Firmware2.0 -- Engadget Mobile

Firmware2.0 posts

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 hits the tubes, is ready for your attention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2009 @ 8:57AM

Got an N97? Yeah? Reckoned that Nokia has forgotten about your loyalty and moved all of its focus onto the N900? Fret not, dearest early adopter -- the engineers in Espoo are making good on a promise to clear out lots of bugs in the aforesaid handset with firmware 2.0, and if we're seeing this right, it's available now to download all over the world. We know, you 5800 owners are clamoring for the same type of TLC, but for now it looks like the pricier sibling is getting its due. Hit the read link and get your download going, and make sure to report back on your kinetic scrolling experience, cool?

[Thanks, Daniel]

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 looks to squash major pain points

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 7th 2009 @ 8:41PM

As QWERTY-equipped Nokias go we're having a hard time taking our eyes off the N900 (and the E72, come to think of it) -- but it might be worth keeping the N97 hanging around on the back burner, because Nokia certainly hasn't moved on yet. In fact, the company is crafting a rather hefty new update that'll be available next month, and on video, it seems to directly address a few areas that should immediately make the phone more usable, chiefly kinetic scrolling which makes lists behave in a way that's more natural and obvious for a full-touch device. There's also a smattering of bug fixes and performance improvements, more stock widgets available, alternate keyboard characters are now available via long press, and amazingly, they've managed to do all of this while still leaving more phone memory available. We'd venture to say it's still not an "N900 killer" by any stretch, but it's definitely a new lease on life. Follow the break for a video demo of the new firmware in action.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 looks to squash major pain points

Your iPhone probably isn't calling home, just might not want you up in its Core Location

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 8th 2008 @ 9:03AM

It appears we can all breathe a big sigh of relief when it comes to our iPhone apps. According to John Gruber (Daring Fireball), that suspicious looking URL discovered in firmware 2.x which appeared to be set to deactivate applications may be something slightly more innocuous. According to Gruber -- via "an informed source at Apple" -- the "clbl" in the aforementioned URL stands for "Core Location Blacklist" and is actually used to stipulate that specific pieces of software don't have access to... you guessed it... Core Location. Gruber argues that this makes sense, as the API is covered by fairly strict rules in Apple's SDK. So it looks like (at a glance) this was much ado about nothing -- thanks to a little misinterpretation by Jonathan Zdziarski -- though we are considering getting hot under the collar that Apple reserves the right to deny Core Location access. How dare they?

[Thanks, Paul]

iPhone apps pirated, shared -- but not GPL'd

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 28th 2008 @ 4:04PM

Seeing as Apple's FairPlay DRM has already been cracked for music and movies, it's not at all surprising that people are starting to poke holes in the FairPlay-based iPhone App Store. The first loophole is pretty simple, since it doesn't appear that FairPlay links the iPhone hardware to specific Apple IDs: just log into iTunes from any of the machines authorized to use your account, and every app you've purchased will be available for free re-downloading to any attached phone. Since music and movies wrapped in FairPlay can be transferred to unlimited iPods and iPhones, we're guessing this little trick will work indefinitely, but we wouldn't depend on it.

Continue reading over on Engadget!

Method devised for pwning first-gen iPhones running 2.0 via Windows

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 20th 2008 @ 1:29PM

Feeling a little left out after yesterday's Mac-based Pwnage Tool festivities, Windows users? Fret not, because the ever-vigilant, ever-studious hacking community has managed to come up with a series of steps to get you back on your feet again with a fully pwned first-gen handset. The whole shebang isn't necessarily for the most casual jailbreakers -- let's just say it isn't quite as straightforward as the Mac procedure yet -- but it'll allegedly get you going if you're starting with an iPhone running 1.1.4 (there are additional steps if you jumped the gun on 2.0, you impatient son of a gun, you -- think of it as penance). As always, exercise extreme caution, understand that this could cause your iPhone to spontaneously combust into a useless pile of metal, plastic, and ash, and let us know how it goes in comments.

