iPhone Atlas

When Apple released its highly anticipated iPhone OS 3.1 firmware update for the iPhone and iPod Touch, some users' worries were confirmed: the tethering hack we blogged about in June no longer works.

After upgrading, if you navigate on your iPhone to the Settings app, select General, then Network, you will see that the menu item for tethering has vanished.

Developers have not yet been able to find a way to downgrade or re-enable the tethering hack. If you or someone you know has had a different experience, we would like to hear about it in the comments.

Updated on 9/10/2009 at 10:15 AM PDT: According to user comments below, tethering remains intact for some, but not for others. Varying versions of the AT&T carrier file seem to be responsible for the discrepancy. We'll be seeking comment today from AT&T and Apple regarding these carrier files.

Updated on 9/11/2009 at 5:08 PM PDT: AT&T referred us to Apple for comment and as of today Apple has not responded to our query regarding these carrier files.

(Credit: Matt Hickey)

So Apple on Friday released an update to the iPhone OS (3.0.1) that takes care of an SMS vulnerability. It's a fairly important patch, and usually when Apple updates the iPhone OS, jailbreakers have to wait until the Dev Team comes out with a new version of jailbreaking software before they can update.

But according to the iPhone Dev Team's Twitter, this is not the case with the 3.0.1 firmware. In fact, the current versions of redsn0w and ultrasn0w work the same with the 3.0.1 firmware as they do with the 3.0 firmware that came out a few weeks ago. In short, the jailbreaking software already works. I checked with the Dev Team community and had this confirmed. "Restore to 3.0.1, run redsn0w, select the 3.0 file... Bang zoom."

So go ahead, iPhone hackers, and secure your devices soon. You don't have to worry about losing Cydia and other rogue apps.

During the WWDC keynote, AT&T was strangely absent from Apple's list of carriers that will support tethering in iPhone OS 3.0. AT&T has since explained that it will support tethering later this summer, but many iPhone users are champing at the bit for the added functionality. If you're one of the eager masses, use this how-to to enable tethering on any iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0--without jailbreaking--on a Mac. (Other blogs have reported Windows tethering steps; please see our links at the end of this piece.)

Difficulty level:
Medium

What you need:
>Mac OS X 10.5 or later
>Download this carrier settings file from gizmodo.com and double-click it to mount it in Finder
>iPhone OS 3.0 (7A341) Gold Master final release for iPhone (see below note)
>First prerelease version of iTunes 8.2 (download link)
>Final release version of iTunes 8.2 (download link)

Notes:
iPhone OS 3.0 will be available to all iPhone users on June 17.

Standard disclaimers apply here. Please read your contract terms of service carefully before proceeding to ensure that you are not breaking your iPhone carrier agreement. Also, while these methods have worked for most people, we cannot guarantee that they will work for you, and you must make these modifications at your own risk. If you do not feel comfortable making these modifications to your phone, we urge you not to try.

(Credit: Apple, Inc.)

Setting up tethering for your iPhone

Uninstall iTunes 8.2 Mac

1. Drag the Application iTunes from the apps folder on your Mac to the Trash.

2. Launch Activity Monitor from Applications/Utilities and kill the iTunes Helper process.

3. Go to Finder. Navigate to your ~/Library folder and delete the iTunes folder at ~/Library/iTunes.

4. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences, locate the following three files, and drag each one to the Trash: com.apple.iTunes.eq.plist, com.apple.iTunes.plist, and com.apple.iTunesHelper.plist

5. Empty the Trash

Install iTunes 8.2 prerelease Mac

6. Install the iTunes 8.2 prerelease you downloaded.

7. Connect your iPhone with iPhone OS 3.0 software loaded on it to your computer with the standard USB sync cable.

8. Once the iPhone is connected, go to the Device Summary page in iTunes.

9. While pressing and holding the Option key on your Mac, click the Restore button in iTunes

10. Browse to the mounted carrier settings file you downloaded and mounted above and select the ATT_US.ipcc file. iTunes will now perform an upgrade on your iPhone and display the following message:

Set up tethering on your iPhone

11. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and go to General and then Network while your iPhone is still tethered to your computer.

12. Locate "Internet Tethering" and turn it on.

|

If tethering is successful, you will see a message that is similar to the following:

Go into Preferences Network select the adapter as displayed above, and you'll see something similar to this as it becomes active:

Your iPhone will display a blue background banner on different screens to indicate that tethering is active and running as shown below.

|

Our brief tests found tethering to be zippy fast on an iPhone 3G. Your experiences may vary, but we would like to hear about them in the comments.

