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Sideloading has been allowed for several iOS versions now. What are you on about? You could have just googled this yourself.

Like devices that don't have removable batteries, bendy phones and most of all holding it wrong, it's only a problem when Apple is involved. Other manufacturers do the same or worse - Samsung Galaxy S6 cracked at the same pressure where the iPhone 6 bent - and people couldn't care less.

It will be the same with Androids that don't have headphone jacks. Sure sure, some people have said they wont buy them. And next Monday, they'll still not be buying the Pixel 2 and not caring about it. Also on next Monday, they'll still not be buying an iPhone 7 or later - but whining about it.

Obviously not. From the descriptions the person would need to be looking straight ahead, without a surface pressed to the side of thier face, with thier eyes open. Maybe you could glue thier eyes/lids in the right direction or something. But it's far better than just a touch sensor a seven year old can defeat

Depends what performance. Single core, sure, but multi-core they get trounced. App performance seems to depend more on the quality of the app than anything.

Bzzt!. Not according to Daring Fireball.

Um, and also not if the Android in question runs something equal to, or less than, a Snapdragon 821, like several do, including the Pixel.

A fact confirmed by this Test, too...

Samsung is bending over backwards to try to make this right

Sure, they'll exchange your phone before it starts on fire. However, if it's already started on fire - taking some of your house with it - they wont return your phone calls.

When the iphone 4 showed up with a defective antenna design? You're holding it wrong!

Psst. Fandroid. Yes, you. Check this out for a second and count the number of Samsung devices on the first page. Now, what you were you saying with the iPhone 4?

Yes there's a difference in the severity of the problems as they relate to public safety - unless of course you're trying to make a critical phone call using a defective iphone 4. However there's also a difference in how the customers were treated. Apple customers are habitually treated like shit. Of course this is only one example of a company that thinks so little of its customers that it would blame them for a problem they created.

You were saying, Hateboi? Apple has dominated hardware reliability surveys since the Precambrian era of computing and smart phones.

ARM was founded in 1990 as a joint venture between Apple, VLSI, and Acorn Computers - they needed a low power CPU for Newton. Apple uses the ARM instruction set, but designs their own SoC and has it manufactured to their spec. It helps explain why iPhone is so much faster than Android phones in benchmarks unless the Android OEM cheats.

As an aside, the year Apple became profitable after years of bleeding ungodly sums of money was largely on the back of them selling down their holdings in ARM after killing off the Newton. Turns out that they made far more on this joint venture then they ever did with Newton.

Use iOS.

Great plan. Because as we all know, iOS is 100% secure and never has to receive security patches.

At least iOS GETS Security Patches, right? Now where's the same page for your non-Nexus Android phone? Thought so.

I happen to have a Nexus 5X and I don't recommend anything other than the Nexus phones, thanks. While it's true that iPhones have a longer support life than most Android phones, what you're failing to mention is that Apple quickly dumps support for the major iOS versions, so to get security updates, you have to bump up a major version. Since each newer version uses more resources than the older ones, the older iPhones slow to a crawl and become generally unusable.

That's why Apple sometimes releases sub-versions ("point" releases) that have changes specifically designed to address performance issues in older hardware. The most recent that comes to mind was, IIRC, the iOS 9.3.1 Update (later replaced with the more-stable (and slightly faster overall) iOS 9.3.2, both of which were specifically designed to improve performance on the iPad 2 and (IIRC) the iPhone 4s. Speaking of which, this site conducted an informal performance comparison between iOS 9.3.1 and 9.3.2 on iPhones from the iPhone 6 back to the 4s. If you think that the performance on the iPhone 4s for either 9.3.1 or 9.3.2 could be described as "slow[ed] to a crawl", then you are simply a liar.

I assume what mostly happens on those revisions is the re-nice-ing of interrupt priorities; but I am certainly not privvy to iOS internal development details.

If you have a jailbroken iPhone 4S (and only the 4S), you can downgrade it to iOS 6.1.3 through a glitch in Apple's upgrade system. I'm waiting for a jailbreak for 9.2 so I can do exactly that.

The method is described in detail here, it's a bit involved but it might help some technically minded people restore some life back into their perfectly capable devices.

How do I inform Verizon and Motorola that I won't buy an android phone from them EVER AGAIN until they start supporting their products with security patches?

