So, a third update to the  iPhone called iPhone 3G [S] where s = speed, as if iPhone wasn`t fast enough. Either ways, its coming out June 19th and people are more excited than ever … Why ? here are some reasons to cheer on

1. Pricing

   Ok here is the deal.
   iPhone 3G [s] 16GB – $199
   iPhone 3G [s] 32GB – $299
   What is Apple thinking, I can still remember when iPhone 4GB (2G) costed a bomb. Either ways, less price is always good for the consumer (Without the Operator Strings Attached). By the time this baby hits India, it`ll be costing around $700-$800 (which would also require a contract with the Operator )

2. 3MP AutoFocus Camera with Video Recording

   I always felt iPhone’s camera was one of the best camera’s amongst all its competitor although it was just 2MP.
   Now Apple is offering 3MP Autofocus, which can automatically switch to Macro mode with any object around 10cm away from the camera. Also this baby can record VIDEO, Perfect

3. Same Size, Same Weight as iPhone 3G

   Added features but not an ounce more

4. Digital Compass

   Now this is something new which I never thought would be built in a phone . Either way, it doesn’t hurt to have an extra feature when your phone can already play music, click pictures, GPS, Web etc etc…

5. Very Resistant !

   It seems this iPhone is highly resistant to water, oil since it has a new outer body. Now you don`t need to worry when you “accidently” drop your drinks on your phone.

6. iPhone OS 3.0

   Yeh, it will be OS 3.0 powered so there are lot of accessibility features. Some include complete sentence recognition, multiplayer gaming, read aloud text etc.

The iPhone 3G [s] has plenty of more features including a fitness program to keep track of your calories !

Frankly its not a VERY huge update to the existing iPhone 3G. Rumors are that the new iPhone 3G [s] still won`t allow you to transfer files via bluetooth and lacks A2DP i.e playing audio wirelessly to your bluetooth stereo headset.

and YES, its coming this June 19th,

Click Here to know about the iPhone 3G [s] Specs

So finally you have realized the need for Version Control System. SVN is one of the best Version Control Systems available right now. You want to version control your project but lack the moolah, then the following post will help you choose a free SVN host. There are many available, just one search with “Free SVN Hosting” in google will yield a lot of results. But how would you know which one to choose ? There are a lot of hosts each with unique features, but every one has thier own taste. So here is a compilation of the 3 best free SVN host according to me.

Unfuddle

Very easy to get started with an account. Offers 200MB for the free account and limits the number of projects to just 1. Its prime features are

• 200 MB free space
• 1 Project, and multiple repositories.
• Offers both SVN and GIT version control System.
• Very friendly Dashboard
• Allows Callback to a particular url whenever a commit is performed on the repository.
• URL : http://www.unfuddle.com

Springloops

Another service which offers affordable hosting. It offers a free hosting as well. Although this service offers 100MB compared to unfuddle, it has something unique. The highlight here is you can deploy the script directly to your production server. There is no need to login via FTP to upload your updated script, you can directly deploy any revision (i.e the latest revision or you can specify revision number)

• 100MB free space
• Offers only SVN hosting
• Automatic Deployment of Script on commit. (uses FTP or SFTP)
• It also has integration with Base camp (leading project management and collab system)
• URL : http://www.springloops.com

ProjectLocker

Another Service which has a good host of features for free. It supports a variety of version control systems like SVN, Git and also has TRAC support.

• Offers 300MB
• Unlimited Users
• Unlimited Projects
• Unlimited Repositories
• Offers Trac – Bug Reporting, Project Management, Wiki
• URL : http://www.projectlocker.com/

Verdict

I personally like springloops.com only because it offers automatic Deployment of script. Once you commit your changes, you can directly deploy your changes by heading over to springloops.com, no hassle of uploading to ftp and crosschecking which version has been uploaded.

Unfuddle is very powerful as well, it offers both SVN hosting and GIT hosting for a single account, though it lacks automatic script deployment.

