The Internet is saturated with both the successes and failures of the iPhone 3G S launch along with the reports of disappointed customers who can’t activate their iPhones (and the retaliatory AT&T bashing as a result).  If I read the news right, people could potentially be without a phone for up to 48 hours.  Ouch.

My new iPhone 3G S does not function either, but not because of activation problems.  My iPhone is stuck in ‘Recovery Mode’ – a mode in which iTunes will be able to see and send a firmware package to the iPhone to make it work again.

How did that happen?  Well it’s a odd story.

On Friday afternoon, my Dad picked up the iPhone while I was en route to his house.  Because I wasn’t there to activate the phone, the AT&T employee let him take the phone with him and have it activated over the phone when I get there.  When I arrived, I switched my SIM card from my old iPhone into the 3G S (don’t worry, I had previously owned a 3G phone before my iPhone, so I had a 3G SIM), and the activation took mere minutes.  The iPhone (and all of it’s advertised features) worked flawlessly, but there were little snags here and there:

• Battery life was horrible.  In 20 minutes, my battery was reduced to around 75% (at least the icon said so).  After an hour two of playing with the iPhone, the battery was down to 50%.
• Email and Voice-mail password rejection.  My Voice-mail password was not accepted, even after I rest it through AT&T’s website.  I had to delete and re-add two of my four email accounts (MobileMe and Exchange).  Even with the correct settings, the iPhone couldn’t save the passwords; instead, it would ask for the password for both accounts every 30 or so seconds, and then follow up with asking for the Voice-mail password again.
• YouTube support on 3G S was flaky.  By flaky I mean that I could shoot a video, edit, and publish to YouTube straight from my phone, but if I tried to watch it on my iPhone after it was published, I was given a compatibility error.  Although I think this problem has been rectified (and was mainly due to my ignorance on how YouTube works), I still thought it kind of odd.

Anyway, regardless of the quirks, I was still happy.  I went to bed Saturday night with the battery at 50%, wondering if would drain due to the odd power leak I’d been experiencing.  It did.  It did so much, that it took 20 minutes for the phone to acquire enough power from the USB adapter to start.

When it started, I was greeted with a screen that said “There is no SIM card detected”, followed by another prompt that listed both my IMEI and ICCID numbers as “unknown”.  A quick Google search, and it appears that it’s a relatively common problem with the iPhone 3G that can be fixed by simply restoring the iPhone.  Awesome.  I put the iPhone into ‘Recovery Mode’ (as mentioned earlier), and ran a restore.

I realize now that it was a mistake.

Even now, the phone sits in Recovery Mode.  When a restore is run, iTunes gives an error code of “1013″ which is the error code associated with trying to downgrade your firmware (ie: downgrade from 3.0 beta 3 to 2.2.1).  For the 3G S, it’s pretty much the kiss of death, for there is no lesser firmware that can be installed onto it in hopes clearing out faulty 3.0 code.

I’ve taken my iPhone to AT&T (who, of course, pointed me to Apple) and contacted Apple Care (which my experience with this issue is worthy of another post instead of including it here), to come to the conclusion that the iPhone simple needs replacing.  Great.

I’ve given the details of my 3G S problem the my friend Steve, the host of The Tech Buzz, and I’ve been Googling the issue every now and then to see if someone else has written anything else about it; so far, it seems to be a pretty unique problem.

As of now, I have a Genius Bar appointment.  If anyone has experienced this and overcome it, I’d love to hear from you.  Please feel free to send me an email – until then, I’ll still be using my trusty iPhone v1.

UPDATE:

I went to my Genius Bar appointment and my phone was replaced in under two minutes.  The Genius checked for water damage and then replaced the phone.  As far as I can tell, it’s fully working (and the battery life is long, too!) and can be used normally.  But again, the phone is sort of acting quirky – check it out:

When I tried to reinstall these apps, the iPhone froze up and I had to do a restart.  Great.  Just great.

