Speculation that that Apple’s newest MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops are preventing the jailbreaking of the iPhone and iPod Touch are swirling.

It’s not clear what specifically is to blame for the failure of the iPhone Dev Team’s PwnageTool jailbreak utility on the new systems, but iPhone users are reporting that these new Apple notebooks are failing to recognize their iPhone in DFU restore mode. This is an important portion of the jailbreaking process since the PwnageTool requires that the computer recognize the iPhone in DFU restore mode in order to perform the jailbreak.

Let us know if you’ve experienced this problem by leaving us a comment.

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Italian systems engineer Piergiorgio Zambrini, developer of Ziphone, one of the first, easy-to-use applications for jailbreaking and unlock the iPhone, has released a new video purportedly delivering proof that a flaw can crash any iPod and iPhone. The bug allegedly resides in in the audio portion of Apple’s video subsystem.

His blog post titled, “Boom!,” states:

“Here we are again! When Steve says something it usually happens… So what do we have here? A video. Yes a stupid nasty video which can crash ANY iPod/iPhone. A different version of this video can even crash many pc applications. Apple was contacted and a mail was sent to bugtraq mailing list.”

The audio bug will instantly crash an iPhone and, according to a Forbes article,:

“The bug, which is located in a shared code library that is used across most Apple operating systems and some Linux ones as well, doesn’t appear to cause any permanent damage, but immediately sends the device into a panic that leads to a lengthy reboot.”

The bug was confirmed by Forbes.com on the iPhone 3G and is in a shared library that could potentially effect some other Operating Systems like Mac OS X and some versions of Linux OS.

This discovery occurs under the guise of Zambrini’s seeking a position with Apple as an iPhone Security Engineer.

If you are interested in a video of the bug in action by Forbes.com click here. This is harmless demo of the bug in action. If you want to see the real bug in action, click here then click the picture of Steve Jobs saying “Boom!” Caution as this will crash your iPhone. Do so at your own risk.

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iModem, one of the few for-purchase applications left that requires an iPhone to be jailbroken, allows users to tether their phones (use them as cellular data modems) via USB cables on Windows systems. Most tethering solutions thus far have required the use of a WiFi connection, requiring sometimes difficult setup.

A new release of iModem claims to do away with the need for proxy settings–a hallmark of tethering solutions–and also purports enhanced stability.

The tool requires Windows 2000, XP, Vista 32/64 bit and is priced at $10.

Apple previously removed NetShare, an originally approved tethering application, from the iPhone AppStore, encouraging some users to jailbreak (enable unofficial application installation) their phones and install the unauthorized solutions such as iPhoneModem or iModem.

Rumors hold that Apple is in talks with AT&T regarding sanctioned tethering. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, in response to complaints about tethering, “We agree, and are discussing it with AT&T.”

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Last week, AT&T introduced free WiFi access for iPhone users at sanctioned hotspots nationwide, including many Starbucks locations.

Now, in addition complaints over the lengthy sign-in process, users report that disabing SMS capability on the iPhone also disallows access to the authorization SMS that is required to access free WiFi; this despite the fact that users with SMS turned off can still receive official text messages from Apple and AT&T.

One iPhone Atlas reader writes:

“Looks like those of us with text messaging disabled cannot receive the code to get on attwifi. I gave it a try at my local Starbucks, never received a message even though I still get official AT&T texts.”

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

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In a recent email to AT&T’s iPhone customers, the company offered a list of tips that are geared towards minimizing international data charges when you travel outside of the US. According to the message:

“AT&T knows that the mobile Internet on your Apple iPhone is indispensable to you. That’s why we want to remind you that international data usage is not covered under your existing U.S. data plan.

“Your iPhone provides access to email, Visual Voicemail, Web browsing and other applications that can use a significant amount of data. It’s no surprise that you might find yourself using more data than you thought. AT&T wants to let you know of some easy ways to help minimize data usage charges when traveling overseas.”

