MacBook Air SuperDrive for all

So like me, you have a MacBook Air SuperDrive… It’s affordable, it’s functional, it’s sexy. If only it was usable with other Macs and PCs!

Well rejoice :) I have successfully hacked my MBA SuperDrive to work with other Macs and PCs. All you need is a $9 part (shipping extra) and a bit of soldering and you too can do this mod.

First, take a look at pictures of this mod and a video where I connect my hacked SuperDrive to my Mac mini and my HP Mini-Note running Windows XP.

Now here’s a bit of background. The MBA SuperDrive is designed to work only with the Apple MacBook Air. How is that possible?

Some people have speculated that perhaps the MBA SuperDrive draws more than 500 mA and that the MacBook Air provides more than 500 mA via its USB port. This is not the problem. My attempt at connecting the SuperDrive to several PCs and Macs while injecting additional current using a special cable was unsuccessful…

What about drivers? I (and others) have scoured the MacBook Air system folder for additional and modified .kext files (kernel extensions) by comparing them with the ones available on other Macs - nothing.

Other people have suggested that perhaps the optical drive within the MBA SuperDrive uses special firmware. This is not the problem either. After taking apart the SuperDrive and mounting the optical drive directly into a PCs removable bay, it was recognized just fine.

This leaves the IDE to USB bridge. It’s a small circuit board that allows an IDE device like the optical drive within the MBA SuperDrive to work as a USB device. It uses firmware too - and Apple appears to have designed custom firmware for it!

There appears to be some sort of handshake happening between the MacBook Air and the IDE to USB bridge within the MBA SuperDrive. I looked into re-flashing the controller (which is a standard part) with generic firmware, but after several hours I was getting nowhere.

The alternative was of course to replace the IDE to USB bridge with another one, which is exactly what I ended up doing. The trick was to find a small enough circuit board. I was about to give up on this mod when I stumbled upon the aforementioned $9 part on a series of tubes.

The part is small enough to fit within the MBA SuperDrive, but requires removal of the daughter-board (containing a power connector, a USB connector, and several capacitors), as well as the non-ideal relocation of the 12 MHz crystal.

And the rest is history - you can figure it out from the pictures :)

Why I’m disappointed with the iPhone 3G

A week ago today the iPhone 3G was announced at WWDC and I’ve been following the developments ever since. I was in London for work at the time, so I decided to wait a few days before blogging about it…

Well time’s up and frankly, I’m disappointed with the iPhone 3G :/

Now don’t worry, I’m still going to purchase the iPhone 3G on July 11 (probably the white 16 GB model), because I like my iPhone, and with 3G and the App Store, it’s finally what the original iPhone should have been from day one :)

And therein lies rub #1. The iPhone 3G is really just a minor improvement over the original iPhone. Sure, GPS is useful and SDK 2.0 is a significant update over what Apple shipped with a year ago, but look at all that’s still missing:

- Cut & paste
- Video recording
- Bluetooth/USB tethering (DUN)
- Bluetooth stereo audio (A2DP)
- Bluetooth file/contact transfer (ObEx)
- Voice dialing
- MMS

Of course, some of these missing features (video recording) can be addressed by third-party developers via the App Store. Some are not important to me (MMS). But some are essential to a 3G device (tethering), and I don’t see Apple approving alternatives like JoikuSpot anytime soon. Furthermore, the missing Bluetooth profiles (A2DP, ObEx), being low-level, are likely impossible to implement using SDK 2.0.

As for the camera, I was not expecting much, but it’s unfortunate that the hardware was not improved. Where’s the auto-focus and macro? Where’s the proper 2-stage shutter button and the flash? Look at the difference these features make, even with just a 2 megapixel sensor!

And here lies rub #2. Now that Apple and AT&T’s revenue sharing agreement is apparently over, where’s my optional, unsubsidized, unlocked iPhone 3G? I don’t care if it costs $200 more, I want to be able to swap my AT&T SIM for a prepaid foreign SIM when I’m travelling. There’s no major customer attrition risk for AT&T since it’s the only 3G network compatible with the iPhone 3G in the US.

