5 Responses to “iPhone Hacks”

1. Michael D. Silverman says:

   August 13, 2010 at 5:15 pm

   The iPhone is an amazing portable computer. It features capabilities that twenty years ago would have been something out of the pages of science fiction. Instant communications access with anyone in the world, the ability to seamlessly access the corpus of human knowledge that is the Internet, and of course, an ability to be entertained by music, video and games limited only by your imagination.

   Almost.

   The iPhone, as shipped by Apple, is a wonderful device for 95% of its users. But Apple locks iPhone users into a gilded cage. The cage is sumptuously decorated, but it is still a jail cell. You are limited to using your iPhone in ways Apple approves of. “The man” (or Steve Jobs) decides what applications you can run and what capabilities your phone has. Like a bridled horse, the iPhone is docile, but unleashed, it could do so much more!

   To really set the iPhone free, you need to “hack” it. Once you do this, your phone becomes the powerful computer it is meant to be, and you can run much more diverse software, giving your phone new abilities, like being able to record videos, customize the user interface, emulate popular video game consoles, and send and receive multimedia messages. You can even give your phone the ability to act as a wi-fi “access point” to the internet for your laptop, and unlock the phone to use on other carriers.

   “iPhone Hacks” by David Jurick and Adam and Damien Stolarz is your guide into this brave new world. The authors act as friendly guide into the world of iPhone customization. This book is not meant for beginners; the authors assume both some technical computer knowledge and a curious nature. Some of the software-based “hacks” can be done by any experienced user, but other hacks require programming and even hardware “breadboard” skills, such as handiness with a soldering iron.

   The authors first explains some of the basics of the iPhone operating system, including its history, the phone’s boot process, and how the file system is put together, which is an excellent overview, before they head into the basics of “jailbreaking,” which is the process where you use some simple software tools to open your phone’s operating system up to customization.

   I should note that many of the hacks in this book require the jailbreaking process, which, contrary to its name, is neither illegal nor very difficult. There are several hacks which do not require jailbreaking, however, these are more in the vein of “power user tips” rather then true hacks. It is worth noting that Apple will not provide warranty services to jailbroken phones – luckily, if anything goes wrong, it is very easy to “restore” your phone to pristine condition before seeking warranty service.

   The actual hacks are divided into various sections by theme. The first two thirds of the book is all software-focused, and as such accessible to those without programming or hardware hacking skills. For example, there are sections on using the phone as a multimedia devices, sections on enhancing the camera and video recording functions, as well as sections on topics such as SMS messaging, gaming, and user interface customization. Any of these sections can be accessed in an ad-hoc manner; there is no need to go in order after the initial chapter on the jailbreak process itself. Simple pick the topic you are interested in and dive in. It is easy to browse the book to get an idea of what the iPhone can do, and all of the chapters are very clearly explained, with excellent use of screenshots and supplementary information to guide you in the process.

   The final third of the book covers both application programming, and actual hardware hacking, including how to disassemble and reassemble your phone. Many of the hacks in this section are very entertaining to read about (and fairly useless in a practical sense), especially since it would take someone way braver then me to actually crack open my phone’s case! The programming section is a useful introduction to both the official Apple-provided way to program for the iPhone as well as the unofficial ways to get access to private APIs and methods which can be used to program applications that could never make it into the App Store.

   More controversially, “iPhone Hacks” also describes the process to “unlock” your iPhone (this is different then “jailbreaking”) so you can use it on a carrier other then AT&T. This information is presented fairly and accurately, with both the risks and rewards clearly outlined for those users who may need to use an iPhone on another carrier. The book also describes how to activate tethering, where you can use your iPhone as an internet access point for your laptop. This may violate your contract with your carrier, but the book doesn’t moralize here; it simply describes the “hack” and leaves the decision as to how to use the information up to you, the reader, which is as it should be.

