Author Archives: John

iPhone Progress

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Lots of progress recently on the iPhone front (been busy with that, and a couple of other research projects for work, hence the lack of posts). Tonight I uploaded the source for a little tool called iOpener that combines the jailbreak function with the installation of the dropbear ssh server.

It is based on the well documented iPhoneInterface app developed by the folks at the iPhone Dev Wiki, but removes the shell function and replaces it with pre-programmed commands (the same way the jailbreak app automates the process of getting out of the chroot jail). It also employs the same trick as jailbreak to enable iTunes to function correctly as well (and therefore also supports the latest versions of iPhoneInterface).

For now you can download it from here. I’ll re-host it somewhere on bluedonkey.org soon. Next target for me is to get Devicescape‘a hotspot login application running on the phone… Since we have a Mac OS X version, I’m hoping it will port easily now there is a toolchain in existence.

iPhone Application Development

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New iPhone ApplicationMaking some progress on getting applications installed on the iPhone. There is still a lot of work to do though, and the team over at the iPhone Dev Wiki (you can find them through their IRC channel: #iphone @ irc.osx86.hu, or using Google, but they ask people not to link directly) are making a lot of valuable discoveries towards this goal.

The photo, which is real, shows a new icon on the SpringBoard screen; the icon is Devicescape‘s and provides a clue as to what I am trying to add to the iPhone. Currently it just launches the FieldTest app though.

First Stones Laid

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Yard Day ThreeSo, completely off the topic of the iPhone, Nokia N95 or anything technical at all, here’s a photo of the first few stones of our new back yard patio, laid today.

Today was actually day three of the job. The first two days were about getting the irrigation system laid, raising the drains up to the right level for the patio and generally preparing things.

Nokia N95 vs Apple iPhone

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iPhone & Nokia N95I’ve had the iPhone for a few days now (and the N95 for over a month), so I thought I’d post a little comparison. There are plenty of other places out there with reviews and comparisons, and the N95 is the obvious phone to compare it to.

The first surprise with the iPhone though is how heavy it is. The N95 feels like a hollow shell by comparison!

Purely from the specs, the N95 has the iPhone beaten. That topic has been beaten to death everywhere, including a series of amusing YouTube videos in the Apple Mac vs PC style.

The UI though leaves the Nokia in the dust (and I’m not even going to talk about Windows Mobile – that should just be purged from the earth). Most of the apps make good use of the UI too, especially the flick scrolling.

Both devices are amazing, but both have their flaws too. The N95 interface is clunky at times, though even the stunning UI on the iPhone has problems – the keyboard is really hard to use. The camera on the iPhone is terrible, though the N95 one has issues at times too (I’ve had days, like today, when the auto-focus just refuses to lock).

The biggest thing that is missing from the iPhone though is simple: no third party applications. It comes with essentially 13 applications on top of the basic mobile phone behaviour. My N95 comes with over 20 applications, and I can add more very easily. I currently have Opera Mini, Google Maps, ScreenShot and, of course, Devicescape.

Zephyr Cove Tree

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Zephyr Cove TreeBeen a while since I’ve posted anything – lots going on at work, and a short trip to Tahoe at the end of last week making it hard to find the time to post something here.

This photo, taken with the Nokia N95, is one of the shots taken in Tahoe. There are more from the N95 in the Flickr stream, and the ones from the 20D will come soon (I have to get them off the CF cards first!).

Also, I will have some more comments on the N95 soon too (although there are no shortage of other people reviewing it on the web at the moment, and comparing it to the Apple iPhone).

Save Internet Radio

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SaveNetRadio.orgOf all the Wi-Fi enabled devices I own or use regularly (and since I work for a Wi-Fi company that’s quite a lot of devices) is my Roku Labs Soundbridge M2000. This amazing little device sits in our family room, connected to the Denon stereo system, and can play music either from my PowerBook’s iTunes library when I have it switched on, or more importantly to me from internet radio stations.

I’ve always been a big fan of radio (I tend to listen to radio in the car in preference to CDs, unless they talk too much or play too many commercials). Most nights I switch on the M2000 and listen to internet radio (currently Sky.fm‘s Best of the 80‘s channel).

But it seems that the exceptionally short-sighted and greedy music industry is trying to shut down internet radio by making them pay outrageous royalties on the music that they play. Quite why they should be paying more royalties than FM stations or satellite radio stations I don’t know. Seems stupid to me, so how about helping keep internet radio alive by heading over to SaveNetRadio.org.

FON & China Both Block Flickr Images

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At the end of last week it would seem that China decided to block access to Flickr images. The block is still in place, so most people in China remain unable to access any photos, including their own, hosted on Flickr’s servers. The rest of the world needs to tale note of this type of activity and respond appropriately. Perhaps China should simply be disconnected from the internet until they accept that it must be an all or nothing thing. Selective blocking should not be tolerated.

Then, over the weekend hotspot operator FON also, unintentionally we assume, blocked access to half of the images in Flickr (by breaking the DNS entry for one of the two image servers that Flickr uses to host photos).

Tonight it would seem that FON have once again broken access to half the images (the same half). The details of the break are different, but the end result is the same: farm2 is inaccessible from machines connected through the FON network (either the hotspot side, or the secure personal network that the Fonera boxes provide).

Canvas Print

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Canvas PrintA while back now I ordered a framed canvas print of my favourite thistle photo from PictureFrames.com. The print itself is 20″ square, and it is framed in a 2″ wide frame (so the whole thing is 24″ square). And it is spectacular. The photo on the right shows some of the detail; this one shows the entire frame.

It arrived the day before I left for the two weeks in Europe, and has been sitting at the house waiting for me ever since. This weekend I finally got around to hanging it (it was measured to fit into a recess area in our bathroom).