Adults vote with their feet.

Join the mass-exodus away from Android and toward iOS that is already well under way in Asia.

They even made it easy for you...

1. Javascript benchmarks. They should be outlawed, period. They test the software (browser) more than the CPU. Also they are probably single threaded or close to be.

2. On-screen 3D game benchmarks. Because they favor phones with low-res display such as iPhones.

None of the benchmarks in TFA even consider RAM size and flash memory speed, which both have real-world benefits.

I'm sure that ALL of these benchmarks are done by Apple shills.

Right.

Oh, and whiner, I found this and this about the memory subsystem in the iPhone 6s. Glad you asked!

If you join the Windows Insider program (insider.windows.com) and install the Windows 10 Preview, your preview copy will be updated to the full thing when the GM is released. http://www.redmondpie.com/get-...

I'll grant you it seems a bit dystopian, but as someone who has been in the IT field for 20 years and has an engineering background and an MBA, I've seen this coming for a very long time... it's where things are going ; or, at the very least - where Microsoft is going to try to persuade everyone in the guise of it being for their own security. MS tried before with INTEL to create a "trusted computing" with signed boot loaders. They got it, but it can be turned off in the BIOS -- for now. There's been some discussion regarding whether or not MS will allow it to be disabled in their future Surface Pros.

As to the first law of computer security, look at Ipads and Iphones - Apple hardware and software with a locked bootloader and constant updates to patch the exploits used to jailbreak them. Jailbreaks used to come out within a few days of the IOS release, then a few weeks... now, it's been 4 months since 8.1.3 was released -- no jailbreak yet. If you upgraded to a version you can't jailbreak, you now can't go back to an earlier version as Apple has stopped signing the old firmware.

http://www.redmondpie.com/ios-...

But, Apple isn't sitting on its laurels. It's released 8.2, then 8.3, and soon 8.4 which is currently in beta. They're actively responding to jailbreaks - even calling the hacker teams by name that discovered the flaws and listing the specific exploits that have been patched. Hacker teams have even expressed their frustration as they've started to work on a possible exploit only to have Apple close the hole before releasing from BETA.

No one has a hardware hack for the Iphone or Ipad. It's all software exploits. Software will likely always have bugs, but Apple is hardening IOs against privilege escalation. I fear the low-hanging fruit is gone and jailbreaking will be a thing of the past for IOs in the very near future.

What's really telling is that my IT friends who used to jailbreak their Iphones (b/c it was cool... or they could hack it to install a browser with flash so they could watch HULU or some other such thing)... no longer care about jailbreaking their phones! They say it's too much trouble, they get stuck with older versions of IOs b/c the new ones aren't jailbroken yet... their TOS is invalidated if they have issues and want help at the Apple Store... and the Iphones really do everything they really want anyway without needing to jailbreak them. They've become accustomed to the DRM'd phone as-is!

If Apple can prevent jailbreaking their DRM'd Iphone and even get technically inclined (and pro-hacker, pro-pirate people at that) to not care their device is locked down, you bet MS could do the same for their Surface PRO and XBox.

But, it won't come as a hard sell. MS will say, "Here's an MS PC with MS OS, browser, office suite, games compatible with XBOX, Skype, etc etc... and it's locked down to only run our OS, our Apps, and a selection of approved apps through our store - and you must run all other non-approved programs in a sandbox/container/virtual machine so you can't get a virus from them. If you have a hardware or software issue, just call MS... and, if you upgrade to a new machine or have a hardware issue with your current one, your MS account has a record of your licenses and installation setup, so we can restore your PC (and your personal files are all backed up in the cloud for free through MS onedrive).

Don't think it won't happen -- Google practically did it themselves with Chromebooks.

Computers used to fill 2 story buildings, then a room, then a desktop PC... now most people are buying laptops that are desktop-replacements. Soon, our PCs may be as small as an Iphone. (the raspberry pi, arduino, mac mini, and a dozen other small form factors already exist). CPUs have incorporated math co-processors, modems, sound cards, gpus, northbridges, etc... it's only a matter of time before it's all system-on-a-chip the size of a credit card wit

It is a problem for me.

Try to get that out of your tiny (or gapping, what do I know) asshole (maybe it's just too much to try to get into your.. uhm.. ass to understand for you.)

