Sent from my i/android/nokia Phone

JailBreak and Unlock your iPhone 3G and run iOS4.1

2010-10-29T15:27:00.001+05:30

Have a iPhone 3g or 3gs and want to upgrade to the latest iOS4.1 but cannot since you depend on a jailbreak and a unlock (ultrasn0w perhaps)....don't worry. Help is here thanks to the DevTeam again.

Head straight to 2 wonderful tutorials, thanks to iClarified.com. One is to Jailbreak and the other to unlock your 3g phone with iOS4.1.

To Jailbreak (with a custom iOS4.1 firmware) [For Mac] - http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=12363

To Jailbreak (with a custom iOS4.1 firmware) [For Windows] - http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=12115

To unlock - http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=4253

I tried both of the above and was able to successfully JB and unlock my iPhone3g and upgraded to iOS4.1 in the process.

New Year, New phone, New competition...

2010-01-06T13:46:00.004+05:30

Aah...the new year ushers in, and with it brings on new products, new competition and new technology. The net gainer, obviously the customer. Strangely there seems no end to the smartphone (or super smart phones as they call it now) madness. Where are we really headed ? Will there be no computers 5 years or 10 years down the line ? Looks like this one device in your hand will control everything in your life. One wonders what new could they add in these super smart phones ? What do they lack ?

I don't see anything really new in the Google phone that would make people really want to own it (like they did when the iPhone came out), however it is certainly competition for the likes of the iPhone, Droid, Palm Pre and the Blackberry. Would be interesting to see how Apple, Nokia, Blackberry and Microsoft react to this.

Catch a preview of the Nexus One below

More at

www.google.com/phone

and here is a comparison chart, just in case you plan to get a 'super smart phone' for yourself !

Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 3g/3gs running 3.1.2 firmware

2009-11-05T15:38:00.007+05:30

Thanks to GeoHot @ (www.blackra1n.com) we now have a very easy and simple jailbreak and unlock available for the iPhone 3g/3gs running on firmware 3.1.2. I have tried this myself and was able to use any Indian SIM CARD on my iPhone 3g. Here are the steps, with details of the time it takes to perform each step.

1. Download the 3.1.2 firmware for the iPhone 3g or iPhone3gs from the below sites

Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3G (~240MB)
Download iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3GS (~300MB)

[Time for download could vary based on your connection speed.]

2.Take a backup of your contacts and (eg. by syncing your iPhone contacts with the windows address book, using iTunes) before installing the new firmware. If you have been connecting your iPhone to iTunes regularly then it would have already been backed most of your stuff once before. (Read : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766)

3.Open iTunes and press the SHIFT (key) + Restore option (in iTunes), to upgrade to a custom firmware (and not Apple's official firmware). Then choose the firmware downloaded in step 1. Do not let iTunes upgrade your iPhone's firmware. [ Time it takes ~ 10-15 mins to install the new firmware]

4. Once you have installed the firmware, follow steps mentioned here to install and unlock your phone.This process installs Cydia (the jailbreak app) and Sn0w (the unlock by 'geohot'') on your iPhone. Vola ! you are done and you should see your carrier signal after this step ! If you r carrier does not support 3G please turn it off and reboot your iPhone once. [~ Time : 10 mins]

5. Alternatively if you are familiar with Cydia you can also unlock you iPhone (after jailbreaking and installing Cydia in step 3) using method mentioned here.

Enjoy your unlocked iPhone and hats off to GeoHot !!!

For iPhone 2g users follow these instructions from the Simons blog to use 'blackra1n' to unlock your iPhone 2g.

Share your comments and feedback on the process. I would be more than welcome to help out with questions if required.

How to take a screenshot of your iPhone screen

2009-08-11T16:44:00.007+05:30

Found out this trick while writing up some of my other blogs, where I needed screenshots of what was being displayed on my iPhone. This trick could be useful not just for blogging purposes but also to share among friends where to find a particular setting on the iPhone or to capture an error message on your iPhone and say send it to a friend or customer support by email. The images that you capture get stored on your "Camera Roll" which you can browse and then email the picture (of your iPhone screen) to whomsoever you want to.

