TiPb found something real interesting in the new released iOS 5 Beta 3 which is shared amongst iPhone developers yesterday. Accessibility section under General in Setting now has something AssistiveTouch that has gesture based control panel that can reproduce all the functionality of the existing hardware buttons, and much more.
Once turned on in Settings, the control panel can be activated by tapping the overlay on screen. It pops up with a menu containing Gestures, Favorites, Devices, and Home. Gestures has a sub menu for 2, 3, 4, and 5 finger gestures, and once you choose a quantity, blue circles in the appropriate amount appear on screen. Favorites contains defaults like Pinch and Swipe, and any custom gestures you’ve created. Device replicates the hardware features such as Rotate Screen, Lock Screen, Mute/Unmute, Volume Up/Volume Up, and Shake.
This new feature will surely turn out to be a very interesting addition to iOS 5, especially for advanced users who want to have a software-based interface. Well done Apple. You guys will continue to lead the smartphone race for years to come.
UPDATE: 9to5Mac has shared a video showing this new feature on iOS5 Beta 3. Pretty cool stuff, check it out:
CutYourSim.com claims permanent iPhone unlock solution without jailbreaking. This company makes SIM cutters and is out with a service they claim that it would permanently unlock your GSM iPhone 4 or 3G/S without going through the pain of jailbreaking. They claim it to be an “official iPhone unlock” and will work forever. Here is what they have to say:
We are now able to offer the first permanent remote iPhone unlocking solution. It is very easy, and can be done with three simple steps. Our turnaround time is typically anywhere from 2-5 days for the iPhone. It may be quicker, but please expect this time frame.
The solution we offer is a permanent solution. Jailbreaking, or unauthorized hacks are NOT required. This unlock will carry on forever, you can now update your phone to the newest version without worrying about waiting for an unauthorized unlock to be released.
This lets you unlock your device for use with any carrier and update it to the latest iOS firmware and baseband without waiting for an unauthorized unlock to be released:
In fact iPhone Dev-team also have endorsed this solution. But this solution will cost your $169 per device.What more, the company says that procedure will not void your warranty. Is this possible? To know more about the procedure MacStories.net offers and interesting explaination:
Apparently, someone at CutYourSim found a way to “whitelist” devices by adding IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers to Apple’s own database — something that of course isn’t possible unless you have access to the aforementioned database. Which leads us to think Apple might soon find a way to block the service — but, then again, we don’t know all the details behind Apple’s IMEI database so we can’t judge right now. It is possible, however, that the procedure involves accessing the IMEI database from a carrier’s online backend. CutYourSim also says currently the CDMA sold on Verizon isn’t supported, and that the method doesn’t change a phone’s IMEI (which is illegal) but simply adds it to the whitelist. Interestingly, CutYourSim says this method has been around for a while (but never worked on AT&T) and was never cut off by Apple.
Lets see if someone shares his success story… Waiting
Consumer Reports has confirmed that Apple’s bumper does indeed alleviate the iPhone 4’s signal-loss problem. They also stated that they would recommend the iPhone 4 once Apple provided a free solution to the signal-loss problem. This is exactly what Apple has done, yet Consumer Reports will not give their recommendation.
The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem. So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix. We’re still calling on Apple to provide an acceptable free solution to the iPhone 4’s signal-loss problem.
The Bumper, a skirt made of rubber and molded plastic that fits snugly around the phone with buttons that connect to those on the device and openings for its input jacks, is sold by Apple for $29 online and at their brick-and-mortar stores. There are other third-party cases for the iPhone 4—including many that are less expensive—and presumably some of those might remedy the signal problem as well, though we haven’t tested them.
Co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have released an official response from RIM to Apple’s iPhone 4 press conference yesterday and Steve Jobs’ demonstration of a BlackBerry Bold 9700 suffering from similar signal-drop when death-gripped. Here is that copy:
“Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.”
Antenna design is a complex subject and has been a core competence at Nokia for decades, across hundreds of phone models. Nokia was the pioneer in internal antennas; the Nokia 8810, launched in 1998, was the first commercial phone with this feature.
Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying human behavior, including how people hold their phones for calls, music playing, web browsing and so on. As you would expect from a company focused on connecting people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict.
In general, antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip, depending on how the device is held. That’s why Nokia designs our phones to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand. Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design.
I am not too sure if this method works with all types of SIM cards. But of late, I have been getting quite a few mails asking if cutting up a regular SIM would successfully work as a micro SIM. This method was first published by techradar.com:
A traditional SIM measure 15 x 25mm and have that angled corner. The new micro-SIM is officially 12 x 15mm. That’s effectively the size of just the normal SIM contact area.
How to turn your traditional SIM into micro SIM:
1. Here’s a traditional SIM and its measurements, the only working area is the metal contacts.
TUAW published a new report that included new video evidence supporting the belief that the iPhone 4 death grip is very real. The below video includes the demonstration of the iPhone 4 along with a customized field services app that clearly shows the iPhone 4 antenna problem isn’t the result of some software glitch as Apple claims. Check it out:
You wanted a demonstration? You got a demonstration; we’ve put together a video to show how the iPhone 4 antenna issue is not simply a result of Apple’s miscalculation of how many bars are being displayed. Our own Erica Sadun wrote an iPhone app (at the suggestion of Engadget’s Nilay Patel) to display the raw signal strength, the number of bars, and what Apple calls the graded signal strength. Erica’s tests (see video above) show that the “Kung Fu grip of doom” results in the signal strength dropping to almost zero. According to Erica, removing her hand from the antenna gap brings the signal strength back to normal.
Engadget shared this China specific iPhone calling model number A1324, which they dug out from this Chinese website (translated version):
The pictures were posted on Chinese portal Sina.com.cn on Friday morning and showed an iPhone with simplified Chinese characters in its display and inscribed on the back of the handset. Simplified characters are used in mainland China and Singapore, but Singaporean iPhones don’t have Chinese inscription on the case. (Hong Kong and Taiwan use more complex traditional characters)
The iPhone in the pictures also carries China’s “Environmental Protection Use Period” mark, which indicates the number of years of normal operation during which hazardous or toxic substances included in the product will not leak or change in a way that harms the environment or human health. In the case of the iPhone pictured that length of time is 10 years.
iPhone developers who have been testing iPhone 3.0 have found something real cool. The same iPhone 3G camera hardware has started taking better and clearer pictures.
AppleInsider shares:
The folks over at iPhones.ru ran a series of tests 30 times over in which they compared photos of the same objects or scenes taken on an iPhone 3G running iPhone Software 2.2.1 with another running a beta of iPhone Software 3.0. They claim that in most cases, the iPhone running 3.0 produced photos with noticeably better quality and clarity than the iPhone running 2.2.1. A pair of comparison photos exemplifying their findings can be seen below.
