O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: handset

  • Apple Denies iPhone App Which Measures Radiation Exposure, Cites Interface Issues

    As cool as the App Store can be, sometimes it’s the rejected applications that prove the most interesting.

    Last week, the TechCrunch reported that Apple rejected an application that promises to measure and minimize a user’s exposure to cell phone radiation.

    The application, which had been developed by Israeli company Tawkon, had spent 18 months in development with the firm looking to sell it for between US$5 and US$10.

    “Our message is moderate, we don’t claim to try to stop users from using their phones,” said Tawkon co-founder Gil Friedlander. “We just say to do so responsibly.”

    In rejecting the application, Friedlander was told by Apple the information about radiation levels provided by the application may be confusing for users despite an excellent interface. “They are very clear about the fact that they make content decisions about what they want to post or not.” An Apple spokesman reportedly declined to comment about the issue.

    According to the company, Tawkon’s RRI patent pending technology alerts the user when radiation levels cross a predefined threshold and provides simple, non-intrusive suggestions to reduce exposure to radiation. The application leverages various smart-phones capabilities including the built-in Bluetooth, motion and proximity sensors, GPS and compass to determine the results.

    The technology collects and analyzes your phone’s dynamic SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) levels, network coverage, location, environmental conditions and phone usage at any given moment to help determine those results.

  • 8GB iPhone 3GS Unit Resurfaces in Rogers Wireless Inventory

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    In spite of official denials to the widespread rumors, Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless appears to still feature a 8GB iPhone 3GS in its databases. According to Boy Genius Report, several leaks have hinted to a cheaper iPhone 3GS model which would allegedly replace the US$99 iPhone 3G once current stocks have been depleted.

    A source claims, however, that at Rogers’ SalesCentral website, a listing titled “IPHN8BLKR 3GS GSM” persists. Several Rogers dealers have meanwhile suggested that the 8GB model has been regularly appearing, and disappearing, from databases during the past week. Earlier rumors have hinted that Rogers is already taking 8GB 3GS units into inventory.

  • iPhone 3GS Hardware Encryption Cracked in Two Minutes

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    As cool as the recently-released iPhone 3GS may be, there may be room for improvement. According to a blog entry over on Wired’s Gadget Lab, iPhone Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski describes how the hardware encryption of the iPhone 3Gs can be worked around and demonstrates how both the passcode and backup encryption can be bypassed in about two minutes.

    Zdziarski goes on to comment that all data on the iPhone, including deleted data, is automatically decrypted by the iPhone when it’s copied, allowing users and law enforcement agencies alike access the device’s raw disk as if no encryption were present. A second demonstration features the recovery of the iPhone’s entire disk while the device is still passcode-locked.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and if you’ve heard anything about this, let us know in the comments.

  • Palm Releases webOS 1.1, Restores Pre’s Ability to Sync with iTunes

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    One week after Apple disabled the Palm Pre’s capacity to sync with iTunes, Palm has responded by releasing webOS 1.1, an update that again enables Palm’s phone to access media from the current version of iTunes.

    Per the company’s blog, Pre users can expect the new software to arrive via an over-the-air update.

    “Oh, and one more thing: Palm webOS 1.1 re-enables Palm media sync,” the post reads. “That’s right — you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos from the current version of iTunes (8.2.1).”

    Last week, Apple released iTunes 8.2.1. In accompanying release notes, the company was vague about what the upgrade actually did, stating only that the update provided “a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.”

    Soon after the new version of iTunes was released, Pre users realized that the update had broken their ability to sync music with the software.

    The webOS 1.1 update brings a number of changes focused on business users, including remote wipe, inactivity timeout, improved certificate handling and more for Exchange ActiveSync. The update also provides emoticons in the messaging app.

    When Palm initially unveiled the handset, the company boasted about the the handset’s ability to transfer media from iTunes. According to AppleInsider, the feature worked by identifying the Pre in its hardware ID as an iPod — a trick Apple warned might not work for long.

    Last month, Apple warned Pre users that future software updates may kill sync capability with the device.

    “Apple designs the hardware and software to provide seamless integration of the iPhone and iPod with iTunes, the iTunes Store, and tens of thousands of apps on the App Store,” Apple warned a document released in June. “Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players.”

    In its blog post, Palm declined to elaborate on how they circumvented the changes presented in iTunes 8.2.1.

  • Apple Cites Possible iPhone 3GS Discoloration as Possibly Case-Related, Other Issues Emerging with Handset

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    With random horror stories about the iPhone 3GS’s heat factor and potential discoloration circulating across the Internet, the frenchiphone.com web site dug up something interesting.

    Per a call placed to an an Apple level 3 support technician (who’s an engineer), the discoloration could be due to the iPhone getting warm and then coming into contact with third-party cases. The simple fix that Apple mentioned is to clean the iPhone with alcohol, which can remove the residue left by the case.

    After numerous calls to Apple technical service and maintenance of contact with a level 3 (engineer) the problem seems to come not from a hot 3GS but contact with some covers! This was evident by ourselves on a device with a small sticker (a warning not to listen to music too loud) remained stuck, part of the hull below remained white.

    Where stories of the iPhone 3GS overheating are concerned, Apple is apparently blaming the overheating on the weather. According to an article over on the UK Telegraph web site, Apple has stated that users should, “Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.”

    The iPhone 3G / 3GS also boasts a feature that puts the iPhone into a cooling mode if it starts to overheat. According to the support documentation, the device will first stop charging, dim the display, offer up a weak cell signal, and finally place a temperature warning on the screen and only allow emergency calls.

    Finally, just when you thought the iPhone 3GS couldn’t have any other problems, Engadget is now reporting that the oleophobic coating on the screen has the ability to rub-off over time.