This isn’t the first time Sesame Street has showed some integration with our fruit-flavored overlords.  Last year the video podcast The Word on the Street debuted, featuring man on the street interviews with the new muppet Murray on a certain topic and classic Sesame Street clips that explore a similar theme.  As a parent to two little ones, having The Word on the Street in my pocket has made me a hero on more than one occasion.

The Word on the Street has recently been replaced by “Happy Healthy Monsters” in the same Sesame Street podcast feed on iTunes. Parents can also find other Sesame Street moments floating around iTunes.  The 1986 childhood classic Follow That Bird is available for rent or download, special episodes that touch on important subjects are available for free, and regular season episodes can be purchased in the Store.

If you’ve ever wondered where Sesame Street fits into last year’s popular ad campaign, Elmo is indeed a Mac.  Parents rejoice!

When most people think of Apple and it’s relationship with Blu-ray, the first thing that usually comes to mind is what Steve Jobs said last fall.  When discussing the licensing and fees involved in manufacturing the hardware he pulled no punches; “Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt.”  But what most people seem to forget is the second part of that quote, where he goes on to say “we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.”

Well things have settled down a bit.  Blu-ray, once merely a contender for the future of disc-based media, has won a resounding victory over it’s competitor HD-DVD.  Blu-Ray drives are available (and now becoming commonplace) in higher end Windows-based PC’s.  Q1 2009 sales of blu-ray movies were more than double those from the previous year.  Yes, it looks like blu-ray is here to stay for the forseeable future.  But does that mean Apple wants any part of it?

According to PC World, a prerelease version of iTunes 8.2 was shipped to developers this past Tuesday that indicated the program would indeed offer Blu-ray disc playback.  While it does seem a clear indicator that we can expect a blu-ray rollout in the near future, there’s another side to this that’s just not being explored.

There seems to be a trend towards the abandonment of physical media in recent years, a trend that was spearheaded by iTunes at its inception.  And while blu-ray is certainly beginning to cement itself into living rooms and dens across North America, there’s another school of thought that sees it as the last in a dying series of store-bought goods.  Blu-ray may have won the battle over physical media, but it’s still embroiled in a war against downloadable content — a war in which Apple is a five-star general.  The iTunes Store already offers up high definition feature films that are in direct competition with blu-ray. Apple would essentially be adding the competitions hardware to Macs.

And yet maybe that’s what they need to do.  Staying relevant is an important thing in the tech world.  Offering consumers the choice between blu-ray films and downloadable HD content may be a step that Apple needs to take so that they aren’t defeated by their own hubris.  Even Jobs himself didn’t deny the possibility, remember?  “”we’re waiting till things settle down and Blu-ray takes off in the marketplace.”  Things settled down, even for the licensing headaches that last October were “a bag of hurt.”  In February Sony, Philips and Panasonic got together to announce a new licensing structure that should take all of the pain out of the process.

But what does this all mean?  The image seen above, while likely real, isn’t really confirmation of anything in particular.  It’s just as likely that Apple uses as blanket “About Us” statement across all platforms, and that iTunes 8.2 may simply offer blu-ray playback for PC users that are already enjoying the format through a different media player.  Will Macs ever see the option of blu-ray playback?  Given the seemingly dying nature of physical media, will you be annoyed if they don’t?

The Metroid has become my every-day bag for work and school. In addition to my 15″ MacBook Pro, the bag has plenty of pockets for accessories such as the power adapter, a mouse, and my iPod. Even with all those things, the main compartment still has enough room to allow me to hold a few textbooks.

The bag is 2250 cubic inches and has ten pockets. There are two unique features of the bag: the water-resistant, fleece-lined audio pocket and the file holder.

The file holder is great for carrying loose papers and folders without them getting mangled by whatever else you are carrying.

The laptop compartment has sufficient padding and is located in the back of the bag with a side zipper, making it harder for would-be thieves to simply snatch your computer. The front pocket of the bag features an easy-access pocket for plane tickets and inside has quite a few organizing pockets.

The construction of the bag is excellent with reinforcements in all the right places as well as an all metal zipper system. If you are looking for a backpack style laptop bag for your Mac, I highly recommend the Ogio Metroid.

I received the ID messenger bag along with the Brain Cell to protect my MacBook Pro. As a student it is very important to have a sturdy bag to carry my computer in. After using the bag for about a month it still looks exactly the same as the day I got it and it has saved my computer multiple times.

The ID messenger bag ($140) can be used alone or with the Brain Cell. The front flap has a pocket with a splash-proof zipper and both sides have small electronics pockets lined with ultrasuede material and closed with splash-proof zippers. All three of these pockets were very useful, especially the electronics pockets for things like my iPod and sunglasses. The zippers even have a tiny opening so you can pass your earbud cord through without worries of damage. The inside of the bag has two pockets, an organizer pocket for pens and other small items and a large main pocket. The main pocket can be used for holding books or it can hold a Horizontal Brain Cell which can be locked in place using the built in (and removable) annex clips.

When the Brain Cell is installed, the main pocket is full so you just have the front pocket to work with. While this is enough to hold pens, pencils, and some computer accessories, there is no room for books. With the Brain Cell removed, the bag can hold one average sized textbook or a few novels, folders, and a binder.

The ID is also ultra-customizable. The shoulder strap is removable, allowing different straps to be attached. You have a choice of the standard strap, Absolute shoulder strap ($20), or the Q-AM shoulder strap ($15). While the standard strap is excellent, I really liked the Q-AM strap. Q-AM stands for Quick-Adjust Messenger and it is exactly that. It includes a stabilization strap that hooks to the bag to keep it on your back, making it ideal for riding a bike. I also found it useful to keep the bag out of the way while riding the bus. The Absolute shoulder strap has a soft, neoprene pad and with a specialized stretch backing for extra comfort.

A few other useful accessories that can be added to the bag are organizer pouches ($5-$10) and key straps ($2) which clip onto rings inside the smaller inside pocket and help keep your small items organized.

The Brain Cell ($60) case allowed me to safely carry my MacBook Pro in the ID messenger bag. The Brain Cell is hard sided and has plenty of soft padding inside to make me feel safe while carrying my laptop on the bus, to class, and to the library. The top has a secure velcro closure, and the case even features handles and D-rings (for attachment of a strap) if you want a minimalist (but still extremely protective) laptop case.

Overall I was highly impressed with the quality, durability, and protection of the ID messenger bag and Brain Cell laptop case from Tom Bihn. The ID is a great medium sized messenger bag either alone or with the Brain Cell and I highly recommend the combo.

