Antixodium

So I haven’t been updating lately, and this is just a note that says “I’m still here!”. Figure, however, I’d give the location in which most of the action is going on:

http://twitter.com/anticitizen

I haven’t really had enough mental material for any more full articles, so most of my ramblings are going on there.

Having used the Verizon Voyager 2/enV Touch pretty extensively today, I came away with a few rampant criticisms. I’m just going to make a list, as I don’t feel like writing an entire essay on this.

That fucking keyboard. Whoever designed the layout for the Voyager 2’s keyboard should be fired. While the keys are excellent and the feel is excellent, the way they were arranged is backasswards, at best. My main issue is that the FUCKING SPACE KEY IS RIGHT IN BETWEEN THE BOTTOM ROW OF LETTERS. Right in between the V and B keys. Not only that, but the space key isn’t even fucking double wide. It’s like the size of 1.5 keys.

Who the shit thought this was a good idea? Put the space on the sides (like the original voyager) or cut out the number row. Either way. But putting the Space key between V and B is a fucking crime in keyboard layouts.

Not only that, but the RETURN key is right where the DELETE key is on most popular phones. So where is that delete key?

All the way off to the fucking right side of the keyboard. Near the D-Pad. Real nice, guys.

Where’s the threaded messaging? It’s 2009, not 2006. If you’re going to market your phone to people who text a shitload, then threaded messaging is a fucking requirement.

Instead, you get ye-olde-school message management. All in one inbox.

Considering this thing costs as much as the iPhone 3G now, that’s actually quite sad, seeing as the iPhone was picked on for “not having as many features”.

Making people manage their messages via an inbox in which all messages are dropped into is evil.

No auto-grammar anything?! Once again, IT’S FUCKING 2009. Messaging phones should have some form of auto-punctuation. Instead, we get…nothing.

No auto-capitalization. No auto-punctuation. You have to do this all yourself. Type “dont” and it’ll stay that way. A lot of other phones I use will automatically correct this.

Of course, many people type massive amounts of tripe on these phones anyway, so I’m sure no one’s going to care.

The touchscreen takes more than a touch. Might be a problem to only some. That touchscreen takes a big press to get it to register a press. Coming from an iPhone, it doesn’t feel right.

This last one is Verizon, not LG:

160 characters? Are you kidding me? You heard that right. While I’m not miffed by the 160-character limit itself, I’m miffed at Verizon’s handling of it.

If you go over 160, the phone will pretend to be storing it in a second message (so it can send both, one after the other). It will do this. But if you’re texting a non-VZW phone, you’ll instead get a text saying any messages after the first were not sent because they’ve got to have Verizon to receive them.

This is so much bullshit.

T-Mobile handles this problem by simply dividing messages into 160-character chunks and sending it all at once. AT&T does the same for non-AT&T phones while AT&T to AT&T can support up to 1000 characters. So, why not Verizon? This feels to me like it’s not a technology limitation, but rather an artificial one set in place by Verizon.

It’s pretty fucking stupid, because if anything, this only hurts Verizon’s own customers. I can send 160+ character messages and they’ll arrive normally on whatever VZW phone I sent them to. But VZW phones can’t send these.

It’s really, REALLY FUCKING STUPID.

On the news of WWDC on Monday, the rumor of a price-dropped $99 4GB iPhone have started again.

I’ll just repeat myself, from my post on Wal-Mart’s iPhone availability (which I was totally wrong about, but this still applies):

Consider this: The 8GB iPhone 3G already sells like hotcakes. It’s plenty cheap. Why would Apple want to step backwards on the iPhone storage? We haven’t had a 4GB iPhone since September of last year, when the 4GB iPhone was dropped and the 8GB iPhone received the price cut heard ’round the world.

Considering Apple made this decision a year ago–in the iPhone’s first generation, no less–why would they reverse this decision now? If you look at Apple’s iPod Nanos, you’ll notice that Apple never stepped back on storage space, but rather, either kept constant or added more storage at the same price points.

Apple has kept up this strategy ever since the introduction of the first iPod in 2001. Adding in new features and more storage but keeping the price points constant. (Even with the 120GB iPod Classic introduced Sept. 2008, this strategy continues, it’s just the 160GB model was dropped rather than upgraded, and the 120GB iPod retains the same price point as the 80GB model before it.)

So what sense would it make for Apple to release a 4GB iPhone, taking into consideration Apple’s strategy in the phone/music market, and especially considering there was a 4GB iPhone that was axed 3 months after it’s introduction?

Absolutely none.

