The iPhone Serial Port Hack

An anonymous reader writes "The iPhone's little known secret, a hidden serial port, is revealed. 'The real benefit in all of this is that there are so many console packages for iPhone in Cydia now that you can have a fully functional computer, as useful as a Linux box, but without carrying around a laptop.'"

ipad

[Anonymous Coward]

i want to know why everytime i plug in my ipad the pc asks what kind of camera it is

Computer-Phone=Serial port?

[Kenja]

Could have sworn there was more to these computer things then that.

Re:Fully functional computer?

[idontgno]

How are you going to attach the tape reader/punch for the program tape without a serial port?

Re:Fully functional computer?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wirelessly?

yet another appleboy article...

[Kynde]

as useful as a Linux box

Sure.

What next? They'll discover a hidden parallel port and what? It's supposed to stop world hunger?

Re:Oh Christ No!!!!

[clone53421]

Pff. I’m still fiddling with gender changers, null modems, 9/15 pin changers, RS232 and RJ45 cables... oh, and this ancient boxy thing called a 1747-PIC...

Re:Computer-Phone=Serial port?

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Reminds me of the story from The Zen of Programming:

A novice went into the master's cubicle and saw a new computer sitting upon the master's desk. "What is that computer?" asked the novice. The master placed his hand upon a small box that was connected to the computer by a wire. "Behold," said the master, "This device controls what we see on the screen. The screen simulates a desk. For example, here is a filing cabinet and a trash depository. Here also is a typewriter and a calculator." "This is a wonderful invention," whispered the novice in awe. "It is not as wonderful as it seems," said the master. "Can you see the two desks?" The novice nodded. "One is on the floor, the other is on the screen," he remarked. "Just so. Now, is there something missing on one of the two desks?" The novice pondered for a moment. "One of the desks does not have a computer on it," he said. The master shook his head. "Neither of the desks has a computer on it."

Re:No, thank you

[Anonymous Coward]

My time is worth too much to play with hidden features that the manufacturer won't even tell me about, much less support.

And yet, you are posting on Slashdot.

FUCK! I had no clue that /. had hidden features... I am guessing that's where all the good submissions end up?

Re:yet another appleboy article...

[jiteo]

What next? They'll discover a hidden parallel port and what? It's supposed to stop world hunger?

Damn right, it'll feed people cereal in parallel.

Re:Next they'll discover the JTAG port

[multipartmixed]

Yeah, it's got a serial port, with TTL levels, at its external connector. Big deal.

You mock, but it IS a big deal.

This means I can plug my iPhone into my Vic-20!

Re:yet another appleboy article...

[Ksevio]

Then I can hook up my HP Laserjet III and print stuff off my iPod!

Re:ipad

[CannonballHead]

You're plugging it in wrong.

Re:Vagina

[opus7600]

Love how you classed that right up by adding a smiley.

Re:Computer-Phone=Serial port?

[hardie]

Even more existentially, one of the desks has windows on it.

Re:Computer-Phone=Serial port?

[Nadaka]

Even worse... MS BOB.

Re:Oh Christ No!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

two cans and a string

you must be an AT&T user...

Re:ipad

[Anonymous Coward]

You're plugging it in wrong.

My girlfriend used to tell me that. Now she likes it that way.

Re:Oh Christ No!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

What a surprise that the girls on /. aren't really girls.

Re:ipad

[shutdown -p now]

You're plugging it in wrong.

To be more specific, you forgot to plug a Mac to the other end of the cable.

Re:yet another appleboy article...

[selven]

Resistance is futile... or at least reduced by a factor of n assuming all the ports parallel to each other are exactly the same.

Re:No, thank you

[Walt Dismal]

Few people remember when the iPhone serial port was used to hack into a flying saucer and inject a virus into an alien space fleet, saving the Earth. And the President himself led the attack against the mothership. It seems like only yesterday, before these stupid people locked me up in here.