Aug 02

iPhone 4 jailbreak enables FaceTime video calling over 3G

Posted in: hack, Hacks, iPhone, jailbreak, Today's Chili, video

We’d actually already hacked up a 3G FaceTime video call using an iPhone 4 and a MiFi, but now that Apple’s latest handset has been jailbroken, you can toss the extra hardware — you just need a little Cydia app called My3G, which lets you run WiFi apps over 3G. FaceTime video quality appears to be unaffected, but from what we’ve seen the framerates suffer depending on your connection — pretty much what you’d expect to get when running a video stream optimized for high-bandwidth connections on a smaller pipe. Still, it’s instantly the best reason to jailbreak your phone — check a video after the break.

P.S.- If you’re averse to jailbreaking, remember that Fring lets you make video calls over 3G without any shenanigans — and unlike FaceTime, you can also video call non-iPhone users. Just sayin’!

Continue reading iPhone 4 jailbreak enables FaceTime video calling over 3G

iPhone 4 jailbreak enables FaceTime video calling over 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 02

Charlie Miller and Kim Jong-Il could pwn the Internet with two years, $100 million

Posted in: hack, hacking, Today's Chili, wargadget
Well there’s one thing we can say about Charlie Miller — he sure is an ambitious rascal. When not busy exposing security holes in OS X, our fave security expert (aside from Angelina Jolie in Hackers, of course) has laid out a shocking expose based on the following premise: if Kim Jong-Il had a budget of $100 million and a timeline of two years could North Korea’s de facto leader (and sunglasses model) take down the United States in a cyberwar? It seems that the answer is yes. Using a thousand or so hackers, “ranging from elite computer commandos to basic college trained geeks,” according to AFP, the country could target specific elements of a country’s infrastructure (including smart grids, banks, and communications) and create “beacheads” by compromising systems up to two years before they pulled the trigger. Speaking at DEFCON this weekend, Miller mentioned that such an attack could be carried out by anyone, although North Korea has a few advantages, including the fact that its infrastructure is so low tech that even destroying the entire Internet would leave it pretty much unscathed. That said, we’re not worried in the least bit: if the diminutive despot brings down the entire Internet, how is he ever going to see Twilight: Eclipse?

Charlie Miller and Kim Jong-Il could pwn the Internet with two years, $100 million originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 01

Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video)

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, breaking news, BreakingNews, hack, hacked, Hacks, ipad, iPhone, ipod, ipod touch, IpodTouch, jailbreak, Today's Chili, video

The Library of Congress made it legal, MuscleNerd showed us it was a go, and now Comex and company have delivered the long-awaited jailbreak to the fourth rendition of iPhone. According to their new page JailbreakMe, the hack works right on the iPhone 4 (or 3GS, or 3G, or iPad, or…) itself, using via the handset’s Safari browser to reportedly break into most any iOS device. The servers are getting slammed pretty badly, and only a few Engadget editors have so much as seen the page pictured above so far, but rest assured we’re testing this as we speak and will have more details up soon.

Update: Sorry folks, we’ve tried repeatedly, but apparently the servers just can’t handle the load — Comex tweets that the purple screens we’re seeing are evidence of server fail. Here’s hoping for a Cydia celebration when the stampede is over.

Update 2: Comex says you might want to reboot if you got stuck staring at that purple screen, and you could also try their backup server (click our second source link) to help the Dev Team divide the load.

Update 3: We successfully got the jailbreak to start working, but it crashed Safari. Upon reboot of our phone we’ve got… nothing but the Apple logo. Take note, this can brick your phone, so proceed with caution! Video of the experience after the break. After a reset, our phone is giving us nothing but the Apple logo. (Update to the update, the phone has been restored).

Update 4: Our intern Sam has successfully jailbroken his iPhone 4 according to this pic, so it can be done!

Update 5: Comex reports that iPads running iOS 3.2.1 aren’t presently working properly, and that MMS problems after jailbreak are a known issue.

Update 6: Good news? Saurik (of Cydia fame) has pitched in to secure JailbreakMe some better hosting. Bad news? Reports indicate that FaceTime doesn’t work after jailbreak, either.

