Buying the iPad2

Oh Apple... how is it you make me want things I don't need.  And then how is it you make me need things I have?

The new Apple iPad2 was released at 5pm local time, March 11, 2011.  I had been watching the updates about it before the release, and feeling this growing urge inside me which I consistently rebuked.  I mentioned to the hubs that I wanted one for my birthday in May.  (Of course I couldn't wait that long...)  On the day of, my husband, full of good intentions went to the Apple store around 10am.  There had been a line there since 6am - when the mall opened.  He left & went about his day.

We returned at 6pm to find an even longer line.  Actually, we learned there were 2 sets of lines - 1 was for people waiting to buy their iPad2, and the other was a line of people waiting to get their tickets to get into the other line.  Seriously?  I didn't need one that bad - and I hate lines anyway.  So we moved on - we had a nice dinner, drank some wine, some espresso & had a little TiraMisu.

With re-found energy, we decided to check Best Buy - they were all sold out, in fact the few that were on hold were in this massive cage, sitting next to their Apply Care counterparts waiting for new owners.  There was one more spot where there was a glimmer of hope... Micro Center.  We traipsed in - I was leading of course, and made a beeline for the Apple department.  All Apple iPad2's were sold out.  But they were only released 5 for that day.  5.  Can you imagine?  5.  So, yeah - those were spoken for pretty early.  The hope came in when he said that they had a definite shipment coming the next day & would we like to put $25 down on a white 32GB Wi-Fi model to secure one.  Trying to seem unconcerned in my blissful state of wine-espresso-TiraMisu... "Sure."

And that's what we did.  The following day we were up fairly early... the anticipation of holding my new toy propelled us out of the house to breakfast.  Halfway into my French toast - we got the call.  "Your new iPad2 is in." Suddenly my toast didn't taste as necessary as it did a second ago.  My head started buzzing with the intensity only familiar to tech geeks.  We headed over there, made the same beeline as the night before & anxiously awaited the guy to bring out my new baby.  While we were waiting another guy came up & said he was just over at the Apple store where there was another line formed of people waiting just to hear if they were going to get a shipment!

He brought out the box & my eyes became fixated on it while he offered Apple care "yes, yes"... My arms reached out for it & he pulled it back a little "let me walk you guys up to the front".  I'm thinking "give me my damn iPad already dude" with the sweet, fake smile of anxiety.  Finally it was our turn to check out... my sweet hubs paid for the whole shebang (for which he was rewarded later) and I walked out triumphant.  How I longed to make the run by the line in front of the Apple store screaming "I got mine bitches!"

We did eventually make it over the Apple store that day to buy a smart cover & iTunes gift cards.  I really had my heart set on the blue one - but in person it was more of a pastel blue than the beautiful aqua blue in the product shots, so I went for my second fave - the granny apple green. *swoon*  I also bought a chunk of iTunes gift cards.  I'm still kinda funny about having anything tied directly to any account of mine - plus - my iTunes account was hacked last year - and someone purchased a 99¢ app - because that's all I had left on my last gift card.  Won that battle.

So after a wee bit of shopping, we stopped at Starbucks for a little pick me up and to open the box.  I LOVE opening Apple product boxes.  There's something so poetic & triumphant about opening their impeccably designed packages.  (My favorite unveiling of all time was my MacBook.)  So... I opened the box, slowly, carefully & held my new iPad2 for the first time ever.  It is really pretty.  They make such pretty electronic things.  I opened my new smart cover & it snapped on like it was a teenage boy on a third date.  They really were made for each other.

We finished our coffees & headed home to sync.  The sync took quite a bit of time because it synced EVERY app my hubs or I have ever downloaded.  After that was done, I spent the rest of the day deleting his "man apps" (Sweet Feet honey?  really? ...ahem) and organizing my iPad2.  I was in love.

Apple iOS Update 4.0.2 Counters Jailbreakme

I love Apple.  No, I really do.  I like the brand anyway... the clean lines, detail in the design, stuff like that.  But must I support their anti-jailbreaking tactics?

My beloved iPhone 3gs on 3.1.3 has been acting up lately & I'm not sure what it is.  I went to NYC last week & used it a lot more than I usually do - maps, locations, note taking, etc.  (More on great NYC apps later.)  Since I've been back my battery life has been horrendous.  Just an example: on the flight back to STL, my friend & I both watched movies.  She also has a 3gs (but on AT&T - I'm kind of a "rogue" in our work iPhone community).  At the end of our flight, I was down to 10% battery, she was at 90%. What's up with that?  No seriously, wtf?

Since then, my battery life has been just terrible.  I used to be able to go 2 days with minimal use.  Now I'm nearly dead by the end of a day of barely any use.  It's driving me kinda nuts.  But also poses a challenge of how to fix it... what really IS making this happen?  I've done some searching & have found answers like: "this happened to me too after I upgraded to iOS4."  Well, I haven't upgraded to iOS4.  I haven't changed anything, really.

