How they hacked the un-hackable PS3….

What Is a PS3 Jailbreak:

It was only till the 2^nd week of August when we could say the Sony PlayStation 3 device just cannot be hacked. But the modders at OzModChips are certainly ahead of all the 7-step security Sony has installed on the PS3. They have recently released a jailbreak which hacks your PS3 device to help you run custom code, backup games from the dump, and actually a whole lot of pirated content. The jailbreak is a small USB plug-and-play modchip which you plug into any model of PS3 and hack the highest security on a console ever.

The news of PS3 jailbreak is all over the internet, but very few know actually HOW it works. This article takes a hacker’s scoop on how the PS3 USB modchip jailbreak takes apart the top security I’ve already described in another of my articles. Some assumptions are from my own thinking, though.

How They Made It Possible:

1) The Modchip: The USB device is not just a pen drive or storage device, but it has a microcontroller chip which exploits the loophole in the security. Just like Sherlock Homes says, “a criminal always invariably leaves some clue” in this case, its not the criminal but the security itself which still had a loophole. The guys at OzModChips were quoted saying “It makes your PS3 feel it’s a developer device”. Now what does that mean? Its simple: the developers of PS3, that is the wise guys at Sony who made the security possible, also need their own way to run the code on the console while testing it. For that purpose, they used an external device via USB to convert a PS3 console into a developer console. The creators of the jailbreak released now, found the chip on the developer’s testing device, got it on a PCB, did some research and finally came up with a small, light, easy and plug-n-play device which looks like a pen drive. They make the console to appear as a developer console and then you can run any custom code on it.

2) Backup Manager: Having a way to run the code isn’t enough. Even though you can run any code, be it right or wrong on a dev device, there should be a code which runs a backup manager. At the moment, backup manager is the only homebrew code that they have released. What backup manager does is to dump the games from a blu-ray drive to PS3’s own hard-disk. Being a dev console, all security and encryption from the HDD as well as the blu-ray drive is broken already, hence its very easy to dump the game on the HDD. You can alternatively dump them on external Hard-disk as well. Dumping actually means copying the whole game from the disk. After dumping, you can leave any one of the original game disks inside the drive of PS3, and use the backup manager to “load” the dumped backup to play that particular game. But how does one put the backup manager on the PS3? As soon as you jailbreak your PS3 using the modchip, a dev version of the OS can be accessed, which can let you install the backup manager. Hence you can just insert another general mass-storage USB device, having the backup manager software on it, and install it directly in the XMB menu bar itself!

3) Free alternative: At the moment, even though many are claiming to have a free alternative which can install the jailbreak on any pen drive and use it, this is NOT true and actually installs a Trojan on your pen drive. Remember, the jailbreak is a ModChip and NOT a pen drive. It has the distinguished microcontroller in it which makes everything possible. Even if there will be free alternatives in the future, they will consist of using an already jailbroken PS3 to hack a clean one or maybe use LAN or Wi-Fi to install the code on the PS3 using your own laptop or PC. But its not too close, although it looks that way.

What might make a free alternative possible is to create a virtual microcontroller on your computer which has been done using Linux already, and use a USB cord to jailbreak the PS3. That is a difficult thing to do, but certainly possible. Only limitation would be to keep running your PC and the virtual porting software ON all the time.

What Sony Might Have In Store For The Hackers….

Sony would soon be busy making arrangements and ways to patch the loophole in their next firmware version. That won’t be enough, so they would ban those jailbroken PlayStation 3 consoles from PSN. Its also possible that they could identify the hack over the internet and just send a file remotely to disable the hack or PS3 itself, forever.

Also, if one wants to jailbreak sooner or later, he must make sure he doesn’t install ANY of the further firmware updates. But that does mean you lose out on some of the features Sony would be rolling out in the near future.

In my opinion, someone who would want a jailbreak won’t bother about having Sony’s features on their device. Because, anyhow in some days there would be lots of homebrew content on the PS3 to do things you might have never even imagined. Maybe one could enable a Microsoft Kinect device to use on their PlayStation! Finally, whatever Sony can release hereafter, can be run via homebrew content, and I’m sure the modders and freelance developers are capable of doing that.