[Thanks, Z-]

'Official' iPhone firmware 2.0 now available for download, seriously, for real

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jul 11th 2008 @ 7:08PM

So yesterday we posted a link to a version of the 2.0 iPhone firmware which was supposedly the release version of the new system software. After getting weirded out by some buggy behavior, then discovering that there were number differences between our version and the version shipping with new iPhone 3Gs, we got a little suspicious. Today, we noticed that the file which Apple made available for upgraders via iTunes sported a slimmer file size and separate designation (1,1 as opposed to the 1,2 of the previous iteration). The new version (supposedly the "official" version) is now available from Apple's servers -- so if you had any misgivings about that initial update, you can snag this and get a do-over. We've updated and restored on our phone, and we'll be honest -- it does seem a little bit snappier. Hit the read link for the file, and let us know if you notice any differences.

[Via MacRumors]

Newsflash! Firmware 2.0 hints suggest Apple might be working on a 3G iPhone

by Chris Ziegler posted May 10th 2008 @ 8:03PM

You'll never believe this, but it looks like Cupertino might be getting ready to drop a bomb this summer -- a 3G bomb, in fact! The latest beta release of firmware 2.0 for the iPhone has apparently revealed a preference screen that allows users of the new model to disable the 3G radio and fall back to GPRS / EDGE because the faster service "decreases battery life." Gotta pay to play, as they say. The ability to disable 3G service in favor of improved standby performance is a pretty common one in modern phones, so we're not surprised to see it here -- just a little disappointed that Apple hasn't incorporated enough fairy dust to magically make the problem go away.

iPhone firmware 2.0 adds Chinese handwriting recognition, Newton sweats

by Chris Ziegler posted May 5th 2008 @ 1:17PM

Screen shots posted on Chinese site wretch.cc allege that iPhone firmware 2.0 has added support for Chinese handwriting recognition in addition to a revamped (albeit non-recognition) Japanese interface. While that's still light years from an Apple admission that not everyone is in love with the on-screen keyboard, it's one small step toward functionality that seems to make boatloads of sense -- in any language -- given the phone's generously proportioned touchscreen and its reluctant but unavoidable nomination as the Newton's spiritual successor. What isn't clear is how folks are expected to draw characters, seeing how there's no provision for an on-board stylus, the entire interface is designed for finger use, and we don't see many owner rushing out for a Pogo. However Apple intends for this feature to be used, the implementation looks pretty hot, capable of operating in both portrait and landscape modes. Sadly, it seems that Chinese is the one and only language supported at the moment; sure you don't want to let everyone in on the Graffiti-esque retro fun here, guys?

[Via Mac Rumors]

New iPhone SDK and firmware builds in the mix, now with more OpenGL

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 23rd 2008 @ 11:32PM

Once again, the time has come for a fresh beta build of the official iPhone SDK -- and if you're lucky enough to be involved in the firmware seeding program, a fresh build of the 2.0 firmware, too. The big change this time around appears to be support for OpenGL ES in the SDK's emulator, enabling easy, breezy access to 3D acceleration for testing all those spellbinding games we plan on playing the heck out of in a couple months. So yeah, shouldn't you get cracking on that? Seriously.

iPhone contacts search and meeting invite revealed

by Joshua Topolsky posted Apr 9th 2008 @ 11:07AM

Remember that sweet little magnifying glass from the iPhone SDK demo? Well apparently we all weren't having a shared hallucination -- it's in the enterprise version of firmware 2.0. Thanks to a tipster, we've now got shots of the search bar clearly hanging out at the top of the contacts list. While we're unraveling mysteries, you'll be happy to know that the little drawer button -- which did nothing in the regular old firmware we had -- is actually a meeting invitations folder, which displays the number of requests just like the SMS and mail icons. Other changes? Enterprise users don't get the app store or iTunes store icons. Boo. Check out the gallery below to see just exactly what we're talking about. Now, on to finding JFK's real killer!

Gallery: iPhone contacts search and meeting invite revealed

iPhone Dev Team jailbreaks firmware 2.0... before it's out

by Joshua Topolsky posted Mar 11th 2008 @ 11:35PM

This is just getting silly, don't you think? The iPhone Dev Team has once again proven their totally gnarly talents by freeing up the latest firmware before it's even the latest firmware. Apple, here's our suggestion -- just let people do what they want with your devices, since they're clearly going to do it anyway. That way, instead of making enemies, you're making lifelong buddies. Reasonable, right? Steve, give us a call, we're more than happy to riff on some ideas for playing nice with the end-user.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]