Category: Apple

Unlocking the IPhone

9/6/07 1:34 PM Update: For software-only unlocking, all features will be available except for Visual Voice mail (which is an exclusive AT&T feature).

You’ve probably read or heard about the race [of many hackers] to unlock the IPhone…well, interestingly a 17-year old named George Holtz of Glen Rock, NJimage confirmed that he did unlock it. He says the phone is now usable on the T-Mobile network – one that I’m bound to myself.

This is pretty cool, but I don’t know if I would crack open the IPhone (at $499 or $599, mind you), and do some soldering. If you’re curious, check out Holtz’s instructions here.

Another team from iPhoneSIMfree.com, found a software-only technique (for free) that will “unlock” the phone – without having to void the warranty. Check it out at their website.

(Click on the image to the left and look for the T-Mobile logo on the top left.)

Then another [third] team from Belfast accomplished the “software-only” technique as well. It will basically allows IPhone owners to run the device on any GSM-based SIM card system. They do charge a fee for the “unlocking” software, however. Go here for more details.

I wonder what Apple and/or AT&T will do now…Odd that I haven’t seen any news/comments/legal battles ensuing in the cyber world. Hmmm…go figure.

Import your OS X address book contacts into Gmail

Have you ever wondered how to do this, well…look no further as I’ll show you.  It’s simple really.  All you have to do is download AddressBook2CSV Exporter from Antonio Lore‘s website.

image

After installing it, simply do the export, and then import into Gmail, which basically needs a CSV file; however, be forewarned…if some fields are empty, it may not look pretty after the import.  It’s easily fixable though.

“Till the next.

Delete unused SMTP servers in OS X

I had numerous unused SMTP servers in my  Apple Mail list, so I decided to tidy up and found the following steps do it (yeah!):

  1. Access the Finder menu and navigate to Go to Folder and type /Library/Scripts/Mail Scripts/.
  2. Look for Manage SMTP Servers.scpt and open it.  (This should open the Script Editor.)
  3. Hit the Run button, then select the (SMTP) servers you want removed.
  4. Hit OK and a message stating the deletion was successful should pop up.

That’s it, now when you go back to Apple Mail you’ll see a nice, pruned list.  BTW, you will only be able to delete SMTP servers that are NOT in use by any of your mail accounts.

Researchers hack into iPhone via Web

image Yowza! The iPhone can be hijacked? Tsk, tsk, tsk…not good, but not surprising either. Nowadays, more and more companies try to release more while downplaying quality – quantity over quality, which is a shame.

I’m not saying all corporations do this, but in general, yes they do. Apple should’ve spent more time testing this kinda stuff, rather than deploying early. But as they say, “strike while the iron is hot.”

I believe it comes down to the economics and logistics of the business culture in the twenty-first century.

Run Linux apps on Windows or OS X with Lina

This month a California-based startup plans to release an application that will allow Windows, Mac, and Linux users to run Linux binaries without any modifications.  Lina is a Linux virtual machine that allows users to run applications with the native look of their host operating system.  It also lets you install applications with a mouse-click, no need to compile software from source code.

The idea is that developers will be able to create programs for one platform, and they’ll be able to run on three different operating systems.  This could both expand the market for open source Linux applications, and cut down work for developers.  Lina will be free for open source developers, while a licensing fee will apply to commercial developers.

Lina is still a work in progress, with no support for GTK+ or USB peripherals yet.  The virtual machine takes up less than 40MB when installed.

Cool!