iPod Site

With all that you spent on the ?frond end?, why even consider ?cheaping out? on the back end?

I?m really surprised at all the baloney that seems to be overtaking the web relative to concern over the EOL (End of Life) of the iPhone battery.  It is just not going to be an issue for the overwhelming majority that have purchased the device.  Why?  I would expect that a large percentage of those that have a current iPhone will not have that device in a year (or two).  They will either have upgraded to the newest iPhone  (if they are still enthralled with it) or will have moved on to another great device.

But for those that still have their iPhone, when (and if) the battery does reach its EOL, unless you are super talented and have the ability to meticulously take apart your precious iPhone, why would you even consider it? So Apple will charge about $85 but you will get a device back that will work, will have a rated battery and some sort of a warranty. But if you decide to be ?chinchy?, a $20 do-it-yourself replacement is going to cause you more aggravation than what it is worth and the chances are it will not even come close to the quality of the Apple replacement.

Engadget Mobile reported today about a mysterious Chinese company has stepped in and ?created? a ?solution? to your problem with its iPhone battery replacement kit. For just $20, which is cheap enough to elicit genuine concern, you get a 1400mAh, 3.7V iPhone battery, some type of screwdriver-like tool, a strange plastic shiv, and an instruction manual (presumably in English, but you never know).

So they say ?All you have to do is crack open your $600 phone, de-solder your old battery and solder in the new one? ?yeah, I can just imagine the throngs of people doing that!

It?s time to get off of the battery issue ? it is a NON-ISSUE!  The battery will last, and it will provide you with more than adequate service for a long time!

This file is 7.1mb and is downloaded directly from iTunes. Here is the process on video. It only took about 5 minutes. Other than the version number, I haven?t found any radical changes yet. Of course, I no longer use it as my main phone, so I will likely miss any enhancements to its usability if any.

Phone Software
Version 1.0.1

. Bug fixes

This version of the software includes bug fixes and supersedes all previous versions.

For feature descriptions and complete instructions, see the users guide for your iPhone at:
    <http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/iphone/>

For more information about iPhone, go to:
    <http://www.apple.com/iphone/>

To troubleshoot your iPhone, or to view additional support information go to:
    <http://www.apple.com/support/iphone>

This text is taken from iTunes installer.

OK, this past saturday, I removed my sim card from the iPhone and placed it into my Palm Treo 750. I made a post about why I chose to do this and 3 days later, a firmware update comes out. How Ironic.

Anyhow, if you wondered how to remove the sim card from your Apple iPhone, check out this video.

I spent a couple days on the road last week with limited access to the net via laptop, so I have to turn to a mobile device to keep in touch. I have been fairly busy lately and haven?t had the time to move back to the Treo 750. It?s not that tough to do, just needed some good uninterrupted time to do so. After being disconnected those two days (because the solutions for Exchange Server support are horrible), I decided it was time to change back? NOW.

Another Mobile Enthusiast, Julie from The Gadgeteer, has recently switched back to her old device too. She was using the Palm Treo 680? Her reasons were:

1. Syncs text files / memos / notes and has a way to search the contents of those files for keywords.
2. I can install 1000?s of 3rd party applications (not web apps) such as an eBook reader, date calculator, unit converter, SSH client, games, etc.
3. Has physical buttons, which makes it a lot easier to interact with in a car.

I think the iPhone is super in some ways, but quite lacking in others. Julie?s comments are inline with mine as well. If I was to only get a few emails a day, it would be fine. If I could install actual software that didn?t rely on a 150kps connection to work, it would be fine. I can deal with the minor issues I had? The inability to use a premium set of earphone (without an adapter), the text entry (which got better as I got used to it), and the slowness of an EDGE connection. I can let all that pass, but my email and 3rd party application support is very important to me. For those reasons alone, I am returning to the Palm Treo 750 for my daily driver.

Just because I have chose to put it in the device graveyard (my little collection of old devices), doesn?t mean the phone is bad. For many users the phone is awesome. There are tons of things about the iPhone that are superb.