Whatever happened to keeping things simple? An unsubsidized and unlocked iPhone 3G would be as simple as inserting a SIM, and simple is Apple’s mantra. But with the subsidized and locked iPhone 3G, it’s not even clear who amongst existing AT&T customers will be eligible to upgrade to the iPhone 3G, other than existing iPhone customers.

Since the iPhone 3G is subsidized like all other locked AT&T phones, will I be able to use any AT&T SIM with the iPhone 3G or will it, like the original iPhone, only function with the SIM used during activation?

Then there’s the artificial pricing for the iPhone 3G data plan. I’ve never been duped by AT&T’s arbitrary pricing differences between data plans, like MEdia Net Unlimited ($15 per month, $20 with 200 text messages) and PDA Personal ($30 per month, $35 with 200 text messages). Both data plans provide the same service and work with any device, 3G or not.

So why is AT&T pricing the 3G iPhone data plan differently than the original iPhone data plan, other than pure profit?

Yeah, I’m disappointed. Sosumi.

Tasty bits - CTIA and beyond

Wait! Did two months of tasty bits just go by, CTIA and all? Hmmm yes…

HP 2133 (Mini-Note):
- HP 2133 Mini-Note UMPC Reviewed (Verdict: Rich Man's Eee PC)
- Lightning Review: HP 2133 Mini-Note
- HP Mini-Note 2133 officially official, reviewed
- HP Mini-Note gets unboxed, causes extreme jealousy
- jkOnTheRun review- hands on with the HP Mini-Note UMPC

Asus 701/900 (Eee):
- Video Hands on With the 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC 900
- Asus Eee PC 900 Hits U.S. May 12 for $549
- 1.2 GHz Pentium M in your Eee PC? No problem
- Hands-on with the 9-inch Eee PC
- ASUS' 9-inch Eee PC, now with living pixels!
- Eee PC 900 gets dissected, looks about the same as the Eee PC 700

Nokia N810:
- Android on the N810: Working on it!
- Nokia Internet Tablets to get Ubuntu and Qt ports
- Nokia's N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition gets official

Nokia N95:
- 8 GB North American Model N95 available: $779 online
- North American Nokia N95 8GB (Nokia N95-4) Unboxing

Nokia N82:
- All About Symbian Review: Long term battle: Nokia N95, N95 8GB and N82
- Nokia N82 gets blacked out for retail

Other Nokia:
- Eight useful codes for S60 devices
- 10 Awesome Applications for Symbian Phones
- Your S60 smartphone as a drum machine!
- WalkingHotSpot trial available for download
- Nokia E71 Pops up Down Under
- FCC Gives Nokia 6220 Classic the Nod
- T-Mobile’s new mystery 3G Nokia handset outted
- Nokia secretly shows E71 at Mobile Wor… er, in Sydney
- Google gets even chummier with S60, releases search app
- S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 gets broken down to the nitty gritty
- Nokia N96 gets in-depth review months ahead of release
- Things may be looking brighter for Nokia N96, Xenon flash in the works?
- Nokia readies iPhone-ish "Tube," disses Apple's sales
- Nokia E71 sneaks into the wild once again
- Exclusive: latest update on the hotly anticipated Nokia Tube
- The Nokia Guide: Getting the most out of your Nseries’ camera

Apple iPhone:
- iPhone Pwnage Tool Getting Public Release Tomorrow; Unsigned Firmware Support For All
- iPhone to Support GPS, Stereo Bluetooth, Nike+, Battle Hackers
- iPhone firmware 2.0? You’re damn right we got it!
- Nike+ going WiFi and 3G, headed to iPhone
- The second-gen iPhone: 3G, GPS, only slightly thicker - Engadget
- Touchpad turns your iPhone into a remote trackpad
- Palm emulated on the iPhone: finally we can leave that IIIc at home
- Easy 1.1.4 jailbreaking with iNdependence, Ziphone, and… iTunes?
- iPhone PwnageTool released!
- 3G iPhone rumors building up steam
- iPhone gets VoIP and chat options thanks to Fring
- iPhone firmware hints strengthen case for GPS support
- iPhone feature rumor round-up: Jabber and iTunes control
- Flickr Find: Lilliputian iPhone unboxing
- Twinkle: location-aware Twittter client for iPhone
- iPhone video recorder with audio support debuts