So I'm on a mission... and decide that by now the sainted iPhone hacking community probably has a jailbreak & unlock solution for someone like me.  And indeed, found that there was a new jailbreak solution - UNTETHERED at that! JailbreakMe.  What a beautiful thing!  So I decided that tonight I would restore my phone & upgrade to iOS4.  Well... news to me... just YESTERDAY Apple released 4.0.2 whose MAIN PURPOSE was to prevent JailbreakMe from working.  Ugh!  We just find out that jailbreaking is legal, you would think they might want as many people using & reviewing their devices as possible.  I've loved my iPhone on T-Mobile & want to keep it that way.

So for now, I will be doing more searching, more reading on how I can get past this.  If anyone out there has anything to offer, please let me know!  I'll report back when I find something that works.

Yay! Legal to Jailbreak & Unlock iPhone!

HOORAY!  It is now officially legal to jailbreak and unlock handset devices like the iPhone and Android phones.  This circumvents the exclusivity agreements between AT&T and Apple.  The same agreements that drive a lot of users nuts.  AT&T's network is stressed as it is, and is it really fair that they get to claim all that pie? 

As you know, I've been a loyal fan of T-Mobile.  I can't tell you why.  It's partially because of their rates: they're fair and competitive.  And also largely due to their customer service.  Everyone I've ever had to talk to from T-Mobile either in a store or on the phone has been great.  But, in the end... to be completely honest.  I think it's the pink.  They have kept the little pink dot in their logo all this time.  And the guys in the stores sometimes wear hot pink shirts.  I mean, c'mon it's like their speaking directly to ME.  

The marshmallow in the cocoa was when a store associate told me T-Mobile supported a few million iPhones. *swoon*  I thought it was slightly renegade at the time I heard it last year.  "What?  Is that even legal?"  Well, kinda yes and maybe no.  It allowed me to stay on my T-Mobile contract and pick up a used iPhone, learn how to jailbreak & unlock it and fall in love with a piece of technology.
But now, with this recent ruling, I feel as if the relationship facilitated by T-Mobile between me & my iPhone has been validated.  I don't have to hide.  No secret texts, no receipts I have to hide.  It's really quite freeing, I gotta say. 

When I heard about it, I wanted to grab my iPhone and run through the streets naked proclaiming my love.  But let's admit it, that would be overkill.  Instead, I did a mini happy dance in my cube at work.  There are never bad celebrations... some are just... smaller than others. :)

The part of this ruling that applies to freaks like us is this:

"(2) Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.

(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network."

Link to the .gov page here.

Now go crack open your beverage of choice & celebrate!

iPhone iOS 4.0

Just over 2 weeks ago now I was getting geared up to go to Bonnaroo - an amazing music, arts & life festival that takes place over 4 days in Manchester, Tennessee.  I was anxiously awaiting the iPhone app to be released and was so excited when a full week before the festival, it was released.  As soon as I saw the first tweet about it, I used my phone to download it.  

Then I got an error message.  "This application requires 3.1.3 software update."

DAMMIT!  As anyone who has a jailbroken/unlocked iPhone knows, you CANNOT update until the iPhone hacker angels give their blessing.  There was no blessing to be had.  Instead, were dire warnings about the Lost island disappearing into another space/time warp if you tried to update your OS.   (And we all know how much THAT can suck!)  You could lose your unlock... possibly permanently. 

I don't take such news lightly.  Yes, I take it seriously... but I am also a believer in the "many approach" philosophy.  So I dug through blogs, tweets, hacker sites, etc and saw a glimmer of hope.  It all had to do with the change in the baseband.  My baseband was at 4. something so I was in the "ok" realm.  There was a distinct "maybe" in using Pwnage tool 3.1.5, creating the custom ipsw & *hopefully* Cydia would show up in my apps.  Long story short, I didn't follow instructions.  I used a different version of Pwnage tool, and used a downloaded ipsw for 3.1.3.  So the good news was that I was updated to 3.1.3 and could use the Bonnaroo app.  The bad news was my carrier unlock was fubar'd until those angels released the fix for 3.1.3 with the higher baseband. My iPhone became an iTouch.

Bonnaroo was great!  The app worked well enough to help me & a few strangers find where and when they needed to be & where our campsite was located.  I was able to log some new bands and impress my neighbors.  No phone though.  No locating services.  But it was all good.  

When we got back, I was checking the Devteam blog daily to find out when I could get my phone to work again.  As soon as iPhone OS 4.0 was officially released on June 21st, the hack for 3.1.3 was also released.  Yippie!

This time I used the Spirit jailbreak to quickly jailbreak my phone & have Cydia available.  I updated Cydia, updated the ultrasn0w package & BAM... my signal returned & I immediately tested by calling my husband and texting some friends.    

A HUGE thanks to Cydia, Saurik, Devteam & all the wicked hackers out there that make this possible!

Note: As of today, the Devteam just posted news regarding Pwnage tool 4.0.1.  Check it out!

Reasons to Jailbreak Your iPhone

1. Use Another Carrier

When iPhone 1st came out, I decided I'd wait until they came out with some updates.  Then 3g... then 3gs... by then I was 6 months deep into a 2 year contract with T-Mobile. Boo!  I thought I was SOL unless I wanted to pay the $200 contract termination plus the cost of a new iPhone.  Boo!  