Here is how it goes. Simply press and hold the Sleep button (button on top right side of the iPhone's upper edge, used to turn the iPhone on sleep, as shown in the pic). After 3-4 secs, while you are still holding the Sleep button down, press the Home button (Round button with a square on it, used to go to the home screen). You should hear a "click" sound as you hear when taking a picture. The image will be stored in the iPhone's camera roll which you can email or downlaod via iTunes.

Use your iPhone's GPRS/3G data plan, on your laptop

2009-08-11T15:50:00.008+05:30

Yes this is possible, with something called iPhone tethering, available in the latest iPhone OS3.0 and above. With this feature you can use the data plan on your iPhone (GPRS or 3G), and use it to connect to the internet via your laptop/desktop. The data transfer happens either via bluetooth (will reuqire your laptop to have a bluetooth module as well) or the classic USB cable that comes with the iPhone. Activating this feature is pretty simple. Go to Settings >> General >> Network >> Internet Tethering. Turn this option ON. It would ask you how you would like to connect your iPhone's internet connection (ie. via bluetooth or USB). Choose the option you want and you are all set. A Blue band appears (see picture) on the top section of the iPhone indicating that the internet connection is being tethered to another device.You should also see the network available on your laptop/desktop and you can enjoy internet anytime, anywhere as long as you have GPRS/3G coverage in that area.

PS: There have been issues with certain operators in some countries on not allowing internet tethering and it would be advisable to check with your operator for any legal issues on using internet tethering on the iPhone.

How to save iPhone battery life

2009-08-09T12:11:00.004+05:30

Tips to save iPhone battery life

1. If you are on IPhone OS 3.0 and have push notifications turned on (for instant messengers like AOL or eBuddy), then turning them off would help preserve battery life.

2. Turn off 3G if your operator does not support 3G. This will avoid unnecessary searching of a 3G signal. This can be done from Settings >> General >> Network

3. Keep wifi off when not in use, to avoid continuous scanning of wifi signal at all times. This can be done from Settings >> Wifi. If you have a jailbroken iPhone with Cydia installed use SBSettings to quickly toggle services like 3G, Wifi and Location Services.

4. Similar to wifi turn off Location services (from Settings >> General >> Location services). This will help conserve battery power when you do not need GPS services.Again SBSettings can come of great help here.

5. Turn off Push notifications on your email, and turn it to manual delivery option or to an option so that your email is retrieved in fixed time intervals. This can be done from Settings >> Mail, Contacts, Calendars >> Fetch New Data. In the same options you could choose Advanced and configure specific email retrieval options for different email accounts (eg your work email may require a more frequent retreival interval than your personal gmail/yahoo account).

6. Reduce screen brightness (from Settings >> Brightness). This again can be managed from SBSettings.

7. When clicking on the Home button not all apps actually close, and some continue to run in the background, and keep consuming your battery juice. Again SBSettings comes to your rescue which comes with a process explorer which you can use to kill apps you do not want running.

Hope the above tips help you conserve battery life. I have found significant savings in battery life (my battery lasts 3-3.5 days easily with normal use of internet, emailing, sms and voice calls).

Have attached a picture of SBSettings, so that first time users can get a feel of what it looks like.

Guide to Unlocking iPhone 3g

2009-08-07T11:38:00.007+05:30

Thanks to Simon from http://www.simonblog.com we now have a very easy and precise documentation of how someone could jailbreak and unlock a locked iPhone (2g/3g/3gs) using ultrasn0w, which is the software solution to unlock the iPhone from the "Dev Team" (http://blog.iphone-dev.org/). I have tried this myself and it works like a walk in the park. I had my iPhone 3g unlocked with the new OS3.0 in 10 minutes flat. Jailbreaking gives you Cydia (an alternative to the App Store) in your iPhone which you can use to install other applications being developed by iPhone developers. Some of the useful Cydia apps that I would recommend are

1. SBSettings (easy way to toggle settings like wifi,brightness, power off etc right from the home screen)
2. Battery % display (Displays the battery remaining as a %)
3. Cyrocorder (video recorder for iPhone 2g/3g)
4. Five column springboard (2 can see icons in 5 columns instead of the default 4)
5. Five Icon Dock (Add a fifth icon in the dock on the home screen)

Disclaimer : jailbreaking and unlocking voids your warranty and hence this should be tried at your own risk only.

