Posts Tagged iPhone

App Approval

I see a lot of complaints from developers about Apple’s app approval process. But here’s the thing: If developers aren’t complaining about app approval, it means someone, somewhere, is not doing their job right. If apps went out the way developers wanted them to, they’d have ugly interfaces, poor memory management, and no error checking whatsoever.

Personally, I like Apple’s app approval process. And I like the fact that it’s rigid and painful. In fact, I don’t think it’s rigid enough. I’d like to see them make it even harder to put apps like “iFart” online.

But, like it or not, iFart isn’t going to cause a system crash when you receive a phone call while using it. And that’s what’s important. The iPhone isn’t just a handheld computing platform…. it’s also a phone. And that means it has to work. It can’t be crashing all the time. And Apple’s process helps make that a reality.

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WordPress rocks

I am writing this from my iPhone. This proves that wordpress rocks and that the iPhone is awesome. :)

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Where are those iPhone apps?

I had to find this the hard way, so I’m posting the info in hopes of making it easier for others.

After you’ve done the jailbreak app, you’re probably looking at the list of apps and thinking “is this it?”

Well, it’s not. You have to add sources to the installer. Go to the section called SOURCES and add the available ones. Next time you look at the selection, there will be much more available!

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Jailbreak the iPhone

Okay, so I’ve had the iPhone for about two weeks now, and I’ve been a bit lazy about doing the Jailbreak because I had so much trouble getting my iPhone activated. I didn’t want to be sitting at work wasting a bunch of the company’s time while I attempt to hack it.

Fortunately, both Lifehacker and Make were spreading the word Monday about the new, easy, one-touch Jailbreak you can do right from your iPhone without ever needing to connect to a PC.

I tried it a few times over the course of the day yesterday, with no luck. It appears that the EDGE network is preventing this from going through. However, when I was in range of a WiFi network, I tried it one more time and it worked like a charm!

AppSnap Installer

So far, I’ve used the installer app to add a GPS locator but that’s all. I know there are a lot more things I can do, I just need to figure them out. All the same, thumbs up to the AppSnapp guys for making this so easy!

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Woohoo! I have psychic powers!

It has been pointed out that I actually predicted the iPhone two years ago.

I bought my first iPod on Thursday, June 9, 2005. The following day, I wrote this:

The real magic is the iPod itself, though. I couldn’t understand what was such a big deal about iPod when reading reviews, but after having it in my hand for five minutes everything was clear. This really is one ingeniously designed technological wonder. I wish Apple would make cell phones. And tv sets. And cars.

And apparently I wasn’t far off with my next comment, about tv sets, given my positive experience when I first looked at Apple TV.

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An entirely non-Apple experience

Okay, so I got the iPhone. It’s just a phone, a set of ear buds, a USB cable, and a cradle, all tucked neatly into a very small box.

I bought it from an AT&T store and asked if it would require a new contract or if I could just continue the contract I already have. The representative who sold it to me told me I could just pick up my existing contract where it is now.

Then she told me it’s really easy to activate the phone, you just plug it into iTunes and do it all from there. Wow, that sounded cool.

Well, I got it home and plugged it into my G4 iBook. Instead of activating iTunes and showing the new device, it brought up iPhoto… as if I’d plugged in a camera! A little digging around on Google revealed that iPhone requires iTunes version 7.3 or later, but that version of iTunes won’t run on OS 10.3.9, the version on my iBook.

Okay then. I pulled out my PC and plugged it in. (Yes, I love my Mac so much that I don’t even plug in the Windows computer.) Booted it up and went to install the latest iTunes. The latest version, 7.4.10, requires XP but I still use Windows 2000. Fortunately, iTunes 7.3 (the minimum required version) can run on Windows 2000 with service pack 4.

All right then. That meant I had to install Service Pack 4. So I downloaded the service pack and installed it. Then I downloaded iTunes 7.3 and installed it. Finally… I’m on my way. Then I plugged in the iPhone and…?

Unrecognized USB device. A little more research revealed that the phone itself isn’t supported in Windows 2000. It requires XP or Vista, or Mac OS 10.4.10.