But 2008 has been an interesting year, and it all started with a comment at a small event, known as MacWorld from a Mr Steven P. Jobs (ever heard of him, I certainly haven’t):

“[Big List of New Stuff]…all this in the FIRST two weeks. And we’ve got 50 more weeks to go!” At the time, it stuck in my head. Is it just a passing comment, or does he really mean Apple have 50 more products (at least!) to bring out this year? To my amazement, he seems to have meant it. Look Back. Every week, without fail, there has been some kind of Apple update:

Jan 7 – Mac Pros
Jan 15th – Macworld – Duh! – Mainly iPhone software update, as well as Movie Rentals
Jan 22nd – Pink nano
Jan 29th – MBA Ships + New UK iPhone tariffs
Feb 5th – iPod Touch + iPhone upgrades
Feb 12th – Aperture + 10.5.2
Feb 19th – Xsan + iPod Shuffle

Admittedly, some of these are minor, however I think it shows Apple’s desire to be on top of the market and to lead the way in product innovation. But could this be the year in which Apple updates every Tuesday? Is that even possible?

This Tuesday should see the release of the long awaited ‘Mobile’ OS X SDK, and then we’re into March. That’s a full 8 weeks in which Apple has pulled something out of Infinite Loop and wowed us all. And don’t forget, the MacBook Pro is overdue for an update, and in recent times the MacBook has been updated within weeks of it’s big brother, so Apple is not short of new stuff that it can bring out. Looking further into the year we have iPhone 2.0 almost confirmed, and maybe even a sneak peek at 10.6 at WWDC.

Whatever happens, this is a big year for Apple. With the growth of iPod sales slowing, Apple must explore new markets to keep investors happy and the stock price high; we’ve already seen this year what a mediocre MacWorld can do… All this leaves me wondering: what is left for 2008? Will Apple stick to the current trend of an update a week? Keep your RSS feeds burning on Tuesdays to find out!

So was it worth the wait?

Oh yes, very much.

As soon as my RSS feeds started to light-up with the release announcements late Tuesday afternoon, I quickly found a reason to leave work early and hit the road home. The update itself took about 15-20 mins (depending on your connection) to download and install, and before I knew it I was presented with the new menu system, including a beautiful background of movie art. Before I give my initial impressions, let me highlight the new features of AppleTV take 2:

• iTunes Movie Rentals. 30 days after a DVD release you can download DVD or HD quality movies
• New DVD quality – $3.99
• New HD quality – $4.99
• Library titles DVD quality – $2.99
• Library titles HD quality – $3.99
• Rentals are available for 30 days from download and 24 hours from when you start watching
• Support for 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround sound
• No computer required – AppleTV sources direct from the internet (local computers still supported)
• No need to switch sources – AppleTV groups available iTunes content from all associated local computers (Mac or PC)
• Preview and download Movies, TV Shows, Music and Podcasts direct from AppleTV
• Podcasts now stream directly to AppleTV, including HD podcasts
• Photo library support for .Mac Web Gallery and Flickr accounts
• Updated UI for browsing Movies, TV Shows, Music and Podcast content
• Support for AirTunes

Reading back over the list above, AppleTV now brings most of the main iTunes and photo browsing features you’d expect on your Mac or PC to your large HD TV. No longer do you need to run back to your computer to download new content and then sync over; you can do this directly from the comfort of your couch.

So now that we have the update in our hands, how does it perform?

Movie Rentals, TV Shows, Music and Podcasts each have the same new user interface. The display is structured into multiple rows with select highlighted titles at the top, followed by top downloaded/listened to, new titles and staff favorites. Using the standard Apple remote, you scroll to the right and left to see additional titles as the cover art scrolls with the very familiar Coverflow effect. Navigation throughout is just as you would expect.

Selecting a title brings up individual details of that selection. This includes a larger view of the cover art, a description, some specifics like Show Details and options to Preview, Rent or Download. At the bottom is a list of other titles rented by users who have also viewed the current title.

The true killer new feature for me is the ability to stream video Podcasts. Now at my fingertips I have access to the full range for Podcasts available from the iTunes Store and can either flick through the featured selection or search directly by title. Streaming and quality isn’t so much dependent on your own internet connection, but the source from which the Podcast is being streamed. Note that, unlike paid content, Podcasts are not hosted or served-up by Apple. Many of the more popular Podcasts stream immediately without interruption. In some cases I tried to view some that I’d never heard of before, and they either didn’t begin to play or I got a message stating “Unable to play selected song” (the error message needs to be corrected for Podcasts). At any rate, I was able to catch up on a couple weeks worth of Mahalo Daily before turning in for the night.

Given the size of my music library, I have not synced any music over to the AppleTV. Before, I would have had to change the source and point to my MacBook Pro, but now with this update it’s as simple as selecting “My Music” and AppleTV displays all the music and playlists from each available source – a much simpler solution.

“Photos” is also now able to view all photos and albums from each available source. The ability to view .Mac Web Galleries and Flickr galleries worked well – I didn’t run into the same problems Steve did during his Macworld Keynote.

YouTube features appear to be the same as before; I didn’t see any change here.

Overall, I have to say that I’m really, really impressed with the software update. AppleTV is now what it should have been a year ago. I was an early adopter and purchased one as soon as I could after Macworld 2007, and although it lacked most of the above features, I still found it a great devise that we used regularly. With the full range of iTunes Store content and the addition of Movie Rentals from all the major movie studios available it finally feels complete.

I’m sure Apple will find many ways to further extend the feature-set over the coming years, but for now, the on-demand, streaming content that is available to you is incredible. With the writers strike now wrapping up, it will be months before we see a return of new shows. In the meantime, I think Apple has been handed an opportunity to fill the content gap and draw in new users. Retailing for $229/40GB and $329/160GB, the AppleTV is positioned at a very reasonable price for a devise that is going to open the door to floods of rich new content that will cause the Apple halo effect to only continue to draw in new adopters in droves. The AppleTV revolution has just begun.

Have you found any hidden gems? Please add your thoughts and impressions in the Comments section below.

Yesterday, 2 methods for ‘breaking the iPhone/iTouch were released. iJailbreak, the super user-friendly method that requires the pressing of a single button, and the Dev team’s own personal (and much more technical) method, lovingly called Jailbreak-1.1.3. I took the risk of putting my own iPod touch through iJailBreak’s paces.

Although I don’t really have a problem using Terminal, whenever there’s an option, I like to just make it easier on myself and use a GUI. So, I headed here and grabbed a copy of iJailBreak. After hitting the “Jailbreak” button, the app correctly identified that I was running 1.1.1 on an iPod touch, and i told it to continue. It starts by downloading a copy of Apple’s 1.1.3 firmware, and then patching it, and then uploading it to the device. Once it’s on the device, it tells you to go into Installer.app on your 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 (Dev team says only 1.1.2) device and download the “1.1.3 soft upgrade” from the System tab in Installer.

(I found the instructions window after moving some things around)

I was starting with a Jailbroken iPod touch (1.1.1 but then updated via OkToPrep), and then used iJailbreak for the rest of the dirty stuff. It really wasn’t difficult to do, but I had to make sure to refresh the sources manually in Installer.app to get “1.1.3 soft upgrade” to show up. Now, there’s supposedly another method from the “true” Dev team available on Installer, but as I had already used the other method, I can’t verify that it works.