How to sit infront of a computer

2009-08-06T15:48:00.003+05:30

Aaaaah ! My back....ooooh my neck....damn my wrists hurt....why are my eyes so itchy.

I am sure all of us at some point have spoken the above words. Fact is learning to sit and work ergonomically is a "soft skill" necessary for modern day work life. I too have faced various aches and pains due to horrible ergonomic positions in my work life and after working 10 yrs in my industry I have finally been able to get an ergonomic position I am comfortable in. Here are some tips.

1. Unclutter your workspace. Your workspace should help you do your work better, and not hamper it. Things like the phone, monitor and documents should be at arms length distance from where you it.

2. "The chair". Getting the right chair is very important. A good chair should have height adjustment, a height adjustable arm rest and a good adjustable backrest at least.Having a 5 wheel chair is also helpful to move around your workspace.

3.Your back (the most important part). Your back should be straight and at 90-110 degrees with the seat of the chair. Try not to slouch or lay back on the chair.

4. Your feet should be flat on the floor and the back of your knees should make a 90 degree angle. The same is true for your elbows, with your arms resting on the armrest of your chair.

5. Your key board should be at a height just below (or at the same height) your armrest so that your arms do not stress while typing on the keyboard. Make sure your wrists are not turned upwards or too downwards and lie straight on the keyboard. Your mouse should ideally be close to your keyboard (preferably on the keyboard tray itself).

6.Finally the monitor should be at arms length distance away from your eyes. The top of the monitor should be at eye level. Make sure the monitor is nice and clear (resolution and brightness wise). If you are near a windows, blinds would help in better viewing. Also adjusting the screen resolution based on your liking should help.

Last but not the least frequent breaks are recommended (5 mins every hour) to rest your body. Get up from your desk every hour and take a small walk. Have a bottle of water ready with you at your desk and aim to finish at least 2 litres of water during your 8-10 hour work schedule (remember the human body actually needs 3 litres of water a day).

Here are some links (I referred) that should also help you get the right posture for your computer use.

http://www.ergonomics.com.au/pages/400_useful_info/420_how_to_sit.htm

http://www.macworld.com/article/53297/2006/10/ergo_workspace.html

Good bye neck pain !

Want to run iPhone apps in the background ?

2009-05-27T15:53:00.004+05:30

If you have a jailbroken iPhone (one which has the Cydia installer) you can use an application called "Backgrounder" to run apps (like EMail/Instant Messengers etc) in the background (as available in the Blackberry and Windows Mobile Phones)

Here is a quick video to demonstrate this app.

Run Ubuntu Linux on a Pen Drive !!

2009-05-27T13:23:00.003+05:30

- Tired of your windows laptop/desktop hanging on you all the time ?
- Crave for Mac like stability on your windows PC ?
- Hate going through the time consuming grind of installing Linux on your PC ?

If answers to all of the above questions is Yes, then go to http://www.pendrivelinux.com/usb-ubuntu-904-persistent-install-windows/.

The above tutorial shows you a step by step way to very quickly (took me 5 mins) to create a Live Ubuntu Linux distribution on your USB flash drive (it fit on my 2 GB flash drive), which can then be used to boot and run Linux your PC from the USB drive itself.

Advantages ?

- No need to worry about installing Linux the hard way (using a CD with has the .iso or i.mg)
- Can still keep your Windows XP/Vista running from your hard disk.
- Easy to install, and run (just change the boot options in your BIOS to use your USB drive).
- The USB Ubuntu version keeps 1GB space allocated for persistence on your USB drive (used as a disc mounted on linux)
- Detects all your hardware instantaneously ! 100% of my devices were identified and I was easily checking email and browsing withing minutes.