I wanted to learn more about this awesome new device and how it worked.  I talked to a T-Mobile rep that said they support them and they have over a million in the US alone!  Apparently it's only in the US that the iPhone is restricted to AT&T.  Boo!  

In a nutshell, if you jailbreak & unlock your phone - you can use pretty much whatever carrier you want.  Sweet!

2. Customize YOUR Phone

It is YOUR phone - why not customize it?  

Until I learned about jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones, I didn't know this wasn't an option for a typical user.  Ever since owning a cellphone one of my favorite things was to customize it and change it at whim: colors, appearance, functionality, ringtones, etc.  When you jailbreak your iPhone, you can customize it ad infinitum.  

See the image to the right?  That's the Studio theme available on Winterboard via Cydia that I'm currently using.  It's a pretty sweet theme that I like to show off to all my friends still on their locked AT&T iPhones!  Hahahahaha!  


Note: You can still keep AT&T and jailbreak your iPhone.  If you need to get it repaired for any reason, just restore the device to factory settings.

3. Cydia.

The guy Saurik that created and maintains Cydia is a freakin genius.  Through Cydia you can install independent apps, all kinds of themes, icons, sounds, wallpapers and fonts.  If you have a jailbroken phone, Cydia will be on it.

4. Winterboard.

If you jailbreak your iPhone get Winterboard. Period.

Create your own! Click here for tutorials on how to create your own themes and to see images of many themes available through Winterboard.  

Here's another great & more detailed list as to why you should jailbreak & unlock.

http://www.iphonedownloadblog.com/2009/07/23/30-reasons-to-jailbreak-your-iphone/

 

iPhone 3gs Jailbreak, Unlock & on T-Mobile!

I picked up an iPhone 3gs from a friend on AT&T that switched to Blackberry for work. I have T-Mobile and had no plans to switch to AT&T - thus - needed to prep it to work on T-Mobile.
NOTE: I'd just finished a jailbreak/unlock on an iPhone 3g just weeks ago using Blackra1n and Cydia. At the beginning of February Apple released the 3.1.3 software update which made this process a little different. If you have 3.1.2 do NOT upgrade to 3.1.3 until you find a jailbreak/unlock solution that will work on it. I did mine on a Mac, but this should work the same on a PC.
Jailbreak
With your iPhone attached to your comp:
1. Download Blackra1n from http://www.blackra1n.com/
Go to the bottom of the page and click on the PC or Mac logo depending on what machine you'll be doing the jailbreak. This will download blackra1n on your machine.

2. Download Firmware.

• iPhone 3.1.2 download (iPhone1,1_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw, 241 MB)
• iPhone 3G 3.1.2 download (iPhone1,2_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw, 242 MB)
• iPhone 3GS 3.1 download (iPhone2,1_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw, 306 MB)

3. Launch Blackra1n. Click "Make it Rain".
It will take all of about 30 seconds to jailbreak your phone. If it works, you should see a picture of Geohot - the genius that created blackra1n - on your iPhone. Check out his blog here. Your phone will then reboot.

*Note: On my 3gs, my iPhone got stuck on the Apple screen & wouldn't reboot or show iTunes or anything. If that happens to you, disconnect your iPhone from the computer, hold down the Home button while you reconnect & don't let go until you see the "Connect to iTunes" screen. Yay!

4. Connect to iTunes and Restore your iPhone
Now, LISTEN! Since the 3.1.3 update has come out - iTunes will ask you to restore & update. DON'T! To just restore, hold [Shift] on Windows, or [option] on Mac while clicking on restore. Browse to find the ipsw file you just downloaded. If you can't find it, this is where are usually stored:

Windows: Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

Mac: Users/username/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

When your iPhone reboots, you will have a jailbroken iPhone!

Unlock
1. Launch Blackra1n on your iPhone.
Make sure you are connected to the internet & launch blackra1n on your iPhone.

2. Select Cydia & Snow packages, then click "Install".

3. Go to Cydia and input this source: repo666.ultrasn0w.com
Make sure your sim card is in! Launch Cydia, click on "Manage" on the bottom toolbar, then click "Sources". On the top right click "Edit", then "Add" from top left. Input: repo666.ultrasn0w.com. Click "Done" on top right. Now click on the home button. The top left signal bar area should be "searching" until it finds your network. Yay again!

Get T-Mobile Edge Network
*Note: Go to "Settings" - "General" - "Network". Do you see a button for "Cellular Data Network"? No? Then follow these steps:
1. Launch Cydia.
Search for "APN Editing"

2. Install APN Editing

3. Check for "Cellular Data Network"
Go to "Settings" - "General" - "Network" - "Cellular Data Network". In APN field input: internet2.voicestream.com.

Note: make sure "3G" is set to "off" or it won't work.

That's pretty much it! I love my iPhone & I'm so glad to have it on T-Mobile! Here are some other great resources for Jailbreaking & Unlocking your iPhone.

www.iclarified.com
modmyi.com/forums/
The iPhone Blog
iPhone Dev-Team Blog
GeoHot BlackRa1n Blog