Archive for November 22nd, 2008
Seven Reasons Why the Iphone is More Computer Than Phone
o be living in a cave over the past ten days to miss the iPhone hype, and while it’s now replaced by the Batman hype, I thought I’d share with my experience a week or so in.
There have been plenty of articles written about the new iPhone 3G: Walt Mossberg, gizmodo, Engadget and cnet, so I’m not going to give a review, but I am going to tell you why it’s a game changer and why it’s more computer than phone. Building on what David Pogue wrote about last week regarding applications, let’s go a little deeper and talk about usage.
First, if you take a look at any of the reviews listed above, you’ll notice that the phone usage comes last. Why? Well, like I said, this is more computer than phone. It’s about what you can do with it, and oh, by the way, you can make calls as well. As I look at my usage over the past week, it’s weighted about 80% data/computer and 20% phone; if anything, I think I’ll probably up the data/computer percentage a bit over time. We’ll see.
And the roll call:
#1 It crashes
I’ll get the negative out of the way first. Sure, I’ve had some BlackBerry restarts and crashes, but I’ve had more in the last week on the iPhone than I’ve had in the last few months on my BlackBerry Curve. So iPhone -1
#2 Application store
It’s a single place to get all the goods for the iPhone and plenty of applications, many of which are free, that really expand the usage of the phone. And that’s the key; the application store is a conduit for adding features to your phone. Just as your computer doesn’t do much without software, the hardware and application software from third parties takes this phone to another level. Application store +3
So let’s talk about computer-like behavior and some of these applications that enable it.
#3 Where you at
Borrowing for a second from Boost Mobile and Kanye, you really don’t have to ask this again. Loopt, demonstrated at WWDC, does run on other mobile platforms, but on the iPhone it really shines. Add your friends to your networks and Loopt keeps track of where you are via the built-in GPS, as well as letting you share photos and messages, all without a call. Location-based services +2
#4 Music
Devices that play music anywhere have (in many thanks to the iPod) become almost ubiquitous, but the iPhone with its applications manages to best them all. First, Pandora –yes the one that your IT dept. may be trying to block on your network–runs on the iPhone. Once I installed the app on my phone, using my same Pandora log-in gave me access to all my stations that I’d been listening to on my Mac. And it has the same thumbs up /down feature so Pandora can keep learning about the kind of music I like and don’t. Oh and it plays over 3G as well as WiFi, so truly music Pandora on the go.
Shazam, and I don’t mean Captain Marvel. Instead, launch Shazam and hold it up to a radio/tv/speaker and Shazam will listen to and identify the song. Now you’re one touch away from previewing and buying it on iTunes. Music on the iPhone +3
#5 Games
Taking full advantage of the accelerometer games like Crash Bandicoot and iPint (which by the way is a GREAT example of advergaming gone right!) allows the user to control the games by simply tilting and rolling the phone. Playing feels definitely un-phone-like, more like a PSP like experience, a great way to kill time when you’re not making a call. Game play +2
#6 Social Networking
What computer phone would be complete without social networking tools? And with the new iPhone came AIM Chat; as expected, it’s connected to your iChat / AIM account so it uses the same log-in to give you access to your buddy lists.
Recently updated (thankfully, as the initial release version was light on features) is the Facebook app. So chat and the majority of my main Facebook features, all on the go, a winner. Staying Connected +3
#7 Email and calendar
Building on the Mac’s already well-integrated email and calendar in Leopard, Apple’s new MobileMe gives you Over the Air (OTA) syncing, just like those corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Servers. Now admittedly, MobileMe had some issues in the maelstrom of switch from .mac and new iPhone release and some users have had problems with the OTA syncing, but my usage has been great. And I love that my calendar, email and contacts stay up to date across my computer, web and iPhone. OTA syncing +1
I’ll stop with seven reasons, but the list could go on, mainly due to the great applications, leveraging the hardware and software that Apple built. It’s a game changer in my opinion. Why? Because it’s less about the phone and more about the device. Being able to work, play, connect, post, etc. pretty much wherever you are is very powerful. And while other devices were here first, the iPhone just gets it a little more right.
