Roland Tanglao's Weblog

The above photo shows my "bicyclecast" setup (Gorillapod + N95 + DT-22 Tripod Adapter + my bicycle). It worked for only 6 minutes of my 30 minute commute to work (bug? limited buffering capacity? EDGE too slow?). And was fun. The GorillaPod doesn't keep the camera too snug on the bike but it's low budget, cheap and cheerful. Someday I'll have the money to buy a proper bike tripod camera mount like the pros use for Tour de France videos!

Check it out: qik.com/video/13888 recorded live from my bicycle (the hardest part was fastening the tripod and the phone onto the bike, music courtesy of my N81 Musicphone)

Like Miss 604 I have a brand new iPhone (courtesy of Santa Roland not John :-) ! and my LA based bro-in-law) which i got working with Fido and Rogers with an iPhone Hellas Sim on December 24th.

Here's how I did it:

1. I followed this 1.1.2 jailbraking recipe on hackintosh, (thanks to Derek and Ian for pointing this out to me, Thanks to Paul for giving me moral encouragement).
2. I then watched the iPhone Hellas SIM cutting video about 10 times and got Barb to cut it and then inserted it (not without a wee accident resulting in a very minor bruise on my finger. I am OK but I suggest using a push pin instead of a needle to remove your SIM like I did. The first time I inserted my Fido SIM together with my iPhone Hellas Sim hack I did it wrong (not a surprise given my lack of mechanical aptitude) and it took considerable effort to extract it and it was much easier using a push pin than a needle). 2nd time worked like a charm

Notes:

1. No need to downgrade my version of iTunes to work with Independence
2. No need to downgrade to 1.0.2, just go to 1.1.1 and then jailbreak and then 1.1.2 and jailbreak

Observations:

1. Everything indeed just works. It doesn't do video and photos like I want but that's what my N95-1 is :-) for! Most people don't care about video and photos like I do and can therefore use the iPhone and its crappy photos and non existent video. I will use the N95-1 over WiFi for photos and video
2. The web browser works much better than the N95-1 webkit browser
3. Threaded SMS just works
4. Contacts just work unlike my Nokia phones which always get annoying details wrong like reversing the first and last names
5. I used Google Maps for finding directions after our Christmas flight and it works great in the dark with a rental car just fine over EDGE using my grandfathered data plan.
6. I miss ShoZu (too lazy to configure it to upload over WiFi in my N95-1 but I will)
7. Nokia please copy the WiFi / Cellular connectivity from Apple, their implementation just works unlike yours.

Conclusion: if you are a Canadian geek with an interest in the mobile space you have to get an iPhone. Just do it and get an iPhone Hellas SIM to make it work. Apple and Rogers might introduce a Canadian iPhone running 3G in early January at MacWorld but I doubt it and if they do, I am ordering one :-)

Gleaned from Howard Forums (and probably easier in Leopard)

1. Download the Nokia 3G scripts (Specifically the script you want is "Nokia 3G CID1") from Ross Barkman and copy them to Your Hard Drive:Library:Modem Scripts.
2. Add your N95-1 as a Bluetooth device to your mac as normal BUT select "Dial a specific access number for your Internet Service Provider" under "Access the Internet with your phone's data connection" INSTEAD OF "Use a direct, higher speed connnection to reach your Internet Service Provider"
3. Username is "fido", Password is "fido", Phone number is "internet.fido.ca"
4. Modem script is "Nokia 3G CID1"

Mystery solved. Courtesy of Boris' update #2 to his iPhone post and David Pogue's graphic. iPhone has normal SIM Slot with a normal SIM but it can only be unlocked from iTunes

UPDATE: The SIM functionality (there appears to be no user replaceable SIM) appears to be controlled through the iTunes store. Very interesting. 

I am not a cellphone hardware engineer but it seems ridiculous to support EDGE and support CDMA which is what Boris is implying ("If the iPhone is, indeed, a CDMA phone, then the whole will the iPhone be locked to Cingular question is a bit moot: without SIM cards, you can't take it to another network.") but hey we could both be wrong. More likely, the iPhone is GSM and uses EDGE data and the SIM instead of being user replaceable is hardwired in the first version of the iPhone. The soap opera continues :-) !

FROM The Mossberg Solution - WSJ.com:

QUOTE

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won't come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can't use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile's network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T's coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

In addition, even when you have great AT&T coverage, the iPhone can't run on AT&T's fastest cellular data network. Instead, it uses a pokey network called EDGE, which is far slower than the fastest networks from Verizon or Sprint that power many other smart phones. And the initial iPhone model cannot be upgraded to use the faster networks.

END QUOTE

I am happy to report that the N73 is a quadband phone (as reported by Skype Journal) which supports both 850Mhz and EDGE. This means ShoZu uploads of photos are much faster (subjectively seems to be about twice as fast). Almost makes up for the absence of WiFi :P !

The Nokia N93 (with crazy transformer form factor, not for normal users definitely!) looks like a perfect phone to run ShoZu! I want one! This phone basically implements my 2010 dream phone (3 megapixel, 3x optical zoom) 3 years ahead of schedule . And it does 3G as well as GSM and EDGE so it will work with our cr*ppy Canadian cellphone networks that currently offer GSM and will soon offer EDGE. Question: Is there a CDMA 1X or EVDO phone that's this compelling? Hmmm I think not! I really don't understand why CDMA and EV-DO continue to exist other than as a futile, desperate attempt to stem the GSM and UMTS juggernaut. As Alex blogged CDMA and EV-DO phones continue to s*ck (mostly clunky and cr*ppy BREW and Windows Mobile phones).

I doubt the N93 bundled Flickr client is as good as ShoZu. Specifically, I doubt the bundled flickr client has suspend/resume functionality when you lose and regain mobile connectivity. I hope to be proven wrong on this one! Nokia, please bundle ShoZu with future phones!

FROM Review: Nokia N93 (MobileBurn):

QUOTE

Starting with multimedia capabilities, the new Nokia N93 includes a 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and 3x optical zoom, a 2.4" QVGA display, and full audio/video playback capabilities. The camera is worth noting, not only due to its still image capabilities, but also its ability to capture video in VGA resolution at 30fps - enough for a good experience while utilizing the built in TV-out functionality. As with the other two devices announced from Berlin today, the N93 supports direct uploading to the Flickr photo-sharing site from the handset's Gallery and Camera applications. Storage-wise, the N93 includes 50MB of on board memory, and miniSD expansion.

On the connectivity front, the 3G capable Nokia N93 again has everything covered. Bluetooth and Infrared support is complemented with the inclusion of 802.11b/g WLAN connectivity, with UPnP for simplified streaming of media to compatible devices.

END QUOTE