iPhone Developer Lockdown reportedly iPinkBricks all dev units

Filed under: Developer, iPhone

Readers report that update 5A240d is now available on the Dev Portal

Reports are streaming into TUAW that official iPhone developers have been hit this morning by the Pink Screen of Expired Release. Their beta licenses for the current 1.2/2.0 firmware distribution have expired as of 12:01am April 8th. Both iPhones and iPod touches now display the pink-backgrounded “This device is expired. Please install a newer version of the OS” activation screen and will do so until Apple issues a firmware refresh.

You can easily downgrade your iPhone or iPod touch from the PSOD. Just restore your iPhone or touch to an earlier firmware release. You will not be able to use your unit for development until Apple updates the developer release but you should be able to make phone calls.

iPhone hacker Nicholas “Drudge” Penree reports that you can bypass 1.2/2.0 activation using the dev team’s pwnage tool. He writes that he is aware of 1.2/2.0 iPhones that are still working today.

[Via iPhoneDevHelp]

Thanks everyone who sent this in.

Update: Straight from our blue & green super-sekrit source: “I got bricked as well. Called ADC and they told me there was a new SDK. They said it was still labeled as the old SDK but that if I hovered over the link would show the new one. Not sure how the SDK would fix it vs. a new firmware but I’m downloading it now.” I personally can’t see any updated SDK material. Perhaps its only available to those accepted into the dev program. Other readers report that they do not see any updates–in the dev program pages or the general iPhone dev center ones.

Update 2: Another blue and green birdie sent us this, which has apparently been posted since the developer program opened: “Important note: Once you install the pre-release iPhone OS on your device, such device may only be used for development and testing purposes until the final (GM) version of the iPhone OS is released. In addition, you will need to install new versions of the software from time to time throughout the beta period. Failure to install the most current version will, after a period of time, put your device in a de-activated state. Updating to the most current version will re-activate your device so that you may continue testing.”

Update 3: Apparently the new (possibly 5A240d) firmware seed has only been released to Enterprise developers so far according to yet another blue & green birdie. This birdie tweets that the seed note is quite extensive and includes “unsettling” details. It looks like a lot of device hangs and system restores are in developer futures.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Crazy Popular Asian Blogstar Prefers Fake Chinese iPhone to the Real Thing

This is either the best or worst iPhone review ever. Wendy Cheng is apparently the most popular blogger in Singapore. Before giving her the real iPhone, her producers tricked her into reviewing a Chinese knockoff. But she actually liked the fake, saying it’s “not bad for a shitass China phone.” The real iPhone? Only “mediocre,” and “I really don’t like the touchscreen…it’s fucking shitty.” Oh, that’s just the tip of this iceberg of awesome. [ClickNetwork.TV via Fake Steve]

Qwest in talks with AT&T; iPhone possible

Filed under: iPhone

I’m a bit late to the party on this one because I just found this Xchange magazine article

about Qwest talking with AT&T today. As Qwest considers dumping Sprint Nextel, its wireless partner over the last few years, its talks with AT&T might allow Qwest customers like me access to the iPhone.

So why don’t I just drop my Qwest service and head full-time onboard the AT&T/iPhone bandwagon right now? Two reasons. First, I’m grandfathered into a sub-$20 500-anytime-minutes per month plan with Qwest and second, I have One-Number service. Never heard of it? It’s the best thing since sliced bread. When my Qwest cell phone is powered on, it is my home number. Calls come directly to my cell phone. When I power it down, calls go to my home.

One-Number plus iPhone would probably be enough to convince me to drop all the prepaid iPhone minimalism and really jump fully on the AT&T bandwagon. The Sprint/Nextel agreement isn’t due to expire for nearly a year but it looks like the AT&T-Apple exclusive agreement will still be in place when it comes time for Qwest to choose its next wireless partner. Here’s hoping that it’s AT&T.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Found footage: Quake 3 multiplayer on iPod touch

Filed under: Gaming, iPod Family, Found Footage, iPhone

Despite getting punk’d on the Mortal Kombat for iPhone April Fool’s joke, we’re still innocent and trusting enough to buy into this video demo of Quake 3 running — in multiplayer, accelerometer-enabled fragging glory — on a pair of iPod touch handhelds. Is it real? Is it coming soon to a jailbroken device near you? Can you even stand the suspense until June when the SDK-based games start shipping? Yep, us neither.

