This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
As I put more and more of my portfolio onto Flickr, I’ve been looking for a decent Flickr application for my iPhone and my friend Karen recommended one last week.
Called Cooliris, the application is available both as a browser plugin and as an iPhone application and is actually far more capable than just a front-end application for a single website as it can be used to create a “3D wall” for searching and viewing media from a variety of sites.
I’m not so convinced about the full application (it looks nice, but a couple of quick searches failed to come up with content that I know exists); however it’s a pretty impressive as an iPhone application to browse my Flickr photostream!
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
#2 showed light at the edge of the screen where it should have been covered with the black bezel (visible in a dark room), so yesterday Apple changed that for me too (on yet another visit to the Apple Store to try and get my MacBook fixed…).
#3 so far so good, except…
…I was playing some music tonight and accidentally covered the speaker with my finger. Then I noticed that sound only came out of one speaker. Arghhh!!!
It turns out that is normal behaviour. The left grill next to the dock connector covers the speaker, the right grill covers the microphone.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Last week I wrote that my iPhone had just been replaced under warranty but, just before it was swapped out, I decided to have a look at fixing the stuck pixels it had started to show.
First of all, I should explain that stuck pixels are just something that happens on certain types of display. Stuck pixels (which show a seemingly permanent red, green or blue whenever the device is switched on) are particularly obvious on a dark background, but can be fixed. Dead pixels just show nothing and are… dead – i.e. they show nothing.
If you have stuck pixels on your iPhone, then you’ll probably have seen them already (and if you haven’t, why worry?) but there is a test page to help you spot them. To fix them, check out Knox’s iPhone pixel fix web application, which runs a cycle of colours on the screen at a rate that the iPhone can cope with (rather than the animated GIF solutions that the author claims don’t work because the iPhone’s processor can’t keep up).
I seemed to work for me. Definitely worth a try to lose the annoying blemishes.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Alex says that I write too much about Microsoft and not enough good news about Apple… and there’s a reason for that (two reasons actually).
Anyway, here’s a good news story about Apple. My iPhone 3G has developed a crack in the case. In fact, there’s not just one crack on the side but a number of hairline cracks too – almost like the rings if you cut through a branch or a trunk on a tree. Is that the good news? Well, no, but I took it into my local Apple Store, where a “genius” took a look, agreed that it was not desirable and that the rest of the handset was in mint condition and ordered me a replacement. That’s the sort of customer service that I expect from a vendor of a premium product and I’m pleased so see Apple respond in this manner (especially as this unit was actually purchased from Carphone Warehouse – it’s a pity that it took a week to get a replacement unit but at least my phone wasn’t dead so I could us it in the meantime).
Unlike the issues I’ve been experiencing with my MacBook (where there is clearly a design fault), this probably stems from carrying the phone around in various pockets (but, after all, that’s what you do with a mobile phone!) and the curved side of the case being a point where particular pressure is exerted. The replacement unit may not be new (possibly “remanufactured” – i.e. new case, new screen, new battery, someone else’s old circuit board) but it’s impossible to tell and it seems reasonable, given that the original phone was not new either (just in “as new” condition). Swapping the phone over was simple. After switching my SIM to the new handset, the Apple Store activated the phone and I simply restored a recent backup in iTunes. I need to register the MAC address on my Wireless Access Point and if I had insurance I’d need to let my insurer know that I’d changed handsets but other than that everything seems good.
Whilst on the subject of the iPhone – I previously wrote about how I had applied an InvisibleSHIELD to my iPod and iPhone 3G. Whilst the iPod is still happily wearing its shield, the iPhone is no longer as it started to peel away at the edges and also experienced some discolouration (turning blue as the dye from my jeans transferred to the plastic). These days my iPhone lives in a leather case that I picked up at an O2 store and that seems to be doing a pretty good job of keeping the device in good condition.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
Whilst balancing childcare duties with work commitments last week, I was working some pretty irregular hours but wanted to keep tabs on my e-mail – so I connected my iPhone to the Exchange Server at work.
Nothing unremarkable there – iPhone v2.0 software includes Microsoft ActiveSync support and it worked – as it should. Unfortunately it still leaves a lot to be desired – not on the Exchange Server side but with Apple’s mail client implementation. For a company which is so focused on user experience, they don’t appear to have thought too much about this one…
You see, I have two mail accounts – one for home/small business (using Google Apps Email) – and one for work (using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007). The iPhone lets me configure multiple accounts and both work well – especially Exchange Server which has excellent push e-mail support (I often hear a message arrive on the phone before I see the notification on my Windows PC), remote wipe (according the the iPhone and iPod Touch Enterprise Deployment guide – I’ve not tested wiping my device from Exchange just yet but I can see the option there!) and more.