Ohnoz, I'm wasting electricity. Thanks for telling me!

I've done that lots of years. Now I have functional sleep at least so sometimes but not always I use that which is much better than having it on. Hibernate doesn't work so I don't use that.

It is a problem. It may not be for you but it is for me. Get over it.

Windows did require me to restart, the restart after a week/a week + one day(?) was enforced.

http://answers.microsoft.com/e...
http://www.redmondpie.com/how-...

Now shut up stupid. It doesn't matter that your opinion is different. Mine is what it is.

I agree with you it seems like way too much. I'd want to know about the duration. Is this something like a 1 year or 10 year contract? Does it include things like free promotions from players: winning quarterback on why he did so well, "I always carry my Microsoft Surface with me in my car so I can study new plays to use against next week's team".

I do get the idea. We know from Mac vs. PC studies ( example http://cdn.redmondpie.com/wp-c... ) Windows users are: less liberal, older, more conventional in their tastes, late adopters. Which I suspect correlates fairly strongly with people who would be influenced by football and don't own an iPad but could afford one. "The NFL can afford any tablet it wants and they pick Microsoft. Sure Apple is good for artists and college students but the safe / conventional / practical choice is Microsoft"....

I don't think it is likely to be successful because people aren't that stupid. The reality is that Windows 8 is more innovative than iOS, less practical, less conventional and quite iconoclastic in terms of the userbase. The advertising and the product conflict.

Microsoft has the problem of trying to be all things to all people. Not an easy place to be.

Jobs was worth every penny after what he brought to Apple.

Of course it was, Jobs' salary was $1/year. He said he only got that to get the health benefits.

Still, he also got a jet out of the deal, and I believe he also got some stocks also. Which just shows that if you regulate the CEO's salary, they'll find other ways to get their money.

It's actually not a passive cable, otherwise it wouldn't be rotation independent. It has an embedded chip that does all kinds of nasty things, including authorizing that the cable is made by Apple (or a licensed third party). Fortunately this chip can be bypassed: http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-lightning-authentication-chip-has-been-bypassed-third-party-lightning-cables-and-docks-on-their-way-video/

If you Google you may have found this as the top result as I did:

http://www.redmondpie.com/iphone-5s-touch-id-requires-a-live-finger-to-unlock-wont-work-with-one-thats-severed-from-body/

The attack you describe doesn't work - you can't use a severed finger either. It's not so trivial to bypass.

Prior to Jelly Bean 2 (Android 4.2), Android didn't really have multiuser capabilities. How many Android devices in the field are running Jelly Bean 2? Many are still shipping with Gingerbread (2.3). And as I understand it, phones still don't ship with multiuser; only 7" and bigger tablets do. You have to root to get multiuser on a phone.

Perhaps this is true in the USA, but not everywhere else. I have Android 4.1 on my GS3 (unrooted), and it supports multiple user accounts.

Prior to Jelly Bean 2 (Android 4.2), Android didn't really have multiuser capabilities. How many Android devices in the field are running Jelly Bean 2? Many are still shipping with Gingerbread (2.3). And as I understand it, phones still don't ship with multiuser; only 7" and bigger tablets do. You have to root to get multiuser on a phone.

They could try selling them without warranty or with a very simple 30 day exchange warranty for defective products, but that could leave them with a PR problem when people run into problems with no way to resolve them and the blogs start filling up with complaints about how Microsoft sucks because they won't stand behind their products.

Then why do you see all this happening on eBay and the like all the time. Hell even Apple was doing it at one point [1]. No one cares about warranty at that price, which is a significant discount. If they do, they get "corrected" and there's fuck all they can say about it (see what happens with other gray-market sales).

The only thing standing between Microsoft and an eBay store auctioning or selling off the remaining stock is their pride and image. And that's a mighty hefty price even for Microsoft to pay.

[1] http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-now-selling-refurbished-products-through-an-ebay-outlet-store/

Even worse, look at the editor bitching about Netflix not working on Linux when it's a solved problem.

