GuruChristine
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Posts by GuruChristine
Jailbreak App Review: MyWi Tethering App for iPhone
Jul 29th
Dashboard Image for MyWi
Need a Wifi Hotspot? Look no further, MyWi is here! Don’t you hate when you’re out for coffee and you want to get some work done, but the coffee shop you’re at doesn’t have a WiFi hotspot? You could try tethering, but it drains your notebook battery too quickly and who wants to deal with constant freezing and crashing.
If you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone and 3G signal, you can create your own Wifi Hotspot with MyWi.
For $9.99 multiple devices can connect to your MyWi signal including notebooks, iPads and other mobile devices at the same time. Want to make it a secure connection? Not to worry MyWi offers 40 & 104 bit WEP Security so you don’t have some dillhole using up all your data. An additional awesome feature is the blue up/down bandwidth usage bar that is located at the top of your screen.
PROS:
-MyWi is simple to use and doesn’t crash & freeze.
- Support is available for iPhone 2G/3G/3Gs running 3.1 and newer.
-10 day free trial is available if you just want to give it a test drive before you purchase.
-Blue status bar shows you the amount of bandwidth you’ve used.
-Create a WiFi Hotspot virtually anywhere
-Worth the $9.99 for this product.
CONS:
-The purchase process can be confusing if you’re not paying attention.
-Keep a wall or car charger handy for your iPhone. Battery life does suffer when using this app for long periods.
-If you don’t have a 5 or 6gig data plan then I wouldn’t suggest this app.
If I were to give MyWi a mark … I think it would be 4 out of 5. The pros way out weigh the cons on this app.
EFF Success: Jailbreaking and Unlocking Now Legal in the US – What it means for Canada
Jul 28th
The other day (July 26 2010) in San Fransisco the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) claimed victory over Apple and it’s proprietary lock on what it’s consumers could and couldn’t do with their iPhone / iPod / iPad. The victory came in the form of exemptions to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act).
After reading the Official Press Release I was pleased to see that the powers that be do not consider jailbreaking a copyright infringement and are “liberating” iDevice users in the US and allowing them to modify, jailbreak and unlock their units if they so please.
“The first of EFF’s three successful requests clarifies the legality of cell phone “jailbreaking” — software modifications that liberate iPhones and other handsets to run applications from sources other than those approved by the phone maker. More than a million iPhone owners are said to have “jailbroken” their handsets in order to change wireless providers or use applications obtained from sources other than Apple’s own iTunes “App Store,” and many more have expressed a desire to do so. But the threat of DMCA liability had previously endangered these customers and alternate applications stores.”
Why is unlocking and jailbreaking so important? Unlocking and jailbreaking make devices interoperable and that’s how capitalism should work. It will allow for consumers to recycle devices, and choose Apps that are not chosen for us by Apple. This is a small step for technology but a huge leap for consumers.
Will this ruling facilitate a iOS4 jailbreak similar to SpiritJB? Will more developers be willing to work on jailbreaking and creating apps for jailbroken devices? Will this increase the demand for Apps from Cydia and other repositories? How will this affect the cost of these applications? I’m also curious to see if Apple will be more accepting of the applications that are available for jailbroken devices and if they will try to absorb them into the AppStore?
(Yes that was a crap load of questions, and I am sure that we’ll not only get answers to these questions but, we’ll see some interesting developments with this news.)
It’s exciting to see our neighbours to the south moving forward with regards to Digital Locks and copyrights. What are the implications for Canada? Will we follow suit and free ourselves from the clutches of the Apple App store (not that it’s stopped us yet)?
Bill C-32 is the Canadian Equivalent to the DMCA, and will be reviewed by Tony Clement and his department according to CBC.ca
“Tony Clement, Canada’s minister of industry, said on Twitter that his department is reviewing the ruling to see what the implications may be for Bill C-32, the copyright reform legislation he and Heritage Minister James Moore unveiled in June.
“Good Luck” Canada, let’s bring the EFF down here to fight for us along side the EFC (Electronic Frontier Canada) then we might just stand a chance.
Are You Planning on Upgrading to iOS4? UPDATE: Carrier unlock available for all iPhones!
Jun 21st
So today Apple’s iOS4 upgrade is live via iTunes. Have you thought of upgrading?
I know that iOS4′s offerings are substantial in comparison to 3.1.3 Adding the ability to multitask, folders (seems like I’ve seen this before… possibly Categories from Cydia? ) and home screen wallpapers, but I just can’t live without a jailbroken device. I love all the OTHER great stuff I can get from Cydia for customization and productivity.