My problem is that, even though the mail client supports multiple accounts, switching from one Inbox to the other involves navigating five screens (out of one Inbox and up to the account level, then back to the Accounts screen, into another account, and finally into the other Inbox).
That’s not all – Apple seem to think that the reason for having multiple accounts is to bring all of my e-mail into one place – but surely if that’s what I wanted I would forward one mailbox to the other and access a single Inbox? Instead, I deliberately keep my work and private life separate (albeit on one device). The iPhone updates the new message indicator on the home screen to include the sum of all accounts (fair enough) but it only seems to allow me to set one signature for all accounts – and I want to use different contact details (e-mail address, phone number, job titles, etc.) for different accounts.
You see that’s the trouble with Apple products: they look great; they’re really simple to use (mostly) but sometimes you can oversimplify things and impact on flexibility.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
A few weeks back I had the use of a 2008 Ford Mondeo for a week and I wrote about my experiences of pairing my Apple iPhone 3G with the Ford Audio system. This morning, I got to play with a new Audi A4 Avant (2.0 TDI 170PS) for a few hours (it was fun – I will be ordering one soon) and I repeated the experiment with the iPhone 3G.
I didn’t have time to collect screenshots/photos but this is a quick summary of what I was told by the dealer/verified to be true (this car was an S line model and was fitted with the Audi Mobile Telephone Preparation Low and Audi Music Interface options):
The iPhone 3G will happily pair with the Audi’s audio system via the Mobile Telephone Preparation Low option but it is useful to know that: the pairing needs to occur within 30 seconds of opening the car and inserting the key (i.e. activating the car’s systems); the car identifies itself with a device name of handsfree; and the PIN for pairing is 1234.
Once paired, calls will ring the iPhone and the car simultaneously. The Bluetooth logo and signal strength are displayed on the Audi Multi Media Interface (MMI) display.
The car can access the iPhone 3G’s list for recently dialled numbers, missed calls, etc. but full directory integration does not appear to be available. Numbers can be dialled from the car’s systems (and the call placed on the iPhone). I did not have access to a vehicle with voice control system so this was not tested.
To use the iPhone as an iPod with the Audi Music Interface (AMI), a special cable is required (which I did not have access to).
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
In the western world (well, certainly in the UK), mobile phone ringtones represent a highly profitable market but, as I understand it, no additional revenue is passed to the recording artists – and on that basis I’m not going to line the pockets of music industry executives when I’ve already paid for music once.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
My company car is due for replacement and the lease company has arranged a demonstration car of my choice for a week – so last Wednesday a shiny Ford Mondeo 2.2TDCi Titanium X Sport Estate was delivered to my house. (For readers outside Europe who don’t know what a Mondeo is, here’s an American review of the range-topping Titanium X Sport model – it might also be useful to note that “car” and “estate” are English words for what’s known as “automobile” and “wagon” in some parts of the world.)
Whilst I’m not a great fan of the fake aluminium that car manufacturers seem to plaster all over the interior of cars these days, this car represents a reasonable balance between performance, economy and the need to transport a family complete with all their associated paraphernalia (or garden rubbish for the tip…) – and it’s pretty well-specced too. One of the features that I was particularly interested in was the Bluetooth and Voice Control system.
My current car has a fully-fitted carphone kit for use with my work phone (a Nokia 6021) but if anyone calls me on my iPhone 3G I have to use another solution. Not so with the Mondeo. In fact, I couldn’t get the Nokia to recognise the Ford Audio system (even though it’s one of the handsets that Ford has tested) but the iPhone was quite happy to pair following the instructions in the owner’s handbook:
The Bluetooth feature must be activated on the phone and on the audio unit. For additional information, refer to your phone user guide.
The private mode must not be activated on the Bluetooth phone.
Search for audio device.
Select Ford Audio.
The Bluetooth PIN number 0000 must be entered on the phone keypad.
[Ford Mondeo Owners Handbook (2008)]
Once paired, I could use the car’s controls to make calls and incoming calls on the iPhone were picked up by the car too.