In letzter Zeit sehe ich immer mehr Leute mit Apple-Geräten rumrennen. Gleichzeitig nimmt natürlich das Lästern über die Dinger auch immer mehr zu.

Erst neulich wurde das Thema bei den Simpsons aufgegriffen, andere bezeichnen das iBrick als “Parris Hilton unter den Handys” und auch diverse Blogs schreiben gerne darüber (z.B. Fieser Admin)

Wenn wir also gereade mal alle so schon am Lachen über diese Deppen sind, die sich für 1-2 KiloEuro ein extrem überdimmensioniertes Dongle zu einem brauchbaren Betriebssystem oder einen MP3-Player der Farbe der zugehörigen Kopfhörer wegen kaufen… dann wird es evtl. auch mal sinnvoll sich ein paar harte Fakten anzusehen.

Repräsentativ hätte ich da mal den Link zu Apples neuem MacBook Pro (wo ist eigentlich dort das i abgeblieben?). Sicher ein schönes Stück Hardware, wenn jemand mir sowas spendieren will würde ich es auf alle Fälle auch annehmen. Dual Core CPU mit 6MB L2 Cache, 4GB Ram, 320GB SATA HDD, 1920×1200 Display mit 17 Zoll Diagonale… ja, da frohlockt doch das Herz eines Hardwarjunkies.

Aber sehen wir erstmal was die entgegengesetzte Fraktion anzubieten hat…

Nehmen wir doch mal ein anderes übergroßes Notebook, mit etwas weniger Prestige das man bezahlen muss und ohne leuchtenden Apfel auf dem Deckel. Und welche Hardwarequelle könnte weniger Prestige anbieten als Aldi? Medion hat zufällig ebenfalls ein Notebook mit ähnlichen Spezifikationen im Angebot.

Zugegeben, die CPU ist nicht ganz so schnell, das Display wohl nicht LED-Beleuchtet, der Akku hällt bestimmt auch nicht wirklich so lange (wobei das bei dieser Klasse wohl nicht so wichtig ist) und wer auch immer auf die bescheuerte Idee gekommen ist ein 32bit WinXP Home mit 4GB Ram auszustatten will ich lieber garnicht wissen.

Man kann also sicher zu Recht behaupten dass das Apple Gerät dem Akoya in vielen Bereichen etwas überlegen ist… aber um den Faktor 3? Das ist nämlich der Preisunterschied zwischen den beiden Geräten, für ein Apple Notebook kann man sich mal eben 3 Medion Notebooks kaufen und hat dann mal eben noch 100€ übrig.

Von Zubehör dass man bei Apple lustigerweise meistens vom Originalhersteller (Fernbedienungen, Grafikadapter, Zusatzakkus, ..) kaufen darf und die sicher auch alle nochmal ein gutes Stück teurer sind als beim Discounter haben wir hier noch garnicht geredet.

Also sagt was ihr wollt.. für das Geld kann ich mir auch eine apfelförmige Leuchte selbst auf den Deckel kleben und meine Kopfhöhrer in Farbe tunken (würde ich nicht ausgerechnet diese beiden Details am allgemeinen Apple-Design potthässlich finden).

Dazu kann ich nur noch sagen:

I will never get a Mapple-Anything!

iVerbibsch!

Ya se que hace mucho que no escribo, y es que entre pitos y flautas ando loca todos los dias y no tengo tiempo para nada. Asi que hoy aprovecho para dar una noticia (para el que no lo sepa aún) que debi haber comentando tiempo atras y que me esta llevando mas de un quebradero de cabeza…

Señoras y señores, mi iPhone… A MUERTO!!! :S

Todo sucedió tiempo atrás, cuando Valencia se vió amenazada por la ya tradicional gota fria. Era un dia lluvioso y asqueroso, así que me fui a dormir no sin antes dejar mi preciado iPhone en su flamante radio-despertador-dock para que se cargara, pues despues de estar un rato navegando se habia quedado prácticamente seco. Por la mañana, cuando me levante… oh sorpresa!!!