But, I can tell you that I’m currently up and running with a 1.1.3 iPod touch complete with iPhone apps et all, and all it took was a little perseverence and a lot of patience. Check out the iJailbreak page for more information.

Yes, the Macbook Air is quite sexy. I think that a lot of the Apple products get instant “wow” power, based on great design, and ease of use. But in the long run, is the Macbook Air a laptop that YOU would buy? Is it powerful enough for your tasks?

Let’s take it to the polls to get an idea.

As a power-user myself, I use a lot of processor hungry applications which deal with photo processing, audio processing, video editing, and more. The Macbook Air is not a product for me. The question that I am asking myself is: “Who is this computer for?” Is it for the internet savvy, with it’s lack of optical drive, and emphasis on wireless? Is it for the environmentally friendly, with it’s “green” design?

Is it for the traveler, for it’s small size? I would almost say all of those, but I find the price to be too close to that of a Macbook Pro to justify a purchase. I am asking you, the readers, who is this laptop for? Let us know what you think, and if you think the product is worth the price!

But for less than 1/3rd the cost!

You might want to grab a coffee as this tutorial is quite large. It was also designed with both the novice and newbie in mind, and therefore is full of plenty of screenshots to help you along.

Disclaimer: Please note that I am not interested at all in cries of software piracy or license misuse involved with using a patched Leopard DVD to run OS X on a PC. I have bought more than my share of Jaguar, Tiger and now Leopard software to really have much of a problem with it. If I am making you queasy already then you might want to read Apple’s OS X SLA and go back to watching Cosby Show re-runs with your sister.

Glad you’re still with us! So in order to install Leopard on a PC you need to remove the code built into OS X checking for authentic Apple hardware. You could download a torrent of a ready made patched Leopard DVD (which is likely illegal in most countries) or you can choose to build a patched copy of your own store bought DVD, or the one that came with your Mac (quasi-legal). If you want to go the torrent route you could try searching for Kalyway leopard 10.5.1 but that’s as far as I can help you with that. As far as patching goes the guys at lifehacker have an immensely thorough procedure for building a patched DVD so I won’t rehash the process here. Either way get yourself a copy and prepare for the real meat of the operation ahead.

Without these guys none of this would be possible. The OSx86 wiki and InsanelyMac are ground zero for all of this stuff so you can direct your browser there to get aquinted with the project. They would prefer bloggers don’t link to files or threads over there so I will do my best to comply with that.

The Parts

There is no definitive hardware selection to build a perfect Hackintosh box but the following gear worked very well for me and others. To be more accurate, the wrong hardware can cause serious issues and drivers can be a problem so be sure to check that your stuff is going to work okay. You can also expand on what I have selected here, like adding more drives for RAID, as the motherboard I chose supports this. The nice thing about building your own system is that you can configure it to your needs.

The following image shows all of the internal parts I used for my Hackintosh.

• Motherboard: Asus P5W DH Deluxe.
• Processor: Intel Coreâ„¢2 Quad Q6600 LGA775 (Retail Package).
• RAM: 4GB DDR2 5300 @ 667 Mhz.
• Video Card: eVGA eGeForce 8600GTS w/256 Megs RAM.
• Hard Drive: Seagate 320GB SATA II. 7200RPM. 16MB buffer.
• DVD Drive: Creative 8x (ancient, from old computer. Model DVD8401E. May 2000!)
• Case: Ultra Wizard ATX Mini-Tower w/350watt Power Supply.

Next let’s take a look at some of the costs involved…

What everyone is missing in all this however, is that the people this notebook is targeted towards couldn’t care less about any of that stuff. Let me break it down for you right after the jump.

It’s expensive and the battery isn’t removable. Are we talking about the iPod and the iPhone again? Because those products are the same way, and they were complete disasters, right? And as for the people who like to bring an extra battery with them on trips, isn’t that defeating the exact purpose of an ultraportable computer?

It doesn’t have firewire. Firewire is now only common with video cameras and hard drives. The people with MacBook Airs aren’t buying them for video editing. And the consumer-level cheaper hard drives are nearly all USB.

It doesn’t have ethernet. WiFi is nearly ubiquitous. In the 5-6 years I’ve owned a Mac, I have never once accessed the internet via ethernet. Maybe some of you have, but the few people that need it can buy the dongle.

But seriously, optical drive?! This seems crazy at first. The true downside here is using discs on-the-go. All other burning and installing can be done on the reasonably priced external drive. The only real sacrifice is DVDs. People will have to think ahead and rip them with Handbrake. But in the grand scheme of things, think back. When was the last time you used your optical drive? When was the last time you used it away from home?

Overall the reason this product is getting bashed online is because it’s not meant for the intense Mac followers (read: fanboys). It’s slimmed down and streamlined for people who just want a computer to go online, write papers, and listen to music. It is also aimed squarely at business professionals. Today I heard a group of high school seniors talking about how perfect it would be for college next year.

It may not have all the features that everyone wants, and it may be a little expensive, but it’s damn slick and enough for most people. Sound familiar? Apple is shooting for another iPod star with this notebook.

One of the first things you will notice about the Air is the large multi function trackpad. So most of the cool features and gestures we are used to in our iPhone/touch will now be standard on the MacBook Air. Finally some mousing progress.

The Air comes with a 60% shrunken Core 2 Duo Intel CPU with 1.6Ghz and 1.8Ghz options available. The generous 2GB of stock memory looks to be soldered onto the mainboard (which is damn small!). As with the MacBook line the new Air will use a Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory for video.

The pundits were also right in predicting that Apple would unveil flash memory based SSD hard drives with the new notebook. I thought it was kind of strange that users would have the option between a 1.8″ 80GB hard drive vs a 64GB SSD based drive, but there you have it. Like Steve says the flash memory based drives are ‘really quick‘. Sadly as we expected the SSD option is hella expensive too – A MacBook Air with 64GB SSD drive and 1.8Ghz CPU is $3,098.00 compared to $1799.00 for the 80GB 4200-rpm PATA drive and 1.6Ghz CPU. Alone it’s a wallet punishing $999 upgrade. I am guessing this will get people talking.

The Air also comes equipped with an 802.11n wifi card, Bluetooth 2.1/EDR, 1 USB 2.0 port (wow not 2?), Micro-DVI, Audio Out, an iSight, and a 45 Watt MagSafe which will give you around 5 hours of battery life. I think it’s pretty sweet the way Apple has hid the ports on this new Mac (which was also predicted).

The MacBook Air is priced between $1799 – $3,098 and will be available in 2 weeks (pre-ordering available). For all the info you need on the new MacBook Air including some great videos, check out the official MacBook air page at Apple. Gizmodo also has a really thorough hands-on with LOTS of photos.

