Freeteor - Native iPhone app for WebTexts

vinnycoyne

Hi all, I've spent the past few weeks getting to grips with the iPhone (unofficial) dev tools and I've put together a little app called Freeteor.

It works the same way as the other free text apps, in that it connects to your MyMeteor account through WiFi (or EDGE) and sends webtexts through the website.

I ported over the back end of the code from JSMS, so big thanks to those guys for making that project open source (if you're unhappy about this project, I'll pull the plug on it). I've credited in the app, hope I haven't missed anyone else who may have been involved!

The app doesn't liase directly with the iPhone's address book (unfortunately I don't have the time/patience to figure it out right now), so you'll have to export your contacts into a VCard file and SSH that onto your iPhone.

All instructions, downloads, source, etc are available here:

http://code.google.com/p/freeteor/

I hope to improve the app whenever I have some spare time (not often), so feel free to email me (freeteor at gmail) or leave comments in this thread.

(Please note this is an early release and my first iPhone app, so be gentle )

vinnycoyne

Managed to get an Installer.app repo set up this evening after a bit of messing:

http://www.vinnycoyne.com/iPhone/repo/repo.xml (note the capital 'P')

Add as a source in Installer and do a refresh. There should be a new category called WebTexts, that's where you'll find the app.

Version 0.5 is also on the way, with a couple of small bugfixes. :pac:

fbradyirl

Hey there.

Best of luck with this app. I might see if I can give you some help with this project in a couple of months time when I get an iPhone.

From the JSMS Team

vinnycoyne

Cheers, any help will be much appreciated, especially if I decide to add similar features to what JSMS already has (i.e. message counter, support for O2 & Vodafone, etc).

fbradyirl

great i will be in touch. by the way, out of interest, how did you convert our java message sending code to work with the iphone? what process did you use to do this? did you use some tool to convert it to cocao?

vinnycoyne

I didn't use a conversion tool, I basically just took a look at how you were doing it and figured out how to do it in Cocoa. There's a great Cocoa website http://www.cocoadev.com/ if you're looking to get into Mac development.

By the way, I've made some progress with the message counter and added a few more bells and whistles which I should be able to release as v0.6 soon.

vinnycoyne

I had a spot of trouble with the the old repo, so the new v0.6 can be downloaded here:

http://myrepospace.com/repo/lackofcolour

Remove the old repo in Installer and add this new one.

Freeteor will be available for download in the "lackofcolour - mRs" category.

I will be using this new URL for all future updates.

vinnycoyne

I've received quite a few requests for O2 support, so I finally got around to adding it in v0.7.

If you already have http://myrepospace.com/repo/lackofcolour in your Installer.app sources list, you should see the update.

The app can also be downloaded from: http://code.google.com/p/freeteor/

Freeteor now supports the following for both Meteor & O2:

- Multi part messaging for messages greater than 160 chars.
- Auto CC - send a copy of every message to yourself.
- Ability to check no of remaining messages.
- Customisable contact list.
- Sent message history.

I will also look into adding Vodafone support in a future update.

fbradyirl

Nice work! Hope you don't mind me posting about Freeteor on the JSMS blog.

vinnycoyne

fbradyirl wrote: »

Nice work! Hope you don't mind me posting about Freeteor on the JSMS blog.

No problem at all! Much appreciated, cheers!

spidermonkey

this is brilliant! I've been using jsms ony mac for months and it wprks a treat! I have an iphone, I'm not jailbroken though, are there anylong term plans for this to be a legit app? I'D gladly pay a few euro for this!!
And I'm a designer too if ye want a hand with the visual side of things.
All the best,
Shane

spidermonkey

I see on the google code page that you will be making it available through the app store and for free too! Thank you!!! Looking forward to it

vinnycoyne

cheers!

yeah i have a functioning version for o2 and Meteor ready to go to the App Store. i'm holding it back until i can test it out on my own iPhone just to make sure (it works fine in the simulator).

i'll also be adding in vodafone support, but i'm having a bit of trouble with my account at the moment, so that might take a while...

anyway, you can follow my progress with the app here.

chrislad

Excellent. Would save me having to get a text add on for my iPhone contract. Good on ya!

vinnycoyne

Cool

Whether Apple will allow the app into the AppStore is still debatable, but I think it's worth a shot...

Failing that, it will still be available for jailbroken iPhones.

spidermonkey

thats brilliant, like chrislad said, it would save on the purchacing of a text add-on. itd be briliant if it eventually used the iphone contact list!

well done lackofcolour!

vinnycoyne

Thanks! Yep the AppStore/2.0 version will definitely have full contact list integration. I'll also be renaming the app to EirText to make it more generic (as Freeteor started off Meteor specific).

