Notes from the Trail

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Loopt or Whrrl? Which will become the premier location microblog? Will one or the other trump Twitter?

Both are fascinating and dumbfounding. How in the heck do these things work? Check them both out and let me know which one you like. They can both be downloaded through Apple’s App Store.

But not this weekend, their blog says. In the meantime, watch this video of just how easy it is to jailbreak your iPhone with the pwnage tool that will soon be released. 

Many many hours have gone into this and now it should be as easy enough for your grandmother to use.

 

You can also watch the video in high quality here.

From a link over at iClarified this a.m., I was able to download the much-anticipated iPhone 2.0 firmware - one day early. I have no idea how this is possible, only that I got the download before Apple took the link down. By updating to the new iTunes 7.7, I was able to option-click on “Restore” and upgrade my iPhone to 2.0.

The experience was flawless - except for my first attempt with iTunes 7.6. You cannot update to 2.0 using older iTunes software.

Many of you know I’ve been using a jailbroken phone for months now and been extremely pleased with it. I was expecting 2.0 to blow me away. 

It didn’t.

After an initial “wow factor” with the App Store that’s now available in 2.0, (and it IS very impressive) my enthusiasm began to fade. There was no Yahtzee game, no free cards games… in fact, there were only 15 games listed and only ONE of those was FREE. After further looking, there are many more games under “Entertainment,” but the free ones are few and far between, to say the least. (Why in the world would anyone pay $1.99 for Hangman?!) The Facebook application rocks, but the mobile Facebook website is so impressive, I wonder about the need for the app? I am still exploring, but my 15-20 minute first impression leaves me waiting for a jailbreak. 

One disappointment is that with ALL THE TIME that Apple and developers had with this rollout, where are the apps that matter? The App Store is just that - a store. It’s designed to make money. There just aren’t that many freebies available, like I was led to believe there might be. And as far as sheer silly fun, programs like iFartz and iGiggle just aren’t there.

On top of that, when my phone rang a few minutes after the update, I groaned. Back to Apple’s stock ringtones. Thank goodness that iToner is ready their 1.08 update. 

Conclusion: I have a 1st gen iPhone and most likely will be holding off on getting a new iPhone - we don’t have 3G networks in our area. My jailbroken iPhone has been wonderful! I never cease to be amazed at software coming out for it.

As far as 2.0, those purists who never jailbroke their iPhones, waiting eagerly for the 2.0 update will probably be pleased. Any new icon on their screen will cause them to jump for joy. Jailbreakers will likely be disappointed and watching the Dev Team for the ensuing race to JB 2.0. I can imagine that a JB’ed 2.0 with an App Store would be the best of both worlds.

However, Zibri, the author of the amazing Ziphone utility which jailbreaks the iPhone had this to say on his blog today:

…I strongly suggest not to upgrade iTunes nor the iPhone.

One of my recent iPhone photos was featured as the main shot in the Fourth of July edition of Qi Magazine.

There are some other shots like it here.