If you have a jailbroken device and would like to keep it I suggest delaying your upgrade until a jb is available for the newest OS for apple devices.
Rumors are milling that the Dev Team should have a jailbreak available for iOS4 in the next couple of days. Is this true? I don’t know but I do know that I always wait to see how stable the jb’s are and then move forward to the upgrade and jailbreak.
Here’s what the DevTeam Blog has to say:
“Around an hour ago the new version of the iPhone Operating System (now called ‘iOS’) was released. This release is called ‘iOS 4’ - iOS 4 is a huge release with many changes and it offers slick additional features. These new features are being offered by Apple as a free upgrade to qualifying devices.
We are working hard on a release to our tools that will jailbreak your device (or give you iOS 4 via the jailbreak train) and provide you with a carrier unlock.
Until these tools are released you should hold off on updating your device until we have fully tested our tools with all the relevant devices.
If you rely on hacktivation or a carrier unlock (ultrasn0w) then you should not upgrade until we have fully tested and released our tools.
Don’t be tempted with unofficial PwnageTool/redsn0w bundles or releases, just check here or our team twitter for real time release information.
Remember, we risk our devices so you don’t have to (but this time anyone who has made a mistake upgrading their baseband firmware at 3.1.3 or 4.0 should be OK real soon
”
If your device is not jailbroken or unlocked you should know that the iOS4 is only compatible with the iPhone 4, 3Gs and 3G. It’s also possible that some of the slick new tools available from iOS4 will not be able to run on the 3g (like the Tap to Focus video or maybe even the 5X optical zoom).
I’m waiting to see what happens before I jump on the iOS4 bandwagon.
Hope this helps with your decision.
UPDATE: UltraSn0w has just been updated to work with all iPhones, up to new iPhone 4 baseband 05.13.04. Head on over to Redmond Pie to learn more on how to unlock your phone.
iPhone Tips and Tricks: Installing Themes on Your Jailbroken iDevice
Jun 18th
Screenshot of Winterboards Main Page
One of the neatest things about having a Jailbroken Apple device is the ability to customize and personalize it. Cydia boasts a large amount of themes available to do just that. There are themes just for your lockscreen, graphical wallpapers, or “complete themes” that will change the entire user experience including the lockscreen, the wallpaper and the application icons. If you’re a fan of uniformity I would highly suggest using the complete themes.
Themes are a fun and simple way to make your unit an extension of your personality, mood, or even style. Cydia offers what seems to be hundreds of themes ranging from Sport Teams and Vehicle’s to Cartoons and Brand Name Clothing. The collections offered are quite amazing. Searching through the myriad of themes available is the most difficult part.
In order for your device to run themes, an app called Winterboard will need to be downloaded from Cydia. This application works as a settings protocol and manages the various themes you download.
Let’s get started.
-Open Cydia, and wait for all the packages and sources to load. This can sometimes take up to a couple of minutes.
-At the bottom left of your screen you’ll see a Search icon, click on it and enter into the search field Winterboard.
-Once it appears in the screen click on it. Another screen will appear with an “Install” button that is located on the top right corner of your screen. This will open the confirmation screen, with a confirm button also in the top right corner of your screen.
-Click it and wait for the magic to happen.
To find “Complete Themes” Click on the “Sections Icon” at the bottom of your screen and scroll down until you find it. You can scroll through the list of themes alphabetically. Screen shots are available nine times out of ten. They’re usually made available for review under the “More Information” link or the “ScreenShots” link.
When you find a theme that you’d like to download just follow the same steps you used to download and install Winterboard. When you’re ready to get your theme on, open Winterboard and click on the Select Themes Button and turn on the theme you’d like to have on your device. Hit your home key and wait for the device to respring (equivalent to a restart). Once your device lockscreen appears your theme is installed and running.
Happy customizing.
A Lady’s Guide to Jailbreaking Your iPhone with Spirit
Jun 10th
Many of my girlfriends are begging me to JB their phones. For the most part I don’t mind but jailbreaking has become such an easy process I don’t understand why they just don’t do it themselves.
Is it that the instructions online are complicated, or are they lacking the confidence to do it on their own?
It may be a combination of both.
Thankfully, Spirit is the easiest way to jailbreak any apple device currently operating on firmware 3.1.3. It’s literally a one click solution. Really.
This post is for all my girlfriends out there that want someone to break things down, and help give them the confidence to do something dangerous (it’s not actually dangerous, it just feels that way because of the taboo nature of a jailbreak). 
