Why iPhone/iPod Touch Hacking Matters

For some people, it might seem useless to keep hacking at devices that Apple is actively working to not allow hacking. But, here’s why iPhone/iPod Touch hacking matters.

When Apple releases an update, those participating in the hacking festivities have to decide whether or not to upgrade. With the iPhone 1.1.1 update, we got a slew of new features including home button double-click, the double space shortcut, additional SMS notification tones, and the iTunes Wifi Music Store to name a few. This makes it harder for hackers to lag in their upgrading.

So, now, it’s up to the hackers. They’ll get back to work on breaking into the iPhone and iPod Touch. That goes without saying. And as the dance continues, Apple will need to continue to push out new features and provide other compelling reasons for users to upgrade their device software.

So, the reason hacking matters is because it’s good for users. And not just for the intrepid users who are making use of the hacks. Hacking puts pressure on Apple to provide compelling reasons, i.e. new features, for users to upgrade, and that is good for all users.

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First reports of iPhone VoIP application surface

First reports of iPhone VoIP application surface:

[I]t does look like a true, calls-over-WiFi VoIP client for the iPhone could be just around the corner.

In my opinion, this is precisely why Apple is so aggressively guarding the iPod Touch from hackers.

The quality of VoIP and the ubiquity of WiFi in many areas makes this a clear choice. It’s not just about the price difference between the iPhone and iPod Touch (which is likely only a minor consideration if you’re considering one or the other). I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t jettison an AT&T relationship (and its associated bill, of course) for a free or dirt cheap VoIP option.

This may relate to VoIP explicitly, but I see it more as a general rule of protecting their interests. In the wake of yesterday’s flurry of applause for Amazon’s new MP3 sales service, I can precisely see where Apple wouldn’t want a native version of Amazon’s Downloader for iPhone or iPod Touch as that would put at risk their most long-awaited feature for any iPod as well as the cash cow that is the home base iTunes Store.

In this respect, I see a certain degree of paranoia coming out of Apple. Maybe it’s a result of dealing with music and movie publishers. (I would also add mobile phone companies to that list.) Whatever the reason is, it’s unbecoming of Apple.

(Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).)

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My Most-Wanted iPhone Apps

Folks have been pining for native iPhone apps since before the thing was even for sale. Since I have had my hands (at least one of them) wrapped around mine almost non-stop since June 29, I have begun to identify my most wanted apps for iPhone. This is a short list. I will post a follow up to this post on the apps I don’t need to see for iPhone, so stay tuned for that. Without further ado… Read the rest of this entry »

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iTunes Ringtone Editing

With the latest updates to iTunes, Apple has brought ringtone creation to the table in Apple’s typical fashion: stupid easy.

There is a new sort column for purchased tracks that can be converted to ringtone. Of course, this won’t show for songs not purchased from iTS, so if you have much non-iTS music in your library, sort on this new column in your Purchased playlist to get an accurate picture.

There are of course other solutions for making ringtones, but unless you bought it from the iTS and it’s ringtone capable, no editing in iTunes. ¹

When you click on the bell icon next to a song that is ringtone enabled, you will be presented with a panel below the song listing, i.e. where the Mini Store shows up if you haven’t disbaled it, similar to this:

There is a lot of powerful stuff going on here. The top pane is the audio of your track. The blue selection is what would become your ringtone. Also in the selection are simple checkboxes for fading the ringtone in and out. The pane below the audio contains the track information to the left, a control for the time delay when looping (In my brief tests, 0.5 second gap is great.), a preview button, and then a button to cancel or buy the ringtone. Everything you need.

Editing your ringtone is as easy as dragging the blue pane around. Seriously, that’s it. Move the starting point by clicking anywhere inside the blue selection area and dragging to your desired position. Change the length of the ringtone by clicking and dragging the edge of the blue pane or using the resize handle on the bottom right of the selection area. Preview and adjust as necessary. Once you are satisfied with the result, click Buy to purchase the modified audio as a ringtone.

Here’s the rub: You are purchasing your modified audio and not a “ringtone right” to the song. If you create another ringtone from another section of the same song, you’re going to have to pony up another buck (You see what I did there?) for the new ringtone. So, Apple (and the record companies) are potentially receiving $.99 for the same song many times over. Not a bad racket if you can keep it to yourself. But as for me and my house, we will make our own.

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On Selfishness

On Selfishness: “You know what’s worse than being pirated? Being forgotten.”

I almost stopped reading Mike’s post. I enjoy his writing, but the length was off-putting. I stuck with it though, and this, the very last nine words of the post was the reward. Truth. Profound truth.

(Via motherfucker.)

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Posting to Web Gallery from iPhone

So, like every other Apple fanboy, I ran out to buy iLife ‘08 to have the Web Gallery option for posting photos from iPhone. Great, right?

Well, not so fast my friend. As this Macworld article notes, there is a bit of a glitch in getting this working. Read about the glitch at Macworld. Their workaround is a bit kludgy, but it certainly works.

But there has to be a better way, right? I’m glad you asked. Read the rest of this entry »

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Playlist Sync Bug in iPhone

There is a serious bug in the synching software for iTunes and iPhone. Let’s see if I can describe it cogently.

UPDATE: It looks like my suspicion about the cause of the problem is correct. Poor iTunes just got confused…

Read the rest of this entry »

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