06/18/09 at 1:30 PM PDT: This post was updated to reflect some additional tethering information.

According to CrunchGear you can also turn tethering on and MMS directly from your iPhone by visiting this Web site using Mobile Safari: http://help.benm.at/help.php. We tested tethering and that worked, but have yet to get the MMS portion of this Web sites hack up and running.

You can go to this site that we found via gizmodo.com and get some instructions on performing these hacks on a Windows computer.

Gizmodo also notes that "Some people are reporting that these hacks can screw with your visual voicemail. Careful! " While we have not seen this happen yet - it is possible that performing an iTunes restore on your iPhone will resolve the issue, but erase all the hacks as well.

06/17/09 at 10:15 AM PDT:This post was updated to reflect some sourcing and additional tethering information.

willson556 and gointoscott in the comments below suggest a shorter version - replacing Steps 1-6 with a defaults write command for users with the release version of iTunes 8.2. We've tried this version and can confirm that it, too, works.

b3baby in the comments below asks if this hack will also work on a desktop. This hack will work on any Mac - desktop or portable. We tested it on an iMac and a Macbook Pro.

thisismatthewcrosby2 in the comments below complains about issues with his Mac not seeing his iPhone - suggest doing the iTunes removal step again - be sure to delete the three appropriate COM files and re-install iTunes.

Once the hack is complete you can re-install iTunes 8.2 if needed, but future updates may undo the hack.

(iPhone Atlas came up with this process independently, but other publications, including 9to5Mac here, have come to the same conclusion).

(Credit: CNET)

I read about a new term today for iPhone application fans that hits a little too close to home. The term is "Appnoxious," and describes iPhone owners who are always whipping out their iPhone to show their friends, family, or coworkers their favorite new app. Ahem.

I apologize to everyone, but I believe I might be just that: Appnoxious. In my defense, it's my job to seek out and find new iPhone apps, so I'm hoping at least some of the people I know will give me a pass? Maybe I should just embrace it...

This week's apps include a funny, yet surprisingly deep synthesizer program and a dungeon crawler game similar to one of the greatest classic hack-and-slash RPGs of all time.

Switch presets, access synth controls and effects, and save your customized robot sounds.

(Credit: CNET)

Bebot--Robot Synth ($1.99) brings up a cute little robot in a tuxedo on your screen. Touching different areas of the screen causes the robot to move and "sing" while it produces realistic synth sounds. If you double-tap the arrow in the lower right part of the touch screen, you open up a side menu offering several ways to tweak your sounds. You can choose a different scale, make the touchscreen display lines for auto-tuned notes, and add effects to your sounds.

At first glance, Bebot seems like a simple and cute robot toy, but I quickly came to realize that the ability to choose from several different synth sounds, scales, and effects like Chorus and Echo, make this more of a musical instrument than I thought. You also can save your settings so the next time you launch Bebot, you can start right where you left off.

Sometimes quests involve finding the right switch to open locked doors.

(Credit: CNET)

Underworlds ($2.99) is a dungeon crawling RPG that's a lot like the original Diablo from Blizzard. There's a basecamp above ground where you can buy and sell weapons, but most of the game is spent down in the dungeon, hacking and slashing your way through hordes of crypt-dwelling monsters. You'll find NPCs as you explore who will send you on quests to kill evil wizards, save people lost in the crypt, and other similar adventure game fare. The graphics are exceptionally good for an iPhone game and the interface makes it easy to check inventory, track your current health, and use special abilities you gain from leveling up. When you need to sell items, simply use a teleport to get back above ground, buy and sell items, then head back to the crypt.

Underworlds manages to be a very challenging and fun game even though I wonder how much time people will want to spend playing a game of this scope on their iPhone. The controls, consisting of an onscreen gamepad and a fairly solid system for using abilities and skills can nevertheless be a little difficult to handle at times. I mostly was able to get my warrior to do what I wanted. Overall, if you like Diablo and were waiting for a game of this type on the iPhone, Underworlds is definitely a worthy option.

What's your favorite current iPhone app? Are you as surprised as I am by the depth of the seemingly silly Bebot? Is Underworlds the hack-and-slasher you've been waiting for? Most importantly, are you Appnoxious? Let me know in the comments!