iPhone 3G blog

Quick Tip: using the headphone clicker

wolfie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:53:45 +0000

The iPhone’s earbuds come with a built in mic on the right-side for talking handsfree. Next to this microphone is a clicker button.

Here’s some quick tips for the button to make your life easier:

Click once to answer a call, click once again to hang up.
Click once to pause music, click once again to start music.
Click twice (quickly) to skip forward to the next track.
Click three times (quickly) to skip back to the previous track.

Is iPhone right for Me?

wolfie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:20:28 +0000

Is it the right choice ?

Few gadgets have been hyped, scrutinized, rumored, criticized, worshipped, loved, hated, and adored as much as Apple’s 3G iPhone.

But is iPhone the right phone for you?

I’m going to give you an objective, impartial review of the iPhone 3G to help you decide whether this much-hyped phone is suited for you. Yes, the iPhone is a great gadget that can do lots of cool stuff, but there are a few basic things lacking – so it’s important you understand what you’re getting yourself into. This article delves into the more subtle everyday features (and lack-of) which will affect your decision on whether or not an iPhone is suited for your everyday life. Think of this is the impartial “I told you so” before you committ to buy, so that you’re under no misguided pretences about what this device can, and can’t do.

Note: This article is written in the context of “out-of-the-box” – i.e. what the phone can and cannot do either in it’s native state, or at least using Apple-approved 3rd party applications (add-ons) sourced from the official App Store (in iTunes). Some unofficial solutions are available if you are prepared to “Jailbreak” (i.e. hack) your iPhone – a process by which you can install unofficial 3rd party applications on your iPhone.

There’s no doubt this is an incredible piece of technology. Apple has revolutionized the design and interface of the mobile phone – their philosophy is admirable: if you need an instruction book, it’s too hard.

The iPhone user interface makes it very easy for everyone to access some useful and advanced features which are probably also available on your existing phone, but you’d have little idea how to access them because they are hidden deep within a complex menu system, which you’ll only discover after reading your phone’s 100 page user manual.

For example, when you’re on a call it’s very easy to place the call on hold, make a 2nd call, switch back and forth between the two, merge the calls into a conference call, mute the microphone or turn on the speakerphone for hands free operation.

It’s a pleasure to use and have easy instant access to those advanced features which would normally be a nightmare to find on a traditional phone.

The iPhone is indeed intuitive and easy to use.

But let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Believe it or not, there ARE some features lacking on the iPhone which many of us have grown up with, and may take a bit of getting used to living without. These are the things you should be aware of before committing to buy an iPhone -

No Picture Messaging (MMS) / No Bluetooth File Transfers

You need to understand the iPhone is built around Internet communication. While it supports traditional text (SMS) messaging (and does this very nicely), you cannot send picture messages (MMS).

But you can easily share pictures with email, or 3rd party social networking applications like the free Twitterrific application (that allows you to upload and share pictures with your Twitter friends).

Also be aware there is no Bluetooth send/receive of pictures or files – so if you like getting with your friends and Bluetoothing pictures and sounds to each other forget it – you can’t do it with an iPhone.

So if you’re addicted to MMS or Bluetooth File sharing – the iPhone is not for you.

Not a great Camera Phone

The iphone does a stunning job at organising and viewing photos. You’ve probably seen the demos where you flick pictures across the screen to browse through the album, pinch to zoom, unpinch to unzoom, rotate the phone, etc.. It’s all very impressive.

But what’s lacking is the iPhone’s ability to take good quality pictures.

The camera is very basic 2 megapixel camera. There is no zoom, no focus control, no macro mode or lighting controls, and no flash. Just very simple point-and-shoot.

Furthermore, you cannot record video with the iPhone.

So if you need video, or a high quality camera, or video conferencing – then the iPhone is not for you. But if you’re happy with a simple point-and-shoot basic camera, coupled with it’s ability to display images either captured on your phone or synced from your computer on it’s beautiful bright hi-res screen, this phone will certainly not disappoint you.

Beware the Battery

The iPhone is a feature packed device, but those features can be a drain on the battery supply.

Gaming, video watching, web surfing and GPS location services all take their toll on the iPhone’s battery. If you consider yourself a “power user” you might be disappointed to find the battery screaming for more juice before lunch.

