Hey all Prax here, this is my initial posting on Wetwierd, and for the initial posting I am going to run though how to jailbreak an iPhone 3g in the windows world.  As Pylorns wrote about how to hack an iPhone on Apple Mac(Leopard) I decided I would help out the rest of the world who aren’t using those Mac things.  This guide is going to assume you know nothing about jailbreaking or cell phones.

First off lets run down a list of what we need to do this, first of course we will need an iPhone (of course) and a windows machine, personally I used my gaming box, that’s running Vista Ultimate edition 64 bit, but any vanilla windows box should work pretty much the same way.  Below is the first of many screenshots you will find in this guide, but it lists all the files you will need.

Going though this list I will explain each of the files and why ya need them.

1) winpwn- this is the application that will actually do all the work for us

2) iPhone roms- There are two of the listed here, you need to grab one from Apple the other one is one you will create.

3) winscp416.exe- this is not a required file but it is great for ftp’ing stuff back and forth to your newly jailbroken iPhone.

4) putty.exe- yet another app that isn’t required, but is of great use once you jail break you iPhone.

So now we got everything you need, or at least know what to look for lets move on to the first step, installing winpwn.  Its pretty easy just double click and keep hitting next until your done, once your done launch the application from the desktop icon it just created.  Once started you will be presented with the following screen.

Once you do the above, it will request an open dialog that you need to select the Apple rom that you downloaded earlier.

Once you select it, it will go though a verification of the rom.  Then the following screen will come up.

Once you have done that and winpwn has going though the check of the rom then click on the IPSW Builder. This will bring up the following dialog.

This shows what applications will be installed by default in the jailbroken rom.  Onto the next screen.

As you can see in the screen above you can select a boot up and a restore screen.  You can either select a boot logo from one that you have on your hard drive or search online for several.  You can skip the Customer payload screen and go directly to the advanced screen.

This is the most dangerous screen in the entire process, but everything works right the above settings will work on pretty much any iphone upgraded to 2.0.  Once the screen looks like it does above click on Build .ipsw file and save it some place you can find later. Once that is done you will get a pop up that looks like this.

Once that is done and you hit ok you will be shown the following screen.

Once you click the button the application will ask for the rom that you created earlier, after you tell the app where to find that file it will “enable” itunes to accept that particular file.   When it is ready you will get this.

Next you will want to dismiss this window and set your phone to what they call DFU Mode.  To do this hold down the power button and the home button at the same time, the screen will go completely blank at this point plug in the iPhone to the computer and load up itunes, but what ever you DO NOT RELEASE THE HOME BUTTON, you can release the power button though.  Soon after if everything went right, iTunes will display this dialog.

Once that happens, you will be taken to the iPhone restore screen and you will have to select the restore option.  But you want to select the rom that we made earlier using winpwn.  To do that hold down the SHIFT key and click the restore button, it will ask you to select the correct ipsw.  iTunes will start to do a restore, your iPhone will blank out several times and look kinda scary but I assure you that if you did all the previous steps everything should work right. Your iPhone will reboot itself, once it does iTunes will ask if you want to do a restore or treat this as a new phone.  This decision is up to you.  If you set the phone as new, you will be asked what to sync to the phone and it will be like the first time you plugged in your iPhone. If you choose to restore your iPhone it will be back to the way it was before you started the process.  After all this when your iPhone is finished booting, you will notice two new apps on your iPhone, Installer and Cydia, both of these installers will install 3rd party apps, but thats a blog from a different time.  Also I will go into what to do if you need to restore back to the original Apple rom.

Prax

First things first, the tutorials for the PC seem to actually be easier.  Also a lot of the Mac tutorials left off a key step - holding down the option key when clicking the restore function.  For someone who has never done this before the other tutorials mostly assume that you know what you are doing.  This tutorial will cover how to jailbreak your recently updated 2.01 version iPhone or iPhone 3g. 

Note: This tutorial is for iPhone running 2.01 version software, and for Pwnage Tool 2.0.2 on an Apple Mac.  While it may work for future releases the screens may not look the same.  A PC version of this tutorial will follow.  Make sure you have a backup of everything you have on your iPhone, and make sure that iTunes does a backup prior to starting this.

Why should I jailbreak?

I mean, with the App store, the main reason people did it before was because you couldn’t install other applications, now there are lots of applications and all developers can now get their software on it right?

