There are a number of reasons why a person might want to jailbreak their iPhone. This list includes data tethering, using it on another carrier and running unauthorized apps. Of course if you aren’t careful, you could leave your device vulnerable to a rather simple attack. Recently a number of people discovered a rather troubling message on their jailbroken phones, informing them that they had indeed been hacked.
The message, seen to the right, was left on a number of people’s phones with a link to the hacker’s website. Originally the hacker was asking for €5 in exchange for a fix, though he has now simply posted the fix on his site. So how did he pull it off? It’s simple really.
He used port scanning on the T-Mobile network (in the Netherlands) to find iPhones running SSH. This is something generally necessary when jailbreaking an iPhone. Armed with the knowledge that many people don’t bother changing the default password, he was able to gain access to a number of phones. He then changed the wallpaper to make it look as though there was an SMS alert being displayed.
It’s good that the hacker changed his tune and made the fix available for free. It does bring up a very, very valuable point. Regardless of what we’re talking about, be it desktop, phone or server; change the root password!
Whether you can’t afford an iPhone (what are they? like $7 now with a 10-year contract?) and want to look like you can, or you need a prop for a photoshoot or something, iPhoneDummy.net will sell you a non-working iPhone 3G display model for just $19.95 with free worldwide shipping. The iPhone ‘dummies’ as they’re called feel and weigh exactly like the real thing, but don’t contain all the electronicy bits inside that are necessary for them to turn on, make calls, etc. And if you send them videos or photos of your iPhone dummy “smashing/crashing/trashing/microwaving” you’ll get 25% off your next order!
Remember that awesome TomTom iPhone car kit that we told you about not too long ago. Well if you’re one that loves to blow unnecessarily large amounts of money on something only moderately useful, you’re in luck. Apple has finally started carrying the overpriced cradle over at their store for the promised $120 price. Don’t hurt yourself in your excitement to order it and purchase the $99 app that goes with it.
Being able to trim clips was a nice addition to the iPhone 3GS’ video recording capabilities, but sometimes you just want to do a bit more before sending your videos off to YouTube for the world to judge them. Now before the original iPhone was released there were rumors that a stripped down version of Final Cut Pro might be secretly included, but that never came to fruition. But the ReelDirector app from Nexvio looks like a pretty decent alternative.
It lets you do everything from adding titles and credits, to editing and re-arranging clips on a timeline, to adding transitions, but what better way than a video to show you what a video editing app is really capable of?
If you find yourself using the Voice Memos app on the iPhone a lot, or capture a lot of videos, this tiny pseudo-shotgun mic for the iPhone 3G and 3GS claims to provide “10 times better audio reception!” for just $14. It plugs into the iPhone’s headphone jack and can be pointed in any direction for capturing audio directly from the source, and according to Brando it gains 25+ db over the iPhone’s built-in mic.
From the people who brought you the XShot Camera Extender, the pole that makes it easier to snap self portraits from a distance, comes the XShot iPhone case.
Made from durable “chrome plastic” the XShot is designed to fit the iPhone 3G & 3GS and features a 1/4″ screw tripod mount located in the lower left corner which allows you to mount it to basically any tripod on the market, including (surprise, surprise) the XShot Camera Extender! Of course if you’re trying to grab a self-shot that way you’ll also need to find a third-party camera app that includes a timer, since you won’t be able to push the iPhone’s camera button when it’s perched 3 or 4 feet away from you.
The XShot iPhone Case isn’t available just yet, but you can pre-order from the company’s site for $29.95 if you’re already convinced it’s a must-have.
Keys are one of those objects that seems almost archaic when you think about them. We have so many technologies at our disposal, you have to wonder why we rely on these so heavily. If you don’t have a car with a fancy keyless setup, you can now add a Viper StartSmart system that will let you control your car from your iPhone.
The new StartSmart System won’t have you driving your car from an iPhone, but you can do a host of other functions:
While it’s convenient that the iPhone and the entire iPod line (minus the old-school firewire versions) can recharge over USB, I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all been in the situation where you connected your device to someone else’s computer to charge it, only to have it try and sync with their copy of iTunes. But the Sync Blocker cable solves that problem with a simple switch that can be set to charging & HotSync, or just charging. It’s just $12.99 from USBFever.com and supports all of the iPhones and iPod Touches, as well as the more recent versions of the iPod Classic and Nano.
I’ve never rode on a motorcycle, but I would imagine that using an iPhone on one wouldn’t be the easiest of tasks. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even bother trying. Of course those that are more skilled at riding might want to do so, and for those people there is the iBike Rider Case.
This waterproof wrist-mounted (or handlebar-mounted) case is just about the only way you could hope to use your favorite phone on a bike. You obviously aren’t going to be able to have your hands free enough to operate it, so the hard plastic case isn’t going to allow you to take advantage of the touchscreen. It does have an optional battery pack that will allow you to use functions like GPS without leaving your battery dead when you reach your destination. You can also purchase a separate headset that will allow you to talk on the phone through your helmet. The case itself is going to set you back about $57, or you can get a bundle with the headset and case for $85. If you want the battery back as well, all three items together will run $159.
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By Andrew Liszewski
