Difference between Jailbreaking and unlocking an iPhone 3G

A lot of us would have heard of the terms like jailbroken iPhone, unlocking the iPhone etc. I was not aware of the difference between the two terms. In-fact I used to use the terms unlocking and jailbreaking in the same context.  I am sure many of us have still not realized that these are two different terms serving 2 different meaning. 

1) What is jailbreaking an iPhone / iPod touch ?

ans : Jailbreaking is unlocking the FIRMWARE, which allows us to install 3rd party applications, customize graphics, appearance etc in iPhone/iPod touch. These applications are not the ones you can download using App Stores. 

Jailbroken iPhone 3G running on AT&T

2) Can you jailbreak iPhone 3G?

ans : Yes, it can be jailbroken. Jailbreaking was never an issue at all!

3) How can I jailbreak the iPhone 3G?

ans : 

• If you own a MAC, use Pwnage Tool. The latest Pwnage Tool 2.2.1 can be available for torrent download.  Click here to get it.
  
• If you don't own a MAC, i.e. if you own a PC, you can use QuickPwn. To read the step by step method to jailbreak iPhone 3G, click here

4) What is iPhone unlocking?

Ans : This is the method of making your iPhone work with any Mobile carrier other than AT&T say TMobile. Unlocking also means that you can use it with an AirTel/Idea sim in India!

5) Can you unlock iPhone 3G?

Ans : Yes. The Dev Team has succeeded in unlocking the carrier. It will be packaged in user-friendly GUI and will be available for download by the New Year 2009.

6) How can you unlock iPhone 3G?

Ans : You can use Yellowsn0w to unlock it. Read my blog entry on unlocking iPhone 3G. Click here to read it. 

Yellowsn0w is ready to unlock iPhone 3G - Video Demo

As I had mentioned in a post a week back, (click here to read the article) the our Dev Team has succeeded in unlocking the iPhone 3G. The and are packaging it up in the user-friendly GUI App like the Pwnage Tool.  

The team has called this iPhone 3G unlock, the yellowsn0w. 

Fact : It is to note that the 'O' in sn0w is not alphabet 'O' but the digit zero '0'.

The first public demo of unlocking the iPhone 3G is now available. 

Video of unlocking iPhone 3G

Video Credits : Musclenerd, Dev Team

In this video he shows the command line method of unlocking iPhone 3G using yellowsn0w but then by december 31st, the team is confident of coming out with GUI software to ease the procedure.

Official Dev-Team post about the successful breakage: Click Here

For all those who loved iPhone 3G but were not so happy with its service or its tariff, ITS TIME TO REJOICE

Microsoft launches SeaDragon for iPhone. Indeed Hell Froze over

It all started on June 11, 2007 when Apple launched Safari for Windows platform.

Apple had always been very reserved when it came to the word PC. Until very recently, it seemed Apple was very confident it can get the world into its proprietary Computer platform, "The Mac" from the Open PC world. But then I really think it all changed because one fine morning, Steve Jobs wakes up saying, "Hey Wait, if monopoly doesn't work, lets try having Synergy" and then there was Safari available for everyone!

Steve Jobs jokingly said, "Hell Freezes Over" in the key-note. It made real sense, didn't it?

Microsoft Launches Sea Dragon for iPhone

Its Microsoft's turn to say, "Indeed, hell froze over". Microsoft Live Labs has launched its first App for iPhone in the form of Sea Dragon. The main feature of Sea Dragon is Deep Zoom where a huge picture, say a Giga Pixel image can be easily viewed in a HandHeld or a PC. 

Deep Zoom gives us the effect of Infinite Zoom where we can zoom into a simple-looking image to a very high level. 

Example : Let us take the example of "Running the number" art by Chris Jordan.  Here Chris creates an art using 106000 Aluminum Beverage cans. According to statistics these are the number of cans consumed by Americans in 30 Sec. I have tried to capture the snapshot of Deep Zoom using Sony Ericsson W810i. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

I know, its AWESOME. If you want to try the similar effect in you can visit the HardRock Website. Note that you need to have Silverlight installed to view it.

Get the App in iTunes Click on the AppStore icon  -->

The Sea Dragon App also supports Photosynth where Custom created PhotoSynths can be viewed in iPhone. 

I have experienced 2 small problems

• Browsing the Photosynth photos had failures 
• When I turn the iPod Touch upside down, the controls invert. That is, when I try to pull the photo down, it goes up and so is the case with left n right.

