10 iPhone Tips, iPhone Rants, and Battery Tests

I asked and you guys answered. This poll was right on with what I expected based on the audience we have here. I think we’ve done a good job mixing it up here still. Either way, here is another iPhone post, and it’s another on my own personal usage.

Unlike many of the iPhone users, I have very little experience using the iPhone. Even though I have had the iPhone since day 1, I have about 1-2 weeks of hands on time. Now that the iPhone’s 2.0 Software supports 3rd party apps and Microsoft Exchange, it was time to give it another shot. I have done that and because I’ve been to busy to take the time to change it out, I am still using it.

I flashed my old iPhone to an unofficial 2.0 ROM a week ago. The battery life was horrible the next day. I will admit that I used the device a ton Friday to test and play. I had the Treo 800w to test out the next couple days and I used it mainly Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night I loaded the “official 2.0 ROM” and got back at the real world test to see if the battery could live up to my needs.

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Poll: Are you sick of the iPhone News?

Many of you know where we came from, the roots of this site. If you don’t this site was a spawn off of Aximsite, which was called iPaqHQ and evolved into Mobilitysite. Our Windows Mobile/Pocket PC roots are deep. With changes in the times, comes changes in focus. While we are not abandoning Windows Mobile at all, we are covering Hot Mobility News. It would be unfair to ignore the exsistance of the iPhone. If you are tired of us posting news about the iPhone, I apologize, but it’s out there and it’s pretty nice. I caught a post over at Gizmodo asking the question, “iPhone 3G: How Do You Feel?” and thought it would be a good poll for this community as well.

I fully expect the results of this poll to be a different percentage wise from the Gizmodo poll. Just how different is the question. I personally feel that we’ve been lenient on the iPhone posts. Short of my own experience, there have only been a handful. This was by design. I really didn’t want to cram iPhone down your throats.

I love Exchange support on the iPhone, but is it flawed?

I rely heavily on being connected with Microsoft Exchange 24/7 and have withdrawal symptoms when I am on a device that doesn’t support Exchange. In fact, when I am testing a phone without support, I carry two devices.

When the iPhone came out, that was one of my biggest gripes. A year later, Apple has done it and done it well, I thought. From my perspective, the Exchange Support is perfect for my needs. Even though I filter through 400-500 emails a day, my usage is quite simple compared to some. I don’t use mail filters, I don’t redirect, etc. For me, the Apple hit the nail on the head and make it where I can carry just the iPhone when I choose to. (which I am doing today for more battery tests)

According to Paul Robichaux, Apple dropped the ball on quite a few items surrounding Exchange Support. Paul tells us a little about himself before he gets into the meat and potatoes…

Before I get into the meat of my piece, a few words about my qualifications. I’ve been a Mac user since 1984, an iPhone user since July 8th of last year, and an Exchange admin since 1995. I’m a Microsoft MVP for Exchange and Office Communications Server. My day job involves every possible sort of exploration into how Exchange works, with a heavy focus on mobility. I carry a Windows Mobile 6.1 device daily and rely on it to get my work done. I’ve been in love with the polish and responsiveness of the iPhone UI from day 1. It’s an awesome device for most purposes. However, from my standpoint as an experienced Exchange administrator and WM device wrangler, there are still a lot of missing pieces (or things that are poorly implemented).

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3G Apple iPhone has the best Battery Life?

PC World has done some battery testing and it looks like the 3g iPhone edged out the Samsung Instinct by a narrow margin. The test looks fairly complete, but Gizmodo points out that they forget to include Nokia devices, maybe it was intentional? We all know that Nokia has some magic dust in their batteries.

PC World says that the result is remarkable knowing that AT&T’s HSDPA/UMTS network is very power-hungry because voice calls use the more battery-demanding 3G band. By contrast, the Samsung Instinct—which runs on EVDO—switches to CDMA for voice, which they say it uses less power. In theory—as the results show.

My 1st Gen iPhone had a less than stellar 1st day in the battery life department. I used the leaked Rom on Thursday and it could have contributed to this. James Fee, former moderator/admin here, pointed me to a MacRumors post stating that this leaked ROM could have been designed for the 3G iPhone Hardware. I went ahead and reflashed to the Official ROM. We’ll see how it goes.

