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Apple and Qualcomm's license dispute is getting nasty
Qualcomm's ongoing legal dispute with Apple today took a new turn after the chipmaker accused its device-making partner of further withholding patent royalties. According to a statement, Apple recently stopped paying licensing revenue to manufacturers of the iPhone because it believes it's been overpaying for important 3G and 4G patents.
ultrasn0w bumped to version 1.2.5, now unlocking even more iOS 5.0.1 devices
Given that you're out on Christmas break and all, isn't it about time you finally tried out that whole "unlocking" thing you've been hearing about? A new build of ultrasn0w just hit the Cydia app store, with v1.2.5 adding more support for iOS 5.0.1. Of note, novice jailbreakers may want to reach out to more experienced pals before embarking, as you'll need a a compatible baseband in order for the unlock to work. The iPhone 3GS (running iOS 5.0.1.) is supported with the following basements: 04.26.08 – 05.11.07 – 05.12.01 – 05.13.04 – 06.15.00. The iPhone 4 is supported if your baseband checks in as 01.59.00. If you're looking to upgrade from a dustier firmware, make sure you preserve your baseband before unlocking. Hit the source link for a few tips, and remember: friends don't let friends jailbreak before completing a backup.
Verizon's Galaxy Nexus updated to Android 4.1.0, finally ready to dance?
A lucky human known as "Bradgog" posted the above screenshot to a thread on My Droid World last night, ostensibly heralding the arrival of Android 4.1 on Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Nexus. As you can see in the image (purportedly taken on Verizon's 3G network), the firmware update appears to bring a new baseband radio to the handset, which, in turn, may explain the delay in bringing the device to Big Red's stable. It's hard to say for sure, though we should have a clearer idea any day now.
NVIDIA acquiring wireless chip manufacturer Icera, doubling-down on the post-PC era
NVIDIA, a company once focused entirely on giant graphics cards for home computers, has already quite successfully re-positioned itself as a player in the mobile graphics world. Now it's poised to really shake things up, announcing the acquisition of Icera. The UK-based company you've probably never heard of has a line of 3G and 4G baseband processors used in wireless devices and USB modems -- chips that are said to be smaller, more flexible, and more efficient than the competition from Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson. Icera seems to have been focused heavily on LTE of late, which puts NVIDIA in a good place to not only manage what happens to the data when its inside your next-gen phone or tablet, but to also control just how it gets there in the first place. A future Tegra SoC that handles wireless data too? Color us intrigued.
Verizon pushes update to HTC Thunderbolt, remains mute on LTE and videocam issues
Heads-up kvetchers -- Verizon is now rolling out an update for the Thunderbolt, its pioneering LTE handset that's been plagued by an unfortunate series of woes. Of course, this is the same fix we'd reported earlier, which promises improved 3G connectivity, better organization of SMS and MMS messages, and quicker GPS load times. Sadly, Verizon is eerily silent about whether this update also addresses those troublesome hotspot cycling and video capture issues, so we'll just remain hopeful until we learn otherwise. There's no download for this one -- it's going to be automatically pushed to your handset -- and once you receive it, we're hoping you'll share your experience in the comments.
HTC Thunderbolt getting new radio firmware, according to Verizon doc
Looks like AT&T isn't the only carrier patching cellular connectivity issues this month -- a Verizon document suggests that we'll be getting some brand new radio firmware for the beleaguered HTC Thunderbolt. The handset not only fell victim to Verizon's LTE outage but has had 3G data and CDMA / LTE cycling issues since day one, so we're hoping this latest baseband will bring at least a modicum of relief for affected speed demons across the country. What we don't know is when this patch might show up -- we thought the Xoom's security update would be imminent, but those documents were unceremoniously pulled.
Apple hacker digs up Qualcomm baseband proof by decompiling iTunes?