One thing is sure, the big players have realized the importance of co-existance!!

"I am Rich" says smart Armin Heinrich through his iPhone App

If you ask me which is the killer App for Apple iPhone, I would say, "App Store", no doubt. All the developers who wanted to utilize the iPhone platform to develop Web Apps (or otherwise) were given SDK by Apple itself and were allowed to publish their Applications in "Apple App Store".

We know that the eco-system around Apple is pretty crazy and rich with enough "vitamin M". People are ready to shell out good bucks for the ease of use of technology and for the Sheer craze of technology. Smart coders made good money selling their Apps for as low as $ 0.99.

But here came one of the Smartest developer who had this weird idea of checking how crazy the Apple world was. His name is Armin Heinrich and he is quite in the radar these days for his (in)famous App, "I am Rich".  This App cost just $ 999.99 because that was the maximum that any App could cost in App Store as set by Apple. Oh Boy!!  If you wanted to see what it did, its screenshot is below. 

Screen Shot

The moment you activate this App, it glows on your iPhone/iPod Touch screen as shown in the snapshot. Thats it for One thousand Dollars!

I know what you'll think right now. 

• The Author of this App is crazy to expect people to buy this
• The Author should be appreciated for his Guts to publish such an asinine App.
• There would be no buyers for this App forever.

But here goes the fact :

• Apple obviously took out this App from the App-store within hours of publishing because this concept was ridiculous.
• Before it was taken off the shelf, EIGHT rich, crazy aristocrats bought this App!! 6 from USA, 1 each from Germany and France. Beat this !!
• A couple of them reported later that they thought it was a kind of joke and accidentally clicked it. So Apple refunded those guys. 

Now, you might think, people were very furious after buying this App. Armin Heinrich later said "I've got e-mails from customers telling me that they really love the app, and that they had "no trouble spending the money". NOW CAN THINGS GO MORE CRAZIER THAN THIS?

Armin is glad that the 2 guys got the refund for accidental click because he didn't want the money from those who didn't intend to spend crazily. Apple keeps 30% of the money earned through any App sold for "Store Upkeep" which earns him $ 3600 (from  6 customers). 

Its Armin's turn to say "I am Rich". What say? 

iPhone 3G now unlocked. Hurray everybody.

The iPhone dev-team which is responsible for releasing the software for the famous iPhone days within it was launched in June 2007 has succeeded to unlock the iPhone 3G  from AT&T's clutches ! 

For all those who don't admire AT&T service but love iPhone 3G, it was a long wait indeed. Apple had rendered the old/popular method of unlocking useless; changing the processor of iPhone 3G was one of the changes.

Today, the Dev Team has confirmed in its official blog that iPhone 3G has been successfully unlocked! The team claims they want to make this holiday, A real jolly holiday by releasing the user-friendly software version of the software, packaging it up in the user-friendly GUI App like the Pwnage Tool.  

Expected Release Date : 31st December 2008.

 Update : PwnageTool 2.2.1 is released. The link for the torrent can be found here. 

Official Dev-Team post about the successful breakage: Click Here

The Dev-Team has a few cautions for the eager iPhone hackers :

Quote from the Dev-Team Blog 

GOLDEN RULE:

1.  If you have a 3G iPhone and want potential soft unlock in the near future do NOT use QuickPwn, and do not use the official ipsw or the iTunes update process without using PwnageTool.
   
2. Read item 1 again and again. "

To read the full sets of rules Click here.

Apple has subdued many user's urge to get their iPhone jailbroken by releasing App Store. I can say it is one Killer App for iPhone. So jailbreaking is not at all as hot as before. The only problem was with the unlocking carrier and making it available for all non-AT&T fans. Not that it was bad but now, with the successful unlocking of iPhone, we can clearly expect MORE OPTIONS. 

iPhone Futuristic Concept designs part 3

I am sure by now you'd start appreciating the efforts of Apple fans who spent hours designing the look of how iPhone would look like. But Shouldn't we appreciate Apple more for its success in concealing the actual design of the iPhone since none of the concept designs came even close to the actual design which revolutionized the way People interact with an electronic Gadget.