You can probably get about 24 hours of listening to audio from a full battery charge, or 3-4 hours of watching video or gaming, or 2 hours of GPS navigating. That will give you an idea of the battery overhead on top of the normal “phone” functions.

There are tips and tricks to conserving your battery, which I have documented here.

I’m not saying the battery is bad. There’s just a lot of features draining the battery – it all gets down to how you use it. To say the battery life is “worse” than other phones isn’t a valid comparison if you’re gaming, email, using the GPS, watching videos, or using the iPod all day. The battery life comparison with other ordinary phones isn’t fair because you don’t do all this stuff on other ordinary phones.

So a cautionary note to the die hard power users: be prepared to carry your charger with you to get through the day, and on the plus side, you’ll find the phone super fast to juice up.

For the ordinary phone user – the battery life won’t be such an issue, and has improved substantially since the 2.1 software update.

Weak 3G reception and call dropouts?

You may have heard about the complaints of call dropouts and poor coverage and signal strength indications, with various rumors and theories of a bad 3G chip in the phone or a bad software driver.

Thankfully Apple’s 2.1 software update appears to have addressed these issues so it appears to have been software related. Independent tests have shown the iPhones antenna to be on-par with other quality phones, and since updating the software I can report my iPhone receives as equally reliable, if not better, reception than my last Nokia 3G phone.

Touch screen keyboard

People with big fingers tend to complain about the iphone’s small touch keyboard when entering text. Especially the first few times using it.

In fact, soon after buying my iPhone I wondered if I’d made a mistake in buying it – my thumbs just seemed too big. It was clumsy and there were some keys that I just couldn’t seem to hit properly.

All I can suggest is stick with it. The more you practice the easier it gets and soon you’ll be typing almost as fast as a full size keyboard. It seems hard to imagine at first but just try it and stick with it. Your thumb-eye coordination quickly adapts, and there are many tips and shortcuts for typing on the iPhone – such as auto-correct, which can help you use the keyboard more efficiently.

At the end of the day it gets down to personal preference, but I must advise not to base negative assumptions of the keyboard entry on just trying one for just a few minutes – you really do need a few days to settle in to the keyboard.

My advice – trust the keyboard, let it correct your minor typos as you go, and you’ll soon soon be typing with speed and accuracy.

Syncing with iTunes

Out-of-the-box the iPhone is designed to be synced with iTunes, so you’ll need to have the latest version of iTunes loaded on your Mac or PC.

If you’ve already owned an Apple iPod, you will already have embraced the use of iTunes, and plugging in your iPhone to iTunes will come naturally. But if this is your first Apple device, the iTunes experience may come as a bit of a shock.

iTunes is Apple’s all-in-one media manager. It is an official requirement of the iPhone that you have iTunes on your computer. The relationship between iTunes and your iPhone is very tight. iTunes keeps your iPhone’s software up-to-date, it will manage the syncing of your music and videos, podcasts, calendar entries, address book contacts, website bookmarks, photo albums, and your email accounts.

iTunes also automatically backs up all the settings and software on your iPhone.

You’ll need to download and install iTunes yourself from Apple’s website (i.e. – the software is NOT included with the iPhone). It’s a free (but large) download.

When you install iTunes it attempts to become your computer’s default media manager. So if you already use Windows Media Player, or WinAmp, or some other media management system – iTunes will attempt to take over these functions, and depending how much you love your current media software, you may not like this idea!

A big part of iTunes is the iTunes Store – where you can purchase music, subscribe to free (or paid) podcasts, or download free (or paid) 3rd party applications (games, etc) for your iPhone. To access the 3rd party applications (even the free ones) you’ll need to set up an iTunes Account. And to set up an iTunes Account, you’ll need to give them your credit card number – even if you’re not spending any money.

Many people don’t like this idea.

So if you really want to embrace the iPhone, you’ll need to embrace iTunes.

The thing that works best for me is whenever I get home I just plug my iPhone into the computer. The iPhone’s battery charges up from my computer via the included USB cable (or you can also use the power adaptor for charging if you prefer).

When I first plug it in, iTunes loads and syncs. It only takes a minute.