Update 7: Seven updates? You bet, because it’s looking like there’s already a fix for the missing FaceTime and MMS features. Head on over to Redmond Pie (in more coverage below) for instructions to install the Cydia package that brought video chat back to two of our iPhone 4 handsets. If you’re just downloading JailbreakMe for the first time though, you shouldn’t need to do a thing, as Comex claims both have been fixed in a new version of the hack that just went live.

Continue reading Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video)

Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 9 To 5 Mac, @comex (Twitter), @MuscleNerd (Twitter)  |  sourceJailbreakMe (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 31

Hacker intercepts phone calls with homebuilt $1,500 IMSI catcher, claims GSM is beyond repair

Posted in: hack, hacking, Hacks, security, Today's Chili, Wireless

In 2009, Chris Paget showed the world the vulnerabilities of RFID by downloading the contents of US passports from the safety of his automobile. This year, he’s doing the same for mobile phones. Demonstrating at DefCon 2010, the white hat hacker fooled 17 nearby GSM phones into believing his $1,500 kit (including a laptop and two RF antennas) was a legitimate cell phone base station, and proceeded to intercept and record audience calls. “As far as your cell phones are concerned, I’m now indistinguishable from AT&T,” he told the crowd. The purpose of the demonstration was highlight a major flaw in the 2G GSM system, which directs phones to connect to the tower with the strongest signal regardless of origin — in this case, Paget’s phony tower.

The hacker did caveat that his system could only intercept outbound calls, and that caller ID could tip off the owner of a handset to what’s what, but he says professional IMSI catchers used by law enforcement don’t suffer from such flaws and amateur parity would only be a matter of time. “GSM is broken,” Paget said, “The primary solution is to turn it off altogether.” That’s a tall order for a world still very dependent on the technology for mobile connectivity, but we suppose AT&T and T-Mobile could show the way. Then again, we imagine much of that same world is still using WEP and WPA1 to “secure” their WiFi.

Hacker intercepts phone calls with homebuilt $1,500 IMSI catcher, claims GSM is beyond repair originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWired, AP, MobileBeat, Forbes, IDG  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 29

Some Windows CE-based ATMs especially generous (and vulnerable to hackers)

Posted in: hack, hacking, money, Today's Chili, Windows
Speaking at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, a fellow named Barnaby Jack (really!) used custom software to hack Windows CE-based ATMs on stage. After using an industry standard key to gain entry to the machines (apparently many ATM owners are too lazy to install new locks) Jack was able to load a rootkit on the device using a USB thumb drive. From that point, it was just a matter of running another program that caused all the cash therein to shoot out in a comical manner. The machines used in the presentation were manufactured by Trannax and Triton, both of which have have had a chance to send a security patch to customers prior to the demonstration. However, there are four different machines in common use that are still vulnerable. And no, he won’t tell us which ones.

Some Windows CE-based ATMs especially generous (and vulnerable to hackers) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 28

iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion’s Apple Peel 520?

Posted in: Apple, case, cellphone, hack, ipod, ipod touch, IpodTouch, mobile phone, MobilePhone, mod, phone, smartphone, Today's Chili, video

Oh sure, VoIP on the iPod touch is hardly breaking news these days, but what if you could actually slap on a regular SIM card and make calls on said device? That’s what Yosion’s appropriately named Apple Peel 520 claims to do. Powered by an Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod touch for the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice. We’re told this cheeky hack’s coming out in China as early as this week for somewhere between ¥300 ($44) and ¥500 ($74), although the lack of an official website, full spec sheet or compatibility list means we’ll have to remain skeptical with this potentially vaporware company. Maybe the demo video after the break will keep us believing.

[Thanks, Bong]

Continue reading iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion’s Apple Peel 520?

iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion’s Apple Peel 520? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYosion (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 26

Hack brings WiFi to Sprint Palm Pixi courtesy of Verizon Pixi Plus radio board swap

Posted in: hack, mod, palm, Sprint, Today's Chili, video, webos, wifi
We can’t say it’s the most practical of hacks, but it looks like Sprint Palm Pixi users eager to add some much-needed WiFi to their device do have at least one option. As demonstrated by PreCentral forum member gitit20, all you have to do is find a Verizon Pixi Plus somewhere, pull out its radio board, swap it with the one in your Sprint Pixi, and run the Sprint webOS Doctor application to get everything back in working order. As you can see above, the two radio boards are identical apart from the missing WiFi chip, and there’s apparently no extra fiddling with serial numbers or anything required. Head on past the break for the whole thing on video.

