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I’ve just updated my iPhone with the new iOS 4 firmware yesterday and here’s a short review.

There has been lots of commotion about multi-tasking but I’m not the least concerned — not because I am not getting it on my iPhone 3G, but because I don’t see a need for it with the type of apps I use. Mail and Google Maps in the background doesn’t make sense. I might change my mind if there’s a good IM client someday.

For now, the only useful features are shown below.

Not exactly very proud to be a super late adopter of the iPhone 3G, but I’m certainly glad I received it on the evening of Tuesday September 1, 2009 as scheduled. My primary aim wasn’t actually to get an iPhone, but to switch to SingTel ‘cos StarHub’s signal strength was terrible in almost every place I work. Well, it’s not surprising they were all SingTel buildings – ComCenter, Telepark, etc.

I'm a happy man with a new iPhone 3G.

Since I was doing a switch to SingTel, I thought, what the heck, I’ll just grab the iPhone 3G that’s going for only $88 at SingTel’s online shop. I’ll finally get to enjoy 3G data speeds that’s lacking in my current iPhone 2G. One other thing I’d love to have is the improved clarity of the iPhone 3G speaker so I can make calls in the car when I forget to activate my bluetooth!

So with a new iPhone 3G, what should I do with my iPhone 2G that has a cracked glass? Should I spend $200+ to replace the glass and cover so it looks like new, and either sell it or pass it on to my siblings, or should I sell it for $150, or should I just use it?

Skype prevented users from making calls over 3G data networks on the iPhone for contractual reasons, but I think many would love to have it working. Here’s a summarized version of getting Skype to work on the iPhone.

I’ve tested it on the 2G and it seems to work, though voice call quality is choppy.

The pre-requisite here is to have a jailbroken iPhone with Cydia installed, and also knowledge of basic UNIX command line and the VI editor.

If you do not have a jailbroken iPhone, do not ask for instructions here. You should find them online elsewhere.

1. Install or update to the latest version of MobileSubstrate via Cydia. This fixes a crash on Skype.
2. Install VoIP3G via Cydia. This enables you to make VoIP calls via 3G.
3. Install SSH and VIM Enhanced via Cydia. You will need this to edit some files in your phone.
4. Connect to a Wi-Fi network, preferably the same network as your computer.
5. Get the phone’s IP address under Settings > Wi-Fi.
6. SSH to the phone as root with the password alpine (this is the iPhone default if you haven’t changed it).
7. Go to /Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries and edit VoIPover3G.plist.
8. You will see a line that looks like the following…
   Filter = {Bundles = ("com.Fringland.Fring");};
9. Appened “com.skype.skype” to the array (it might already be there), e.g.
   Filter = {Bundles = ("com.Fringland.Fring", "com.skype.skype");};
10. Save the file, restart your iPhone, and reinstall Skype.