To sum it up, Sony will have PSN bans, firmware updates and lot more in store to curb the piracy, but that can stop only the itty-bitty modders from doing so. Its very difficult now to stop the hardcore hackers from hacking the PS3 to the maximum, they now have got the one spark they needed to create the fire.

Beware of the hack fire, though. It may damage your console.

Why Hack? Stay legal, enjoy the paid game.

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Samsung Wave – The real BADA smartphone

Introduction

In the already overcrowded market of mobile phones and mobile phone operating systems, Samsung recently entered with it’s own OS called the “Bada” OS, and the first smartphone on this operating system – Samsung Wave.

The name “Bada” comes from a Corean word, which means Ocean or Sea. Incidentially, Bada in Hindi refers to BIG, and indeed, it seems this operating system will prove itself big in the market having huge competition in terms of mobile smartphones. The name SamsungWave signifies how flawless the phone is, just like a wave in an ocean! It also rhymes with the meaning of the operating system which runs it, that is, Bada OS.

Look and Feel

The overall design is slim and rounded edged which makes it easy to hold and use. Sleekness, curviness and enhanced polished body gives it the outstanding looks. The phone antenna is placed inside the main frame of the device, which makes sure that you get perfect signal quality irrespective of the way you hold it or keep it. This completely makes Wave a winner over some of its competitor phones, which recently became more popular for those issues rather than features… But be assured, its Samsung, and hence it has to have perfect design. Asthetically, Wave looks like the traditional Samsung smartphones look, with 3 buttons at the bottom of the large touch screen display. This phone is powered with Super AmoLED display which boasts to be much brighter, clearer and less reflective than any other display. It just means it has the best ever viewing quality on a mobile smartphone device!
The touch screen is a legend. Mobile smartphones rarely have such a responsive and touch-sensitive display like Wave has. The interface is designed in such a way that the look of the phone goes in tune with the feel of the phone. That backs the name of the device – Wave the flawless.

Performance and Style

Today smartphones are not just phones. They are not even mere pocket computing devices. Today’s smartphones are Consoles. Samsung wave points in the right direction when you say it’s a Console! To make sure the phone keeps getting the support it should, they’ve packed in a powerful 1 GHz application processor. That means a fast, smooth and responsive user interface, multitasking up to certain extent, HD video playing and recording and Flash video compatibility.
Recently many devices support the HTML5 technology, but not flash video which is widely supported on even the basic computers and gadgets. But even being a smartphone, the power of a great GPU and the awesome OS brings flash on the Wave. Just a perfect edge over its competition phones. The best advanced graphic processor brings all the power a smartphone can get right in your hands. HD videos play really smooth, and browser works without even a single second of lag. All those photos, videos and animations on the web pages are processed in a matter of a few nanoseconds, to bring you the ultimate user experience on this smartphone.

Browser and User Interface

Samsung Wave also has the best ever Dolfin internet browser, designed specifically for this beautiful operating system. The internet browser syncs perfectly with the advanced Touch Wiz 3.0 user interface, which is the best user interface ever seen on a smartphone. The customizability of Touch Wiz is so great that you can actually decide where you see what. That makes sure what you want is what you have on your screen.
On-screen widgets are the perfect way to stay informed, and stay connected. For example, the clock, weather and stocks widget keeps you informed of the real-time information and content right from the internet to your device. Buddies Now widget provides access to SNS services such as Facebook and Orkut, right from the home screen of your Wave phone.

Multitasking is implied in the user interface in a limited sense. All default native apps work in the background. That means you can answer a call or SMS while you are browsing, and come back to the same page you were browsing earlier. All in just a few taps! You may want to put that new song on while you use the calculator, you can do that very well, without losing what you were calculating. The multitasking feature, however, is limited to default apps and one Bada app. That means you cannot have two bada apps running at a time. But that doesn’t become a problem at all, as all you need is given in the phone by default.