The new machine was also said to include a large multi-function new trackpad which was described in a recent Apple patent as “…having the capabilities of conventional computer mouse devices, such as the ability to point, drag, tap and double tap objects on a graphical user interface, as well as more general purposes such as scrolling, panning, zooming, and rotating images on display screen.” Another recent patent suggests the possibility of collapsable external ports. Rounding out the outlandish claims there is yet another patent pointing to Apple’s desire to use induction to power its future devices. Yep that’s A/C over the airwaves if you’re not paying attention.

Still further rumors surfaced on whether the machine supported the new wireless technology WiMax. The quoted source at Valleywag only gave it a “60 percent chance” but jeez that would be damn innovative of Apple to do this. It might also explain the usage of the phrase ‘There’s something in the air‘ a bit more clearly. Still this one is a bit unlikely in my opinion.

Alright so we can guess at specs all we like but how do we know this sexy new laptop isn’t either a red herring or simply just vapor? Well amazingly a commenter at 9to5mac, Jon Cotton, found a reference in Google’s cache to ‘MacBook Air‘ in the machine type usage logs for the app Adium. Amazingly this reference to the Macbook Air was made prior to the ‘There’s something in the air’ banners appearing around Moscone Center. So as Cleve Nettles at 9to5mac correctly points out:

1. The MacBook Air is real – our details may be off slightly but the name is real.

2. Either Apple or someone with knowledge of the Macworld 2008 There is something in the air slogan 2 weeks ago sent the rumor sites false info and went to a few websites with public logs with a browser hacked to show “MacBookAir” as machine-type.

Check out 9to5mac for a really great list of speculation and facts on what could possibly be a great new notebook from Apple revealed tomorrow. Or not!

*Editor: Image above is not a REAL product from Apple but an artists rendering. Original from AppleSfera.

I disagree with James because I think the networks are a little smarter than they are normally given credit. It is a very good point that James makes that they would hate to have an easy way for us to get shows for free. However, they also know that everyone and their grandma already owns a TiVo, so that ship has sailed. DVRs aren’t like piracy to the networks. They are actually trying to adapt to them, rather than fighting an unwinnable war against them, a la the RIAA and MPAA. Take a look at all the free episodes available on the networks’ websites and on Hulu; no question these companies (dragging their feet or not) are changing. From their perspective, it really shouldn’t matter that one more company has jumped on the DVR bandwagon, even if it’s one that they do business with.

Digging a little deeper, it is actually a good thing for them to have Apple be the one with DVRs in people’s homes. But you say, the people who buy the Apple TV are probably the same ones that buy shows on iTunes. Now they’ll all stop buying right? Well, yes and no. Sure they won’t keep on buying each episode of a running show; they’ll record those. But as for the shows’ earlier seasons, those will still sell just as well. And putting a DVR in the Apple TV makes it a worthwhile purchase for many people who never considered buying the light-on-the-features first generation machine, definitely a major plus for Apple’s “hobby”. I know I’ll buy one the day they put a DVR in it.

So, now this new money-losing, network killing, Apple TV is in the hands of many more viewers, but guess what, it’s not only a DVR. It also has the ability to buy tv shows and rent movies. So now the networks have a great salesman in the living rooms of people across the country. Most companies’ DVRs have nothing to do with the networks, but Apple’s will actually make them money. I think that’s something they could get on board with. Think of it, if someone is sitting watching tv and there’s nothing on or in the DVR, they might just pop open iTunes with their remote, and buy an episode of a new show a friend told them about, or rent a movie. Just like that, as an offset to decreased iTunes sales where people record the shows instead, the ease of use of iTunes in the living room will bring in far more sales.

James may be right, Apple’s entanglements with the networks could prevent them from doing what customers clearly want. I do think, however, that Apple can explain to the networks why this would be a good thing for everyone. It could be the networks’ last chance to be a part of the DVR trend, rather than just try to adapt to it as an outside force.

Going a little deeper, though, one notices a few fatal problems with this.

Apple already has a business selling TV shows through the iTunes Store. A DVR-enabled AppleTV would cut into this business plan and potentially take money away from Apple. It’s also somewhat unlikely that the content providers (Fox, Sci-Fi, etc) will enjoy customers being able to record their shows and not have to pay royalties, though to counteract this, they may ask for something like the “Zune Tax” in which Microsoft payed Universal $1 for every Zune sold.

While introducing a DVR would make quite a few customers happy, Apple would have a hard time getting studios to agree to it, and it wouldn’t really be in the best interest of their business selling TV shows. Sorry, guys, but I don’t think your DVR will be coming this MacWorld.

Well, this really just isn’t your run-of-the-mill beanbag, it’s at the top of it’s class. The first thing I noticed when it showed up on my doorstep was the pure size of it, however, that’s in now way a bad thing. Once I unpacked it all, there really was no other option than to let it catch your fall.

The size and material of the Omni also allow you to easily just crash on it, and with no effort it’ll morph positions to support even the most demanding reading and gaming sessions. Also, it’s rugged nylon exterior is almost impossible to tear, and it’s quite spill proof, too.

The Omni’s properties also make it one of the most unique beanbags out there, and in many cases it’s less of a beanbag and more of just a giant lounging pillow. Personally, I currently have the Omni setup in my room, and just crash onto it with the MacBook on my lap, in fact, I’m sitting on it right now writing this review. Something else I’d like to point out is that the Omni’s incredibly comfortable for long periods of time. I’ve already sat through a few long writing and movie watching sessions sitting in this preferred position, and now consider it an invaluable part of my setup.

Nonetheless, as with anything, there are a few minor downsides to the Omni as well. Sometimes I’ve found that finding the optimal position for those long sessions can take a few minutes to set up, but luckily, it’s always comfortable anyway. I’d also probably recommend leaning it on a wall or something similar, as that eases the time spent trying to find those optimal positions, and will keep the bag in shape longer just in case you want to get up for a few minutes.

In addition to the moulding issue I’ve also found that the Nylon exterior isn’t so well suited for breathability, and on more than one occasion my back’s become pretty hot and sweaty after prolonged use.

Now, even with all that said, I still wholeheartedly recommend the Omni. Sumo’s done a great job implementing a great degree of comfort in to many of my daily tasks. Price-wise, many of you may think it’s $129 price-tag is “too-much” for a “beanbag”, but I think you can already tell from how much I love the Omni, that it isn’t. The sheer multitude of applications for it surely justifies the price. It’s less than most decent office-chairs, and you can even sleep on it. Some might even consider it’s “space-age” design to incorporate into a chic living space.

Overall, if you’re getting tired of the sofa, looking for a beanbag, or just a plain multi-purpose design-piece, look no further than Sumo’s Omni. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.

The previously thought impossible is now actually possible. With a small appplication available in Installer.app, you can make actual voice calls on your iPod. How cool is that? Read along to find out more.

