Hasta La Gadget!

Apple doesn’t want to let you inside your iPhone, even if all you want to do is fix it.

That’s what repair company iFixit claims, at least. The company recently discovered that Apple has quietly switched the screws in the latest shipments of the iPhone 4 from a basic Phillips head to a tamper-resistant screw that you can’t remove with any screwdriver you’d buy at a hardware store.

The screw in question is called a “Pentalobe” (see right), a five-point head with a round shape resembling a daisy.

“They chose this ‘Pentalobe’ fastener specifically because it was new, guaranteeing repair tools would be both rare and expensive,” said Kyle Wiens, iFixit’s CEO. “The iPhone 4 originally shipped with Phillips screws, but Apple has transitioned completely to this new security screw. Shame on them.”

It’s not unusual for manufacturers to use obscure screws and strict software security on their products to prevent people from tampering with their devices.

Sometimes tamper-resistance is designed for protecting company profits. In the case of software, Sony, for example, baked extra-strict security into the PlayStation 3’s operating system, which hackers recently infiltrated to install pirated software on the console. In a lawsuit, Sony asked a court to remove all traces of the PS3 hack from the internet, claiming it violated copyright law and would eat into PS3 game sales.

And when it comes to odd screws keeping you out of hardware, it’s most likely to get you to buy new stuff sooner. On Apple products, obscure screws began showing up on the mid-2009 MacBook Pro to prevent you from removing and replacing the battery, according to iFixit, and it’s been a recurring trend ever since. In this context, Apple would rather you buy a brand-new MacBook Pro when its battery dies than simply purchase a new battery, Wiens suggests.

Wiens added that if you own an iPhone 4 that came with Phillips screws and you take it to an Apple store for repair, Apple employees will replace the screws with the Pentalobular screws to prevent you from getting inside.

“This move is a part of Apple’s strategic plan to increase the rate of obsolescence of their hardware,” Wiens said.

If your iPhone is tainted with those funky  screws, you’re in luck: iFixit is selling the Pentalobular screwdriver for $10.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Photo of an iPhone 4 with Phillips head screws: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Illustration courtesy of iFixit

See Also:

• Photos: iFixit Rips Open iPad 3G
• iPhone 4 Torn Down and Tested: Slower Than iPad, Faster Than 3G …
• Mr. Fixit Goes Open Source With DIY Repair Site

If you came along for our most recent podcast you heard us discussing some of the new features uncovered in the iOS 4.3 beta, including multitouch gestures for multitasking like four-finger swipes to go between apps. They seem hugely useful on an iPad but, on an iPhone, sounded like a bit of a handful. Now we have some video evidence, with Antoni Nygaard managing to get them working on his iPhone, along with the lock/mute switch toggle as well. Given these multitouch gestures aren’t coming to the iPad (yet) we’re guessing it won’t be hitting the iPhone either, but we can always hope.

Update: BGR has a little more information on this, including some screenshots if the video below isn’t good enough for ya.

[Thanks, Crazyyen]

Continue reading iOS 4.3 beta multitasking gestures demonstrated on iPhone, look like a handful (video)

iOS 4.3 beta multitasking gestures demonstrated on iPhone, look like a handful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  antoninygaard (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

This article was written on December 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

Despite the fact that Google hasn’t made an official announcement that a special interface for iPhone users has launched, it has. TechCrunch initially reported yesterday that an anonymous tipster informed them that it had launched, and sure enough, it had. The image to the right shows you what this interface will look like on the iPhone. It has links to Gmail, the Google Calendar, Google Reader, and there’s also a “more” link that will direct you to more Google services. Those services include Docs, GOOG-411, SMS, News, Photos, Blogger, or Google Notebook.

For those who use Google services regularly, this will be great because everything is nicely integrated into one interface that suites the iPhone perfectly. According to a sample of people who have used it, everything actually loads pretty fast too. The nice navigation bar at the top means users will be able to quickly jump from Gmail to their Calendar, to the Reader, and back to Google’s homepage again without extra clicks. The navigation bar will always be at the top, no matter where you’ve navigated to on the google.com/m site.

As I was browsing around the web today, I came across people who were pouting and saying “it’s not fair! Why does the iPhone get special attention from Google and get their own page?” I can see why people are a bit annoyed, but really, it’s not hard to understand why Google is doing this.  Given the popularity of the iPhone since it launched and its continued popularity, sites are going to want to cater to it.  On the other hand, I find it ironic that the iPhone was supposed to be better than any other phone for browsing the Internet and viewing web pages as they are, yet many sites like Google and Facebook feel that it’s necessary to create something special for it.

Source: jkOnTheRun

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Visit a Starbucks and you can now forget about cash or cards: Just flash your phone to pay.

Starting today, iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry users will be able to pay for coffee and coffee-themed products in 6,800 of Starbucks’ own stores and in 1,000 Starbucks outlets in Target stores. The scheme has been tested since last year in a handful of stores, and is now available nationwide.

The app doesn’t bother with complex in-store machinery or NFC or RFID chips in the phones, for obvious reasons. (Sorry, Nexus S users.) Instead, you just tap the number of your Starbucks Card into a free app and load the app up with funds from either your credit card or, for iPhone users, PayPal. When you’re ready to pay, your phone displays a QR code on screen, and the barista can scan it using a standard reader.

In effect, it makes your smartphone into a virtual version of your Starbucks card, saving you from carrying around another piece of plastic and giving you the ability to see your balance and add funds as necessary.

Apart from convenience to you, the customer, using a phone to pay should speed up the lines in-store. Especially as most of the people in front of me are already jabbering on their phones instead of actually paying any attention to the staff at the counter. Then again, maybe hunting for the Starbucks icon on your home screen will becom the new hunting for change in your wallet.

Mobile Payment Debuts Nationally at Starbucks [Starbucks]

Starbucks Card Mobile App for iPhone [Starbucks]

Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry [Starbucks]