A student developer, Zac White, released a software framework to the Opensource community, in hopes to finally enable cross-application Copy & Paste on the iPhone/iPod Touch. He calls this framework OpenClip.
Zac claims that his framework does not violate Apple’s SDK rules. The following is a demonstration of the framework on some yet to release versions of iPhone applications.
With the OpenClip framework solving the cross-application implementation of Copy & Paste, we now have to solve the User Interface (UI) of implementing Copy & Paste within an application. Fortunately, the folks at Proximi had already gave it a good start. You can see their “Candidate UI for Copy & Paste on the iPhone” in the video below.
They have even created the iPhone application MagicPad to demonstrate the Copy & Paste UI.
Although, at the moment Apple has said that the Copy & Paste feature is not high on their list of new features for the iPhone. Copy & Paste on a computer was made popular and important part of a GUI operating system’s interface by Apple. The reluctant of Apple to implement this feature on the iPhone, is not because they do not know users want this feature. It is because Apple wants to make sure every features implement on the iPhone are full-proof and usable by the wide range of iPhone users that exist.
In the past when 3rd party developers released solutions that is highly desirable, Apple had went in and purchased the feature/implementation directly from the 3rd party developer.
Case in point is HWPen which brought Traditional and Simplified Chinese handwriting input to the iPhone. Apple purchased the software and implementation from the developer, applied the Apple touch and then released it in iPhone firmware 2.0.
If adoption of the OpenClip framework and Promixi’s Cut, Copy & Paste UI become prevalent, may be Apple will participate in the OpenClip Opensource project by adopting its technology and acquiring the work from Promixi.
I am talking about this to help spread the adoption of OpenClip.
Each time Apple release a new version of the iPhone firmware I feel the need to warn all my friends whom I have assisted with enabling their iPhones to work in Hong Kong, NOT to upgrade to their iPhone to the latest iPhone firmware. This is is no exception.
This latest firmware upgrade from Apple appear to be just a bug fix release. So far no significant feature enhancements accept the addition of a new option in the Safari settings, called “Database“, which is most likely mean that the version of Safari (MobileSafari) on the iPhone will support the HTML 5.0 features that had been announced for Safari on Macintosh and Windows at WWDC.
Apple made available firmware 2.0.1 for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
iPhone Firmware 2.0.1 Availability
If you have an iPhone 3G (non-jailbroken), original iPhone (non-jailbroken and locked) or a pristine iPod Touch, then you should definitely upgrade to this latest firmware. So far all reports show that applications runs faster, quicker synchronization with iTunes and spiffier overall functions of the iPhone or iPod Touch.
WARNING: if you are not in the above group of Apple device owners, meaning you have jailbroken and/or unlocked your iPhone or iPod Touch you should NOT upgrade. You will need to wait for the hacking community to update their hacking methods (currently Pwnage Tool) before doing any firmware update.
The only exception will be the iPod Touch owners who had jailbroken their device and do not mind returning their iPod to Apple factory condition (ie. no more unauthorized 3rd party applications).
BTW: As I have reported on Twitter and other Social Networks, I am experimenting with a method to resolve much of the frequent crashes on the iPhone with firmware 2.0. I will be reporting here on my blog as soon as I have definite results. Please stay tune.
Many of you know I owned an iPhone (1st generation) since June 2007 and had to unlock and jailbreak it so that I can use it here in Hong Kong.
In the past 12 months I had unlocked/restored my iPhone over 30+ times, and documented much of my experience and findings with fellow readers. Much of these repeated unlocking and restoring was because I was testing various “unauthorized” 3rd party applications (”hacks”) for the iPhone, and some of them were not that stable.
So when Apple released the iPhone firmware 2.0 on July 1, 2008, I was very excited about the functionalities that it will delivers and was eager to find available an unlock & jailbreak method that will allow me to upgrade my iPhone (1st generation) to the new firmware.
The wait was finally over this past Saturday night (July 19 HKT) when the iPhone Dev Team released their “Pwnage Tool 2.0″. Although, I was eager to try it, I did not want to jump too quickly into the process, due to my past experience over the year of the various methods used to unlock/jailbreak the iPhone.
I held myself back for 24 hours to give iPhone web sites: ModMyiFone, Hack the iPhone, MacGeekBlog, etc. time to refine the procedures and all the possible things that may go wrong during the process.
Now I am happy to say that I have now successfully unlocked my iPhone running firmware 2.0. The process went without a hitch.
I did not have to do anything to my already unlocked iPhone running firmware 1.1.4. All I did to prepare myself for the unlocking was the following:
Upgrade my iTunes to 7.7
Download the firmware 2.0 (5A347), placing this firmware (IPSW file) in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/ folder on your Mac.
Ensure there is an empty ~/Library/iTunes/Device Support/ folder on your Mac.
There was a report last night that the iPhone 3G sold by the carrier, Three, in Hong Kong is unlocked; meaning it is not tied to a specific carrier.