How to Protect Your Apple Iphone Screen From Getting Damaged
Owners of the Apple iPhone often regard it as much more than simply a cell phone for very good reason. In addition to being able to communicate with others by making phone calls you can also send and receive emails and get online with your favorite social networking websites. Text messaging is also very straightforward with the highly efficient QWERTY keyboard. As well as all the excellent built in functions you can also install extra applications which allow you to be the owner of a device that does exactly what you need to it. When you have an iPhone you have a great tool to keep you connected to people as well as something that can entertain and keep you up to date with whatever you need to know.
All this flexibility does come at a price. When the iPhone was first released the first people to buy it paid upwards of six hundred dollars to get their hands on one of these amazing devices. When you have spent so much money on something it is only natural that you will want to take good care of it and protect it from damage. With many cell phones you could simply house it in a protective case. With the iPhone, however, this isn’t such a great idea as the most vunerable part of the touch screen. Once you bear in mind that the touch screen is how you interact with the iPhone then you can understand why it is so vital to keep it protected.
Since it is so important to keep the iPhone’s screen safe quite a number of companies have released products designed to do just that. One of the more notable products along these lines is the iPhone invisibleSHIELD which is made by Shield Zone. This amazing screen protector gives unparalleled protection to your touch screen to prevent it from getting damaged by scratches appearing on the screen as well as other types of damage that could occur.
The invisibleSHIELD has a very interesting heritage. The technology used in producing the invisibleSHIELD was actually used in the military to protect helicopter blades from rocks. By using the same technology in a protective case for your iPhone you can be sure that you will be able to safely carry your phone around without worrying about it getting scratched or damaged if you bump it against the table.
When you start to rely on a single device to do the job of several different electronic devices all in one you will want to take as good care of it as possible. If it gets damaged you lose your cell phone, your PDA, your MP3 player and countless other devices at once. Using a standard cell phone case isn’t an option since you will need to remove it every time you want to use your iPhone for something and since the majority of cases are fairly bulky you might even stop using it after a while leaving your iPhone completely unprotected.
The advantage of the invisibleSHIELD protective case is that is doesn’t add any extra bulk as it protects your phone. When you use this screen protector you will be providing your iPhone with the maximum protection possible while at the same time not making it any less connivent or portable.
How to Get TV Shows on Your Iphone
One of the many questions that iPhone users have to face is this, so far I’ve did my best to answer all the previous questions, this is one of the most comprehensive topic of them all. It’s a very exciting feature if you really take into consideration the limited magnitude of an Apple iPhone, and then to realize the capability thereof that make you start asking whether the possibilities are endless – well, quite literally, they are endless. How to get TV shows or movies onto your iPhone?
It may seem like a really complicated question, but this issue is quite simple! You have two choices of achieving this; firstly you could download a TV show episode or a movie from Apple’s iTunes store, and these video files are specifically designed for your device, from size to resolution quality to audio preferences, it’s a completely ready-made service. You don’t have to get it from the iTunes online store though, there are tons of online providers supplying the video downloading services and are equipped with the same device-specific features that your iPhone requires.
Secondly, you could opt to convert movies or video files that you already have, like a DVD for instance, or various types of video formats, to the specification that your iPhone needs. These two methods are best done using a computer, and if you’re planning to download, an Internet connection would be a necessity. What iPhone users need to understand between downloading a normal DVD or an encoded video is that since these “iPhone-Friendly” videos are minimized in resolution due the magnitude of an iPhone, which greatly reduces the file-sizes of these videos, thus making download-time and direct-device storage a lot less of a hassle!
Keep in mind that because the resolution has been downsized on these video files, that in no way will you lose quality when watching them on your iPhone, since the screen-size of an iPhone is rather small compared to that of your computer screen or television set. Now we look at how you get these shows onto your iPhone, and it’s exactly how you would get any computer files on. All you got to do is establish a stable connecting between your Apple iPhone and your computer, using a transfer cable. From there you can send video files using iTunes, deleted videos, or download videos currently stored on the iPhone. It’s a simple drag and drop operation and it works beautifully!
That’s pretty much the only way to get video files onto your iPhone, and I highly doubt that any other way would work better. Always remember that you should take great caution as to what you’re transferring onto your Apple iPhone, the same goes when downloading iPhone games, especially if you’re converting your own videos to use on it. If you’re looking for iPhone converting tools, do an online search or browse some of the online stores that provide services for iPhones and you wont have to look too far as they’re quite popular! So go ahead and enjoy your special little Apple iPhone!
