"All Your Base Are Belong To Us!"

Now that the iPhone is crazy-easy to hack (all you need is a warm finger and a splash of wifi) the iPhone Hacking Spirit is criss-crossing the globe faster than Steve Jobs can say "If you don't stop, we're gonna brick your phone." If you're feeling festive, and would like to be a part of all the fun, we recommend hopping into your local Apple store and hacking all the phones on display.

Which brings up an interesting question... Will Steve brick his own phones? We bet not. Needless to say, expect an iPhone software update very soon. And we're betting it will be pretty juicy, because no one is going to give up their funky NES emulator for 'increased stability.'

Hack Your iPhone (iTouch) With 1 Finger

If you've been wanting to add super-cool stuff to your iPhone but were intimidated by the one page set of instructions, we've got something for you.

Now, you can hack your iPhone without opening iTunes or even hooking your iPhone up to your computer. To work this wonderful magic on your precious, simply navigate to www.jailbreakme.com on your iPhone, and use your finger to click the link for AppSnapp. After a few moments, your iPhone will reset and you will have a new application called installer on your iPhone. Open this application (by tapping it) then tap sources and install (again by tapping) community sources which will give you a beautiful list of awesome games and stuff for your iPhone.

Right now is a good time to hack your iPhone.

UPDATE #1 This would be the coolest thing ever... if it worked. Many iPhonePOV readers have been contacting us with complaints about this badboy not working. Give it a shot and let us know your experience.

UPDATE #2 Regular contributor Badweasel pointed out that the hack is actually a very large web page, and as such, it takes a while to download. So be patient, and you will be rewarded.

iNano Spotted

iPhonePOV reader, Moogumboo602 was kind enough to submit this photo of the iPhone Nano he found on the web. At first we thought it was the real thing, and then we realized it's not an iPhone Nano, it's just a guy with really big hands.

Credit Only For iPhones?

Apparently the financial wizards at Apple know something about American money that we don't. Effective immediately, Apple will no longer accept American Dollars as payment for an iPhone. Fortunately, they are still accepting credit cards, debit cards and thong-dollaz.

We here at iPhonePOV are really scratching our heads over this move, because the last time we checked, the American Dollar was 'legal tender for all debts, public and private.' The official word from Apple was some mumbo-jumbo about preventing would-be unlockers from getting their grubby unlocking hands on the iPhone. How does not taking dollars stop unlocking? We don't know. After all, unlocking the iPhone is not illegal, so forcing buyers to leave a digital trail is not going to stop unlocking. It's all very strange. We're not exactly sure what they're smoking down there at Infinity Loop, Coopertino, but they might want to call their dealer and ask for a refund.

Incidentally, if you're trying to stay off-the-grid and you really want to buy an iPhone (which is indeed a paradox), you could always use your hard-earned (and somewhat useless) cash to buy a Visa Gift Card, which looks and feels like a credit card, and will probably fool the geniuses at the Apple Store.

iPhone Is Funtastic (Again)

If you've been waiting to hack your iPhone because you:
A) are a big sissy... or

B) weren't sure how to deal with the whole "1.1.1 firmware upgrade my break your phone" warning Apple so kindly offered with their last upgrade... stop waiting.

iFuntastic 4 is here. This badboy will hack your iPhone (including upgrading your phone from firmware 1.0.2 to 1.1.1) help you install programs, make you breakfast in bed and change your dirty sheets.

Don't just sit there staring at your boring iPhone... Make is sizzle, make it pop, make it sing!

This program is so awesome, it's now no longer free. After five uses, you'll have to shell over $5 bucks for continued (unlimited) use. Even if you only paid $300 bucks for your iPhone (which is $300 less than the 34 people currently working at iPhonePOV paid) you can afford $5 bucks.

UPDATE #1 iFuntastic v4.6.1 is not playing well with Leopard. If you have upgraded from Tiger to Leopard, we recommend waiting for an iFun update before using it to hack your iPhone.

iPhones United

Just the other day, we were all excited about Apple giving in to the demands of its users with the announcement of an SDK for 3rd party applications in February. Well, we can't wait that long. So in the meantime, for your general enjoyment and for the betterment of your iPhone, we highly recommend taking advantage of the dozens of applications and nifty modifications easily available with installer.app (version 3 now works with iPhone firmware 1.1.1) from nullriver.

If you're still hesitant to do these wonderful things, check out this killer-diller gallery of hacked iPhones from around the world. In all of these pictures, the iPhone is personalized in the way a personal computer (or even a smart phone) should be. They look simply personable. Now look at your unhacked iPhone.... it looks exactly the same as the iPhone used by grandmother's across the world.

World's Cheapest iPhone Remote

If you've ever tried to use your iPhone to play music while driving, you know how hard it can be to change the song on a touch screen while obeying the law. Well, worry no more, 6-year old-girls in China have come up with a little something-something which which will help you change your tunes when you're driving: The world's cheapest (Apple knock-off) iPhone remote. This puppy is $6 bucks delivered (direct from Honk Kong.) And it works. It's a little cheap feeling, but it works. This site has other crazy cheap items, so be sure to zoom around and wonder how they can offer the new iPod Nano for $37 bucks. (Hint: It's not an iPod Nano, it's a rip-off imitation.)

PS Don't blame us if this thing doesn't work. You get what you pay for. But ours worked, so you never know.

Let There Be Light!

Turns out bitching and moaning sometimes does work.