Samsung

Ho do i get this onto my phone using WinSCP?
I have all the files downloaded but i dont know how WinSCP.
Thanks

vinnycoyne

Samsung wrote: »

Ho do i get this onto my phone using WinSCP?
I have all the files downloaded but i dont know how WinSCP.
Thanks

I am assuming that you have a Jailbroken iPhone?


The easiest way to install is to use Installer and add http://myrepospace.com/repo/lackofcolour to your Sources.



alternatively, if you don't have Installer....

First you need to unzip the .zip file so that you have a Freeteor.app file on your PC.

Next, on your iPhone, go into Settings -> General -> Network -> Wi-Fi and click the blue arrow icon next to the WiFi network you are connected to.

Take note of your IP Address.

In WinSCP, enter your IP Address into the Host Name field.
Username: root
Password: alpine (or dottie)

Click Yes if a box pops up.

You'll need to navigate to the /Applications folder.

Copy across the Freeteor.app into this folder.

Next, right-click on Freeteor.app and make sure that there is a tick in the boxes next to the R and X for Owner, Group and Others. Tick the box next to "Set group, owner and permissions recursively" and click OK.

Restart your iPhone and the app's icon should be sitting on your screen.

Samsung

No im not jailbroken yet becuse i am running 2.0
Can i still run this?

vinnycoyne

No, but I'm working on a version for firmware 2.0 that I hope to release through the App Store. I'll update here when that happens.

Basq

Excellent work lackofcolour.. this was something I had planned to release but due to downgrading to Tiger, writing native apps for the iPhone wasn't possible due to my version of XCode (etc.)

Haven't installed but will give it a shot later.

Samsung

Cool thanks

vinnycoyne

If you have a pwned / jailbroken firmware 2.0 iPhone, I now have an early version of Eirtext available - see this post for more info.

Please note that support is for Meteor & O2 only.

You'll need to have OpenSSH installed (from Cydia) to get the app onto your iPhone. I have no idea if it will work on your phone, but I have it running nicely on mine here

Basq

lackofcolour,

Worked perfectly on my jailbroken first-gen iPhone on 2.0.

Absolutely top-notch work.. thanks!

vinnycoyne

basquille wrote: »

lackofcolour,

Worked perfectly on my jailbroken first-gen iPhone on 2.0.

Absolutely top-notch work.. thanks!

Thanks basquille, that's great to hear!

randombar

Hey Basq, any instructions on how to do this?

Lads how do I open that nice GUI development stuff that I saw on the apple open day?

vinnycoyne

GaryCocs wrote: »

Hey Basq, any instructions on how to do this?

Lads how do I open that nice GUI development stuff that I saw on the apple open day?

First you'll need to install OpenSSH. If you jailbroke your iPhone using Pwnage, you should have Cydia on your phone already. Use that to install OpenSSH.

If you're using Windows use WinSCP, use CyberDuck for Mac:

Next, on your iPhone, go into Settings -> Wi-Fi and click the blue arrow icon next to the WiFi network you are connected to.

Take note of your IP Address.

In WinSCP, enter your IP Address into the Host Name field.
In CyberDuck click File and Open Connection... Select SFTP and enter your iPhone IP address in the Server field.

Username: root
Password: alpine

Click Yes or Allow if a box pops up.

You'll need to navigate to the /Applications folder and copy the EirText.app into that folder. Then restart your iPhone.


If you go to http://developer.apple.com/iphone you can download the iPhone SDK & Xcode tools, which allow you to develop apps for the iPhone. It is Mac only at the moment.

randombar

nice one for that, I've down loaded de massive file sdk but stupidly don't know how to start de app?

EDIT: xcode app, ahh yes silly me!

vinnycoyne

Glad you got it working. Have fun!

su_dios

This is a great idea and great app. Love everything about it but I have a few questions and comments.

How does the vcard thing work for contacts? Also if I type a number in using the '123' option is there a way of adding a contact from the app? Like recent numbers or something.

I have entered my meteor number and my 4 digit pincode(original/current) but I'm not sure its logging in for me. It says my message count is unavailable and I have tried sending some test messages to myself but none delivered. Any ideas?

This is a brilliant app though! Fair play

vinnycoyne

Hi su_dios, it sounds like you're using Freeteor, which has been put on the back burner since I started working on EirText. If you are running firmware 2.0 on your iPhone, I'd recommend installing EirText instead.

Message count no longer works for Meteor and the sending feature of 0.7 broke when Meteor changed their website. I'd suggest checking for updates (latest version is 0.8) in installer (make sure you have http://myrepospace.com/repo/lackofcolour added in sources). If you're still stuck, make sure you can log into the Meteor website from your computer just in case.

http://code.google.com/p/freeteor/ has a guide to installing the VCard on your phone. I had a lot of problems integrating Freeteor with the iPhone contact list so it was necessary to make a separate list and store it locally. This has been fixed in EirText.

su_dios

lackofcolour wrote: »

Hi su_dios, it sounds like you're using Freeteor, which has been put on the back burner since I started working on EirText. If you are running firmware 2.0 on your iPhone, I'd recommend installing EirText instead.

