iPhone MVP

59 Apps on 1 Screen – Cool program makes it happen!

Chris Leckness — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:46:46 +0000

Many of you already know what benefits can be gained by jailbreaking. I found another today. This program allows me to sort all my app icons into categories. I was looking for a way to get more out of my main screen and found this. I also found a launcher style app called PogoPlank, but I really didn’t like it. It took just as long to find an app than it was with 8 screens full of icons. Instead, I found “Categories” and “CategoriesSB” from the Cydia store. One was free and the other was $0.99. The paid app takes categories and moves the folders directly into springboard. The result is that everything loads very quickly, instantly more like. Here is the result of my tinkering today.

Notice that I have 59 apps. Then look at my main page. Look at the number of page dots I have now. 1 +search! Hot right? Read on…

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Post tags: categories, categoriesSB, cydia, iPhone categories, iPhone Launcher

There’s a Misrepresentation for that… Verizon not telling the complete truth in their commercials?

Chris Leckness — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:50:12 +0000

The byline in an Apple Insider post this morning says it all…

As Verizon has stepped up its efforts to portray AT&T's data network as sparse and largely unavailable, AT&T has published information that shows Verizon isn't telling the whole story.

Verizon began advertising its 3G coverage against AT&T's in a series of ads poking fun at Apple's "there's an app for that" iPhone commercials, presenting coverage maps of its own 3G CDMA/EVDO network in red against much more limited 3G service coverage maps for AT&T's 3G network presented in blue.

This chart basically explains the article, but if you want to know more, head over to Apple Insider. Thanks Doogald for the heads up, While he says he gets no 3G on Verizon smack dab in the sea of red, I personally get 3G on an area of the map that has no blue in the commercial. Hmm.

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Review – iFrogz Timbre Noise Isolating Earbuds w/ microphone

Chris Leckness — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:53:28 +0000

I am always on the look out for some quality earbuds. I hate to admit it, but I am very hard on them and often destroy them working in the yard. The only set of earbuds I haven’t killed is my Ultimate Ears Superfi 5pro earbuds. I only use them on trips now. I don’t mean to destroy them, but when you get out there jamming while cutting the grass and all, things happen.

I was recently given a set of iFrogz Timbre Earbuds to check out. These are a little different as they are meant to work with the iPhone. They have a microphone for calls as well as a button to control your media without touching the iPhone. They worked out pretty well.

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Post tags: iFrogz Timbre, iFrogz Timbre Noise Isolating Earbuds

Ok, It’s been 1 month. How am I liking the iPhone 3GS?

Chris Leckness — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:31:14 +0000

Ok guys and gals. I have been on the iPhone for 1 month and 2 days so far. I rarely carry the same device for more than 2-3 weeks. I did carry the HTC Touch Pro 2 for 3-4 months though. I told myself that if the flicker of light that the iPhone 3GS provided when I 1st bought it was still flickering after a month, that I would be surprised. Surprised I am. The flicker has turned into a flame. It’s not a raging fire, but it’s much stronger than when I initially purchased the iPhone 3GS.

I have to throw a little back story here before I move on. I was very skeptical of the iPhone back when it was announced. The weeks leading up to it’s official launch got me going a bit and I went from skeptical to curious. The day it launched, I called into work and went to stand in line. I was 1st in line for 90% of the day. I broke down and got out of line to eat. I returned to be 6th or 7th in line. I still got the original iPhone and still have it to this day.

Why didn’t I continue to use this 8GB iPhone I paid so much for? It wasn’t for me at that time. I am a Windows Mobile Device MVP and I was really supportive of Windows Mobile. I am a heavy MS Exchange user, so when the iPhone came up lame on Exchange support, it was almost a deal breaker. There were some other little things I didn’t like too. I went back to Windows Mobile and moved on.

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NVIDIA CEO packing an Apple tablet? You be the judge!