Mi iPhone seguía descargado, yo pense que era porque se habia ido la luz (el despertador lo delato) y que simplemente no se habia cargado. Asi que lo deje cargando mientras me arreglaba. Pero para mi sorpresa el movil solo me decia… NO TENGO BATERIA!!!

Despues de mirar millones de webs, encontre un tipo que se le habia rayado el indicador de bateria y comentaba que si la descargabas del todo y lo volvias a cargar volvia a funcionar. Asi que alli deje al iPhone, descargandose hasta que dejo de mostrar la asquerosa pantalla de CARGAME!!!

Lo deje 2 dias enganchado al dock… la bateria no cargaba nada de nada. Ahora tenia un precioso iBrick con el que podia arreglar una mesa que cojeaba o usar de pisapapeles. Pero como yo no me desanimo, mire a ver como podia cambiar la bateria de mi iPhone.

Resulta que, por supuesto, en España no arreglan iPhones de primera generación, asi que tendría que llevarlo a USA, además el cambio de bateria vale 70 euros, total que entre pitos y flautas casi con lo que me cuesta reparlo me compro otro.

Al final me decidi por la opción “FROM LOST TO THE RIVER” (Nota: frase en inglés dedicada a Salva) y dije total como ya esta roto, pues me lo acabo de cargar. Asi que me pedi un kit cambia-la-bateria-tu-mismo-si-tienes-huevos de dealextreme, por un precio de risa. Al principio me dio un poco de yuyu e intente ver donde vendian baterias originales, pero despues de recorrer media internet descubri que el fabricante del kit es el mismo que fabrica las baterias originales :S

Total, que hoy ha llegado mi reemplazo de bateria junto con un kit de GPS para mi PSP, asi que ya os voy contando como acaba la cosa…

OK, I am a big PC guy.  Not because I love them, but that is just the path I took some many years ago (I think the price of the Apple machines were out of my range at the time).  So I have goon through many desktops, laptops, have 2 PC Windows Vista Laptops currently (both Dells although they, meaning Dell, are a pain in the butt but the machines are pretty solid).

So I want to do some more graphic intensive stuff.  Video creation and editing, photo editing, graphic design (you see where I am going with this) and I am always told, you gotta get a MAC.  Ok, so I broke down and headed off to the Apple store in Brandon Florida to check it out.  I own an Iphone so I have ventured into the Apple store before but was usually met by some stuck up Apple Knucklehead, I mean Genius, and just got what I was looking for and got out.  Well, this time was different, maybe because I was the knucklehead and they were the genius this time.  The Sales guy, Donny, was great.  He spent about 30 minutes with me and my wife showing us what the machine could do.  We were very impressed.

I pretty much knew I was going to buy one about 10 minutes into his demo.  Anyway, got the machine, the 13″ 2.4gHz version with 2Gig Ram (for a PC this would be kinda low on Ram but lets see with a mac).  First impressions…awesome.  Truly a machine that is eye candy.  It performs very well in terms of speed of accessing files, the net, etc.  Since I don’t have a great grasp on how it truly works, this will take me a week or so to get use to it.  One of the most interesting features is the new touch pad.  Different from windows laptops, and different for MAC, this laptop offers multi touch access.  You have to try it to understand it.

Anyway, as I progress with it, I will issue a new update.  But from a windows guy going to a MAC, first impressions are usually lasting…like I said, AWESOME!

Apple has another special event this fall, this time on October 14th. The rumor mill began with 9to5’s alleged reliable source mentioning the (drumroll please) …

Gizmodo compiled a good list of predictions on what it might be. I think the most exciting (and plausible) one is the much-needed wireless USB hub.

Then again, it could finally be time for Apple to put those wireless power patents they have on file to good use too…. Fingers crossed for one or the other (or both)!

