It used to be that jailbreaking your iPhone was a long, involved process , but worth it for the freedom . We’ve reached a new age, though, where emancipating your phone is as simple as plugging in an iDongle. Liberty! More

If you needed any more proof that Apple’s lame cat-and-mouse game with the iPhone jailbreak community has only served to increase its resourcefulness and creativity, look no further than the iDongle, a slick piece of hacker-made hardware that can jailbreak and activate an iPhone 3GS or iPod touch running OS 3.1.2 just by plugging it into the dock connector. What’s more, it allows a jailbroken iPhone to be rebooted away from a computer, which is currently a problem for on-the-go hackers — just stick this guy in your bag and you’ll be good to go. There’s only a dozen prototypes right now, but pre-orders are being accepted to raise funds for production — we’ve got a feeling quite a few people are going to be interested. Video after the break. Continue reading iDongle hardware iPhone jailbreak tool makes hacker life a little simpler iDongle hardware iPhone jailbreak tool makes hacker life a little simpler originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:02:00 EST

A Chinese artist named PixieTea both recorded this song and shot the accompanying video almost entirely on an iPhone 3GS . The surprise? It’s actually pretty decent! See for yourself: More

You know, for all the praise the iPhone has received in its time, we never thought it looked quite Matrix-y enough. Thankfully, that all-important deficiency has been remedied by a man named Ryan Glasgow up in Portland, who has just started selling the above case to all who care to have one. It’s built out of stainless steel on the outside and silicone padding on the inside, with strategically located cutouts for wireless signals and heat emissions to get through. You can flip the front plate open, turning it into a rather outsized clamshell, or you can just talk with the lid closed, it’s all up to you.

After it was pulled in December due to some bugs, Layar is back in the App Store, available for iPhone 3GS users. [ Layar via Mobile-Ent ]

After it was pulled in December due to some bugs, Layar is back in the App Store, available for iPhone 3GS users. Just in case you need a run-through, Layar—which is also available on Android—is an augmented reality app which lets you discover people and places around you, based on different layers you select. It’s only available for the 3GS as it needs a compass to work, and also uses the camera function to display your surroundings on a cool grid. Definitely worth downloading if you haven’t already. [ Layar via Mobile-Ent ]

Well, it’s a bit earlier than the invitation to the big launch event suggested , but it looks like Virgin Mobile Canada is now officially part of the HSPA+ club, and it’s now also selling a couple of new phones you might be interested in. Naturally, the network will give you coverage in line with the Bell network that Virgin is piggybacking on (encompassing 93% of Canadians), and you can expect the same download speeds of up to 21.6 megabits per second and upload speeds up to 5.76 — in “ideal conditions,” of course. As expected, the carrier is now also offering a number of new phones that take advantage of the network, not the least of which include the iPhone 3G and 3GS (in all the usual varieties), and the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Hit up the link below to check out the complete lineup, and Virgin’s new smartphone plan offerings, which start at $50 per month Virgin Mobile Canada lights up HSPA+ network, iPhone 3GS, Bold 9700 in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 10:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

Usually reading the patent tea leaves is an inaccurate science at best, without knowing how exactly a proposed technology will fit into a company’s product plans. Other times, there’s an actual drawing of an iPod Touch with a video camera. The patent was filed in the summer of 2009, but only just published today by the US Patent Office. It’s maybe not the most surprising news in the world, given that the iPhone 3GS is already equipped with the technology. There really hasn’t been a good reason for the Touch not to have a camera, other than Steve Jobs dithering about how people just don’t want one . That’s always seemed like poppycock, and I’m glad it looks like Apple’s started to agree

iSuppli has already revealed that the Nexus One parts cost $174.15 and the iPhone 3GS $178.96 (including manufacturing), but the Droid? Thanks to a recent teardown, we now know Motorola’s more generous, with parts totaling $179.11. If you add in $8.64 for manufacturing the Droid, the final cost is $187.75. Breaking it down, the 16GB microSD card it comes with costs $35, the LCD screen is $17.75 and the extra sheet of material making the touchscreen a capacitive one is another $17.50. If you’ve been tossing up whether to get a Nexus One , iPhone 3GS or Droid, I doubt the extra couple of dollars in value will sway you much, but it’s very interesting to see just where Motorola’s spending the money. [ iSuppli ]

We had no idea the market of iPhone filmmakers out there was big enough to support pro-quality accessories, but it looks like we were mistaken: Tiffen just announced the Smoothee Steadicam rig for all you mobile Tarantinos out there. As with all Steadicam rigs, the Smoothee stabilizes a handheld camera by means of a counterweight, and the phone cradle can also be detached and mounted on a tripod or used as a stand on a flat surface. No pricing or availability yet, but those things don’t matter when your masterpiece is at stake. Video after the break. Continue reading Tiffen Smoothee brings Steadicam to the iPhone 3GS Tiffen Smoothee brings Steadicam to the iPhone 3GS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:02:00 EST