Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

Most Mac users know Fraser Speirs as the developer of FlickrExport which allows you to easily export pictures from iPhoto or Aperture to Flickr.

Most iPhone users probably know him from Darkslide (formerly "Exposure"), a Flickr client that he developed for the iPhone. Back in September of 2008, he posted that he would not develop additional applications for the App Store because of the way that apps had been both rejected without explanation or (even worse) accepted and then removed without warning.

That changed in May of 2010 when he announced that he was "Back in" to iOS development, due to the iPad. The end result of that decision is Viewfinder for iPad, a "photo search and download" app for iPad.

Fraser's story has interested me from the beginning because (at least in my experience) it's fairly rare in life that someone makes such a public, definitive statement and then later reverses it. While I suspect the "knee jerk" reaction to hearing his story is negative, I find it compelling because of his honesty. Adults can (and do) change their minds. Some might see it as a weakness (anyone remember the 2004 US presidential election and the term "waffle"?) but I see it as a sign of maturity.

I've been using Viewfinder for a few weeks (Fraser, like many developers, provided a review code for that purpose), but wanted to do more than just a review of the app itself, but also talk to him about this story. He agreed to an email interview, which was the most practical way of doing it since he is in Scotland and I'm in the USA.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

Most Mac users know Fraser Speirs as the developer of FlickrExport which allows you to easily export pictures from iPhoto or Aperture to Flickr.

Most iPhone users probably know him from Darkslide (formerly "Exposure"), a Flickr client that he developed for the iPhone. Back in September of 2008, he posted that he would not develop additional applications for the App Store because of the way that apps had been both rejected without explanation or (even worse) accepted and then removed without warning.

That changed in May of 2010 when he announced that he was "Back in" to iOS development, due to the iPad. The end result of that decision is Viewfinder for iPad, a "photo search and download" app for iPad.

Fraser's story has interested me from the beginning because (at least in my experience) it's fairly rare in life that someone makes such a public, definitive statement and then later reverses it. While I suspect the "knee jerk" reaction to hearing his story is negative, I find it compelling because of his honesty. Adults can (and do) change their minds. Some might see it as a weakness (anyone remember the 2004 US presidential election and the term "waffle"?) but I see it as a sign of maturity.

I've been using Viewfinder for a few weeks (Fraser, like many developers, provided a review code for that purpose), but wanted to do more than just a review of the app itself, but also talk to him about this story. He agreed to an email interview, which was the most practical way of doing it since he is in Scotland and I'm in the USA.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

Most Mac users know Fraser Speirs as the developer of FlickrExport which allows you to easily export pictures from iPhoto or Aperture to Flickr.

Most iPhone users probably know him from Darkslide (formerly "Exposure"), a Flickr client that he developed for the iPhone. Back in September of 2008, he posted that he would not develop additional applications for the App Store because of the way that apps had been both rejected without explanation or (even worse) accepted and then removed without warning.

That changed in May of 2010 when he announced that he was "Back in" to iOS development, due to the iPad. The end result of that decision is Viewfinder for iPad, a "photo search and download" app for iPad.

Fraser's story has interested me from the beginning because (at least in my experience) it's fairly rare in life that someone makes such a public, definitive statement and then later reverses it. While I suspect the "knee jerk" reaction to hearing his story is negative, I find it compelling because of his honesty. Adults can (and do) change their minds. Some might see it as a weakness (anyone remember the 2004 US presidential election and the term "waffle"?) but I see it as a sign of maturity.

I've been using Viewfinder for a few weeks (Fraser, like many developers, provided a review code for that purpose), but wanted to do more than just a review of the app itself, but also talk to him about this story. He agreed to an email interview, which was the most practical way of doing it since he is in Scotland and I'm in the USA.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Viewfinder for iPad review and interview with Fraser Speirs originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where’s my rollover data, AT&T?

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

You've seen the commercials and heard that they're "your minutes" so why is "your data" any different?

