2.0 firmware) without the encumbrances of Apple's onerous developer contracts and code-signing requirements. A very tidy iPhone 2.0 app called Cydia set up an App Store equivalent for open source developers and those interested in sampling their wares. With Cydia, there's no credit card required, no tracking of who had downloaded what, and no restrictions on the capabilities of applications.

[ For all the latest developments on Apple's iPhone, see InfoWorld's special report ]

Open source software for iPhone 2.0 is produced and traded within a relatively small community that, in the majority, exemplifies the commandments of ethical hacking: Don't create victims, don't take money out of anyone's pocket, and make sure that the community's influence stays within the community. In other words, no malware, no piracy, and no infiltration among the nonsavvy. If you keep to these rules, a community of hackers will generally be tolerated. Apple has quietly allowed open source iPhone development since the original iPhone was introduced. The community was gaining ground and respect. Books have been published, and one iPhone open source community leader addressed an SRO crowd at no less than an Apple Store.

Wherever treasure is unearthed, pillagers gather. iPhone open source development was enabled by a pre-SDK project to "jailbreak" iPhone 1.x firmware so that user-created iPhone applications could be installed and run. This required changes to the firmware, but it could be done without redistribution (Apple makes it freely downloadable). After jailbreaking came research into unpublished APIs and into the extent to which POSIX APIs were supported.

Open source development got under way in earnest, but for some of the people who undertook it, the jailbreak project was a stepping stone toward the ultimate goal of unlocking iPhone for use on any carrier's network. This was primarily a reaction to Apple's U.S. exclusive with AT&T. I'm not crazy about that either, but hackers need to understand that Apple is contractually obligated to keep iPhone owners locked to Ma Bell's network. That means that Apple has to attack well-publicized efforts to unlock its device until its deal with AT&T expires.

iPhone unlockers recently issued a foolhardy boast that put them on the front page. They claimed that they had successfully unlocked the first-generation iPhone, using nothing but software, in such a way that Apple could not relock the device to AT&T. A Mac utility called Pwnagetool gave nonsavvy users a foolproof means to jailbreak and carrier-unlock their first-gen iPhones running 2.0 firmware.

I ran Pwnagetool on my iPod Touch because I needed a secure shell (SSH) client for use on my wireless LAN. There is no cellular radio in an iPod Touch, so unlocking doesn't enter the picture. The tool is easy. Cydia pointed me directly to the open source package I needed, which turned out to equip the iPod Touch with an SSH server as well. Yup. The iPhone open sourcers can run background processes on your iPhone. It's fun to SSH into an iPod and run a shell session, but I found reaching out from the iPod Touch to my servers far more useful.

Apple's 2.0.1 firmware update accomplishes what hackers had claimed Apple couldn't do: It relocks an iPhone to AT&T. The original boast was predicated on the fact that through all of its prior updates, Apple had never updated the baseband (cellular radio) firmware. Well, 2.0.1 breaks this tradition, and it breaks unlocking.

Apple's iPhone 2.0.1 firmware also breaks iPhone open source development. My iPod Touch, which never made any trouble for AT&T or Apple, and never cost any App Store vendor a dime in lost sales, won't run Unix apps any more. I'm back to hauling a notebook around when just my iPod Touch would do.

Maybe the iPhone open source community will hack the iPhone open again. In the meantime, it's still possible to operate an iPhone or iPod Touch with open source jailbreak by avoiding the 2.0.1 firmware update, but as it does with iTunes, Apple is adept at turning voluntary updates into a practical necessity by making related products dependent on the latest update.

There is an amicable way out of this. The best thing for all concerned would be for Apple to enable iPhone 2.0 open source development and the running of unsigned applications (such as shell or Python scripts), but only for device owners who explicitly consent to it. I'm all for protecting users from unwittingly welcoming nonpedigreed software into their iPhones. I'll be big about it and set aside the fact that an Apple-issued pedigree doesn't make software run any better.

An open source iPhone community benefits Apple by turning the iPhone into a platform in the Mac sense of the term, and this isn't at odds with Apple's App Store venture. Yes, iPhone unlockers spoiled the party for everybody. But Apple can lock out the unlockers while letting the iPhone open source party go on.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Who lets the Dogs out????

Awesome Motorcycle Burnout



iPhone Arm - Internet Superstar

Sunday, August 3, 2008

This images was found using keyword “OOPS”

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5 Steps to Upgrade From a Hacked iPhone to an iPhone 3G

I know what you’re thinking: “Matt, I hacked my original iPhone. Now I want to share in the iPhone 3G fun, but I’m worried that something horrible will happen if I upgrade to the iPhone 3G.”

