Inside CNET Labs Podcast

The cat and mouse game continues between Apple and the Dev Team, a group of guys who are passionate about freeing Apple handheld devices from the company's short leash. The Dev Team has been jailbreaking new Apple firmware for years, and it just did so again--though this time around it seems Apple is still taking the decisive lead.

The team announced Friday the availability of PwnageTool 3.13, which allows for jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone 3GS running the latest firmware, version 3.1. Currently only a Mac version of the tool is available, but the Windows version will be out soon. (Keep in mind, however, that you download and use the PwnageTool at your own risk.)

A jailbroken iPhone can do a lot more than what Apple wants it to do.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

The tool creates a custom firmware from the version 3.1 firmware released by Apple. To install it, you put the phone into recovery mode (turn it off, then plug it in while holding down the Home button) and use iTunes to restore the phone with the custom firmware (hold down the Option key while clicking on the Restore button).

The custom firmware, apart from jailbreaking, will not upgrade the baseband--the chip that connects the phone to a service provider--and therefore still allows the phone to be unlocked.

But there's a catch here. The tool only works with the iPhone 3GS that has been jailbroken with the firmware version 3.0 or 3.0.1. This means if you buy a new iPhone 3GS that already has version 3.1 on it or you have updated to version 3.1 using iTunes, there's still no way to have your phone jailbroken. There's even a rumor that there might never be one, unless a new exploit is found.

If this is true, it seems Apple has finally been able to gain significant ground in stopping the practice it claims could pose a threat to national security. And for thousands, if not millions of iPhone 3GS users who rely on jailbreaking and unlocking to use their phones with the service of their choice, this is sad news.

The Gorillamobile securely attaches the iPhone to a cycle's driving bar.

(Credit: Joby)

Are you an avid cyclist who wants to use the iPhone as your GPS navigator? Joby has something for you.

The maker of the recently introduced Gorillatorch announced Thursday its newest iteration of something that can stay really well on something else: the Gorillamobile for the iPhone 3G(S).

This is basically a tripod docking station for the phone which, apart from keeping the phone on any surfaces, can help securely attach the phone to object of different shapes, such as the driving bar of a bicycle.

The key to making the tripod work the way Joby claims it does is the ball-and-socket construction that allows for fully articulated movement of the flexible, wrappable legs.

The accessory comes with four interchangeable quick-release adapters for the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and other mobile devices. It also has a custom-engineered, slim-line iPhone case.

In addition to the flexible tripod and iPhone case, the Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS package also includes two removable 3M adhesive clips and a universal camera adapter. This means apart that from the iPhones, the accessory can also be used with other mobile devices, such as mobile game consoles or video players, when you need to keep your hands free for other things.

Though the Gorillamobile weighs just 4.5 ounces and is only 8 inches tall, it carries a rather hefty price tag of around $40. It's available for purchase now.

Since I got my iPhone 3GS a couple of months ago, I've been wondering when I would really benefit from its highly anticipated faster 3G capability. I finally got the answer, and as it turns out, the wait is far from over.

AT&T announced Wednesday details of its rollout plans for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 3G technology. This is the next generation of 3G, and it offers up to 7.2Mbps data connection speeds (as opposed to the 2Mbps and 3.6Mbps of the current 3G).

(This is, of course, just the theoretical number. Typical real-world downlink and uplink speeds will likely be less than that depending on location, device, and overall traffic on the local wireless network at a given time. Nonetheless, this promises a significant boost. HSPA 7.2 is part of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) family of technologies, which include GSM, UMTS, and the Emerging LTE technology. HSPA 7.2 offers backward-compatibility, meaning it also works with existing 3G and 2G devices at the lower device-specific speed.)

According to the announcement, the new speed will be available by the end of the year. Unfortunately, it's available only in six cities in the U.S., including Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; and Miami. This means the rest of the country, including the San Francisco Bay Area where I am, must continue to wait.

The iPhone 3GS is a HSPA 7.2-compatible smartphone from AT&T.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

It's unclear how long the wait will be for the rest of the cities, but the company says it plans to deploy HSPA 7.2 in 25 of the nation's 30 largest markets by the end of 2010, and to reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network footprint with HSPA 7.2 by the end of 2011.

While this is rather sad news for me, for most people it won't mean much, as chances are your phone is not compatible with the higher 3G speed. Currently, the iPhone 3GS is the only HSPA 7.2-ready smartphone I know that AT&T offers.