Source: PC World via Gizmodo

Yet Another iPhone Post - My 1st Impressions on v2

Here are some random thoughts and mutterings after a day of heavy use. I charged my rarely used Gen 1 iPhone overnight and pulled it off it’s charger today at about 8am. Since then, I have average 40 minutes of use per hour. I have been fiddling with Twitterific, Facebook, the App Store, made a few calls, and some games. About 2pm, I got an alert stating that I was at 20% Battery Life. I snapped a screenshot at 2:23pm. Look at my battery indicator. Yikes.

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MySpace Mobile Application for the iPhone

Getting a new iPhone?  Here is something you can get from MySpace to move through your MySpace network.  Social networking website MySpace announces a highly integrated new MySpace Mobile experience customized and available via the Apple App Store.

The free MySpace mobile application for the iPhone empowers users to seamlessly traverse their MySpace global network on-the-go and boasts key features including instant photo uploading from the iPhone to a MySpace profile. The new MySpace Mobile application is specially designed for the portable screen of the iPhone. This video gives you a demonstration of the Myspace Mobile application for the Apple iPhone.

AT&T Apple iPhone 3G White Video Unboxing

This isn’t my video, it’s AT&T’s own unboxing of the white 3G iPhone.

I apologize ahead of time to those that don’t care about the iPhone, this is a iPhone 3G day, so there has to be a little tolerance eh? I’ll have some unboxing photos of the 16G 3G iPhone up later too.

PS. I personally think that white back is hideous. Sorry Apple. I prefer the brush metal look of the 1st Gen iPhone.

Apple iPhone 2.0 Software Video and Screenshots

I have taken the new 2.0 Software and thrown it on my Gen 1 iPhone that was collecting dust. Here is a little video with a couple peeks at the software.

Read on to find out how you can get 2.0 now and what you need to do to install it. You could wait until tommorow, but hey… I also have some thoughts on my 1st couple hours with the new software’s implentation of Microsoft Exchange Server support and a bunch of screen shots.

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iPhone Apps Online Now and 3G iPhone Dissection

1st, the fun part of this consolidated post… The Dissection. In order to fix something, you have to know what makes it tick inside. One of the reasons I chose to be an Electronics Tech is just that, fixing things. iFixit.com has got their hands on a 3G iPhone and strips it down to parade rest for all to see!

Next up, a good move by Apple. The Application store is already online. In addition, their is a direct download link for the 2.0 Software already available. It doesn’t appear to be “officially available”, but hey, who cares eh? I’ll be upgrading my iPhone tonight.

• App Store hands-on, notable apps
• 2.0 debuts, waiting on jailbreak

David Pogue Talks About the 3G iPhone

He makes mention about the lower price for the hardware, but also mentions the increase in price for the AT&T services. He mentions the spotty 3G coverage as well. It’s really a silly video, but informative and entertaining.

In the past, I’ve been a tad critical of David Pogue, I admit. Around the time of the Zune Launch, I had an email conversation with him and understand him a bit better. Thanks David.

PS. There will be a few iPhone posts over the next week or so here, but I am not going to flood you. I promise.

Should you buy the new iPhone?

I suppose that is a question that current users are asking as well as potential new adopters.  Walt Mossberg from WSJ.com has some very interesting thoughts that you should read if the new iPhone is in your radar.  Battery life and overall cost has to be a consideration and Walt seemed to hit those nails very hard. 

There are two big hidden costs to the new iPhone’s faster speed and lower price tag. First, in my tests, the iPhone 3G’s battery was drained much more quickly in a typical day of use than the battery on the original iPhone, due to the higher power demands of 3G networks. This is an especially significant problem because, unlike most other smart phones, the iPhone has a sealed battery that can’t be replaced with a spare.

Second, Apple’s exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T Inc., has effectively negated the iPhone’s up-front price cut by jacking up its monthly fee for unlimited data use by $10. Over the course of the two-year contract you must sign to get the lower hardware prices, that adds $240, overwhelming the $200 savings on the phone itself. If you want text messaging, the cost rises further. With the first iPhone, 200 text messages a month came free. Now, 200 messages will cost $5 a month, or another $120 over the two-year contract.

