With the launch of iPhone 3G, many have been waiting and hoping for a method that would allow tethering of the iPhone to a mobile computer like, say, a MacBook. Well, lucky for your mobile warriors, that time has finally come - it’s just takes a bit of work to get it functioning. Do remember, though, that AT&T isn’t offering any sort of tethering plan with the iPhone, so if you get caught, you may be forced to pay a bunch of money out of pocket. Or your service could be shut off. Still, if that isn’t something that matters to you, then click on through for the instructions, provided by my pal Nate True. He took a bunch of different pieces of software and solutions, and mixed them together into a powerful concoction that allows you to use your iPhone 3G as a modem by way of 3Proxy, Terminal, and WiFi. Now all we need are batteries for the iPhone 3G that don’t die in a matter of seconds.

credit - http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/q208-how-to-tether-your-iphone-3g-to-your-laptop/

We’ve been all over the jailbreak/unlock situation for both the iPhone 3G and the original iPhone 2G updated to 2.0, and here’s the latest.

The iphone-dev team’s pwnage hasn’t been released yet, but will be soon. According to their blog, Apple’s firmware update slowed them down a little, as has the 3G baseband, so what you’ll get short term is:

iPhone (1st Gen) with 2.0 - Activated, Unlocked & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications). iPod Touch with 2.0 - Activated & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications). iPhone (3G) with 2.0 - Activated, Jailbroken (with support for third party applications).

Can’t wait? Willing to risk mail order? Engadget Mobile says you can order a $1000 worth of unlocked iPhone 3G now:

According to the [Alibaba.com] wholesale goods supply site, you can just order up the “original” Apple device direct from a company called Union Camera and have them sent to whatever poorly lit dock, abandoned warehouse, or suburban safe-house you desire. The best part? They’re network unlocked.

credit - the iphone blog

 

The fine folks at iphone-dev want to make it clear: they’ve jailbroken the iPhone and they have the video above to prove it. Now all we need is a release announcement …and maybe confirmation that it will work on that rumored 2.01 release. On the first score, they let us know they’re hard at work. They must be — it’s clearly fried their taste in music — check the video above out for proof of both.

credit - the iphone blog - engadget.com

Native Orb App Brings Live TV to Your iPhone

The OrbLive streaming media app is for everyone who is sick of waiting for a Sling Mobile client on their iPhone. As you may (or may not) know, Orb pulls files off your PC and streams them to any device with an app or web browser capable of accessing the Orb interface. From there you can stream music, video files, and if you have a TV tuner card, live TV. While Orb was previously accessible via Safari, this new, official app is supposed to be an easier, more intuitive way to get your media on the go. It does require a jailbroken iPhone, however. Check out the video of the client in action. [Orb via Register Hardware]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW7Q51Ma22o

Jailbreak Any iPhone or iPod Touch in 45 Seconds

If you've been waiting for Apple to officially open the iPhone and iPod touch for development, you may have been disappointed to find out that you won't get third-party applications until June. That means that if you've been aching for those killer third-party apps already available to folks with jailbroken iPhones or iPod touches, you've still got a few more months of waiting to go. However, by downloading and running one simple application, you could be up and running with a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch in just under a minute. Sound appealing? Here's how it works.

The Special Sauce is ZiPhone

The application that does all the heavy lifting for you is a free, open source, cross-platform application called ZiPhone, and it can do everything from quick and simple iPhone and iPod touch jailbreaks to unlocking the iPhone for unofficial carriers (i.e., not AT&T). I'm going to cover the very basic jailbreaking of the iPhone and iPod touch, but the process is the same no matter what device you're jailbreaking and what level of unlocking you want.

When you're done using ZiPhone you'll be running a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch with the latest 1.1.4 firmware. Since using ZiPhone is so simple, the purpose of this post is more to demonstrate just how easy it is to jailbreak and run those third-party apps until Apple finally gives its official, official blessing in June.

Prepare Your iPhone or iPod touch for Jailbreak

First, let's talk preparation. If you're working with a fresh, up-to-date device, there's really nothing to it—you're ready to proceed to the next step. If you've already jailbroken your phone once before—especially a 1.1.3 iPhone jailbreak using one of the older methods—then you should restore your iPhone or iPod touch to the latest factory firmware (1.1.4) before continuing. When you restore, tell iTunes that want to set up the restored iPhone as a new phone rather than restoring the settings from the previously jailbroken phone. (I can't speak for the iPod touch on this front, but the first time I used ZiPhone on my previously jailbroken iPhone without taking this step, the jailbreak resulted in some bugs.)

