In the mobile browser world, the iPad has already surpassed both the Blackberry and Android devices in terms of use.  Granted, there are already 2 million+ iPads out in the world, and we’re talking about a device that touts a main use of consuming content, so that part isn’t terribly surprising.  But seeing it in black and white puts a new perspective onto things.

Before You Get Started…

A few caveats:

• Jailbreaking, the process of opening up your phone to allow for the installation of unapproved 3rd-party applications, voids the warranty on your phone. If you’re a stickler for these types of things, this may not be the hack for you. (If you really want a phone that functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot, maybe you should wait for the Evo instead.)
• That said, jailbreaking is reversible in the sense that you can always return your phone to factory settings then reapply your backup and no one will be the wiser. Your iPhone is automatically backed up every time you sync with iTunes, but you may want to double-check that your contacts, photos, calendar items and any other critical information is safely stored somewhere else…just in case.
• The MyWi app is buggy. Really, really buggy. Upon first launch, it crashed repeatedly in our tests. The issue seems to be with the “Rock You” sign-in/registration process. But I got it working and you may be able to as well. In fact, it’s the crashing problem that makes the entire setup process take so long – not the jailbreak itself. That’s downright speedy.
• MyWi isn’t free, but comes with a trial period (thank goodness!). The app costs $9.99 when you’re ready to purchase.

How to Turn your iPhone into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

1. The first step is to jailbreak your phone. If you’ve never done this before, you can follow our guide here for the iPad – it’s the exact same procedure, from start to finish. For those who are familiar with jailbreaking and just need the software, go here: spiritjb.com.
2. Once your jailbroken phone is up-and-running, launch the Cydia application store.
3. In Cydia, search for “MyWi.” There are two apps listed, but the one that says “No Rock” next to it never installed for us. Grab the other one instead.
4. Tap on the search result for the app, tap the “install” button in the upper-right corner, then tap “confirm.”
5. When installation is complete, tap the “Reload SpringBoard” button. (If this part gets stuck, just reboot your iPhone).
6. Launch the MyWi app. Accept the agreement and tap “OK.” Now comes the tricky part. In our tests, the app would barely stay open for more than a couple of seconds at this point. In fact, we were about to write it off as a total loss. But after a bit of perseverance, we got it working. It appeared as if the problem was with registering for a RockYourPhone account via the app. (RockYourPhone is a paid application store for jailbroken phones where MyWi is sold.)
7. Instead of registering for an account via the app, we went to RockYourPhone.com and signed up there instead.
8. Before returning to the app, we copied our registration email address to the clipboard so we could quickly paste it in instead of typing it in.
9. Re-launch MyWi. Tap “sign in.” Paste in your email, type in your password. The app will check for your registration (and probably crash again).
10. The app will check for license updates and then allow you to use it on the “trial” license. If you can’t get past this step because the app continues to crash, we’re sorry. We can’t help you. Like we said, the app is buggy. You may be able to get it going, but we’ll make no promises. Hopefully, a future version will be more stable.
11. Assuming you do get the app to (finally!) launch, you’ll see the option to turn Wi-Fi Tethering on via a toggle switch at the top. You can also turn on USB and Bluetooth tethering using the toggle towards the bottom. With tethering on, your phone’s Internet connection, 3G or otherwise, is made available as a Wi-Fi hotspot to nearby computers. You can even use WEP security if you’d like.
12. When you’re finished, you can switch tethering off and close the app.

Note: Problems Sharing 3G?

If you run into problems with MyWi not being able to share your 3G data connection, a simple reset of your network settings may resolve the issue. Go into the Settings app -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings. Reboot the phone and try MyWi again.

iPhone App Chocolates

Still unsure if you need so many bite-sized apps on your phone? Well no one’s pressuring you to upgrade to a smartphone, but in these modern times you should at least consider a sweetphone. iPhone App Chocolates leave Grandma’s snickerdoodles in the dust with rotary phones and phonographs. Designed to look exactly like iPhone apps, iChocolates come in a snazzy iPhone shaped box with Apple-esque packaging.

Buy one here.

Now boarding: iTravel.

The latest Apple RFID-based patent has surfaced, but this time it’s not just clever, it’s bizarre and rather breathtaking in its scope. Apple wants to blend iPhone hardware and apps to manage your in-airport experiences. In fact, they’ve app-ified the entire travel package.