We're a little short-staffed on Qualcomm chipset engineers at the moment, so forgive us if we can't immediately confirm this tale, but we're hearing iPhone hacker Zibri has discovered proof of the Apple / Qualcomm collaboration in his very own build of iTunes. Zibri claims that by tearing apart the latest version, he found the chunk of code above, which contains files that are allegedly the exclusive "building blocks" of Qualcomm radio firmware. That doesn't tell us anything about a supposed iPhone 5 or iPad 2, unfortunately, as it's probably just referring to that CDMA chipset in the Verizon iPhone 4... but with the right building blocks, one can craft any number of wonders.
iOS 4.2.1 brings baseband signature check, unlockers warned to wait
With the release of iOS 4.2.1, Apple has again gained the upper hand in the ongoing cat and mouse battle against iPhone unlockers. While the U.S. Library of Congress has decreed that users who choose to unlock their mobile devices for use on alternative networks cannot be prosecuted under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), there was unfortunately no prohibition on companies locking phones in the first place. As a result, Apple has continued to tweak its locking mechanisms with every new release of iOS, including the one released earlier this week. Starting with iOS 4.2.1, the main part of the operating system checks the baseband firmware at startup, and if it doesn't match an expected signature, the phone will not boot. In the event of a failure, the iPhone will be stuck in recovery mode until it is restored to its original form. The baseband firmware is the portion of iOS that actually controls the cellular radio hardware, and this is what must be hacked in order to allow iPhones to be used on carriers other than AT&T (or whichever overseas provider sold the phone). This change could potentially make things much more complicated for developers creating unlocking tools. However, if past history is anything to go by, it will be more a matter of when and not if they succeed. In the meantime, those that are using iPhones on T-Mobile USA or other non-original carriers will want to sit tight on iOS 4.1 or earlier. [via TiPb]
Intel gobbles up Infineon's mobile unit in $1.4 billion deal, looks to 'accelerate 4G LTE'
Infineon, the company behind the baseband chips inside your super-duper new phone, is about to cash out from the wireless industry courtesy of Intel's insatiable appetite. The Wireless Solutions Business (WLS), which accounted for nearly a third of Infineon's €3 billion ($3.83b) revenue last year, is being sold to the American chipmaker for a cool $1.4 billion. For its part, Intel is quick to reassure the world (and its antitrust authorities) that WLS will continue to operate as a standalone business and continue to support ARM-based devices. Chipzilla's perfectly innocent ploy is to harness Infineon's knowhow in future smartphone, tablet and laptop products, providing both the processing and wireless capabilities. Specifically mentioned in the news release is Intel's ambition to "accelerate 4G LTE" through this deal, while also not neglecting its ongoing efforts with WiMAX, with the overarching strategy being described as "a combined path." We should know more about where this path will take us when the acquisition is completed in the first quarter of next year.
TUAW How To: Downgrading your 3.1.3 iPhone to 3.1.2
Last week I downloaded (but did not install) the iPhone OS 3.1.3 firmware for my 3GS. I wanted to have a copy of the firmware on hand, but didn't want to upgrade right away. I checked "Do not ask me again" and clicked Download Only. I thought that was the end of the matter. Unfortunately, this Sunday, I plugged in my iPhone and left the room to grab some tea. When I returned, the iPhone was 50% of the way through the 3.1.3 firmware upgrade procedure. It did something I had no idea that it would do: it upgraded me without asking. How frustrating! What's more, I didn't have a copy of 3.1.2 on-hand to downgrade to because iTunes automatically deleted the old firmware files and I was using default Time Machine settings; Time Machine does not normally back up ~/Library, the folder that contains the iTunes ipsw files. Fortunately, I had several resources. First, because I had jailbroken my phone and registered my device signature with Jay Freeman's caching service, I knew I could downgrade my phone. As Jay and I discussed in this LiveChat from a few months back, Apple no longer allows you to freely downgrade your iPhone software. All firmware installations must be verified with Apple's signature servers. By jailbreaking your phone and registering your device signature with Jay's system, you'll be able to bypass Apple's verification system and return to the firmware you prefer -- or at least to the earliest firmware whose signature you have