Other popular Linux distros are also available for running via a USB drive. Go to http://www.pendrivelinux.com for details.

How to Blog via email

2008-09-29T12:45:00.004+05:30

This is my first post on my blog using the email service. Blogger lets you configure an email address which you can use to post on your blog. Just send your posts to this email address and off it goes directly on your blog.For more details go to Settings >> Email in Blogger. Happy 'Email' Blogging !!

For more details go here : http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=41452

Indian driving directions on your mobile - Thanks to MapMyIndia

2008-09-27T10:47:00.006+05:30

After writing my last blog I spent some time on Google to find out about further GPS navigation tools available in India specifically on the direction and navigation front. We already know that mapmyIndia.com and satguide.in already provide car GPS navigation system (including those on PDAs). What interested me was when I came across http://www.mapmyindia.com/mobile/. Here you could get the online version of the popular desktop version of http://maps.mapmyindia.com/ on your mobile. http://maps.mapmyindia.com/ uses mapping and navigation data from CE Info Systems which is also used on maps.yahoo.co.in (which again show great driving directions for major cities in India). My intial trials were very impressive. I could get wonderful driving directions for various places in Bangalore, however the downside is you require a constant internet connection through your carrier.

So go download from http://www.mapmyindia.com/mobile/ and start enjoying accurate driving directions in all major cities across india.

Below are pictures of some driving directions (From ITPL, Whitefield, Bangalore to 80 Feet Road, Koramangala, Bangalore) I took on my N95 using this. Looks like this is going to be my favorite application on my N95 for some time now.

The query screen

The Directions

Using the n95 GPS in Bangalore.Is it really worth it ?

2008-09-25T10:21:00.003+05:30

As stated in my earlier blog I have been playing around and evaluating different GPS software on my n95 over the past 8 months. I would like to share my experiences and tips on using the GPS bundled with the N95 in Bangalore.

My whole fascination on GPS started on my last US trip in Nov 07 where I had the opportunity to use GPS on my rental car.This amazing piece of technology really amazed me and the sound of the lady's voice in the navigation system saying "you have arrived" (these words are spoken when one reaches a desired destination using the GPS system) sounded very much like "hey dude...looks like you have now really arrived in life !!". That's the feeling of the "wow factor" I experienced.

Though GPS technology is not "breaking news" to people in Europe and the US, but in India its still in its nascent stages and there are players emerging both in the car navigation (eg satnav) and mobile GPS navigation area. All modern PDA be it the iPhone,G1, Nokia N series or the more recent Windows Mobile based PDAs are either coming pre-loaded with the GPS module or are suitable for GPS navigation via a bluetooth GPS module and software from a vendor (eg satnav).

Here are the various softwares I evaluated on my N95.

Nokia Maps 2.0 - This is the default GPS application that comes bundled in all the recent Nokia N series symbian 3rd edition phones. If you have an older version of the the Nokia Maps application you can download the latest version from here. There are also instructions on e same site to install the Nokia Maps 2.0 application using the PC Suite (comes bundled in the DVD you get). The page also has details about "Nokia Map Loader" which you can use to install maps specific to your region.Nokia Maps 2.0 uses those maps loaded via Nokia Map Loader for navigation.

Here are the some of my experiences using Nokia Maps 2.0 in Bangalore.

- Nokia Maps 2.0 has voice guided navigation and directions. You can enter your source and destination locations and Nokia maps would generate the route and then also provide voice guidance to you at every step. This is similar to a car gps voice navigation system. The other advantage is you do not need a constant internet connection via your data plan since the maps are pre-loaded, however there may be limited functionality available to get "Places of Interest" and route generation. Having a data plan helps you use the A-GPS (Assisted GPS feature) which helps connect to the GPS satellites faster.

However a key point to note is that the maps (for Bangalore) atleast don't reflect real life ground realities, considering that a place like Bangalore is going through so many infrastructure changes and road modifications. Given the same I have found the maps and navigation pretty accurate for major roads and areas in Bangalore, but expecting 100% navigational accuracy in every nook and corner of Bangalore is far fletched.

