Well would you look at that, instructions are now available for downgrading your iPhone from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2. It won’t downgrade your baseband, meaning so far you can’t re-unlock an iPhone that’s been 1.1.1-ified, but it’s still 1.0.2 in all its third-party application glory. The iPhone Dev Team folks are working on a way to downgrade the new firmware to let people unlock their phones again, but for now AT&T users sitting pretty, and non-AT&T folks can at least do the WiFi thing. There’s a video tutorial after the break.

Read - iPhone Dev Wiki instructions
Read - Hackint0sh thread where the magic happened

engadgetmobile.com

So it looks like Verizon Wireless is really trying to heat things up. They must still be feeling rather bitter about not jumping on the iPhone bandwagon when they had their chance. With the iPhone still selling like Twinkies at a Fat Camp, and AT&T slated to launch some other cool devices, we can imagine that Verizon is scrambling to keep up.

In order from left to right, Verizon Wireless will be launching the Samsung Juke, BlackBerry Pearl, LG VX8800 Venus and LG VX10000 Voyager all at the same time, in a couple of weeks. The Samsung Juke is the Samsung U470 swiveling musicphone that we showed you earlier. We’re expecting 2GB of storage and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The new BlackBerry Pearl will be sporting a 2 megapixel camera, A2DP Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headphone jack. LG will be throwing down with the LG VX8800 Venus and LG VX10000 Voyager. The LG Venus is a dual-screen slider with haptic feedback (vibrating touchscreen), 2 megapixel camera, and A2DP Bluetooth. Bigger brother LG Voyager comes packing the big guns - like a huge external touchscreen and internal display with a vertical clamshell setup that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard. As the successor to Verizon’s LG VX9900, the LG Voyager will sport a full-HTML browser and stereo speakers.

For Verizon Wireless’s sake, we hope their new lineup does well. If the success of the LG VX9900 with the younger demographic holds up for the LG VX10000 Voyager, Verizon will have at least one hit on their hands. Not to mention the Motorola Z6tv that’s slated to launch around the same time. Although, we’d rather sign a new contract and give AT&T our money for the AT&T Tilt.

intomobile.com

A few days ago we reported how Japan’s NTT DoCoMo had developed the electronics necessary for mobile phone downloads at up to 200Mbit/s, so it’s only fitting that we should receive news that the base station technology has just been souped up to facilitate 900Mbit/s internet connections.

The latest development in the breakneck race towards gigabit-class internet connections on mobile phones is a prototype wireless base station from Fujitsu that relies, as expected, on MIMO technology to combine data streams.

3G on the way out

Fujitsu has been working with DoCoMo on the base stations since November 2006 as the giant carrier works to phase out its current 3G services in the near future.

tech.co.uk

Orange refusing to pay up to Apple, apparently. Orange is reportedly refusing to pay Apple 40 per cent of subscription revenues, something that could jeapardise the device going on sale in time for ChristmasFrance elecom, Orange’s parent company, is reportedly refusing to pay Apple what it wants for the iPhone deal in France.

France Telecom and Apple are apparently arguing over the percentage of revenues that Orange has to pay Apple as part of the Apple iPhone distribution deal, Reuters says. Apple has asked for a 40 per cent share of subscription revenues from Apple iPhone users.

If the firms fail to reach an agreement in the very near future, then chances are the French launch of the Apple iPhone will be delayed, possibly until after Christmas.

tech.co.uk

Again, it’s Maximus who spotted the all black Nokia N93i “multimedia computer.” The black version looks way more serious and masculine than the original N93i, although I still have my N93 and loving it. Now if Nokia would release an update for the N93 which would add A2DP, that would be awesome. In the meantime, if you want the black N93i, hop over to Asia (not sure which countries) and grab this baby… One more image after the jump.

intomobile.com

The phone features 3G + HSDPA, a 400MHz Qualcomm processor, a 2 mega pixel camera, microSD expansion and some new kind of Windows Mobile Suretype keyboard. The phone looks great. I can’t wait for official announcement.

justamp.blogspot.com

High-resolution satellites images may provide valuable evidence of the violent methods used by Burma’s ruling junta to crack down on pro-democracy demonstration in recent days. New Scientist reports.

“By obtaining photographic evidence of the authorities’ activities, human rights groups hope to hold the junta to account before the international community.

“You would not be able to see individual people,” says Lars Bromley , a senior researcher with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington DC., “but you would be able to see groups of people”. In particular, he says, it should be easy to spot groups of monks because of their distinctive maroon robes, and to gauge military numbers.