There's always malware on any operating system, including IOS. While Apple does a good job at preventing it, they can't prevent it 100% of the time. Here are a few articles talking about malware on iOS for those who think it doesn't exist.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/07/06/first-ios-malware-hits-app-store/
http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2012/08/29/finfisher-malware-goes-mobile-infects-android-iphone-blackberry/
http://www.redmondpie.com/another-malware-app-sneaks-into-ios-app-store/
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/238101/scitech/hacker-reveals-ios-malware-vulnerability-gets-punished
http://www.techpluto.com/ios-malware/

au contraire mon frere

They pulled that comment just a few months ago. Earlier this spring you would have found a claim that it doesn't get PC viruses (Don't be pedantic and claim that it doesn't get PC viruses because PC refers to windows viruses, that's a specious argument and it's a deliberate ploy to claim Macs don't get viruses). So yes, almost every currently deployed Mac was sold with the claim that Macs don't get viruses, directly from Apple.

http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-removes-its-virus-immunity-claim-for-mac-from-official-website-not-so-safe-from-viruses-after-all-huh/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/06/26/yes-apples-machines-really-can-get-viruses/

Apple never explicitly claimed that OS X is immune from viruses or that they don't get viruses, they just made a big hullabaloo about the fact that there is more malware for PCs (read: Windows) than there is for OS X. If Apple had made the claim that OS X in immune to malware they'd have had a class action lawsuit claiming false advertising on their hands the instant that the first OS X trojan arrived. So if you would be so kind as to provide a link to an archived page from Apple's own website where they expicitly claim that Macs cant get viruses we'd be interested in seeing it.

Good. So that only leaves two more idiotic patents Apple uses to ban competing devices, such as auto-highlighting the phone numbers on web pages such that they invoke the dialer app when tapped (what they used to go after HTC), or the super-innovative idea of voice search being applicable to several sources of items across the system (the primary patent in Nexus case).

By the way, slide-to-unlock is apparently still used by Apple in the case of Samsung Galaxy S3 (which they are also seeking to ban). Given that S3 has an unlock system that is even further removed from slide-to-unlock than Nexus (it doesn't even have a circle, it's just free swipe in any direction), all my original points still stand.

Windows is surprisingly ahead of OS X at the OS level, but lots of windows applications misbehave if you change the DPI settings.

Apple have already started adding support for so-called HiDPI modes (that you can currently enable with a hack) to OS X, which is the source of the rumours that they're going to release double-resolution "retina display" MacBooks real soon now.

They're also in a good position to get applications fixed, since they can dictate standards for admission to the Mac App Store. Although, unlike iOS, you don't have to distribute applications through the App Store, there are plenty of incentives for doing so.

Of course, once hi-def displays become standard, it should be easier to write resolution-independent code and rely on the OS to render things properly, without manually tweaking things to line up with pixels, and use vector-based icons without lovingly hand-optimising them for particular resolutions.

Challenge accepted. Weather app designs that don't look like Apple's:

Here's one unique design.

And another unique design.

And another unique design.

Yet another unique design.

Another unique one.

And another unique one.

And yet another unique one.

Even more unique designs.

And even more unique designs.

And it keeps going with the unique designs.

Yet another unique design.

Another unique design.

And the final unique design.

All of these look just fine and aren't inconvenient.

Relevant link.

It looks like it's the wrong link. This appears to be the proper article: http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-iphone-4s-5.0.1-ios-by-iphone-dev-team/

They're suing to protect their product, because companies like Samsung are clearly ripping them off, and it's obvious to anyone who isn't a raving Apple hater.

Hell, Samsung sells a knock-off MacBook Pro running Windows that has a mock Apple logo in the center of the screen to futher intentionally confuse consumers. They're even outright stealing Apple icons and using them in their store backdrops.

For some reason, Slashdot has completely ignored all these obvious instances of blatant copying and instead obsessed over the fact that Apple is "abusing the patent system," because patent system articles get a ton of page hits around here. But the fact is that Apple really is getting ripped off and is suing to protect its design work.

You could jailbreak an iPad2 at least since July...

And yet Apple persistently battles users who dare to jailbreak. They fight you every step of the way instead of giving a legitimate out.

Please stop acting as if Apple is somehow being nice or acting respectably in this matter. But you're SuperKendall, the resident Apple Cultist, he who will not be swayed from the True Path of Jobs.

You could jailbreak an iPad2 at least since July...

