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The 404 206: Where we only like you as a friend

It's true that we only think of you as a close friend, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate your support! On today's show, we attempt to sell off Jeff's old busted G4 Powerbook, make fun of Don Cheadle's awful British accent, fan out over the new Avengers movie, and do our impression of some of the most popular video game quotes. If nothing else, listen to this show for Jeff's spot on Mario!

So after yesterday's Apple announcement, Jeff and I have finally agreed to shed our ancient G4 Powerbooks for one of the new Macbooks. The question that I'm sure other people are asking right now is which one should we get? We both want to spend less than $2,ooo, so it's a toss-up between the $1,600 Macbook and the $1,999 Macbook Pro. Is the slightly larger screen and dual-video cards worth the $4,000 price difference? We've both gotten so comfortable using a 15 inch screen that it seems difficult to adjust to a 13 incher. And what about that giant one-piece track pad? There are so many questions to answer about the design, but we'll be getting both models into the office tomorrow, so that's when the deliberation will begin. Is anyone else in this boat with us, trying to decide between the two? For me, it's less a question about performance and more a deliberation about screen size. I don't travel much and don't do image or video editing (I don't even have Photoshop!), so maybe all those extra features aren't worth it for my purposes. Help!!

EPISODE 206 Download today's podcast … Read more

BillShrink unpacks credit card complexity

Last week I got a glimpse at GoodGuide, a new product recommendation service that rates products as safe, healthy, and green based on their ingredients, manufacturing, and distribution. It's part of a new class of services that are bringing data transparency that can save money, lives, and the environment, not necessarily in that order.

BillShrink.com recently launched a recommendation service that focuses on unpacking the complexity and cost of cell phone plans. The free service analyzes wireless phone bills and rate plans from the major carriers, and then monitors usage and makes recommendations for saving money. Another company, … Read more

GoodGuide will save your skin

GoodGuide is a new product recommendation system focused on "safe, healthy, and green products." It will tell you what chemicals are in your toothpaste, or if your socks are made with sweatshop labor.

The company's real value add is in acquiring the data on the products. The packaging of the data into a site is the easy part, but we think they've done a great job at it.

That's it, simple story. Looks like a great product and service. iPhone app coming, and expansion into other areas as well: Food, toys, electronics, adding to the … Read more

Taking your iPhone 3G apart with a suction cup

Though such a procedure is sure to void your warranty, you can (fairly) easily remove the iPhone 3G's screen, gaining access to internal components and allowing possible resolution of certain longstanding manufacturing issues as well as repair of hardware damage.

A post to the Hackintosh forums offers steps for doing so with a standard suction cup, such as the one used by some windsheild-mounted devices.

The poster, flash31, describes using the procedure to resolve the "light leak" issue that has affected some units:

"Pull the suction cup toward you and the screen should come out (bottom … Read more

iPhone 3G accessory incompatibility index

As previously reported, many accessories that were compatible with the first-generation are not compatible with the iPhone 3G, either failing to charge the device or losing functionality completely.

We've compiled a list of incompatible devices based on user reports. If you have any to add, please let us know.

Will not charge the iPhone 3G: The explanation for this issue is as follows: most accessories on the market charge iPods/iPhones through either USB or a 12V connection that works through the FireWire portion of the pin connector. The latter method is cheaper, and hence more common. Apple has … Read more

WinPwn 2.0.0.3 successfully jailbreaks iPhone 3G for Windows

Earlier this week, the iPhone Dev Team released WinPwn 2.0, a tool that allows Windows users to jailbreak iPhone 3G units. However the initial release was affected by an issue that caused the Ipwner component to crash. A new version, 2.0.0.3, has now been released, resolving this and other issues.

Jailbreaking allows full read/write filesystem access and the installation of unofficial third party applications.

Notes accompanying this release:

You must do a full uninstall of winpwn before installing the new version Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes ( Currently 7.7) WinPwn uses … Read more

Phone-as-modem tethering for the iPhone 3G

Despite AT&T's lack of tethering services for the iPhone 3G, a group of intrepid developers has produced a viable method for using the phones as wireless modems for laptop or desktop computers. Note, however, that the process requires iPhones to be "jailbroken" (allowing unsupported read/write access to the filesystem) and stands in violation of AT&T's data plan agreements.

The basic process is as follows:

Jailbreak the iPhone Install the applications 3Proxy and Terminal via Installer Create an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network using your computer Join the ad-hoc network from your iPhone Find … Read more

Undocumented iPhone OS 2.0 features and tips

iPhone OS 2.0 has a few undocumented, useful features, including:

Screen Snapshots - Zoom and Snapshot

We previously noted a method for taking screenshots under iPhone OS 20. James1292, a user on Apple's discussion boards, subsequently found that the screenshot function can be manipulated using the zoom feature. Simply zoom to the desired depth then trigger a screenshot by pressing the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons simultaneously.

Mobile Safari Speaks Your Lingo

Mobile Safari can speak in many languages. Launch Settings then go to: General, Keyboard > International Keyboards and toggle the desire keyboards. Using the small "… Read more

Dozens of accessories don't work with the iPhone 3G

A huge swath of accessories that were compatible with the first-generation are not compatible with the iPhone 3G, either failing to charge the device or losing functionality completely.

iPhone Atlas reader Carson's case is exemplary:

"I upgraded form the first generation iPhone to the 3G iPhone and noticed that it does not work with all my accessories.

Doesn't work with the iPod AUX connector in my car, a $350 adaptor Doesn't work with the Monster Cable FM tuner Doesn't work with the cigarette power adaptor

Charging The most common problem is one in which various … Read more

iPhone 3G battery draining too fast? Try this

The iPhone 3G has been shown to exhibit poorer battery life than its predecessor when persistently utilizing 3G connectivity. However, some have reported inordinately short battery life, which could have a variety of causes including:

faulty battery indicator overactive Push mechanism application flaws hardware defects

If you think you're suffering from unusually short battery life, try the following procedures:

Turn off Push The iPhone 3G's Push functionality for Exchange and Mobile Me accounts can destroy battery life. Turn this option off in "Settings" and compare your new battery life to the old.

Force-quit applications If an … Read more