As you all know, many of the top editors at iPhonePOV have been constantly bitching and moaning about the lack of 3rd party applications for the iPhone. Well, seems someone has been listening. Just this morning, Apple announced it is working on an official SDK for the iPhone. For you stupid people, SDK means Software Development Kit. Which, for the very stupid, means programmers will soon be able to develop native (non-web-based) software for the iPhone. One bummer remains--the SDK won't be available until February. Better late than never. Thank you, Steve. We'll keep it.

Here's a letter from Steve explaining how he always wanted 3rd party applications for the iPhone, but for some inexplicable reason decided to wait eight months to release an SDK.

Apple Selling Unlocked iPhones...

...in France. Turns out those crazy Frenchies have a law which prohibits locking cell phones to a particular carrier. So after all the hub-bub about locking and unlocking and bricking and unbricking, Apple will soon begin selling the phone every American wants, to the French population. If that's not a case for socialism, I don't know what is.

The Time Has Come

If you've made your iPhone better than everyone elses with delicious hacks, you've probably been wondering, when, if ever you were going to upgrade to firmware 1.1.1... Well, today would be a good day. Three hackers who work out of a Toyota mini-van that constantly circles the city of Columbus, Ohio have released a helper app with instructions for adding 3rd party software onto an iPhone with firmware 1.1.1. It's called Independence which is quite apropos.

Before you upgrade, we suggest downloading all of your pictures and restoring your iPhone to firmware 1.0.2, also make sure you have the latest version of iTunes before you upgrade to firmware 1.1.1. Then, and only then, you will be ready for Independence.

And remember, do this stuff at your own risk, Apple is playing hardball, and when the hardballs hit, they hit... well... hard.

If your phone is unlocked (which is different than simply hacked) or it is bricked, Independece is not for you. There are things that can help you, but they are hidden in an underground vault in Coopertino.

The Un-Apple, Apple Web Apps Directory

It appears apple is sticking firmly to its position of only allowing web-based applications for the iPhone and has just announced an iPhone Webapps Directory. We took a close look at this apps directory and we feel it generally stinks for at least three reasons:

1 Webs apps stink. They're clunky and even the best of them don't feel like iPhone-native programs.

2 We think this list of apps is Apples way of saying look at all he cool stuff on the web, why would you want to actually install stuff on your iPhone? Well, lets see... maybe because every other computer and smart phone in the world has custom applications, or maybe because web apps don't work anywhere you can't access the web, like on an airplane or when you're in an underground CIA torture chamber. (And let's not even mention how relying on EDGE for applications constitutes its own special form of torture.)

3 Format. If this Application Directory is for iPhone applications, why does the page looks so crummy on an iPhone? Come on Apple, you designed the thing, at least make your web offerings look good on it. It's a terrible layout for an iPhone--when you zoom in on the application descriptions, you can't even see the icons!

All in all, The Apple iPhone Web Directory is very Un-Apple. Boo-hoo.

Roller Bars Tip

Here's something you might not know that can make the iPhone easier to use. When you are setting an appointment time in the calendar, or dealing with any of the iphone selection rollers (like a safari pop-up list) you can flick and roll, or you can tap. Tap 1 one line above or below the current selection and the roller will roll 1 one line in that direction. Tap 2 lines above or below and the roller will move 2 lines. This makes picking the exact time for an appointment much easier than rolling to it.

Faster Edge Surfing Part 2

Ever wonder why the back of the iPhone is 2/3 metal and 1/3 (black) plastic? Well, there's a reason. Apparently EDGE radio signals have a tough time wiggling their way through metal. So Apple (reluctantly) added some plastic to the back of the iPhone right above the EDGE antennae. While this is all interesting from a physics standpoint, how does it effect us? Well, turns out your hands can also do a pretty good job of interfering with EDGE signals. For a slight boost in EDGE speeds, try to avoid smothering the black plastic bottom of the iPhone with your meaty hands. Here are some scientific tests that support this claim.

UPDATE #1 It seems the link above suggests various methods for holding the iPhone which can greatly increase the odds of dropping your precious. (iPhonePOV's comptroller dropped hers in the toilet!) So be careful!

The Mouse Bites Back

TUAW is reporting that they have managed to 'jailbreak' a 1.1.1 iPhone. If this is true, it won't be long until we have 3rd party apps and the wifi music store on the same iPhone. Whheeee.

Hacking 1.1.1

Erica, a crazy hacker genius, is well on her way to hackin' up iPhone firmware 1.1.1 In fact, right now she is actually live blogging her progress at TUAW. She currently has full read access and limited write access, which basically means they'll crack it in the next few days--hopefully.

Apple Vs. Palm

There's a great article on the New York Times website about 3rd party applications and the iPhone. Here's an excerpt:

This is what Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, said to Newsweek in January:

“You don’t want your phone to be an open platform,” meaning that anyone can write applications for it and potentially gum up the provider’s network, says Jobs. “You need it to work when you need it to work. Cingular doesn’t want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up.”

That sounds reasonable until you realize that there are many millions of phones that run operating systems from Palm, Microsoft and others for which third-party applications are created all the time, and networks don’t seem to be crashing as a result.

You Must Check it.

Think Different

This video says it all. Apple, you're wrong. Open up the iPhone.

Click To Play

The scolling video shows all of the 3rd party applications that will no longer work on the iPhone. The Voice belongs to Richard Dreyfuss and was lifted from one of the first commercials approved by Steve Jobs after he was put in charge of Apple in the late 1990's.

UPDATE #1: In response to dozens of complaints, this video has been re-posted so it can be viewed on an iPhone.