Wrong.  Apple has strict, slow, approval process and quite often they remove apps without telling the developers - just look at the box office fiasco. Also, with jailbreaking you can customize what your iphone looks like, all the menus, icons, battery indicators you can individualize your iPhone which is a big factor for me. See screenshot below of how you can customize your iPhone.

Winterboad Theme program

How do I get applications on the iPhone?

There are two applications that install when you use the PwnageTool 2.0.2. Cydia and Installer.  Cydia is open source and Installer is not, Installer also has very few programs as opposed to Cydia.  Basically these two are like the app store, they connect to multiple sources and categorize applications and themes.  They also let you know when an update is made.  These two programs are the simplest tools to use.  I suggest installing Winterboard and Customize as well these are installed through Cydia and allow you to start your theming fun.

Ok so how do I do this?

1. You need to head out to the location of the Pwnage tool and download it.  Go here and download the latest tool.  (Also note you’re iPhone should be plugged in and on and iTunes should be ready to rock.)

2. Extract the PwnageTool to your desktop and double click it.

3. Say yes that you want to open the application.

4. Click “OK” to continue.

5. Choose your poison of iPhone and click the arrow for next.

6. Select your firmware (it should show up and just click on it) then click the arrow for next.

7. Click on yes to continue to create your image

8. The tool will need your login/pass so enter them and click continue.

9. Choose if you have Pwn’d your iPhone before.  If your first time just choose no.

10.  Now we get to the interesting part.  Basically you’re putting your phone into DFU mode.  This basically sets the iPhone to be ready to accept the new image you just made.  The phone will appear to be off when you’re done but your system will still see that it is turned on.  Follow the directions by clicking on both the home button and the top button. 

11. Next you choose to hold just the home button down.

12. If you held the buttons down correctly you should have put your phone in DFU mode at this point you’re done with the PwnageTool. 

13. Fire up iTunes (as noted above you should already have it running.  So just bring it back up.

14.  Here is where you need to hold down alt/option button and click on the restore button. 

15. Choose to open the image that was saved to the desktop by PwnageTool.

16. It takes a good amount of time - some tutorials say it could take 30 minutes or so.  Course if you miss a step like I did, you’ll restore incorrectly and 30 minutes turn into 2 hours.  But anyway.   So baring any unforseen circumstances you should see this screen.

17. Now you want to sync up your phone, restore your previous settings and sync your music, photos, etc etc.  You should have two apps installed now on your iPhone; Installer and Cydia.  

Postscript: You can do the expert mode on PwnageTool but this tutorial is more for people doing it the first time as simple as possible.  Once you know what you’re doing - then go back and fiddle with it if you need to.

In my previous post about cleaning the iPhone I mentioned a glare/protective cover.  Forget that product.  Think about Tim the Tool Man saying “Ohhh Hooo Ho… more power.”

I came across a company that does military grade stuff - the stuff they coat military helicopter blades with. Zagg. No the price is not like a government contract price its reasonable and this stuff covers your entire iPhone.  Apparently these guys have also been talked about on Fox News and CNN. Here is their marketing blurb:

The invisibleSHIELD is made from a unique material originally created for the military to protect the leading edges of helicopter blades, the invisibleSHIELD™ offers protection that other screen protectors, covers, skins, or cases just can’t match. With over 2,000 copyrighted, precision-cut designs for a variety of gadgets, including iPods, smartphones, and cell phones, you can protect all your devices from scratches.

The invisibleSHIELD isn’t just another screen protector. Custom-cut Full Body Shields, available for many devices, offer protection for your entire device. With this patent-pending full-body contour wrap, your device will always look like it did the day you bought it.

Can’t find an invisibleSHIELD for your device? No problem - we’ll custom design one for you.

If you aren’t completely satisfied with the coverage of the invisibleSHIELD, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund. And if the invisibleSHIELD ever scratches, we will replace it for free, for life. So what do you have to lose other than those unsightly scratches?

Pretty damn cool eh?  A scratch proof protective cover.  Now what sold me was actually watching the video on youtube.  Check it out:

If I think about my old cell phone and how scratched up it got after a year of being in my pocket with my keys.  I wish I had this stuff 2 years ago.  But now, I’m going to pick up one of these.  I’ll follow up with another post when I get one on how to apply them, good points/bad points.  Anyway, check it out here if your interested.