［Six Million iBricks…］

記念すべき iPhone 3G アメリカ発売の初日、サーバーがダウンしてアクティベーションができなくなった。

何が起きたのかはこちら。

→［TechCrunch | Epic Fail: Six Million iBricks… and Growing］
→［TechCrunch Japanese | 600万のiPhoneがレンガ状態?アクティベーションが立ち往生している］

５時間も行列にならんで、その挙げ句アクティベーションができずに「レンガ化」してしまったと、ビデオの John Biggs は憤懣やるかたない。

Who am I to these people [AT&T and Apple] ?
アンタら AT&T やアップルにとっていったい私は何なのだ？

　　　　　＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

インターネットでも大騒ぎだ。
→［Techmeme］

すごいタイトルが乱舞している・・・

・「壮大な失敗：６００万台の iBricks」［TechCrunch］
・「iPocalypse」［Gizmodo］
・「iFail 3G」［VentureBeat］
・「activation apocalypse」［Ars Technica］
・「サーバーダウン」［Engadget］
・「大混乱となった  iPhone 3G ローンチ」［Industry Standard］
・「iPhone launch-o-mess-o-rama」［The Macalope］

これは大事になりそうだ・・・

★ →［原文を見る］

Technorati Tags: Activation, iBrick, iPhone, iPhone 3G

I am off to FooCamp in a few hours.  With the Friday traffic on 101 getting worse and worse every year I think I’ll stick to backroads and enjoy the scenery.  I can’t leave quite yet as I have iBricked my wife’s iPhone and I am stuck here until it is restored.

It should be a good time and I look forward to meeting some interesting people.  I am guessing that the new iPhone 3G will take center stage but it looks like there will be a lot of other stuff being dicussed.  I think the new iPhone has the potential to change the way field workers operate but I’ll write about that in another post.

The fog has thankfully returned after the brutal heatwave of the last few days and the O’Reilly campus is bound to be cool and hazy.  Glad I am not camping out but if AT&T and Apple don’t pull through and finish updating my wife’s iPhone I might still end up sleeping outside.

Se prinde, dar se prinde prost.

Afirma ca admira modul in care Nokia administreaza third party apps(programe negarantate/neproduse de ei). Printr-un program de semnaturi in care stiu tot timpul cine a produs respectivul soft. (si eu am cont acolo pt ca obisnuiesc sa-mi autorizez programele considerate periculoase de nokia).

Este curios cum Apple incearca sa mentina intacta experienta consumatorului de pe telefonul mult prea laudat Iphone. Ma gandesc ca acei consumatori ce vor sa isi foloseasca iphone pe post de umpc (ultra mobile pc) o vor face sub orice forma chit ca ii lasa chit ca nu ii lasa Stevo. Tot ce schimba apple prin restrictii este nivelul de frustrare.

M-am saturat de dragostea asta stupida.

Faptul ca a stricat zeci de mii de Iphone-uri cu update-ul lor, nu l-a invatat nimic. Face ce vrea si stie ce face pt ca apple geeks vor urma.

Am un prieten al carui Iphone a trecut prin furia apple, adica in momentul in care a observat ca are instalate alte programe, l-au blocat si nu mai poate deschide gsm.

Nostima a fost reactia lui. “Este vina mea, nu trebuia sa fac asta”. Miroase a turma pe aici?

Cand un brand TE JIGNESTE… nu-l mai iubi… si imprastie sentimentul.

Cum spun si in articol. Poate ar fi nevoie sa puna mana pe un N95 Black edition si sa vada Stevo cum un telefon poate fi imbunatatit numai cu programe third party neautorizate (pe care nokia nu le interzice).

aici articolul

Parce que les premiers logiciels permettant de piloter l’iPhone sont généralement orientés Mac, les utilisateurs de Windows peuvent se sentir frustrés. Alors soit ils achètent un mac, soit ils comptent sur la communauté croissante de développeurs pour leur fournir un outil fonctionnant sous Windows.

C’est le cas avec le logiciel iBrickr. Il permet d’installer des logiciels compilés pour l’iPhone, des sonneries mais aussi des Roms pour l’émulateur NES et des ebooks.

PS: Apparement sa ne marche pas avec la mise à jour 1.1.1

Hackers have struck back against an iPhone software update from Apple that disabled unlocked phones. The iPhone Development Project has developed a method to install third-party apps and use upgraded iPhones on GSM networks other than AT&Ts, The Unofficial Apple Weblog reports.