After a lot of hype, Google’s most anticipated iPhone Killer is out. Touching the G1 is no iPhone, but then again, its not always about the touch… its about the appz. So what is it all about ?
In short, the key features are

1. Touch Screen
2. QWERTY Keypad
3. 3.2 MegaPixel Camera
4. 3G & WiFi and other Connectivity Options (Bluetooth etc)
5. Most important of all. Out of the world Internet Experience & lots of APPLICATIONS

iPhone started a revolution with its innovative touch screen and best Internet Experience, but the G1 hopes to cross it all. You can get a G1 for $179.99 from T-Mobile. The Android Marketplace has also gone live along with the G1.

Currently from recent hands on reviews, it seems that the G1 doesn`t have a dedicated Video Player. But lots of other information regarding the G1 will come to the surface. As of now, the phone has lot of features compared to the iPhone. Although the market is not yet .. ehmm .. filled up like the iPhone’s AppStore, but hey its just launched. Currently there are close to 40 free apps and paid apps will be coming soon. We can expect a lot of applications in the coming weeks.

I was just surfing through Youtube.com to find a really interesting video. The video is a demo of Google’s upcoming OS for mobiles, i.e AnAndroid powered phone. I did a little more research on what it is all about. I have already posted an article about how Google Crome might end up in Android. You can read it Here.

The new mobile, called “Dream”, will use Android, Google’s OS for mobile phones, and will be manufactured by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. The HTC Dream will be the first smartphone on the market equipped with Google;s Android. A variety of third party apps have already been created on the Google Android platform.

T-Mobile will be selling the HTC Dream in late October, according to an article by the Wall Street Journal. It also stated that T-Mobile will announce about Dream officially on Sept.23rd at 10.30PM. Stephan Frank of Android Authority posted a screenshot of the invitation he recieved to attend the press conference in New York at the above mentioned date.

Quoted by timesonline.co.uk

A senior executive displayed a phone that used the Android operating system during a demonstration at a Google event in London yesterday, but covered up the manufacturer’s branding.

The demonstration immediately prompted speculation that the device was the “Dream”, adding to the hype about the phone’s expected launch at an event in New York next Tuesday.

Google, which is notoriously secretive about new technology before it launches, would not confirm or deny whether the executive had shown off the new phone. However, a spokesperson did say that it was the first time anyone in Europe had seen a working phone using Android.

Seen yesterday by The Times at the Google Developer Day event at Wembley Stadium, the touchscreen device looked much like released photographs of the Dream.

When asked to make a phone call on the Android phone, Mike Jennings, the Google executive who demonstrated the device, said: “I can’t show it off any more, I’ll be out of a job.”

It is thought the new handset will have a slide-out Qwerty keyboard as well as built-in GPS (global positioning system). The phone is expected to be able to run Google’s range of web applications, including Gmail, Google Docs and Google Maps, and will likely also feature Google’s new web browser, Chrome.

The handset manufacturer, HTC, said they expect better sales for Dream than most analyst estimates.

A source close to the launch was reported as saying that the company expects to ship 600,000 to 700,000 units of the new phone this year, whereas analysts have put the figure at 300,000 to 500,000 units.

It seems Google wants to take over the world, Earlier this week Google released its own web browser Chrome. You can Read the previous post for more information. Currently its available for download only in the Windows Platform (Windows XP SP2/Windows Vista). A statement by Google co-founder Sergey Brin has linked Chrome with Google’s upcoming mobile operating system Android. Just in case if you are wondering what is Android, Android is Google’s Open Source Operating System for the mobile phones (just like Microsoft’s Windows Mobile), already the first handset in development by HTC powered by Android is going to roll out in Q4 2008 or early 2009. The handset is named HTC Dream.

In a recent interview with CNET,Brin claimed that “…a subsequent version of Android is going to pick up a lot of the Chrome stack.”

Both browsers i.e Chrome and Android’s Web Browser are built with the same Webkit rendering engine (Other browsers such as Safari(iPhone), Safari Mobile, and Nokia’s S60 Browser are also powered by this engine) however other features such as the user interface, CSS and JavaScript engines, and support for extensions and plugins will be the ones to look out for.

