Archive for November 12th, 2009

Several NASA scientists are working on a project called Cell-All - compact, low-cost, low-power, high-speed nanosensor-based chemical sensor for cell phones.

The device is about the size of a postage stamp and is designed to be plugged in to an iPhone to collect, process and transmit sensor data. The new device is able to detect and identify low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane. The device senses chemicals in the air using a "sample jet" and a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, which consists of 16 nanosensors, and sends detection data to another phone or a computer via telephone communication network or Wi-Fi.

Update: Here are new cool photos:

via nasa

This is quite simple. If you did a jailbreak on your iPhone you need to change the default password. Why? Because hackers can access your phone, read your mail, sms, download other data. The second reason is because there are already several viruses (worms) that use these default passwords.

Here's a quick step-by-step tutorial.

1. If you don't have MobileTerminal application installed: for 4.х and 5.x firmwares we have a good step-by-step tutorial, for 3.x just run Cydia, search for MobileTerminal and install.
2. Run MobileTerminal.
3. Type passwd and press return.
4. Enter the default user password alpine and press return.
5. Enter a new password and press return.
6. Enter a new password again and press return.
7. Congratulations, you changed it for default mobile user. Let's do the same for root user.
8. Login as root user: type su root and press return.
9. Type alpine for password
10. Type passwd and press return.
11. Enter a new password and press return.
12. Enter a new password again and press return.
13. That's it!

The passwords are now changed, and your jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch is now a bit more secure than it was before and less vulnerable to the worm detected recently.

Update: Step-By-Step Tutorial: How to install MobileTerminal on iPhone with iOS 4.x and 5.x