This software allows you to use your iPod touch along with a WiFi connection to make actual voice calls to landline or mobile phones. When coupled with the necessary homebrew microphone that uses the iPod’s dock adapter (you can find it here), it’s possible to use your iPod touch as if it was any WiFi VoIP phone. To download the app, you first need to add the TouchMods repository to your iPod touch’s Installer.app. The necessary address is: http://touchmods.net/rep.xml

After you download, just click on the green Touchmods logo that will appear on your iPod’s springboard (homescreen). After you enter the details for your SIP VoIP account, push the “Save” button and then you should be good to go.

Below is a video showing the software in action.

This is a pretty nice New Year’s Gift from TouchMods to you all, and you can show them your appreciation on their site. TouchMods is freeware, and available through Installer.app or their website.

Now these updates sound great but what about the thousands of iPhone users running hacked firmware like me? As with previous updates the word on the street is that 1.1.3 will in fact break 3rd party apps and unlocks, and will most likely leave you with a bricked iPhone.

From Jesus Diaz and iPhone hacker Natetrue via Gizmodo:

The update breaks AnySim’s unlocks. Logically, you can’t unlock this update using AnySim and there’s no alternative to iTunes for activation. If you want to activate, it will only work using iTunes and a standard AT&T account. Nate says, “that is the only way we have been able to activate so far.” Nate tried to upgrade an AnySim 1.2u iPhone and it failed. Even while he was able to force it to boot, the phone refused to activate even with a normal AT&T SIM card. “I suspect it’s due to the fact that the baseband could not be upgraded to the 1.1.3 ‘required’ version”, he says.

Other updates remain untested, like iPhone Sim Free or any of the hardware-based ones, like TurboSIM. In theory, these should work just fine, but jailbreak and activation would be absolutely impossible for the time being. We would have to wait until the update gets released in the open to try new alternative activation methods.

While I could live without the 1.1.2 updates, the 1.1.3 actually has some juicy new features. I wonder when Apple is going to get the clue that people are dead set on using their devices as they see fit? Will the February SDK even solve any of these problems, or just create more?

My guess is that, yes, oh yes, the Mac Touch is on its way. My reason? I believe Apple has been prepping us.

No, I’m not simply referring to the iPhone and its interface. Just look at the shape OS X has taken in the last few years. I’m a major fan of keyboarding my way through tasks, but Apple seems bent on making everything gestured. Panther was a step in that direction with Exposé. Gesture to a corner of the screen, perform a number of common tasks, mostly related to finding and changing open windows. Leopard added yet more tasks to the Exposé hot corner list, including Spaces (I’ll get to that in a moment). More strikingly, Leopard also brought Coverflow into the Finder, which, on any Apple notebook from the last few years, can be gestured through with two fingers via the mouse pad.

Finding and changing open windows, navigating through files: both common tasks on any computer, both now made easy on the Mac through gesturing.

Now place two fingers on your screen and flick. Welcome to Spaces on the Mac Touch.

And look at the big old crazy activation switch they put inside Time Machine. Clearly brought over from the iPhone.

Which leads me to my next point of speculation. Remember how Leopard had to be delayed because that team had to go and help the iPhone team get that product all pumped up and out the door on time? Do you think it’s a coincidence that the OS X team, (Team X) and the iPhone team (Team Touch) became engaged in a little cross pollination? I’m not suggesting that having these two teams together in the same room suddenly gave Steve Jobs the eureka moment that gave birth to the Mac Touch concept. No, no, no. But perhaps this mingling session was a more necessary evil than Jobs lead us to believe. Perhaps Team X and Team Touch needed to fuse together certain concepts inherent to the development of, oh, I don’t know, say…the Mac Touch? I mean, since iPhone, iPod Touch and Leopard have all launched, has anyone even seen these guys and gals around?

Perhaps this was the plan all along. Then again, perhaps not. What do you think?

Reports (Engadget, 9to5mac) are coming in from all over, testing the jailbreakme.com site to see if it works with the 1.1.2. Low and behold, it doesn’t. Moral of the story? Wait before you upgrade your iPhone if you want your 3rd party apps, themes, and all the other goodies. You could also wait until Apple releases the SDK, or just hold off on upgrading iTunes until jailbreakme.com figures things out.

There doesn’t seem to be any new “features”, but that may change as hackers start exploring. For now, we’re still without 1st party IM chat, voice notes, or a portable shaver (that last one isn’t planned). If you live in the U.S., 1.1.1 isn’t too bad.

Update: Well never mind, modmyifone is reporting that the iPod touch has indeed been jailbroken, possibly via the symlink exploit hackers have mentioned. Metaplsoit has an interesting article explaining the exploits for the curious.

The iPhone/iPod team, including Pumpkin, Edgan, Dinopio, Drudge, Kroo, and all the rest have already jailbroken the iPod Touch version 1.1.2. The picture above for a jailbroken touch is courtesy of hacker planetbeing.

Details will be coming soon once the method is debugged and some safety features and put in place.

iPhone 1.1.2 Firmware hack has to be coming soon guys. I would advise you to let people guinea pig it for you before attempting it once it lands.

Tom Karpik writes:

Leopard’s Finder has a glaring bug in its directory-moving code, leading to horrendous data loss if a destination volume disappears while a move operation is in action. I first came across it when Samba crashed while I was moving a directory from my desktop over to a Samba mount on my FreeBSD server.

It appears that moving files within your own directory is fine, but moving to other directories can be troublesome if the volume you send to is interrupted. This includes all exterior storages devices: USB keys, External Hard drives, Remote Servers, etc. If you move a file that takes enough time for a disconnect to happen, the only data that remains is the information that has already been copied to the remote server. The source files are then lost.

It is my understanding that the problem happens if you move the file, not if you copy it. A move (where the original is deleted after copy occurs) is executed in the Finder if you hold down the Command button during the drag-and-drop.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber advises to copy all your files instead of moving them, and delete after the copy has occurred. But this is something that can be detrimental to a lot of users. Leopard deletes the source material even if the move hasn’t completed successfully. That doesn’t sound good.

Furthermore, MacRumors is reporting that a certain drive that has been installed in a large amount of Macbooks and Macbook Pros contain hard drives which “[cause] gouges in the hard drive platter.” Once again, perhaps Time Machine wasn’t a feature, but an insurance plan for Apple’s Lawyers!

Could this be the next Apple product to hit the market? Will Apple give the failing tablet PC market a jolt by making a tablet cool? Or will the current offering be the market example? Read the rest

This new retail version brings a lot of new features to the table such as SMS management when the cell-phone isn’t connected, a new plug-in architecture, better OS X integration, and much more.

Installation
If you haven’t already guessed, the communication between your cell phone and the computer is done via Bluetooth, so you don’t need any wires. Adding a phone is very easy, you just have to go to the preferences and make sure that your computer and your cell phone both have bluetooth turned on, and pair them accordingly.

