Encode video for iPhone and iPod

iTunes does not recode or transcode movies to the format you iPod og iTunes supports (for that you would need Quicktime Pro, but that doesnt work very well).

There has been quite a lot of different applications that could do this (Videora Ipod Converter, Nero and others), but mostly aren’t updated on the best codecs to use for the latest iPod (Classic and Touch) and iPhone.

XviD4PSP does. Even though the name would make you think otherwise; it supports xbox 360, ps3, psp,  iphone and ipod.

SMS on iPhone

iPhone has a default SMS application, but it does not support forwarding or templates.
There are some 3rd party applications:

• iSMS (templates, forwarding, supports 1.1.4 FW)
• weTool (forwarding, sms and phone log in one app)
• SMSD (templates, forwarding, some extra functions does not work out of the box on 1.1.4.)

I would say weTool is the weakest, since I would only want a good SMS util. SMSD was quite good, since one can name templates, but I like iSMS better, since it is more often updated and har smilies support plus some.

PS: To use SMSD, remember not to have any empty conversations. It crashes if there is any.

winpwn beta out!

The windows version of PwnageTool is released in beta form here:
http://www.winpwn.com

PwnageTool has also been updated to version 1.1 for OSX, that supports the latest 2.0 Beta firmware.

Fring, a mobile internet service & community that supports gtalk, msn, skype and more has now released an app for iphone, so it is now possible to call with skype with iphone over wifi. To install:

http://www.fring.com/iphone/

iPhone stuph

http://code.google.com/p/iphonefs/

Still beta, but this can enable alot of interesting apps, like syncing etc, without using iTunes.

http://www.apolloapp.com/

Another IM client, but seems to have halted in development, in the wait for Firmware 2.0 and the SDK

http://www.iphoneskinning.com/2007/11/native-iphone-currency-converter.html

Want currency but not a new application? Use the Stocks application for it!

http://iappcat.com

Place to search for any applications for iPhone.

http://touchmods.wordpress.com/

Voip on iPhone. Need to use the headset to work. Seems also that Jajah will make a voip application (will only work over Wifi. Cheap voIP providers:

• http://www.voipcheap.com
• http://www.voipbuster.com
• http://www.phonzo.no/forside

BSD Subsystem vs Cydia

To have all the typical unix tools on the iPhone one usually installs BSD Subsystem. Unfortunatly if one installs this, it is impossible to remove it. Only a complete restore will do that.

Another have been released, Cydia, that claims to have a much better solution and follows much better the unix standard. (The BSD Subsystem has been hacked together quickly just to have something to work with on iPhone).

You can read more about this on the page where you can get Cydia:

http://www.saurik.com/id/1

Aftermath

So after getting the iPhone to work as .. a phone, thats just the beginning.

There are heaps of modifications and applications to it. And I will write some about the ones I use and stumble across here.

The easy first: I have set up Wikipedia, Facebook, and Google Reader (RSS Reader) and Beejive (MSN, Gtalk web based client) as webclips. It is easy: Go to theese pages, and then instead of adding them as bookmarks you choose Add to Home Screen. Then you have a shortcut on Home screen to theese places.

Then I have added some other applications that I think is good to have:

Converter Converts between everything you ever imagine. Currency as well!

MobileChat Chat client for MSN, Gtalk et. Is native (in comparison to Beejive). Can force WLAN to be on all the time

Tevee I installed a norwegian modified one for norwegian channels

Flashlight Turns your iPhone to a flashlight. Brightest screen of white!

In addition I have played a little with the instruments (Guitarist, Pianist, Drummer). iPhysics game is quite popular since it makes use of the accelerometer. Terminal is also a good thing to have if you want to access the inner parts of iPhone without installing SSH Deamon witch will make good use of you battery (I have not installed it, but it is possible to turn it off and on with some preference application I have heard)

iPhone i18n

i18n; Internationalization and localization

This will make the iPhone recognize +47 xxxxxxxx numbers calling, get you set up with norwegian keyboard, Get the voicemail shortcut call your real answering machine, and stop iPhone telling you your call has been forwarded and display your carrier with a graphics instead of text.

I followed geircito’s guide to get it all working perfect for norwegian:

- trykk Installer-ikon på iPhone,
- trykk Install-ikon, scroll ned og trykk på iFon Norway (1.1.3-4),
Hvis du ønsker norsk oversettelse: scroll ned og trykk
- enten på iFon NO overs. (1.1.4) (oversettelse av bohtho hos iFon.no)
- eller på iFon NO overs. (1.1.4) alt.2 (geircito’s oversettelse = NerdPhone)
– trykk Add to Queue

Her skal du velge ett av to, avhengig av hvilket SIM-kort du har:
- Norsk SIM-kort: trykk Skandinavisk telefonstøtte, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
- Andre SIM-kort: trykk Europeisk telefonstøtte, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue

- trykk Fjern viderekobling, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
- trykk Grafisk operatørlogo, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
- trykk Internasjonal (1.1.4), trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
- trykk Norsk ordbok, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
- trykk Norsk telefonformat, trykk Install, trykk Install
- trykk 3 x OK (til “Du må nå restarte din iPhone”)
- trykk hjemme-knapp, vent litt, dra “slide to unlock” til høyre
- reboot iPhone (hold inne av/på-knappen i 5 sek), dra “slide to power off” til høyre
- slå på iPhone (hold inne av/på-knappen i 2 sek), vent litt…

