iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

The good folks at iFixit have noticed that iPhone 4s taken in for service often return without their original Phillips 00 screws. Instead, they're being replaced with Apple's own proprietary Pentalobular screws. These are the same screws that are in the current-generation MacBook Air. Here's a close-up pic from an iPhone 4, courtesy Engadget editor Nilay Patel.

Don't call them Torx screws because they most certainly are not. To get the rare, expensive tool that's meant to extract them, you'll have to be a certified Apple tech (or know one).

While you're meant to use a special driver to extract those screws, you can get them out with something else. That something else is a part of iFixit's "iPhone 4 Liberation Kit," which contains replacement Phillips screws and a driver that will remove Apple's Pentalobular screws, as well as two Phillips replacements. No, it's not the official tool but a low-cost alternative. Note that there's a good chance it will damage the proprietary screws, but you're going to throw them out anyway, right?

Opening an iPhone 4 isn't something that just anyone should do. Be careful and know your limitations. If you're ready, the iPhone 4 liberation kit can be yours for US$9.95.

Check out the video explaining the issue and the kit after the break.

[Via Macgasm] Continue reading iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard

The tech in laser-based keyboards has been around for a while, and when we first saw them we thought, "the future is here!" because what could be cooler than having a laser keyboard on any flat surface? I'll suggest something cooler: a keyboard that works. I spotted the Magic Cube from Celluon at CES and gave it a spin.

The Magic Cube connects to your Mac or iOS-powered device using Bluetooth and features a battery inside to power the laser and optical recognition systems. According to Celluon, you'll get 150 minutes of use from a charge. The device is somewhat large, occupying as much volume as two 1st-generation iPods, only slightly narrower. This gives it stability, but it also means you'll have to have the keyboard projector offset from your iPad or iPhone (why you would use it with your Mac is beyond me). The laser-projected keyboard is about the size of a MacBook's keyboard, complete with rounded keys. Unfortunately, it is a PC-centric keyboard complete with Menu and Insert keys, but that's not a big deal. The big deal is accuracy.

I type pretty fast considering I started typing on a computer when I was six (on an Apple II, thank you very much). If you type fast, you're going to have to slow down to use the Magic Cube. While their literature states it can detect up to 400 characters per minute, you'd have to be some sort of robotic ninja octopus to achieve such precision using this thing.
I found multiple attempts to track my speedy typing thwarted by two things: a lack of tactile feedback and the need to look at the keys while typing. In other words, your fingers will drift and the keyboard will cease to track all your key "presses" accurately. In some cases, the "press" didn't register at all. Others at the booth had similar issues. Check the gallery to see what came out when I tried to type "hi there my name is victor." Perhaps there's a learning curve?

While the Magic Cube is a nifty novelty, I wouldn't expect it to replace the dozens of physical keyboards we saw at CES. You can connect it via USB (PC-only it seems) or Bluetooth, and it comes in a variety of colors, but as a keyboard it just doesn't cut it. In the end, it felt about as useful as those old membrane keyboards (like the ones on the TIMEX Sinclair) with a resulting slowdown in typing and loss of accuracy. Here's hoping some day our magical tech dreams come true -- but until then, save your US$199.99 and spend it on a real keyboard.

Gallery: Magic Cube virtual keyboard

Hands-on with Magic Cube Bluetooth portable laser keyboard originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, your iPhone's untied!

In the market for a shoe-phone? iShoes are funky little iPhone cases coming out of Asia that make your phone look like a tiny, somewhat flattened-out sneaker.

Recently available for purchase from Japan-based vendor Strapya, iShoes are made by Korean company Play Hello. These colorful cases seem to have been around since earlier this year but surprisingly without much foreign fanfare. Strapya is selling the iPhone 4 iShoes cases on site for 2380 yen (or about $28), and the company will take orders from outside Japan. Cases are available in an assortment of colors: black, blue, orange, pink, red, and white.

Play Hello has cases available for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, and even for the homegrown fave Samsung Galaxy S, though as far as I can see the company doesn't ship internationally.

If you do want to convert your iPhone into a cute l'il shoe-phone, then this might be for you. I can't help but think however that somewhere Don Adams is yelling down at us that we're doing it wrong.

Apple lowers official US iPhone 3GS price to $49

Apple made the adjustment -- a drop of $50 -- without fanfare.

It's widely expected that Verizon will announce its intention to carry Apple's iPhone tomorrow. In fact, it seems to be reveling in the anticipation among consumers a bit this morning, posting teasing tweets to Twitter. With that in mind, it makes sense that Apple would want to clear out some stock, and AT&T would want to lock in as many new 2-year contracts as possible before the big announcement.

We'll have full coverage of the news when it drops. In the meantime, if you're quite happy with AT&T and want a deal on a nice iPhone, here you go.