Can I use Skype on my iPhone or iPhone 3g to make free phone calls?

Yes and no.  Skype already offers several mobile applications that you can download on other phones, just not an iPhone.

There is another company that uses Skype-out that has a program called IM+ for Skype.  Basically you either pay them 5 bucks a month or just buy it for 30 bucks.  The program allows you to chat with your Skype buddies or call out but it is not using VOIP (Voice over IP). It is using the Skype out feature to call the person, and then call your iPhone so its like calling a conference call center where you are both connected.  It uses your incoming minutes on your cell phone so you’re not really saving any money by doing it unless you’re trying to do international calling from your cell phone, then the rates make sense.

But what if you want to do voice over ip and not use your minutes?  First things first, you may ask, “Can 3g support VOIP?”.

Yes it can, but you also have to understand that using VOIP over the 3g network violates your terms of service with AT&T… beacuse you know, they want you to use your minutes and not use the unlimited data plan.  Now it is not a violation to use VOIP over wireless network.  So if you’re in your house or a place with free wifi and want to make calls out using VOIP portion of Skype then bamn! You’re all good.  Except you need to wait.

Fring has already come out with a working solution for the first iteration of the iPhone; pre 2.0 update.  They have not finalized code or even come up with a beta offering for the new version, but they did sucessfully test the functionality on the first iPhone and it works good enough to use.  If you have not updated to the 2.0 software and have an original iPhone well you’re missing out on all the cool stuff, but you also don’t have to wait you can download the beta right now - after you jailbreak your iPhone.

If you are interested in seeing how Frig works with cell phones, check out this video. While he’s not using the iPhone, the concept is the same.

After having a $350 electric bill its time to start working on being more energy efficient.  Some of you know that I purchased a house in Round Rock (suburb of Austin) to fix it up and resell it.  Basically live in it for 2 years, thus making the taxes less when I sell it, and take my time to fix it and decide on what to do that improves the property value and what doesn’t improve the property value.  

July, August, and September here in Austin are usually really damn hot.  We have a lot of 98-102 degree weather here and with the cost of energy going up it makes it just that much more expensive so I figured purchasing tinted film for my windows (at least the ones that get the afternoon sun) is a wise investment. Who knows, it can only help the resale value. 

Being a moron I jumped the gun and didn’t research film prior to just buying a few rolls at Lowes.  The 30% (keeps out 70% light, reflective, UV, Heat etc) goes for $32 bucks a roll x4 rolls, and a $9 dollar kit. I’m down $150 bucks with taxes etc. I bought the 3′ wide roll and it works perfect for the majority of my windows and the sliding door.  I unfortunately didn’t know how to do this stuff(applying tint) aside from watching the guy who tinted my car in my garage but apparently that gave me enough of an idea to try it myself.

The film that comes from Lowes is pretty good (Gila) and it even comes with a moron’s guide to putting on film with pretty pictures.  But of course I knew best and started with the big ass sliding glass window and cut a large section for that first instead of you know.. cutting a smaller window first to learn.  Anyway, one piss poor application and a zillion bubbles later I decided to read the instructions and actually use a razor to get the extra dirt and grit off the glass before applying the next section of tint and I decided to try a smaller window.  (Of course I actually blame the not reading of the instructions on Mimzy because whenever a woman says “lets read the instructions” a switch in the mans brain says “lets not”.) 

So, half a roll down and basically half that I’m going to have to buy again in 6 months because it’s going to peel, I decide it was one of those good learning things that you just have to learn the hard way of what not to do. Choosing a smaller window pane was easy, I first cleaned with windex and a paper towel, then used the handy dandy spray bottle of application spray(read soap and distilled water) on the window as lubricant along with a razor blade to get the additional dirt of the window.  Next I sprayed with the application spray again and then used a squeegee to remove the water.  

I happen to have a glass dining room table and it turns out this is the absolute best surface to use when removing the clear coating from the sticky portion of the film.  Basically you take two pieces of tape (masking not duck) and put them on each side of the film, press together and then pull apart.  This separates the film from the protective clear stuff.  This also allows you to figure out which side is back and which side is the sticky side.  Once you know where the back is, you spray the glass table top and press the back of the film on that.  This keeps it down as you peel the rest of the clear coating off the film. As you remove the coating spray the sticky side with the application spray (soap and water).  Note: As long as you keep this stuff sprayed down good, the chances of it sticking to something else like your clothes… or itself are reduced, and I tell you from experience.