SMS Management
The first main function of BPE2 is to manage your SMS messages. Indeed, you can read, send and archive text messages on your Mac. The function I found the most useful is the possibility to delete several SMS in one click, you select them, hit delete and blammo, they’re gone. On your phone, aside from mass deleting SMS, most of the time you have to delete messages one at a time – whcih is a pain. Here it’s very fast. When writing a message, there is a word counter so that you know how many characters are remaining before the SMS limit. Another good point is the search bar – you can search your messages, so you don’t have to read them one by one to find what you want.

Call Management
The second main function of BPE2 is to manage calls. You can call someone from you computer, answer a call from the computer, and see the history of all your calls. So if you’re working on your computer and don’t want to have to find your cell phone when someone is calling you, BPE2 is the perfect accessory for you. Another thing I liked is that BPE2 features incoming call notification with caller ID and customizable alerts, so you can easily screen calls.

Compatibility
For the most part BPE2 is compatible with a lot of recent cell phones. Of course not all phones are supported but definitely many are. Having said that, for iPhone owners this application is limited because it “works only as a talk-thru device”. Depending on your phone, functions may be liited, so check if your phone is fully compatible with BPE2 before buying. You can check yourself in the phone compatibility list.

Mac OS X Integration

• When someone calls you, BPE2 pauses iTunes, and the DVD player if running. Handy!
• It adds links in your Address Book so when you click on the cell phone number of one of your contacts, a menu appears and you can choose to call or to send an SMS to this person.
• The app displays an icon in the menu bar, indicating your phone’s battery, and network status.
• Full integration with OS X features like AppleScript, the Spotlight, and Speech Synthesis.
• BPE2 also contains a robust plug-in architecture allowing for 3rd party and homebrew modifications.

What’s it Cost?
BPE2 is available at $24.95, and a 14-days demo is available right now from MirsSoftware.

Mac OS X Leopard includes a full set of drivers for Intel’s GMA X3100 integrated graphics chipset. Current MacBooks and Mac Minis use the Intel GMA 950 chipset. The Intel GMA X3100 is the new and improved version that the next generation of machines would presumably use.

For the uninitiated, Intel GMA X3100 is a more powerful graphics processor than the GMA 950 and is the mobile version of the GMA X3000 used in the Intel GL960, GM965 chipsets. Basically, it has better 3D performance and better video decoding.

The iPod line was refreshed just after the back-to-school period. It’s possible that MacBooks and MacBook Pro’s will receive the same treatment before the holidays.

Update 2: That was even faster! The real deal’s out! The new MacBooks come with the following specs (again, from MacRumors):

White 13.3″
$1099.00 2.0GHz/1GB RAM/80GB/Combo/GMA X3100
$1299.00 2.2GHz/1GB RAM/120GB/SD-DL/GMA X3100

Black 13.3″
$1499.00 2.2GHz/1GB RAM/160GB/SD-DL/GMA X3100

… The MacBook Pro now has the option to upgrade to a 2.6GHz processor for $250, and also has the option for a 250GB drive.

Update: That was fast! Well it looks like the new MacBook rumor now holds some water with them being spotted in stores in the US. Macrumors has the scoop:

In an unusual move, Apple has quietly shipped boxes of new MacBooks to their retail stores this week, many of which arrived today. Special instructions on these boxes indicated that they were not to be opened at this time. But according to reports, the boxes do contain updated Santa Rosa MacBooks. We’ve even heard claims that some have been inadvertantly sold to unsuspecting customers.

The specs are said to be as follows:

White 13.3″
- 2.0GHz/2×512MB/80GB/Combo
- 2.2GHz/2×512MB/120GB/SD-DL
- 2.2GHz/2×1GB/160GB/SD-DL

Black 13.3″
- 2.2GHz/2×512MB/120GB/SD-DL
- 2.2GHz/2×1GB/160GB/SD-DL

The 2.0/2.2GHz speeds do suggest that these MacBooks are based on the Santa Rosa chipset, and they reportedly do include the X3100 integrated graphics chip that had been spotted amongst Leopard’s drivers. Note that Apple often sells slightly upgraded models in their retail stores so the 160GB models may be retail configurations.

We can only assume they will be officially announced next Tuesday.

A new method of “jailbreaking” (enabling 3rd party software and other goodies) the iPhone and iPod touch was released by the iPhone dev team in the last couple of days. The procedure makes jailbreaking your iPhone or iPod touch as easy as just simply navigating to a website in the mobile version of the Safari web browser. Now that is easy!

Surf to jailbreakme.com on your Apple mobile device, read through the disclaimers, and select “Install AppSnapp”.

Let the application do it’s magical work and don’t touch it. Depending upon your internet connection, it could take around 5 minutes. Also, don’t worry if your Safari crashes – that happened to me too. Once it’s done, it will go back to the “Slide to Unlock” screen, and once you’re back in, you’ll see an Installer.app icon right on your main screen.

In addition to installing Installer, AppSnapp will patch the Springboard (Apple’s nomenclature for the home screen) to allow for future apps to automatically show up on the iPhone/iTouch’s main screen. In addition, if it’s an unlocked phone, it will automatically fix YouTube, and will activate inactive iPhones automatically, leaving already active iPhones alone.

The most ironic part of the whole procedure is the fact that it actually makes your iPhone or iPod touch more secure than it would have been had you not jailbroken it, due to the fact that it automatically patches the same security hole in Mobile Safari that was used to jailbreak it in the first place. Now there’s truly no reason not to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch because it’s simply that easy. Stay tuned for a coming series that will help you customize your iPhone/iPod touch to the max, and for some of the applications that I like best.

UPDATE: According to some of the commenters, it looks like this works better over Wi-Fi than it does over en EDGE network. Also, Safari is supposed to crash, because that means that it’s exploited the security hole.

Disclaimer: Neither MacApper, nor Jacob Schulman, is responsible for any accidental damage that may ensue should something go wrong in this procedure. However, I can tell you that I have performed this operation multiple times with no failure, and that a simple restore in iTunes will bring your device back to factory settings. Also, should you need to bring in your device to the Apple Store or Genius Bar, it’d be wise to restore it before because loading 3rd party software on the iPhone or iPod touch does void your warranty.

After reading of a few accounts of people using A2DP stereo Bluetooth headphones on their shiny new Leopard machines, I reached into my desk and pulled out a pair of Motorola HT820’s – one of the earlier stereo Bluetooth devices.

After pairing them successfuly with my MacBook Pro, I clicked on the Bluetooth menubar icon that was present. It was a pleasant surprise to see that my headphones were recognized by the machine as being A2DP capable and it gave me the option to “Use Headphones.”

I put on a song in iTunes and sure enough, the sweet sounds of the newest iPod commercial were being played cleanly over Bluetooth. When I decided I had heard enough, I just clicked back into the menubar and intuitively selected, “Don’t Use Headphones.”