The tips for international data usage recommended by AT&T are:

• Turn Data Roaming “OFF” via Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming
• Use Wi-Fi Instead of 3G, GPRS or EDGE via Settings>Airplane Mode to “OFF” and select Wi-Fi to “ON” is an extra safety message to turn of the cellular radio
• Turn Fetch New Data “OFF” via Settings>Fetch New Data Change Push to “OFF” and Select to Fetch Manually
• Consider purchasing one of AT&T’s International Data Packages
• Reset the iPhone Usage Tracker to Zero - to track your actual usage Settings>General>Usage>Reset

As previously noted, if you’re planning to travel overseas and want to use your iPhone for data transfer with AT&T’s international data plan, don’t count on canceling the add-on plan as soon as you get back. Readers report that canceling the plan before 90 days after the transfer has occurred will trigger charges for data at the full, non-international-plan rate.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

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Marware, makers of cases and covers for iPods and iPhone, has announced a new iPhone 3G and second generation iPod Touch accessory appropriately named
The Game Grip.

The Grip features huge handle grips to provide a comfortable user experience while using it to play games and cord management to prevent those pesky cords from getting in your way while driving, shooting aliens, etc. The product allows you to use your headphones and charging cable during game play, giving you another way to charge your Apple device and extended game play. The center of the Grip holds your iPhone 3G or second Generation iPod Touch (using an included spacer for the latter) with full access to the front of your iPod Touch or iPhone.

The Grip itself is selling for $49.99 and it’s available in black with blue handle grips. Marware is taking pre-orders for the Grip now with the expectation that it will ship before Christmas.

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AT&T today announced a new Mobile Banking solution for the Apple iPhone on AT&T that allows users to manage their finances. The Mobile Banking App will include checking balances and transaction history, transferring funds, receiving offers, viewing and paying bills, and tracking rewards points. The service that this App interfaces with is now available from all Firethorn financial institution partners that include: America First Credit Union, Arvest Bank, BancorpSouth, Carolina First, FirstBank, Mercantile Bank, SunTrust, Synovus, USAA and Wachovia. According to the AT&T press release:

“Our customers are increasingly using their mobile phones as a hub from which they can manage nearly all aspects of their lives, and in addressing that trend, we’ve made it a priority to give them flexibility and control in managing their finances,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets. “The extension of this convenience and functionality to iPhone customers is further delivery on our commitment to this space.”

The Mobile Banking on AT&T application is now available as a free download from Apple’s App Store. Additional banks brought online into the system at a future date will automatically be made available to iPhone users via this App.

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Several users have reported an issue in which the iPhone 3G’s screen suddenly goes black, as if the sleep/wake button has been pressed. When this problem manifests, users generally need to press the sleep/wake button twice, effectively putting the device into a locked state then unlocking it.

In some cases, this issue is caused by obstruction of the proximity sensor, generally caused by a case or errant hand. Many users experiencing the issue, however, have neither of these interference factors.

Sample posts from this Apple Discussions thread include:

• “Mine has exhibited the exact same behavior. I have reset a countless amount of times. And performed a restore to get build 7 also. Overall, it doesn’t impact my use of the phone. So I’m hoping it gets resolved with the next firmware build.”
• “I just bought iphone 3G for few days, and it’s having the same problem as you do. The screen keeps going blank even when there’s no case block the sensor and even with built-in apple apps such as setting.”

Workaround This issue can generally be resolved by turning off the Password Lock (PIN) function in Settings.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

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The iPhone Dev-Team reports that they have successfully jailbroken the iPhone 2.2 firmware. According to their post:

“The second beta of firmware version 2.2 has been out for a few days. It looks like Apple still doesn’t have a fix for devices already prone to the pwnage jailbreak and unlock.

We wondered aloud if the App Store restrictions might revive the Jailbreak scene and we noted that Steve Wozniak supports the scene.

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DataViz, publisher of the venerable Palm OS application Documents to Go, has announced its plans to bring a version of the application to the iPhone. The software allows users to view and edit Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel Spreadsheets and offers many other features, including the ability to display graphic files.

Some features available on the Palm OS may not make it to the iPhone because of Apple’s stringent developer agreement.

DataViz is projecting delivery of Documents to Go for the iPhone in 2009. The company asks that anyone interested in news or information about the software sign up for a mailing list here.

The DataViz web site does not supply any screenshots or other solid information about the application’s features or pricing. A phone call to DataViz resulted in a push to sign up for the mailing list.

The iPhone has built-in support for viewing some Microsoft Office documents and Adobe PDF files, but the functionality is not as robust as Documents to Go for Palm.

Feedback? http://www.iphoneatlas.com/contact.

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