Google has announced Chrome to be available on both Mac and Linux in the near feature, although the dates not given yet. (You can run Chrome in Linux using Wine though)

Just when I thought Google had done it all, Google proved me wrong once again, this time by launching a web browser ! I was pretty excited to read the latest news – ‘Google Launches Open Source Web Browser – Google Chrome’. Finally Google enters the Browser Battlefield. Click to Download Google Chrome from www.google.com/chrome

There are already lot of browsers available apart from Internet Explorer. Some of them are Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safiri, Opera etc. So can Google really take over the ‘Internet Browser’ market as it took over the Internet search market with its search engine ?

Internet Explorer currently holds approx 70% of the market share while Firefox has approx 20%. Upon that Internet Explorer comes pre-installed with every Microsoft OS. Its gonna take time before Google Chrome can gain some momentum in this long race. Google has gone the Open-Source way. Google Chrome has very plain looks. No eye candy here .

Google says Chrome is faster, more secure and easier to use than any other Web browser, especially Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
If there is any error or something has gone wrong with a plugin, Other browsers would immediately freeze up every open tab, but in Google’s browser each tab acts like it has its own engine.

Quote from a Google Employee
“If one Web app misbehaves or one Web app is consuming a lot of your computer’s resources, the rest of the apps can still act very responsively,” Rikowsky says.

Meanwhile, I ran a check on how people have searched on Google for their favourite browsers(The 4 major browsers), and the results were as follows :

Google Trends – internet explorer,safari,opera,firefox

Just in case if you don`t know what Google Trends is, With Google Trends, you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. The Graph shows how often the topics have been searched on Google over time. Google Trends also shows how frequently your topics have appeared in Google News stories, and in which geographic regions people have searched for them most.
You can check it out @ http://www.google.com/trends

Updated : v1.1
Some users have reported that after installing firmware 1.1.4, the phone doesnt detect the SIM. In this case, the baseband has to be reverted back to the old one. So you have to download one more software called KiPhone and 2 extra steps have been added to show how its done i.e Step 5 and Step 6.

You might be wondering, why I am writing a tutorial about Downgrading an iPhone’s firmware, well 3 days back I got an iPhone 2G from a friend. It was running v2.0 firmware. Since v2.0 firmware doesn`t support the good’ol Installer (Installer : An application used to download and install a wide variety of applications packages hosted online. Something similar to Itunes App Store except this is free . Ofcourse data transmission charges are applicable as per your network), I decided to downgrade the firmware to 1.1.4 since there are lots of applications available for download on 1.1.4.

Anyways I decided to run a check on google to find the perfect method to downgrade the firmware and what results were quite disappointing. There were millions of methods and barely any of them worked. (I tried quite a few) So this tutorial is for people like me who wasted hours trying to downgrade their iPhone firmwares but don`t have a clue on how to go about it.

Warning : Vision Master Designs is not responsible, if in any way your phone gets damaged after following this tutorial/procedure. This procedure worked fine for me and so I am posting a simple workaround for people struggling to find a solution on downgrading their phones.
This Procedure is for the 1st generation iPhones

By the way, thanks to apple, your phone can always be restored via iTunes(in the locked state), if anything goes wrong. This Procedure works for both v2.0.0 and v2.0.1

If any queries, you can always post a comment. So read on !

First of, you require the following Softwares.

1. Apple iTunes 7.5 : Click Here for a direct Link from Apple
2. ZiPhone 3.0 : Used to Jailbreak,Unlock,Activate and downgrade baseband if necessary, with just a click of a button.
   Click Here to Download the Windows version
   Click Here to Download the MAC version
3. KiPhone : Download KiPhone to help you restore your iphone’s baseband version.
   For Windows – Click Here
   For Mac – Click Here
4. Firmware 1.1.4 : Click Here to download

Note : If you have any other version of iTunes installed i.e apart from 7.5, please uninstall it !! Even though you have the latest version of iTunes (i.e 7.7.1) please uninstall it and install iTunes 7.5. Also Delete the iTunes Library.itl located in My Documents -> My Music -> iTunes.
In Windows Vista C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes.

Step 1

Assuming you have installed iTunes 7.5 and rebooted your computer. Open up the taskmanager i.e Ctrl+Alt+Del and goto processes. End Task iTunesHelper.exe.