The latest hack allows users who’ve already applied the 1.1.1 firmware upgrade to revert to the previous 1.0.2 update, “jailbreak” the device, and update to the 1.1.1 software while leaving the mobile phone functions still operational.

iPhone Atlas has successfully applied the hack, which it warns is not for novice users since it requires familiarity with the iPhone’s command line interface.

Help is also on hand for those left with expensive paperweights after upgrading to firmware version 1.1.1 on unlocked devices. A commercially available unlocking tool offers a chance to unlock the iPhone and restore it to working order.

The iPhoneSIMFree utility makes use of a TIFF image buffer overflow flaw in Safari to run code on the device, a bug Apple is sure to address in future software upgrades.
iBrick

Apple upgraded the firmware for iPhone to version 1.1.1, a process that disabled unlocked phones and blocked third-party applications. The update followed a warning of the perils of applying unauthorised unlocking programs from Apple days earlier.

the consumer electronics giant faces a class-action lawsuit over this update. Hackers have now worked out ways to undo the technical changes made by this update, something Apple probably expected to happen sooner rather than later.

So the ball is once again back in Apple’s court. It will almost undoubtedly release additional firmware upgrades that lock down the device – mobile phone operators who’ve agreed to hand over sizable percentages of their revenues from iPhone users in exchange for exclusive rights in particular countries will expect nothing less.

However, the smart money is on a softer line on third-party applications. Informed sources reckon Apple will soon start selling authorised applications from its closest development partners, who’ll be offered access to software development kits.

Quando a Apple lançou o update para o seu iPhone, avisou que telefones hackados poderiam ficar avariados. As aplicações desenvolvidas por terceiros deixaram de funcionar e muitos iPhones ficaram mesmo inutilizados.

Ora agora que se está muito perto de reverter o processo, inclusive conseguido reactivar de novo os iPhones bloqueados, será que Apple vai voltar a bloquear os aparelhos?

A questão que se coloca é: Sabendo que havia aparelhos desbloqueados, não podia a actualização do Firmware 1.1.1 fazer uma verificação ao iPhone, e caso tivesse sido hackado, limitar-se a informar o utilizador que aquele aparelho não poderia ser actualizado para o nova firmware?

Poupava as dores de cabeça e permitia que as pessoas não dessem o dinheiro por mal gasto.

With the flurry of accusations going back and forth between iBrick users and Apple, I figured it is time I put my two cents in. First off, I did not buy an iPhone because I knew Apple was a company of control freaks who would enforce every term like the old Chinese dictatorships. Second, I knew that company would have a serious price cut right after its first go on the market. And yet, I completely sympathize with the iPhone consumer for a variety of reasons.

1. Bricking a product is a pretty extreme solution to a “violation” of a T&C (terms and conditions agreement). If for example, Apple is sued and they lose, they face either replacing every bricked phone with a new one (a huge financial lose) or writing a lot more code to fix these phones (if that is even feasible). Bricking is an end all solution.

2. People are saying the iPhone users need to stop whining and suck it up. J. Noah Funderburg, an assistant dean at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa, said: “We have a free marketplace,” he said. “Buy a product, including using it on the terms accompanying the purchase, or don’t buy it. And learn to live with not always getting everything you want.”
It’s not about getting “everything” you want, it is about getting to own your product. Apple is imposing as many rules as it can to create a consumer base of slaves. These users have no rights, they just pay for the phone and every cost associated. If I spend, $400, $500, or $600 on a phone, I would like to use it in a manner I see fit. That does not mean throwing it off a building, installing malicious programs, or installing programs that changes the database structure, it means getting to personalize MY phone.

