iPhone 3G
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Caption contest: Gulliver's iPhone makes it big in Hollywood
So apparently the hidden island of Lilliput has cellular coverage, but who cares -- it's still gonna be another crap movie. Way to ruin Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black. Joe: "Finally, Angry Birds the way it was meant to be played." Darren: "That's a big iPhone." Josh T.: "The monolith taught the monkeys to kill, also, how to make conference calls." Paul: "Time-traveling Jack Black plants hidden iPhone reference in Jonathan Swift novel." Thomas: "It's holding you wrong." Tim: "Eighteen months ago, the first evidence of intelligent life off the Earth was discovered. It was buried forty feet below the lunar surface, near the crater Cupertino." Vlad: "It's just a jumbo iPhone, I don't see what all the fuss is about." Sam: "What does this mean? It's so bright, so vivid." Sean H.: "And so did the tiny scholars toil for decades to unravel the mysteries of the blue block, and the significance of its question marks." Richard Lai: "Paul Miller makes a cameo appearance in this scene, tut-tuts at the low pixel density." Myriam: "I'm crushing your head! I'm crushing your head!"
iOS 4.1 glitch lets you bypass lock screen to access Phone app, photo album (video)
Your iPhone's passcode entry can't block everything, it seems -- at least not with iOS 4.1. We're hearing various reports that simply inputting a random number in the emergency call field, pressing call, and then promptly hitting the hardware lock button will take you to the Phone app, thereby granting you access to the call history, voicemail, and address book. We've tried this with iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4, all with the same result. We can't get out of the field without trying to place a call, and after that we're still stuck back at the passcode screen. Additionally, selecting "share contact" and then the camera icon will give you access to the photo album. Pay mind that your particularly paranoid pals could probably use this to see if you really did stop calling your ex and delete all his or her pictures. We won't judge, but they will. Video proof of concept after the break. Update: Feel free to hold down the menu button to access voice control and play some locally-stored tunes while you're at it. And if you've got 4.2 beta like some of our staffers do, this "trick" should work just the same. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Over-the-air notes syncing option disappears from iPhone 3G in iOS 4.1
For the iPhone 3G, the biggest new feature for many users under iOS 4.1 is the phone now actually works. Making the iPhone 3G usable under iOS 4 came with some trade-offs before the new OS was even released -- app multitasking and wallpapers didn't make the cut on the older iPhone -- but it looks like a couple more features have been pruned from the iPhone 3G after iOS 4.1. One missing feature we noticed right away: Spotlight no longer searches through MMS messages on the iPhone 3G after the iOS 4.1 update. Given that disabling Spotlight searching was the most common suggested remedy for poor iPhone 3G performance on earlier builds of iOS 4, this omission is somewhat understandable. More puzzling, however, is another omission the folks at geek.com noticed: over-the-air Notes syncing is now missing in action on the iPhone 3G, too. Up until now, the iPhone 3G, like its newer siblings, has been able to sync Notes between the iPhone and a Mac/PC via Gmail or MobileMe rather than through iTunes, allowing for near-instant Notes updates between devices. According to Apple's support document on Notes syncing, both the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch have lost this feature. You can still sync Notes with the iPhone 3G via iTunes, but you'll no longer enjoy device-to-device updates without syncing your iPhone first. Given the plethora of alternate apps on the App Store that offer far more flexibility and features than Apple's built-in Notes app, though, this omission is something we might never have noticed if one of our readers hadn't brought it up. We're not sure why Apple removed this feature in 4.1; it's possible that, like Spotlight searching of MMS, it was one of the things dragging down performance on the older devices. Either way, losing over-the-air Notes syncing in IOS 4.1 is a small price to pay for an iPhone 3G that actually functions properly in iOS 4. Thanks to Jeff for bringing this to our attention.
How to speed up your iPhone 3G (while waiting for the release of iOS 4.1)
If you're an iPhone 3G user who has upgraded to iOS 4, you're most likely pulling your hair out in anticipation of the bug fixes expected in iOS 4.1 (due to arrive this week). However, if you just can't wait that long, creativebits has a few tips you might like to try in order to improve the performance of your sluggish iPhone 3G. Delete all unused and unessential apps. Delete all unessential conversations from your SMS inbox. Clear your history and browsing cache in Safari. Delete your call history. If you don't use them, turn off Spotlight and MMS messaging. For all the details, check out the article here. Our own Chris Rawson has some good pointers concerning this issue, but if all else fails, we recommend you get your party poppers ready for the imminent iOS 4.1 release.