stored on the caching site. To make this happen, you must both register your device and update your /etc/hosts file. Jay's site has complete instructions on how to comply. Second, I could grab a copy of old firmware from sites like Felix Bruns' http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/ and iClarified's http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=750. These sites provide Apple download links for old firmware releases. I downloaded a fresh copy of the 3.1.2 ipsw (iPhone software archive) and installed it onto my system. Using a standard option-restore trick, I was able to put that firmware onto my iPhone. iTunes verified the upgrade with Jay's server and installed it onto the device. Note: If you receive the "The iPhone could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (3004)." error, make sure to quit iTunes and flush caches at the command line: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache. If your device updates properly, you will receive a 1015 error and your unit will now enter a semi-permanent recovery mode, the mode in which your device shows an iTunes logo and will not boot further. To proceed, you'll need to use iRecovery. Download a copy from this site. (It requires libusb, so read the entire post before running.) Run iRecovery from the command line and supply the -s flag. Wait for the "]" prompt, and do not type anything until you see that prompt appear. Enter the following commands: ] setenv auto-boot true ] saveenv ] /exit After, you will return to the command line. Reboot your phone by pressing the home and sleep buttons for 10 seconds, per the instructions on the site, and your iPhone should boot back to standard 3.1.2. Note: Be aware that this method does not downgrade your baseband. It remains at the 3.1.3 setting. Thanks Jay Freeman, Sjoerd (aka WiFone), and Paul "PhoenixDev" Griffin
Apple: Jailbreaking encourages cell tower terrorism, "catastrophic results"
If trashing your push messaging wasn't enough to steer you clear of using your iPhone in unauthorized ways, this next bit of news might have you back on the straight and narrow. According to Wired, Apple's latest salvo in the fight over jailbreaking is a claim that pernicious, iPhone wielding techno-hackers at home or abroad could modify the baseband and use it to attack cellphone towers, "rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data." Of course, the idea that this would become more likely if the legal status of jailbreaking changes is totally absurd, but why let that stand in the way of a legal argument?In a related note, one of our editors (whose jailbroken iPhone shall remain nameless) got a strange baseband pop-up error this morning -- the very same morning that AT&T is suffering a "massive connectivity outage" throughout the northeast and midwest. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.Read - iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple ClaimsRead - Anyone Experience the AT&T Outage?
New agreement integrates satellite / cellular technology in mobile chip
SkyTerra's Mobile Satellite Ventures, ICO Global Communications and Qualcomm have jointly announced today a partnership that could have far-reaching implications in the mobile realm. In short, the trio has agreed to "integrate satellite and cellular communication technology in select multi-mode mobile baseband chips," which will essentially enable handsets to have "ubiquitous mobile communications coverage from anywhere in North America, including areas where traditional cellular service is currently unavailable or unreliable." The release proclaims that this hookup will lead to satellite connectivity being in mass-market devices, but only time will tell how long it takes for compatible handsets to get adopted by carriers. Unfortunately, we do know it won't happen prior to 2010, as that's the planned ship date for the newfangled chips. Thanks for the heads-up, guys -- but oh, how the tease hurts us.[Via PhoneScoop]Update: Images provided are of Mobile Satellite Ventures' design concepts. %Gallery-32429%
iPhone v1.1.1 baseband downgrade released
For those following this stuff religiously: the iPhone "Elite" Team has released a method to downgrade the baseband on v1.1.1 iPhones. Ok, that basically means if you accidentally disabled the phone end of your iPhone with anySIM or iUnlock during the upgrade (or just decided v1.0.2 is where it's at), now you can revert to the last working version and restore order to your iPhone's wayward cell radio. Right, for free without paying iPhoneSimFree a cent for their unbricking solution. Alright, maybe you don't care about any of this stuff -- honestly, we don't blame you. Anyway, it's out there, so for those in the crowd who've been waiting for this -- and judging by our tips, that's a lot of you -- enjoy.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