G4) Aktivere norsk støtte for iPhone (og evt. språk)
- trykk Settings-ikon på iPhone, trykk General, trykk International,
– trykk Region Format, scroll helt ned og trykk på Norwegian Bokmål, trykk Norway
– trykk International (oppe til venstre),
– trykk Keyboards, scroll ned og trykk på Norwegian Bokmål (ON)
– hvis du ikke installerte norsk oversettelse: trykk hjemme-knapp
Hvis du ovenfor også installerte norsk oversettelse:
– trykk International (oppe til venstre),
— trykk Language, trykk Norsk Bokmål, trykk Done (oppe til høyre)
—- iPhone skifter språk og returnerer automatisk til hjemmeside

G5) Aktivere Voicemail-knappen til å ringe Mobilsvar
- trykk Telefon/Phone-ikon på iPhone
- trykk Talltaster/Keypad-ikon
- slå inn følgende nummer og trykk Ring/Call
Telenor: *5005*86*91509001#
tele2: *5005*86*47230001#
Ventelo: *5005*86*47471000#
OneCall: *5005*86*47919191#
NetCom, Chess: *5005*86*92100000#
(stjerne 5005 stjerne 86 stjerne mobilsvarnummer firkant)
- trykk hjemme-knapp

H) HELNORSK TASTATUR MED ÆØÅ
Det er opp til eiere av iPhone om de vil installere æøå-tastaturet (en må ikke).
Tastaturet er beheftet med noen bugs pga. Mobile Enhancer, men det fungerer.

- trykk Installer-ikon på iPhone,
- trykk Install-ikon, scroll ned og trykk på iFon Norway (1.1.3-4),
– scroll ned og trykk på MobileEnhancer, trykk Install, trykk Add to Queue
– scroll ned og trykk på Norsk tastatur, trykk Install, trykk Install
– vent litt, trykk OK (til “Du må nå restarte din iPhone”), vent litt…
- trykk hjemme-knapp, dra “dra for å åpne” til høyre
- reboot iPhone (hold inne av/på-knappen i 5 sek), dra “dra for å slå av” til høyre
- slå på iPhone (hold inne av/på-knappen i 2 sek), vent litt…

- trykk Innstillinger/Settings-ikon på iPhone,
– trykk Generelt/General, trykk Internasjonalt/International, trykk Tastatur/Keyboards,
– scroll helt ned og trykk på Russisk/Russian (viktig: 2 tastaturer må være aktivert)
- trykk hjemme-knapp
- trykk Notater/Notes, trykk det lille globusikonet (til venstre for mellomromstasten),
– se så, nå kan du velge mellom tastaturene, trykk hjemme-knapp
Aktivert norsk eller æøå-tastatur = norsk ordbok, aktivert engelsk tastatur = engelsk ordbok.

This is all copied from this thread (and all credits goes to geircito):

http://ipod1.no/forum/viewtopic.php?f=153&t=189570

PS: I do not recommend the use of Ziphone for jailbreaking etc. Read my other post on this issue. Use rather PwnageTool for this.

iPhone hacked

Well, lets go quickly through my iPhone experience hack:

I first started reading about the typical hacks to do. One has to

1. Jailbreak (enable read/write access to the iPhone)
2. activate (to enable it to start up as normal) and finally
3. unlock it (enable other SIM cards to be used)

Thats the basics. At this time there has been made a couple of tools to do all this for you quite easily. Ziphone has been one popular choice, for one reason; It is available on Windows. iPlus was a good choice for Mac users. But just the week before I got my iPhone the iPlus ppl came out with iLiberty (+/X) for both Windows and Mac, and promised some things better than Ziphone. First some complains the guy behind Ziphone copies alot of stuff and do not credit the ppl. The other is Ziphone does downgrade the bootloader to version 3.9 from 4.6 (if you have new enough iphone) to a version that is not possible to upgrade up from. And iTunes does not flash your bootloader when you do a restore, so you got stuck.

The reason to downgrade to 3.9 is that it can be hacked to enable any SIM card to work. But downgrading the bootloader also makes you need to run a older baseband module (the software for connecting up to the phone network). One example is the GPS-lite feature will not work with the old baseband without some workarounds.

Thats was short (no?) explained I picked iLiberty ofcorse. But since it was so fresh, it had its problems. Firmware 1.1.3 and newer had changed the running user from root to mobile, so some permission issues on directories happened. I experiences theese (not able to store settings). My friends chose to use Ziphone and did not have theese issues.

Well, there was a new thing in the horisont: PwnageTool from DevTeam. It promised to be able to modify the bootloader so one could install any firmware even if it was not sig checked. With other words: Custom Firmware! So I waited a couple of days, and it got released. But only for Mac. Luckily enough one work collegue had one, so I borrowed it and went through from the beginning to hack my iPhone (starting with a complete fresh restore with iTunes).

Since then, pretty much everything works. I had to install a permission fix on the cache for Safari, so pages rememberd me and I stayed logged in.

But there was some settings I had to do to get it work perfect for norwegian conditions (where I live). I will write about this next blog.

iPhoned!

Then I got myself a iPhone. Yay! The small 8Gb version. Yeah, I know just 100 bucks for 8 more, but in just few months we will see the new 3G iPhone and in a year I bet the storage will have increased and the size have gone down. So its better to not spend too much on this one before it goes out of date. And anyway.. I got my 160Gb Ipod Classic witch stores my music. the Iphone will primary be for video (since I now got the video kit that works with both nicely).

I will blog some about my experiences about patching, modding etc of the iPhone.