Thanks Apple! Yet another hidden gem in your beautifully elegant, yet crazy complex new OS.

Well, it’s a feature that will allow administrators to control who gets on their network, at the wired or access point level. Leopard server also includes a directory integrated radius server, which controls who gets on the wired/wireless network using 802.1x and WPA Enterprise authentication.

Wikipedia.org defines 802.1x as “IEEE 802.1X is an IEEE standard for port-based Network Access Control; it is part of the IEEE 802 (802.1) group of protocols. It provides authentication to devices attached to a LAN port, establishing a point-to-point connection or preventing access from that port if authentication fails. It is used for certain closed wireless access points, and is based on the EAP, Extensible Authentication Protocol (RFC 2284).”

When a user attempts to access your network, the network switch (if it supports 802.1x) or access point will isolate the user and prompt that user for authentication. For instance if you had an Apple Airport Extreme you could set this access point up to use WPA-Enterprise, leveraging the Radius infrastructure now built-in to OSX Server 10.5 (Leopard).

Why deploy a solution like this? The answer is simple. If you need to know or ensure who is accessing your network and from where then you should take a serious look at deploying 802.1x. If you need to protect your wireless network with something stronger than a shared secret and don’t want to manage yet another database of usernames and passwords, then this solution is for you too.

Because Apple typically makes the powerful software easy to use, they have also integrated their Radius server directly into Apple Open Directory. This means you can easily just create a group in Open Directory the way you normally would and assign the access permissions using the tools you are already used to. Here is how it looks from a 10,000 foot view and how it works.

In 802.1x, when the switch receives a link-up or link-down (an indication that a machine has become connected to the port) the switch then prompts the user for credentials in one of several fashions. The most familiar one being the “hotel page,” aptly named for anyone who has accessed the internet from a hotel can tell you. That web page you get asking you to pay or click for your free day of Internet access is an 802.1x authentication page.

In a wireless network the WPA supplicant, which is a piece of software on your Mac or Windows XP/Vista machine will receive an authentication request which can be a pop-up username password box or even a client certificate (x.509) In either case the user must authenticate to gain access to the “wire” and then receive an IP address from a DHCP server. They will then be able to cruise and utilise the network resources that are available.

Another advantage to this type of access control methodology is the auditing that can be provided to administrators allowing for compliance with regulations (HIPPA, SOX, PCI, etc) or incident forensics (who hacked from where). Because Apple has integrated Radius with their Open Directory, it allows users to just remember and use a single set of credentials rather than yet another username and password. Administrators need only worry about maintaining the user accounts and passwords in the directory, rather than having to maintain another user directory or database.

What do you need to deploy a solution like this? Apple OSX 10.5 (Leopard) Server, and either (or both if you are running wired and wireless) an 802.1x capable switch like a Cisco 2924 with appropriate IOS (Check your firmware and cisco.com) for wired networks, or an Apple Airport Extreme/any WPA Enterprise enabled access point (most consumer 802.11g/n routers like D-Link, Linksys, Netgear support this). That’s all, a little configuration time and your off and running. This will support Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista and most Linux clients right out of the box.

I most stress the importance of security on your wired and wireless network and point out that there are more complex access control solutions, like the up and coming NAC (network access control) products from vendors like AEP, Cisco, Juniper and others which do more granular control, end point policy enforcement, and in some cases integrated intrusion detection/prevention.

However, some security is better then none and starting out with WPA Enterprise and 802.1x is better than just open network access and WEP wireless security.

So what’s new? Well, quite a lot really. There are some special features; however, they are installed alongside some tools to make it an extremely easy server to setup.

Apple is calling it ‘The World’s Easiest Server‘ and claiming that no IT department is required. This could be a huge selling point, as most day to day tasks can be done from within one window: Server Preferences. Just like System Preferences in Desktop OS X, you can change users, setup and configure services available on the network, as well as see different information about what the server is doing.

Also new, is iCal Server. This is a new server that allows iCal events to be shared across a network. Although this will work best with iCal, it uses CalDAV, which is an open standard. This is a great feature for any business, as it allows information on “who is where at when” to be shared, allowing easier scheduling of meetings.

There are also some more niche services which come with Leopard Server; these are Wiki Server, and Podcast Producer. These tools will be very useful, especially with collaborative editing with the Wiki Server; however they are likely to have a smaller user base.

A big new feature is Spotlight Server. This makes it easy to find files anywhere on a network. While it may sound like a bit of a security risk, users can only see files which they have permission to see. This is a good new feature, however time will tell as to just how fast it can really perform.

Those are the main new features for OS X 10.5 Server Edition. It seems like a great upgrade, that could bring it into the mainstream; especially when price is considered. OS X Server costs $499 for 10 clients, and $999 for unlimited clients. This is actually a great deal, as Windows Server 2003 is $999 for just 5 clients.

The system requirements are the same as Leopard Desktop Edition, with an 867Mhz G4 or better required, plus 1GB of RAM. However, 20GB of Disk Space is required. Leopard Server is available now, from the online Apple store, or your local brick-and-mortar store. Check out all the features.

It was an achievement worthy of a downtown parade when Apple introduced the first built-in CD/DVD SuperDrive in 2001. The ability to burn a 4GB DVD on the go was amazing. Now thanks to FastMac, you can upgrade to a Blu-Ray optical drive capable of storing up to 50GB of data on a single disc.

FastMac officially announced on October 5th, 2007 that they will make these new drives available within the next 30 days and you can go ahead and pre-order yours for a mere $999.95. For that chunk of change they do give you a 1-year warranty as well as a 30-day money back guarantee. Also included is a copy of Toast 8 Titanium and a 25GB disc.

The vast storage provided by Blu-Ray technology makes it the perfect medium for High Definition video and mass storage. The technology itself is designed to support up to 200GB, but currently, only 50GB is supported. You’ll need some time burning 50GB at 2x, but at least you have the option. Hopefully by the time 200GB discs are supported, faster technology will be in place.

Blu-Ray is the name given to the next generation of optical discs. Instead of using a standard red laser to read and write data, a blue laser is used. I know that sounds really technical, and you’re scratching your head right now to figure out how the color makes a difference. The difference lies in the fact that the blue laser has a 38% shorter wavelength vs the current red laser. This allows Blu-Ray to place data closer together on the disc and in turn give you more storage capacity.

Here’s the list of the Mac candidates currently eligible for the upgrade:

• iBook G4
• iMac G5
• iMac Intel
• MacBook Pro (17-inch)
• Mac mini
• PowerBook G3 Pismo
• PowerBook G4 Titanium (667 Mhz or higher)
• PowerBook G4 Aluminum

FastMac already has a tray-loading upgrade available for for your eMacs, PowerMacs, Mac Pro and iMac G4’s. So if you don’t mind doing a little installation work yourself or finding a local expert to give you a hand, check out FastMac’s Blu-Ray area here and throw those floppy disks away.

