MacRumors

Matt McK took the time to write up this detailed step-by-step guide on how to replace the back casing of the iPhone with a black one. His tutorial follows...

Ever since the iPhone was originally announced I've always wished it was black.

When i picked one up the first weekend they were released I even thought about powdercoating my back to make it black. Luckily, CNN.cn came out with replacement silver and black metal housings to save me the trouble. Well, not entirely, as I'm sure many people have seen already in the earlier thread how the results look, but no where offers a "how-to "do it!

There are a handful of sites that show how to take the iPhone apart, but no one actually shows how to remove all the delicate pieces from the rear housing. I've swapped housings on a number of different phones, but have never run into one as complicated and delicate as the iPhone.

So everyone doesn't ruin their new toy, I'll try to walk you through the process here. I'm going to jump right into the housing assuming that you've already taken it off. If you don't know how to do that, google search and read one of the half dozen sites that show you how (Youtube video). This is the end result:

Parts you will need:

- new housing
- super tiny philips screwdriver. (The one I found at Ace hardware didn't even have a number on it. All I know is that '0' was not small enough.)
- small flat head screwdriver
- adhesive remover
- super glue/adhesive
- pen/paper
- patience!

Once you get the back off you'll be looking at this:

Note the location of screws and where things are glued to. I would suggest labeling all the tiny screws so you know exactly where they go because they are NOT all the same size. I took a lot of pictures throughout the process so i could reference exactly where everything went when i was ready to put it all back together.

Once you remove all the screws and electronic components you'll be left with the metal skeleton of the original housing. Quite honestly, this is the hardest part about the swap.

The skeleton is glued on by some crazy hard cement type glue. I couldn't seem to find anything to take it off so i finally went to Home Depot and picked up the strongest adhesive remover i could fine. This one removes concrete and flooring so i thought it'd do the trick!

Next, pour the solvent on the skeleton ensuring you get it in all the cracks. Let it sit for about 20 -30 minutes. After it's done its job and using the smallest flat blade screwdirver you have slowly pry away the skeleton. Be careful as these parts are extremely brittle. I cracked quite a few parts of it before i got this solvent and realized the 'proper' way to do it.

When you're finished you're left with this:

Actually, i think there are a few pieces missing from that pic, but you get the idea.

The housing will then be stripped bare with nothing left on it:

As you can see, before I went the "super strong solvent" route, I tried prying the crap out of the parts which bent a number of points of my original housing. No turning back now!

Once everything is taken apart, cleaned, and dried, it's time to put it back together. I referenced the photos i took earlier to ensure everything was put back in the proper place. i used superglue, but you could really use anything you wanted to hold everything in place. If you've gotten this far, you should realize how to put it back together.

Then it's simply a matter of putting the housing back on the phone and... Voila! An all black iPhone. For the SIM card cover i sprayed SEM trim black paint so it matched the housing.

Just a few of the many... out with the old, in with the new.

In Hexproject's thread he mentions it took him 3 hours and people balked at him thinking it should only take 30 minutes. Those people have no idea what they're talking about. I spanned this out over two days before/after work and finals. I'm sure it took me close to 3 hours as well. Plus, I had to run back and forth a few times to get the right parts.

The end result is just what i was looking for! I did, however, mess up one part and that was the silent/ring switch. I must not have noted which position it was on when i took it all apart and now it's stuck on vibrate! Frustrating, but i guess i'll have to deal with it. i really don't feel like taking the phone apart again. Anyone know if there's anyway to turn on the ringer another way than that damn switch?!

Other than that, i hope the post was helpful. Comments are always welcome.

PopCap has ported their Bejeweled game to the iPhone with a special web version which is playable on Safari and the iPhone.

iPhone users can simply go to Popcap.com which will redirect them to this iphone specific url: http://static.popcap.com/iphone/

Update: Arkadiusz Młynarczyk, the author of Diamenty, an earlier Bejeweled clone, is responsible for the official version of Bejeweled and is working with PopCap.

I am happy to announce that I've been working with PopCap Games, the creators of Bejeweled and other great casual games, to develop an official, free version of Bejeweled for the iPhone. This version is now available.