Presenting before you a couple of wonderful concept designs of Apple iPhone. These designs looks technologically superior and  really artistic. These designs are some of the top designs according to me.. 

iPhone Concept # 1

Designer : JOHN PSZENICZNY

iPhone Concept # 2

Designer : FOLLETTO MALEFICO

iPhone Concept # 3

Designer : Thomas J Mrokon

iPhone Concept #4

Designer : Mark Dhand

Finally, to end this series of designs, I would want to present a ridiculously futuristic concept design of iPhone. This one was obviously designed after iPhone was released. 

Is the future literally visible?

End Note : 

Apple has done really well in energizing the designing community and giving them the food for thought. Can I boldly ask, this is how Apple has planned its future?

iPhone concept designs Part 2

As I had promised earlier, I am posting iPhone Concept designs Part 2.

• These iPhone concept designs are neat.
  
• These are innovative.
• They involve more usage of creativity and professional design.

iPhone Concept #1

Designer : Luca Morandi

iPhone Concept #2

Designer : Matt Hoffman

iPhone Concept #3

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept #4

Designer : Isamu Sanada

iPhone Concept #5

Designer : Unknown

Concept Name : iChat mobile

iPhone Concept #6

Designer : Unknown

As you see, these iPhone concepts are elegant and has definitely involved more Photoshop work.

Coming up : 

• iPhone Concept designs : Futuristic Designs
  

iPhone concepts designs Part 1

I really love the way Apple Inc. works. Every MacWorld is a riddle to technologists and businessmen alike. Attendees of MacWorld are sure to either witness the release of some of the spectacular products from Apple's stable or they are sure to see some re-structuring of their Organizational/Business model.

It was a known fact that Apple's going to launch a mobile phone (preferably a Smart Phone) in MacWorld 2007 and that Steve Jobs would release it in a keynote as usual. But how would it look like and what would it be the design based on was a riddle to everyone (I would bet even to around 70% of Apple's employees as well). Apple technologists themselves played a vital role in misleading the technologists outside Apple from predicting how the product would look like and what would it be called. Apple filed a lot of patents (most of them were not for iPhone) to misguide people. They were very successful in doing so, if you ask me.

In my next 3 blogs, I'm going to publish the iPhone concept designs of various artists. I have done considerable research online from the day the buzz of iPhone is going around (From last 27 months - to be precise). I have collected a lot of these concept designs from God Knows which websites. I am proud to present to you the 1st set of iPhone concept designs.

These designs are a mixture of existing designs of mobile phones convoluted with famous iPod Classic's design.

iPhone Concept#1

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#2

Concept Name   : iContact

Designer             : Unknown

iPhone Concept#3

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#4

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#5

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#6

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#7

Designer : Unknown

iPhone Concept#8

Designer : Unknown

As you can see, these designs are minor modifications of already existing phones in the market with the signature "White Earphones", "Dial browser", an "Apple Logo in the rear"etc. 

Note : I am not aware of the original designers of many of these. If you think your name is missing in the credits list, please feel free to contact me or post a comment in my blog. I would love to give a reference to you. I am using these designs for "Knowledge Sake" only. 

Coming up : 

• iPhone Concept designs Part 2 : Elegant Designs
  
• iPhone Concept designs Part 3 : Really cool futuristic Designs

Costs of iPhone 3G in different part of the world

I have done quite some surveys to find out the costs of iPhone in a few countries and compared them with the cost of iPhone in India. 

Country                                 : USA    

Device Cost                           :  $ 199 for 8 GB and $299 for 16 GB

AT&T Tariff                   :     $ 30 for 3G data service plan + Voice + SMS Charge ! (Click here to see AT&T plans)

Addition : My bro, who stays in USA informed me that the cost would range from $ 80/ Month (iPhone 2G) to around 100$ (iPhone 3G). Again this is just the starter/medium level package.

Unlocked iPhone  : $ 599 for 8GB and $ 699 for 16 GB 

source : Zit Seng

Country                      : Hong Kong  

Unlocked iPhone       : HK$ 5400 (INR 33,962 )for 8 GB and HK$ 6200 (INR 38,959)

Source                        : Apple Stores Hong Kong

 

Quoting Apple website : "iPhone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation"

Country                    :  Singapore  

Provider                    :  Singtel

Cost                       :  Really a WIDE range of choices here. Some tariffs gives you a 16 GB iPhone for FREE!

