How To Enable Multi-tasking and Wallpapers on iPhone 3G

For those of you out there who spent their time downloading the highly anticipated iOS 4 yesterday, only to find no wallpaper or multi-tasking support for your 3G device fear not! Below is an easy solution to enable all the features of the new OS on your aging device. Please note: This solution will jailbreak your device, I take no responsibility if you you brick your device, so please complete with caution.

Step 1) Download the iOS 4 update from iTunes and install it to your iPhone 3G/iPod Touch device.

Step 2) Copy the IPSW file to your desktop. This file will be located in username\library\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates (For Example: Hellerphant\library\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates\iPhone1,2_4.0.IPSW)

Step 3) Download redsn0w jailbreak app here.

Step 4) Follow the instructions, tick “enable multi-tasking” and “enable wallpapers” and you are set once the app does it’s thing.

This is a solution for mac users, sorry those of you on Windows machines, you’ll have to find your own way.

Android 2.2- Froyo Rundown

There has been a lot of talk about Google all across the internet since their conference this week. The internet giant unleashed details on their long awaited GoogleTV project, and proved that they are finally a serious competitor to the iPhone with the details of Android 2.2 – codename: Froyo. What exactly can you expect from the new update?

The Home Screen

There has been a slight update to the home screen that surely does come in handy and will have you wondering how you lived without it in the past. There are dedicated Phone, Application Launcher and Browser shortcuts on the Home Screen which are easy to access across all five home screen panels. Aside from this we are offered a new Home Screen Tips Widget which will show users how to configure their home screens with shortcuts and widgets. Aside from these two features you won’t notice much of a difference, but having that browser shortcut on all of your home screens does come in handy.

Microsoft Exchange Support

For those of you using your Android device in a Microsoft work environment, Exchange support has been giving a substantial upgrade to make your life easier. Some of the features included in 2.2 are.

Remote Wipe: Exchange administrators can reset to factory defaults to secure your data if you lose your phone or it is stolen, all from the comfort of an office chair.
Exchange Calendars: Now supported in the native Calendar application.
Auto-discovery: No need to memorize all those pesky server addresses or port settings, for those using Exchange 2007 or higher all you need is your user-name and password to setup your Exchange account.
Global Address Lists: Directly from the Email application you can perform name lookups from your Exchange Global Address Lists, pretty handy for users on the move.

Portable Hotspot

Rumors had been floating around that some form of mobile tethering system would be implemented in the next Android Update and I am glad to report that 2.2 delivers. Devices such as the Nexus One can be turned into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared between 8 devices. Or if you prefer you can plug your phone in via USB to a laptop and share the 3G connection for internet access. In other words no need to pay the extra cash for the 3G iPad, just get the Wi-Fi version and connect it to your Nexus One while you are on the go!

Speed Demon

Early reports stated that Froyo was going to be a speed demon when compared to 2.1 and I’m happy to say Google have delivered on this promise. A new engine called the V8 makes loading Java-Script a breeze, with Google now holding the title of the fastest phone browsing experience in the world. Let’s not forget that 2.2 allows support for Adobe Flash 10.1! Sorry iPhone/iPad users, Apple kinda let you down in that department. It still remains to be seen if Flash on a phone is a good idea, but at least 2.2 allows you to make that decision.

Along with the vast browser improvements the implementation of JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler you can expect a 2x-5x speed performance boost across the board of your applications! This also allows for smoother transitions and faster application switching.

Over The Air Updates

Soon the Android Marketplace will be accessible from your PC where you can download applications to your computer. Utilizing Over The Air updates, the application will then be automatically installed to your android device. Same goes with the music you buy from the Amazon store, no need to sync your device with your PC!

Another great feature utilizing OTA updates is direct streaming your iTunes Library wirelessly to your Froyo enabled device. Note this will only work on non-DRM content.

Tidbits

Along with these key points you will notice refined pinch to zoom controls for browsing and other applications, hardware compass access to the browser that is handy for real time map reading, accessing camera form the browser, voice support for Google Translate, installation of applications and running them from the SD card and many more.

So When Can You Expect It?