[via 9to5 Mac / Techmeme]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Downgrading your 2.0 iPhone from the Pink Screen of Death

Filed under: iPhone

I haven’t played with iPhone firmware 1.2/2.0 yet, but I’m told that some developers have encountered what is becoming known as the PSOD: a pink-colored start screen that apparently replaces the “connect to iTunes” graphic you’d normally see before activation.

iPhone hacker AlJaMa wrote in with his how-to method for downgrading a 2.0 iPhone back to 1.1.4. According to AlJaMa, you can put your iPhone into restore mode, do a 1.1.4 restore (use option-Restore to pick the 1.1.4 ipsw package) and be no worse off than getting the Error 1015 we’ve all come to know and love. iLiberty or INdependence will kick you out of the 1015/recovery mode. The restored phone will continue to work as a phone despite the updated baseband.

AlJaMa warns that you may encounter error -2002. In such a case, he suggests you try restoring to other firmware versions until you get back to the 1015 error.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPhone owners do everything but talk

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone

I always pay my iPhone bill with the phone itself. It’s simple — touch settings, then phone then AT&T services. In just a few seconds, I can wave about $70US goodbye. What a world!

There are other options on that screen, like “View my minutes,” which I usually check when I pay my bill. As of right now, I’m looking at 1300 roll over minutes. This can only mean one thing:

I rarely use my iPhone as a phone.

I’m not alone. According to a report on International Business Times, 46.5 percent of iPhone owners spend the time they use their iPhones engaged in voice calls (that number is 71.7 percent for BlackBerry owners).

Also, iPhone owners in the US claim to spend 12.1 percent of their iPhone time on the net (compare that to 2.4 percent for all other mobile phones on average), and nearly 12 percent of their time listening to audio (compared to 2.5 percent for others).

In observing my own behavior with the iPhone, I use it most often as an iPod, and then to check email and use the net (Twitter mostly). For me, the iPhone is a computer that just happens to make phone calls, not a phone with some cool features. It appears I’m not the only one with this opinion.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Review: MCA Rub iPhone Pack
What’s better than one silicone case? If you said two silicone cases, you’re two-thirds of the way there. The answer, of course, is three silicone cases. MCA’s Rub iPhone Pack ( mice” id=”mouse”>) is a set of three such cases black, white, and purple along with a screen protector, all for just…

Chrysler Cars With In-Car Internet and WiFi This Year; Road Safety Stats Set to Plummet

Chrysler has announced its intention to bring internet access to its vehicles. The functionality will be added to existing models this year, and will be followed by assembly line produced, internet ready automobiles. The connections will rely on mobile phone towers and a monthly subscription charge will be levied on those taking up the service. Talking about the development, a Chrysler spokesperson said:

“We want to make the radio itself a WiFi port,” whatever the hell a WiFi port is. We’re guessing the spokesperson meant WiFi connectivity will be coming using a modified internal radio. Whether Chrysler will trick out their own navigation systems with an internet browser to make use of the functionality is not clear, but using WiFi instead of EDGE on your iPhone whilst driving has got to be a help, even if it isn’t great for general road safety. [Washington Post]

Review: iPhone headphone adapter roundup
Last year, soon after the iPhone was released, we took a look at iPhone headphone adapters—short cables that let you use any headphones with the iPhone’s recessed headphone jack—from Belkin and RadTech. Since then, a number of vendors have released similar products. Because these cables are essentially minor variations on…

Tech columnist says 3G iPhone coming “in 60 days”
Generally, we don’t put much stock in rumors, but when you get the word from the man who’s in a position to know—round these parts we call him Malt Schlossberg—it’s impossible to ignore. Speaking at an executive summit on video delivery, Mr. Schlossberg said that the 3G version of the…

Unlocked French iphones not selling like French toast
With all the fuss over unlocked iPhones, you’d think that France provider Orange—the only company who legitimately sells them—would be doing bumper business in legally unlocked iphones. Not so: a spokesperson for the company recently said that sales for the unlocked model were about 12,600 or 14% of the 90,000…

iPhone SDK Beta 2 Now Available

Potential iPhone developers should go and grab the latest release of the SDK, beta 2, and revel in the new Interface Builder. Make your own fancy UIs for your iPhone game, or maybe just make an improved iFartz. We’re cool with either. [Apple via Macworld]