Social Networking and IM

Don’t you just love to open up Google Talk or MSN on your PC every few minutes and instant message your friends and loved ones? How about having the same in a touch of the screen on the beautiful Samsung Wave phone… Email, IM, Social networks integration, Calendar, sync… What not… That means you can just make a few taps and get typing that status update you want to post on Facebook or Orkut whenever you want to. Twitter integration makes it even more connected to the world since tweeting has become the way to interact with others now-a-days. Mind sending that tweet right from a home screen gadget? Samsung Wave and Bada brings to you that power.

Samsung App Store

The perfect way to use applications on your phone is downloading them right from a store of applications specifically designed for that phone. Samsung takes care of just the same, to bring to you latest applications designed for Wave’s user interface and native integration. The app never faces compatibility issues or bugs, because it is offered to you only after testing and vigorous testing of the apps in the Samsung store by expert app developers.

In the view of developers, Bada platform is the easiest way ever to create applications. From the viewpoint of the end user, it’s the way applications should be. The touch screen controls, various phone-specific features are really very useful in creating the perfect app for your phone. You have the option to download the applications to your PC or the phone itself. Got no wi-fi around? No worries. Download the app on the PC and simply transfer it to the phone.

Multimedia and

Connectivity

The fun doesn’t end there. It just starts right there. Along with the 3G, GPRS, GSM and HSPDA connectivity modes, Wave has Bluetooth 3.0 – the fastest Bluetooth yet, built-in Wi-fi, and GPS technology to keep the fun going. Accelerometer, proximity sensor and the G-sensor makes it technically the best device yet having such amazing sensors built right inside the gadget.
5 megapixel AF camera with power LED flash with smile shutter, panorama shot facility along with a native photo editor makes the clicking experience a must have. HD video recording at 1280x720 resolution and playback makes sure you don’t miss out on the videography fun. DivX and XviD codecs are supported on Wave, which is a major plus from the other phones comparable to it. FM radio, expandable memory with MicroSD slot and a native music player are some of the more features to name. This is a multimedia console. For real. Voice and motion-sensor UI is one of the best ways to interact with your device, and Wave has all this and much more.

Physical Characteristics

Not only the multimedia features are important, but so are the physical aspects of a gadget. A device may have all the features in it, but what if its of a huge size? Imagine a feature-packed phone having too much weight. Would you buy it? Samsung Wave makes it a point to keep it a light, perfect sized and durable device to use. The full touch bar type design of 118x56x10.9 mm is the right size for a smartphone like Wave. The battery is 1500mAh, a little lesser than expected, but gives a good amount of standby time. Though battery backup won’t be too long if you record or play HD videos all the time. But that’s pretty much what you need.

Pricing

A mobile phone should not lighten your pockets, it should lighten your tension to purchase it instead. Samsung Wave is priced at a perfect amount of money which is affordable for such a great smartphone. The phone really is worth the price you pay.
Samsung Wave is priced at around 19,000 INR according to sources. That’s really a less amount compared to other phones of its genre, and worth paying.

Author’s comments

Personally I found this phone very useful to everyone out there, including the tech-freaks as well as multimedia enthusiasts. It’s the perfect gadget to have for professionals as well as students. Every aspect of this phone makes sure its usable to all the people. I’d say Go for it! Get yourself one of those beautiful touch bars and create a style statement.

Samsung Wave on Samsung Bada OS… FTW!

For specifications and experience of this phone please visit Samsung Wave Website

For discussing this phone on Facebook, you can visit the Samsung Mobile India official FB page!

Be sure to comment below and share this link on Facebook/Twitter if you liked this review! Thanks....

Does Apple really make the iPhone/iPod?

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Check out this is an "apple" iPod:

---THE HARDWARE---
CPU: Samsung
WLAN: Broadcom
Audio: Wolfson Micro.
Multi-Touch: Broadcom
Accelerometer: ST Micro
Bluetooth: CSR
GPU: PowerVR (MBX Lite)
---THE SOFTWARE---
What did apple invent out of this? Just the software that runs on it? Oh..... don't you be too nice at that too: iTouch 1G software was first built by Marvell Technologies. Apple just "improved" that OS.

