iPhone clues in latest nano firware update? (+ weird findings)

I found these very interesting text strings in the latest iPod nano Firmware updater. The file is called Firmware-14.5.2 and is found inside the 2006-6-28 iPod updater package. (Use right click to "Open package content")

There's a big list of labels used for commands and variables somewhere inside the file, if you look with an hex editor.

Among the weirdest I found are the commands/variables names bellow...

Could this be enough to confirm an iPod phone based on the iPod OS?


t_feature_app_PHONE_APP

kPhoneSignalStrength

clPhoneMocksApplication

clPhoneCallModel

clPhoneCallHistoryModel

prPhoneSettingsMenu

prPhoneSettingsMenuView

prPhoneEnableSetting

prPhoneMenuItem


These are definitely not from the Motorola phones, as they are running a completely different OS. These are also not from the contact and address lists features that can contain phone numbers.


Now if it weren't enough, look what I found too, just after the phone references:

t_feature_app_MESSENGER_APP

clMessengerModel

clMessengerApplication

Can anyone explain what these do in the middle of the main iPod feature/apps list?

A messenger application to go with the phones I guess?

The following are presumably games that were not included. (found among other included games)

t_feature_app_SIMON_APP

t_feature_app_STACKER_APP

Maybe Stacker is a Tetris clone?

I wonder what a search feature could do on an iPod...
t_feature_app_SEARCH_APP
t_feature_QUICKFIND

Changing the main menu font could be a feature?
A long list of seemingly included fonts can be found elsewhere.
t_feature_EXPANDED_FONT_CHOICES

There is a few reference to a graphic EQ that would be enabled by some accessory.
I concluded that it was for the iPod Hi-Fi speakers.
t_feature_view_GRAPHICEQ

Now is this thing about AppleTalk? Or an instant messenger?
t_feature_view_APPLETALKBALLOON

A keyboard for the iPod? For the messenger app?
t_feature_view_APPLEKEYBOARD

A choice of multiple graphical appearances?
t_feature_APPEARANCE_CHOICES
prAppearanceCurrentAqua

prAppearanceCurrentBlue

A way to put a picture in the background of menus?
t_feature_MENU_BACKGROUND

Maybe a way to set a startup photo?
prStartupPhotoSettingsMenuView
prStartupPhotoSettingsScrollView
prStartupPhotoSettingsMenu
prStartupPhotoSettingsItemView
prStartupPhotoSettingsMenuItem

There seem to be a hidden built-in photo folder in the iPods that's used for retail demos. Anyone knows how to access it?
kPhotoLibrary_RetailDemo

The next one is a variable name, I guess that it could enable a wider range of movie formats to play on the iPod Video. (Maybe enable all .mp4 and .h264 to play even if they're not pre-scaled to 320x240?)
AllowUnsupportedMovies

I also saw many references to a brightness and contrast features, and ways to display and operate the iPod video LCD menu on the TV like Jobs did on stage at Macworld.

Among this list of variable and command name is this Boolean variable:
__USE_ORIGINALLY_PLANNED_FEATURES___

I guess that if this variable was set to true, some of the hidden features would be activated. Maybe we could even access the prototype Phone mock-up application?

(Edit: Oops, I forgot the M in Firmware in the title)

knneth, that's a very interesting command It would've save me time.

Now these are labels associated with functions and commands. Would it be easy to know which ID number is associated with which label? Maybe it'd be possible to find where those IDs are used as menu commands.

That way we could swap the Chopper game ID with the Simon game ID, reload the Firmware and hope it works. The same could be done to try to use other hidden features like the phone mock-up. Most of these are probably functional, and were just removed from the menus at the last minute.

By the way the strings about the phone don't necessarily that Apple is on the verge of releasing an iPhone. But it mean that Apple at least toyed with the idea to the point of making a mock-up that could work in the Nano.

Other new interesting things can be found in this Firmware, like tons of .wav files with the voices of Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe, saying things like "Congratulation! you just completed your first 100 miles!". Obviously it's for the Nike thing. Look for the "RIFF" string to find the beginning of these files.

The answer is simple udecker:

The firmware for the 5G iPod remained unchanged in the last iPod updater. The iPod (Video) Software 1.1.2 in the 2006-6-28 updater is the same as the one in the 2005-9-23 updater.

Only the nano and shuffle were really updated in the 2006-6-28 release.

Apple must keep a code base that is common to both the nano and video iPod, and usually trims out what's not used in a particular model. Seems they forgot about this in the latest nano update.