Confirmed: Game Center for 2nd gen iPod touch, not iPhone 3G
Good news for 2nd generation iPod touch users! As reported by AppleInsider and MacDailyNews, the 2nd generation iPod touch will be compatible with Game Center, Apple's new gaming and social networking application, but the iPhone 3G will not. Other compatible iOS devices are the 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch as well as the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. AppleInsider notes that the 2nd generation iPod touch, which has similar hardware specs to the iPhone 3G (in terms of game playability), had previously not been compatible with Game Center, in an iOS 4.1 beta build. However, in a turn of events, the 2nd generation iPod touch is now compatible, according to Apple's official Game Center website. Though both the iPhone 3G and the 2nd generation iPod touch were released in 2008, the 2nd generation iPod touch has a slightly faster processor, clocking in at 532MHz over the iPhone 3G's 412MHz. With the iPhone 3G suffering under the weight of an already slimmed down version of iOS 4, it's no surprise to see that the 3G won't be compatible with Game Center. Game Center will be available, for compatible iOS devices, with iOS 4.1
iPhone 3G left out of the Game Center fun, 2nd gen iPod touch gets picked last
Thought that every iOS 4.1 device would be compatible with Apple's Game Center mobile and social gaming platform? We're sorry to say that's not the case. Initially it was looking like both the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch would be left out, having to take their copies of Kickety-Kick Ball Bounce Out and go home. But, Apple is now confirming that second-gen touch models will be included after all, however the iPhone 3G is still not invited, nor are first-gen iPhones and iPod touches. That means the final compatibility list includes the iPhone 3GS and 4, along with second, third, and fourth generation iPod touch models. Everybody else: you're out.
iOS 4.1 release may finally resolve your iPhone 3G woes
Good news, everyone! The software update that was "coming soon" to resolve iOS 4.0's terrible performance on the iPhone 3G has gone "gold master" (GM) and should be available to the general public next week. I've had the opportunity to test this update out on my wife's iPhone 3G, and I'm happy to report that it does indeed appear to resolve all the stuttering, crashing, and generalized slowness the iPhone 3G was suffering under even previous beta builds of iOS 4.1. I tested her iPhone 3G out under the iOS 4.1 GM by doing things that would have brought her iPhone to a standstill before. First, I started a playlist in the iPod app and let it play in the background. Then I went into Safari, where she had four "tabs" open, and navigated to an image-heavy page. Normally just loading such a page would have caused the background music from iPod.app to start stuttering, but even though I started scrolling back and forth through the page before all images finished loading, I couldn't get Safari to freeze or iPod.app to stutter. Next, I loaded up the Maps app and started navigating along an input route with music still playing in the background. This was a guaranteed way to bring her iPhone 3G to a screeching halt before, but no matter how much demand I placed on the iPhone, it took it like a champ. I tested Google Earth's app as well, and it was far more responsive than I've ever seen it in iOS 4. I'm not sure what under-the-hood changes Apple made to get iOS 4 running on the iPhone 3G at an acceptable speed (finally), but I did notice one thing: Spotlight Search on the iPhone 3G no longer searches through text messages. I verified this by comparing the Spotlight settings side-by-side with my iPhone 4; "Messages" was missing as an option on the iPhone 3G. On previous iOS 4 builds, one of the most popular suggestions for improving iPhone 3G performance was disabling Spotlight, so maybe that was the problem all along. Your mileage certainly may vary, but for at least one iPhone 3G, iOS 4.1's gold master release has finally made the phone just as responsive and useful as it was before iOS 4. And there was much rejoicing.
Mophie and Intuit partner to create Complete Card Solution for iPhone, try to make Square look square
Who knew that credit card processing would be the new hotness for smartphones? The Square mobile payment system has been making waves by letting small businesses receive credit card payment directly on their smartphones. Now, mophie and Intuit are looking to get in on the same action with their Complete Card Solution for iPhone. It's a $179 package that includes both mophie's card-swiping phone case and the 3.0 version of Intuit's GoPayment app. After a quick application users are said to be approved (or, erm, declined) within 15 minutes and can immediately start accepting payments. Full details, including just how much users will be forking over in fees, after the break.