3. Apple’s stubbornness to control every aspect of the iphone will eventually backfire. Consumers will realize they wasted $600 on a phone and either: 1) they buy a new phone; 2) tell Apple and AT&T to go fuck themselves and buy from another company.
I own a T-mobile Blackberry. T-mobile is a sensible company because they know many of it’s customers travel abroad and they allow customers to unlock phones. I have never had a problem unlocking my phone and the customer service reps are very helpful.
Additionally, I installed the Zagat Restaurant guide on my phone. I had some problems so I called T-mobile for help. Sure enough, even though they didn’t write the program, the CS rep went online to see what could be the issue (we eventually resolved it). No problems, no questions.

4. Apple is fighting a losing battle. Every new technology is tested to its breaking point and then pushed forward to make the next generation. Because Apple is trying to control every aspect of the iphone and the phone service agreement, everyone who does anything to the phone is considered a hacker. Seriously, most customers just want to add some bells and whistles and most “hackers” want to see how strong the coding is and what can be done to make it better. It is a win-win for everyone. If Apple let hackers play with the phone, they would be creating softwares for the next generation (and that is R&D money Apple doesn’t have to spend) but if Apple wants to scare everyone, the iphone will truly become an iBrick: worthless, old, and outdated.

Apple always claimed to be on the cutting edge and open to new source codes. Isn’t that why Apple fought with Microsoft for years? The company did not want to be a dictator to its consumers. Apple began on the platform of open source and working to make things better. They wanted to be sleek, sexy, and ahead of its time. They were, until now.

This week, Apple set itself back twenty years and is behaving like a dogmatic dinosaur. In the Apple world, I will call them an iAsshole.

And we thought Microsoft was bad…

When does Boot Camp Beta expire?: “The license to use Boot Camp Beta expires when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is available to the public. To continue using Boot Camp at that time, upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.”

Depois dos avisos ao pessoal do iPhone por causa do update que os transformava em iBricks, agora é a vez da Apple avisar o pessoal do Boot Camp: “meninos, toca a comprar o Leopard (que ainda nem sequer sabemos quando é que vai sair) porque o Boot Camp vai deixar de funcionar. Ah, todos aqueles trabalhos importantes que vocês tinham na partição do Windows? Azar. Quem vos mandou instalar o Windows num mac tão lindo. Não leram os termos de serviço? Mas podem comprar o Leopard… não conseguem comprar aí em Portugal? Não há apple? Só Interlog? Vocês também podem esperar praí um mês, não podem?”

Apple Users Talking Class-Action Lawsuit Over iPhone Locking – Wolfe’s Den Blog – InformationWeek: “You bought the iPhone, you paid for it, but now Apple is telling you how you have to use it, and if you don’t do things they way they say, they’re going to lock it. Turn it into a useless ‘brick.”

As práticas das companhias monopolistas é terrível, os seus termos de serviço são um verdadeiro cinto de forças do qual é quase impossível sair. São desenhados de forma a que o utilizador que paga, se limite a viver cercado de zonas perigosas, que se forem ultrapassadas permitirão às empresas terminar, e até destruir o produto que lhe venderam.

Parece que no caso dos iPhones, os utilizadores que ficaram com iBricks estão a preparar uma acção judicial contra a Apple por incumprimento de garantia. Ora a Apple vai-se defender que eles mexeram nos aparelhos e isso é uma violação dos termos de serviço, mas por outro lado estes termos de serviço não são exagerados? Não haverá alguma lei que fira de nulidade o que vai para além do razoável?

Parece que o tal update fantástico ao firmware do iPhone afinal é o que se chama tábua rasa. A forma de evitar iPhones desbloqueados parece ser fazer dos iPhones pisa-papeis. Mas algo correu mal à Apple e para além dos iPhones hackados, há pessoas que não fizeram nada aos seus iPhones e cujos telefones deixaram de funcionar. Ou seja… “Vendemos 1 milhão de iPhones em 74 dias, matamos 1 milhão em 24h com um update”.

As relações publicas da Apple vão ter muito trabalho. Será que o pessoal vai ter mais 100$ de crédito na iTunes Store?

As fontes desta comédia:

ZDNet, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

ZDNet, Jason D. O’Grady

Techmeme

Gizmodo