You will need to download the Spirit Jailbreak (You can find it here www.spiritjb.com). I would save it somewhere on your computer that you’ll be able to access it easily. My favorite spot is on the desktop, can’t lose it there.
Open iTunes and Update it to 9.1.1.
Now on to the fun stuff:
1) Connect your device and back it up. If you haven’t already, create a folder for your photos, and copy them to your computer so that you don’t lose them.
Once you’re backed up, set up a quick sync just to be on the safe side.
The next you will need to complete is restoring your unit to it’s factory settings.
2) Open Spirit
Hit the jailbreak button.
Don’t stress.
When Spirit is done it will say “Jailbreak Succeeded” with a “Quit” Button above it. Click on it.
…And relax.
If you look at your device at this point you will see a really pretty kinda tie-dye screen with a load bar. Let it do it’s thing.
Aren’t you glad the hard part is over? (Really, that’s the hard part)
3) Slide to unlock your device. Take a look. it will have the factory Apps plus one more… Cydia. (Cydia is equivalent to iTunes. It will install 3rd party applications that are not availble on iTunes.)
Connect your device to iTunes once more and sync to your last back up and you’ve officially completed your jailbreak!
The 3rd party applications available from Cydia can be used for customization, productivity, or entertainment.
Should you need any additional information or help, I suggest the tutorials offered on YouTube. Just search Spirit Jailbreak Tutorial.
Hope you enjoy your Jailbroken Apple Device you “Rebel Geek Girl” You!
We are not responsible for anything stupid you do to your phone, whether it’s spilling coffee on it while driving and trying to SMS your second boyfriend, or jailbreaking it incorrectly and losing all the photos you and your first boyfriend took in bed last night.
Jailbreaking From My Perspective (And I’m A Woman)
Jun 4th
Today we are thrilled and excited to introduce GuruChristine. A lover of technology since an early age, Christine has blossomed into a full-blown geek. She owns, and is obsessed with, her iPhone, and, from time to time, will be sharing that love with us in the form of editorials and reviews. Please help me in welcoming her to the Cellular Guru team.
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Sometimes in a relationship there is the need to spice things up. I found this was the case with my iPhone. Not that I’m comparing my cell phone to a relationship with a significant other but they do have their similarities. (I spend more time with my iPhone than most, I think)
When in a long term committed relationship things start to seem monotonous. As individuals we try to search out ways to keep things interesting. Sometimes it’s a romantic dinner, others it’s a scandalously short French maid’s outfit (I’m a huge fan of both). These things are the “tools” that assist us in keeping relationships fresh, interesting, and most of all going strong.
Jailbreaking your iPhone is a tool that keeps your relationship from becoming monotonous. It offers the iPhone user the ability to personalize and inject their own experience into a rather bland, corporate unit. As consumers we look for versatility and staying power. Jailbreaking allows for that in so many ways.
For those of you who don’t know what Jailbreaking is and how it will improve your iPhone experience I’d like to explain:
Jailbreaking is the process of adding code to your Apple (iPod/ iPhone/ iPad) that will allow the installation of third-party applications normally not available on iTunes. This permits you to customize your iPhone in terms of look, productivity and entertainment.
Once any unit is jailbroken an Application named Cydia is added. Cydia is the iTunes alternative offering a wide variety of 3rd Party applications including Apps for productivity, customization, and just plain fun.
For example when the iPhone 3G was released it didn’t have a video camera option, but a Jailbroken phone could download and install an application called Cycorder and, Voila, they were able to use the iPhone’s stock camera as a video camera! Wicked, No?
I consistently change the way my PC looks, so why not have that same power over the iPhone? Cydia offers a host of themes including total customization that can change your lockscreen, wallpaper and even App icons.
Themes offered by Cydia are the most interesting and simple things one can do to personalize an iPhone, and it’s the first thing I did after Jailbreaking.
Some of my personal fashionista / GeekChic favourites are the Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Coach themes (Although I wish some one would come up with a Tiffany & Co. theme to match my iPhone case, business card holder, and notebook. I’d never change it again).
In order to use themes you will first have to download an application called Winterboard (found in Cydia). Winterboard will act as the settings protocol for your themes and will allow you to switch between them once downloaded.
Jailbreaking is quite simple. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist. YouTube offers a plethora of tutorials to choose from.
You’ll need to know what iPhone OS version you’re running. You can find that out in the Settings of your phone, or in iTunes.
I always suggest watching the tutorials first, then backing up and restoring your iPhone, and last going ahead with the Jailbreak.
If your OS is 3.1.3 Spirit is the way to go. You can download the Spirit Jailbreaking app from: http://spiritjb.com/
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