Continue reading Hack brings WiFi to Sprint Palm Pixi courtesy of Verizon Pixi Plus radio board swap

Hack brings WiFi to Sprint Palm Pixi courtesy of Verizon Pixi Plus radio board swap originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 24

Dell Streak makes friends with Logitech diNovo Mini (in more ways than one)

Posted in: Android, Google, GoogleAndroid, hack, keyboard, logitech, mod, smartphone, streak, Today's Chili, video

So, you’ve either purchased a Streak, or you’re anxiously awaiting your own here in the US. Fantastic. Now what? If you’ve just over $100 to spend and even a pinch of smarts, you’ll give strong consideration to Logitech’s diNovo Mini. Though launched around two years ago, this portable Bluetooth keyboard looks like a match made in heaven for Dell’s newfangled 5-inch smartphone, with the cover holding the Streak (almost) perfectly in order to create a makeshift Android laptop. Better still, the Bluetooth device pairs seamlessly with Dell’s doodad, and both the keys and finger pad operate sans any major issues. But hey, it’s not like you ought to be taking our word for it — head on past the break to see the magic happen on video, and dig down in that source link for even more inspiration. It might just convince your cold, hardened heart that love does indeed exist.

Continue reading Dell Streak makes friends with Logitech diNovo Mini (in more ways than one)

Dell Streak makes friends with Logitech diNovo Mini (in more ways than one) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceStreak Smart  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 24

Tweaker ports Samsung’s TouchWIz UI onto non-rooted Nexus One for reasons unknown

Posted in: Android, diy, froyo, Google, GoogleAndroid, hack, HTC, mobile os, MobileOs, mod, nexus one, NexusOne, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, samsung, Software, Today's Chili, ui

This one’s been kicking around the interwebs for a few weeks now, but it has managed to grow into something of a beast during that period. Frankly, we couldn’t think of less fitting way to send the glorious Nexus One out than to completely deface it and ruin what Google has worked so hard to perfect. But regardless of what we think, that’s exactly what has happened here. One rolle3k over at xda developers clearly has a masochistic gene or two planted inside of his skull, but at least his APK doesn’t require your N1 to be rooted before providing you access to a TouchWiz user interface. Feel free to hit the source if you’re up for seeing what you’ve been missing out on, but only if you literally cannot think of a single better thing to do with your time.

Tweaker ports Samsung’s TouchWIz UI onto non-rooted Nexus One for reasons unknown originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Gadgets  |  sourcexda developers  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 22

Motorola Droid X Gets Rooted

Posted in: Android, hack, jailbreak, mod, motorola, Phones, rom, Today's Chili

Hardcore Android fans have been leery of the Motorola Droid X because of the chip and bootloader combination in the device that could potentially brick it if custom versions of the Android operating system are loaded on it.

But now, they are a step closer to doing just that. The Droid X forum has posted step-by-step directions for rooting the Droid X–the Android equivalent of jailbreaking a device to get complete control. Rooting the device also lets users get rid of bloatware on their phones and tweak some of the features that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a Verizon wireless contract) hit retail shelves on July 15. The phone has a 4.3-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor. It launched with Android 2.1 operating system. It is expected to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo in the summer.

But last week, Android geeks found that Motorola has made it difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. The Droid X’ processor includes a feature called “eFuse” that’s intended to make it easier to tweak the chip’s power and memory after it is shipped.

However, eFuse only allows the device to start up when Motorola’s software is installed, squashing hackers’ hopes that they can quickly get custom ROMs on the device.

Rooting the Droid X is the first step towards being able to port a custom ROM on the phone. So far, based on the feedback in the forums, the Droid X root seems to work well. It will be interesting to see how soon the Android community can break the eFuse lock and port a custom ROM on the Droid X.

See Also:

Photo: Droid X (Stefan Armijo/Wired.com)




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