AT&T Makes Good on Its 1,000 Rollover Minutes Promise

So last month, AT&T, reeling off the loss of iPhone exclusivity, went into all out panic mode and started treating customers like human beings for once.

They started offering some customers the unlimited data plans again, added an extra 2GB to the DataPro tethering plans, created a new Mobile to Any Mobile feature, and they even offered to pony up 1,000 bonus rollover minutes just to show us how much they care.

I have to admit; it was bizarre to see AT&T get all courteous with their customers. Just a few minutes ago, AT&T made good on their promise of an extra 1,000 roll over minutes as I was alerted by text message much in the same way as the initial offer…

I hate the fact that AT&T choose to wait until customers were/are looking to jump ship before they stop treating them like dirt. Hindsight's 20/20, but I don't know what they were so worried about anyway.

It's been shown that the Verizon iPhone 4 wasn't as popular as initially projected, and most of us aren't using robot-controlled flamethrowers to showcase our hate for the embattled network.

AT&T; all you have to do is treat us well, have competitive rates, and improve your network coverage. Okay, I suppose that last item is a wee bit of a stretch.

Have you received your 1,000 free minutes yet?

Google Search for iPhone Premiers Today in the App Store

Those of you who read iDB regularly know how particular I am when it comes to my apps. I like a clean and tidy home screen. One application that seemed to always find a spot on my iPhone was Google Mobile. It was simple, it loaded quickly, and the voice search option was extremely accurate. It was my go-to app for quick lookups.

Today, Google Mobile was replaced by Google Search. The name is different, but the concept is not too far off from its predecessor. It has an accurate voice search function, and uses your location to return local results. Although very similar, there are some notable differences in the new search app…

 

The updated interface is the first thing you'll notice. When you first launch the app, you are greeted with a nice tutorial. This will help you get better acquainted with the new UI. One of the things you'll want to take note of are the new multitouch gestures, as they make navigating through search much faster.

One of my favorite enhancements was the support for fast switch. One of my only complaints with Google Mobile was that you had to start your search over if you switched from the app though multitasking. Google Search will let you switch in and out of the application, without ever losing your place.

Google Goggles is also integrated, which you may or may not find useful. For those that haven't played with it, Google Goggles allows you to snap a picture of something and perform a web search based on your photo.

Overall, this was a nice revamp of the Google Mobile app. If you hadn't tried using a Google app to do voice searches before, give this a whirl. The voice recognition is spot on, and it makes looking up phone numbers completely painless. You can even dial the number from right inside the app. Goodbye 411 calls!

What do you think of Google search? Do you use a different search application? Tell us below!

How to SSH Into Your iPhone

First, I will explain what SSH is and why we do it. SSH (Secure Shell) allows you to exchange data between two networked devices, using a secure channel. A jailbroken iPhone has the ability to connect with your computer via SSH, giving you read and write access to your iDevice's hard drive.

You can repair damaged files, install games that aren't in the App Store, and even turn your iDevice into a portable hard drive. I know it all sounds complicated, but we use applications to make the process as easy as browsing a folder on your computer. This is my quick and easy guide to SSH into your iPhone….

For starters, your device must be jailbroken. You must also have an active Wi-Fi connection on both your iDevice and your computer.

Step 1: Download Cyberduck. (Windows beta version here)

Step 2: In your jailbroken iDevice, open 'Cydia.app' and do a search for 'OpenSSH'. Go ahead and install it, and jump back on your computer.

Step 3: Open the Cyberduck application we downloaded earlier and click the 'Open Connection' button.

Step 4: In the server field you are going to type your iDevice's IP address. This can be found by launching your 'Settings.app', selecting 'Wi-Fi', and selecting the blue arrow next to your wireless network. You should now see your IP address.

Step 5: Select the 'SFTP' option in the drop down menu above where you just typed in your IP address.

Step 6: In the Username field type in 'root'. In the Password field type 'alpine'. Click connect! You are now looking at the file system underneath Apple's iOS!

Note: The first SSH may take a bit, after that it should be fine. If you get an 'Unknown Host' message, just ignore it and click 'Allow'.

See that wasn't so bad, was it? My last piece of advice would be BE CAREFUL. Deleting or manipulating the wrong files can turn your iPhone into a paperweight.

Does anyone use a better SSH client? What ways are you using SSH? Tell us about it below!