Another key point to note is that the voice guided navigation feature comes pre-loaded only for the first 3 months of usage. Post this to get voice guided navigation working you would need to subscribe for a fee (see earlier blog). However if you do not want navigation and just want to know where you are in the city you could do even without voice guided navigation. The pre-loaded maps would tell you where you are at every step (by pressing 0 when the Nokia Maps application is running) and you would not even need a internet connection.

Overall the Nokia Maps 2.0 application is a great for voice guided navigation and in general in giving GPS co-ordinates on a city map. It is the closest you can get to a real life car GPS navigation system on your mobile. However in my opinion the annual subscription fee is the only downside and I feel a reduced fee would help popularize Nokia Maps to a further extent.

I will be posting a video detailing the use of Nokia Maps2.0 in Bangalore in a later post.

Google Maps
- This is mobile version of the popular Google Maps on your desktop/laptop. However unlike Nokia Maps it does not have voice guided navigation and directions. Also google maps requires an internet connection and does not come pre-loaded with any maps. Overall it shows up the GPS co-ordinates beautifully on the city map and also shows places of interest. Google maps also comes with different types of view (satellite, map etc). It can also track your position relative to you operator's towers and show it a circular radius (this feature does not require GPS and can be seen on any mobile with google maps and a internet connection). Performance wise Google Maps is great and if you are in no need for voice guided navigation and directions and only need GPS co-ordinates on a map, google maps is a great option, if you have a data plan (internet connection on your mobile)

Mobile GMaps
- This is a freeware and a pretty popular GPS software. It has all the features of google maps and more, but again no navigation and directions. In addition to what is available on goolge maps, Mobile GMaps also shows the compass direction, speed and actual GPS co-ordinates at every moment.However again no pre-loaded maps and you need a data plan to real see the power of this application. You could actually use this on a flight, car or train journey and constantly monitor your progress on a map with details like speed and co-ordinates.Its great fun !!!

Nokia Sports Tracker
- This is a application built for sports enthusiasts and uses the GPS functionality to the full extent. With Sports Tracker (as I mentioned in a previous blog) you can do something similar to what you do with Mobile GMaps. You could switch on this application and take a walk or jog or even a plane or car ride. The application will store all kinds of data for you like speed, altitude, calories burnt, directions etc. Once you are done you can upload each activity on nokia's sports tracker website and then analyze how you ran or where all did the plane take you during your flight , and all this is shown on maps.Beautiful !!

The iPhone has fresh competition

2008-09-24T12:05:00.006+05:30

T Mobile released its first Phone (Called G1) based on the Android OS. Here are links, videos and posts on the announcement.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc20080922_230346.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_telecom
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/htc-dream-t-mobile/4505-6452_7-33283585.html
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20080923/google-android-phone-3g-179-amazon-mp3-app-store/
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/unveiled-googlepowered-mobile-phone179--pics-first-look/74188-11.html
http://www.gearlog.com/2008/09/tmobile_intros_g1_google_andro.php

Bookmark your blog

2008-09-19T13:09:00.005+05:30

While writing my blog I was looking for ways to add the 'Share it' link, so that people reading my posts could bookmark my blog. A little googling took me to addthis.com. Its a site made to do just what I wanted, and its pretty easy too.

My favourite N95 applications

2008-09-19T12:05:00.000+05:30

After having spent a good 7 months with my N95 (8GB) I can finally come up with my own list of favorite (and useful) applications for the N95. Hopefully this should be useful to many more.