Sony Ericsson:
- Sony Ericsson's X1 reviewed
- XPERIA X1 white paper reveals yet more details
- Is this Sony Ericsson's P5 or "Paris"?
- Specs revealed of the real (or fake) Sony Ericsson "Paris"
- Another shot of Sony Ericsson's Paris?
- Yet another convincing Sony Ericsson Paris pic — open, this time

LG:
- LG KG750 Is Sleek of Line, High (Five) of Megapixels, Shoots DivX, Called Secret
- Live Pics: MediaFLO for AT&T on the LG Vu and Samsung Access
- LG Vu further slides into view
- Hands-on with the LG Vu
- Thin is in: LG shares a glimpse of its 5 megapixel hottie phone

Samsung:
- Samsung-built, Google-branded Android phones due later this year?
- Rumored Prada II specs surface in purported leaked press release

Motorola:
- T-Mobile considering Motorola Z10 for 3G launch?
- Motorola’s 2008 Roadmap Revealed
- Spy shots of the Motorola ZN5
- Motorola's ZN5 gets clearer, Kodak co-branding and all

Android:
- Android gets handled, now with Street View
- T-Mobile confirms it'll have an Android device sometime this year

Other:
- Meizu M8, Something You Burn in a Paper Bag on Someone's Porch
- T-Mobile's 3G Network Rolling Out May in NYC, Coincides With 3G HTC Touch Dual?
- Sharp-Willcom D4 UMPC With Intel Atom Centrino, Vista Hits the States on June 20th
- Crowded Ultraportable Party Gets Dissected
- Meizu prototype caught in the flesh at CeBIT, we handle it
- Meizu M8 interface gets tweaked once again. A few pixels to the left, please?
- Meizu's M8 gets more UI tweaks for its music player
- More MID videos: IdeaPad U8 and Aigo
- Mozilla Mobile shows 5.9x performance increase on ARM device
- Opera Mini 4.1 beta released- good gets better
- Sharp Willcom D4: Vista in your hand for $1,526
- Life with the MacBook Air

The iPhone SDK was worth the wait

Oh yeah, it was definitely worth the wait. The iPhone SDK is here and is even more exciting than I expected :)

Here’s a quick summary:
- iPhone SDK and emulator available now (beta)
- Intel-based Mac required
- Microsoft Exchange/ActiveSync support coming (oh hello there, RIM)
- IM client coming
- Sega games coming (Super Monkey Ball)
- EA games coming (Spore)
- Apps available on iTunes App Store (both on iPhone and Mac/PC)
- Developer fee of $99 to publish in iTunes App Store (includes support)
- Developer sets price (paid or free)
- Developer keeps 70% of profits
- Firmware 2.0 required to use iTune App Store (available in June)
- iFund: $100 Million Dollars VC fund for iPhone software startups

For more information check out this play-by-play and this other summary…

So, I’m very excited about the iPhone SDK and I’m going to play with it ASAP! I think it’s another major wakeup call for RIM, Nokia, Google/OHA and Microsoft.

What do you think?

Mobile World Congress (3GSM) roundup

I survived another GDC, and the Mobile World Congress (3GSM) ended almost 2 weeks ago (already!), so here’s a roundup of what was interesting and exciting to me in Barcelona this year…

1) Nokia

N96, successor to the N95 with 16 GB of internal storage and micro-SDHC, DVB-H tuner, but without xenon flash or lens cover:
- The Nokia N96 redefines “high-end”
- Hands-on with Nokia’s high-rolling N96
- The Nokia N96 Super Cellphone is Official: Gallery and Specs Here
- Nokia N96 Hands-On: Basically a Video Oriented N95
- The Nokia N96 is now official - the new Flagship
- Nokia N96 gallery
- Nokia N96 Video Preview
- Nokia Announces N96; Fun While it Lasts
- Hands On With The N96