   Overall, this is an amazing book, clearly and thoroughly describing the dozens of ways you can truly make your iPhone your own. It manages to cover challenging information fairly and accurately in a manner that will appeal to any adventurous, curious and technically-minded reader. Even if you never plan to do anything other then the tamest “hacks” to your iPhone, browsing this book will teach you a lot about your phone as a computer, and leave you stimulated and fascinated.
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2. PC says:

   August 13, 2010 at 5:15 pm

   I bought an iPhone recently and was looking around for advanced information on the iPhone when I stumbled across this book. I was thinking this would be a book for novices on how to use advanced features of the phone (advanced from a novice point of view). But I was pleasantly surprised. This is a book for geeks like me. I just had to read only a few pages to find out that this is one awesome book. In a few paragraphs they explain the finer points of what it means to jailbreak your phone, what it means to unlock your phone, what it means when your iPhone is bricked.

   As somebody else mentioned here, this is not a book for the faint hearted, but if you are willing to experiment and learn and unleash the potential of the iPhone, this book is your best guide. Here is the table of contents.

   Chapter 1. iPhone and iPod Touch Hacking Basics
   
   Chapter 2. Troubleshoot Your iPhone or iPod Touch
   
   Chapter 3. Messaging and Communication
   
   Chapter 4. Media and Data
   
   Chapter 5. Game Emulation
   
   Chapter 6. Telephony Hacks
   
   Chapter 7. Unlocking and Activation
   
   Chapter 8. Customization
   
   Chapter 9. Network Hacks
   
   Chapter 10. Application Hacks
   
   Chapter 11. Development Hacks
   
   Chapter 12. Hardware Hacks
   
   Index

   Come join the joyride.
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3. Sacramento Book Review says:

   August 13, 2010 at 7:20 pm

   Apple’s 3G iPhone isn’t a phone: it’s a pocket-sized computer with as much horsepower as many late-nineties vintage desktops. The iPhone’s chief sources of frustration are the built-in restrictions that keep every one of them working the same. //iPhone Hacks// shows reasonably sophisticated computer users how to “jailbreak” and alter their phones, enabling them to customize them to their own unique tastes. //iPhone Hacks// also explains how to “virginize” the phones back to their out-of-the-box configurations should a software alteration (a hack) go array. A key advantage of “jailbreaking” is it allows owners to connect to some other cell carriers (forget Verizon and Sprint, because they use different and incompatible technology). Other options include changing the look and feel of the phone and expanding its music and photo storage by accessing hidden memory and making your own applications (apps) on the phone. Unfortunately, some–perhaps many–of the hacks explained in this book may disappear later this summer when Apple releases its next iPhone operating system. The good news is many of the reference websites have already figured out new hacks for those changes. //iPhone Hacks// is not for the fainthearted, nor is it for computer novices.

   Reviewed by
   
   David Reynolds
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4. John Chism says:

   August 13, 2010 at 9:06 pm

   This is over a year old, only covering through the 3G. But the principles he lays out are still valid, and he makes them clear. He refers the reader to websites and programs you can use, which have since been updated for the most current models. As an introduction to the idea of hacking an iPhone or iTouch, it’s clear and encouraging.
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5. David Michael says:

   August 13, 2010 at 9:08 pm

   * This is a well-written ‘encyclopedia’ that covers some very important hacking Information & details of the iPhone, but does not include the latest 3GS iPhone Models. About 40% is devoted to the historical substance of Hacking your iPhone in a very detailed and informative step-by-step explanations, comparisons, issue topics, including 3rd party and open-source software hacking, but again, not for the latest iPhone 3GS.
   
   The other 60% is technically geared to demonstrate ‘real-time’ Hacking of your hardware, media, network, applications, communication and development, again in a very detailed step-by-step process, for those technically-inspired Geeks, that operate in their own Virtual World.
   
   Just remember that THERE IS a Huge difference between SOFTWARE Hacking versus HARDWARE Dis-assembly!
   
   I would love to see a follow-up “Hacking Software Guide” for the 3 GS iPhone, in the near future.
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