This news was a bit hard to believe as news from other countries like US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, the iPhone 3G sold there are all locked to the respective mobile carriers.
Therefor, if you do not want to stick with Three’s service you now have a choice, but the cheapest choice is:
HKD4680.00 + HKD188 x 24 months + MTR Fee (HKD12 x 24) = HKD9480.00 - HKD1742 = HKD7738 (including the rebate you will receive over 2 years)
Now I have first hand confirmation from a friend who purchased one of these iPhone 3G at Three HK. He was able to put in a PCCW SIM card while having full access to all functionalities of the phone including EDGE and GPRS functions.
Is this really worth it. I say not, especially if you already have an iPhone (1st generation). Wait for the other carriers in Hong Kong; namely PCCW and/or Smartone-Vodafone receive the rights to sell the iPhone 3G.
Apparently the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 3G will only be available to the selected few, at least in Hong Kong.
Yesterday, O2 began announced that their pre-orders for the iPhone 3G had been filled and ask interested customer to return to their web site on July 10th to find information on new inventory and next availability.
Similar situation in Hong Kong with Apple’s partner carrier, “3″. I have inside sources informs me that their initial inventory of 500 Apple iPhone 3G had already been sold out 2 weeks ago. There was no limits placed on the number of phones each person were allow to purchase. Therefore, some of the selected few were able to purchase a dozen iPhone 3G, while the rest of us, under privileged in the eyes of Li Ka Shing’s mobile carrier “3″, will not be able to get an iPhone 3G on Friday, July 11th, even if I am willing to change carrier and choose one of the high tariff plans offered. Of course, I am not, so I am not too concern.
For the rest who are already a 3 customer or willing to switch carriers, I think this is very unfair and Apple HK should have been managed the situation better. Although, this sort of insiders privilege is a common occurrence in Hong Kong, Apple HK should have imposed a maximum purchase quantity so that as many individuals can share the Apple experience and privilege of owning an iPhone 3G on July 11th.
As with everything that Apple does in the past 24+ years, everyone tries to copy what they do.
We saw it with the removal of a floppy disk from a computer (1990s). Initially the critics were criticizing Apple for removing the floppy disk being a stupid idea. Then manufactures begin to imitate what Apple does. Eventually we saw the death of floppy disk and drives.
Apple added Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports (late 1990s) to all their computers and “uneducated” critics thought that it was a proprietary port that Apple force upon consumers and was a waste.
Apple promoted the use of CD-R drives on all their computers, again critics claims that that was a stupid idea as CD-R media was too expensive and say that no one will need such large amount of storage for personal use. Apple does not listen and sent out all their Developers Program media on CDs only.
Apple took the MP3 player, redesigned it and released the iPod in 2003, the same critics come along and claim that Apple is just imitating manufactures like iRiver and others who had MP3 players in the market for years. What Apple did instead was reinvented the mobile music concept with the 3-prong team of the iPod, iTunes audio jukebox and the iTunes Music Store.
Competitors try to imitate what Apple had done, by coming out with what they claim “iPod killers”, which are devices that look like the iPod superficially but does not have the usability, nor do they have iTunes or the iTunes Music Store.
Others also try to over throw Apple’s lead in the online music retail by launching their own online music stores to compete with Apple’s iTunes Music Store, but again they do not have the iPod or the iTunes music jukebox.
In 2007 Apple released the iPhone 2G and changed the mobile phone industry. What they had done was to push the envelop of mobile phone design. They did not try to just create an extraordinary mobile phone, they also wanted to create an ultimate mobile connected information device. In doing so caused all the competitors to rethink their own mobile phone design directions.
Some critics criticizes the fact that the iPhone is not comparable to most high end smart-phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, HTC, etc., but what these critics keep missing is what Apple claims the iPhone 2G is capable of and that Apple is using the iPhone 2G as the first-device for the platform.
Can you remember what the iPod was like back in 2003? Could you have imagine the “3rd generation iPod nano” or the “2nd generation iPod Shuffle”? Can you image what the iPhone will be like in 5 years?
Over the years Apple had mostly been successfully in setting the expectations of their customers and audiences for Apple products and services. With the launch of the iPhone 2G on June 29, 2007, Apple released numerous amount of information; including videos, of what the iPhone is and the various things one can do on it.
Similarly, AT&T wanted to do the same expectation management with the launch of the iPhone 3G, and created the AT&T iReady program; including videos. What the iReady program and accompany videos did was to highlight the complexities of purchasing a mobile phone from a carrier and how poor a shopping experience it is.
A student developer, Zac White, released a software framework to the Opensource community, in hopes to finally enable cross-application Copy & Paste on the iPhone/iPod Touch. He calls this framework OpenClip.
Many of you know I owned an iPhone (1st generation) since June 2007 and had to unlock and jailbreak it so that I can use it here in Hong Kong.
There was a report last night that the iPhone 3G sold by the carrier, Three, in Hong Kong is unlocked; meaning it is not tied to a specific carrier.
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