Information For 3GS Owners Who Want To Jailbreak

The iPhone Dev Team has posted a notice for iPhone 3GS owners hoping to jailbreak. A jailbreak will be released relatively soon, they say, but certain files will be needed. They have a new, more reliable method for obtaining these files, but it will only work if you do it before Apple releases another update and if you don't have the OS 3.1 beta. It should also be noted that this method may update you to the 3.1 beta if it's on your computer, which would remove your chances of using Ultrasn0w in the future.

Things We Like: Glyphboard Reinvents The WebApp On iPhone

Glyphboard, a small web app that's seemingly more than a web app, just might change the way web apps are looked at. Previously web apps could only be used while in Safari and connected to the Internet, but this application is much different. That's because Glyphboard can install itself as a webclip on your iPhone or iPod touch and launch just like a native application.

Apple Adds Big Fixes, New Features To MobileMe

Apple has added a couple of improvements to their cloud service, MobileMe, adding improvements to Mail, Gallery, iDisk, account settings, push contacts, and calenders, and Back to My Mac. Among the changes are the ability to forward or reply to an HTML or rich text message while retaining the format instead of converting to plain text.

iPhone heat issue much ado about nothing

Okay folks, it's time to step back, take a deep breath and relax.

(Credit: Apple, Inc.)

There has been a lot of talk today about Apple supposedly admitting it has heat issues with the new iPhone 3GS. The simple fact is, that is not true.

What Apple did do is update a previously published tech note advising customers of the safe operating temperatures of the iPhone. Now, why would Apple do this? Because it does it every time it releases a device like the iPhone 3GS. It's standard procedure for the company to continually update tech notes for all its products.

If you're not familiar with them, tech notes are a way for companies to offer advice, best practices, workarounds, and other tidbits of information for their customers. They are not a way to advise customers of disastrous heat issues that they may have with a device.

For whatever reason, some people picked up the tech note today and wrote that Apple had admitted to an overheating issue. Here's what the tech note actually says.

Apple recommends that you don't:

  • Leave the device in a car on a hot day.
  • Leave it in direct sunlight for extended amounts of time.
  • Use certain applications in hot conditions or direct sunlight for long periods of time, such as GPS tracking in a car on a sunny day or listening to music while in direct sunlight.

I hardly see that as an admission that there are heat issues. Best practices for operating the iPhone, sure.

I've been through several incidents over my 15 years of covering Apple where warnings were issued about products. Whether it was a notebook battery or a power cord, we usually learned of the problem from Apple, and they were always quick to respond and to offer replacements.

It is true that Apple has been quiet about this so far. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because they have not been able to replicate the heat issues some users are reporting.

You will know when Apple acknowledges a serious problem like this. It won't come in the form of a tech note. It will come directly from a company representative.

iPhone Dev Team Posts Risky Temporary Jailbreak For 3GS

The iPhone Dev Team has posted a new method for 3GS owners to jailbreak their iPhones. The new method will allow them to jailbreak now, rather than wait for them to update the Pwnage Tool for the 3GS, but it comes at the cost of not being able to unlock the device in the future. It's pretty risky, and shouldn't be attempted when the 3.1 firmware is released or if you're "anywhere near 3.1 or 3.1 beta", regardless of if you have it installed.

Apple fixing iPhone SMS security hole

Apple expects to have a fix later this month for a vulnerability in the iPhone that could allow an attacker to gain control of the device remotely via SMS, a security researcher said on Thursday.

An attacker could exploit a weakness in the way iPhones handle SMS (short message service) messages to do things like use GPS to track the phone's location, turn on the microphone for eavesdropping, or take control of the device and add it to a botnet, Charlie Miller, co-author of The Mac Hacker's Handbook and principal security analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, said in a presentation at the SyScan conference in Singapore. The presentation was covered by IDG News Service.

Miller said that under an agreement with Apple, he was barred from providing too much detail on the vulnerability. He plans to give a more detailed presentation on the hole at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas at the end of the month.

Despite the SMS hole, which "could be a critical vulnerability," the iPhone is more secure than OS X on computers, Miller said. That is because the iPhone doesn't support Adobe Flash and Java, only runs software digitally signed by Apple, includes hardware protection for data stored in memory, and runs applications in a sandbox, he said.

Apple representatives did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.

AT&T Internal Memo Cites Multiple Company Records Broken On Launch Day

An internal memo from AT&T has been intercepted by MacDailyNews saying that the week that the iPhone 3GS launched, several company records were broken. Interestingly, one of the more unexpected records broken in the memo had nothing to do with the iPhone, and everything to do with the late Prince of Pop, Michael Jackson. You can check out the full text of the document after the break.

iPhone facing potential trademark issues in China?


Apple's on-again, off-again deal with China Unicom to officially bring the iPhone to China may still be up in the air, but it looks like it could now also be facing some trademark issues that could potentially further hold up its release. Apparently, China's Hanwang Technology owns the trademark for "i-phone" in the country, which could force Apple to make a deal with 'em before it enters the market (sound familiar?). Interestingly, Apple does actually own an "iPhone" trademark in China, but it apparently only covers computer hardware and software, while Hanwang's trademark covers mobile phones. According to Hanwang, however, the two aren't actually in talks just yet, and it's not saying what it plans to do if Apple decides to go crazy and announce a move into China without its blessing.

[Via mocoNews.net]

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iPhone facing potential trademark issues in China? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reports Of 3GS Overheating Issues Spread, Faulty Batteries To Blame?

More reports of users with iPhone 3GSs that have had problems with overheating, resulting in some cases with discoloration of the plastic back case of the device. Wired later reported that the issue may be tied to faulty battery cells in the device, and may lead to a large-scale recall by Apple.

MobileMe updates support for iPhone and OS 3.0

(Credit: Apple, Inc.)

Apple has updated a support document that details MobileMe enhancements for an iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0. The updates include the following features.

Mail
On an iPhone or iPod Touch, a user can search all messages including those stored on the MobileMe "cloud" (server). You can search in the From, To, and Subject fields.

Gallery

  • iPhone 3GS users can publish videos to a Gallery album.
  • If no Gallery albums exist, an album is automatically created when publishing a photo or video from the iPhone.

Push Contacts and Push Calendar

  • There's an option to merge existing contacts and calendars on first sync from iPhone/iPod Touch.
  • Deleting a MobileMe account or turning off contact and calendar sync on iPhone/iPod Touch allows users to keep a copy of the data on the device.
  • iPhone contacts that sync with MobileMe maintain ringtone associations.

Details regarding Find My iPhone and Remote Wipe are included; we've covered both topics previously.

Apple has a complete list of MobileMe service updates since August 2008 .