Tag Archive for 'jailbreak'

Why the iPhone may rule the (journalism) world

Published
by
Robb Montgomery
on March 6, 2008
in Blog
. 0 Comments


You know, when the iPhone came out - many people were jealous and quickly showed that their mobile phones also had Google maps, push e-mail and maybe even a touchscreen. OK. Now you can ask them - can you convincingly play the melody to “Chopsticks” on your phone? Or are you in an iPhone band?

Bear with me - this blog is really about the future of mobile journalism
This video above is of a digital piano program, or application, that runs on the iPhone. And it it runs on any iPhone that has been hacked to allow users to install new programs on it. The news is that today may be the last day that you would need to “jailbreak” your iPhone to get new functions like this.

At 10 a.m PST time today Apple is set to allow developers (The people who write software applications) to finally release their wares to all iPhone users. Most of the global digerati press corps I know is on a plane right now to Texas right now to cover the SXSW festival. It’s a shame some of them were not invited to Cupertino to talk with the developers who have been invited to Apple’s famous Building No. 4 to get the lowdown on the new capabilities that will soon be coming to iPhone owners.

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Will anyone use their iPhone 2.0, um, to make calls?

Published
by
Robb Montgomery
on January 9, 2008
in Blog
. 0 Comments

I admit, I rarely use my iPhone to make calls. Not that there is anything wrong with calling or getting calls. It’s just this - do you really need to blah, blah, blah all the time with your voice when there are often more useful ways to connect using SMS, e-mail and Web sites (Like Twitter and Facebook) using the Web browser?

I look at my phone bill and all of those wasted minutes for “Voice” that slip past.
I don’t mind calls, I even occasionally make them but more often I initiate voice calls with my Skype account instead of my iPhone. Esp when I travel - it’s so easy and saves me thousands on roaming charges and all. I like the option to open a chat window and pass Web links while I talk with someone. That multi-channel style is just more natural to the types of conversations I have with clients and friends. We talk about a trend and I pass a link to the research. We talk about a video and I pass a link . . . etc.

How to save money with your iPhone
So here’s my setup for mojo with the iPhone. Get a Skype IN account (Not expensive and gives you a phone number in what area code you like.)

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Jailbreaking the iPhone in the name of mobile journalism

Published
by
Robb Montgomery
on November 5, 2007
in Blog and Default
. 5 Comments

Robb’s Hacked iphone has Instant messaging, a direct to Flickr camera and a bunch of other tweaks designed for field journalism.

OK. I finally took the plunge and have successfully downloaded new programs onto my iPhone.
The temptation to be able to use new programs to report from the field with was just too much. More than ringtones, wallpaper and hacks modding an iPhone can put new superpowers in the hands of your reporting staff. I believe that a properly configured iPhone will allow reporters to do more reporting from the field - closer to their community, closer to sources, closer to where they should be doing their best work.

I waited this long to try this be sure I wouldn’t be ‘bricking’ or otherwise damaging my iPhone or exposing my data to security exploits.

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