Unlimited Iphone Downloads – 5 Tips to Pick the Right Download Site
iPhone owners are the proudest techno owners of the latest technology gizmos. It is not surprising that they are looking for unlimited iPhone downloads to load their gadgets. After all, with an 8GB flash drive and battery life that allows for video playback of up to 7 hours and audio playback of up to 24 hours, you can listen to music on your iPhone for a long time. So here we are with 5 cool tips to pick the right download site for unlimited iPhone downloads.
Always do some basic homework first and look around for great deals. If you own an iPod, then you would be glad to know that several download sites also provide music, movies, videos and game downloads for iPods as well. So you get a 2-in-1 combo deal when you download your iPhone music and movies there.
1. Price of the Downloads – Free, Paid Per Membership or Per Download
This is important. There are many sites that offer so called free iPhone downloads. My advice is to avoid them all together. Why? There have been complaints from users about spyware, adware and virus exposures when downloading from these sites. The free services would require you to install client software and in the process, these harmful applications get onto your computer, resulting in slower PC performance.
Paid membership sites on the other hand charge you either for per download or a lifetime flat fee. Go with the lifetime membership services. You get unlimited iPhone downloads of music, movies, games, videos and software for a small nominal fee of less than $49 in most instances.
2. Selection of Media Files
iPhones are great not only as a communications tool but also as a digital portable player. There are membership services that offer you more than just music files. Top sites often also provide movies, episodes of TV shows, videos, music videos and even games. Do check the site to ensure that you are getting unlimited iPhone downloads with the most frequently updated services.
3. Ease of Use
The site must be easy to navigate around. You do not want to spend hours figuring out how to download music for your iPhone. Ready guides with concise step by step instructions must be available as well as a user-friendly download environment. They should also provide downloading software as well as file format conversion software for free so that certain files can be converted to iPhone-compatible formats.
4. Fast Download Speeds
Some iPhone sites are speedsters while others crawl like snails. Since you are paying, why not get the quickest download speeds? If not, what is the use of having unlimited iPhone downloads when it takes forever to access them?
5. Technical and Customer Support
Make sure you go for services with excellent after-sales technical and customer support. This is important since many services often paint a nice picture before sales only to offer poor support after that. Fortunately, there are several top services that do perform well in this aspect.
These are the tips that would come in handy when you go shopping for a download site to download music, movies, videos and games for your new toy. Short cut the whole shopping process and read a review of where people are going for unlimited iPhone downloads for their iPhones at my iPhone blog.
Apple Iphone Features Overview
More than just a regular cellphone, the Apple iPhone has several features which help it stand out from the crowd, we go through an overview of them:
Phone Features:
The iPhone supports features like conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID and integration with cellular network features and functions. For example, when an incoming phone call is received, any music currently being played will be muted. Once the call is completed, the normal music will resume.
SMS text messages will be displayed similar to an email inbox, and can be sorted by topic. In addition, text messages will appear as message “bubbles” under each users name.
Together with cellular operator AT&T Mobility, formerly Cingular Wireless, the iPhone has the ability to display voicemails in a “Visual Voicemail” format. This allows users to see voicemails in a graphical manner and be able to play voice messages at will, rather than the typical chronological manner that is currently offered by cellular operators.
The iPhone supports the Bluetooth 2.0 wireless standard, meaning users can use compliant cellphone headsets for hands-free operation.
Camera:
The Apple iPhone features a 2.0 megapixel camera on its back panel. The iPhone cannot record video at this time. The iPhone also includes software which allows users to edit and email photos. This software also communicates with the iPhoto software on Mac computer.
Multimedia Capabilities:
Featuring memory capacities of 4 gigabytes and 8 gigabytes of flash memory, the iPhone features adequate storage for digital music collections. It incorporates a new digital music library system which makes it easier for users to sort through their collection.
The iPhone can offers video playback, giving users the option to watch movies and TV shows. The videos play while the iPhone is in a landscape orientation.
Internet Access:
The iPhone has built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking and is able to connect to the Internet using a modified version of Apple’s Safari browser.
It can also access a 2.5G EDGE telecommunications network to access the Internet.