N78, slim successor to the N73 with FM transmitter, HSDPA, WiFi, and GPS, but only a 3.2 megapixel Zeiss AF camera without xenon flash or lens cover:
- The Nokia N78, in European and North American flavors
- N78 Comes Loaded with Wi-Fi, HSPDA, GPS, Touch Surfaces, Tricorder
- Nokia N78 - The New Candybar Nseries Device
- Nokia N78 gallery
- Hands On With The N78

6220 Classic, slim S60 device with a 5 megapixel Zeiss AF camera with xenon flash and lens cover (!), HSDPA and GPS, but no WiFi:
- The Nokia 6220 classic, all 5 megapixels of it
- Nokia 6220 Classic Takes 5 Megapixel Geotagged Photos, Includes Widgets
- Nokia’s 6220 Classic - The Dark Horse
- Nokia 6220 Classic gallery

S60 touch demo:
- Nokia’s S60 touch UI gets demoed at MWC
- Nokia’s Touch UI Hands-On: Officially Way Behind Apple
- Why S60’s Touch demo DIDN’T suck…
- Video: S60 Touch UI Demo From MWC

2) Sony Ericsson

Xperia X1, slim Windows Mobile 6.1 (!) device designed by HTC, with touch screen, sliding QWERTY keyboard, HSUPA, WiFi, and GPS, but only a 3.2 megapixel AF camera without xenon flash or lens cover - definitely awesome:
- Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 does a good job looking pretty at launch event
- Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 QWERTY with Windows Mobile and HSUPA
- First live photo of Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1
- Video: Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 “Panel Interface”
- No wonder Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 is so good: HTC makes it
- Hands-on with Sony Ericsson’s world-beating XPERIA X1
- XPERIA X1 Hiptop Killer: Sony Ericsson’s First Video Plus Gallery
- Video: First Hands On Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Runs Windows Mobile 6.1
- Breaking news- Sony Ericsson announces Windows Mobile smartphone
- HTC has ODM order for Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1
- The unwired looks at the Sony Ericsson XPERIA and the HTC Advantage
- Sony Ericsson goes big with the XPERIA X1
- New Xperia X1 Pics Leaked; Windows Mobile 6.1 and More!

G900, a UIQ device with touch screen, WiFi, but only 3.2 megapixel AF camera without xenon flash or lens cover, and no HSDPA, or GPS:
- Sony Ericsson’s G700 and G900: “touchscreen organizers”
- Sony Ericsson G900 and G700: Touchscreens to the Masses
- Sony Ericsson announce the G700 and G900 UIQ 3 smartphones

C902, a device with HSDPA and a 5 megapixel AF camera with xenon flash and lens cover, but no WiFi, GPS, or smartphone capabilities:
- Two for the Cyber-shot crowd: Sony Ericsson intros C702 and C902
- Sony Ericsson C902, C702 Bring High-End Photography to Your Pocket

3) Samsung

G810, a Symbian device similar to the Nokia N95, but with xenon flash, lens cover and 3x optical zoom (!) - possibly my next device:
- Samsung’s HSDPA-equipped G810 slider gets official
- Samsung announces the S60-powered G810
- Samsung G810 gallery
- Samsung G810 to Butt Heads with Nokia N95

F480, a touch screen device similar to the P520 (armani), with HSDPA and a 5 megapixel AF camera without xenon flash or lens cover, but not WiFi or GPS:
- Samsung’s F480 Armani (without the Armani), Dual Touch Chic G400 flip and F400 B&O slider
- Hands-On Samsung’s F480 Prada Phone Knockoff (Verdict: I’ll Pass)

4) Others

iRiver phone:
- Hands-on with iriver’s 3-inch touchscreen phone

nVidia phone:
- NVIDIA shows off APX 2500 cellphone applications processor
- nVidia’s GoForce 6100: no, it’s not another iPhone clone

Tasty bits - CES to 3GSM

It’s been a busy month full of tasty bits, with CES and MacWorld wrapped up, and 3GSM coming up.