Steve Jobs: 'Software update coming soon' for iOS 4 on iPhone 3G
One of the many beleaguered iPhone 3G owners who've been suffering through poor performance after updating to iOS 4 e-mailed Steve Jobs to ask when Apple will offer a solution. Jobs's response was brief enough for us to fit the whole thing in our headline: "Software update coming soon." The real question here is, how soon is "soon?" Apple has been "looking into" fixing iOS 4 for iPhone 3G owners for nearly a month now. While the issues are not universal, many iPhone 3G owners have reported extreme sluggishness and crashiness that renders an iPhone 3G almost unusable after updating to iOS 4 -- and the problem's widespread enough that parody videos have been making the rounds on YouTube for months. While there have been numerous solutions offered from troubleshooters (disabling Spotlight seems to be a popular choice), these solutions haven't worked for everyone. Although there are methods to roll an iPhone 3G's firmware back to OS 3, the fact that Apple doesn't officially support these methods has kept many users from taking the plunge. Speaking from personal experience, none of the 4.1 betas restored my iPhone 3G to a pre-iOS 4 level of performance. On the other hand, after giving my wife the iPhone 3G and setting it up as a new phone (rather than restoring from backup), she hasn't seen nearly the same level of problems I suffered through. At the very least, the fact that Apple's CEO has acknowledged the problem at all should come as a good sign for iPhone 3G owners. Let's just hope that "soon" really does mean soon.
Official Star Wars shop selling R2-D2 case for iPhone
As a big Star Wars fan, I followed all of the news out of the Star Wars Celebration event last weekend, but this might be my favorite. The official online Star Wars shop has begun selling its very own iPhone case, which as you can see above, will dress up your favorite smartphone as a not-quite-as-round version of R2-D2. I love it! We still don't have an official all-white iPhone, but this case will not only give your iPhone a white outline, it'll add a few droid ports and vents as well. Unfortunately, it's only for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, so it probably won't fit around your new iPhone 4 quite as well. And it's only on preorder for some reason -- you can put down US$30 right now, and it will be shipped out to you in October. It's weird that they're taking preorders for a case for an old phone, but maybe they figure that there are more of the older models still around. At any rate, if you're a Star Wars fan with an un-cased 3G or 3GS, then this case is probably your only hope. [via Macworld]
Redsn0w jailbreak works with iOS 4.0.2... on your iPhone 3G
This isn't going to do you iPhone 4 types much good yet, but it's interesting to note that the current version of redsn0w apparently works like a champ for jailbreaking your old iPhone 3G (yes -- 3G -- not 3GS) along with second-generation iPod touches running iOS 4.0.2. As we now know, 4.0.2 materialized for the sole purpose of patching up the PDF exploit that allowed JailbreakMe to do its thing, so it's kind of funny to see that redsn0w is still able to do its thing unhindered... just not on the devices most of us care about. Keep on keepin' on, Dev Team.
Game Center not supported on iPhone 3G and second gen iPod touch
There's bad news for those of you with old iPhones. Apple has confirmed that the latest beta of Game Center is a no-go for anything older than an iPhone 4. That means that iPhone 3Gs and second generation iPod touches are out for Apple's social gaming app. It's probably for the best; you've likely already heard about all of the issues that 3G iPhones are having with iOS 4.0, and freeing itself from the requirements of the older hardware means that Apple should be able to make Game Center as good as it can be. But if you have an iPhone 3G and were looking forward to trying the new app from Apple, you'll have to change plans. Either go grab yourself an iPhone 4 (which is what I'm still planning to do -- my original iPhone is looking super old at this point), or stick with the social gaming networks that you've already got access to.