I purchased a separate iPhone “Dock” from Apple (about $30). I just sit the iPhone in the dock – it’s tidier. But you can simply use the basic USB cable alone.

And if you purchase more Apple products, you’ll reap the benefit of interchangable components and a family devices that work closely and seemlessly with each other. The iPhone can be just one piece of an overall collection of computer and home entertainment products that all work together into your lifestyle with beautiful form and function. If this is your vision, the iPhone fits it beautifully.

But if you can’t stand the idea of using iTunes, then the iPhone probably isn’t for you.

No File Storage

You can’t save files to the iPhone. Out-of-the-box, the only way to get a “document” onto your iPhone is to email it from your computer. Files also cannot be transferred via Bluetooth.

To transfer and store document files on your iPhone you’ll need a 3rd party solutions – such as the “Air Sharing” app (costs about $8 from the iTunes App Store). There are also methods to store your files in “the cloud” (i.e. on the internet) and access them direct as required – providing you have Wi-Fi access, or a phone signal.

Having said that, the iPhone does a fantastic job at displaying documents that have been saved in any of the popular formats (e.g. PDF documents, Microsoft Office Documents, and Apple iWork Documents).

Can’t Create Files

While the iPhone does a beautiful job at displaying files that have been saved in a variety of popular formats, you can’t create these files on the iPhone. There’s no built in Word Processor or Spreadsheet program, however, it will only be a matter of time before 3rd Party Applications become available to let you create, save, and edit documents on your iPhone.

No Copy/Paste

Some people are put off by the iPhone’s lack of copy/paste. I can honestly say I’ve never had a use for it – particularly in that the only type of “documents” I create on the iPhone are emails or text messages, but it obviously affects some users. There are rumors this could be available in a future software update, but as it stands, there is no Copy and Paste function on the iPhone.

Bluetooth is Limited

Bluetooth cannot be used for transferring pictures or any other types of files. The implementation of Bluetooth on the iPhone is purely for headsets and hands-free kits.

You cannot stream music via Bluetooth – for example, to wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets.

GPS: maps not pre-loaded. No automatic turn-by-turn directions.

When using the maps and GPS, be aware these maps are downloaded as-needed from Google (and therefore count toward your plan’s download allowance). The maps are not pre-loaded as you may be accustomed to on normal in-car navigation systems.

The mapping application can give directions from point A to point B – but these are shown as text instructions, you must use “Next” (or “Previous”) navigation buttons to see the next instruction as you move from step to step. They do not automatically change as you move along.

Nor are the navigation directions read aloud – you have to read them.

These factors do create a safety hazard if using the iPhone for navigation whilst driving.

Cannot Tether your iPhone to a Computer

The process of “tethering” allows you to use your iPhone as a “modem” (or as a mini “Wi-Fi Hotspot”) so your laptop computer can connect and make use of iPhone’s 3G data connection.

Presently the iPhone does not allow you to do this.

3rd Party application developer called Netshare released an official solution that allows iPhone owners to tether their phone, but reportedly AT&T requested Apple pull this from the App Store as it goes against their policies.

Not all email is Push

“Push” email was one of the selling points for the iPhone, and if you have paid for Apple’s new MobileMe service, new emails sent to your MobileMe email account can indeed be Pushed to you as they arrive.

But the Push function is not available for your other “normal” email accounts – rather, your phone can either check them manually (i.e. when you open the email program), or you can set your phone to automatically “Fetch” any new email every 15, 30, or 60 minutes. So just be aware “Push” isn’t for applicable for all types of email.

No Voice-Activated Dialing

Out-of-the-box there is no Voice-Activated dialing on the iPhone 3G. There may be a solution provided in future updates or by 3rd party application developers.

Visual VoiceMail may not be available on your Carrier

One of the features of iPhone is Visual Voicemail, but this is not available with all carriers – particularly for those outside of the US. Pressing the Voice Mail button with other carriers simply instructs your iPhone to call your plain old everyday voicemail box where you use it as with any other phone. Nothing special.

The decision to implement Visual Voicemail is up to the individual phone carriers.

Also – those with Visual Voicemail who travel internationally should contact their carrier, because this feature uses DATA transfer, and international data roaming charges can be quite high (i.e. this is an issue that has caught a few people out).

