Mobile Phone and Mobile Network Reviews:iPhone Reviews and Apps

So its iPhone 4S not iPhone 5 then?

2011-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Looks like Apple are releasing the new iPhone 4S rather than the expected iPhone 5 although it will be featuring the new iOS 5.

iOS5 will be released on Oct 12 so expect Apple servers to be creaking under the downloads!

Unable to Copy Music to iPhone 3GS with iTunes

2011-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Are you having problems copying music from your iTunes library to your iPhone?

I've found iTunes to be one of the worst apps that I have ever used and everytime I need to use it to maintain my iPhone 3GS or copy music the whole experience is incredibly frustrating.

It is really refreshing to find an alternative method to copy music to the iPhone that does not include iTunes and is a really well structured and easy to use program.

The software is called Media Monkey and it functions as you would expect iTunes to. If you want to send a song to your iPhone you right click it and choose the option: Send To. Select your iPhone and the music will sync to it.

Simplicity itself and it really begs the question why iTunes is such a struggle to use and so frustrating to experience. Apple are supposed to make the most user friendly software but with my experience of iTunes this hardly seems to be the case.

I work in IT and expect to be able to use most software immediately. iTunes is the only piece of consumer software that I have found that not to be the case.

Media Monkey is free although there are also options to upgrade to premium versions. I highly recommend it and it is definitely worth a look if you are trying to find a way to manage your iPhone or iPod music library without using iTunes.

iPhone Unable to Connect to Windows Vista iTunes library - Firewall Won't Keep Settings

2011-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

iPhone Unable to Connect to Windows Vista iTunes library - Firewall Won't Keep Settings Error

I've been trying to get my iPhone to connect to my iTunes library on my Windows Vista PC using the iPhone Remote app. Initially the Remote app reports "Remote can't connect to your itunes library. Check network settings" having paused for some time "connecting"

I assumed this was due to the Vista firewall so I followed the instructions on the Apple website to add iTunes as an exception to the Windows firewall. Tried again and the same error message occured. I checked the Windows Firewall again and iTunes was no longer ticked, something had reset the firewall settings and removed the itunes exception.

To confirm that the Windows Vista firewall was causing the problem by blocking access to iTunes from the Remote app on my iPhone via my local wireless network I turned off the Windows Vista firewall. The Remote app connected immediately to the iTunes library showing that it was something in the Windows Vista firewall that was blocking the remote connection between the iPhone 3GS and iTunes.

On further investigation there are additional Windows Vista Firewall settings under Administrative Tools. These allow further configuration of the Windows firewall.

I found that there was an entry under "Incoming Connections" for iTunes that was set to disabled. I enabled this entry and changed the other 2 entries for iTunes under TCP and UDP protocols to be enabled as public profiles.

As soon as these settings were saved the Remote app on my iPhone 3GS was able to connect to the iTunes library.

iPhone - Unable to Delete Email Messages only Archive

2011-09-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

As you can see from previous posts I've had a problem when upgrading my iPhone 3GS from firmware 3.1.2 to 4.3.3 which resulted in the phone being stuck in DFU mode and needing to be restored by an iPhone specialist.

My iPhone 3GS is now running iOS 4.3.5 which has a number of major differences to 3.1.2

Although all my apps have restored back onto the phone successfully there are a few features that have caused some confusion!

In particular a default setting in the iPhone email accounts has changed between 3.1.2 and iOS 4 (or 4.3.5) which allows you to delete email messages with either a slide of the finger or clicking the trash icon. In iOS 4 this no longer works for some email accounts and the message that appears is that you can only archive the message not delete it.

There is a setting that appears to be randomly set (some accounts had it others did not) within the Settings on the iPhone. To fix this problem and to allow messages to be deleted not archived on your iPhone you need to do the following:

1) Go to Settings, Mail Contact & Calendar
2) Go to the account that has the problem with archiving
3) Switch the flag "Archive Messages" from On to Off

You will then be able to delete messages from your iPhone inbox. There were some suggestions online that it is necessary to delete the account and recreate it but the option is much simpler than that and does not need any details to be reinput
.
If you need to go the other route and not delete messages from your iPhone but archive them instead then just switch the slider to On from Off.