Message count no longer works for Meteor and the sending feature of 0.7 broke when Meteor changed their website. I'd suggest checking for updates (latest version is 0.8) in installer (make sure you have http://myrepospace.com/repo/lackofcolour added in sources). If you're still stuck, make sure you can log into the Meteor website from your computer just in case.

http://code.google.com/p/freeteor/ has a guide to installing the VCard on your phone. I had a lot of problems integrating Freeteor with the iPhone contact list so it was necessary to make a separate list and store it locally. This has been fixed in EirText.

Ok cool. I may wait a few days then. I'm waiting for installer to be released and a few main apps I use to be updated before I switch over. Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to using this.

randombar

Hi,
For some reason the program is crashing on my iphone? It loads up and then just goes back to my home screen?
Anyone else have this?
Thanks
Gary

vinnycoyne

hmm that's strange, although i've heard of it happening to other apps on fw 2.0. try restarting your iphone and see if that helps.

randombar

Ya I've done a restart with no joy.

One thing I did note was the folder I put it in wasn't really /Applications it was /(shortcut to applications) where all the other applications were!

vinnycoyne

no that sounds about right, it's a symlink to another folder. it's the same on mine.

you could try delete the EirText preferences file in /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/

it's a .plist file in there, i can't remember the exact name of it off the top of my head...

randombar

Will give it a whirl when I get home, the wireless at work is a bit weird connecting to the iphone!

vinnycoyne

no probs, let me know how you get on.

by the way, i've submitted the app in it's current form to apple for app store approval. fingers crossed it gets accepted...

Basq

Best of luck lackofcolour.

I reckon you could charge a euro or two for it. It'd says people a fortune in the long run.

vinnycoyne

Cheers. I think it'd be wrong to charge for it though, seeing as it's essentially a port of the JSMS sending code. I might set up a donations link or something, but I'm not all that bothered really.

Username!

@lackofcolour

First of all, I'd like to say how great this application is to use, it's exacly what I need.

Secondly, are you doing any work on it to get it working on 2.0, because I'm getting my new iPhone this week and I'd love to have in on it.

Cheers!

Basq

Username! wrote: »

@lackofcolour

Secondly, are you doing any work on it to get it working on 2.0, because I'm getting my new iPhone this week and I'd love to have in on it.

It is working on 2.0.

See here!

TrueDub

Does it work on Vodafone? I know a few posts back you said you were working on it, but I may have missed an announcement where you said it was working.

vinnycoyne

sorry, no vodafone support yet. i'd recommend using basquille's web app for the moment: iphonetext.basquille.net

Username!

basquille wrote: »

It is working on 2.0.

See here!

Brilliant, thanks!

mrs.ljungberg

How do I get my contacts saved on this?
Im on 1.1.4 and using Freeteor v 0.8
Its working perfectly but I cant figure out how to save my contacts

Basq

mrs.ljungberg wrote: »

How do I get my contacts saved on this?
Im on 1.1.4 and using Freeteor v 0.8
Its working perfectly but I cant figure out how to save my contacts

Are you on Mac or Windows mrs.ljungberg?

Either way:

Mac

1. Open Address Book and Ctrl-Click on All.
2. Click on Export Group VCard and save the file as Freeteor.
3. Use an app like CyberDuck to SSH to your iPhone / iPod (Open a new SFTP connection to your iPod / iPhone's WiFi IP address, using root as username and alpine as password).
4. Copy the Freeteor.vcf file to the following location: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/

Windows

1. Windows users will need to download and install a third-party plugin for Outlook / Outlook Express that will export all contacts in a VCard file : http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=freeware+outlook+export+vcf&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
2. Use an app like WinSCP to SSH to your iPhone / iPod (Open a new connection to your iPod / iPhone's WiFi IP address, using root as username and alpine as password).
3. Copy the Freeteor.vcf file to the following location: /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/

spidermonkey

any update lack of colour? any feedback from apple wheather they will stock it in the app store?

vinnycoyne

no feedback from apple yet. it was submitted a couple of weeks ago and has been "in review" since. i've heard of apps taking up to six weeks to get approval so i'm not expecting it to be approved anytime soon.

while i'm here, i've made some progress on the vodafone side of things and hope to add it to version 1.1

vinnycoyne

hi guys, just letting you all know that i've finally implemented vodafone support into EirText and i've also set up a Cydia source for easy download & install.

simply open cydia, click on manage, sources, edit. click on add and enter the following (case-sensitive):

http://vinnycoyne.com/iPhone/cydia/

once that's done, click on sections and then on SMS and you should see EirText v1.1 there.