iPhones enabled as broadband dongle for free by "simple" hack

People wishing to avoid O2's extra charge for using their iPhone to connect a computer to the net can use free software - but O2 warns it will cut them off.

Owners of the new free iPhone 3GS handset and the iPhone 3G can circumvent extra monthly charges for using the handsets as a broadband "dongle" using a simple technical workaround, the Guardian has established.

The discovery could cause problems for O2, which has the monopoly on iPhone sales in the UK, and which has reported high interest in the new 3GS, which went on sale this morning.

In the UK, for instance, O2's tethering addition - a "bolt-on" which allows iPhone owners to turn their handsets into a wireless modem that will get a computer online - costs an extra £14.68 per month for up to 3GB of downloaded data, in addition to the existing monthly contract for the iPhone itself, which allows "unlimited" data downloads. That brought protests from iPhone owners in the UK who had expected their unlimited contracts would be extended to include the use of the phone as a dongle, which Apple has enabled in its iPhone 3.0 software, released on Wednesday evening.

However visitors to benm.at – an iPhone and iPod touch enthusiasts' website – can download a profile that instantly activates the tethering system free of charge.

One journalist known to the Guardian downloaded and installed the profile to an iPhone 3G handset and confirmed that it takes just seconds to download, installs instantly and works flawlessly. Connected to a PC, it allowed the use of the iPhone as a "tethered modem", or dongle, with typical mobile broadband connection speeds, of up to around 1.4Mbits per second.

User feedback posted on the BenM website suggests that the hack works with on iPhones registered with networks worldwide, including AT&T in the US – a carrier that doesn't currently offer a paid tethering option to its iPhone customers.

In the UK, the iPhone is available only on O2, and the network was unequivocal in its response to questions about the workaround.

An O2 spokesperson told Guardian Technology: "Any use of [the tethering] feature without the purchase of the bolt-on is specifically prohibited under our terms of service. Under those terms we reserve the right to charge customers making modem use of their iPhone or disconnect them."

However, when pressed as to whether or not the company would actually charge or disconnect offending users, the spokesperson said that decisions would be made on a "case-by-case basis". The spokesperson would not specify precisely how O2 would detect and distinguish tethered and non-tethered data use.

Ben Miller, the owner of the BenM website, insists that his work isn't a hack that alters the functionality of the iPhone, but merely uses publicly available information and tools to enable its "tethering" system. He said that the profile he created adds the carrier's access point name (APN) and password to the iPhone.

He used Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility to create an XML file which is then "pushed" to the handsets of iPhone users who download the profile from the BenM website.

The iPhone Configuration Utility is available as a free download from the Apple website, while carrier APNs and passwords are widely published online (the relevant details for O2's APN are on O2's site). Anyone with sufficient technical knowledge could therefore create a tethering profile and push it to their iPhone.

Miller also questions O2's claim that it would be able to detect abusers: "Most data looks the same, though peer-to-peer and voice over IP applications like Skype could be detectable because they go through different gateways."

Apple was asked to comment on this ability to unlock the iPhone tethering facility for free. It has not responded at the time of publication.

Source: Gaurdian

Apple unveils new iPhone 3GS

After weeks of speculations, Apple finally announced the new iPhone 3G S at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference here.

Though it sports the same design as the iPhone 3G, the new iPhone 3GS will feature a host of improvements that users been asking for including copy, cut and paste functions as well as MMS support for sending photos and videos.

“The ‘S’ in the new iPhone stands for speed as we have made some significant improvements to the phone in both hardware and software,” Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller said.

The new iPhone promises improved speed and performance that’s twice as fast as the current iPhone 3G.

“With the new iPhone you can render webpages quicker and launch applications faster,” Schiller said.

The iPhone 3G S will also include the new iPhone OS 3.0 update that will feature improvements such as Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard across multiple applications and the much-wanted copy and paste feature.

“On top of that, the iPhone 3G S will take advantage of the OpenGL 2.0 standard that will allow developers to create stunning looking 3D graphics mobile games for both the iPhone and iPod touch,” he added.

“We have also improved the battery life, so you can now watch more videos, listen to music and browse the Internet,” he said.

Among the new hardware improvements to the phone is a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with video-recording capabilities. The autofocus feature will allow for users to “tap to focus” — touching the display to select an area they wish to focus on.

Users can also record VGA quality videos at 30 frames per second and even perform simple video edits on phone. The video feature also makes it easy to share video clips via e-mail, MMS and YouTube.

Another new feature is voice control, which allows users to control the iPhone by simply speaking to it. Holding down the home button brings up the new voice control interface.

Using this feature, users can say a contact’s name to make a call, play songs and even ask the iPhone what song is being played.