For Tariffs :  

• Official Singtel Website
  
• Lesterchan Blog

Country                         : India  

Provider                         : Airtel and Vodafone

Cost                              : Rs 31000 (8GB) and Rs 36100 (16GB)

Datarates : 

• Airtel        -  1st 500 MB free. Then 30p/50KB   (Source : Airtel website)
• Vodafone  -  Wide variety of pricing. But all of them are more expensive than Airtel.  (Source : Vodafone Website) 

End Note :

After this very lengthy research on costs of iPhone, one thing is for sure. iPhone is not everyone's baby! Definitely not mine (as of today)!

Disclaimer : All the logos, photos, references etc used here are for the purpose of knowledge only and are right to the best of author's knowledge. The info in this blog is from online research and the author cannot guarantee the validity of any of the information. The author doesn't wish to take the responsibility for any losses whatsoever that you might incur referring to this blog. 

Why does iPhone 3G run Slower than iPod touch?

If you had followed iPod touch from the day it was released, you'd have realized that a lot of things have gone down in 2nd Generation iPod touch compared to 1st generation counterpart

•  weight - 120 Grams to 115 Grams
  
•  cost - 299$ to 229$ (8GB model)
• Possibility of a scratch on screen     ;)

But there is one not-so-prominent hardware improvement that we must observe. The new iPod touch has a better and a faster processor powering it. 

•  400 MHz (1st Gen) to 533 MHz (2nd Gen)
  

For a day-to-day usage, the 133 MHz increase of speed seldom matters. But for Apps, especially games, the increased speed in a blessing now that they can look "More Realistic" and can deliver some impressive 3-D rendering.

Now, Apple promotes iPod Touch as "Funniest iPod ever" and iPhone as "Internet connected Next Generation Multimedia Smartphone". But according to TouchArcade Website iPhone still runs on a 412 MHz CPU while iPod has 533 MHz CPU. Isn't it funny?

Watch it yourself to believe

Now, I didn't want to believe this. I couldn't stop exploring more about this anomaly. I had a very interesting discovery..

iPhone 3G has a 620 MHz ARM 1176 processor underclocked to 412 MHz ! Now this looks really fishy but I don't think I know the reason as yet.

Source :  Engadget

Edit :

One of my valued reader, Mr Sean commented on this issue :

"The main reasons to underclock a cpu is to save power, and reduce heat. An underclocked cpu can usually run on a significantly lower voltage. Most people want their cell phone battery to last as long as possible... and that is the most likely reason for the underclocking. As for your iPod being better than an iPhone, consider that your iPod would get the same benefit of a longer battery life if it was underclocked."

End Note : One thing is for sure, I have more than 1 reason to be happy about my decision to go for an iPod Touch over iPhone! 

Thank you Jonathan Ive

I think, I am right in thinking that the first entry in this blog ought to be dedicated to Mr Jonathan Ive without whom we would never have had the luxury to play with some of the coolest gadgets on Earth..

Name             : Jonathan Paul Ive

Occupation : Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Apple Inc.

Famous as   : Principal Designer of the iMac, iPod, iPhone etc

Salary            :  £1 million a year (Source : Guardian website)

Before you even wonder (and probably be jealous of) why the heck does he gets paid so much, read this article completely..

Apple iMac : iMac was neither the first computer in the market nor the top performing computer of the time. It was unique in the sense that, for the first time, a Desktop computer looked "tasty" and "non-geekish".  Jonathan Ive was wholly responsible for its new Candy Looks!

 

  ↓

                                  

&

 ↓

iPod : iPod has revolutionized the Music world from its release in October 2001. 

It is definitely not the first portable music player in the market but its unique designs: Dial browsing, integrated podcast, game support and mainly the "iTunes Stores" which weaved the legal music eco-system around iPod made a huge impact. Due to its popularity the word 'iPod' is synonymous with the word music player. 

I keep explaining my friends its rediculous to ask, "Which company's iPod is better?" or worse, "My 2 GB Transcend iPod is not working dude!". But I know, its not their mistake completely. 

iPhone / iPod Touch : Ive and his design team were pivotal in designing the revolutionary iPhone and the subsequent iPod touch. This gadget defeats any other gadget in the world hands down because of the ease of Human-Machine interaction, its intuitiveness and the features it has to offer us. 

I am going to stop writing on iPhone and iPod touch because all my subsequent entries are on the same. 

Now we know why Mr Ive draws such a handsome salary. He deserves it and more, doesn't he? Johnny, you rock.. Keep up your good work..