SynApps The Open Source and Gadget blog

It's been a while since the latest Mac and iPhone update. Here is a brief summary: You can currently buy any 8 or 16GB iPhone and make it work for your carrier without signing a proprietary new contract with anybody. Here is how it works:

1. Buy one (in the U.S. if possible because the Apple $/EUR exchange rate is 1/1 whereas the rest of the world currently does 1.56/1 - so a U.S. 16 GB ifon is 370EUR incl. taxes compared to 500 in Europe)
2. Go to http://www.Ziphone.org and Download the application for your platform (Windows or Mac)
3. On Windows, install iTunes of you haven't done so yet. Connect your iPhone to the PC/Mac. Plug in the ifon.
4. Install and Run Ziphone, Click the "Do it all" and "Go" buttons, wait for 4 minutes while watching you iPhone in awe.
5. Get a paper-clip to remove the SIM tray from the iPhone, put in yours

You are done. Once done playing check the Installer application that's now on your iPhone.

If you are lucky enough to be a German T-Mobile customer with a non-iPhone plan you have to add an entry to the carrier.plist file to allow for editing the EGDE settings of your fon. Details can be found here. Do that:

1. Download the attached carrier.plist_.txt file and get rid of the _.txt part of the file name - rename it to carrier.plist
2. Install the BSD Subsystem and the OpenSSH Server on your ifon with the Installer application, also install BOSS Prefs to later switch off the OpenSSH Server as it eats battery.
3. Connect to the Wireless network and take note of the IP address
4. Get a program that allows for SSH File browsing (SFTP) like Cyberduck for the Mac (http://cyberduck.ch/) or WinSCP for Windows (http://winscp.net/)
5. Connect to your iPhone by using it's IP address, user name is root, password is alpine
6. Browse to /System/Library/Carrier Bundles/TMobile_Germany.bundle on the iPhone and replace the carrier.plist file with the one that you downloaded from here previously
7. Restart your iPhone (press and hold the power button until the Swtich Off slider appears. Switch it off and back on.
8. Go to Settings->General->Network->EDGE (Einstellungen->Allgemein->Netzwerk->EDGE on German fonz)
9. Enter "internet.t-mobile" in the APN field and "any" in the username and password fields
10. Check if EDGE works by using the Weather or Stocks apps.
11. Use BOSS Prefs to switch off the SSH Server

Oh, and one for your MacBook (Pro), check out http://www.jinx.de/SmartSleep.html to save a few gigs on your hd and to make waking up from sleeping more reliable.