The Danosphere.

**Editor’s Note: I have a jailbroken iPhone, which makes installing custom IPA files incredibly easy in comparison to those of you still imprisoned by Apple. If you have a legitimate Apple Dev Cert. you should be able to just drag and drop your IPA into iTunes and sync- but I am free of Apple’s chains, so I haven’t tested this and can’t promise you anything.

If you are jailbroken, you have nothing to fear and are ready to rock and roll. For information on jailbreaking iOS 4.2 to make your life easier and your iOS awesomer click here**

Everyone is excited about Adobe’s new Flex Hero SDK, the first Flex SDK to truly enable mobile application development using the Flex framework. And then you read that it only allows you to build native applications for android, and you grimace, and move on. At least that’s what Adobe tells you. I’m here to tell you that with a little know-how, and some command-line fu, you can indeed built Flex mobile applications for the iPhone- right now.

First you’ll need to equip yourself. To complete this you need to download the Flex Hero 4.5 SDK, Flash Builder Burrito, and the Adobe Packager for iPhone.

Download: Flash Builder Burrito Preview Release [includes Flex Hero SDK bundled]

Download: Adobe Package for iPhone Preview 2

This walkthrough is going to be extremely basic. I’ll show you how to get a simple Flex Mobile app onto your iphone, and then it’s up to you to build on these concepts.

Open up Flash Builder Burrito and create a new mobile project, add a simple button to the main application just so you can know that everything is working. Save and exit. Now fire up a command line/terminal. What you need to do now is use the Flex mxmlc command line compiler to create a swf file from you MXML application which is compatible with the Packager for iPhone- Flash Builder Burrito will not do this by default because it uses the AIR2.5 namespace, that’s why you need to use the command line. After you generate a SWF file, you will use the Package for iPhone to create a .IPA file that you can drop onto your phone. Presto changeo- Flex Mobile application on iPhone!

There are a few catches to all of this, so keep reading. To generate IPA iphone application files using Packager for iPhone you need 2 things- an XML application descriptor file, and an Apple Developer Security Certificate.

The first part is easy, create a file – I called mine dl3_mobile-app.xml. This file tells the packager for iPhone a few things, namely stuff about icons, splash screens, and the like. Here is my application descriptor file for reference:

';document.write(content);
[code snippet: http://snipt.org/wnxh]

The second problem is the whole Apple Developer certificate issue. The problem is, those cost money- and most likely you just want to see your Flex App running on an iPhone, so why would you spend $100 to see that? Amirite? Right. So check out this nifty walkthrough on how to get a Fake Apple Developer cert so you can keep moving forward with this whole shibang – you may need to create an account to download the necessary files, but it’s free and they won’t spam ya:

How to use Adobe’s iPhone Packager without an Apple Developer Subscription

Ok now we’re set. So now we just need to compile the swf from the command line, and then package it up for iPhone. Here are the 2 commands respectively to accomplish all that:

';document.write(content);
[code snippet: http://snipt.org/wnxi]

After the first command is run you should have a SWF file, and after the second one is run [it will take a few minutes to complete, be patient!] you should have an IPA file – this is a native iPhone application! Boomshakalaka!

All done! Now you just need to copy the IPA file to your iPhone and install it! I’ll leave that part to you to figure out, but it’s really easy- just Google it.

That’s it! Shout out to the EverythingFlex Blog for helping me figure this all out.

Remember you technically shouldn’t be able to do this [Flex on iPhone] so don’t be shocked when performance is… subpar. For more helpful links on getting the jump on developing for mobile using Flex Hero, and compiling for iPhone using the Packager for iPhone, checkout these links:

';document.write(content);
[code snippet: http://snipt.org/wnxk]

Also checkout more of my SniptBox on Snipt.org.

Hey Readers,

Sorry for being so nonresponsive! I’m still very busy with CollegeBlender but when I get a moment to breathe I will catch up with you all. In the meantime enjoy this little trick I found:

Before I start let me say- I like Apple. I own an iPhone, a Macbook, an iPod, and love them all. So when I decided to drop $100 to join their Developer Program, I thought the experience would be just as enjoyable as all their products have been. I was very wrong.

It started late last night, I joined the program, paid my $100 fee, and downloaded the lastest iPhone 3.0beta firmware. I installed it on my phone and then connected to iTunes to “reactivate” with the new firmware. Instead of activating, I got an error saying I needed to “register my device”. I scoured the Developer Homepage and saw a link to “activate my account”, sounded right, so I completed the activation process and tried again, still no luck.

I decided to sleep on it and call the “Developer Support” line this morning. After waiting on hold for well over 1 and a half hours, I was finally connected with a human on the other side. I explained my situation and asked him to help me activate my now “bricked” phone. He told me he could not answer my question, I would have to refer to the apple Developer Forums. So this guy, who works at the Developer Support Center, is telling me that after I have paid $100 and bricked my phone to join the Developer Program, the best answer he can give me is to check the forums?! Who the hell does Apple have working in their support centers?!

