CrankyRants.com

Tremendous post by the masterminds behind the OMG iPhone unlock hack over at http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2008/02/11246unlock-good-enough-for-prize.html. It’s impressive enough that the unlock for 1.1.3 was accomished in nearly 24 hours, but the guys go into some brain-churning detail of how it was accomplished.

So if you’re into the explicit details of explict addresses 0xA03D0000-0xA03F0000, take a look. And if you’re Apple or AT&T, please refrain from taking out your frustrations on any small, living creatures. Steve Jobs? Yeah, don’t kick your dog, okay? This is the cycle now, please get used to it. You lock. The rest of the world unlocks. Just go back to designing the worlds thinnest laser printer or something.

CrankyRants.com - Apple may be going all Sony on some of it’s third-party vendors. It’s long been known that Sony drops a special digital hand-shake in it’s OEM batteries to ensure that anyone wanting a little extra video recording umph from their Sony camcorder or a fresh new battery for their Sony camera will in fact be required to purchase a Sony replacement or run the risk of it not playing nice and receiving a digital time-out in the corner.

Apple like’s that idea. On top of their “exclusive” demeanor with carriers, word comes to us from a source inside a respected battery manufacturer that something similar may be done for the iPhone and possibly the iPod touch. But instead of fouling up the interior battery… the plan is to rig the Apple connector port to only accept power from a computer connection or Apple-certified wall-wart.

According to the source, it’s not being done to gain an edge in the market, but rather to better regulate the juice that flows into the Imperial Body and Soul of the Apple devices. Nothing but the finest for our Great and Holy Devices… and so forth.

While this certainly seems evil enough for Apple to attempt, and may make sense from an engineering standpoint, one has to question the logistics of a move like this. If put into action, would this immediately out-mode all existing Apple USB wall plugs? Many US households are littered with these, and it would be a shame if they have to hit the trash once your 3rd gen iPod takes a dive.

But then… these are the same guys who required everyone to buy the special “iPod Video Cable” that was nothing more than a standard video cable with the yellow and white cables reversed. So… yeah. Anything goes in Cupertino.

Apple Computer Inc. will pay $100 million to rival Creative Technology Ltd. to settle five patent lawsuits over technology for navigating through songs on the popular iPod digital music player, the companies said Wednesday.

Here’s what Creative has done. They have patented the process of navigating through categories of songs. That’s it. And Apple admitted that they have “infringed” on those patents, then promptly counter-sued Creative for infringement of their own patents.

I understand that patent-law is very lucrative for companies, and that most patent offices are sorely understaffed. But come on. Who decided to grant a company the exclusive rights to “click an album to see the songs”.

The whole thing brings back post-traumatic stress over the whole “I’ve patented the speed with which the screen can scroll while dragging my mouse.” Guy did it. Microsoft wouldn’t cave in. And that, my friends, is why it moves too fast or too slow. Thank you, corporate lawyers. You’ve done it again.

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Apple Computer Inc.’s investigation into claims of poor conditions at a Chinese iPod factory found no forced labor but revealed that workers were exceeding the company’s limits on hours and days to be worked per week, the company said Friday.

Congratulations, Apple. The one company I thought would never make the Evil Companies list now has it’s inaugural post. Apple investigated their own plant and found Apple was not in violation of worker’s rights. What the hell else are they going to say? “Yeah. It’s a slave camp over here. Our bad.”

There were no signs of “Forced Labor”. Instead, the employees were simply “working too many hours”. What are they, like all going for employee of the year awards? No, more likely what they actually found was originally worded something like this. “Our investigation has concluded that the employees were simply working too many hours… because they had seen other’s not work enough overtime and got kicked to the curb with a rifle butt to the neck.”

Nice spin, Apple. Where’s your happy shiny feel-good flower nation now? Almost makes me want to give up my iPod. But… um, I really like the design and it’s worked solid for 3 years straight and I would kinda miss iTunes… so. Yeah. Just don’t do it again.