- Droid X Self Destruct Mechanism After Jailbreak Attempt
- All Jazzed up and New MySpace Profiles are Here Now!
- When Is The Jailbreak for iPhone 4 Releasing?
| Droid X Self Destruct Mechanism After Jailbreak Attempt
For all you folks who love to hack, jailbreak, mod and tweak your smartphones (and take a fair bit of joy in doing so!) here's a real dampener. Hope this doesn't spoil your day, but fiddling with the Motorola Droid X software can destroy your phone for good. This, due to the eFuse tamper-defense mechanism built in the hottest gadget in town. Phone manufacturers have always been at loggerheads with people who love to use the phone the way they want, by modding it. But Motorola takes this war to an all new level. How else can you explain this new system which will simply waste your phone if you tamper with the OS? This eFuse, true to its name will 'trip' if it fails to verify firmware information when you start the phone up. This firmware information is what you call ROM in modding lingo. So if you load up custom ROM's and start up the phone the eFuse is pressed into action.
Once it fails to verify desired firmware information, the booting process becomes corrupted and you have a dead duck in your hands! It is a rewritable module and so, can be repaired, but only by Motorola, without proprietary hardware and software which no one knows about. And you can be pretty sure that Motorola is not going to repair a phone which you bricked on purpose. They put this mechanism in place so that you cannot tamper with the phone, and if you do, well enjoy! So what's the key takeaway from this? Two things actually, spring to mind. One, it is indeed a sad scenario for those who love to customize locked down phones. Droid X has been one of the most eagerly anticipated launches of the season and that it would be loaded with such a hideous defense-mechanism, was completely unknown. On the other hand, this is a completely good reason not to try and jailbreak your Droid X. It is a good enough phone to own with pride, rather than lust for customizing it and sulk in the failure to do so. But as a final take on this eFuse mechanism, it would be fair to say that Motorola has pushed the envelope this time around. There is no way in which a phone which people will buy with their hard earned money can be justifiably bricked just because they may want to opt for some customization. A big thumbs-down to the Droid X for this! Update: It's Rooting, and not jailbreak. My bad! (Thanks to ePandu) |
| All Jazzed up and New MySpace Profiles are Here Now!
MySpace has confirmed that a completely revamped set of profile pages is in the pipeline and they are in the process of testing it. And the good news is that a beta version has already been rolled out as a part of the testing process, for users to check out what's new and provide feedback accordingly. So have you checked your profile today? If you have, perhaps you are already aware of the new and improved profile pages. And if you have not, here are the most visible amendments to the MySpace page in a nutshell:
There is also a new Flickr gallery thrown in to enable better photo sharing. So what do the lucky ones to receive the beta version (yes, only some MySpace users have been chosen to be a part of this testing process) have to say about the new version of profile pages? Well, they unanimously agree that it's a major upgrade alright, but not all are jumping up and down in excitement.
It's a pretty slick upgrade and you need to remember that it's not final yet. So, if you think that it can be better when the final rollout happens in a few weeks time, you may be pleasantly surprised. So you are advised to ignore any rants right now, because it's a bit too early to pass the final verdict. MySpace is in a state of transition, with the constant departures of top executives making the headlines far too often. Maybe this jazzed up profile page is exactly what was required by the company to turn a corner! |
| When Is The Jailbreak for iPhone 4 Releasing?
When Apple spread the word about their newest iPhone, I was very excited to try it out. Compared to the iPhone 4, my top-of-the-line iPhone 3GS looked like a brick. Yet I didn't immediately jump the bandwagon and bought an iPhone 4. I'll have to wait until news of a credible jailbreak tool is available, before I purchase what would otherwise be a very expensive purchase. To those unfamiliar with iPhone terminology, "jailbreak" simply means opening up the iPhone's software so that you can install free applications, movies, and music. Though the Apple App Store is equipped with for sale applications, there are those who would rather use applications they get for free. And in this financially challenging time, I would rather spend my money on other things rather than games on the iPhone which I could get from download sites for free.
I immediately turned to Geohot, a master when it comes to jailbreaking iPhones. In a blog entry, Geohot let out how he was able to jailbreak his iPhone 4, but didn't mention any information about when the said jailbreak would be available for public consumption. When bloggers comment about when this elusive prize would be released, the master responded that he would not be answering any queries about the release date, because it serves as distraction. Meanwhile, other iPhone 4 users are weaning themselves of Geohot's powerful jailbreak tools, and are looking forward to other already available alternatives. There is a new program being rumored by Comex Jailbreak, which was said to convert iPhones with the same speed of Spirit. Though for other Geohot loyalists, the iPhone hacker mentioned in his blog post about how his current version of the jailbreak tool for the iPhone 4 is used for his own curiosity only. Whether or not it is actually advisable for public, that much remains shady. All we could do is hope that the iPhone dev team would get this act together, and be able to release the jailbreak tool. |
