Guide

UPDATE: The below method is broken under iTunes 7.4.1, but there is a slightly more involved process that does work under iTunes 7.4.1.

Though this capability might well be removed in a future version of iTunes, it's currently possible to turn any MP3 or AAC file into an iTunes ringtone file that can be synchronized with the iPhone. You'll miss out on the editing features built into the iTunes ringtone tool, but you also won't have to pay anything extra for the tracks, nor will you have to use any third-party ringtone … Read more

We previously noted that a number of readers have reported that their iPhones have become non-functional (entering an endless rebooting cycle) after the following process: restoring the iPhone using iTunes 7.4, then attempting jailbreak with Installer.app 2.4 or earlier or other older jailbreaking utilities. Our suggested fixes included putting the iPhone in recovery mode and restoring, or using an earlier version of iTunes to restore.

Adam Dann of Nullriver Software, the creators of AppTapp (Installer.app for the iPhone) has now provided us with a Terminal script that may fix the endless reboot syndrome from a Mac … Read more

If you have restored your iPhone using iTunes 7.4 do not attempt to jailbreak the device with anything other than the newly released version of Installer.app (AppTapp) 3.0 or the newly revised, compatible edition of INdependence. A number of readers have reported that their iPhones have become non-functional (entering an endless rebooting cycle) after the following process: restoring the iPhone using iTunes 7.4, then attempting jailbreak with Installer.app 2.4 or earlier or other older jailbreaking utilities.

Apparently iTunes 7.4 uploads changes to the iPhone that can cause serious issues when those units undergo … Read more

There appears to be some confusion over the new ringtone purchase capabilities built into iTunes 7.4. In a nutshell, iTunes 7.4 includes the capability to purchase ringtone-enabled tracks from the iTunes Store, edit them and send them to the iPhone; however, ringtone functionality has not yet been added to the iTunes Store.

If you click on the iTunes Store in iTunes 7.4 then navigate to the "View" menu and select "View Options," you will be presented with the ability to select the columns that are shown next to tracks in the iTunes Store. … Read more

We've covered a bevy of Web-based IM mechanisms for the iPhone, including Mundu, Heysan and TinyBuddy. All have their benefits and drawbacks, but none come close to delivering the overall speed and level of fluid operation that can be achieved with a native application.

Fortunately, thanks to a blossoming third-party, native iPhone application universe, there are now two viable binary instant messaging applications that -- while carrying some significant bugs -- already represent (depending on your usage patterns) the best options for sending and receiving messages through AOL's instant messaging network. They are Apollo IM (which we covered … Read more

Sci-Fi Hi-Fi has updated its Mac OS X application PodWorks (now at version 2.9.2) for compatibility with the iPhone. This means you can now copy tracks directly from the iPhone to your Mac's iTunes library or to any other location on your Mac's hard drive. We gave the program a quick test-spin, and found it to work quickly and easily, precisely as advertised. It immediately recognized the connected iPhone and promptly displayed a full list of music contained therein.

When used in conjunction with the native iPhone application SwapTunes, PodWorks becomes an effective means for moving … Read more

iPhone Atlas reader Wilson Lam has put together an excellent tutorial on configuring an Exchange 2003 email server for use with the iPhone -- a task accomplished by enabling IMAP4 and SMTP support. The guide requires Exchange 2003 SP2 (setup and fully functional), administrator access to both Front-end and Back-end servers, firewall Administrator Access to your incoming firewall and an iPhone with WiFi access (for initial sync and testing).

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

The chances of your flight being hit by a shoulder-fired, laser-guided missile are good enough that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has spent more than $100 million looking into ways to prevent it.

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman just completed 6,000 hours of in-flight testing on its Guardian directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system, all part of the DHS initiative to adapt existing military technology to protect commercial aircraft from attack by surface-to-air-missiles (SAM) similar to the U.S.-made Stinger.

The DIRCM system works by first detecting the attack, then directing an invisible, eye-safe laser to the homing/seeker … Read more

Add this to the still small but burgeoning group of useful, native iPhone applications. One frequently lamented iPhone omission is the inability to synchronize media with two separate computers, containing two separate iTunes libraries. If you already have iTunes media (music, video) synchronized from one computer, hooking the iPhone up to another computer will only give you the option to overwrite all existing media with what's stored on that system.

SwapTunes is a small binary that, when run, simply creates and switches to a new iTunes library on the iPhone itself. This new library can be synchronized with a … Read more