Latest iOS beta nixes Game Center support for iPhone 3G, 2nd-gen iPod Touch
Apple's forthcoming Game Center service is alive and well in the latest iOS beta, 4.1 beta 3, and as those beta releases get more frequent, we get closer to the release of this "social gaming network" for iPhones and iPod Touches. Unfortunately, with beta 3, we now have to further specify precisely which iPhones and iPod Touches will be supported by Game Center. Originally, Game Center was expected to run on the same iPhone / iPod Touch hardware that iOS 4 would run on, which only excluded the original iPhone and original iPod Touch. Now, perhaps in response to user complaints about the how poorly the iPhone 3G and 2nd-gen iPod Touch run on the new OS, those two (far more popular!) devices have also been stripped of Game Center compatibility in the latest beta. Since this is getting confusing, we'll recap. You can use Game Center when it launches later this year only on one of these products: iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4, 3rd-gen iPod Touch ... and that's it.
iPhone 4 unlock available now (update: video!)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_4_unlock_is_now_available'; It's the moment that many of you have been waiting for: the Dev-Team's ultrasn0w carrier unlock for iPhone 4 is out. You'll find version 1.0-1 of ultrasn0w in Cydia on jailbroken devices. If not, just add the repo666.ultrasn0w.com repository. It works for iPhone 4 baseband 01.59 and 3G/3GS basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01 and 05.13.04. If none of this makes sense then you've got no reason unlocking your device in the first place, buddy. Update: No-nonsense video embedded after the break showing how to jailbreak and unlock. Easy peasy. [Thanks, Adam]
Apple investigating issues with iOS 4 upgrade on iPhone 3G
Back when we outlined the iOS 4 features missing from iPhone 3G, we forgot one key bullet point: performance. As more and more two-year veterans of Apple's phones have taken the plunge and upgraded to the latest firmware, slowdown and battery drain issues have become a common complaint, which is even more irksome when you think of just how little the update really adds to the UI. The Wall Street Journal reports speaking to an Apple spokesperson who said the company is looking into the matter. That doesn't necessarily mean a fix is coming anytime soon, but hey, at least you can hold the darn thing however you want.
Apple 'looking into' poor iOS 4 performance on iPhone 3G
Update: Yes, the 4.1 update seems to resolve most of the performance issues for 3G owners. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is "looking into" reports of iOS 4's poor performance on the iPhone 3G. Many iPhone 3G users have noted generally slow performance and glitches after installing iOS 4 that have rendered their devices nearly unusable. An Apple spokesperson told the Journal that Apple is aware of the reports and investigating solutions. That Apple is responding to the issue at all is certainly encouraging, but their response has been anything but timely -- it's come only after a month of irate posts on Apple's support forums, parody videos on YouTube, and widespread reporting on the issue (including here at TUAW). Some blogs, including us, have noted that iOS 4.1 beta provides better performance on the iPhone 3G. I initially experienced better performance under the beta, but only for a couple days after doing a DFU restore to the beta. Around 48 hours after installing the beta, all the old bugs crept back in: slow keyboard performance, glacial application launch times, app crashes, and random system-wide freezes when using Safari. None of the suggested fixes (some of which border on voodoo) have managed to get iOS 4 working properly on my iPhone 3G. I've tried everything short of wiping the phone clean and setting it up as a new phone, mostly because I don't want to lose my application data, which includes 20+ hours of game progress in Final Fantasy and over a year of food and exercise data in Lose It. (Ed: Ouch!) (Update: a couple people have pointed out that Lose It! can restore data to an iPhone independently of iTunes, an awesome feature I had completely forgotten about. Sadly, that's a feature not present in any of the 45 games I have on my iPhone.) For now, our advice for those lucky few who haven't yet upgraded an iPhone 3G to iOS 4 remains the same: don't do it. For the rest of you iPhone 3G owners, if you're an unlucky member of the "iOS 4 turned my iPhone 3G into an iPhone POS" group, things are looking up for you at last thanks to Apple's official response. [Via Macrumors]
Found Footage: Four generations of iPhone compared
Here's a fun video of four generations of the iPhone -- original, 3G, 3GS, and 4 -- performing the same tasks simultaneously. From launching intensive apps like Plants vs. Zombies and Google Earth to shutting down and booting up, the differences in task durations are often significant. As you'd expect, the iPhone 4 out-performed its peers on most tasks. For example, it had Plants vs. Zombies ready to play in 8.5 seconds, while the original iPhone took 26 seconds to reach the same point. Likewise, the iPhone 4 had Google Earth ready to go in 21.4 seconds while the original took just over 37 seconds. Now, don't think the iPhone 4 won every contest, because it didn't. The original iPhone was the first to complete the shutdown process at 8.2 seconds, while the 3GS was the first to successfully boot up at 26.4 seconds. You can watch the video after the break.
iOS 4 and iPhone 3G is a match made in... what's the opposite of heaven?