Final verdict? If I want to use my new iPhone, I need to upgrade my computer(s) or buy a new one. I’m not ready to do that yet.

Fortunately, I was able to install the latest iTunes at work this morning and activate the phone. To cap off the entire experience, I do, in fact, have to start a new 2-year agreement.

So on the plus side, I finally have my iPhone, but on the minus side, I can’t sync with it at home, and I’m now locked in to AT&T for two more years, unless I pay the early termination fee.

And so, as far as user experience upon purchasing a new iPhone, I give it a 2 out of 5. It’s horribly non-Apple to choose not to support older versions of the Mac OS — particularly previous subversions of the current version! It’s even worse to make those requirements so hard to find — I should not have to search Google to find a way to activate my $399 cell phone.

The cardinal sin, though, is the much talked about partnership with AT&T. For Apple, a company known for user experience, locking Apple users in to a company with a reputation for horrible customer service is unforgivable.

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iPhone

I got an email from an elderly friend today, asking if I had gotten an iPhone yet. (I guess that’s the nice thing about having a web site and blog… people can keep up with you even if you’re a little out of touch.)

Having learned that I hadn’t taken the plunge (though I was really close to doing it on Saturday) she advised me to do it, saying that she bought one, and her boyfriend liked it so much that he got one the following day.

But the real gem is that she sent along a link to a great additional reason for buying an iPhone: the power of unlocking it. Sometimes one URL can say so much. So guess where I’m going at lunch time.

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How iPhone affects web developers

A List Apart has just put up their second article about web sites developed for iPhone. In it, they discuss some of the limitations and difficulties of the device, such as:

There are also issues that arise because of the simplified user interface. After using the phone for awhile, you’ll notice that there are no open or save dialogs. Indeed, there is no file system that’s visible to the user, so it’s not surprising that the <input type=”file” …> does not work—there’s no way for a user to pick the file to upload.

The author describes everything from optimal screen size, font size, colors, memory limitations, downloads, fonts, and more.

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A new iPod?

iPod Touch

We had to know it was coming. It’s the next logical step. The iPhone is, as Steve Jobs promised, “the coolest iPod yet.” But what if your phone service isn’t with AT&T? Or what if you don’t need a phone, and you just want an iPod?

Apple has announced the iPod Touch. As far as I can tell, it’s an iPhone without the phone. Apparently, the removal of the phone functions not only made it possible to drop $100 from the price, but it also made room to double the storage capacity. Unfortunately those two things are mutually exclusive: either you get it cheaper, or else you get it with more storage.

My generation IV iPod, from the dark ages before video was added as a standard feature, gave me 20 gigabytes of storage, and I tend to keep it loaded pretty close to capacity. I can’t imagine how you add the ability to play video — and on a bigger screen — but don’t add storage. In fact, they reduced the storage!

Well, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure I don’t need 7.8 days worth of nonstop music with me everywhere I go. I could probably start managing what’s loaded instead of just taking everything with me everywhere.

But you see, that’s the problem. The thing that made the iPod so cool was that you could take your entire music collection with you everywhere you went. In my opinion, that’s the first and most important feature.

So why can’t they just add one tiny little memory card slot? They don’t have to include the memory or upgrade it, they can just put a CF slot, or SD slot, or something, allowing the user to upgrade at will. Why did the company who thinks of everything not think of that?

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iPhone

iPhone

I stopped at the Apple store on Michigan Avenue on Saturday to have a look at all the newest stuff they’ve got out.

The new iMacs are beautiful, well-priced, and have enormous screens. I think I want one. And the Apple TV was something that didn’t really wow me when I read about it online, but playing with one in the store made a big difference. I think I want one of those, too.

Somehow, in spite of all the iPhone hype, I managed to walk into the Apple store without the thought ever entering my mind. But upon entry, you’re surrounded by demo models of iPhones, and after I’d played with everything else, I went ahead and played with an iPhone.

I love it! It’s awesome. I’m going to see if The New AT&T (formerly known as Cingular) will be offering them, since my contract will be up for renewal in a few months. If I can wait and get it at a discounted rate for signing a new contract, I will. If not, I may just go buy one next week.

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