Buck up, fellow iPhone hacker. I’ll tell you how to upgrade from your hacked Apple phone and keep all the settings you love from your original iPhone. The good news is that it’s not hard and there’s a set of five steps that will combine the comfort of your old settings with the joy of the new 3G iPhone. I’ll lead you through the steps.

1. Upgrade iTunes and sync your old hacked iPhone

Upgrade to iTunes 7.7 (or whatever the latest version is). Plug your hacked iPhone into your computer and make sure that you sync. When you sync, a backup of your iPhone’s settings data is stored in iTunes. Recharge the power in your old hacked iPhone and turn it off. If you want to be ultra-safe, see my post about how to backup iPhone data.

2. Buy an iPhone 3G

This step is time-consuming, but not hard. Apple has a page for its stores and after 9 p.m. you can check the Apple iPhone availability to find a store that has the new iPhone 3G. Hint: if there are multiple stores in your area, call each to see which has the shortest wait. When you buy the iPhone 3G, you don’t need to mention to the salespeople that your previous phone was hacked. Just buy the iPhone 3G and let them activate the phone in the store.

3. Restore the backup of your hacked iPhone to your iPhone 3G

(If you decide to “start fresh” with your new iPhone 3G and don’t want to restore contacts, bookmarks, music, etc. from your old phone, skip this step.)

Resist the temptation to start immediately customizing your iPhone 3G. You’re just going to override any changes when you restore your old iPhone’s settings anyway. In particular, make sure you keep the passlock (where you have to type a PIN to unlock your iPhone) off for the time being. Go home and plug your new iPhone 3G into the same computer with iTunes 7.7 where you did a sync on your old iPhone. iTunes will ask if you want to register your iPhone. I registered my iPhone, but I don’t think it was necessary -- looking back, I think iTunes asked me to register to get permission to send me email offers. Next, iTunes will ask if you want to try 60 days free of MobileMe. I didn’t want that, so I declined. Only after those two offers did iTunes ask if I wanted to set up the new iPhone 3G as a new phone or restore from a backup. The choice looks like:

iTunes offers to restore iPhone

Choose to restore from a backup and the last sync of your old hacked iPhone should be offered as a choice. Let iTunes restore the backup data and settings from your hacked iPhone to your new iPhone 3G. Once it’s done, pretty much everything should be like it was on your hacked iPhone. The iPhone 2.0 firmware adds some new options, so make sure you explore the settings menu and set any new options the way that you want. Also, if your iPhone is configured to fetch email, your email passwords on the new iPhone 3G will be empty. You will need to re-enter your email passwords.

Finally, if you want to use the Apple App Store, you may need to add a credit card or authorize your computer to purchase things, even if you only want to download free applications. I have a personal policy not to put my data where I can’t get it back out, so I tend to buy MP3s instead of buying music with proprietary Digital Rights Management (DRM) from the Apple Store. As a result, my computer had never been authorized to buy things from the Apple Store. To authorize your computer, in the iTunes program click Store->Authorize Computer... and enter your Apple ID. Once your computer is authorized, you might need to click Store->Check for Purchases... if you tried to download an application from the App Store before your computer was authorized.

4. Upgrade your old iPhone to firmware version 2.0

The iPhone running software version 2.0 has been hacked, so there’s no need to keep running old firmware on your old hacked iPhone. Plug your old hacked iPhone into the computer running iTunes 7.7 and make sure that iTunes is running. Under the “Devices” entry on the left hand side of iTunes, when you click on the iPhone device, you should see a screen with a “Check for Update” button. Click that button. I was running firmware version 1.1.1 and at first it offered me firmware version 1.1.4. So I exited iTunes, restarted iTunes, and clicked “Check for Update” again. Then it offered me firmware version 2.0. Click to install firmware version 2.0 on the old hacked iPhone.

5. Erase the settings and data on your old iPhone

One nice thing about the iPhone’s firmware version 2.0 is that it adds a “secure wipe” that attempts to erase all data completely from your iPhone. That means you can sell the old iPhone or give it to a friend without worrying about all those crazy pictures you took, the 1-900 numbers in your contacts, the SMS messages that reveal things you want to keep private, etc. Here’s how to erase everything on your old iPhone. Eject the phone in iTunes, disconnect the phone from the computer, then press Settings, then General, then Reset, then Erase All Content and Settings, then Erase iPhone. You may have to confirm a couple times that yes, you really want to wipe your iPhone. The process takes about an hour, so I connected my iPhone to a cable that was plugged into a power outlet to ensure that the iPhone wouldn’t run out of power in the middle of wiping it.

When the iPhone is finished erasing itself, it’s suitable for giving to a family member or selling on eBay or whatever.

iPhone or Millionaire?