Can’t Remove or Replace Battery

The iPhone’s case is sealed. You cannot remove or exchange the battery, and you can’t carry a spare one with you for emergencies.

Can’t use Phone while Syncing

The iPhone takes itself offline during the sync process. For most this is only a couple of minutes each day, but may affect those who are heavy phone users or have a large amount of data to be synced or backed up from the phone.

This can be annoying just as you’re running out the door for work and receive a call when you want to sync-and-run.

It should be noted that the 2.1 software update greatly improved syncing and backup speeds.

Summary

There’s no doubt the iPhone is an amazing device that fits perfectly into my life. Never before have I been able to carry the internet around in my pocket, have access to my library of music and podcasts, and have a phone, and GPS navigator, and even a great gaming platform in an amazing all-in-one device.

But it’s a case of buyer-beware, because as outlined above – there are many functions that some of us come to expect out of a phone these days which are simply lacking in the iPhone, and if too many of these things affect you then you really must ask yourself whether this is the right choice.

So if you don’t need a great quality camera, and if you can live without the picture messaging, and you like the idea of having the internet wherever you go, and the convenience of an all-in-one device – you won’t be disappointed with this choice. And if you choose to continue down the road to embrace Apple products – you’ll soon find yourself with a suit of connected devices and components which work beautifully together to make your digital life much easier.

Blending an iPhone 3G

wolfie — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:29:26 +0000

The good folks at BlendTec have been up to their old tricks with their hugely successful series of video presentations – this time by placing the new iPhone 3G into their blender in order to answer the simple question: “Will it blend?”

No folks, don’t try this at home.

PhoneSaber 2.0 “Lightsaber Unleashed”, unleashed

wolfie — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:19:51 +0000

Lightsaber Unleashed - unleashed!

As predicted earlier this week, TheMacBox’s Lightsaber Unleashed (aka PhoneSaber 2.0) has been released today in the App Store in a new and improved form, and is now the official Star Wars version of the product.

Lightsaber Unleashed allows you to use your iPhone like a Star Wars Lightsaber weapon.

To quote the iTunes product description:

As you swing your phone, a range of Lightsaber sound effects will be emitted from your phone’s speaker (or connected audio output). Not only that, but you can also drawn and withdraw your Lightsaber.

You can choose your Force Unleashed character of your choice, as well as playing some duelling music to get you in the mood!

Last but not least, you can enter a full screen Lightsaber mode, to enhance your lightsaber experience!

Lightsaber Unleashed is available here for free in the iTunes App Store, compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (requires iPhone 2.x software update).

All a-Flutter about nothing

wolfie — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:00:02 +0000

The iPhone’s inability to exchange picture text messages (MMS) with other phones has been a bug bear for many users, and a put-off for potential new buyers.

So why wouldn’t MMS be included in the iPhone? Personally I believe the barrier is philosophical rather than technological, and MMS was never intended for the iPhone because they see the device already in an age where MMS is no longer relevant – i.e. where pictures are exchanged through the internet rather than your phone company’s (often expensive) MMS system.

That’s great if all your friends have internet phones – just email anything to them, and avoid the hefty MMS charges. But the bulk of your friends probably don’t have internet phones and can’t receive email on their phone.

In this respect, the iPhone is ahead of its time, possibly to its own detriment. So what’s the solution?

Introducing Flutter – the free iPhone App from Juicecaster, touted by some as the solution to iPhone picture messaging woes. Initial reviews for Flutter in the iTunes Store indicate a disappointing experience so far (average 1-star rating at time of writing).

Flutter Fails to Deliver

Put simply, Flutter allows you to create a “picture message” by adding the phone numbers of one (or many) of your contacts, type a subject line, and either Take a Photo (on-the-fly) or choose one from your Camera Roll. It can also geo-tag your photo (i.e. store latitude and longitudinal data with your photo) if Location Services have been enabled.

The receiver of your message are sent a TEXT MESSAGE (not picture message) with a LINK that takes them to Flutter’s web page where they can see your picture.

So let’s get this straight — the receiver of the plain text message from Flutter needs to have a phone with a web browser to see your picture – i.e. they need an internet phone. But if they have an internet phone, why not just email the picture to their phone’s email address?

