hacksugar: Move past FieldTest with Signal
Missing FieldTest? It was a "secret" iPhone application that used to report all kinds of basic signal and connectivity details for your phone. You could access it by typing a special sequence (*3001#12345#*) into the Phone app. Field Test would list your local cell towers, their ids, relative strengths, and so forth.
Apple ditched Field Test in iOS 4, which made a lot of people sad. Having that information in-hand can really help with certain diagnostic uses of the phone, not to mention assist with home brew location calls. (Core Location has not been available from the command line, making home brew workarounds a handy asset.)
Now comes Signal. Created by iPhone devteam member planetbeing, Signal is now available on the Cydia store for $5. Signal brings back many Field Test style reports in a nicely designed package and adds some hot mapping action on top.
As you can see in the screen shot here and in the gallery below, Signal is like Field Test on steroids. It provides all kinds of cell information about the towers your phone interacts with.
Share
Categories
Missing FieldTest? It was a "secret" iPhone application that used to report all kinds of basic signal and connectivity details for your...
Add a Comment
I love the idea of this app. The name is somewhat dreadful. Try to do a search for it on google, and you can imagine all the helpful results you'll get. I am wondering if I let it run while riding around if it will tell me the actual locations of the towers. For some reason when I do this, my position isn't moving as I move.
August 04 2010 at 11:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply5$? Seems a little steep for this kind of toy.
August 04 2010 at 1:35 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWell... Did you donate for your jailbreak and or unlock???
Seems MORE than fair: 1) for the App OR 2) as a donation for the UNLOCK! But, you are accomplishing both! Don't be a cheapskate.
I don't even use an unlock since my phone is genuinely unlock after my contract ran out. The phone is has been jailbroken for 36h so far and I don't see a reason to pay for that.
I find it amusing that for most people here the devteam seems to be a bunch of angles, all the jailbreakers are just doing it for SBsettings and starting to get all moral on my ass for daring to say the price is steep.
I wonder where all those pirated copies of apps go to .. all those saints.
Just a little reminder .. a ton of people in the JB business are in there for the money and are interested in nothing else. Get this romantic hacker image out of your heads.
And yes 5$ for to know where the next cell tower is and how strong my signal is .. rather steep.
T.
Are we ignoring the fact that he said unlock will be released later this evening?
August 03 2010 at 10:35 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIs there anything like that for WIFI? I would love to be able to do multiple AP debug from my phone instead of having to wonder around (or leave sitting over night) a laptop.
August 03 2010 at 7:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThere is a great free tool in Cydia called WiFiFoFum which does something similar (though perhaps not AS graphical) -- I use it all the time.
Signal is awesome -- very informative. For those whining about the $4.99 price, get a life. You're using one of the most expensive phones on the planet, probably selling your first born to pay Death Star every month, and you whine over a fiver?
Ok, let me rephrase that for you. To me, the information provided by signal are not too interesting. I would try it one time, but in my regular day, I don't need this information. So paying 5$ seem inadequate, I'd much rather buy something that keeps me entertained for a little longer.
Sorry that this view offends you.
T.
Works great for me. Installed it this morning.
August 03 2010 at 6:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'd certainly try it if anything on Cydia actually worked. Jailbreak unbroken.
August 03 2010 at 6:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyList everything you've gotten from Cydia that doesn't work.
"Anything" really? You sound like PC owners that have never owned a Mac or used on yet generalize it away.
Element, LockCalendar, WeatherIcon, and Simple Background. Element and Simple Background were the reasons I jailbroke in the first place, LockCalendar was an alternative after Element didn't work, WeatherIcon looked useful.
August 03 2010 at 9:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeals of the Day
more deals- $15 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $8 for new Saveology customers
- Philips Fidelio Docking Speaker Station for iPhone / iPod for $38 + $6 s&h
- Retro 80's Case for iPhone for $11 + $2 s&h
- HHI 360 Dual-View Stand Case for new iPad w/ $2 credit for $12 + $3 s&h
- HHI ReElegant Smart Cover Companion Case for new iPad from $5 + $3 s&h
- Used Apple iPad 64GB WiFi + 3G for $240 + free shipping
Software Updates
more updatesFeatured Stories
more stories
Popular Stories
TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
12 Comments