---CONCLUSION---
Apple only "Sells" the device. Don't even make it. I hope Steve Jobs knows how to fix a broken button on the iPod yet. :P
---THE FUTURE---
Android, Linux, OpeniBoot, Virtual Engine..... all coming ported to iPhone and iPod. Tired of the apple OS? Wanna do something special using your so-called "apple" iPod?
Android is here!! iDroid

Motorola Mobiles Mods

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There was a time when I was very much interested in Motorola Mobiles Modifications. Some of them which I made and evolved with my own set of skills and knowledge of these phones and their mods:

1) A1RTunes Monster Pack for Motorola V3i
Forum Link
(Monster Pack = Single file when uploaded to mobile changes the user interface as shown there)

2) Multipurpose Audio Cable from Motorola Mini-USB headset Hardware Mod
Forum Link

3) Using a V3i with flip closed and browsing all the menus:
Link

I'm so happy some people still find them useful on those websites and thank me.... Now I can't dedicate time for that anymore sadly, but there isn't much scope to do so anyways, coz I doubt how many still use Motorolas.

Happy Modding!!

[Gaming] Grand Theft Auto IV

Criminals are an ugly, cowardly lot more worthy of pity and disdain than admiration. This is what you'll learn playing through the single-player campaign in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV. The series cheered (and criticized) for glorifying violence has taken an unexpected turn: it's gone legit. Oh sure, you'll still blow up cop cars, run down innocent civilians, bang hookers, assist drug dealers and lowlifes and do many, many other bad deeds, but at a cost to main character Niko Bellic's very soul. GTA IV gives us characters and a world with a level of depth previously unseen in gaming and elevates its story from a mere shoot-em-up to an Oscar-caliber drama. Every facet of Rockstar's new masterpiece is worthy of applause.

You play as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European attempting to escape his past and the horrors of the Bosnian war. He arrives in Liberty City to experience the American dream, only to discover his cousin, Roman, may have fibbed a bit in his tales of success. Starting from nothing, Niko makes a living as a killer and enforcer, a bad-ass foreigner who appears to have no morals. The longer we stay with Niko, the more we see that there is a broken human being inside, one who would give anything to escape the person he once was.

Don't worry, GTA's famed over-the-top action and tongue-in-cheek humor are intact, but there is a new level of sophistication in the characters and the game world that raises the story above the norm. As Niko becomes mired in the death throes of American organized crime, he begins to become more self-aware. Niko's struggles with his ruthless nature never inhibit the gameplay, but instead enhance the emotional gravity of a brilliant storyline. The more absurd the action becomes, the greater we feel the very real pathos of Niko Bellic.

Editorial: 3G Technology In India

From the time of telegraphs Indian telecom sector has witnessed an immense growth and has diversified into various segments like, Fixed Line Telephony, mobile telephony, GSM, CDMA, WLL etc. The telecom industry is growing at a fast pace introducing newer technologies. Even the network operators and handset providers are also coming up with newer value added services and advanced technology cell phones with multimedia applications.

Now it's time to welcome the much-awaited 3G Technology. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is all set to launch the technology by December 2007. Not only the network providers but also the handset providers in India are waiting eagerly for the launch of 3G to earn very high revenues from the value added services provided by the technology.
The technology is initially being launched on CDMA platform. The technology is being tested over various platforms and cellular networks.

3G TECHNOLOGY
3G or Third Generation technology is a convergence of various Second Generation telecommunication systems. The technology is intended for SMARTPHONES - multimedia cell phones. Video broadcasting and other e-commerce services such as, stock transactions and e-learning will now be made possible much faster. It offers 3 Mbps speed for downloading, which is very high as compared to that of the 2G technology. The 3G technology provides for internet surfing, downloading, e-mail attachment downloading, audio-video conferencing, fax services and many other broadband applications.

EXISTENCE OF 3G TECHNOLOGY
3G Technology was implemented in Japan for the first time in the world. Today the technology is serving 25 countries over more than 60 networks having its existence in Asia, Europe and USA. Video conferencing has been a major factor in the success of the technology.