Adam Wyss — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:12:50 +0000

NVIDIA’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has apparently been seen hanging around Dubai with some new hardware. Is it just me or is this new tablet device above almost TOO Apple-like? Knowing that Apple uses NVIDIA graphics hardware, it only seems natural that they would tap them to do the GPU work on a new tablet, especially with the mobile breakthroughs with the new Tegra technology and all the “regular” graphics technology. Just look at this device above and follow along with me here down the checklist:

Glass screen with black bezel? Check.
Chrome rim? Check.
Single button on the front of the device? Check.
Webcam on top with dual microphones? Check. (See MacBook Pro)

Hmm, considering the lack of information about this device and the unwillingness to share information, it looks to me like NVIDIA is doing some more collaborating with the boys in Cupertino. Assuming this is indeed an Apple device, it is yet to be seen whether this is a Snow Leopard or iPhone OS device. I personally am hoping for Snow Leopard but we’ll see together how this plays out.

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iPhone catches bug, I call it R1A1

Adam Wyss — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:24:32 +0000

The iPhone has caught its first bug, while it is known as “ikee”, I’d like to call it R1A1 in honor of the H1N1 flu going around right now. Now you may be wondering, why did I choose R1A1? Let’s look at just the letters, RA. Those are the initials of a certain singer. First, before you freak out, this bug only affects jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches that have SSH installed. Second, the root account must still have the default password (alpine). What this worm does is change the wallpaper to a very stunning headshot of Rick Astley. Now the conditions to get this are very specific. You must meet all of the following to even risk catching this thing:

Own an iPhone
iPhone MUST be jailbroken (stock iPhones cannot catch this)
iPhone MUST have SSH installed (even if you are jailbroken, you can’t catch this if you do not have SSH)
Your iPhone MUST be in Australia

Now, that said, I meet the first three but I’m not in Australia so (for now) I’m immune being in the US. However that didn’t stop me from following Chris's tutorial which is located right here. Following these simple steps behind the link will stop this from infecting you, even if you meet all 4 previously listed conditions, you cannot be infected. So all jailbreakers out there, please take the time to be safe and change your root password. One last thing, make sure you make a note of it somewhere. I don’t know about you but I don’t use the root account every day. Either take the time and write it down on a slip of paper and put it with your iPhone box, note it in your secret list of passwords, keep it somewhere safe because it cannot be easily recovered. The only way I can think of would be to restore your iPhone to stock and start fresh. Any jailbreaker knows that is a HUGE pain in the behind because Cydia apps don’t get backed up and restored as seamlessly as iTunes apps do.

So everybody who uses SSH, get the R1A1 vaccine and change your root password!

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Post tags: bug, cydia, jailbreak, rick astley, rickroll, SSH, virus, wallpaper, worm

iFrogz and AT&T Team up on MyFrogz Customizable Luxe Cases

Chris Leckness — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:02:51 +0000

UPDATE: Read on for more photos and a video.

Here’s an interesting innovation in cases, custom cases created at ifrogz.com/myfrogz. Nike did something similar with their shoes recently. You can pick from 20 different color options and other finishes to make it truly theirs. After designing the case, you submit a customization code and the case will be shipped right away. These cases will set you back $34.99 and you can grab one at an AT&T Store.

“Our Luxe cases have been widely popular and customers were asking for a customizable option,” said Scott Huskinson, President and CEO of iFrogz. “Providing customers with the ability to create ‘Different Cases for Different Faces’ is a great next step for us and we are confident it will take in-store demand for the Luxe case to the next level.”

I am all for the customizing thing, but selling a box with a code to create a case only to wait for it to be delivered might not go over well. Consumers want instant gratification. Custom or not, I feel they’d probably rather buy a case that is not customized in the store that wait for one to be shipped. Maybe that’s just me, who knows. Either way, this is a cool idea.

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Tip – Taking Self Portraits Easier with the iPhone

Chris Leckness — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:58:12 +0000

Now, this seems like a no-brainer, but I didn’t think about it.