Check out his thoughts here at WSJ.com

The iPhone 3G is coming … Friday

So are you thinking about the iPhone 3G?  Do you know where you can buy it?  You can locate a store near you where you can purchase your iPhone and find out what you need to bring with you by clicking on this link. If you’re new to AT&T, for example, you’ll need your current wireless account number and password.

iPhone 3G syncs with many applications on your Mac or PC. So if you organize your contacts, calendars, music, photos, and other information now, you’ll be ready to sync when you get your iPhone home. Learn more on how to get ready.

 

• Contacts and CalendarsiPhone syncs with iCal and Address Book or Entourage on a Mac, with Outlook on a PC, and with Yahoo! Address Book and Google Contacts on the web.
• EmailiPhone works with the most popular email systems—including Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and MobileMe. And iTunes syncs the settings from email accounts stored in Mail on a Mac or Outlook on a PC.
• PhotosiPhone uses iTunes to sync photos from iPhoto on a Mac, or Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Album, or any picture folder on a PC.
• Music and VideoIf you don’t have the latest version of iTunes, download it now and start a music and video library.
• iTunes AccountIf you don’t have an iTunes Store account, set one up now by downloading iTunes, selecting the iTunes Store, and clicking the Sign In button in the upper-right corner.

iPhone Gets Unofficial Support for Flash Lite

from MobileMag

Adobe and Apple haven’t exactly kissed and made up over the whole iPhone Flash situation just yet, so a rogue coder has decided to take it upon himself to bring Flash Lite to the Apple iPhone. Thomas Joos of Belgium doesn’t have a perfect port of Flash Lite and his creation is far from having any sort of official endorsement from Cupertino or Adobe, but it seems to be working just fine.

In the video embedded below, you can watch as Thomas walks you through at least one website that is powered by Flash. The support does not come natively, as he has go through b.Tween and eyeGT in order to get Flash to go on the iPhone. I wonder if he’d able to slip this into the upcoming AppStore without anyone noticing…

I love when people just make things happen. Brute force can be so elegant sometimes…

3G iPhone In-Store Activation Explained

Looks like the supposed procedure for the launch of the 3G iPhone has been anonymously posted to an online discussion forum according to a post from Gear Diary.

Included is a link to what is said to be an advanced version of iTunes v7.6.3b4 that will allow the stores to “unbrick” the iPhones for in store activation. Apparently the new version of iTunes 7.7 due to be released on July 11 will include this activation mode.

If you are interested, there are a few launch week rules that you might want to check out here at Gear Diary

Apple to Invade China

Official word was released before the weekend that the Apple iPhone (as Steve Jobs had hinted at a while ago) is finally entering the massive Chinese market, with a deal with China Mobile.

Reuters is carrying the following quote:

But there is no timetable for when China Mobile would bring the iPhone to mainland China, a spokeswoman said. “Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are practical issues still to be resolved,” said China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Lei.

Apple has decided to stop requiring that wireless network companies pay it part of the subscription fees they get from iPhone users. Instead, they will subsidize the devices up front to make them cheaper.

With no revenue sharing deal, it is quite likely that Apple will be just breaking even, if not losing money on this deal. However, I can easily see it as a prestige issue for Apple, as well as a move to try and block some surprisingly successful competitors, such as the Samsung Instinct or HTC Touch Pro, from stealing the largest phone market in the world. Certainly a good business move, no matter the short term cost.

What does this mean to iPhone buyers outside of China? Quite likely a shortage of iPhones due to the sudden inclusion of all those Chinese users. If the Russian market is also signed soon (as has been rumoured), supplies could get pretty thin on the ground. If there are any hiccups at all in Apple’s supply train on these devices, we could be seeing some interesting headlines by the end of the summer. Both in terms of resources and profit margin, Apple may be cutting this one very very close.

As for that groaning noise you hear in the background, that was the thousands of iPhone knockoff makers throwing themselves off the Great Wall.