iPhone Purity Test
What is your iPhone coolness factor? Do you waltz through malls wearing white earbuds with your Gucci? Or are there nefarious nerd-like factors at play in your iPhone usage? The following test will help you evaluate exactly how pure–or not–your use of the iPhone is, in the ideal realms that is the Ive/Woz continuum.
How do you score? Let us know in the comments.
Usage
The iPhone is for placing and receiving calls, just like any other cell phone, right? Right?
0 points. I use my iPhone to place calls.
30 points. I use my iPhone to place calls using EDGE- or WiFi-based software.
5 points. My iPhone is using a Cingular/AT&T SIM other than the one it shipped with.
10 bonus points. My iPhone is using prepaid Pick-Your-Plan.
50 bonus points. My iPhone is using a Cingular/AT&T calling plan other than the standard iPhone offerings such as Pay as You Go, my corporate account, or the plan from my Blackjack.
200 points. I have cloned my AT&T SIM in order to place outgoing calls using a non-AT&T account.
1000 points. I have unlocked my iPhone and can use it with any service in any country.
5 points. After chatting up a likely candidate with the iPhone's SMS, I have used the iPhone's Google Maps to navigate to a booty call. (Courtesy M. Rose, who says "It's a purity test.")
Accessories
How you accessorize your iPhone reflects on your iPhone coolness quotient. Those white earbuds may be the most famous accessories on Earth.
0 points. I use the white earbuds included in the package.
5 points. I have purchased a Radio Shack (or equivalent) adapter so I can use my own headphones with the iPhone.
20 bonus points. I have adapted my own headphones to duplicate the controller on the white earbuds.
5 points. I have powered my iPhone off a 9-Volt battery (or equivalent).
20 points. I have set up my iPhone to use GPS data with Google Maps via a Motorola i415.
0 points. I have purchased a third-party iPhone cover.
2 points. I am using either a sock or something purchased at the dollar store as my iPhone cover.
Negative 15 points. I am using the cover from a Zune to protect my iPhone.
Ring Tones
Ah, the sweet sound of ring tones. That personalization touch that determines whether your cell phone will merely annoy other people or set their nerves on edge.
5 points. I've added a custom ringtone to my iPhone.
20 bonus points. I've added a custom ringtone without using ringtone-specific software.
10 bonus points. I've done so wirelessly.
100 bonus points. My ring tone is my last iPhone conversation.
Safari
Steve Jobs promised us none of that "watered-down" Internet. How is your usage of the fully-leaded full-strength variety?
0 points. I have used Safari to surf the Web on my iPhone.
0 points. I have watched YouTube videos with the YouTube widget.
20 points. I have used Safari to watch YouTube h.264 videos on my iPhone.
5 points. I use Safari to instant message with Meebo (or equivalent).
10 points. I have 17 bookmarklets defined in Safari.
5 bonus points. I have more than 17 bookmarklets defined in Safari.
20 bonus points. I have created my own iPhone-specific bookmarklets.
20 points. I have sent myself PDF documents by encoding them in a bookmark's URL.
File access
You can store a lot more than contacts, bookmarks and calendars on your iPhone.
0 points. I have synced my iPhone with iTunes.
5 points. I have put data onto my iPhone.
10 bonus points. Without using third party software.
20 bonus points. I know what "re-jailbreaking" means and why.
Secure Shell
Connecting directly with the iPhone opens up many new access opportunities.
0 points. What's secure shell?
10 points. I have used the Web-based secure shell from my iPhone.
5 bonus points. I know what "dottie" is.
10 bonus points. I know my iPhone's IP address without looking.
5 bonus points. You can assign a Static IP to your iPhone using wireless preferences.
50 points. I have installed dropbear and can connect to my iPhone using ssh.
30 bonus points. I have tethered my iPhone to my laptop.
100 points. I have installed an Apache server on my iPhone and use the iPhone-based Safari to connect to it to serve custom pages using Python scripts (or equivalent).
Applications
The iPhone comes pre-packaged with a dozen fabulous widget-like applications but that's just a jumping-off point.
0 points. I have used the widgets on my iPhone screen.
5 points. The name "Springboard.app" is meaningful.
15 points. I have tested "Demo.app"
30 points. I have added "Demo.app" and/or "FieldTest.app" to the standard list of widgets on my iPhone's display.
10 bonus points. I have spent more than 5 minutes attempting to figure out how to provide data in the proper format to Demo.app
100 points. I have compiled command-line utilities for the iPhone.
10 bonus points. And installed them.
10 bonus points. I know what UIKit.framework is.
20 bonus points. And class-dumped it.
1000 bonus points. I have compiled and installed UI-based applications for the iPhone.
Wear and Tear
A new Apple product often leaves you wanting to treat it like a special jewel. You won't get a lot of use out of your iPhone if you're a "don't smudge my screen" kind of person.
1 point. I know how to power my iPhone off using the sleep and back buttons.
5 points. I know how to put my iPhone into recovery mode.
5 bonus points. And I have done so more than 5 time.
5 points. I have restored the software on my iPhone.
10 bonus points. More than twice.
10 bonus points. Because I iBricked it.
20 bonus points. At least twice.
50 points. After iBricking my iPhone, I have socially engineered my way into getting a new one for free.
50 bonus points. Three times.
2 points. I have complained vigorously about the iPhone's non-removable battery.
3 bonus points. In public.
20 points. I have replaced the non-removable battery myself.
10 bonus points. Using an a third-party replacement product. (Thanks das)