I'm old enough to remember when "rollover" minutes were first announced, and I was hugely impressed by the idea. The idea was -- and is -- simple: you pay for a certain number of minutes per month, and if you don't use them this month, you can use them the next. This recognizes that some months you may use more and some months you may use less, but you can pay for approximately what you need. I'm assuming that it also allows the company to have some reasonable idea of how much network usage will occur on any given month, which benefits them as well. This seems like a nice, reasonable balance between offering "unlimited" calling plans but still providing their customers with a good value.

Since AT&T has started metering data usage for the iPhone 4 and iPad, it seems only logical to ask (and I know I'm not the first): why isn't AT&T rolling over data too?

The almost-too-painfully-obvious-to-even-say-aloud answer is that AT&T will make more money by not offering rollover data, so they aren't. I don't expect this will change anytime soon. AT&T has done nothing to suggest they have any interest in providing value to their iPhone and iPad customers, but let's imagine a different world, one where AT&T hoped to keep some of their iPhone customers, perhaps a world where other carriers had the iPhone and AT&T had to actually compete for their business.

Read on to imagine with me...

Continue reading Where's my rollover data, AT&T?

Where's my rollover data, AT&T? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Where's my rollover data, AT&T? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BusinessInsider insists Android is the new Windows. Again.

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

There's an old saying, "When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." For Henry Blodget of Business Insider, perhaps we should change it to "When all you have is a comparison between Windows and Mac OS from the 1980s, every situation looks like a repeat."

In an article entitled Hey, Apple, Wake Up from January 5th, 2010, Mr. Blodget compared the "iPhone vs Android" market to "Mac OS vs Windows" of the 1980s. I missed the article the first time, but that turns out to be OK because 7 months later (almost to the day) he's written the same article again, but this time with a chart!

Featuring a headline that couldn't be any more link-baiting if it included LeBron James' free agency choice or Lindsay Lohan's ice cream card, This Android Chart Should Scare the Bejesus Out of Apple rehashes what is almost exactly the same article ("NEW AND IMPROVED! NOW CONTAINS REFERENCES TO THE iPad!") and ends with a chart showing "Percent Of Developers That Have Developed For Each Mobile Platform" showing Android in the lead over iPhone/iOS.

The body of the article links not once but twice to his previous article, plus a callout box to his previous article (which also links to another article about the same chart), and at the end of the article, in case you missed it, there is a "See Also" link which will bring you back to -- wait for it -- the same article he wrote back in January.

Memo to H. Blodget: Saying the same thing over and over again does not automagically grant it the mantle of truth.

Continue reading BusinessInsider insists Android is the new Windows. Again.

BusinessInsider insists Android is the new Windows. Again. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BusinessInsider insists Android is the new Windows. Again. originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AP Stylebook for iPhone vs online subscription

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPad

As someone who cares about words, I have been considering signing up for the AP Stylebook Online ($25/year, all prices listed are USD) or buying the AP Stylebook for iPhone ($24.99) but had trouble deciding which one would be the better deal. You can also pick up a printed version of the 2010 stylebook at the AP website for $18.95. (The 2009 version is available on Amazon.com for $12.89, but the 2010 stylebook is not yet available on Amazon.com as of this writing).

I contacted the folks at AP and asked if I might be able to review the iPhone app and get a trial for the AP Online to compare them on the iPhone and iPad.

The quick and dirty summary is: if you want access to the AP information on your iPhone frequently, without having to rely on the availability of an Internet connection, get the iPhone app. For any other use case: get the online subscription.

Read on for more...

Continue reading AP Stylebook for iPhone vs online subscription

AP Stylebook for iPhone vs online subscription originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AP Stylebook for iPhone vs online subscription originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Questions about God? There’s an app for (and against) that

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

Many iPhone users have become accustomed to using their devices to settle arguments.

• Arguing over the best route to take for your weekend getaway? Pull out the Maps app or one of the many iPhone GPS apps.
• Found someone who doesn't believe that Inigo Montoya and Jason Gideon are played by the same actor? Fire up the IMDB app.
• Disagreement over when Star Wars was released (or re-released)? Head over to Wikipedia.com or one of the many Wikipedia apps.