Jailbreak iPhone - Crashes after Upgrade from iOS 3.1.2 to 4.3.3 - Stuck in DFU mode

2011-08-31T05:42:00.000-07:00

I needed to update my jailbroken iPhone to iOS 4 in order to use a number of apps that insist on this version of firmware in order to run.

My iPhone was running well on iOS 3.1.2 with jailbreak and Cydia. I used Blackra1n to create custom firmware to apply. Unfortunately this failed with various iPhone errors via iTunes and became stuck in a DFU loop.

Iphone error 1601, error 3984, error 1600 and error 28 on iTunes.

I tried various steps to attempt to recover my iPhone from the DFU mode but without success. Whenever plugged into the PC via USB it was detected by iTunes as being in recovery mode and to attempt recovery. This was tried with both the custom firmware (shift and click recover) and finally with the Apple firmware at iOS 4.3.5, none of which were successful.

The iphone is now with a local Medway/Chatham broken iphone repair shop to attempt to recover it. I'll post an update and recommendation if the work is a success!

MyCarCheck App for iPhone - Identifying New Car Spy Shots (Range Rover 2012)

2011-08-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

As you may have read in my previous blog post I grabbed spy shots of a disguised Range Rover being tested near Warwick, West Midlands a couple of days ago.

Range Rover spy shots

Having loaded the details to my blog I thought I would check the number plate details using the MyCarCheck app for my iPhone. There were 4 different number plates that have been seen on disguised spy shots of the Range Rover 2012 model and surprisingly they all generated information using this app.

Range Rover VU11DXP spy shots

All vehicles are registered as Land Rovers which confirms the Range Rover identification. The variants are both petrol and diesel and despite the zebra patterns are registered as both black and brown models. The engines are 3000cc diesel (heavy oil) and 5000cc petrol. The one piece of information that is missing is the model name - LandRover are clearly trying to keep this bit secret still.

Range Rover VU11DVM spy shots

What is Range Rover VX10JCO?

Range Rover VU11DXB spy shots

Wetherspoons iPhone App Review - Perfect way to find your best value breakfast!

2011-08-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

I recently downloaded the JD Wetherspoons app to my iPhone. As a fan of the Wetherspoons pubs for their excellent variety of real ales and their great value meals it seemed an ideal way to be able to find a local Wetherspoons when you are out and about.

I was in West Midlands with my kids this week which gave the perfect opportunity to test out the app. We were staying in Travelodge hotels so needed breakfast each morning. First day we defaulted to the Little Chef next door but paid handsomely for the privelege of not needing to drive.

Second day we decided to test out the Wetherspoons iPhone App. Was there a pub open nearby serving breakfast? Sure enough with a good 3G signal on Vodafone the app fired up and located us. Several pubs nearby including one that was on our route for the day so would make sense to drive near.

Followed the SatNav directions, parked in the multistorey car park next door for the princely sum of 50p and walked into Wetherspoons. The children had already made their choices from the menu on the Wetherspoons iPhone App so having chosen our table we were quickly able to place our order. One thing that Wetherspoons do exceptionally well is deliver food to your table quickly and this was no exception. Within a few minutes our breakfasts had arrived at our table. At under £5 a head for full English cooked breakfast with coffees, the Wetherspoons food was amazing value for money and puts Little Chefs price to shame.

The Wetherspoons iPhone App is a great addition to your iPhone and one we will definitely use in future

multizoneav.eu Review - Is it a con? Cheap Canon 60D for £361

2011-07-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

Many people are asking about multizoneav.eu and a review of their website that offers electronic goods at unbelievable prices. Remember the saying "if it looks too good to be true then it probably is!"

Firstly multizoneav.eu and multizoneav.net are nothing to do with multizoneav.com which is a legal, legitimate UK company that sells electronic equipment. Their name has been used by overseas scammers to trick you into parting with your cash. Their website offers cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark2 for £865, Canon 60D for £361 or the Nikon D700 DSLR camera for £857. They then show a further 5% discount on these already ficticious prices. Beware - these are not genuine offers and you will never receive these cameras - just lose your money!