1. The Browser is TOP NOTCH
2. The SMS Messaging threaded view is better than the best, the Treo threaded view?
3. The Visual Voice Mail is cool, but the speaker volume of the iPhone makes it quite unusable
4. The screen is the best yet on a mobile device
5. The form factor is excellent as well

Some hits on the iPhone in my opinion:

1. The speaker is useless
2. Some of the tasks require even more taps than a Windows Mobile Phone
3. The cool applications that come installed (youtube, google maps) get boring quick. Google maps is a great tool, don?t get me wrong.
4. I want to be able to install applications and games ON MY PHONE.
5. Very tedious to customize
6. When will my battery die? Why can?t I replace it. I want to cry. In all honesty, I will never see it die, but some people will.

There is more to love and hate about the phone, but this is just my take at the moment. We will continue to cover hacks and development of the iPhone here at Mobilitysite. While the iPhone is not for me, it is for others and it?s in their interest that we bring them a little of everything from non-windows mobile devices.

PopCap Games announced today that it has launched a custom version of its flagship game Bejeweled for the Safari Web browser on the iPhone and is making it available at no cost to iPhone owners. Beginning today, iPhone users can log on to PopCap via the iPhone?s Web browser and play the iPhone-specific version of the original match-3 puzzler Bejeweled for free.

This customized version of Bejeweled leverages the Web 2.0 capabilities of Safari and the wireless capabilities of the iPhone, and has been optimized to take advantage of the iPhone?s unique display and input controls.

Source: PopCap press release

I keep asking myself why is it that if so many folks have purchased the iPhone as well as several of my peers, why is it then that I don?t want one?  There is no question that it does look cool (well, sort of) and it does do a lot of neat things for bells and whistles and flowers and stuff but why do I have this thing about the device?

Clearly I have had an issue with the closed platform and although there were some changes in Apples philosophy, it still remains a closed device unless you have (and use) access to the net.  Of course, we all know that AT&T?s performance in the ?burbs? is less than stellar so total and quick access can (and will) be a continuing issue.

And the device is super expensive which is fine but Apple decided that they wanted to make a killing and they convinced AT&T that is is the right thing to do ? but is it?  In the final analysis, will people be so happy with AT&T that they will stay when it comes time for their next device?  I think that in a year or two, AT&T will look back and say they made a mistake.

Little things bother me about the whole iPhone scenario like for example the new announcement for Apple Care.  A cost of $69 for an extra year ? that is the second year.  Several questions go through my mind when I think of that second year ? how many folks will still have the same device and for those that do, how many of those devices will go bad.  If it makes it to that point, I doubt it will go bad.  It?s an insurance policy.  They bet it will go bad so they charge you $69 for a year.  For those of you that don?t buy it, you?re betting it won?t go bad ? I?m in that camp.  I never buy those extra extended warranties and rarely have I ever been wrong.  Up until yesterday, I could have said NEVER have I been wrong but I did have an item die yesterday and if I purchased the extended warranty I would have been all set ? well sort of.

Even though you get the extended warranty, have you ever tried to collect on it?  Too many horror stories ? I?d rather take the chance and so far, I am ahead of the game.  My son bought an extended warranty (against my advice) and his device died so he said: ?see Dad, I get a new device?.  Well he got a new device alright ? a refurbished one that has continued to plague him with issues.  I asked him this weekend as he was complaining about his phone, will you get an extended warranty on the next device ? his reply: ?not a chance!?

So, those are all minor issues.  Why is it that I just don?t want one?  What is it that turns me off? 

As we were driving back from our vacation in Pennsylvania last week, we stopped at a rest area to have lunch.  As we were sitting at the table, I was checking my feeds on my Palm and a fellow sitting at the next table asked how I liked the device.  The conversation eventually moved onto the iPhone and he said he didn?t have one but his wife did so when she got home, he got to play with the device.  He liked it, said it was cool but it would not fit his needs (he had a Blackberry).  It didn?t hit me then but I did feel that it seemed like a strange scenario.  You get to play with the device in the evening when your wife gets home?. well, I really didn?t think too much about it.  He did talk about all the great things you can do with it ? but he didn?t have one for himself, so I guess it really is not all that great.

So I let that pass and went on with life as usual.  Dealing with my JasJar, KJAM, Cingular 8525, Nokia N95 ? all great devices.  Along with them I use my Palm 700W (which is always with me) and my Palm 750.  I switch devices almost every day ? I like them all.  All these devices are sturdy, I am comfortable with them, they get all my work done and I can do it easily ? so why couldn?t I use an iPhone? 

I keep telling myself it is because of the programs ? or lack of that I won?t commit but then today I realized why!  I saw again a release notice about the upcoming Kaiser.  This time it was on CrunchGear but the difference was they had a great picture with their story.

