It turns out that some, but not most, iPhone 3G users are having an issue with email after applying the legit 3.1 upgrade. I have checked with some people who used the 3.1 3G unlock files here, and none of them report any issues, but just to be on the safe side I am taking down the 3.1 3G files for now. There is some debate as to whether this is a carrier issue or a software issue, but as soon as there is a resolution either way I will make the files available, corrected if necessary.

Thanks to Tod for the tip.

I have been following the “Dropbox” project for a little while, and while I was intrigued by the idea I also didn’t see any ultimate value in Yet Another Syncing package. OSX users already have a full suite of multi-box sync tools, Linux users usually prefer to get their own solutions together, and Windows users, well, they don’t seem to terribly mind losing all their files or having access issues from time to time. It’s part of that whole “Windows experience”.

Besides, USB keys are cheap, easy, ultra-reliable, and everyone has a freaking drawer full of the things by now.

However, as of right about now I am a fan of Dropbox. They added some sweet web functionality to the thing, so now your files sync between computers and they sync to your Dropbox web page, where you can retrieve them from pretty much anywhere. Better, you can keep your files private, or give access to fully public folders, or restrict certain folders to your pals and colleagues. Instead of just a sync package, Dropbox is now a nicely-thought-out and super-simple secure on-the-go repository for your crucial bits of data.

Also, I totally overused the hyphen there.

As a super added bonus they have dropped an iPhone version in concert with the new functions. The desktop application (for OSX, Linux, and Windows) and the iPhone client are free. 2GB of online storage is provided with the basic free* account. You can upgrade to more as needed, and for as long as needed – the idea thing if you are traveling for a couple of weeks and suddenly need more space to dump photos or presentations or whatever.

You can download everything you need right here. If you are not sure if this product has any value and want to know more, check the tour here. And for random rantings from the geeks behind it, check out the blog here.

Definitely recommended.

*Free, of course, comes with a price. When you sign up you agree to get the Dropbox newsletter, which may contain ads and offers from other companies. However, this is clearly stated in the Terms of Service, along with a link to the appropriate spot in your account information to turn it off. Nothing hidden or snaky here, thankfully.

For those of you patiently waiting … wait no more. I have posted 3.1 firmware files – unlocked and jailbroken – for both the original (first-generation) iPhone and the iPhone 3G. There are “vanilla” versions and “full-on geek” versions of each one, pick your poison appropriately. All files, as well as easy instructions, are on the unlock page and ready for your downloading pleasure.

Enjoy.

I was halfway through a long and totally gushy post about Google’s “Chrome Frame” project, wherein they use Microsoft’s own tools to replace the guts of Internet Explorer with a web engine that actually works (cough cough WebKit cough). In a nutshell, it has the potential to let people who are stuck using IE due to work constraints or whatever (I assume at this point there is no one left on the planet who would use IE by choice) have a real web browser. And, to put it mildly, it is fucking brilliant.

But then I was pointed to this bit from Jimmy Ray and thought “okay, why bother re-writing what he just wrote when I could be lazy and just point folks to his stuff?”

So yeah, this is me being lazy and just pointing you to his stuff.

43: The total number of redshirts who died while serving on the USS Enterprise in Star Trek (The Original Series).

430: The total number of crew on the USS Enterprise in Star Trek (The Original Series).

I am going to go way out on a limb here and guess that you already know this, but – if you have a jailbroken and/or unlocked iPhone, do not update to version 3.1 of the firmware. 3.1 updates the baseband yet again, and you will be left with a locked device.

However – you can downgrade back to 3.0 or 3.0.1 and re-activate with Redsn0w. so you don’t end up with a brick or anything tragic like that. It’s just an annoyance and a couple of hours of your time. But best to avoid the whole thing for now.

One thing about the “Genius Mix” feature in the new iTunes is that you have to go to the “Store” menu of iTunes and use the “Update Genius” selection. Only after you do that will the “Genius Mixes” item show up in your toolbar. You’re welcome.