Said post is here: http://anti.necrolounge.org/blog/?p=323

(Huge disclaimer: This write up has been done before on the iPhone Dev Team’s blog. I was just very confused at first on their instructions, so I decided to try simplifying their instructions in this little tutorial. I know this has been done before. Also, I am NOT responsible for any damage you do to your iPhone in this tutorial. Proceed at your own risk.)

Yesterday, I showed off my unlocked iPhone 3G. Today, I’ll do a write-up explaining how you can do this to your own iPhone 3G.

First, here’s what you need.

An iPhone 3G (2008). This will not work on any other model.

Baseband (Modem Firmware) version 2.28.00. You can verify your baseband’s version by going to Settings > General > About, and scrolling all the way to the bottom. If the Modem Firmware reads 2.28.00, you’re perfect. If it’s older, you’ll need to do a normal iTunes update to 2.2, or possibly use PwnageTool to update to 2.2.1. (My iPhone came with 2.2 and baseband 2.28.00, so it was ready to rock) If you’ve been cursed with Modem Firmware 2.30, you’re kind of screwed. There is a iPhone 3G baseband downgrader here, but I’ve never tried it. So your mileage may vary.

Some general stuff you’ll need to know:

Updating. Whenever Apple releases a new iPhone OS update, DO NOT update to it right away. Updates 2.2.1 and further contain a baseband update, which will make you lose your unlock, possibly permanently. (I don’t know if that baseband downgrader works, and I’m not going to bet on it when I haven’t tried it.)

Wait for the iPhone Dev Team to get a custom version out the door that will preserve the current baseband version. Then update using PwnageTool.

Apple Store Service. I’m not sure if the Apple Store will update your iPhone as part of service procedures or not, but I wouldn’t risk it unless you’re willing to lose your unlock if your iPhone requires service. If it’s mission critical, your mileage may vary with the baseband downgrade I linked above. But don’t rely on it.

3G (or lack thereof). Your iPhone will NOT be able to use T-Mobile’s USA 3G, if that’s who you’re running to. This is because AT&T’s 3G and T-Mobile’s 3G operates on different frequencies. However, EDGE will still work. On the bright side, you’ll save lots of battery power.

Data. You probably WILL NOT require a data plan if you don’t plan to use EDGE data. Because the iPhone 3G doesn’t come with the correct APN settings, EDGE data does not work right out of the gate. I’ll give you instructions on setting up the APN’s later, if you do use data.

(Note: Your author has the G1 data plan + unlimited texting for his iPhone. So far, no hiccups, and far better than the $50 you have to pay for the AT&T equivalent.)

So, with that out of the way, let’s get it on.

(Again, Note: I’m doing this using a Mac. I’ll try this on a windows box as soon as I get the chance.)

Getting your software

You’ll need the most recent version of PwnageTool (QuickPwn won’t work) to perform the jailbreak process, which is the first step to getting Yellowsn0w on your iPhone (YS is the iPhone unlock). Decompress it and put it on your desktop. Connect your iPhone to the computer.

(Intervention: Now might be a good time to mention: You might have to perform some crazy magic to get your iPhone to work with PwnageTool since Apple implemented some countermeasures to break DFU mode under 10.5.6 and above. I’m on 10.5.7 on a Unibody MacBook Pro, and was able to get through this with nary a hiccup. And I’m running iTunes 8.2, as well. The instructions are here, if you need them.)

With your iPhone connected, run PwnageTool, select the iPhone 3G. It’ll start looking for (and should automatically select) a firmware bundle to modify. Click it, and then click the Proceed button.

PwnageTool will then tell you it is going to create this file on the desktop; say yes.

PwnageTool will then ask if this is an iPhone that you would normally activate through iTunes. Answer No. This will tell PwnageTool to preserve the baseband for you, so that the unlock will work.

It should build you a custom IPSW. This will take a few minutes. After which, you will get a custom IPSW on the desktop. PwnageTool will now direct you to put your phone in DFU mode. Go ahead and do this.

Now, open iTunes if it isn’t open already, go to your iPhone (It’ll tell you it must be restored), and Option-Click the Restore button. iTunes will have you locate a different IPSW file; direct it to the one on the desktop. Assuming all is well, it’ll start restoring.

Your iPhone should finish and reboot. Connect it to a wi-fi network (Settings > Wi-fi), and pop open Cydia. Cydia will have you upgrade it’s essential sources. Let it do this.

Cydia should restart after this. Go back into Cydia, tap Search, and type in “Yellowsn0w”. Scroll to the bottom, and you should see it. It’s described as an “an iPhone 3G soft unlock application”. Install it.

Once the install is finished, then tap “Return to Cydia”. Press the Home button, then shut off your phone.