CDMA2000 3G Subscribers Base Worldwide





3G Subscribers Base (in millions)




3G TECHNOLOGY & HUMAN RESOURCES
Not only the media and entertainment but the business sector too has started utilizing the 3G applications worldwide. Video conferencing allows two individuals at a distance to interact in the same way as they could have done in person. The technology is being implemented at various functional level of the business such as, marketing, human resources, etc.

Mobile Interview
In today's global scenario, the 3G technology will enable organizations and qualified candidates to have a telephonic interview in a modern way through video conferencing. Traditional telephonic interview and personal interviews may be replaced by 3G voice and video conferencing. This will reduce the cost and save the time of both the organizations and the candidates.

Conferences
3G technology provides for video conferencing which can help the Human Resource Department interact with their seniors at the time of urgency without wasting other resources. This can be very much helpful when the concerned person is out of state or country.

File Transfer
With the advent of video and audio multimedia and a faster rate of downloading e-mail attachments, employees in an organization can request any urgent file or report they need to present to the clients. This will again reduce the burden on organization's resources and increase employee effectiveness.

e-learning & m-learning
3G technology provides for internet browsing that will help the employees to surf and learn using their 3G cell phones while traveling (m-learning) or from home. The organizations can schedule training modules for the employees of other branches through video conferences.

Why Can't You Hack Your PS3?

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The PlayStation 3 (a.k.a. PS3) console was launched by Sony Computer Entertainment in November 2006 as a successor to PS2 as a part of their PlayStation series. Today it’s one of the best consoles available, and competes with Xbox 360 (Microsoft), Wii (Nitendo) etc.

Being a part of the “7th Gen” console device, PS3 has some excellent features. Along with those features, they provide a ‘PlayStation Store’ which has latest digital content such as game add-ons, trailers, themes and game demos. While providing game demos, Sony also made sure that hackers would stay away from this console. That means you cannot just burn a DVD or Blu-ray illegally and play it like an original game disk. Along with the piracy, Sony’s protection cannot be cracked to run backup disks, homebrew content or your own software. Below are the reasons why you can’t do all this:

1) Boot-up protection:
While a PS3 boots up, it goes through such a security check which hasn’t been seen ever on any console. Sony is intelligent enough to encrypt it’s hard disk. Every hard disk is coded to work with a specific PS3 only. When it verifies that the hard disk is genuine, it looks around for boot-up files. These files are hidden in the PS3’s encrypted file system, which is not accessible from outside. Only when these files are verified, the PS3 will start to boot. Even while it boots up, the boot and DRM files are checked for any intentional changes. After the PS3 boots up, the filesystem is closed and cannot be accessed from anywhere on/away from the console.
Even if you mess around with those files in the filesystem of PS3, it will simply tell the console that the files are “corrupt” and the console needs a restore. Hence there is no way to change/play around with those files which it uses to boot up. Also its extremely difficult to find out which files exactly are checked. Hence it is very very hard to get your own code to run beyond the boot up itself.

2) The 7th Cell:
One might think if this has something got to do with PS3 being the 7th Gen console. Coincidence, it might be, but this has a huge effect on the overall security. PS3 boasts a 7-cell technology that runs inside the beautiful black plastic body of it. But strangely, one can access only the 6 cells, and the 7th cell denies access to everyone. Even the game developers are not allowed to access this cell.
This cell is used entirely for protection purposes during the boot up when it passes the encryptions, when it verifies the Hard disk and when PS3’s OS actually runs. All sorts of security encryptions are locked and only this 7th cell has a key. You can’t access it means you can’t break the security.