Once you’ve removed the outer coating and you have this film sprayed down laying on your table you spray the window again and leave it.  Lift up the corners of the film, put it on the window, spray the back of the film again and then use the squeegee on the first pass.  Once you have it where you like it and more or less stuck you then take the razor blade and cut the excess film off.  Note, this is not always easy with the rubber around windows, sometimes there is some excess silicone - you might have to cut the silicone or the film around it. 

Once you have used the squeegee you may want to use the plastic tool to push out any smaller air bubbles, its really handy for the hard to get stuff.  Voila tinted window pane, you have 24 hours or less to fix it before its really stuck.

Notes: Once I got the hang of it, I was able to do about 4 panes in 30 minutes with help from Mimzy pre-cutting and removing the backing while I was cleaning and preparing another window pane.  Doing this is really not a one man job, it can be done but its really, really, difficult. That extra set of hands holding the film while you carry it really helps.

Tips:

Measure the width and height of your windows before you go to pick up the film.  (That said you can get it cheaper online but you have to buy larger quantities. (I may actually buy some online if my friends want to go in with me)

Don’t buy the application spray unless you just want the spray bottle, once you run out of what is in it, put some joy and filtered/distilled water in it. 

Buy the razor/squeegee/hard plastic edge tool kit it is worth it unless you already have pro-tools, which if you do why are you reading this?

The plastic cutting edge tool is a pain, I just cut by hand and follow the window frame, it goes faster and it is actually more accurate. 

Find someone to help you, its not a one person job.  If you can, find someone who has done this before so they can show you all the do’s and don’ts.  

Clean the window several times and then use a razor blade scraper with soap and water.  You’ll be surprised when you look at the blade that its dirty.  There are lots of things you just can’t see but you can feel them and see them after they have collected on the razor blade.  Putting this film on requires super-clean glass.

Don’t be a moron and try a big window first (like your sliding glass door). Start small and cut a small window pane first.  

Amazingly enough after doing most of the windows in my house, it’s not too bad.  It cuts down on the heat for sure and it cuts down on glare.  I might even be coerced into helping you out (for a fee).

I’ve been looking around for good information about cleaning the screen of the iPhone and while the iPhone has a glass screen you would think windex is ok but you pose a risk of getting it in the ear piece the button, etc. What is really suggested is put non-alcohol or chemical cleaner  just good old soap and water. If you clean your LCD most likely that cleaner is just fine because it doesn’t contain chemicals that will break down your screen. Check out the apple knowledge base article that describes the correct way to clean it here.

I suggest getting a microfiber cloth and spray it directly then clean the screen. Then put a screen cover on it cause really as soon as you use the phone again your stuck with smudges again.

There are several iPhone film covers out there, I suggest the matt finish Power Support film set for iPhone 3G.

When applying these film covers you have to clean the screen really well.  They also come with this “pre-application film” which is just another film that sticks to the screen and removes particles that you can’t see.  This is REALLY important because if you have any dust particles between the film and the screen you will have air bubbles that you can’t get rid of and it will annoy the bejesus out of you.   Below is the instructions for applying these:

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1st Step: Thorough Cleaning

1. Clean your iPhone LCD screen with a lint free cloth and a small amount of glass cleaner. Ensure that all fingerprints and particles have been removed.
2. Wipe off any excess glass cleaner so that the screen is completely dry.

2nd Step (Pre-Installation Film): Removing any dust particles that may have fallen onto your screen.

1. Remove one half of the white backing of the pre-installation film.
2. Without touching the LCD screen directly with your fingers, place the half of the film without the backing onto the LCD screen.
3. Without touching the LCD screen, remove the second half of the backing. Apply the rest of the film to the LCD screen. Rub it down thoroughly to ensure that the Pre-Installation film has captured all dust particles.
4. Remove the Pre-Installation film by pulling it off by the excess film. Do not touch the LCD Screen.

3rd Step (Crystal/Anti-Glare Film): Applying the Film

Note: Power Support’s Protective Screen Films come attached to a basic transparent plastic backing. Whenever applying films, you can touch either side of this transparent backing and the non-adhesive side of the film. However, do not touch the adhesive side of the film because the oils from your skin will compromise the adhesive qualities of the static cling adhesive.