Have you ever tried taking a photo of your self without a mirror with the iPhone? I recently tried and it’s not as easy to pull off as you would think. The button to take the actual photo is a software key on the screen as you know. Lining up the iPhone with your mug while holding the iPhone at a good distance so your head isn’t chopped off and taking the photo at the same time is a challenge. Luckily, MacWorld’s iPhone Central has the answer and it’s much simpler than you might expect.

The iPhone’s shutter control doesn’t trigger when you press the camera button, it triggers when you release it. So the simple trick for taking better iPhone self-portraits is to press and hold the camera button, then turn the phone around and snap the picture by releasing your finger. It still doesn't always work perfectly, but it's definitely an improvement.

I just tried that out and it works fine. I never really thought about that.

Image Credit: Toma01’s Photography

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Post tags: iPhone Self Portrait, iPhone Tips

Apple to launch Verizon iPhone in Q3 2010

Mic W. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:48:48 +0000

Looks like Apple is taking that step for iPhone world domination. In a recent article at AppleInsider the new handset is not going to have any restrictions to hold it to a single provider.

A new report citing sources in the Taiwan handset supply chain says Apple has contracted to produce a UMTS/CDMA hybrid iPhone due in the third quarter of next year that will enable the company to sell a single global handset to all carriers, and specifically to Verizon Wireless in the US.

The report by OTR Global, provided to AppleInsider by an industry analyst, says the new "worldmode" iPhone will gain compatibility with CDMA2000 networks (including Verizon's US network, which is currently incompatible with existing iPhone models) while retaining compatibility with UMTS 3G networks globally using a new hybrid chip produced by Qualcomm.

According to OTR's sources, Asustek subsidiary Pegatron will build the new hybrid phone devices for Apple rather than Hon Hai, the iPhone's current manufacturer. This decision was reportedly made to prevent the company from being "constrained by a single-source assembler."

The news might not be good for AT&T either, considering that many users have switched to AT&T solely because they wanted to get the iPhone. The availability of a Verizon iPhone may cause AT&T buyers to hold off on new purchases until they see what kinds of competitive deals AT&T and Verizon will offer once the iPhone's exclusivity with AT&T ends next summer and the new "worldmode" iPhone appears.

It does however give AT&T a year to improve its 3G network and roll out the 3G MicroCell before being hit with mass defections from iPhone users irate over service issues. AT&T can still advertise that its 3G network is faster than Verizon's CDMA2000 coverage, and that it offers some features that CDMA2000 does not, including simultaneous voice and data and easy to use, multiple party conference calling.

AT&T has struggled to keep up with the pace of iPhone development, failing to immediately implement iPhone 3.0's MMS and tethering features, and remaining unable to take advantage of the faster 7.2 Mbps HSPA data potential of the iPhone 3GS. The threat posed by a "worldmode" iPhone should push AT&T to deliver a year of high priority network upgrades, and potentially result in more competitive service plans.

Source AppleInsider

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50 in 50 Day 20 – TaskTask

Chris Leckness — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:12:54 +0000

Here is an application that I knew zero about until a friend reviewed it. Clinton Fitch reviewed this one for the same reason I decided to purchase it as well. It works seamlessly with Microsoft Exchange 2007. I am a heavy exchange user and haven’t been able to walk away towards the Google line up of services yet. I don’t know when I can, I am so used to using Exchange. Anyhow, let’s jump right into this one.

As I mentioned above, I like to use the task lists within Outlook to give myself a heads up on what I have coming up and what I need to get done. Here is what my Outlook looks like for me most of the time.

You can see that I use this a quick look at what I need to do. I have been doing this for quite a while. These tasks sync with my exchange server and I have my tasks on whatever device I am using, including my laptop and phones. The problem is the iPhone doesn’t play as nice. Making it necessary to find something like TaskTask. I had been on the hunt for a replacement task program, but I really don’t want to sync with another program when I am perfectly fine with Exchange 2007.

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Post tags: iPhone Task Manager, TaskTask, TaskTask Review