I ask to speak to his manager, he says he cannot do that. I ask him to connect me with a HUMAN who can help me, he says their are none who can help, but I can email dts@apple.com for help. Apprently humans respond to emails at that address, but they cannot be reached via phone… at all (I asked). I ask him if the Apple Store “Geniuses” can help me, he says no they cannot. Frustrated I ask for his name so I can use it to close the loop when emailing this “dts@apple.com” address he has referred me to. He says “Jimmy Ryan”. Sure.

In the end, after multiple requests to speak to his manager, or ANYONE else at the support center, all which were denied, I hung up. I turned to twitter and found help there. So now my iPhone is back up and running, and I have learned a valuable lesson, Apple Developer Support is completely and utterly worthless.

Conclusion: If you are a developer, do not, at all, ever, in any way, rely on Apple’s “Developer Support” to assist you. Save yourself the time and just visit the developer forums, it’s what they will tell you to do anyway after you wait for hours on hold hoping to get a real answer. #FAIL.

iPhone OS 2.2 is on the way! Yay! Well… sorta. The mighty Apple has already released a list of new things we can expect to see in 2.2 but unfortunately, many of the features people are clamoring for are still not there. Here are a few we are all still waiting for…sigh.

1. Copy & Paste Perhaps the most highly anticipated feature. The ability to copy and paste seems like a no brainer for the iPhone, with its multi-touch capable interface it should be as simple as touch and drag to select text, double tap to copy, press and hold to paste. People wanted it in 2.0, they bitched about it not being in 2.1 and yes, we are still bitching about it not being there in 2.2. When will Apple get the message?

2. Landscape SMS and Email Keyboard Some third party apps give users the ability to use landscape keyboard in emails but support for native landscape emails and sms messages is still a pipe dream. Apple already has the landscape keyboard implemented in safari, why not extend that to ALL keyboard-based input screens?

3. Turn by Turn Directions iPhone 2.2 promises Google street view and walking directions. So the phone can tell you where you are and turn by turn directions to get you where you want to be, but it can’t do that for you while your in a moving car?

4. Native Key-Vibe This is just a simple feedback feature, you press a key, you get a little phone-vibration as feedback. Jailbroken phones already sport this ability but it seems like something that should have been a native option from the start.

5. Improved Service Updates The refresh rate on iPhone service is still awful. I can walk out of my building where I have 0 bars into the heart of the city where there is full 3G coverage, and I still see “No Service” for a good 5 minutes?! It’s a sad day when you have to throw the phone in/out of airplane mode just so it detects its own network.

iPhone OS 2.2 will have some cool features and stability upgrades, but it will also be missing alot of things that I was hoping to see in this release. (more…)

This past Sunday the iPhone DevTeam released their jailbreak for iPhone 2.1 firmware to Mac users, who greeted it with open arms and smiling faces. Unfortunately Windows users were left waiting, while WinPwn worked on catching up with the DevTeam’s blazing pace.

WinPwn is still working on getting their jailbreak for Windows out but in the meantime I have good news! I just couldn’t wait to get my phone setup with all the latest fixes and updates that 2.1 brings to the platform. So with a little Googling I found a method that will allow Windows users to jailbreak their iPhones on the new 2.1 firmware!

Windows Iphone 2.1 Firmware Jailbreak [unofficial]

I have a few suggestions that will speed the process up for you though:

1. Ignore steps 1 through 6.

2. Backup your phone.

3. Download and install iTunes 8 [and reboot]

4. Have iTunes download the latest 2.1 firmware and install it on your phone

5. Resume tutorial at Step 7 -> QuickPWN appears to work just fine with iTunes 8…

There are some custom IPSW’s that Mac users have been kind enough to share with the community but after restoring from one I downloaded I lost all ATT service and had to start over- that’s why I recommend this route.

Note: When using TotalCommander to update the MobileInstallation file on your phone, you must drag from the left pane to the right pane or vice versa- if you attempt to drag from an outside window or app it will give you a “write protection error”.

If you found this post useful, please Digg It

Yesterday Apple released it’s new iPhone 2.1 firmware with the promise of increased stability and better 3G signal coverage. iTunes 8 is also out now and at first it appeared it sealed off the exploit the iPhone DevTeam had used to allow users to “Jailbreak” their phones. With this news engadget was quick to question the relevency of DevTeam given the latest revelations. The community lashed out at their posting and they quickly posted a poll to try and prove their point, but of course they were just plain wrong (who didn’t see that coming?!). Here are the poll results a mere 5hrs-ish after the poll opened….

And to add a little salt to that wound, DevTeam has already jailbroken the new 2.1 firmware AND iTunes8. Looks like DevTeam has pwned Apple and Engadget too.