Ford are not the only manufacturer to have such as system, but it is the first time I’ve had it fitted as standard on a car (on my Saab 9-3 I would have needed to specify an expensive stereo with built in satellite navigation to get the Bluetooth functionality) – and Ford do claim to be the only manufacturer to offer the system on small cars too:
Ford is the only manufacturer to offer a Bluetooth with Voice Control System on our smaller cars as well as our larger ones. It’s available on the Fiesta, Fusion, new Focus, new Focus CC, C-MAX, Mondeo, S-MAX, Galaxy, Fiesta Van, Transit Van, Transit Minibus, Transit Connect and Transit Chassis Cab.
(There are some light commercials on that list too.)
The downsides are that my phone has to have Bluetooth activated (and to be discoverable – leaving me subject to potential bluejacking). There’s also a bit of an echo (on both ends of the call) – something I haven’t experienced with the fitted car kit I use with the Nokia in my normal car – but it’s not bad enough to be a problem and, most importantly, the road noise at 70mph didn’t seem to cause too big a problem whilst making a call.
So, what doesn’t work with the iPhone? Despite the audio system somehow managing to detect a couple of my contacts (which I can then select by pressing a button to dial), the Bluetooth Voice Control doesn’t seem to be able to read the phone directory – but it does work if dial by number, as shown in the pictures below:
Also, it would be nice to make the car’s audio system play the music on my iPhone over Bluetooth – except that Apple hasn’t given us A2DP (stereo Bluetooth Audio), so to connect the iPhone to the stereo requires use of a standard 3.5mm headset cable to the Aux socket on the car’s audio system (unavailable on the car I tested because that has a DVD system installed in the front seat headrests instead).
As for whether I will lease this car… well, the jury’s still out on that one. It drives well and I get a lot of toys for my money but the VW Passat Estate, Audi A4 Avant (or possibly A6) and BMW 3 series touring are all on my shortlist. Does anyone know if the iPhone works with the built-in systems in these cars?
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
I think I heard the other day that Apple has sold something like 5 million 3G iPhones since launch. That’s a drop in the ocean compared with the number of devices that manufacturers like Nokia sell but nevertheless quite a bit chunk of the smartphone market. Unfortunately it also seems that the quality control has slipped in order to get so many devices out (based on the problems that some of my friends have had) and the v2.x software is certainly not as solid as the v1.x (even without applications installed).
Bearing that in mind I was disappointed, but not entirely surprised, to find that my the microphone in my iPhone headset was not working last week. I wasn’t sure if the problem was with the headset or the phone itself but I booked an appointment with a “Genius” at my local Apple Store to see if the problem could be identified. Sure enough, it was – and it was probably the least taxing of all the problems that particular genius had to solve today… some fluff inside the headphone socket, preventing the headset jack from making a proper connection. Once cleaned out everything was working fine. So, if you are experiencing similar problems, take out a can of compressed air and save yourself a trip to the Apple Store.
This content is 16 years old. I don't routinely update old blog posts as they are only intended to represent a view at a particular point in time. Please be warned that the information here may be out of date.
“For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).”
Then, one of my friends told me something that Apple doesn’t mention and it seems to have made a big difference to my indicated battery life. I don’t turn off Wi-Fi, 3G, location services, etc. unless I’m getting low on charge (because I actually want to use those features that I bought the phone for…) and I don’t have push e-mail since moving to GMail but, following my friend’s advice, I let the phone run completely out of juice and it took a long time to completely die after the warning messages for 20% and 10% battery power remaining. Then, after a full charge, my battery indicator seems to have calibrated itself to a much more realistic value (for reference, I’m on firmware v2.0.2).
Of course, usage patterns will vary but my iPhone is currently showing about 60% battery with 55 Minutes of use and 21 hours and 58 minutes on standby since the last full charge.
Called Cooliris, the application is available both as a browser plugin and as an iPhone application and is actually far more capable than just a front-end application for a single website as it can be used to create a “3D wall” for searching and viewing media from a variety of sites.
First of all, I should explain that stuck pixels are just something that happens on certain types of display. Stuck pixels (which show a seemingly permanent red, green or blue whenever the device is switched on) are particularly obvious on a dark background, but can be fixed. Dead pixels just show nothing and are… dead – i.e. they show nothing.
Once paired, I could use the car’s controls to make calls and incoming calls on the iPhone were picked up by the car too.
So, what doesn’t work with the iPhone? Despite the audio system somehow managing to detect a couple of my contacts (which I can then select by pressing a button to dial), the Bluetooth Voice Control doesn’t seem to be able to read the phone directory – but it does work if dial by number, as shown in the pictures below:
I don’t turn off Wi-Fi, 3G, location services, etc. unless I’m getting low on charge (because I actually want to use those features that I bought the phone for…) and I don’t have push e-mail since