2.2 is being rolled out across Nexus One users right now. For those of you using any Android devices from 2010 or perhaps the very end of 2009 the update will be coming in the next few weeks. For those on older devices I’m sorry to report that you are shit out of luck. Don’t worry though, the very talented and active mod community will have something running for your device shortly no doubt! 🙂

Nexus One In Australia: The Facts

So you have been eyeing off one of these glorious Nexus One’s for a while now but still unsure if you want to go through all the trouble of importing one? I was just like you a few months ago, but my recent trip to the USA soon made owning one of these bad boys an easier task to handle. Before making the crucial decision I really wanted to know one simple thing: How does the Nexus One handle the Australian Telecommunication Climate. The answer to this question seemed too hard to find, so I hope this blog post will make it easier for you to make an informed decision.

Purchasing A Nexus One: Price and Delivery

Currently the Nexus One is not available in Australia for purchase and Google won’t ship one out to you. Here you have a few options. If you are like me you can just order one while you are on holiday in the states and get it delivered to your location overnight. Unfortunately I doubt many of you will be heading to the USA anytime soon and you want this phone now right? If you have friends you can simply get it delivered to them, and they can ship it across to you. There are also a number of mail forwarding companies that will accept the shipment, and then pass it on to you for a fee. Your only other options are Ebay or a select number of stores in Sydney who are importing these phones and selling them for a large profit.

Buying the phone direct from Google will sting you $520 USD which equates to roughly $560 AUD.

Network Profiles: Will It Work On Australian Networks?

Just recently AT&T released their version of the Nexus One, and I am happy to say the AT&T version is 100% compatible with the Telstra Next G Network. If you purchase the AT&T version it will work fine with Telstra and every other carrier within Australia. If you purchased the T-Mobile version then you will get 3G speeds in Metro Areas on Telstra, but when in the country you will only be connecting to the EDGE network. T-Mobile version will work fine on the Optus or Vodafone networks with 3G speeds. If you want to be sure, I’d say get the AT&T version if possible.

How Is The Nexus One?

I’ve been using the Nexus One in a country area for two weeks now and have had no issues with network performance what-so-ever. It runs like a dream and has superior speed and call quality to my iPhone 3G. While it won’t take over the iPhone market, the Nexus One is the first true Google Phone that pulls no punches in being a worthy alternative to the ever popular Apple device. Well worth the money in my opinion.

iPhone App Round-Up

Well I’ve had my iPhone 3G since launch day here in Australia and in those few months the app store has really picked up with some useful applications. Problem is with so many bogus apps out there it’s hard to know what’s worth the cash and what isn’t, so here I’ve listed some apps that are functional and worth checking out!

First up is productive app called “Air Sharing” by Avatron Software. This app allows you to share documents of all kinds, word, excel, pages, PDF an many more from your PC, Mac or Linux machine to your iPhone. You can take your important docs with you and access them when you need them. Get in quick as Avatron are offering it as a Free Download for the first 2 weeks!

Facebook is the new social networking giant, and with an all new iPhone app it’s easy to stay in touch with friends on the go. Change profile details, post photos directly from your iPhone and write on walls with this free, easy to use app

While Myspace isn’t the cool thing anymore enough people still use it to make the team create a first class iPhone app. In my opinion a nicer app than Facebook and it’s free!

Tap Tap Revenge is my favourite iPhone game. Basically it’s like guitar hero for the iPhone, online leaderboards, downloadable tracks and a classy interface makes this a must have app, and it’s free!

Palringo is hands down the best iPhone IM client out there, supporting nearly all providers, and sporting great interface and features this is a must have app for messengers on the go, and it’s free!

And last but not least my favourite app Remote. This app allows you to control you iTunes on your computer by using your iPhone, eating dinner in one room and a song comes on that you simply cannot stand? Just change it using remote without even leaving the table!

So my friends start downloading and if you know of any other good apps please let me know so I can check them out!

**Blog posted using WordPress blogging tool for iPhone**

iPhone 3G- To Jailbreak or Not To Jailbreak?

Well the iPhone 3G has been out worldwide for quite some time now, and many of you are surely by now wondering IF you should Jailbreak that monster or not. What I hope to do is help you make an INFORMED decision.