Get your third party SIM card, and put it into the phone. The SIM card slot is at the top. You’ll need a paper clip to pop the tray out. Once the SIM is in the phone, then turn the phone on.

Once the phone is started, go to Settings, and watch the top section. If a Carrier option appears between Wi-fi and Fetch New Data, it’s working. Just be patient. Otherwise, pop the SIM out, wait 10 seconds, then pop it back in and wait. At worst, restart your phone.

Once you have some signal bars, you’ll know it worked! (Also, if you haven’t CaptionCrunch’d the carrier string, it’ll say whatever carrier you’re now on.)

Enabling data for T-Mobile USA users

If you’ve got a data plan on T-Mobile USA and you wish to use it on your iPhone, then follow these instructions. This is ONLY FOR DATA–texting and such works without diddling with these settings.

You’ll want to go into Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network.

You’ll see three fields. APN, username, and password. You only need to mess with the APN, and you’re going to enter:

internet2.voicestream.com

Leave username and password blank. Press the home button and fire up Safari. It should work.

Oh yes, he did.

It was dead simple, but you kind of have to follow a certain set of instructions. So I’ll probably write up a tutorial on how to do this.

In the meantime, here’s the post that has all the details.

On Engadget and a few other areas of the internet, many are calling Guitar Hero 5 as the answer to The Beatles: Rock Band.

This is some absurd fucking shit, because everyone with a brain knows that TB:RB is not RB3. More like GH: World Tour to GH: Metallica than it is GH: World Tour to GH5.

TB:RB is NOT meant to be a sequel to RB3. It is simply RB2 with a different appearance and slightly tweaked gameplay.

So stop comparing it to GH5, which is probably a totally different beast from GH:WT.

I’ve had the G1 for quite some time now, and as such, I started making a list in the back of my head on the things I would change in the G1. This is my list of things I’d like to see changed in the G1 follow up (the G1v2, not the G2 or HTC Magic).

-Battery life. This is priority one. We pay nearly two Benjamins for a phone, yet the battery life is total suck. I thought I was bitching about my iPhone 3G’s battery life, but man. The iPhone 3G kicks this thing’s ass in that department.

-The chin/lip. This isn’t a problem for typing. I’ve adjusted to it. However, it is a pretty big durability issue, because the lip is not fused or secured to the rest of the phone in any way. It just snaps on there with some sort of plastic hook, as I’ve dropped my G1 a few times, and the lip almost separated itself from the phone. Not good. If it has to stay, somehow fuse it to the rest of the phone.

-ExtUSB and the such. I don’t mind ExtUSB. Really I don’t. Because as far as proprietary standards go, ExtUSB is awesome. ExtUSB ports can take miniUSB connectors. So its compatible with a well-known standard. However, the problem here is that we only get ONE of these ports for charging and audio out. So I can’t listen to music through earbuds without unplugging the charger.

Stupid.

Either give us TWO ExtUSB ports (ew) or throw in a 3.5mm headphone jack along with it.

-The slide mechanism. If you flip open your G1 SLOWLY, you’ll notice the entire slide mechanism is plastic. All plastic. While it’s holding up great now, who knows how long it’ll last?

I’ll add more to this list as time goes on.

Some of you know a while ago that I swapped my iPhone (due to AT&T’s shit-tacular service) out for a T-Mobile G1. It’s been generally a fine experience with Android (my phone came with RC30, and I updated it to RC33 and eventually rooted it), but there were a small niggles with it that I didn’t like.

So, over on the XDA Developers forums, JF announced his build of Android 1.5 (Cupcake). I promptly updated my phone to Cupcake (Not waiting on T-Mobile to roll it out.)

This update has a LOT of stuff in it. I’ll try to cover what I’ve got so far. (NOTE: See disclaimer in the excerpt!)

The Onscreen Keyboard

This is one of the bigger features that people were waiting for with the big update. It is important because we have phones arriving that lack the physical keyboard, and as such need an alternate form of input.

The virtual keyboard in Android 1.5 doesn’t suck, but it isn’t all that great, either. While it is a move in the right direction, the execution is flawed.

(NOTE: My G1’s touch screen may be having issues with the virtual keyboard. So it’s out there.)

To begin the criticism, it seems like I really have to press very precisely on one of the virtual keys to get it to register correctly. More times than not, though, I can press precisely on the key and it’ll register the key right next to it. Compared to my iPod touch, the touchscreen is horribly imprecise when it comes to registering presses in the right location. This is apparent even in the browser.

Second, why in the hell is there a dedicated smiley key where the enter key should be?

The third is a big one: The autocorrect. With the iPhone, the mantra of the keyboard was “Put faith in the autocorrect”. Because to type at any speed other than slow, you had to type fast and let the autocorrect catch your errors.