Other features integrated into the new iPhone include a digital compass that works together with the default maps application, built-in support for Nike Plus and hardware encryption for protecting private information.

Apple said the iPhone 3G S will be available in the United States on June 19 at a suggested retail price of US$199 (RM697) for the 16GB model and US$299 (RM1,047) for the 32GB model.

The iPhone 3G S is set to be available here next month. No local pricing was available at press time.

Jobs is back: with a new iPhone

The tension is palpable. Apple is preparing to kick off its annual conference next week and the internet has been buzzing with speculation that the company will unveil the next generation of its iPhone.

There is much riding on this unknown bit of kit as the group looks to expand its mass market appeal as well as face down a host of rivals, one of which has today launched what some believe could be the first "iPhone killer". Adam Leach, an analyst at the research group Ovum, said: "Apple has established the product in people's minds, but they have to prove they can keep innovating to stay out ahead. This is an important release for them."

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco kicks off on Monday, hosting more than 1,000 Apple engineers, and acting as a forum for developers and IT professionals who use the company's technology. For the past two years it has been the launching pad for new iPhones. There was good news for the group yesterday as it emerged that its founder, Steve Jobs, had recovered sufficiently from his recent ill health to return to the company sometime this month. He coule even present his traditional keynote at the conference, but currently his lieutenant Phillip Schiller is expected to announce the latest step forward in iPhone technology.

Michael Brook, editor of the technology magazine T3, said: "No one is quite sure what to expect, as we've only had two years of the iPhone. At one extreme it could be a whole new model, although it's more likely to be an updated version. At the other end it could just be a few updates, but that would be pretty disappointing."

The consensus among analysts and some of the iPhone-obsessed blogs is that the upgrades are likely to include a better camera, a video camera for the first time, and a compass. The storage capacity is likely to be lifted to 32 gigabytes, while the design could become sleeker, with a higher resolution touchscreen.

Users have also cried out for the battery life to be extended. "An interesting move was Apple applying for a patent on a solar panel screen. It could be embedded behind the touch screen and when you leave it out in the sunshine it would top up the battery power. That would go some way to helping solve the problem of the battery," Mr Brook said.

Yet, technology experts are hoping for something more revolutionary. Mr Brook said the company could follow the path it took with the iPod, by launching an iPhone Nano.

Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said a Nano-style iPhone could well be a possibility. "It is taken for granted that Apple will launch something. The question is whether it will be high or low end. I think something like the Nano makes sense." The move will also allow it to hit the mass market more comprehensively, analysts said.

Mr Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007 to great acclaim, selling 270,000 in its first weekend. The following year, the group drove further ahead of rivals with the launch of the iPhone 3G. More than three million were sold in the first month.

Yet the group's rivals are beginning to catch up. Ms Milanesi said: "Apple definitely faces challenges. The touchscreen it brought to the mass market is now everywhere."

The smartphone battleground is heating up. Strategy Analytics said 152 million of the phones were sold last year, and it expects growth of up to a fifth this year. Apple faces unprecedented competition from BlackBerry. The group that cornered the market for corporate contracts is increasingly targeting consumers. It has struggled with its BlackBerry Storm in the UK, but in the US the BlackBerry Curve outsold the iPhone during the first quarter.

It also faces competition from the phones powered by Google's Android operating system. The biggest so far is the HTC Magic, launched earlier this year. Sales of Google-powered phones 8 million this year.

Many are jostling but only one is expected to have the draw to combat the iPhone on its own turf. The Palm Pre launches today after much fanfare, and Mr Brook of T3 said it was "the closest thing yet to an iPhone killer". It is no coincidence that the launch comes two days before the Apple conference, as one analyst said it is "a deliberate move to steal the limelight from Apple".

It is a dangerous strategy. Last year, Samsung launched its Omnia phone on the same day as the Apple conference in an attempt to act as a spoiler, and ended up getting lost. The iPhone still remains ahead, but for how long is unclear, and analysts said next week could be crucial.

"The iPhone is not as differentiated, so the challenge is to create something that looks as different as the iPhone did," Mr Leach said.

The challengers: Five biting into Apple

*The Palm Pre launches today and first reviews say it lives up to the hype. Palm said the phone is so in sync with your life "it feels like it's thinking ahead for you".

*No longer content with Wall Street, BlackBerry has targeted Apple's consumer heartland with Storm and Curve. US sales figures show that the latter is winning fans over.

*HTC Magic brings Google's Android to a touchscreen device. Experts say it takes Google's G1 phone to the next level.

*The industry is eagerly awaiting Toshiba's sleek TG01 device, which is set to be one of the most advanced of Windows Mobile phones.

*Samsung releases its latest smartphone challenger this month. Despite the mystery, hype is building.

Source: Independent.co.uk