And your friends without an internet phone would need to type the link into their computer when they get home – if they can be bothered. I hope the picture was worth it! Might as well just email it there too, right?

Are we just going in circles and making people jump through hoops?

I’m not even going to start on Flutter’s apparent ignorance of how the other 95% of the world use + in place of zeros for the international prefix (they need you to edit them all to zeros to work with their system), and the host of technical problems plaguing their system.

So while there’s still no solution to MMS picture messaging on the iPhone, we should just ask: is MMS still relevant? Can your friends already receive email on their phone? Do they even know? You may be surprised.

Quick Tip: Press SPACE with two thumbs

wolfie — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:08:43 +0000

You probably already know the easy way to start a new sentence on your iPhone is to double-tap the SPACEBAR – it inserts a period, leaves a blank space, and capitalizes the first letter of the next word. It’s a handy time-saving shortcut.

But did you know you can achieve the same result by tapping once on the SPACEBAR with two fingers?

Try it out. Next time you’re typing on your iPhone, just tap the SPACEBAR simultaneously with both your thumbs and you’re ready to continue thumbing out the next sentence.

Think of it as a shortcut to a shortcut. Happy thumbing!

Is the iPhone screen scratch resistant?

wolfie — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:31:42 +0000

Worried about scratches?

This is a question I’ve been struggling with in my decision whether or not to apply a protective film onto my iPhone’s screen. I love the smooth glassy feel of my iPhone as I glide my fingers across it – it’s all part of the appeal, but at the same time I really want to protect my investment. So I went on a quest to find some real answers about the durability of the iPhone’s screen.

First some history. My last phone was a Nokia N73. One of the first things I did after purchase was to buy a plastic adhesive film to protect its screen. Never really looked as good since. After 6 months or so the plastic film started to be quite noticeable, and one of the corners was rising up and dust accumulated under this raised corner. Not ideal – and I found myself cringing every time I looked at it. Over time the rest of the phone (everything except the screen) became very badly scratched and worn.

Earlier this year I bought an iPod Nano and pondered the same question, but opted against a screen protector. It was going okay… until one day I thoughtlessly put my Nano in the same pocket as my keys and the poor thing was inflicted with a 4mm long scratch near the middle of the screen. Not a big scratch, but very distracting when watching video clips on the Nano.

Now I have my iPhone 3G – with its nice big, glassy screen. And therein lays the difference – the iPhone has a glass screen – not plastic (like the two plastic examples above), and after doing some research the iPhone’s glass screen appears to be highly scratch resistant. Don’t believe me? Watch these amazing “iPhone torture” movies produced by the folks at PC World. DO NOT TRY THESE TESTS AT HOME!

Just a side note: seriously. Don’t wash your phone under a tap! Sure in that “stress test” it kept working immediately after being “washed”… but who’s to say what happens a few hours after water seeps into the circuitry, or it starts to rust? Just don’t do it. Please!

What do the folks at Apple say about screen protectors? After all, they sell iPhone screen protectors in their own stores. While they make no official claims about the scratch resistance of the glass surface, they do say in the context of using the touchscreen that:

Protective plastic sheets or films applied to the touchscreen may block the signal and prevent the touchscreen from working properly.

Okay. So the screen appears to be pretty tough, and Apple says protective films may interfere with the operation of the touchscreen.

After doing the usual Google searches for more opinions I’m finding a mixed bag. Some for, some against. Lots of people trying to sell screen protectors. Many claim they work fine. Some people have said if their iPhone screen develops minor scratches they simply need to wipe it using the cleaning cloth included with the phone and the scratches disappear.

Another reader to the Washington Post suggested this scratch-removal technique that works on CDs and should work on glass surfaces too -

Take clear shoe polish, rub in a fine coat. Brush in with a cotton cloth. Rub in small, smooth circles all over the glass. Once you can no longer see the film of the polish, then take a polishing cloth, and do the same. The polishing cloth will just help to clear out the film. Once you are finished, you should no longer notice any scratches on the surface.

Use that advice at your own risk!