However, AT&T assures that it will offer more compatible devices with the rollout of HSPA 7.2. The company expects to have six HSPA 7.2-compatible smartphones in its device portfolio by the end of the year, as well as two new LaptopConnect cards.

The rollout of HSPA 7.2 is part of AT&T's plan to invest some $18 billion this year, of which more than two-thirds is going toward broadband and wireless. Key projects of this investment include, in AT&T's words:

Lots of fun

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

If you need something to quickly stimulate your brain while waiting for the bus, this simple 99-cent iPhone game could do the job so well that you might miss the bus altogether.

It's called World Wars from AddictingGames. And no, it's not a game that tests your knowledge of World War I and II (thank God!) but rather it's a game that lets you take over the world one region at a time.

The world map of the game is divided in to many regions, each with a specific amount of troops that belong to up to seven factions, including yours. You just need to tap on the region you control and then on an adjacent one controlled by an enemy to attack. The dice then will roll to determine the winner. The amount of troops on the region translates into the amount of dice you have, so generally, the more troop you have, the higher the chance you will win. However, there's also some luck involved in each attack, which makes the outcome unpredictable. Your job is to make sure you win the most rounds of attacks until you take over every region of the map.

The first time I launched the game, I wasn't very impressed but thought I would just try it anyway. After a few tries, now it's become one of my most used apps. It's a great game to kill a few minutes while waiting in line, or for hours when you are on a long flight.

On the downside, the game comes with a single music track on loop, which unfortunately can't be turned off separately from the game's sound. Also, you can only play against the computer, not another player. It would make a much better pastime if multiplayer was supported. We hope this will be added on the next update.

Nonetheless, for just 99 cents, this game offers a lot of fun. But don't take my word for it, try the game free with its Flash version here before getting it on your iPhone.

Finally, it seems the Chinese people are about to be able to legally get their hands on the phone they have been building: the iPhone.

According to International Business Times, Unicom, China's second largest cell carrier, has paid 10 billion yuan (about $1.46 billion) to buy 5 million iPhones from Apple. The first batch of the phones will be made available to Chinese customers as early as next month. Since March, the company has been posting the phone's images and specs at its stores.

Like almost everything nowadays, the iPhone is also from China.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

This will be the first time the phone is legally available in the country with the largest amount of cell phone users in the world. I find this sort of ironic, as, like most electronic devices, the iPhone is assembled in China.

The Chinese people are already acquainted with the iPhone. Prior to this, the phone has been available in China, as well as Vietnam and many other countries where Apple has no business partners, via smuggling.

What will be new to the Chinese people for sure, however, is the fact that the phone will be locked to Unicom. Yu Zaonan, general manager of the customer development department of China Unicom in Guangzhou, told International Business Times that China Unicom is hoping 5 million iPhones will translate into 5 million new customers for the company. Unicom currently is still far behind China Mobile, the largest cell carrier in the country, both in terms of subscribers and profit. Unicom hopes the iPhone will help it narrow this gap.

Locked phones are generally new to China and Asia, where people have had the freedom of getting any phone at any store and using it with any carrier. This deal between Apple and Unicom means they will get a taste of business the American way.

It's unclear which versions of the iPhone (3G or 3GS) are included in this deal and whether the phones will have Wi-Fi disabled. However, according to Yu Zaonan, the price for the 8GB iPhone will be 2,400 yuan ($350) and the 16GB version will cost twice as much. This means the company's hopeful new batch of 5 million subscribers will be those with substantially high incomes.

Anyone not so well-off might just have to resort to used and jailbroken iPhones smuggled in from other countries. These phones cost somewhere between 400 yuan ($59) and 1,000 yuan ($146), according to International Business Times.

Personally, I think it's likely many of those 5 million iPhones will be jailbroken by the locals. Now, if Apple's claim that jailbreaking the phone can turn it into a weapon of mass disruption was true, this could be unsettling news for communist China.

Navigon shows an image to help you pick the right freeway, which is helpful but can be annoying, as the image takes up the whole screen for a few seconds.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

I'm a big fan of GPS navigation devices. Actually, I depend on them. It's therefore natural that on my iPhone 3GS you'll find both the newest turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications, the $70 Navigon and the $80 iGo My Way. Both have just recently been released to the App Store. (In my car I also have the Tom Tom One XL.)