For those of you who have heard about Jailbreak but don’t know what it mean, basically it unlocks the phone and allows you to install a bunch of Apps that Apple have not released or created. Now for those who had a 1st gen iPhone or an iPod Touch it was beneficial, but now with Apple opening the App Store for us all to enjoy, most would say the incentive just isn’t there.

I tend to agree with these people. I Jailbroke my iPhone two weeks ago and I just restored it to the current 2.0.2 firmware today. While having the ability to have Quake and custom themes are appealing, there was not enough benefit for me to use the other apps that are available from a Jailbroken iPhone. I would suggest you do your research as to the type of software you are hoping to get, see if it’s available through Apple’s App Store, or the Jailbreak installer, and make a decision.

The process is easy enough, and I’d be more than willing to post up a step by step guide for you guys if you want one

So To Jailbreak or Not To Jailbreak? Research and if you will use enough apps that aren’t available with a non Jailbroken iPhone, go for it 🙂

Blu-Ray To Win The War? Part 4

While speculation has been running wild with the recent developments on the war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD a interesting piece of information has been leaked to the press…

Digital Bits reporter Bill Hunt is saying that his “second to none” sources informed him that both Paramount and Universal are currently in the process of jumping off a sinking ship and joining the Blu-Ray wagon. 

Paramount recently denied the rumour that they were going to the Blu camp, but this is due to the contract they currently hold with HD-DVD, that is keeping them from switching right now, and to confirm these rumours

BUT word on the street is while Paramount can announce any day now that they are making the switch, we will be waiting until at least Feburary 2008 for Universal due to contractual obligations

This sure will be the last nail in the coffin for HD-DVD.

Blu-Ray To Win The War? Part 3

Seems to be that all my posts of late have been to do with the HD Format war, and yet again another blow to the HD-DVD camp with rumours that Paramount are also leaving the format, right after Warner Bros jumped off the now sinking ship and got on the Blu-Ray wagon

But it seems these could be much more than just forum speculative rumours, word has it that Paramount actually had a clause to get out of the exclusive format contract, which involved if major studios (like Warner Bros) jumped ship, that they could have the chance to do the same. 

If this is true, surely New Line would follow leaving the HD-DVD format officially dead

IF you got a HD-DVD player for Christmas, I’d be trying to take it back…….now 

Blu-Ray To Win The War? Part 2

Quite hillarious how a few days after I write my piece on Blu-Ray winning the HD War, that Warner Bros announce moving across to Blu Ray exclusive, and HD-DVD cancelling their CES Conference! This is definately a HUGE blow to the format, and sure signals the end of HD-DVD in 2008

With only two studios backing HD-DVD exclusively (Universal and Paramount) I think we will see them jump from this sinking ship early this year

So perhaps a Blu-Ray Xbox in the future is not such an impossible dream after all 😛

Blu-Ray To Win The War?

It seems like the war being raged between Blu Ray and HD has seemed to quieten down, and maybe it’s because HD is off in a dark corner slowly and peacefully dying?

Everywhere I got lately there is Blu Ray advertised. All Sanity stores have now started stocking blu ray movies, as have Target, Big W and EB Games, and Video Ezy stores nation wide have Sony Bravia screens with Sony PS3 displays and Blu Ray Movies for sale, but where is the same exposure for HD-DVD?

I went to JB Hi-Fi in the city to purchase a HD Drive for my Xbox 360 and some movies, and when I got there they had 21 titles, and only 102 HD-DVD movies in stock. I looked at the other shelf where Blu Ray was sitting and there was over 40 titles and just over 280 movies in stock. I said casually to a salesman who was helping me out “HD must be selling heaps this christmas” to which he laughed and said “we can’t seem to give these away, we’ve actually stopped ordering them”. The blu-ray titles were selling like hotcakes, and ultimately I put down my HD purchase and just bought $250 worth of surround sound and blu ray movies

This seemed to be the trend in every store I’ve gone into since, and my blu ray collection is growing at a steady rate. With the new Macbook Pro rumoured to have Blu Ray drives, it seems that HD may have finally lost the war