Bromley says this evidence will hopefully act as a deterrent to the government. “It will give the authorities a ense that the world is watching,” he told New Scientist.

Human rights organisations have long accused the Burmese regime of human rights abuses against civilians. Yet the authorities have denied these claims and sought to control the flow of information out of the country.

Cellphones and the internet have helped change this and have been used to transmit reports about the current clampdown. But both are still heavily controlled by the authorities. In fact, within the last 24 hours many internet cafes have been shut down in cities like Rangoon and Mandalay.

The US Campaign for Burma plans to take all the evidence to the UN to support their plea for intervention by the Security Council. “Even China and Russia can no longer argue that nothing is happening in Burma,” says Aung Din, policy director for the US Campaign for Burma.”

Picture from the BBC

Via:textually.org

I was watching Eastern Promises last night and right when things were getting exciting — Viggo Mortensen was about to kick some butt — the cell phone of some idiot in the theatre went off, completely ruining the experience. And it was that bloody Crazy Frog ringtone too. Turn your phones off while at the movies people!

That said, cell phone signal jamming may not exactly be legal. According to FCC regulations, the jamming of cellular and radio frequencies can only be done by federal agencies. Shucks. If you want to ride on the wild side still, the Brando jammer sells for $166.

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/340/C13447/

According to the BBC an Apple software update is disabling iPhones that have been unlocked by owners who wanted to choose which mobile network to use.

“Earlier this week Apple issued a statement in which it said many of the unauthorised iPhone unlocking programs caused “irreparable damage” to the device’s software.

Thousands of iPhone owners hacked their expensive gadget in order to unlock it for use with other mobile carriers and to run a host of unsupported programs.

The company said this would “likely result in the modified iPhone becoming permanently inoperable when a future Apple-supplied iPhone software update is installed”.

That warning has now proved correct as many owners are reporting their phones no longer work following installation of the update. ”

Here’s a quick rundown of new features in the iPhone v1.1.1 update:

• iTunes Wi-Fi music store
• Louder speakerphone and receiver volume
• Home button double-click shortcut to phone favorites or music controls
• Space bar double-tap shortcut to intelligently insert period and space
• Mail attachments are viewable in portrait and landscape
• Stocks and cities in Stocks and Weather can be re-ordered
• Apple Bluetooth Headset battery status in the Status Bar
• Support for TV Out
• Preference to turn off EDGE/GPRS when roaming internationally
• New passcode lock time intervals
• Adjustable alert volume

Again, if you’ve unlocked your iPhone for use on non-AT&T networks, DO NOT UPDATE. It will brick your iPhone.

textually.org

You’ve ran out of credit? Then go “beeping” as the Africans do. Reuters UK reports that a research carried in Africa shows that the so-called “beeping” is increasingly popular in developing countries. What “beeping” means is that you call somebody and a split second after you’ve connected you close the phone on him. That tactic should hopefully make the person call you on their expense.

As Jonathan Donner, an India-based researcher for Microsoft, managed to find out the “beeping” tendency is spread across the whole African continent and even in South and Southeast Asia.

Most beeps are requests for an immediate call back, but they can also serve as a pre-negotiated message such as “Pick me up now” or even “I’m thinking of you”.

Mobile carriers are set on finding alternative “call back” services, since these calls are taking their toll on the network load without generating any revenues, since the customers that are being “beeped” or “flashed” not always call back. In fact as carriers report these beeps take up to 30 percent of all calls made in their networks. These quick flashes also annoy the solvent customers. So one way to deal with those is offering customers without credit to send limited free “call-me-back” text messages or charge them a minimum fee.

Orange Senegal for example lets customers send a “Call me back” when their phone credit drops below $0.10. With Safaricom Kenya, it is a “Flashback 130″ (limited to five a day - and with the admonishment ‘Stop Flashing! Ask Nicely’). Vodacom DR Congo’s ‘Call me back’ service costs $0.01 a message.

But that’s not all, as Johnatan Donner is taking the whole beeping research one step further and is publishing a paper on the social protocol of beeping called “Rules of beeping”. “As the richer guy pays,” he writes, “It is acceptable to beep someone only if you are short of cash and they are flush with credit. Never beep someone poorer than you.” Also you should never beep someone you’ll be asking a favor. And you should most definitely never flash your date, unless you want to look cheap.

gsmarena.com