You Apple Haters sure are cute willful inability to even Google! It's like watching a little yappy dog bark furiously at a doberman.

It's always best to "uuuse the source" Second hand news is just so.. ordinary

This is a better link, and is where the images in the linked article are being hot-linked from anyway ...

http://www.redmondpie.com/jailbreak-ios-5-iphone-ipad-ipod-touch-successful-tethered-only/

Article images seem to be broken.

Here they are:

• First pic
• Second pic
• Third pic

Article images seem to be broken.

Here they are:

• First pic
• Second pic
• Third pic

Article images seem to be broken.

Here they are:

• First pic
• Second pic
• Third pic

> Apple doesn't hide rootkits in their software or media files.

Nor are they a content company like sony is.

Are you actually DEFENDING Sony's rootkits HERE, on Slashdot?!? Wow! No wonder you posted AC!!!

> Apple doesn't actively prohibit "rooting" of their devices.

Yeah, steve just loves those jailbreaks right? Its not like the appstore tries to prevent this or anything.

Huh? Citation, please!

> Apple doesn't pursue the iOS "hacker" community with legal threats, DMCA takedown notices, etc.

Apple tried very hard to prosecute people who develops and performs jailbreaks but where shot down by the courts. They also issue dmca takedown notices to any hacker community who would have the balls to inform people how to install or virtualize osx on a pc (Which is a 100% pure drm stye lockdown as a modern mac IS a high spec pc) regardless of wether they want to buy the software.

First, Apple had one opinion, the EFF had another. The Feds sided with the EFF. However, since then, Apple hasn't tried to do an end-run around that decision, like many Android Device manufacturers. No "fuses" in microcontrollers. No encrypted bootloaders. In short, no REAL effort to stop Jailbreaking. In the end, Apple respected the adversarial process. Doesn't make them evil. At all. In fact, quite the opposite.

As far as their prohibition against virtualizing OS X: As Apple has stated many, many, many times, they are a HARDWARE company. That is unabashedly they claim to make their money. Not from the sale of OS X. So, their prohibition against virtualizing OS X on non-Apple hardware is exactly in concert with their prohibition against installing it directly on non-Apple hardware. Their OS. Their rules. Doesn't make them evil, though. Just protecting their primary revenue stream, which is the sale of HARDWARE.

Besides, as pointed out in this article, it is quite possible to install OS X on, for example VMWare running under Windows 7, just like it is quite simple to install OS X on any number of hardware-compatible non-Apple computers. Apple says "Please". It does NOT run around like the Artist Now Again Known as Prince, (or the widow of Frank Zappa!), filing DMCA takedown notices of Hackintosh websites, or articles like the one above regarding installing OS X (illegally) on VMWare Server on Windows 7, let alone prosecute anyone who attempts to do so. Illegally.

> Apple doesn't embrace DRM every day, and in every way

Osx is locked using drm to prevent it running in a virtual enviroment (Which really sucks for developers),

No it isn't. See above.

and iPod is most certainly an attempt of a locked in device that uses both drm and propriatary formats to faux competitive mp3 players. Only the competition forced them to abandon this strategy.

Anyone can CLAIM anything without proof. But I DO know that NOBODY forces Steve Jobs to do ANYTHING. And least of all, write an Open Letter decrying DRM, like this.

> Apple doesn't infest its products with an OS (Windows 7) that has DRM from the driver-level up.

Ehh..What do you mean? And how does that compare to sony anyway???

> Now, let's compare the above to Sony... ....

How does it compare to Sony? Sony COULD install Linux on its machines (Apple doesn't count; because they have created their own OS). But instead, they have embraced Vista, and then Windows 7. I can't find the article now, but both have so much DRM that, even after Vista shipped (which was LONG after there was a "driver stable" version available for developers) ATi couldn't even write a damned video card driver! I guess

Here's the problem: it's not clear that anyone has ever won a "look and feel" lawsuit. (The legal term is "trade dress.")

Did the author did any research into this statement because Apple has won a "trade dress" lawsuit against eMachines back in 1999.

Nor should they. Fast-following and imitating is a big part of what makes free markets work. It helps competition and helps bring innovations to consumers faster.

There is a difference in copying functionality and copying design. I think if Honda or Toyota were to make bubbly sedans that look very much like the old VW Beetle, VW would have a problem with it even though their current Beetle is no longer as bubbly.