It's one thing to argue over facts and dates, but can iPhone apps help settle arguments about the existence of God? A recent NY Times article showed that some folks on both sides of the question are making an effort.

On the side of religious skeptics are applications like Bible Thumper, the Atheist Pocket Debater, and mAtheist. For those who are certain they can convert others to faith, if only they find the right argument, there are apps such as Doubt Busters, God Tools, or Jesus Evangelism Tool by Mobile Jesus. (As an aside, I think developers of these sorts of apps may want to avoid the word "tool" in the title, or they're just asking for people to twist the meaning.)

Read on for more...

Continue reading Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that

Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Questions about God? There's an app for (and against) that originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why I gave up my iPhone

Filed under: iPhone, iPad

A month ago I was planning an iPhone upgrade/trickledown plan like this: I would get the iPhone 4, my wife would get my 3GS, and our son would inherit her 2G (aka "original iPhone") to be used like an iPod touch.

Today we cancelled the iPhone 4 order, my wife inherited my 3GS, the boy has the 2G, and I... well, I have a Nokia 2320 (which, despite Nokia's claims, instructs me not to hold it certain ways).

What happened? In a word: iPad.

Since the release of the iPhone I have really wanted an iPhone without the phone. I rarely use the phone (we live in an AT&T dead zone, so we have to keep a landline). In fact, my wife and I shared 550 minutes per month and recently we expired 351 minutes. My guess is that most of those few minutes we used were to call each other. In the three years since the iPhone was released, AT&T has refused to offer a voice plan with fewer minutes, even now that they're offering tiered data plans. With the advent of the iPad, I can get the mobile data that I want without the voice minutes that I don't need or use.

Read on for the rest of the story...

Continue reading Why I gave up my iPhone

Why I gave up my iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Why I gave up my iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GoodReader is bringing syncing back

Filed under: iPhone, SDK, iPad

GoodReader was one of a handful of apps which had figured out how to do USB syncing to iPhones, but their solution was in violation of Apple's iPhone SDK rules. Apple eventually required all 3rd party iPhone apps to remove this functionality. Some apps, like GoodReader, could sync via iTunes but it was very limited. Wi-Fi syncing was also an option, but it was slower and prone to configuration issues.

GoodReader has released a free utility named GoodReaderUSB which, as the name implies to any who haven't suffered a traumatic blow to the head, allows you to connect to GoodReader via USB. The software is free and available for Windows (XP, Vista, and 7) and Mac OS X (10.4, 10.5, and 10.6).

The interface is simple enough, and if you have more than one iDevice you can connect more than one at a time. In my initial testing it worked as expected. The UI is fairly straightforward and allows for drag & drop access, folder creation, and deletion.

GoodReader is available for iPad and iPhone/iPod touch. There's a free "lite" version but the app is easily worth more than the $0.99 asking price. One of the "hidden gems" of GoodReader is that it's not just a reader, but will allow you to download just about any file to your iPhone or iPad by pasting in the URL. I use it for downloading PDFs and then sending them to iBooks on the iPad.

GoodReader is bringing syncing back originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GoodReader is bringing syncing back originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T says New York City service is improved

Filed under: iPhone

While AT&T's service has been notoriously bad even before the iPhone launch, iPhone users in New York City have suffered some of the worst of it, with one Apple Genius reportedly saying that 30% dropped call rate was average. (I think he misspelled "atrocious.")

The good news is that AT&T has rolled out a network upgrade in the NYC, according to the company's press release this week. The big question was: Will it actually help?

Early anecdotal reports are that yes, it has made a big difference. I've seen various snippets around the web of people posting that things seem to be better. I guess only time will tell for sure.

This also seems like a good time to remind you about AT&T's free Mark The Spot app for noting when you have either a voice or data issue. We've noted that some users are getting updated with news of tower build-outs near their reported dead spots. Personally I wondered if this was leveraging towers AT&T planned to install anyway, but I spoke with a friend who works for AT&T and he said "I know it's hard to believe, but it really does matter."

What say you, NYC folks? Has the upgrade been noticeable for you?