1. Without touching the adhesive side of the film, push down on the backing to expose the adhesive side.
2. lign the edge of the film with the bottom of the face of the iPhone. You can use the button or ear piece hole as alignment tools. Once a proper alignment is found, apply part of the film.
3. Without touching the face of the iPhone or the adhesive side of the film, allow for the rest of the film to apply by peeling off the rest of the backing from underneath the film.
4. Cover your finger in a lint-free cloth and rub out vigorously  any air bubbles.

Another tid-bit, forget about getting the Apple Store employees to apply this for you.  I was in there buying one and didn’t even think to ask about it but the guy just told me that they stopped doing it because of how picky customers were about the application and if they messed up they had to get another one etc, etc.  So, do your due diligence and apply them correctly and it will work amazingly well.

In my previous tutorial I covered how to create ringtones using a Mac. Today I’ll cover creating ringtones using a PC and only free applications such as audacity. Download and install audacity and iTunes on your PC prior to doing this. I’m also using Vista but the same or similar screens exist for XP.

1. Open the piece of music or sound that you want to be your ring tone in Audacity and edit it down to under 40 seconds.

2. Go to File>Export and export the song as MP3. Audacity does not have the ability to export to AAC.

3. Give the file a unique name and save as .MP3

4. Once you have saved it you’ll next need to open the file in iTunes. Right click on the file and choose Open With>iTunes

5. Now that it is in iTunes you can convert it to iTunes native mp4 or AAC. Right click the file and choose Convert Selection to AAC

6. Now we need to rename this file to a ringtone format so browse to your iTunes music folder - in most cases its your default windows music folder.

7. By default windows Vista does not show file extensions. You’ll need to turn this off. Go to Tools>Folder Options. Un-check Hide extensions for known file types.

8. Once you have done this you should be able to change the file name to .m4r

9. Choose Yes that you are aware your computer will explode if you change the file extension.

10. Right click on the file and choose to open with> and choose iTunes.

11. Once you open it up in iTunes you should see it is now in its ringtone category. And you’re good.

Update: some of you have commented that you can’t move the song over to the iPod after it is created. You get a message like “unable to find file” others have had no problems.

First off when you get a message like that it is telling you something important. Try finding the location of where the file is supposed to be. Reimport it. Also you might verify that you renamed the file correctly by opening a command prompt and look at it in dos.

This is an article about how to create custom ringtones for the iPhone or iPhone 3g for capturing movie quotes or music from a DVD using a Mac. I’ll follow up later with one specifically for PC. This article assumes that you know a few things about how to setup itunes, audio hijack, and the built in DVD software. I also use Sound Studio Pro but Audacity will work too.  *disclaimer I am not suggesting creating copyrighted ring tones - that would be wrong…

1. Launch Audio Hijack Pro and select your DVD player then click the Hijack button.  Play your movie, click on record during the part of the movie that you wish to sample.

Audio Hijack

2. Open the sampled audio that you have recorded in Sound Studio Pro, or Audacity and edit it to get the amount of spoken word or music to under 40 seconds.

Sound Studio Pro

3. In sound Studio you’ll next go to File>Save As>  give the file a unique name

Choose File Format of AAC (m4a)
Choose a Bit Rate, I usually go with 112 or 96kpbs.
Click Save

Saving in Sound Studio Pro

4. Now that you have saved the file you need to change it to an iTunes recognizable format for ringtones. To do this, simply right click the file and choose Get Info.

Get info of file

5. Where it says Name & Extension you want to change the extension from .m4a to .m4r

Change File Extension

6. You’ll receive a warning that says “Are you sure…” Click the Use .m4r because yes, you are sure.

Use .m4r

7. The last step, right click again on your file and choose to open with iTunes.  This should put the file (if you have itunes auto-copying) in your ring tones section.

Open with iTunes

8. As you can see in my ringtones is my new sample.  When I sync up my iPhone it will automatically be transferred as long as I have ringtones selected to transfer.

Voila

If you have questions post a comment.

I’ve launched a new site and its in the final design fixes stages and adding content etc. The site is Company of Heroes Unleashed or http://www.compofheroes.com It will contain tutorials, strategy, tactics and general tips on playing the new RTS game. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, do so.