It's the same reason why Microsoft is suing makers of Android phones: to give Android a price.

If that were the case, MS would have sued all Android makers but they didn't. They only went after former customers who abandoned them for Android. If I were to guess the purpose of MS, it would be to keep a place in the market. MS competes directly with Android as makers can pick Android over WP7 when making a phone. MS doesn't want to be left out of any maker's lineups. Apple does not compete directly with Android because Apple sells hardware and the software.

Additionally, Android phones often compete with each other and WP7 on pricing. Most likely, Apple doesn't really care about what Android costs as they are making tons of money anyways. What is the term around here: Android phones are a race to the bottom?

Also if that was the reasoning behind the lawsuit, Apple would have sued more than Samsung for this reason. Why didn't Apple sue other makers over their Android phones for trade dress? Also Apple would have sued Samsung for more than the Galaxy line of products as Samsung sells other Android products. The question then is why Galaxy.

If you look at the Galaxy line, it is the line that looks most like Apple products. Whereas other makers and other Samsung models have different bevels, tapers, corners, etc, the Samsung i9000 specifically looks a lot like the iPhone when both are powered off. Take a look the comparison between a Samsung Galaxy and a Samsung Wave and a HTC D2. Now compare a Galaxy vs iPhone. When powered on, the UI is very similar. Again other makers and models used different UI themes, icons, layouts, etc. The Galaxy is very similar to the iPhone.

Will Apple win and how long will this lawsuit go on? I don't know if Apple will win, but at the very least, Samsung's next Android phone will likely not look anything like the iPhone 4 which is probably what Apple wants.

Wrong. The iPhone has had a 4.1 untethered jailbreak for a while now. It has also had a 4.2.1 untethered jailbreak since February. Also note, the jailbreak works for more than just the iPhone. 2 seconds of Googling would have landed you here..

I can see you're a bit of an Android minded individual, which tells me that we're not talking on the same level of consciousness.

When it comes to rooting a phone, you are essentially doing hte same thing as jailbreaking an iPhone. In the end you are still at the mercy of the handset vendors. The OS may be open, but the vendors and cell networks most definitely are not. Faced with a choice of letting the provider make the decisions, or the manufacturer, I'd choose the manufacturer every time since they have more incentive to make their hardware a popular buy, where the provider doesn't care once they get you under a contract.

You slam the parent for essentially ignoring Android, and then agree with the parent that the tablets are crap. The parent stated his reason (uncertainty of support from the manufacturer or the community) and the poor state of the current crop of hardware, both of which should be valid concerns for any buyer, yet you dismiss his concerns simply because he opted for hardware that will definitely have vendor support for many years, and has a polished interface.

I should also point out that 3G runs iOS4 with support directly from Apple. I believe you are referring to the iPhone 2g released in 2007 which cannot run iOS4. Unless there is some hidden Android phone I'm not aware of, there are none that were around when the 2G was released. Given it's memory, not a surprising call from Apple, however there is an active mod community for the phone in either case.

http://www.redmondpie.com/ios-4.0-for-iphone-2g-ipod-touch-1g/

A smooth Android install on an iPhone?

Here's a how-to that doesn't mention problems:

http://www.redmondpie.com/install-android-2.2.1-froyo-on-iphone-3g-2g-using-bootlace-in-cydia-no-computer-required/

Some other articles say it is a work in progress with issues, but perhaps those are out of date?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/196595/how_to_install_android_on_your_iphone.html

Perhaps you're braver than I would be. Have fun!

It's fair and equal coverage, just like Fox News provides.
    [/sarcasm]

    Microsoft and Apple won't ever die, when Mac Fanbois who can't afford their favorite toys continue buy copies of OS/X and install it on store bought PC's that were shipped with Windows on them. :)

    Long live the Hackintosh, for those who want *nix without admitting they are using *nix. :)

    Well, until licensing verification gets good enough where they can't be hacked around. Windows did a good job with 7, it wasn't cracked until 85 days before the official launch. :) OS/X 10.4.4 was cracked in 35 days, and subsequent fixes took about 2 weeks on each update.

    *Linux and *BSD on the other hand still haven't had any activation hacks written, nor intentional attempts by the publisher to disable your machine remotely to make you pay for a license.