[via Engadget]

AT&T says New York City service is improved originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AT&T says New York City service is improved originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds HD updated with more levels… and crashiness

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPad

Angry Birds has been a phenomenal success, staying atop the App Store best seller list for months. I too, succumbed to the "bird in a slingshot" craze, as has my eight year old son who told me the other night he dreamed that he was in the slingshot.

Angry Birds HD was one of the first games that I downloaded for the iPad, but I was pretty disappointed. While the iPhone game was only $0.99, the HD version was $4.99, following an unfortunate trend where iPhone games are ported to iPad, cost much more, and don't add any new features. But Angry Birds HD actually had fewer features and levels than the iPhone version.

Well, as promised, an update came out a few days ago which added more levels and brought the game up to par with the iPhone version. Unfortunately the game has also added what one friend called "extreme crashiness action." So far I haven't actually lost any progress due to a crash, but it's fairly annoying. Hopefully there will be another update soon.

As a side note, developer Marco Arment noted back in May that the App Store was full of scams and ripoff apps surrounding Angry Birds, some which use the same name, and others which use the same artwork. It's sad to see that these apps are still there, and to know that they are profiting unfairly off the success of a popular game. Why Apple would allow some of these apps to remain and purge others is beyond me.

Angry Birds HD updated with more levels... and crashiness originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Angry Birds HD updated with more levels... and crashiness originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BGR posts AppleCare reception troubleshooter for iPhone 4

Filed under: iPhone

As Erica demonstrates in the video above, for some iPhone 4 users it's not that hard to show how the phone's reception is affected by holding it 'wrong.' BoyGeniusReport has a copy of what they claim is AppleCare's internal troubleshooting procedure for iPhone 4, which boils down to "the iPhone 4's antenna is great; avoid holding it that way; and no, you aren't getting a free bumper." BGR also points out that if this is the official line, notably absent is any hint of a software fix coming (counter to what AppleInsider suggested last week). Of course, if there isn't a problem, then why would Apple be planning to fix it?

To an extent, Apple (and Steve Jobs who was widely reported to have told a user not to hold their iPhone a certain way) is right. All cell phones have this issue. Yes, Nokia, even yours. But Apple's blasé response to this issue is going to give it legs, especially when Apple's solution is to buy a $30 bumper that they just happened to have started selling to coincide with the iPhone 4 release.

Speaking as someone who remembers when iPhones used to come with a dock in the box, and who assumes that the actual production cost of a bumper is probably closer to $5 than $30, I'm surprised Apple isn't trying to avoid the seemingly inevitable class action lawsuit by throwing in a bumper to anyone who has the problem and brings their iPhone 4 into an Apple Store. After all, Nintendo put a wrist strap on the Wii Remote but still gave away plastic grips to help people who were losing control of them. And the story died.

There's no doubt that this issue is clouding the iPhone 4's release, even if the issue is only affecting a small percentage of iPhone 4 users (and we don't know what that percentage is). My friend Richard Gaywood posted a detailed explanation of the issue and why it is more likely to be discernible in areas of weak coverage (which AT&T customers refer to as "just about everywhere"). AnandTech posted a detailed explanation as well. MacRumors reported the experience of one user who resolved reception problems with a reseating of the iPhone's MicroSIM, which is easy enough to try on your own.

So our question to you iPhone 4 owners is: have you seen it?

BGR posts AppleCare reception troubleshooter for iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BGR posts AppleCare reception troubleshooter for iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple releases iPhone user guide for iOS 4

Filed under: iPhone

Apple has released the iPhone user guide for iOS 4 software. It's a 17MB, 244 page PDF designed to walk you through everything from syncing to using the default apps. The 28 chapters cover the Phone, Mail, Safari, iPod, Messages (SMS/MMS), Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Voice Memos, Notes, Clock, Calculator, Settings, the iTunes Store, Compass, Contacts, Nike + iPod, iBooks, and Accessibility ... whew.

The book includes tips specific to the iPhone 4, but it also includes tips for the 3GS and 3G. When a section of the manual is only applicable to a certain device, it is noted at the beginning of the section.