So what’s done is done, and the iPhone is now truly unlocked and usable on any carrier, without having to open it. iUnlock was officially released by the iPhone Dev Team but it should be mentioned again that it was the work of well over a dozen dedicated people. Keep in mind that if you expect their to be updates to this stuff, you should make a donation to at least one of the groups I mentioned above.

Unlock the iPhone in OS X – 7 Easy Steps

I have all the files you need and a quick guide for performing the unlock on OS X below. A huge thanks to my Russian friend (guest184) in #iphone.unlock on undernet for putting the guts of this together before going to sleep. I just tested it and it worked fine for me on my iPhone here in Asia on Thai GSM and TRUE. I unlocked several more phones with others to verify the steps. If you need help post in the channel and I will do my best to assist, but I am no expert!

Before you Begin: Restore your iPhone to Apple factory settings and install the 1.0.2 update. This can be done by putting the iPhone into recovery mode. This is done by holding both the select and sleep buttons for 25 seconds while your iPhone is docked. Do this until it reboots and returns with a yellow sign reading: Connect to iTunes. Fire up iTunes. Choose Restore. To confirm your version, go to Settings > General > About > Version on the iPhone.

Warning: These tools are not perfect and while it is quite rare, it is always possbile to brick your iPhone when messing with the firmware, and file structure. Also be sure to set your Settings > General > Auto-Lock to Never. You’ve been warned.

Step 1 – Jailbreaking with iNdependence
You need to jailbreak your iPhone in order to write files to it. There is a lot written about this and it is pretty simple to do (1 click) but it often causes problems. A good tool for doing this is either iNdependence, or iFuntastic. iNdependence works best for me so that is what I will show here. The latest version of iFuntastic (v3.x) installed a lot of uneccesary stuff on my iPhone so I avoided it.

This tripped me up! iNdependence performed consistant jailbreaks for me but it asks for the iPhone firmware files. This is a 92mb download you can grab here. Now you need to rename this file .zip and then unzip it somewhere so you can point to it when iNdependence asks for it. As it’s running you should see this:

Step 2 – Activation
You need to activate the iPhone now. Again this is a 1 click solution from within iNdependence, and it will again ask for the iPhone firmware files from the last step. After some rebooting you should be activated and can now check out the iPhone interface etc. Easy so far!

Step 3 – SSH and Installer
Now we need some tools, specifially SSH installed on the iPhone. In order to do this you need to install installer.app from NullRiver. Others had success installing SSH right from iNdependence but sadly it wouldn’t happen for me.

Installer really kicks ass and will open up a whole new world of iPhone apps you never knew existed. You will really be surprised at what is already available for free. Be sure to set up your wi-fi settings because Installer is so smart it just downloads stuff straight from the internet to your iPhone. Right now we are interested in installing the following in this order:

Alright if those apps installed okay you should be able to SSH to your iphone (user: root / password: dottie):

ssh root@your.iphone.ip

Be sure and change the root password at some point – now is a perfect time:

passwd root

Step 4 – Copy the Needed Files
Okay you can remove the SIM from your phone, we won’t need it until the end of the procedure. Now we need to copy some files from the zip I provided onto the iPhone and get hacking. You can simply do this step with any SFTP client like Transmit, whcih is what I did. Put the files from the zip onto your iphone into these locations, you will not need to create any folders:

/usr/libexec/lockdownd
/etc/termcap
/bin/ice.fls
/bin/nor
/bin/iunlock
/bin/bbupdater

Step 5 – Hack the iPhone
Login to iPhone via SSH and execute the following, everything should be cool but be sure to watch for errors. The NOR dump/patch will take about 20 minutes so grab some Corn Pops:

chmod +x /bin/iunlock
chmod +x /bin/bbupdater
mkdir /usr/local
mkdir /usr/local/etc
/bin/launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
iunlock ice.fls nor
bbupdater -v

Step 6 – tweak the Modem Settings
Now we need to tweak the modem a bit. Again in SSH run:

minicom -s

It will yammer about no config file found which is just fine. Select serial port setup, and change /dev/modem to /dev/tty.baseband, save setup as dfl, exit.

You now should have intialized the modem and are dumped to a command line within minicom 2.2. You are so close now it’s not even funny. Type:

AT+CLCK=”PN”,0,”00000000″

AT+CLCK=”PN”,2

Both command shoud result in an OK response from minicom.

Step 7 – Dance Around the Room
Reboot the iPhone and slap your SIM card in now. You should now be basking in the warm glow of having a fully unlocked iPhone. If not don’t despair. These tools are not perfect and not everyone pulls off the unlock on their first attempt (me included). If you have a problem, a restore and restarting the procedure over again can very likely yield different results.

If you have difficulty you may also want to check out GeeZuZz’s excellent unlocking resource, the Hackint0sh forums, or jump in Undernet on IRC, #iphone.unlock for a live chat.

Until this sexy device makes its way into the Indonesian market (congratulations to those of you who live in US and Europe), or is unlocked, I guess I’ll just have to settle with my Windows Mobile-based PDA phone. Yes, it still maintains the well known reputation of happily-crashing-every-now-and-then.

Now, with the mentioned habit above, I need to be assured that my data is always safe and accessible. Problem is, Windows doesn’t really like to go on a date with my Mac. OS X’s built in synchronization tools, aka iSync, doesn’t really work with a Windows Mobile based PDA phone. So how could one synchronize his/her most important data from the PDA phone to the Mac?

Enter Missing Sync for Windows Mobile by Mark/Space.

The Missing Sync is the long lost connection that bridge both Windows Mobile and Mac. Compared to its Window’s counterpart, ActiveSync, The Missing Sync packs a lot more functions and features. It will synchronize your contacts, bookmarks, calender events, call logs, files, and much much more.

It also has the ability to integrate iTunes with your device so it will synchronize your music as well. Cool? There’s more. The Missing Sync is also able to connect with your device through USB cable, or even Bluetooth. You can install Windows Mobile .cab based software direct to your device and like I said earlier, it has all the main features of ActiveSync, plus a few more. This is definitely a must have for a Mac user with a Windows Mobile based phone, like me.

Installation is a breeze. Synchronizing for the first time was Plug and Play, and soon enough, my contacts, photos, files, SMS, calenders, and more were all synchronized. Too easy! Now I can easily edit my contacts with Address Book and load it back to the phone. The Missing Sync will also remind you if you haven’t been synchronizing your device in a while.

Overall, The Missing Sync is very user friendly, despite the fact that it packs such a punch. There are so many features and functions that it makes other synchronization software look a bit half-developed. With a price tag of $39.95, I consider it as a worthwhile investment. Pick it up here.

And so, in the end, Mac OS X succeeded in taking out Windows Mobile on a date, and they live happily ever after. The End. (Oh the irony -Ed)