I think it gets down to personal choice. Some people say they like the screen protectors and it cuts down on reflective glare. I like the smooth unadulterated feel of the iPhone’s touch screen, but at the same time I am sensible and make an effort NOT to keep it with keys, coins, or anything else that might damage its surface.

And look at the bigger picture too. Those “iPhone torture videos” (see links above) show the screen to be quite resistant to damage, but look at the other parts of the phone that were easily scuffed and scratched – most notably the chrome ring around the phone was easily scratched, the back was easily scratched – especially the Apple logo itself, and if planning to drop your phone it will likely land on one of its corners.

You need to consider the possibility that the screen itself is NOT the weakest point susceptible to damage or scratching. So perhaps rather than emphasizing the need for a “screen protector”, you should be focusing more on a “phone protector”. When I’m at work I keep my iPhone in a pouch that securely attaches to my belt, on weekends I use a thick “rubbery” type case that I know will absorb some of the impact of any knocks or drops and protect the edges and corners, and at home my iPhone sits cold and naked in it’s little dock on my desk, charging up.

Note: if you use your phone a lot, make sure any case you use allows the heat to escape. A hot battery is an unhappy battery. I’ll talk about this more in a later article.

My advice: use some common sense, and don’t mix your phone with keys and coins in your pocket and you should be just fine without a screen protector. And don’t ride over it with a motorcycle, or blend it. Never, ever put your iPhone in a blender…

Return of PhoneSaber – this week?

wolfie — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:00:06 +0000

TheMacBox’s PhoneSaber was one of the most talked-about applications for the iPhone 3G when the App Store opened in July 2008. This fun and free download transformed your iPhone into a Star Wars-style “Light Saber” weapon, making clever use of the phone’s accelerometer to produce sound effects as you wave it around.

PhoneSaber was hugely popular during the initial rush on the new App Store – definitely one of the coolest, totally free downloads available for App-hungry iPhone freaks. Indeed, urban legend tells of spontaneous “PhoneSaber duels” breaking out between iPhone owners in shopping malls around the world – but its mysterious disappearance from the App Store left many fans wondering… what happened?

Here’s a video in case you missed out on all the PhoneSaber fun:

Sadly, on 7th August the PhoneSaber was removed from the App Store. Creators of PhoneSaber, TheMacBox.co.uk made this statement about PhoneSaber’s disappearing act -

Good news and bad news, PhoneSaber fans.

As of now, PhoneSaber will no longer be available, I’ve had a chat with a guy from THQ Wireless (who own the rights for Star Wars apps on mobiles) and as we were always expecting, PhoneSaber is not allowed to be on there. It was a very friendly chat, and the future of PhoneSaber was discussed.

They want to do some sort of official, Star Wars branded version of PhoneSaber, and will be working with us on that one. We’re really excited about this – it means that PhoneSaber has the potential to be even better than it originally was! I don’t know any information beyond that, whether they plan to charge for it, advertise with it or what, but we’ll keep you updated on as much as we’re allowed to tell you.

Apologies to everyone who loved PhoneSaber, we didn’t really have much choice in the matter, but we’re certain that the new, official, PhoneSaber will be even more great than the original was!

The great news is that the return of PhoneSaber appears imminent. In its latest release “The Return of the PhoneSaber“, TheMacBox says -

The app will have a new name and a whole new look. The new version, Lightsaber Unleashed, will have a strong link to the new multi-platform title Star Wars ®: The Force Unleashed™, which is out soon. Lightsaber Unleashed will feature exciting characters from this new game as well as vastly improved graphics, sound effects and optional dueling music (which was a popular request).

We are still going to be publishing the application, and it will still be free.

So keep your ears to the ground. According to Wikipedia, The Force Unleashed game will be released in North America on September 16, 2008, and other parts of the world September 19, 2008. It would not surprise me if the release of Lightsaber Unleashed in the App Store coincides with the game’s release.

In the meantime, enjoy some preview screenshots of Lightsaber Unleashed (aka “The New PhoneSaber”), used with permission from TheMacBox.

iPhone 2.1 Software Update available now

wolfie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:30:21 +0000

On Friday 12th September 2008, Apple came good with its promise to release the much-anticipated version 2.1 software update.

Initial reports and my own experience since installing the update two days ago shows it does resolve some issues that plagued the 2.0x releases, most notably: signal dropouts, poor battery life, a sluggish backup and sync process, and unstable 3G signal strength meter.