Steve Jobs is on stage at the Apple event right now. I am honestly floored by this. And I guess I am not the only one – trying to hit the “iTunes 9″ download link still gives you the 8.2.1 installer. The web guys in Cupertino must also be flabbergasted.

UPDATE: The link to the iTunes 9 download now works. Whew.

The Apple store just went down, meaning that new product goodness is being readied for sale even as we speak. New iPod Touches ahoy!

I’ll start here with the very obvious: Wicked Plants is an absolutely beautiful book. Traditional binding, fully-stitched spine, luxurious paper, typography to die for (are you listening, Ikea?) and world-class etchings of the plants in question.

Oh yeah, the plants. Evil miscreants of the vegetable kingdom, from petty hoodlums to mass murderers, spread across the world in jungles and meadows and in your very own backyard. Maybe even your house.

So – we have a gorgeous book, and homicidal plants. That definitely adds up to a winner in my world. If you love books this is a must-peruse, and if you love to own books it is also a must-buy – it is the kind of thing you can treasure and feel just a little bit decadent and smug about having on your shelves.

Unlike most “real” authors, who still seem to be fighting the inevitable progression of digital media, Stewart has a nice little presence on the web, so I’ll shut up now and let you find out more from the source herself. Highest recommendation for this one, whether you buy it to treasure for your very own or just pick up from your local library. It’s a wonderful little slice of evil summer fun in the palm of your hand.

So here we are – a mere 36 hours from Yet Another Apple Event. And all sorts of fenderheads are out there working themselves into a lather because they have convinced themselves that the long-rumoured Apple “tablet” will be handed down to the masses tomorrow.

Er, no.

These people need to get a grip. This is an iPod event. Period. When Apple has a music theme for an event (and I will go way out on a limb here and guess that “It’s Only Rock And Roll” is really a musical cue) that event is about iPods, iTunes, and … well, that’s it. Done. Finis.

Yes, there will be a tablet eventually. The thing is in the works, and you will see it sometime in 2010. And it will fill a need in a way that will startle you, and it will be insanely good (of course) and there will be rejoicing by all.

Just not now.

So – what will we see tomorrow? Here is a quick rundown, from the for-sure to the if-pigs-fly possibilities:

A new iPod Touch with a camera, compass, and virtually everything else in an iPhone except for that phone part: Definitely. The new SDK for the iPhone OS has explicit support for these hardware goodies in the iPod Touch code library. A couple of people involved in writing that code library have told me just what a crapload of work was involved. People don’t do that just for fun. Combine that with the age of the current iPod Touch and this one is a no-brainer. Probability: 100%

The last ever traditional iPods: Yep. This is the swan song for the device that changed entertainment and the music industry and interface design and what we expect from handheld devices forever. Look for the last ever “old-school” iPods with bigger-than-ever memory and lower-than-ever prices. No, they won’t tell you that these are the last ones, but they are. Probability: 100%

Full HD video on video-capable iPods: Probably. The timing of this event, just a couple of days before Microsoft launches their “last gasp” Zune with HD video is not a coincidence. Look for the repositioning of the Touch (and possibly the nano) from hand-held entertainment devices to portable whole-home entertainment devices / portable computing solutions. Probability: 80%

A startling new iPod nano with the iPhone OS as its interface: This might be less far-fetched than you would think. It’s not exactly a secret that the iPhone OS will be the interface of the future for all of the iPhones, and possibly all of Apple’s “handheld” devices (see the “wild guess” below). And there is reference to the nano in the current iPhone SDK. But how to integrate that sort of OS with the smaller form factor and screen? Honestly, I have no idea. One incredibly far-fetched idea is that the entire surface of the nano might be a touch screen – front, back, sides, all of it. There have been mentions of nanos with “freaky shells” floating around the Apple campus for the past month of so – could that be what they are? Probability: 50%

The splitting of the Shuffle from the iPod brand: This could be a real surprise for a lot of people. Shuffles sell in staggering numbers, but the fact of the matter is that Apple is committed to the iPhone OS as their handheld/portable interface. And for obvious reasons, the Shuffle just cant get onto that particular bandwagon. They aren’t going to axe the Shuffle, but they might change it drastically and send it out to do battle as its own product and its own brand. Probability: 45%