3) Blu-ray encryption:
Even if some hacker, with all his modding and coding capabilities, bypasses the boot, HDD and safely encrypted filesystem by the 7th cell, its still not possible for him to crack an even harder protection… The Blu-ray disk encryption.
Since you are reading Techyyz, you must be aware what a Blu-ray disk is. A Blu-ray disk or BD-ROM has an excellent 128-bit encryption hidden within the disk itself. This encryption can only be cracked and read by a special Blu-ray lens. Even if the encryption is broken and code is bypassed by a hacker, you won’t be able to load the BD-ROM because it still has an internal set of files which make sure the disk is legitimate.
Now see from the viewpoint of a hacker- a Blu-ray disk is very costly, and retries cannot be done. Even if the code is bypassed, the BD-R filesystem has its own encryption to crack. Hence it is virtually impossible to load a non-legit Blu-ray game or movie disk in PS3.

4) PSN registration:
Sony has released PSN (PlayStation Network) for 2 reasons. One, to enable users to play multiplayer games online. Two, to facilitate the registration of each and every PS3 which logs into the PS Network. Hence, as soon as you register your device with PSN, your firmware, device ID, IP address and other information is logged with Sony. Having a hacked or custom firmware can ban you permanently from PSN. Imagine a PS3 without its online multiplayer capabilities, or without the PlayStation Store. Lastly, the 7th cell might have a trigger system that, if some hacks are found, could disable your console itself from being used unless you remove the hacks. Remember what happened to the chipped Xbox users on the Xbox Live? Same could happen if at all someone bypasses everything above.

5) Removal of OtherOS:

Sony had given a feature called OtherOS, which enabled consumers to load Linux system on your console and use it, similar to a Linux PC. But Linux means a terminal, and terminal means commands for a hacker. Linux was a possibility to enter into the PS3’s filesystem according to some well-known hackers. Even then, Sony had kept the GameOS (The XMB menu) and OtherOS filesystems entirely different and inaccessible from each other. Means when you’re in GameOS, you can’t access Linux filesystem, and vice-versa. This eliminated the possibility to run loaders and .iso backups of BD-R games. Also any remote possibility

to run homebrew content and code was eliminated.Even if it was so much encrypted, Sony feared that someone might crack a way between the 2 filesystems. Hence, they removed this feature later in latest models and newer software upgrades.

6) Warranty Status:
If anytime they find out any tempering with hardware of PS3, being opened or rigged with anything or even the software being non-genuine (the firmware or the OS), they will void your warranty. This means no more service from Sony, like repairs or upgrades. This is a major step Sony took to keep itty-bitty modders away from PS3 hacking.


7) Software Upgrade:
Last and most important step Sony took to curb any hacker cracking all the systems and encryptions is software upgrades. As soon as Sony finds out about anything bypassed on their console(s), they immediately issue a software upgrade to patch that loophole, making it impossible to breach it again in the same place. They have made it compulsory to upgrade the software if you haven’t, before you enter into PSN or login to PlayStation Store or install/play certain games released after that upgrade. Hence, to retain any loophole, you must keep your PS3 away from internet. Also, even if you crack the encryptions, you won’t be able to run anything unless you upgrade, and if you upgrade, all your hacks are gone!

All the above summed up means that you can’t decrypt: the boot-up process, the Hard disk, 7th cell, or PSN. Also you can’t use Linux anymore to try to hack into it. Finally, Software upgrades make it sure your hacks won’t stay on the device. This is what it makes PS3 almost impossible to hack.




Now comes a further question: Would we be seeing someone successfully hacking the PS3 one day? And the answer is in the hands of some of the most brilliant crackers out there, and of course, it’d depend upon how Sony defends them.
Sony, thus wants to suggest people not to try hacking it, and enjoy using the PS3 with it’s amazing built-in features. And yeah, the PlayStation 3 is so great, that anyone affording to spend it would enjoy it to the fullest. Free software upgrades promise more is coming to you, the legal way.
Why hack? Stay Legal. Enjoy the Game.

--Author: Hrushikesh Ghatpande.

--About the author: a complete gadget freak, loves to research and write on various technology-oriented chapters regarding gadgets, devices and operating systems. Likes to hack devices and operating systems ethically.

Note: The same post may appear on one more blog called "Techyyz". Author reserves the right for the reproduction, posting and linking of material from this blog post on any other website except mentioned. Take permission of author before re-posting this article.

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