Step 2

Connect the iphone via the USB cable. See whether iTunes detects the iPhone. Either ways, whether it detects the phone or not, open up iTunes. Now you have to put your iPhone into DFU mode.

Step 2.1 – DFU MODE

This is very important. Please note that there are 2 modes in which your iPhone can be put on while restoring any firmware.

1. Recovery Mode : This is the mode where you see the cable connector with the itunes logo image on the iPhone. Your iPhone will display the following image on its screen.

   

2. DFU Mode : This mode is used while flashing your iPhone with a new firmware or a old firmware. It is independent of iTunes as well. Most people have the problem of entering into the DFU mode. The main way to distinguish between Recovery mode and the DFU mode is, from the screen of the iPhone.
   In DFU mode, the screen is completely blank unlike recovery mode.

   Method to get into DFU mode :

   1. Please first switch of your fone.
   2. See to your fone is connected to your computer. Start iTunes.
   3. Press the home button and the sleep/wake button together. Keep both of them pressed. Start counting till 10
   4. After you finish counting till 10, release from the sleep/wake button !! only the sleep/wake button. But please keep your home button still pressed !
   5. Keep the home button pressed till you see the following screen on your iTunes.

      

Step 3

Click OK. Now keep your “Shift” Key pressed and click on the Restore button. You`ll see that a browse window popped up. Select the iPhone1,1_1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw which we downloaded.
Click on Ok ! You`ll see that the firmware file is being Extracted and Installed.
Finally during the Verification Stage, you will encounter an error. (Most probably 10xx error)

Note : As long is it is not a 16xx error, there is nothing to worry about. If you encounter any of the 16xx errors, then there is a 90% chance that you are not using the correct iTunes version.

Step 4

After you encounter the 10xx error, you will notice the screen of iPhone is that of the “Recovery Mode” i.e you`ll see the above Recovery mode image on the screen of your iPhone.
Provided you see this image on your iPhone, Restore the firmware again. !

Thats right, restore the firmware once again.

Keep the shift key pressed and then select the firmware file and restore AGAIN ! –> Very Important

Step 5

If you encounter the same error after the second restore, no problem. Quit iTunes.
Now you have the 1.1.4 firmware with the wrong baseband. To correct it, Open KiPhone. Please unzip all the files into a folder before starting Kiphone.
Run KiPhone with options
Debug Boot – CHECKED
iErase – CHECKED
downgrade – UNCHECKED

Step 6

Once you have performed the task with kiphone, run Itunes 7.5 again and restore the 1.1.4 firmware once again. Now the firmware with the correct baseband will be written. You may have to put your phone into recovery mode/DFU mode if its not being detected by iTunes. Finally to Unlock the iphone follow Step 7.

Step 7

Open up ZiPhone 3.0. Click on “Do it ALL” as shown below.

You`ll see lot of white text scrolling by, once the procedure is finished, you will have a UNLOCKED, JAILBROKEN iPhone with firmware 1.1.4.

You will notice that, ZiPhone automatically installs Installer

You can use installer to install various applications.

In the next post, I`ll tell you how to access the iPhone via SSH and install applications via SSH.
Also I`ll give a list of most wanted applications on the iPhone. Till then Cya

Congratulations !

So the hype is finally over…After a gruelling wait of 22 days from the first world wide launch of the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G was finally launched in INDIA and some select countries on 23rd August (2nd Worldwide launch). I may be a bit late in informing this news, but this post is more than just a report reporting the launch of the most awaited gadget in India.

iPhone 3G is locked to the 2 of the Country’s major telecom giants viz. Airtel, Vodafone. Both have launched the phone with high speculations and *ahem* very high price ! The iPhone 3G here costs Rs.31000 – 8GB(Black) Model and Rs.36100 – 16GB(Black/White) Model, thats approximately $740 and $860.

Currently there is no software which directly unlocks the iPhone 3G, but lets hope someone soon makes a breakthrough.

Vodafone and Airtel both have some attractive schemes along with buying the iPhone 3G. Some important information on iPhone 3G’s warranty, if the iPhone 3G is unlocked or so within the first year of the contract, then Warranty is VOID.