The 2.1 update also brings iPhone’s musical side into line with the just-announced new generation of iPod Nano and iPod Touch that include the “Genius playlist” – whereby a playlist can be automatically created by compiling a group of songs from your library which compliment the one currently playing.

Apple’s official 2.1 update webpage claims the update includes:

Decrease in call set-up failures and dropped calls
Significantly better battery life for most users
Dramatically reduced time to backup to iTunes
Improved email reliability, notably fetching email from POP and Exchange accounts
Faster installation of 3rd party applications
Fixed bugs causing hangs and crashes for users with lots of third party applications
Improved performance in text messaging
Faster loading and searching of contacts
Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display
Repeat alert up to two additional times for incoming text messages
Option to wipe data after ten failed passcode attempts
Genius playlist creation

If you are still on the old 2.0x version, I strongly recommend updating your iPhone 3G to version 2.1 – from my own observations there are significant and notable improvements to the phone’s overall performance and reliability.

Make your iPhone battery last longer

wolfie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:36:49 +0000

If you have the latest 3G iPhone you’re probably annoyed that the battery life isn’t all that you’d hoped for – especially if you are a heavy user. After doing some research, I gathered my own list of 20 simple tips which have enabled me to greatly extend the battery life on my iPhone.

1. Turn Location Services OFF (Settings > General)

“Location Services” is the name given to the technology in the iPhone which your applications call on to determine your current location (i.e. the GPS function). Using Location Services frequently will drain your battery fast, so it’s best to leave this off – or at least turn it off after you have found yourself.

2. Reset Location Warnings (Settings > General > Reset)

Applications that use Location Services are granted permission (by you) to do so. For example, the first time you ran the Maps application – you will have been asked whether to allow the Maps application to determine your location.

The iPhone remembers permissions you have granted so it doesn’t ask you every time, but you can reset these permissions using the Reset Location Warnings function.

3. Reduce Brightness (Settings > Brightness)

The lesser the brightness, the longer your battery will last. Find a comfortable level appropriate for the lighting conditions where you are using your phone the most.

4. Turn 3G Reception OFF in fringe areas (Settings > General > Network)

If you have a weak 3G signal your phone will be spending a lot of time switching between 3G and 2G/”Edge” networks – which is an unwanted drain on the battery. So if you’re in a fringe 3G zone you may be better off turning OFF the 3G capability in return for longer battery life.

5. Fine tune your email Fetching and email Accounts (Settings > Fetch New Data)

Turn OFF Push Notifications, and try Fetching your new email either HOURLY, or better-still, MANUALLY. If you have multiple email accounts you can personalize which ones are Fetched automatically or manually under the Advanced settings on this screen.

It should also be noted that just because you may have multiple email accounts set up on your computer, doesn’t mean you must have all these set up on your iPhone. Use iTunes syncing options when your iPhone is plugged in – select the INFO tab in iTunes, scroll down to Sync Selected Mail Accounts and only select those ones you want synchronized to your iPhone.

Alternatively you can turn individual email accounts “off” directly on the iPhone (Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Accounts) – select the account, and use the account ON or OFF option.

6. Enable Auto-Lock (Settings > General > Auto-Lock)

Ensure your phone goes to sleep after a few minutes. I fine the “3 minutes” option good for my usage.

7. Lock your Phone when finished (SLEEP/WAKE button)

Get in the habit of pressing the SLEEP/WAKE button immediately after you have finished interacting with your iPhone. Even if listening to music or podcasts, press the SLEEP/WAKE button to put the iPhone to sleep. The audio will continue, and you can use the volume controls, and the button on the headphones to Pause (one click) and Skip (double click).

8. Turn Wi-Fi OFF when not using (Settings > Wi-Fi)

Unless you are using wireless data services in a hotspot, you should turn Wi-Fi OFF. Leaving it on causes your phone to be constantly “sniffing” for new hotspots to join as you roam around throughout the day, which can be very taxing on your battery.

9. Turn Data Roaming OFF (Settings > General > Network)

Turning this option off is one tiny thing the iPhone 3G needs to worry about – I doubt it has much, if any, impact on battery life – but it does make you safe from receiving massive horror data usage bills if you happen to travel outside your country without an appropriate data plan!