Now that you're working with a fresh device, it's time to move on to the easy part: jailbreaking.

Jailbreak Your iPhone or iPod touch in Under a Minute

Now head to the ZiPhone blog and click through on the "Click here to Download ZiPhone" link to grab the latest Windows or Mac version.

Once you download ZiPhone, you're ready to go. When you run the application, you'll see a window like the one of the two images to the left. (The first one is the Windows version, the second is the Mac version. Click the image for a larger view.)

The simple jailbreaks (that is, the ones that don't unlock your iPhone for other cell phone carriers) are pointed out in the screenshot.

Quit iTunes. (This may not be strictly necessary, but it's a good practice.) Choose the option that applies to you: iPod touch jailbreak or iPhone jailbreak. ZiPhone will cycle your device into recovery mode, perform the jailbreak, and in 45 seconds your iPhone or iPod touch will be officially and completely jailbroken.

Now you can go through iTunes, set up, and sync the device just as you would if it were fresh out of the box. (Just remember not to restore your old settings if you were using a 1.1.3 jailbroken iPhone.) When you head to your home screen for the first time, you'll notice two new icons: the Installer.app icon—which is the application that allows you to install the best iPhone apps currently available—and a web clip icon that will take you to the ZiPhone homepage (which you can remove if you don't want it).

Should I Jailbreak with ZiPhone if I've Already Jailbroken?

If you've already jailbreakon your iPhone or iPod touch, there's no hugely compelling reason to do it again with ZiPhone. However, I had been using a 1.1.3 jailbreak on my iPhone prior to jailbreaking with ZiPhone, and the ZiPhone jailbreak did fix the common Google Maps faux-GPS problem. Additionally, it's always good to run the latest firmware if and when you can, jailbroken or not.

---

That's all there is to it. Simple, quick, and effective. If you've been dying to run more apps on your iPhone or iPod but the long wait until June is more than you can stomach, jailbreaking your device is easier than ever with ZiPhone. (Okay, maybe not quite as easy as the one-click jailbreak for 1.1.1, but still really easy).

If you're rocking a ZiPhone jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch or a device you jailbroke using another method, let's hear more about your experience in the comments.

Adam Pash is a senior editor for Lifehacker who's not sure he'll stop jailbreaking his iPhone or iPod even after Apple opens it up, and who likes the iPhone so much he wrote an iPhone book. His special feature Hack Attack appears weekly on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Hack Attack RSS feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

• APPLE,
• CELL PHONES,
• FEATURE,
• HOW TO,
• IPHONE,
• IPOD TOUCH,
• IPODS,
• MAC OS X,
• TOP,
• WINDOWS

iPhone 1.1.3 and the update conundrum

iPhone Central’s Big Cheese, Dan Moren, recently reported on leaks of a purported 1.1.3 iPhone firmware update. These leaks are based on pictures and video showing off some alleged upcoming iPhone features. Personally, the evidence look kosher to me but if you want to doubt, be my guest.

I’m offering this lackadaisical invitation largely because I’d like to address this broader issue: Regardless of what the next iPhone update offers, is it worth your while to update? Let’s look at the pros and cons:

PROS:

• Without the update it’s possible that you won’t be able to use whatever Apple-authorized applications are made available as the result of Apple releasing an iPhone SDK in February.

• Some of the alleged features look very cool. Under the listing of “supposedly,” you’ll be able to move icons around on the Home screen, add Safari bookmarks as icons on the Home screen, have more than one page on the Home screen, send SMS messages to multiple recipients, drag a pin to any location you like in the Maps application, access a hybrid map and satellite view in Maps, and kinda/sorta pinpoint your iPhone’s location in the Maps application through cell tower triangulation.

CONS:

• If you’ve unlocked your iPhone to use with another carrier there’s the possibility that applying the update will kill your phone.

• If you’ve jailbroken your iPhone to use with third-party applications, there’s a very good chance that those third-party applications will disappear when you apply the update. Getting those third-party applications on your iPhone is possible thanks to a couple of security exploits that Apple is sure to close with the next update. A lot of very smart people will invest a lot