Is NFC a No Go For the iPhone 5?

Back in January of this year, rumors were swirling about the possibility of Near Field Communications (NFC) technology being a part of the iPhone 5.

It's been assumed that Apple will use the technology to allow its users to make mobile transactions, a wallet replacement of sorts that eliminates the need to carry around physical credit cards.

Now it seems like those rumors may have been a bit premature, as Apple dismisses the idea of NFC appearing in its next iPhone…

As we mentioned in our previous rumor article earlier this year, Apple would face an uphill battle with NFC due to the lack of a clear standard, and the fact that many of the world's retailers may be hesitant about adopting the new technology.

A source mentioned in an article that recently appeared in The Independent had this to say: "The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry."

That's not to say that Apple will never adopt the technology, as previous hiring patterns and patent applications show that they are clearly interested in NFC.

Are you disappointed about the rumored lack of NFC in Apple's next iPhone?

Messages App Updated in iOS 4.3, Shorter Tones and More Options

In addition to the much-awaited Personal Hotspot feature for AT&T iPhone 4 owners, Apple also updated the Messages app in iOS 4.3.

Although there are no changes to the app itself per say, Apple has updated the alert options. This includes significantly shorter SMS (text) ringtones, clearer text ringtone sounds from the speaker, and the settings for the Messages app now allow you to have alert tones repeat up to ten times at two minute intervals.

If you may recall, the text tones in iOS 4.2.1 were incredibly long, to the point where one would think these would be better ringtones than text tones. Most text tones have now been updated and are now less than a second long with improved sound clarity from the speaker.

The vibration alerts for messages have also been changed by Apple in the new OS. Before, new messages had the same short vibration as the "new mail" alert. But now, in iOS 4.3, new text messages will instead give two sharp and quite noticeable vibratory pulses.

Have you noticed any other changes in iOS 4.3? If so, drop us a line in the comments!

Springtomize Goes Live in Cydia, Brings Extensive Customization to iOS

The anticipated jailbreak tweak to rule them all, Springtomize, has gone live in Cydia and is now available for purchase. We showed you a detailed preview of this awesome tweak several days ago, and now you can install Springtomize and play with it yourself.

Most jailbreak tweaks focus on one specific aspect of iOS (whether it be the status bar, dock, icons, etc.). Springtomize aims at being the one-stop shop for your tweaking needs. As far as customization is concerned, Springtomize may very well be the king of jailbreak tweaks.

Official description,

"Springtomize is the only tweak you'll ever need to customize your device, in all of its aspects: from its capabilities to the look of your SpringBoard. You can disable elements you don't use or that may slow down your device performances, you can customize the look of your icons, the dock, the folders and the Status Bar, or even your Lockscreen. Springtomize also allows you to save your SpringBoard layout and to restore it later, without wasting time moving icons inside folders or to their original positions!

You can also customize various animations of your SpringBoard or add nice mods to current ones, like choosing the color of the screenshot flash or to dim your device screen like an old TV when locking! Finally, in the Theming section you can choose to apply a custom dock or a transparent one; you can also make your icons transparent and set the brightness of your wallpaper, without having to edit the image with other apps!"

Screenshots:

Springtomize is available for $2.99 in Cydia. As you can tell from the screenshots, Springtomize not only adds, but also replaces functionality from multiple other jailbreak tweaks.

Let us know what you think of Springtomize. Does it exceed your expectations?

Angry Birds Seasons: St. Patrick’s Day Edition

It's no secret that we are Angry Birds fans here at iDB. But then again who isn't? With millions of downloads across multiple platforms, this game will go down in history as the ultimate time waster. Well in case you've missed it, the latest iteration in Rovio's smash hit series is here.

The lovable cast of pigs get a total leprechaun makeover in the newest version of Angry Birds Seasons. And with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, this application is the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit…

If you've played a previous version of Angry Birds, there's no real surprises. Like all of their 'Seasons' updates, there's no real change in the gameplay, just mostly in the backdrops and the pig's outfits. You'll also notice nice St. Patty's Day touches throughout the menus.

Angry Birds Seasons is available in the App Store for $0.99, or $1.99 for the HD iPad version. If you have previously purchased Angry Birds Seasons, you won't have to buy it again. The St. Patrick's Day update should just show up in your 'Updates' tab in the App Store.

Has anyone played this new version of Angry Birds Seasons? What did you think? Tell us below!