In the incredibly detailed patent data, we can see that the app goes far beyond simply managing your airport ID and documentation process, but the entire travel booking affair–meaning Apple’s chasing after companies like Expedia, and possibly even Google here. Using iTravel, you could search for, review and even book flights, rental cars, hotels, cruises, train and bus journeys–and share the info on a social network, which could be fun and useful way of coordinating business trips. And what better way to get last minute info updates via SMS or push messages, or even alert phone calls from the airline in the event of big travel plan changes, than on the very smartphone you’re using to both book the affair and ID yourself to the airline?

The idea is similar to other Apple concepts combining RFID tech with iPhones, essentially offering a way to ID yourself at the airport check-in desk the same way you would at the gate of a music concert (that Apple patent surfaced last week). The security issues would obviously be more significant at the airport. Hence Apple’s patented app/hardware combination would carry all the data about you that you typically need in an airport–like your flight info, your ID, any pre-printed boarding passes (possibly including the quick-scannable 2D QR codes) and so on. At the check-in desk you’d wave your iPhone before a detector, and the clerk would automatically get all your data beamed to their PC.

But Apple also envisages the tech working at security checkpoints, where carrying fewer items, when you’re juggling luggage, documents, shoes and jackets is a welcome notion, and even at fully automated check-in and baggage drop-off points. The entire system could be swifter, cheaper (fewer staff needed) and more pleasant from a traveler’s point of view.

Given the Eyjafjallajokull-ing travel chaos lately, it’s a timely patent–anything that eases the issues of getting through an airport’s various systems, like this one Apple’s proposing, would be very welcome.

Really nice video below demonstrating OpeniBoot which allows iphone users to select which OS they would like to boot there iPhone in. The video shows both Standard OS and Android running seemingly happy on the device.

I’m assuming that the ability will be quickly closed down by Apple but in the meantime it’s pretty cool.

For the record OpeniBoot also allows your iPhone to run Linux and even XP (why would you ?) anyway …

Red more here:  http://blogs.nitobi.com/jesse/2009/11/20/phonegapp-store-approval/

Google’s Mobile app is now available in the app store.

It features all the features the iPhone version does, except has been redesigned for the iPad.

A reminder of its features:

• Search by voice – speak your queries in American, British, Indian or Australian English accents, also supports Mandarin Chinese and Japanese
• My Location – avoid typing your current location when searching for nearby businesses (e.g. “pizza” or “starbucks”)
• Google Suggest – tap suggested web search queries and local businesses that appear as you type
• Search history – quickly search again for queries you recently performed
• Contact search – search your phone’s contacts.
• Vertical search – search Google Maps, Images, News, and Shopping

I must confess to not having used the iPhone version of the app since its initial release. As slick, useful and well designed as it may be, Safari on the iPhone is instinctively the place I go when I want to search and browse the web – but that’s me, for the rest of you…

To download Google Mobile App to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch (requires OS 3.0 or higher), search for “Google Mobile App” in the App Store or just visit http://itunes.com/app/googlemobileapp.

Fresh changes to Apple’s iPhone Developer Program License Agreement had previously restricted the use of cross-compiling tools such as Adobe Flash Professional CS5. Adobe’s software utilised a Flash-to-iPhone compiler that could re-package Flash projects into iPhone applications.

The passage in the agreement reads as follows:

Device Data may not be provided or disclosed to a third party without Apple’s prior written consent. Accordingly, the use of third party software in Your Application to collect and send Device Data to a third party for processing or analysis is expressly prohibited.

As a result of this change, analytics companies such as Distimo and Flurry will be seeking clarification from Apple to see whether the the service they provide does fall foul of the new terms within the developer agreement. The term “Device Data” could encompass any number of different things, gaining a clearer understanding of what the data entails will be paramount to the future of analytics inside apps on the iPhone.

“The Distimo Monitor service does not rely on a third party API as outlined in the new iPhone developer agreement, and is therefore not impacted by it,” wrote a spokeswoman for Dutch analystics firm Distimo. “We do not expect Apple to ban analytics parties that in fact work with an API, as long as Apple does not provide in-app analytics themselves. There is a strong market demand among developers for high quality analytics on their application’s performance.”

Source: Venturebeat

It’s not clear whether the agreement has been updated to safeguard Apple’s new iAd initiative but what is clear that a restriction on app analytics could put developers off developing apps for the iPhone if they can’t obtain up-to-date information on how well their application is performing.

Who knows how this story will play out over the coming weeks and months ????