Airtel has also tied up with Apple to bring the APPSTORE here in India, and create Operator-Specific applications. iPhone 3G running on other networks won`t be able to use apps specially designed to run only on a Airtel Connection.

For

I really don`t have the words to express. This phone is the most innovative one in its category. We have seen many touchscreen phones before. but this revolutionized the concept of a mobile phone. There are more advanced phones than this, but the launch of iphone cracked open a new era of touchscreen computing for other manufacturers as well.
So many phones have come out as ‘iPhone Killers’, that just shows the the authority of this phone in the market.

But just to name a few of the prime features

1. iPhone3G supports 3G. Currently India doesn`t have 3G support, but by mid 2009, 3G services are expected to start.
2. GPS Support.
3. 3.5″ 16M-color TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
4. Ipod and Video
5. Faster than 1st gen iPhone
6. TV-out port

Flaws

I`ll tell you, there are people who hate the iPhone. I couldn`t believe it. I love this device for its looks and innovation. But are only ‘looks’ of prime importance ??

1. No A2DP. I don`t know how many people use bluetooth stereo headsets, but I am one of those who use it. I bought a SE DS-220 to be used with my SE K550@W610 and it works like a charm. I love it. But with iPhone 3G, you can`t use it .
2. Cannot transfer files via bluetooth.
   I hope this can be fixed in the future firmware upgrades from Apple.
3. Cannot forward SMS messages.
   There are 3rd party apps who do this.
4. No Video Recording
   There are 3rd party apps who do this.
5. 2MegaPixel Camera. No autofocus, no settings
   Rs31K and I would expect atleast 3.2MP.
6. Cannot remove battery
7. No Java Support
8. No support for office documents
9. No copy/paste functionality
   What was apple thinking !?
10. Safari browser doesn’t support Flash,it also doesn’t have a download manager

Pricing of IPhone 3G – The Biggest Flaw in India

• Frankly speaking, the price of Iphone 3G is not justified. In the U.S the phone is heavily subsidized by the carrier giant AT&T. The 8GB model was being offered at $199. But most people don`t realize that the customer will be bound to a contract for 2 years with the minimum monthly bill ranging anywhere between $50-$75+ depending on the usage. BTW initially while buying, you also have to pay $36 as activation fee + $30 for any data plan + some minimum tariff plan.

  If your maths is good you can do the calculations for yourself. Initally itself, for a 8GB model you have to shell out minimum of $325. Then add your monthly bills to it.
  You`ll find they end up paying more than us here in INDIA.

  However, AT&T allows the subscriber to cancel his/her subscription with AT&T and retain the phone on a condition of using their services for a month(30 days) and paying an ETF(Early Termination Fee). $175 is the EFT.
  So lets do some calculations.
  Minimum amount you`ll be paying to get your IPhone3G with AT&T is $325
  + EFT i.e $175.
  + 1 month usage
  = approx $560

  So in the end you`ll be getting your unlocked IPhone3g for about $560 = Rs.23000 approx @ Rs.41/$.

• While in India you pay $740 for the IPhone3g and upon that the phone will be locked to a carrier for a 12 Months !!. I guess the high rice may also be due to the high service taxes,duties imposed by our government.

Verdict

Personally, I feel the IPhone3G is not worth the amount it is being sold here in INDIA. Its a great device and I wanted to buy one when it was released, but the price has been the main factor which made me change my decision of buying the phone.

You can ask someone abroad to get you an iPhone3G because it`ll be any day cheaper. Currently the response towards buying an iPhone 3G has not been that great with both the operators. Hopefully we can expect a price dip in about a month or so.

By the way, I saw an Ad in the newspaper where RelianceDigital claims they have iPhone 3G’s for sale. I am a bit curious. I don`t know whether that is true, but I`ll surely check it out an let you all know.

Right now, I am considering to buy a HTC Diamond, which has better specs than the iPhone 3G and retails for about Rs.27000 locked to Airtel (Rs.26000 unlocked grey version). But before buying, I`ll do some more research on the iPhone 3G’s prices and let you guys know as well.

Regards.