The good news is there IS an autocorrect on the keyboard. The bad news is, it isn’t really automatic.

You begin to type on the keyboard, and the phone will begin suggesting words to you directly above the keyboard. The problem with this is, you actually have to stop typing and scroll through the suggestions, and tap the one you want. (No idea if the phone eventually learns your habits and begins actively replacing your mistakes, though.)

If it were automatic and a little more proactive about correcting you, then it’d be an awesome addition.

While the keyboard is indeed easy to poke fun at, it is indeed a move in the right direction for those android devices with no physical keyboards.

UI Tweaks

There are some considerable tweaks to the UI in the 1.5 update. The first thing you’ll likely notice is that the lock screen got a bit of a change. Your custom backdrop now shows in the lock screen, which is definitely a nice touch.

The notification bar has been given a fresh coat of paint. Not really different in functionality, but definitely different in looks.

Also, the main menu tab (Not sure if that’s what it’s called) is no longer transparent. It’s checkered.

Mostly, everything has just been given a fresh coat of paint. Most things haven’t been modified functionality-wise, but everything generally looks nicer and more polished than RC33.

The subtle eye candy is pretty nice too. Like how the screen slides off to the left or right when you change apps,* or how those dialog boxes slide in and out of view.* It’s not essential to the operation of the phone, but it makes everything look a touch nicer.

However, while the eye candy may look nice, I think it does have a cost on the overall performance. The phone regularly lags to hell on the home screen, and since the 1.5 update, battery life has gone down considerably. (And I’m running a Seidio 2400mAh battery, too)

I’m not sure if these issues will still be there come the official rollout, so we’ll wait and see.

I’ll wrap it here, but do expect updates as I dig further into 1.5.

There’s been some noise floating around on the tech blogs about Microsoft’s latest stab at Apple, their commercial pointing out that the Zune Pass is much less expensive than Apple’s iTunes store, because you must pay $BIGNUM to fill an iPod with Apple’s iTunes music, whereas the Zune Pass costs a fixed amount per month.

There are multiple flaws in Microsoft’s argument here.

To start off the flaws, let’s attack the big one: Microsoft assuming a flat rate of $15 per month is somehow better than iTunes’ pricing. Big mistake. Very big mistake. John Gruber already covered this when Napster attempted to use this argument against the iPod. I think it bears repeating, as Microsoft doesn’t seem to get it.

You pay $15 a month for unlimited tracks. This is all good and well, if you like a lot of music. But, what if you’re like me? What if you don’t buy a lot of music? If you fill your device with music, or your thirst for more is quenched, then you’re just throwing away that $15 a month.

Not with iTunes. With iTunes, you pay a dollar a song. You get to keep that song for life. If you don’t need more music, you don’t buy more. Simple as that. If you need more music, then you pay the additional cash for it. So if you should run out of music to buy, you aren’t throwing away that $15 a month. You’re only paying for what you actually buy.

For someone who buys a TON of music, then sure, I could see the benefit of the Zune Pass. But for those like me, who don’t buy music all that often, or get their music from other sources such as CDs, then throwing away that $15 a month makes little sense.

Then comes the second flaw: With iTunes, you keep the music you pay for. With the Zune Pass, you only get to keep your music as long as you keep paying the additional $15 a month. When you stop paying, the music stops playing.

(Note: Supposedly you get to keep ten songs a month with the Zune Pass. Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re throwing away the $15 if you can’t utilize the ZP to the fullest.)

Then, of course, there’s the issue of lock-in. While the iTunes Store prices are tiered now, it’s all DRM free. Should the iTunes store somehow fold, your music will be fine, as it’s encoded in the industry standard AAC format.

Whereas, with the Zune Marketplace, you’re looking at DRMed songs. Even with the 10 you keep. If the Zune Marketplace folds, your music collection is about as useful as a hat full of busted assholes. That is to say, pretty damned useless.

It’s all moot, anyway. Because a lot of people usually acquire their music from other sources, such as CD’s and other sources.

But, if you’re looking to fill your device with some tunes and you buy lots and lots of music, the Zune + Zune Pass may be for you. But for people who don’t buy much music and/or get it outside of online stores, then the Zune Pass is less economical than the iTunes store.

When LTE rolls around, Apple just releases a totally unlocked, carrier independent iPhone that can be taken to any network.

The carriers are killing the iPhone’s reputation dead. AT&T for it’s sub-par service, and if it happens, Verizon for their sub-par customer service.

Hell, why couldn’t they have released an unlocked iPhone that roams on GSM networks?

Sheesh.