A lot of people are running into a problem when porting their old cell number to AT&T so that they can continue to use the same number with their iPhone. The iTunes registration software and customer service reps will say that the nummber cannot be transferred because it’s ineligable or that the other carrier wouldn’t release the number.

AppleInsider discovered that the problem stems from some obscure rule that doesn’t allow you to transfer a number if your zip code does not match the region of your old number’s area code. This is common for people that have moved and retained their old cell number — even if they moved within the same state.

In the case of the iPhone registration process, the solution is simple:

Lie.

When the registration software asks for your zip code, just enter the zip for a region where your cell number’s area code will match. Then, make sure to enter the correct information for the billing address, but when it asks you for an address where the phone will primarily be used, choose other (instead of same as billing) and enter a bogus address with the zip code that matches your number’s area code. This should let your number be transfered, and you can correct the bogus address later.

How to port ‘ineligible’ mobile numbers to AT&T and iPhone – Link

Apple’s press release about the iPhone development model says:

Developers can create Web 2.0 applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, and which can seamlessly access iPhone’s services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps. Third-party applications created using Web 2.0 standards can extend iPhone’s capabilities without compromising its reliability or security.

Is it reasonable to assume that those capabilities are built into the iPhone right now? Will they be exposed as JavaScript objects? If so, maybe it’s just a matter of guessing the right object name.

I installed the EnumIt bookmarklet (added the bookmark to Safari on my Mac, and then synced it over to the iPhone), and tried some obvious names like apple and iphone, but no dice. The usual suspects (navigator, browser, etc.) do work with EnumIt, and the list of methods and attributes is interesting, but where are these extended iPhone capabilities? If you find something, let us know here, and tell the folks at iPhoneDevCamp; only a few days away!

Related:

• iPhoneDevCamp – Link
• EnumIt – Link
• iPhone 3rd-party app support – Link

Over at Gearlog, Sascha Segan has posted a list of findings with the iPhone; what works, what doesn’t. It’s a great, condensed run-down of features, capabilities, as well as limits and let-downs:

Okay, prepare for an unreadable mass of raw notes. I thought you guys might want to know some of what I think so far. So I’m dumping my notes on you. Read on, and you might find some answers about the iPhone. Oh, and excuse the horrible Microsoft-Word-exported HTML. And the typos. This is the raw stuff. I’m going back to testing.

Hands-on With The iPhone – Link

If you’re a heavy iTunes and iPhoto user, you will probably quickly overflow the limited storage in the iPhone. You could dedicate a day of curatorial work to sifting through your photos and music to pick the ones to put on your phone, but if you want a quick and dirty solution, try creating a Smart Playlist and Smart Album that favor recent music and photos.

If you only want to hear music on your iPhone, create a Smart Playlist with conditions like this one:

Match

All the following rules

Last Played

is in the last 120 days

Play Count

is greater than 2

Genre

is not Spoken Word

Genre

is not Audiobooks

Genre

is not Podcast

Limit to

250 items, selected by random

(Since Podcasts have their own tab in iTunes, they are probably synced separately from music anyhow, but it can’t hurt to have them in the exclusion list.)

If you buy a lot of music in the music store, you can also force some purchased music onto the iPhone with a second Smart Playlist:

Match

All the following rules

Playlist

is Purchased

Play Count

is greater than 2

Genre

is not Spoken Word

Genre

is not Audiobooks

Genre

is not Podcast

Limit to

250 items, selected by random

If you’re using iPhoto, you can create a simple Smart Album that specifies “Date is in the last 90 days” and you’ll get all your recent photos. If you use more than one camera, you can add one or more additional conditions: “Camera model is not…”, and put your low-quality cameras in there, such as your cameraphone. That way, you’ll be more likely to get your most polished photos in the mix.

Once you’ve done that, go into iTunes, click on your iPhone, and then go to the Music tab. Tell it to Sync Music, but only the “Selected Playlists.” Pick the playlist(s) you just created. Do the same on the Photos tab, and tell it to sync only the album you just created. You’ll probably need to tweak the number of items in your playlists, and the number of days in your playlist and album to get a good balance of photos, music, and free space.

iFixit has their iPhone safely disassembled, complete with parts identification and photos that will help you through the process.

Why disassemble your iPhone? DIY repairs such as changing the battery immediately come to mind. As nice as Lithium Polymer cells are, my own experience is that they tend to die and not hold a charge after a couple of years. From the photos, it looks like a relatively straightforward soldering job to replace the iPhone’s massive battery.

iPhone disassembly – [via] Link

If I’m not the only person in the world using WEP, some of you might find this useful (I’d prefer to run a wide open network, but use WEP to keep random people from accidentally connecting to my network). I had a heck of a time typing in my password because the iPhone defaults to “WEP Password” mode. To make things more difficult, when the iPhone discovers a new network and asks for the password, I couldn’t find a way to switch modes from within the dialog.

So if it keeps rejecting your password, try something different: ignore the “Select a Wi-Fi Network dialog” and press the Home button. Next, go to Settings, choose Wi-Fi, and tap on your network name. Then you need to tap on “WEP Password”, and you’ll be able to choose “WEP hex or ASCII”. Once you’ve done that, click Enter Password to go back and type in your password. Click Join after you’ve typed your password, and you should be in!

Nokia recently launched MyMobileSite, which features a small Python-based web server that you download to your Nokia smartphone. It runs over your data connection, so of course it’s pretty darn slow. Nokia gives you a host name in the mymobilesite.net domain, and it’s password-protected. You can access the camera, phone log, contacts, and more through the web interface. Might be a good way to track down a stolen phone if you configure it to stay on all the time.

The web server is a free download, and registration is free as well. Link

Related:

• OpenSource.Nokia.com – Web Server – Link
• Nokia Smartphone Hacks – Link