1. The Gmail mobile application - Definitively the most useful application on any cell phone considering everyone seems to be using more and more of this phenomenal free internet email service.
Pros : Seamless experience, as if you are on your desktop.
Cons : Have yet to find a significant one ! I could not add attachments to an email using this application. Had to go to the desktop browser version of gmail on my cell phone's browser to do it
Required : A internet connection via a data plan or a wifi connection.
2. Google Maps for Mobile - Again a revolutionary product from the Google stable. Must give credit to all the product managers and engineers at Google for making the mobile version of the app as seamless and predictable as the desktop version.
Pros : Seamless experience, as if you are on your desktop. Performance is also amazing.
Cons : Does not come with pre-loaded maps (like Nokia Maps2.0), hence every action uses your data plan bandwidth.
Required : A internet connection via a data plan or a wifi connection.
3. Nokia Maps 2.0 - This is the GPS mapping application from Nokia and comes pre-loaded with your N95.
Pros: Comes loaded with Maps and hence saves on your internet data plan bandwidth.Maps for India (I have used the Bangalore ones) are decent enough and can get you around in the major areas. With a active data plan you can use A-GPS (assisted GPS) which makes the whole experience faster.
Cons: Voice navigation is only free for first 3 months and later requires a subscription fee.
4. Mobile GMaps - Again a revolutionary GPS mapping software available for free.
Pros: Much more detail in the maps as they are fetched from various different sources (Google, Yahoo etc). Shows direction, speed and GPS co-ordinates.
Cons: No voice navigation.
Required : A internet connection via a data plan or a wifi connection.
5. Calcium - Replaces your default calculator with a more user friendly one.
Pros : Lesser key presses for the same operation
Cons: None
6. Nokia Email Service (beta) - An email application (under beta as of now) from Nokia. The intent is to make it like a 'BlackBerry' experience. My initial usage of it for the past 3-4 days has shown promising results and email retrieval is pretty good.
Pros: Fast, light and user friendly. Also its free. Can support corporate IMAP (I am using my corporate IMAP email on it) and common internet based email providers (Google, Yahoo, MSN).
Cons: Not like real email, attachment and html support minimal.
7. eBuddy (Instant Messaging for mobile) -The definitive IM solution for your mobile. Supports all major chat applications (gtalk,ymsngr,msn)
8. Nokia Sports Tracker (for all the fitness freaks) - My previous post says it all.
9. Joikuspot Converts your N95 into a wifi router. Use it to connect through your laptop. The cell phone uses the data plan to connect to the internet. Enjoy great seamless internet connectivity anywhere anytime.
10.Mobitubia (Youtube on your mobile) - The default youtube client does not work on the N95.With this app you can watch youtube seamlessly.

Other Noteworthy mentions : T9 Nav (quick search application), Profimail, Picasa for mobile.

Nokia Sports Tracker....Go race against yourself

2008-05-31T11:29:00.000+05:30

Thanks to my recent interest in GPS software for my N95, I tried out Nokia Sports Tracker. Its a cool application that you can use to track your daily workouts (jogging/running/cycling) etc. It tracks your movements using GPS and then you have the option of uploading your workout on a dedicated nokia website. On this website you can see workouts from your friends or other users who have made their workout public. It shows where you traveled during your workout using Google maps.Now ain't that cool ! Here is the public page where you can see some workouts uploaded by folks across the world. In fact there is a feature where you can actually broadcast your workout using a 'Live' option where-in either your friends or the entire world can track your movements on Google maps as you go about your workout. That is real time information for you !!

Here is a your tube video which shows this cool app in detail.

Internet access using airtel gprs

2008-05-24T18:59:00.000+05:30

I recently was evaluating ways to access the internet on a Pocket PC PDA. A quick call to Airtel customer care (121 from your postpaid phone) revealed that I would need to activate 'Mobile Office' on my cell phone. The basic plan started at 399/- a month for 100 MB download (this is airtel in karnataka rates). The same gets activated within a couple of hours and you should receive an sms from airtel about the same. Next follow the steps mentioned here to setup your Pocket PC device for internet access. For other devices (eg nokia and motorola) the settings get downloaded automatically on your phone (via sms) once the service is activated. This sms is a 'service message' and you need to just save this sms to have the settings take effect.

There are ways to access some basic sites like google and yahoo using another service called 'Airtel Live' .The charges for this are as per the amount of data downloaded.

So Happy surfing on your pocket pc !