Posts filed under ‘Mobile’

So you started drinking early and put some regrettable images up on Facebook, or really spoke your mind on Twitter.  You could just bury your head in the sand and avoid all those people you said nasty things about, or you can make them appear as if it never occurred with “Last night never happened“.

This “morning after” iPhone app will automatically scrub your Facebook and Twitter account, removing pictures and posts for the time period you specify. It won’t completely save you from your drunken rantings, but it’s a good start.

[via Gizmodo]

BoyGenius is reporting that there is code deep within iOS 4 that suggests the CDMA version of the iPhone and iPad is ready to be tested by carriers very soon.

This code allows certain units to bypass otherwise mandatory activation steps, allowing the use of the phone by partners and carriers for testing purposes without any hassles. The source cited in the article states that this sort of code always precedes the release of a new product and is promptly removed just before launch.

It should be noted that this is not a guarantee that this is the long-awaited Verizon iPhone, as Sprint’s network is also based on CDMA technology. Then again, who are we kidding?

Let’s just hope that this time around, Apple has a tighter grip on their testing units, so we don’t have a leak like the last time around…

[via BoyGeniusReport]

In a huge victory for fair-use, the EFF and other assorted organizations won several exemptions from the U.S. Copyright Office covering acts that were previously considered violations of the DMCA.

The new ruling allows users to “jailbreak” any mobile device in order to install and manage software of their choosing.  This includes installation of any legally-obtained applications or the uninstallation of  bloatware and other software they do not want on the phone.

This could result in a significant hit to Apple’s iPhone app store, but it’s a long shot:

Now that it is legal, I can imagine more individuals will jailbreak their phones.  How many more is anyone’s guess.   Apple claims this will still void the warranty, but I would not be surprised if someone (or several individuals) tried to sue in order to preserve the warranty on a jailbroken phone.  If there is indeed an influx of new jailbroken phone users,  I would think that other “open” app stores will surface aside from the well-known Cydia since the stigma and risk surrounding jailbreaking  has the potential to quickly vanish.

Secondly, I can see app developers jumping ship from Apple’s store in order to seek out better payment structures or a more relaxed approval process, providing someone can force Apple to keep the warranty intact on a hacked phone.

The ruling also made legal the sampling/ripping/copying small portions of DVDs for non-commercial derivative works such  as remixes, commentary, etc.,  especially in the pursuit of educational goals.   As far as I have seen however, the ruling does not specify what a “small portion” consists of, so that may come into question sometime soon as well.

The final exemption handed down in this ruling is not a new rule, but an extension of an old one.  Previously, the EFF had successfully petitioned the Copyright Office to allow for unlocking of used mobile phones.  This ruling has been extended as a result of the most recent actions of the EFF.

That said, what are you waiting for?  Jailbreak your phone!

[EFF via boingboing]

Well, that didn’t take long.

After all the chatter regarding the Droid X’s eFuse and its ability to (somewhat) cripple the phone if the secured bootloader has been tampered with, a sharp individual known as “Birdman” has already managed to root the phone.

In a pretty simple 12-step process, Birdman shows you how you too can root your Droid X.  It looks like an incredibly easy procedure, making a rooted Droid X easily obtainable by anyone with even a passing knowledge of Linux.

Happy Rooting!

[AllDroid via AndroidCentral]