10. Turn Bluetooth OFF (Settings > General > Bluetooth)

If you’re not using a Bluetooth Device with your iPhone, turn it off and save yourself some precious battery power.

11. Turn OFF all non-essential Sound Alerts and Vibration (Settings > Sounds)

Every time your iPhone has to do ANYTHING (even make a “click” noise each time you touch a key if you have “Keyboard Clicks” turned on) it is a use of energy, and therefore a drain on your battery.

Turn all non-essential sounds alerts off, and disable vibration unless you are operating in a noisy environment.

12. Turn the iPod’s Equalizer (EQ) OFF (Settings > iPod > EQ)

Running the EQ uses extra processing power when playing your music, and that uses more battery power. Turn the EQ off to extend your charge.

13. Run a Full Battery Cycle once per Month

Apple officially says:

“For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).”

There’s a common misbelief that the iPhone’s battery is lithium-ion (Li-ion), however CrazyGadgetGuru actually states the battery in the iPhone is a lithium-polymer (Li-poly) cell, and has busted a few battery care myths and gives some great advice about extending the life of your iPhone’s Li-poly battery as discussed in The Two Laws of iPhone Battery Care.

14. Limit Video Watching and Gaming on the iPhone

Gaming (particularly games involving 3G graphics) and Video watching are both major drawers of battery power. If it’s critical that your battery lasts the whole day, avoid these activities.

15. Don’t Fiddle!

I know the iPhone is the funnest toy to play with, but maybe you should find other things to play with instead. All that senseless time-wasting fiddling and flicking around on your iPhone during every spare minute of the day is consuming battery power. My battery always lasts much longer when I’m occupied and doing other stuff.

16. Not all USB charging is equal

Be aware of a few things if charging your iPhone from a computer’s USB port – not all USB ports have the same power capacity. Always use one of the USB ports directly on your computer – don’t charge your phone via a USB “hub” distributor, or from any secondary USB “extension” ports (e.g. on some computer keyboards).

You’ll also get faster backup and syncing when connected into a direct USB port.

17. Airplane Mode can be your Friend (Settings > Airplane Mode)

Airplane Mode is a quick and effective way to turn off all “transmissions” from your iPhone, but using it in other situations can help your battery last. Try using Airplane Mode whenever you don’t want to be disturbed – such as in meetings, or a movie theatre. It’s also a good idea to use Airplane Mode if traveling through fringe reception areas so your phone isn’t continually trying to seek out a weak signal.

18. iPhone getting hot for no reason? Try a hard reset.

Your iPhone generates heat when it’s processing data – in other words, when its “brain” is working, it gets hot. If your iPhone is getting hot for no apparent reason, there may be some software running in the background that is caught in an infinite loop or locked-up. All this extra processing will be using battery power – possibly quite substantially, and could be a result of a software error. It will also make your phone seem “sluggish” and non-responsive.

If you suspect this to be the case, try a “hard reset” to clear the memory and start the phone up from scratch. Press and hold the HOME and SLEEP/WAKE buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds – ignore the “Slide to Power Off” graphic – just keep holding the two buttons until the screen goes totally blank. Wait a few moments, then press the SLEEP/WAKE button for 2 seconds to start your phone up again.

Check the App Store regularly for software updates in case new releases for your installed applications are available. These may fix bugs or performance problems.

19. Charging from a computer via USB? Make sure computer stays on long enough.

Many of us use “Energy Saver” features on our computers to put them to sleep when not in use. But if you’re charging your phone from your computer, you’ll want to make sure your computer stays awake, otherwise you might not be giving your phone enough time to charge up properly!

Check your computer’s Energy Saver settings in Mac System Preferences or Windows Control Panel to ensure it stays awake long enough for phone charging.

20. Get the latest software updates for your iPhone

Apple are continually looking at ways to improve the iPhone 3G’s performance and battery life, and as they find issues relating to this they will put out a software update. It’s important you download these updates (done through the iTunes sync process), and update the software on your iPhone as it can address important performance and battery-life issues. Apple states the 2.1 software update “significantly improves battery life for most users”.