Asus 701 (Eee):
- WiMax-Enabled Asus Eee PC Confirmed
- Ten-Mod Eee PC Stomps Competition, Still Room For More
- Asus press event summary: WiMAX, Eee PCs, and R50A
- How to: boost the display resolution on an Asus Eee PC

Nokia N810:
- Hook a USB device to your Nokia N810 thanks to USB-On-The-Go
- Nokia E90 vs N810: Part 1 - head to head
- Nokia E90 vs N810: Part 2 - GPS, Apps, Web and Multimedia

Nokia N95:
- Nokia N95 makes a nice GPS receiver for Nokia N800
- Nokia N95 8GB Wireless Sharing in Action
- Nokia N95 8GB with US 3G passes FCC

Nokia N82:
- Nokia N82 - part 1 - The Physical, the Camera
- Nokia N82 - part 2 - GPS, Applications and Performance
- Nokia N82 Smartphone Reviewed In Depth (Verdict: High-end Hotness)

More Nokia:
- Flip Silent for S60: Silence Calls by Flipping your Phone
- Sh-sh-shake it Like a Polaroid Picture!
- Nokia E90 Communicator review: Gear Diary
- First glimpse inside Nokia S60 Touch. Going beyond Multi-Touch

Apple iPhone:
- iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak Has Issues With GPS, Official SDK?
- Makayama Adds Voice Recognition to the iPhone
- iPhoneCam streams video from your iPhone over WiFi
- iTransmogrify brings more flash content to the iPhone
- Etymotic hf2 headset for the iPhone
- Pocketguitar for the iPhone lets you strum on the multitouch
- 1.1.3 iPhone jailbreak goes LIVE

LG:
- LG Viewty hands-on
- LG’s HSDPA ultraportable runs Vista on Silverthorne
- LG shows a KS20 clone with WiMAX
- LG’s silver Prada gets a new on-screen QWERTY

Samsung:
- S60 powered Samsung G810 to be announced at MWC?
- Samsung i900 to take on LG KS20?

Other:
- WiBrain B1-H UMPC
- UMPC & MID trio: LimePC comes in three sizes
- BlackBerry 8xxx = BlackBerry 9000?
- Hands-on with Mio’s dual-front GPS phone concept
- Hands-on with the WiBrain B1 UMPC
- iriver 3-inch touchscreen “GSM phone” headed for the States
- Skyfire browser for Windows Mobile is game changing, does Flash
- Garmin gets official with its nuvifone
- Modu mystery unravelled, look ma, a modular handset
- A Tale of 40 Follow-ups (and a LimePC video)

Is that a router in your pocket?

Or are you just happy to see me?

Once upon a time, in a land far away, I used an OQO Model 01+ and Motorola E815 connected via Bluetooth. I hacked the phone and tethered the computer to Verizon’s EVDO network. Every now and then, I’d share the 3G connection over WiFi, turning the computer into a router, and allowing other devices with WiFi around me to access the cloud - all this while walking down the street or driving down the freeway…

But here’s the cool part: the entire setup fit easily, without wires, in the many pockets of my trusty cutoff cargo pants!

The setup evolved over time. I replaced the phone with an LG CU500 on Cingular’s HSDPA network (now AT&T). Then I replaced the computer with an OQO Model 02, which I promptly modded for HSDPA (built-in).

And then, having narrowed things down to a single device, I was rocking a router in my pocket - I was ready for the mobile revolution :)

Eventually, I ended up with a Nokia N95-3 featuring both 3G and WiFi and I started thinking… Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a Symbian application that turned the device into a router in my pocket? Wouldn’t it be great?

Well now you can have your cake an eat it too - you too can be packing a router in your pocket! Say hello to JoikuSpot for Symbian, WMWifiRouter for Windows Mobile, and Cradlepoint for other devices.

I’ve been playing with JoikuSpot on my N95-3 and it’s working like a charm.

Unboxing the Apple MacBook Air

The MacBook Air has landed. Pictures here… Take-apart there!

Still unconvinced? Try reading this.

Enjoy :)

Tasty bits - 35 (holidays edition)

Happy new year :)

Here’s last month’s tasty bits, a little behind once again! I’ve decided to stop numbering the column hereafter…

JKK added HSDPA to the Asus 701 (Eee) - I’m working on a similar mod using a Sierra Wireless AirCard 875U HSDPA modem…

Also I’ve started using Qik to stream live video with my Nokia N95!