As usual, the iPhone iOS 4 user guide is well-done. If you've been using an iPhone for any length of time, you've probably figured out most of this stuff already. It's a good resource for new users, though. There is a whole section of Apple manuals for various devices including the iPod and iPad.

[via AppAdvice]

Apple releases iPhone user guide for iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple releases iPhone user guide for iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn’t buy an iPhone 4

Filed under: iPhone

Two things are for certain: the iPhone 4 will be a huge success and there will be plenty of places that look to cash in by writing link bait headlines.

Yahoo (remember them? They're the search engine you used before Google) jumps right in with 5 reasons not to buy the iPhone 4. Well, that's what it's called on their front page where it is prominently linked. When you click through it's actually titled: "5 Big Blemishes for the Apple iPhone 4" so you can see they're ramping up the hyperbole machine. The story is actually syndicated from TheStreet.com (home of Jim "didn't see the economic crisis coming" Cramer) and written by Scott Moritz, whose track record is so bad someone has compiled them.

The article doesn't say that you shouldn't buy one, it says "[t]here are, however, a few shortcomings." Really, Sherlock? Here's a clue for you: every device has a few shortcomings, but let's see what shortcomings Scott found.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn't buy an iPhone 4

Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn't buy an iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Word on TheStreet is that you shouldn't buy an iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Folders in iOS 4 bring harmony to my app organization

Filed under: iPhone

Not long ago I talked about Starting from zero on the iPhone home screen, where I took everything off the first page of my iPhone screen (except for the camera).

With the release of iOS 4, I've been able to do something I like even better: one page for everything... well, almost everything. Let me first explain what isn't on the home screen, and why.

There are some apps that I can't delete but never use; I put them into a folder called "Never" on the second page. There is also a folder called "Seldom" for apps that I want to have on the iPhone but almost never use. Examples: apps that are there only to deliver push notifications such as myPhoneDesktop, or some type of functionality like TextExpander touch (I don't use TE directly, but I use some apps which have integrated TextExpander's SDK). All of that is tucked neatly away where I don't ever really have to see it except for when I install a new application.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Folders in iOS 4 bring harmony to my app organization

Folders in iOS 4 bring harmony to my app organization originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Folders in iOS 4 bring harmony to my app organization originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Apps phone-lock issues with iOS 4

Filed under: iPhone

In a strange twist with what appears to be a security issue, users of Google Apps who set up their accounts using the Microsoft Exchange settings (aka ActiveSync) may find that their iPhones have been set to auto-lock in one minute.

I confirmed this after reading a comment from TUAW reader BigB who mentioned it in another post. Apparently this is due to the security certificates that Google uses with its Exchange servers. The servers can force security options on compatible devices, which your iPhone becomes once it is running iOS 4.

To be clear: if you have a regular Gmail account and set it up using Exchange, this auto-lock requirement will not be triggered. But if you use Google Apps for your personal domain, it may.

Also: Google Apps users have also reported problems setting up their iOS 4 devices. Mine kept telling me that the server (m.google.com) was unable to be verified even if you followed the instructions.

Since I knew my information was correct, I went ahead and saved it. Email began syncing not long afterwards, but apparently the issue is still cropping up intermittently for some users.

Google Apps phone-lock issues with iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google Apps phone-lock issues with iOS 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve upgraded to iOS 4: Now what?

Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch

Continue reading I've upgraded to iOS 4: Now what?

I've upgraded to iOS 4: Now what? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I've upgraded to iOS 4: Now what? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original iPhone owners can also keep their unlimited data with iPhone 4

Filed under: iPhone

Remember the original iPhone and its wicked-fast EDGE connection? Turns out being an early adopter has some value after all.

Original iPhone users have been paying $20/month for unlimited 2G data and 200 text messages per month. Since AT&T is no longer offering new unlimited plans, I assumed that I would not be able to keep the unlimited data option when we upgraded my wife's original iPhone. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I upgraded her phone today and was presented with the option of keeping an unlimited data plan for $30/month.

[This is also an option for 3G and 3GS owners who are grandfathered on the $30 unlimited data plan; however, you cannot add tethering to the $30 plan, only the $25 2GB plan. New iPhone purchases are only offered the $15 or $25 data plans. -Ed.]

