2G iPhones previously unlocked with IPSF (iPhoneSimFree) still work after patching them with the new PwnageTool 2.0 from iPhone-dev team. I successfully updated my 1.1.4 IPSF iPhone with the original 3.9 bootloader to the new 2.0 firmware without any problems. I was using ZiPhone to update to 1.1.4 but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Signal.app is not needed as PwnageTool unlocks the baseband with BootNeuter 2.0 anyway, at least if you use all the default settings in PwnageTool’s simple mode. Your iPhone’s baseband will be upgraded to 04.05.04_G in the process. Thanks to everyone involved for making this happen! Yee-haw!

By the way: I choose to setup the iPhone as a new iPhone instead of restoring a backup the first time I connected it to iTunes after updating.

Things you may need first:

• PwnageTool 2.0 mirror: PwnageTool_2.0.zip
• Boot loader 3.9 and 4.6: boot_loader.zip
• 2G 2.0 Firmware: iPhone1,1_2.0_5A347_Restore.ipsw

Here’s a review of geotagging tools available as of today (July ‘08). I tested all of them personally and tried to come up with a pro & con list on each of them. If you know a geotagging Mac application that’s not included on this list, please drop a comment. Read more »

I already wrote a few articles about how to use my preferred GPS logging device, the Holux M-241, on the Mac. In this article I’m focusing on the linking process between the GPS data and the photos. This process is called a geotagging workflow. Most of the time I’m taking pictures in RAW mode so the workflow is optimized for this type of images. I’m using a Nikon D80 but the workflow should work with almost any other (Nikon) digital camera like the Nikon D200 or Nikon D300 too. Read more »

Here’s a new HOW-TO to connect your Holux M-241 GPS logger over Bluetooth on the Mac using the BT747 application. Read more »

My Philips LCD TV features 3 HDMI inputs but the number of HDMI devices on my home entertainment system is increasing steadily. There just aren’t enough HDMI inputs on the TV.

The more expensive solution would be to buy a new A/V receiver that sports multiple HDMI inputs like the Sony STR-DA4400ES. The much less expensive solution would be to buy one of the few HDCP-capable HDMI-switches around. Because I already own an Apple TV and after reading this positive review on AppleInsider, I decided to go for the XtremeMac 4-port HDMI switcher. The switch has the same dimensions as Apple TV and looks similar to it, even though the build quality is no match for Apple TV. Read more »

Holux recently published a firmware update for its M-241 GPS logger. Once applied you’ll be able to set the M-241 on auto-logging so it starts logging automatically every time you turn it on. In earlier firmware releases you had to wait until it had a satellite fix in order to turn logging on. This was a much criticized shortcoming. Read more »

The latest version of Kekus LensFix CI features a beta Aperture 2.1 plug-in. It works pretty well as you can see in my animated GIF below (please click to enlarge). Read more »

Even though referer spam isn’t something new to black hat SEOs, WordPress blogs seem to get hit pretty hard with referrer spam these days.

Every time somebody clicks a link on a website, the browser sends the originating URL (the URL of the web page that hosts the link) to the target web server. This referer information can be parsed with web server log statistic software to show the webmaster where the web site’s visitors originated from. Read more »

On my last trip to NYC I noticed that my Nikkor 18-200mm (27-300mm) zoom lens wasn’t wide enough for quite a few locations. I was looking for a non-fisheye, ultra-wide lens for some time when a fellow pointed me to the brand new Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 zoom, that’s 16-24mm on my Nikon D80. The same model is available for Canon DSLRs too. The lens is a DX which means it should be used on crop sensor DSLRs only. The quality of the lens body is very good, nothing feels cheap or flimsy. Read more »

I finally found the (almost) perfect tripod for me. I decided to go for the Benro HVC Flexpod C-298n6 with a Benro KS-0 ballhead for the following reasons:

• Lightweight (legs made of carbon fiber)
• Extractable/reversible center column
• Maximum load of tripod and ballhead is 8kg (17.4 lbs)
• Maximum height is 167cm (65 in.)
• Fits into my travel gear (folded: 54.5cm/21.5 in. + ballhead height)
• Affordable price tag (for a full-height carbon tripod)

Read more »

A few months ago I wrote an article about uneven iMac displays. Apparently, some buyers, represented by Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP, were disturbed enough with the bad display quality of the aluminum iMacs that they choose to file a class action lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit names inflated claims, concealed inferiorities of the new 20-inch iMac as main reasons.

See here for the official  press release from KBK.

Personally, I’d love to be part of this lawsuit because the 20″ display in our iMac really sucks big time and it’s the reason why this iMac is the worst Apple product we’ve ever owned.

Today, my Holux M-241 GPS Logger was giving me a hard time. I wanted to connect it to my Macintosh over Bluetooth and the BT747 Java application for the first time. There’s some fragmented information on the Internet about how it can be done but I was unable to find a useful guide. Read more »

Recently, I got my Apple TV back from repair. After setting up the wireless network connection and trying to connect it to the shared iTunes library on my Mac I was expecting it to show up in iTunes so I could enter the key to pair both devices. Apple TV usually shows up within seconds in iTunes. Not this time! Read more »

My iPhone now runs the new version 1.1.4. IPSF still works! Here’s what I did:

• Downloaded ZiPhone 2.5.
  • If you’re runningVista, make sure you run the executable with administrator permissions
• Downloaded iTunes 7.6.1 and the 1.1.4 update.
• Made a backup of all my iPhone settings using iTunes. Read more »

You’re looking for a way to consume Web services in SAP NetWeaver 2004s (and SAP Composition Environment aka NetWeaver 7.1) from BEA WebLogic Server 8.1 (and newer versions) using Single Sign On (SSO)?

You may have figured out already that SAML is not an option here because the SAP side is just a SAML consumer and not a provider (as of today). The only way left is to use the proprietary SAP Logon Tickets. Proprietary authentication mechanisms always require some extra work. In this blog article I’ll fill you in on what you need to SSO-connect those two J2EE platforms. Read more »