    Note: I say "make you pay for a license", because some valid copies of other products have run into activation and continued use problems, which suggest that end users pay for their license again. Oh and dear god don't forget to make the restore CD from the vendor, which they put on the hard drive, so when the drive dies, you're stuck waiting for a mail order replacement or purchasing a new full copy locally.

http://www.redmondpie.com/os-x-10.7-wont-feature-app-store-9140689/

I not against jail breaking, but I don't like the idea that PDFs can be used to exploit iOS4.

It's pretty ironic actually. There is a fix for the PDF exploit, but your device needs to be jailbroken to be able to install it.

http://www.redmondpie.com/fix-pdf-exploit-in-safari-after-jailbreaking-with-jailbreakme-using-pdf-loading-warner/

The update isn't failing. You are safely restoring the software, but the baseband of the phone is upgrade as part of the iOS 4 update. So the 'failure' you are seeing is when the 3.1.3 software detects a baseband version that, to it, doesn't exist. This link spells it out for you.

You can still use .mobileconfig files on the latest 3.1.3. Just use the iPhone Enterprise Configuration Utility (official download from Apple site). I used it to change APNs in order to get PPTP VPN working.

Is there a tutorial or something available for how to use this?

The ones I've read are very long and involved, and involve jailbreaking:
http://www.redmondpie.com/fix-iphone-3.1.2-tethering-and-visual-voicemail-vvm-ows754/
http://www.redmondpie.com/enable-tethering-on-iphone-3g-3gs-3.1.2-firmware-eqw846/

You can still use .mobileconfig files on the latest 3.1.3. Just use the iPhone Enterprise Configuration Utility (official download from Apple site). I used it to change APNs in order to get PPTP VPN working.

Is there a tutorial or something available for how to use this?

The ones I've read are very long and involved, and involve jailbreaking:
http://www.redmondpie.com/fix-iphone-3.1.2-tethering-and-visual-voicemail-vvm-ows754/
http://www.redmondpie.com/enable-tethering-on-iphone-3g-3gs-3.1.2-firmware-eqw846/

Not a particularly interesting article, but I'm eating dinner and my brain is sizzled, so why not?

Then it all came crashing down. iPhone 3.1 came out. I had to choose between visual voicemail and tethering or consider jailbreaking my iPhone.

A search on Google points one to the website which holds mobileconfigs for most global cellular providers. Downloading and installing the appropriate profile enables whatever support is needed. (It's also how one enables T-Mobile's MMS and Internet support rapidly.)

I’m gearing up for some travel so revisited the topic of tethering. I was stunned when I spoke to AT&T tech support two days ago and they told me they support tethering. How did I miss this?! Then the guy said I had to jailbreak my iPhone. It seems weird to have tech support recommend jailbreaking. I guess that’s a result of the AT&T/Apple love/hate relationship.

They shouldn't be telling people that because (a) that doesn't require a jailbreak and (b) jailbreaking is technically a contractual violation. That could get that CSR in trouble. NOTE: I'm all for jailbreaking; my iPhone certainly is. I'm just being pedantic.

I tested it last night at home, but the real test was this morning. I stopped for coffee at Peets, booted up Windows, tethered my Nexus One, opened a ssh session, and drove to work. At every stoplight I verified my ssh session session was still active. I was reading email, surfing the Web.

Reading mail and surfing the web WHILE DRIVING? That almost sounds responsible. ALMOST.

I really don't see what all the fuzz is about in regards to jailbreaking iPhones. Doing so doesn't seem to cause substantial harm to daily operation. In fact, it enhances usability even more since it allows applications that would never make the App Store, but are incredibly useful, to get installed (ex. SBSettings, which makes toggling all sorts of stuff dummy-proof and FAST, MobileTerminal, Veency for remote control, OpenSSH for obvious reasons, etc. et al). It's not hard at all to do (though it does make upgrading more cumbersome; hardly a disadvantage, though --- wait, isn't jailbreaking an iPhone easier than rooting Android?).

Guess it'll be the iPhone after all.

I really do want to be able to tether, because we occasionally travel and don't have WiFi access and I want to use the laptop.

Tethering is indeed very handy and if you're willing to go to the trouble of jailbreaking your iPhone it can still be done.