I’m keeping an eye on all the CES madness this week and I’ll be at Macworld next week, so stay tuned :)

Asus 701 (Eee):
- WiMax-Enabled Asus Eee PC Confirmed
- How to add internal 3G HSDPA to Asus Eee PC
- How to add touch panel to Asus Eee Pc
- It’s official: upgrading the Asus Eee PC memory keeps warranty intact
- eeeXubuntu: Ubuntu distilled for your Eee
- Ubuntu on the Asus Eee PC: Part 1 (or How to run a functional Ubuntu install off a USB drive)

Nokia N810:
- Nokia N810: unboxing and first impressions
- Canola2 Now Out!

Nokia N95:
- Nokia N95-3 Finally Gets an Update to v 11.2.009
- The N95 classic hits v20 firmware
- The N95’s camera quality? It just got better…
- Hands-on with the Nokia N95 8GB for North America!

Nokia N82:
- Nokia N82: impressions after a week…
- Nokia N82 hands-on
- Nokia N82 preview: First look
- Nokia N95, N95 8 GB and N82: The evolution of the multimedia computer

More Nokia:
- Cellphones: Alleged Nokia N96 Spy Shots Look Yummypianoblacklicious
- New Slider: Nokia’s Patent Reveals Innovative Six- or Eight- Megapixel Slider Phone
- Video streaming from your phone QIK-ly, as in: instantly
- All About N-Gage - Totally CONFIRMED Star Wars N-Gage Video
- emTube - YouTube client for S60 phones
- Nokia Internet Radio
- Clarification: Upcoming Nokia IS a QWERTY Nseries

Apple iPhone:
- Breaking: iPhone Firmware 1.1.3 Video and Evidence Confirms Update Is Real, Breaks Unlock, Third-Party Apps
- How to Install Applications on iPhone 1.1.2 (Video Tutorial)
- Syphon lets you save iPhone text messages
- Control Pro Tools with your iPhone
- Apple doesn’t give us MMS on the iPhone, so the community does
- iPhone gets video recording capabilities
- Not all is lost: partfoundry developing GPS module for iPhone
- Fixing YouTube on your Jailbroken iPhone
- Mobile Safari plug-in downloads files to your iPhone/iPod touch
- Apple relents, sanctions custom ringtones!

OQO Model 02:
- OQO Announces model e2 with Built-In HSDPA Mobile Broadband Capability
- OQO does WiMax and 64GB SSDs

Neonode N2:
- Neonode N2 officially coming to the US
- Review of the unique Neonode N2 multimedia phone

BlackBerry 9000 (aka. BlackBerry 8xxx):
- BlackBerry 9000 specs revealed, our early Christmas present to you
- BlackBerry 8xxx hails from Rogers!
- BlackBerry 9000 series spy shot revealed?

Samsung:
- Hands-on with the Samsung G800
- Hands-on with the Samsung P520 Armani
- Samsung’s P720, F490 make their video debut

Other:
- Google Maps for Mobiles shows your location, even without GPS
- Verizon Wireless will open network for non-Verizon devices, services
- Photo of the Sony Ericsson P5i Leaked
- Wibrain’s B1 UMPC gets showcased on video - Engadget
- Hands-on with the LG KU990 Viewty
- A teaser shot of Motorola’s 5 megapixel multimedia maven?

Unboxing the Nokia N95, US version

The news came right after I returned from playing in the desert with my Nokia N95, right around the time Nokia officially announced the N95, US version (aka. N95-3).

Apparently, I won the Nokia BH-801 contest! I won - wait for the irony of it - an N95… It’s my first time winning anything significant, and it’s a device I already own - oh noes :)

What was I to do? Simple really, I talked the (very accommodating, thank you) contest organizers into giving me an N95-3 instead! I then sold my beloved N95, and picked up my Sony Ericsson K850i to hold me over.

So, after waiting 3 months for it to arrive, I’m finally unboxing my N95-3 - take a look at the pictures…