iSmashPhone

Stick It In Your Ear: TuneBuds Control Your iPhone

As good as the original iPod/iPhone ear buds are, there are plenty of people out there who think they can be improved upon.

Enter Griffin Technology's TuneBuds Mobile, a US$39.95 replacement earphone set that, on the audio side alone, boasts "powerful low-end response and crisp, clear treble, and include three sized pairs of cushioned earpads for a custom fit."

More importantly for iPhone-ists, TuneBuds also have a high-sensitivity microphone and a single "ControlMic" button that can answer your calls, send them to voicemail, or control playback in Music mode.

The TuneBuds are compatible with a wide range of Apple products, including 1G and 3G iPhones, iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPod classic.

[Griffin Technology website]

Hmm…Is This Bug a Problem, or Nothing to Worry About?

Tech Crunch is reporting that a flaw in iPhone security allows software developers to circumvent security so that arbitrary code can be updated and run at will.  The exploit takes advantage of pre-set “default.png” images—such as the current date and time, or a “loading” image—that is run when new software is being loaded.  By putting a workaround into an application to be loaded, the software tricks the iPhone into giving access to the default.png images and allowing arbitrary code to be uploaded and run at will.  The bug completely circumvents the Apple’s App Store approval process.

Is this really a problem?  While it is a bug, there are several other, easier, ways to get the iPhone to run malicious code, yet none of them have been an issue so far.  And as Apple users become more aware of the possibility of bugs infecting their software, they are no longer the trusting sorts they used to be.  So you think the typical Apple user would be a little more wary than they used to be—if it is, indeed, a problem at all. 

Your thoughts?

AT&T to Offer iPhone Tethering Plan for $30/Month

A source at Macblogz has stated that AT&T will offer a tethering plan for the 3G iPhone at only $30 a month.  The plan will permit users to upload/download up to 5G per month. 

But unlike other tethering plans offered by AT&T, the user will be cut-off when he or she reaches the 5G limit. 

No word on the launch date yet, but since this plan is virtually identical to AT&T’s tethering plan for the Blackberry, it seems pretty reasonable to us. 

If you cannot wait try PDAnet.