Try this at home.

So I'm trying to checkout a link on my iPhone and it's taking forever to load. Yes, I have a first gen iPhone (2G). Apparently the 3G isn't doing that much better, and then it hits me! I'll connect my iPhone to my computer via the AirPort and I'll hitchhike on my computers wired connection, oo goody.

First, create a wireless network on your computer, and this should work for your PC friends too, though the steps are different.

A few disclaimers;

1) These instructions are for Mac OS 10.5.x, though it should work with previous versions too.
2) Don't skip the password part, make the password a strong one. Use uppercase/lowercase and special charaters. You do not want to open up your network or your machine to intrusion.
3) I'm thinking the people in security do not want to deal with the headache of you serving up bandwidth to everyone, so it might be a good idea to not run this on UNT networks. Works great in a hotel, coffeeshop, home (if you do not have a wireless router) or on the road. 

Also, check out the application "AirSharing" in the AppStore. This will allow you to actually transfer files from your computer to your iPhone back and forth, which is really handy. It was free as an introduction, so you may have it already. I use it and it works great!!!

Part 1 - Create your network.

1) Launch the System Preferences, and select the Sharing preference.

2) Click Internet Sharing, and in the box on the right click "AirPort".

3) Click the "AirPort Options..." button.

4) Perform these steps:

• Name your network
• Set Channel to Automatic (default)
• Enable Encryption (using WEP)
• Set your WEP Key Length to either 40 or 128 bit
• Create a password, read the note on this screen regarding password length, IMPORTANT!!!
• Click OK. 

5) You will be returned to the Sharing preference window. Mark the checkbox next to Internet Sharing. This turns the sharing service on.

Note: if your AirPort card is off, then you will be prompted to turn it on.

6) When the warning appears, read it, then click Start to start the network service.

At this point your work on the computer is done, now we turn our attention to the iPhone.

Part 2 - Attach your phone to your network share.

1) Fire up your iPhone and go to the Settings.

2) Tap on Wi-Fi

3) Tap on the name of the network you created above in step 4.

4) Enter the password that you created for that network.

5) Press the Home button to return to the main iPhone page.

You are done!

You should see the Wi-Fi icon appear on your phone.

If you want to see what kind of bandwidth you are now getting, launch Safari on your iPhone and go to http://i.dslr.net/iphone_speedtest.html and prepare to be amazed.

Vroooom!!!!

There is this site that I like called "Secrets." If you like to walk the wild side and make custom configurations to your OS, then you might  find this site interesting. It is an open database for OS X hidden settings. Be warned though, it's not for the faint of heart.

Jason 

http://secrets.blacktree.com/

Curious about how fast your iPhone (or iPod Touch) is downloading from the network. Check out http://speedtest.mac611.com on your device choose your test.

 Enjoy!
Jason

Be first to know when Dataviz releases their MS Office document creation and editing tool!

http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/iphone/notify/index.html

Jason

Two big stories out from VMWare. If you are not familiar with VMWare Fusion, it allows you run multiple operating systems within the host operating system, in this case OS X. In short, you use it to run Windows inside the Mac OS.

Arstechnica reports that there is a new 2.0 update to VMWare Fusion, and if you are already an owner of the first version (that would be me), then you get the update for free! If you are interested in getting it, I would reccomend that you go to www.academicsuperstore.com where you can get it fo the discounted education price.

I would add that we have confirmed that Fusion will allow your to virtualize the Mac OS, though you will need a separate license for each VM you run.

IDG reported news that administration tools for VMWareare coming to the Mac, and get this, the iPhone too! Ok, Linux too. 

"The company is also working to bring the VirtualCenter client, which
currently runs on Windows PCs, to Linux, the Mac OS and also devices
like Apple's iPhone. Herrod showed only a slide photo of the iPhone
interface, but it was enough to get him some applause."

Full story here...

Very cool.

Jason

I just downloaded an awesome application for my iPhone called Air Sharing. It basically turns your iPhone into a wireless disk that allows you to view your files. For the complete list of supported file types check it out in the Apple iTunes Application Store. I will say that Office documents work, and I'm talking about new 2007 XML based MS Office documents. Additionally there is PDF, JPEG, TXT, RTF, and a bunch more.

Right now (9-17-08) it is FREE on the iTunes AppStore for the next two weeks, and will then sell for $6.99, so ya better hurry!

Ther is a lot more it will do, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. Check it out.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289943...

Cheers!!

Jason Gutierrez

If you use a passcode to lock your iPhone, and you should, Apple has acknowledged a security bug that could allow someone to circumvent the security lock. There should be a fix for this issue with the release of iPhone 2.1 this Friday, September 12th.

The hack is this...

Prerequisite: By default, when you double tap the home button on the iPhone it is set to go to your Phone Favorites. The fix for this hack though is change the "Home" button setting (Settings> Genera> Home Button) to something other than iPhone Favorites.

To access a locked phone, press the home button, then tap the "Emergency Call" option, then double-tap the home button and it will take you into the phone favorites. From here an intruder could navigate through your menus to access address books, chats, mail and maybe a few other things.

I've been playing with this and confirmed that it works, though I havent been able to get to any of the actual phone settings to perhaps unlock the phone. I'm not that motivated. If a theif stole my phone, they would probably only have to dock it to a computer and the wipe it using iTunes...or wait for a phone call to unlock it.

This is a good reason to get the update on Friday!

Jason

Hello Everyone...

Just a quick heads up, thie Friday there will be an update to the iPhone. If you have an iPod touch, the 2.1 update will cost you $9.99. 

Steve Jobs reported that some of the updates deal with lots of bug fixes, faster backup speeds in iTunes, less application crashing, significant battery life improvement for many users, and my favorite fewer dropped calls.

Look for that this friday.

Jason

This will be a quick one, but note worthy for those in the market for a new Mac.

I recently bought a new iMac for my home and found out later that the bookstore is offering and extra $50 off the already low educational pricing. Don't forget the free iPod (by rebate) when you make your purchase.

I think the sale goes on until the 15th of September, 2008. You will want to check with them for supply on hand.

J

With the launch of the new 3G iPhone, there has also been a change in the service plans that require you to pay for ActiveSync at a rate of $15/mo. This is the Enterprise plan add-on.

It has been reported to me by more than an handful of iPhone users here at UNT, that ActiveSync works on the 3G phone, even if you HAVE NOT bought the Enterprise plan. Thats right, if you haven't purchased the ActiveSync plan for your iPhone, it appears that it works anyway.

If you are like me and have a 2G (1st generation) iPhone, you get ActiveSync for free anyway. I'm not sure how long this loophole will last, or what ATT is doing to remedy this, but I would imagine that this wont last for ever.

Disclaimer: I am not reccomending that you use the Enterprise service without paying for it. If you do, you do so at your own risk.

-Jason