An all-new iTunes: Maybe, maybe not. The fact that iTunes is the only core piece left on the OS X platform that is not a full 64-bit application irks a lot of people at Apple. 32-bits is so ghetto now. But – there are more installs of iTunes on Windows machines than there are on OS X machines. And there are no viable tools for 64-bit application development in the Windows world as of yet. Rewriting iTunes for Cocoa would be a snap for Apple, but then they get into the nightmare of divergent versions on the two computing platforms. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the answer is “don’t” and we end up waiting for this until next year and the launch of the tablet. Probability: 35%

The super-awesome new media format that makes music and art and interactive media a single integrated and essential unit and by extension makes you want to buy albums instead of just the singles you want: Hmmmm. This is a poser. I am sure you have heard about this, possibly under the nom du guerre “Cocktail” and you can probably understand why the record companies want this so badly. For years they were able to sell entire albums on the strength of one or two songs and you had to buy all the dreck as well. Now people can pick and choose what they want, and quality counts. This is an ongoing idea to get more quality and value into the “package” so that you might buy the album even if you dont care for more than half the songs. Is this ready for prime time? Probably not. But someday … maybe. Probability: 20%

Steve Jobs making an appearance on stage: Nope. Forget it. He is back to work and healthy, but the torch has been passed. He won’t be on stage today unless it is just to introduce Phil or thank everyone at the end. Probability: 5%

Finally, under the heading of a “wild guess that you can file away for next year, look for two rather startling things: One, the tablet (when it comes) will be a huge break from Apple’s traditional “laptop” structure and actually use the iPhone OS instead of OS X. Two, the combination of the iPhone OS and the new “socially-based” iTunes will be the first solid steps into “cloud” computing for the average joe. Your library will follow you everywhere no matter what device you happen to be using, regardless of actual storage, and you can interact with your friends and cohorts on a “social media” front wherever you happen to be. Remember – you read that here first.

So I posted my original assessment of Snow Leopard prematurely. See, for the first 48 hours or so with the retail release I pretty much worked exclusively in the terminal and with BBEdit (the best text editor for coders, ever). But when I finally tore myself away from text from that and surfed a bit of web and settled in for a nice couple of hours of Warcraft I found myself rubbing my eyes and blinking and wondering if my display was going on the fritz. The colours of virtually everything on screen were completely ass.

After a couple of more minutes of squinting and what-the-fuck-ing, I realized that I have seen colours exactly like this shade of crap before. In fact, I see them pretty much every time I sit down at a windoze machine. Sure enough, it turns out that the gamma for pretty much every display in Snow Leopard has been defaulted to 2.2 instead of the correct 1.8. Why? I have no fucking idea. But if you value your retinas at all – or you just care about colour quality – then please note my revised review of Snow Leopard:

Best. Update. Ever. But be sure to open System Preferences – Displays – Colour – Calibrate and set the target gamma back to where it is supposed to be.

Unless, you know, you enjoy peering at rampant hideousness.

I am a complete sucker for innovation – especially in gaming. If it is new and cool and different and fun, I will be the first in line to pluck my simoleans down for a title. Everything from Animal Crossing to Guitar Hero to Boom Blox – I’ll search it out and be more than happy to pay. So when something that reaches up into that part of the stratosphere and it is free … well, you can connect those dots for yourself.

And when you do connect those dots, you end up with Word Ace – a combination of a word game and poker that is 100% winner-winner-chicken-dinner. The guys at Self Aware Games took scrabble, mixed it half-and-half with hold ‘em poker, added a dash of really slick on-line play, in-game chat, and an achievement system, and they brought it in at the low low price of free. So yeah, that works for me. Big time. The game is available for the Palm Pre and the iPhone and if you have either of those devices you need to take a look.

You can find all the details here (note: that is an iTunes store link) and see what else the gang at Self Aware is up to over here.