After about a week of using the iPhone apps in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as in a few other states, here are my impressions.

First of all, both Navigon and the iGo can turn your iPhone (3G or 3GS) into a decently dependable GPS navigator. They both take about 15 seconds to load on my iPhone 3GS and about the same time to lock in with a GPS signal when outdoors. This is much faster than the Tom Tom, which can take up to a minute or two. Overall, the iGo My Way seems to pick up the signal faster than the Navigon, but it also loses the signal more easily, especially when in a big city with lots of high-rise buildings.

My biggest disappointment with both is that they don't offer real-time traffic updates, which you can get anywhere in the States with Google Maps.

Both apps offer beautifully rendered 3G maps that can be viewed vertically or horizontally, and a very convenient way to enter a new address or find a point of interest (POI). They come with good databases of POIs, too. I was in a few rather remote areas and was able to find what I needed. However, the database is not very updated--twice, both apps took me to restaurants and bars in La Cross, Wis., that were no longer there. Unfortunately, you can't tab on the listed POI to call its phone number, which defeats the main purpose of the iPhone, which is, after all, a phone.

Yes, yes. "Arvale: Journey of Illusion" was exactly what I was looking for...

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Ever had trouble finding a particular app at the iPhone App Store? Who hasn't? A couple weeks ago I spent like 10 minutes trying to find a game a friend had just shown me. That may have had more to do with me being intoxicated and less about the App Store's search functionality, though.

Still, things may be improving. According to AppleInsider, Apple is now asking iPhone developers to enter 255 comma-separated characters as keywords to iTunes Connect to be used for search in the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch.

iTunes Connect is the application that developers use to upload and submit their iPhone and iPod Touch apps to Apple.

Definitely a welcome change, and it can only improve sales, so I'm sure most developers will be taking advantage of it. I would not be surprised to see some developers exploit this, though, by entering popular keywords for apps that are completely unrelated just for the chance of added exposure.

The iPhone 3GS during a talk time test. The "Watchmen" DVD is merely there to simulate a user holding the phone to their ear, thereby shutting off the screen. Music from the Zune is being played through both phone mics.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

Last year I had a bone to pick with Apple for not including a call duration feature on the iPhone. Not a big deal to most people I'm sure; however, when it comes to testing talk time here in CNET Labs, I can't think of a more useful feature.

With last year's iPhone 3G, I was able to circumvent this inconvenience by tracking the phone's "Time since last full charge" duration. This number, as you might have guessed, tells you the amount of time that's passed since the phone was last fully charged. So, all I had to do was charge the phone fully, start the test, wait until the battery died, plug it back in, and check that number.

This worked fine last year, but with the current round of iPhone 3G and 3GS testing, I'm getting extremely varied results--so varied, in fact, that I can no longer trust this method.

No matter, though, since the latest iPhone OS 3.0 added a call duration feature. I figured I'd just set up the talk time test--which involves taping earbuds from a MP3 player to the mic of the iPhone and a landline phone, calling the landline phone, and waiting for the battery to die. Then I'd come back several hours later and have delicious results waiting for me (kind of like an iPhone-testing-results Crock-Pot).

Once again, I'm slapped back to reality as, unfortunately, the couple of times I've tried using the call duration feature on the 3G and 3GS I've had little luck. Apparently, if the phone's battery dies in the middle of a call, the duration of that call isn't saved on the phone.--yet another roadblock.

The line-standers are soon to return...predicts Dong and I.

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET)

Moms. You love 'em, I love 'em. Well, you love your own that is. Still, moms can be annoying and pushy at times. Especially Dong's mom, who, for some inexplicable reason, thinks he's marriage material. Hence the constant pressure she applies to get him hitched. I'd just like to say to Mama Ngo right now, I'm flattered but he's just not my type. So stop calling me please. Kthxbai.

This Ep. we break out with some non-WoW gaming talk (I know right?) as we discuss Dong's backstabbing in Warcraft 3 and me crappin' my pants in Bioshock. Not literally thank god. Not since the medication at least.

Also, get ready for the "line-standers". Dong and I discuss the reveal (and soon to be launch) of the iPhone 3G S. In addition, I talk a little about why some game developers think the iPhone will soon eclipse the PSP when it comes to 3D graphics. Reminds me of the good old days of Sega Genesis vs. Super Nintendo graphics.

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