As an aside: you still have to choose a text message plan, which is a reminder that -- like the iPad -- AT&T very quickly changed the great data package for the original iPhone for a worse deal when the iPhone 3G came out ($30/month for 3G, but no included text messages).

That said: if you don't use more than 2GB per month, you can save $5/month by using the new $25/month 2GB data plan, or the $15/month 200MB plan if you don't use much data at all. My wife and I don't send or receive many SMS/MMS messages, so I'm dropping both of those from our plans and going to a per-use plan. AT&T's per-use messaging costs are $0.20 for SMS and $0.30 for MMS, so assuming that I send/receive 25 SMS messages per month, I'll be saving money there too.

Original iPhone owners can also keep their unlimited data with iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Original iPhone owners can also keep their unlimited data with iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 has 802.11n, but not the “awesome” 802.11n

Filed under: iPhone

I suspect many people were very happy to see that the iPhone 4 was listed as having 802.11n. I know that I was. I have a dual-band network at home which separates 802.11n from 802.11b/g, and that's made a huge difference in transfer times. But there's also another benefit of 802.11n: it can use the 5GHz frequency band instead of the 2.4Ghz. Without going into too much detail, most (but certainly not all) of the benefit of 802.11n comes if you use 5Ghz, because it isn't cluttered with other devices like 2.4Ghz is.

So imagine my dismay when I went to the iPhone 4 technical specifications page and saw "802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)" listed there. I wanted to double check my suspicion that this was bad news for people who want to avoid the interference issues that come with 802.11b/g.

When you have a question about Wi-Fi, especially in the Mac world, the guy to ask is TidBITS & Seattle Times columnist Glenn Fleishman. If you've ever read a great, informed (and informative) article on Wi-Fi that even a mere mortal could understand, chances are pretty good that Glenn wrote it. He wrote the most thorough analysis of the Wi-Fi woes at the iPhone 4 demo that I have seen anywhere.

I asked Glenn about this on Twitter, and he confirmed my fears that 802.11n in 2.4Ghz will suffer from the same interference that b/g devices do. This makes "802.11n" partly just a marketing bullet point for iPhone 4 instead of a truly beneficial feature. If you're currently running a 5GHz-only N network, your iPhone won't take advantage.

For 2.4GHz N networks, you will probably get some speed boost over G (Glenn estimated perhaps 1.5x when using an 802.11n base station). When copying a 940MB file over my home Wi-Fi network between a Mac desktop and laptop, 802.11n took 2 minutes, 14 seconds compared to 15 minutes 45 seconds on 802.11g. Then again, most people won't be doing large wireless file copies to/from their iPhones until/unless wireless synchronization comes along.

So yes, Apple can boast that the iPhone 4 has 802.11n and they're telling the truth, but don't expect much practical difference day-to-day. Glenn suspects that given the newer chip and more efficient use of the radio spectrum, we might get better battery life on N than on G -- but we won't know for sure until the iPhones arrive.

iPhone 4 has 802.11n, but not the "awesome" 802.11n originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 4 has 802.11n, but not the "awesome" 802.11n originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multitasking in iOS 4 is not a magical sparkle pony

Filed under: iPhone

As we wait for iOS4 to be released, I think it's important to try to help folks keep reasonable expectations for what iOS 4 will and won't do, especially as it relates to "multitasking." Apple has to take some of the blame for this hype, especially when it's listed as the #1 feature of iOS4, saying "Now you can run your favorite third-party apps - and switch between them instantly - without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily."¹

Did you notice that ¹? The big print giveth and the little print taketh away. Down at the bottom of the page, Apple tells you that multitasking is "available with apps that have been developed to work with iOS 4." That means that any app that isn't tweaked to be multitasking-aware simply won't play nice with the feature.

And even that isn't the whole truth.

Read on for more...

Continue reading Multitasking in iOS 4 is not a magical sparkle pony

Multitasking in iOS 4 is not a magical sparkle pony originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Multitasking in iOS 4 is not a magical sparkle pony originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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