Update: It's true -- the 4.1 update does wonders for the iPhone 3G's health and happiness on iOS 4. Do you have an iPhone 3G? Me, too. Have you updated it to iOS 4 yet? If the veins are popping out of your neck and your skin is turning green, you probably have. If your iPhone 3G hasn't been updated to iOS 4 yet, then do your iPhone, yourself, and your sanity a favor: DON'T UPDATE YOUR iPHONE 3G TO iOS 4! Apple's support forums are buzzing like an angry hornet's nest on reports that iOS 4 has all but crippled users' iPhone 3Gs. By far the most-reported problem is generalized slowness; iOS 4 runs so slowly on many people's iPhone 3Gs that the phones are almost unusable. The video above, although a parody we've posted previously, is actually a fair representation of what's been happening to the iPhone 3G under iOS 4. Click "Read More" to see some ways to fix the problem.
Apple discussed Verizon switch 'at least half a dozen times,' and other stories about its AT&T relationship
"An iPhone, an iPhone, my carrier's reputation for an iPhone." Grab a cup of coffee and get yourself comfortable, fans of behind-the-scenes industry drama. Wired has published an exhaustive and fascinating expose on the "loveless celebrity marriage" that is Apple and AT&T -- all from sources familiar with the matters but who cannot (or will not) be named, of course. In other words, don't take this as gospel, but frankly, none of this sounds too crazy or outside the realm of what we've already surmised ourselves. In brief, the two companies have been contentious towards one another since just after the iPhone was unveiled. For AT&T's part, the carrier was reportedly taken aback when its requests (delivered by Senior VP Kris Rinne) to restrict YouTube's bandwidth usage (or make it WiFi-only) while the network infrastructure was built up fell on deaf ears in Cupertino. Word has it Apple also refused to allow its devices to be used in campaigns to combat Verizon's Map for That ads: "It was [effective] because of AT&T's network. We would have been letting them use the iPhone to put lipstick on a pig," remarked one anonymous Apple exec. What's most interesting to us here is the ongoing reported discussion to drop AT&T in favor for Verizon. That chapter apparently begins just months after the original's launch, with an investigative team (including Scott Forstall) ultimately concluding that Qualcomm's CDMA (or CDMA / GSM hybrid) chips would require a complete redesign of the device, not to mention a nasty lawsuit with AT&T over its exclusive contract (perhaps a minor issue, knowing Apple). Back then, Verizon wasn't seen as a guaranteed improvement, and according to one executive privy to such meetings, the carrier switch has been discussed at least a half dozen times, with the general consensus always being that it would "cause as many problems as it solved." We can't imagine this is gonna help stem the perpetual VZW iPhone rumor mill. Hit up the source link for the full tale, which does hit on a fundamental issue of the mobile industry going forward: as smartphone makers continue to push their devices' capabilities, bandwidth concerns will continue to grow and carriers are likely to take the majority of the blame. If you ask us, David Fincher has just found his ideal follow-up to The Social Network -- we'd especially love to see someone film the part where AT&T asks Steve Jobs to ditch the turtleneck and wear a suit when meeting with its board of directors.
iPhone 3G stars in parody
The sad thing? The video might be a parody of iOS4 on the iPhone 3G, but it's definitely the truth on my end as well. Still tethered to an iPhone 3G at the moment, utilizing basic services such Maps requires a good minute of finger tapping and waiting for the OS to decide if it wants to launch the app or not. Video creator adamburtle lamented on the same thing. He writes, "... it's not because my needs have grown. It's not because I've installed a bunch of laggy software. It's because Apple's firmware has become bloated, with respect to the processing power of the 3G iPhone." Adam, I couldn't have said it better myself. Of course, there's the easy answer -- upgrade to an iPhone 4. Then again, it may not be worth it. Let's see what Steve has to say on that tomorrow first. Otherwise, it might be worth just getting a cheap 3GS. [Via MacStories]
