iPhone 1.1.2 OTB unlocked

Its been over two months since my iPhone arrived (Ordered right from the Apple store US) and was frustrated like hell until now when i finally unlocked it. The phone had a firmware of 1.1.2 with 4.6 bootloader and the unlock was recently released. I tried everything to make it work as iPod but was not even able to jailbreak.

Now that I’ve finally unlocked this phone I can’t wait to tell everyone that if you are into cell phones you better get this one. Locally buying this cell phone will set you back for around 40-50,000 PKR but i saved my self $300 ordering it from the apple store for just $400+$150 shipping charges. I was sick of Nokia phones where you spend more to get a toy that will be just a phone with a useless 3.5 or 5 mega pixels camera. Those who love photography should get a nice digital camera instead of spending almost double on a camera phone. Be it the design or features, iPhone beats everything here. Its like a slim smart pocket PC that goes with you everywhere.

How to Unlock iPhone 1.1.2 OTB or 1.1.3 OTB?

Here is a good place to start !
The tutorial will help you unlock iPhone 1.1.2 OTB or 1.1.3 OTB having 4.6 BL. If you need any help unlocking your phone, just leave me a comment and I’ll see what i can do.

Download Youtube Videos

So I was searching for the title song of a TV drama “MAN-O-SALWA” the other day and I found the video of that song on youtube. It was a bit frustrating to see that we don’t have a download option there and you have to visit youtube.com every time you feel like watching that video. I did a quick search in google and found a nice tool by Tech Crunch that can help you download the video and save it on your computer for later use.

To download a video to your computer, enter the YouTube URL for the video in the box below (example: MAN-O-SALWA Title Song). The video will be downloaded in .flv format - use VLC Player or another compatible player to view it.

Backup/Restore Large MySQL Database

Have you ever got a script timeout error while backing up your MySQL database via phpMyAdmin? Well if you never did, you will most likely get this error in future when your database grows to something over 3-4 MB. It is very important to do a backup of your MySql database on regular basis. Backing up a small database via phpMyAdmin is as easy as 123 but with larger database e.g. 2GB can turn out to be a nightmare. Here is an easy way to get around this problem.

You will need Shell access (SSH) to your server. Ask your hosting provider to enable it for you if it is not enabled by default. Secondly, you will need an SSH client. I would suggest “PuTTy” that you can download for free.

Backing up the Database

Open Putty by double clicking it and enter your details to login. For most hosting companies, this will bring you into the FTP root folder. Enter the following command:

mysqldump --opt -Q -u database_username -p database_name > /path_to/your_root_folder/database_name.sql

replace “database_username” with name of your MySQL databse username and “database_name” with your database name. Similarly, replace “/path_to/your_root_folder/” with a complete physical path to your root folder. e.g. /home/username/public_html/ and “database_name.sql” with name of the backup database file e.g. my-database.sql

Hitting the enter button will backup your huge database to the path specified in a few seconds. You can also have the output in a compressed format e.g gzip. Just follow the same instruction using this command:

mysqldump --opt --user=database_username --password=database_password database_name | gzip > /path_to/your_root_folder/database_name.sql.gz

Restore MySQL Database

Follow the above steps untill you login to your website through SSH client and type in the following command:

mysql -u database_username -p database_name < /path/to/database_name.sql

You will be asked for a database password. Enter the database password and voila!…

Best Monitor for Graphic Designers

As a graphics designer you will always find it difficult to decide which display to choose for graphics design work. The first question that may come to your mind is the type of monitor to go for. We have the new stylish LCD monitors available in the market at a reasonable price and on the other hand the big ugly conventional CRT monitors. Both have their pros and cons but if you are looking for a display screen that is good for graphics design then your first choice should be CRT monitor. I’m afraid that’s the best choice you are going to make. I am saying this from my personal experience.

I was using 17” inch Philips CRT monitor for the last two years and was happy with it until I felt a need of more workspace. I decided to buy a new 19 or 21” inch LCD flat panel and after some research, selected Viewsonic vx2025WM wide screen display. Unfortunately It was out of stock in the market. I asked my supplier to send me an alternative display and brought a new ViewSonic Vx922 LCD home. It was a big shock for a color sensitive guy like me when I ran photoshop CS2. The colors were absolutely no where nearer to the original colors used in one of the mockups I designed for my client. I tried to adjust the colors using the LCD color controls and I made it even worst. Initially I thought it has something to do with the monitor and may need replacement. I replaced it with 22” View Sonic VG2230WM and the result was same. Finally realized that I made the wrong choice. For graphics design you have to sacrifice your desk space for a big deep-freezer size CRT screen.

Update: Just came across Eizo LCD screens and I think they will go well because they are designed for graphics design. If you are willing to spend over 5 grand then Eizo ColorEdge CG221 is your best bet.

Count me in the Bloggers list

This is my first ever post in the blogging world and yes I am very late comer. I’ve been thinking of setting up a blog for a very long time but didn’t get enough time to work it out. Well, its finally here now. The skin I am using is the one I designed like two years ago but was not released for public use. Its currently being used by a couple of friends. Very soon, I’ll make it available for everyone to download and use for free! Check back for the updates