Zap! released a press release announcing that their iZap for iPod external battery works for the iPhone and will triple the charge of the iPhone. Aside from powering the device, iZap can also be used for recharging the iPhone's internal battery.

"The iZAP and iPhone are compatible right out of the box, almost like they were made for one another. You don't need to buy additional connectors or cords and with the iZAP cradle you can recharge your iPhone right on your belt."

The external battery costs $79.00.

One feature found to be missing from the iPhone is "Copy and Paste".

If Apple decides to implement this feature in the iPhone, the obvious question becomes... how? The iPhone does not have the traditional menu bar to allow users to select "copy" or "paste". What's interesting is that Apple has tackled this issue before in the Newton -- Apple's now discontinued personal digital assistant.

As the story goes, Apple wanted the Newton to have a true handheld operating system, rather than a shrunk down desktop operating system. Certain design features, such as Copy/Paste, exemplified this design goal.

To select text, a Newton user would tap and hold the stylus on the screen which would then allow you to select text. To move text, you simply drag the text to the proper location. To "cut" the text, you simply drag the text to the side of the screen where it would become "stuck". You were then free to switch applications and then drag the text to the proper location. To copy instead of cut, you would simply double tap the text before dragging it from its original location.

Obviously, some changes would have to be made as Apple has already assigned "tap and hold" to another function on the iPhone, but the basic method could be used.

iPhoneAlley notes that iFuntastic 2.0 has been released.

iFuntastic is an Intel Mac Version two brings improvements to the custom ringtone feature, allowing you to add ringtones from anywhere you choose. The ability to change carrier logos has also been added, as well as the ability to change the icon display order on the home screen. Just like version one, iFuntastic v2 is super easy to use. There's been a lot of work done to make the instructions clearer, when they're needed.

Requires an Intel Mac. Download link available (version 2.1.0). Due to the nature of the application, you should use it at your own risk as these hacks are not supported by Apple.

I hate to encourage more obsession about your iPhone screens, but iphonedpt.bravehost.com allows you to check your iPhone screen for dead pixels.

The simple application just blanks the screen with black, blue, red, green or yellow. Technically, yellow is probably not required.

Possible issues on LCDs include "dead" or "stuck on" pixels.

Jason O'Grady reports that he's noticed a high failure rate in iPhone AC adapters which seems to be confirmed by a few other reports.

I tested both with other iPhone USB cables, iPod USB cables, with and without the iPhone dock and in several known-good power outlets. Nada. Both phones charge fine when connected via the cable to our Macs so Im pretty confident that its the [power] bricks.

This has also been noted by a few members of our forum.

Have you had any problems with your iPhone power adapter?

I was at Target today searching for an elusive pair of size 10 peep-toe canvas flats that went on sale for $6. I'm frugal (not cheap). As I'm digging through the aisle of shoes, I hear the sky open up, and thousands of gallons of water beat on the roof of the store.

Oh, happy day. It's raining like no tomorrow.

I keep looking for the little shoes as the rain comes down. Eventually I give up on my little mission and sit down at the in-store Starbucks and fire up my iPhone to kill some time. I can't drive in that weather! My tiny Hyundai will float away!Ok, I'll admit it: Like any other college student on the earth, I'm hopelessly addicted to Facebook, the social networking site for (mostly) college students. It's a great way to keep in touch with my friends (two are in Seattle, one is in Canada, another in Spain) and a great way to kill time as you wait for a downpour to stop.

I'm browsing, I'm leaving comments, I'm amusing myself, I'm happy. Suddenly, Safari crashes. I reopen it, try again, and BAM! Crash!! I wasn't even listening to the iPod at the time!

It seems to crash only when one of my lovely friends has about 20 Facebook apps on their page.

Is this only happening to me? I know some of y'all are Facebook-addicted Uni students. Do you find your iPhone to be Facebook un-friendly? Is it Safari being bad or Facebook needs to be nicer to the phone? Perhaps if we raise a big enough fuss, they'll come out with an iPhone version of the site, much like how there's a mobile version. That'd be pretty sweet!

Arn/Editor Note: We've heard that Facebook is actually working on an iPhone optimized version and it may be here as soon as Tuesday.