The story, Kaiser One Goose-Step Closer to AT&T, talked about the Kaiser clearing FCC muster.  Possibly this means we will see it soon but my guess is that AT&T will hold off a bit if iPhone sales start to pick up.  CrunchGear did say:

For those in need of a refresher, the Kaiser is the latest rendition of HTC?s Slidy-McQWERTY line of Windows Mobile smartphones. With 3G, Wi-Fi, and a large touch-screen, its ancestors include the AT&T 8125 and the 8525.

The standard Kaiser has a 3-Megapixel camera, though HTC added two variants: one sans camera altogether, and another with a secondary forward-facing camera. We expect those two to hit AT&T very soon. And read this carefully: If the Kaiser doesn?t hit AT&T by the end of the year, I?ll eat my hat. It should be noted, though, that my hat is made of cake. It is a cake hat.

Well I like cake, and I would love to have a piece of it but I would bet we will see it for Christmas ? (hint hint to my wife).  So why is it that I like this device and why is it that I would buy it?  I know the picture did it ? what was it?  And then it hit me!  The Kaiser is a ?manly device?.  It?s robust, looks strong, exudes a masculine touch and silently says ?I can do it all?.  The iPhone doesn?t do that.

And then I thought of that fellow talking about his wife?s iPhone.  SHE had it, not him.  Why?  It?s slender, sleek, sexy and fits perfectly in her pocketbook.   Yeah, it does some cool things but it just does not portray what I want in a device.

I saw this sexy stomach over at Shiny Shiny again. I think its the same girl a year later with a new piecing, what do you think?

 vs

ok, upon furthur reflection, maybe not, but the company is the same. You see, I posted a story on this ?Tune Buckle? back in January 2006. This buckle is back in the news over at Shiny Shiny again now. Still cool, still a sexy stomach to sell it. Will the make one for the iPhone?

Original Story :: Shiny Shiny

Otterbox is working on a new case for the iPhone. If you aren?t already aware, Otterbox makes some pretty tough cases for all sorts of devices and I am sure this one will exceed your expectations when it comes to protecting your iPhone.

Now, this case is still not ready for public consumption, but if you are thinking about investing in a great case and want to wait, now you know that Otterbox is on it.

Details:

• Accommodates both 4 GB and 8 GB Apple iPhones
• 3 Layers of Protection - The phone in its entirety is protected even during use as all surfaces are covered at all times
• Touch interface is completely protected while still being fully useable through a patented touch-screen membrane
• Sleep/Wake, volume and home buttons are all protected and useable via pass through buttons
• Sync/Charge, headphone and silence functions are all usable through plugs
• Case includes a swivel belt clip that provides full impact protection for the screen

Well check out this neat addition for you to make life with your iPod just a little easier.  With the iLoad, you can copy CDs to your iPod without using a computer ? very cool!  It?s simple folks.  Think about it, why have content limited to what?s available on iTunes ?  Choice is important to me and having a choice on how I load content is important.

The iLoad? Philosophy is simple: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So why make loading content on your iPod

If you are considering the purchase of an Apple iPhone, you will want to see if there is a work around for the problems you have heard about. Apple Hound has done alot of research for you already.

We have spent more than 40 hours tapping around the iPhone screens in an effort to find issues with the applications. This was not an easy task. The OS X graphical interface and applications are extremely solid!

The bugs range from minor display issues to application crashes. All 68 are should be reproducible by every iPhone owner!

Please note:

• Some of the steps required to reproduce unexpected results are obscure and may not occur during normal usage.
• We received several messages in response to a previous bug list we created asking what we were trying to accomplish by finding flaws in the iPhone. It is our thought that if we stumble upon an issue and Apple fixes it, then we will all have a better iPhone update!
• Each bug has been tested on two iPhones.
• While we interpret the following items as bugs, it is possible that the results are in line with the Apple iPhone User Interface design specifications.
• We have submitted these bugs to Apple.
• We will update this list with any additional bugs we find and can reproduce!
• Please feel free to add any bugs you have found to the comment section at the bottom of this posting.

I have liked my experience with the iPhone, but it?s almost time to go back to the Treo 750. I have a few more tests I want to run, that and I am too lazy(busy) to make the move.

iPhone v1.0 Bugs | AppleHound