While the iPhone does not have support for the 3G high speed communications network presently, Apple has said there are plans to add 3G support in future versions.
The Apple iPhone provides support for the IMAP and POP3 email protocols giving users the ability to check and compose emails on the device. At present there is no enterprise connectivity, other than the 2 email protocols listed.
Battery life:
The iPhone has a built-in battery which provides robust usage for the device. It is not intended for the user to replace. The battery is listed to be capable of providing up to 7 hours of video, 6 hours of web browsing, 8 hours of talk time and music playback time of 24 hours. It has up to 250 hours of standby time.
ipod nano video grab it here free
How would I go about learning to develop and program iPhone Apps?
Any ideas which books are dead set on this catorgory of programming?
Which Languages of code would I need to learn?
Downloading and Watching Movies on the Iphone is Fun
The arrival of the iPhone was a long waited event. Its very invention has stunned millions all over the world, that on the very first day of its release itself Apple sold over 270,000 iPhones. The first thing I did after buying myself this new gizmo was to download DVD movies and music on the phone. It is really amazing to watch a movie on the iPhone, the experience keeps lingering in your mind.
There are a number of sites which offer you unlimited downloads of DVD movies to your iPhone. All you have to do is just pay a minimum one time fee for a life time membership of unlimited service. This service is not only restricted to movie downloads but you can also download music, games, important softwares and much more.
Given below are a few sites which provide unlimited iPhone entertainment at a really low price and you can download for life.
1. Net IPhone Download. This site has a great collection of downloads with a wide range of genres in movies, games, music and other files. The download speed is amazingly fast. One advantage here while downloading movies is that you can start watching the movie even while download is in progress.
2. IPhone Nova. Many of the internet reviews rate this site better than Net IPhone Download, but some people found the user interface of this site difficult to use. But over all this site is a great one, provides quality service and provides all the entertainment you need.
3. Iphone Cyclone. This is another such website. It has a great collection of downloadable files. In many of the reviews the site has been highly praised for the its high speed downloads and the huge collection it has. But there is only one drawback in this site it lacks the quality of providing personal security to the customers. This site also has 24/7 customer support to help you with any problem you face, they also give you step by step video tutorials to help you over come troubleshooting situations.
Repair Iphone
Before you decide to repair Iphone, think about trading up for a better model. Think you can’t afford it? With the help of CashForIphones.com, you may be able to afford that nice new phone after all!
When you use CashForIphones.com to sell your phone instead of repair Iphone, you will be utilizing the services of a user-friendly and convenient website. They make it much more feasible to sell instead of repair Iphones, and they have a great reputation. After selling laptops for cash to the satisfaction of many, many online customers, this company has turned its eye toward Iphone. So if you are thinking to repair Iphones that are broken, take a quick look at this website to see if the choice to sell isn’t better.
When you choose to sell Iphones on CashForIphones.com instead of repair Iphones, you make the choice to turn your old Iphone into cash the easy way. You simply go on the website and complete an Instant Quote form. CashForIphones.com will let you know what price they will pay for your Iphone. If you agree, they will send you a prepaid shipping label and a box. This is much easier than trying to repair Iphones or sending them in for warranty repairs. For that, you would have to pay for shipping!
Once CashForIphones.com receives your phone, they will process it. After it is processes – which is done right away – you will be cut a check. Within days from beginning the process, you will have a check in hand that can be used toward the purchase of a new Iphone.
Selling your Iphone is so much easier than trying to repair Iphones. Not only do you get a much faster turnaround time, you also get some money to purchase a brand new, more up-to-date phone! When you try to repair Iphones through the warranty, you may have to drop the phone off at the store or even mail it in to be serviced. You could be without a phone for weeks! Chances are, if you are like most people, you simply can’t go without a phone this long. You need it for business and personal reasons, and so you may end up buying a phone while you try to repair Iphones.
If you are going to buy a new phone anyway, why repair Iphones at all? Instead, you can turn your old Iphone into easy, quick cash that can be used for a new phone, or for anything else you want. CashForIphones.com is easy, convenient, and guaranteed to give you satisfying results. You don’t have to be a web guru to use this service, either! You simply have to log on to CashForIphones.com, and follow their easy directions to get started today.