So why does a review of multizoneav.eu and multizoneav.net show that it is a scam and a con?

1) The website has only been running for a month (registered June 2011)

2) They do not accept valid forms of electronic payment such as Visa/Mastercard or Paypal and only accept payment types that cannot be traced and are easily laundered.

3) You cannot buy cameras such as the Canon 600D for under 50% of the UK price. This is cheaper than Canon can produce them for.

4) They are passing off as the name of a genuine business in an attempt to trick consumers into buying from them. This is a common scam and has been carried out many times before on different businesses.

5) All feedback forums are having reports of people who have lost money to them

http://www.avforums.com/forums/digital-photography/1483269-multizoneav-eu.html

Scam Bargain Price Camera Gear multizoneav.eu

2011-07-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

This site is a scam, you can only pay through non safe methods ie CASH. Who would go to a Paypoint location and hand over £400 cash to a company that uses the London immigration offices as its registered place of business on the website.

Do yourselves a favour and remember the golden rule:
If it seems to good to be true....it probably is.

http://blog.photo3.co.uk/2011/07/multizoneaveu-scam-multi-zone-av-scam.html

How do I unlock a Second hand iphone 3GS on Orange Network for Free?

2011-06-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

How do I unlock a Second hand iphone 3GS on Orange Network?

As you may have seen from blog posts my iPhone 3GS is with Vodafone UK but doesn't always get the signal I need so I wanted to be able to use alternative SIMs in the iPhone if no signal exists at the location I am at. The same process can be used for any iPhone 3GS on Orange and O2 as well.

There are various websites that offer iPhone 3GS unlocking for around the £20 - £25 mark but I spotted this video on YouTube that allows you to unlock your iPhone 3GS for free.

The first step is to install the jailbreak software if you have not already jailbroken your phone. I use This gives lots of other benefits as well as being able to unlock the iPhone 3GS for free. I still use iOS 3.2 which is much more stable and can be easily jailbroken but does not work with apps that need iOS 4.

I used redsnow to jailbreak iOS 3.1.3 on my iPhone 3GS.

Once you have jailbroken your iPhone 3GS then you can load the ultrasn0w package which then unlocks the iPhone. Using Cydia add the URL

http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com

Once rebooted your iphone will be unlocked for free!

I've just tried it with my iPhone 3GS locked to Vodafone UK and it now works with SIMs from 3 and Orange so I can now use my iPhone 3GS on any network for free.

Mobile Mast locator:How to find Locations of Mobile Phone masts in your area

2011-05-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

Mobile Mast locator: how to find mobile phone masts in your town or neighbourhood

If you are concerned about mobile phone masts in your area then check on the locations that are already in place including opposite Parkwood school in the centre of the Parkwood residential area. An additional mast will have no impact on any radiation levels based on the number that already are constructed.
You can check the locations of mobile masts in Rainham or any other town using this website http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search

Loading Photos to iPhone without iTunes

2011-04-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

For a company like Apple that prides itself on the software and products it designs, iTunes seems to be a complete opposite in comparison to everything else it sells. It is the most un-user friendly, unintuitive and inflexible mainstream software I have ever used.

When on holiday I needed to load some photos to my iPhone to show friends. No way to do that in iTunes without wiping all the existing photos from your phone - unless you are at the PC that has sync'd with the phone before.

So if you need to load photos to your phone one way is to use the Dropbox software. This will load the photos to the cloud but also sync them to you phone and allow you to view them. All without needing to touch the disaster that is iTunes.

Dropbox for iPhone App

2011-03-02T11:41:00.001-08:00

As an update to my recent post about Dropbox I have now found that there is a Dropbox app available for both the iPhone and Blackberry.

It means that I can have documents and photos from my desktop immediately available on my phone where I have 3G/Wifi internet available. There is also an option to save files locally on the iPhone.

Facebook for iPhone 3.2/3.2.1 Stops working, shows Error on Jailbroken Phones

2010-08-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

The latest update to the Facebook for iPhone app version 3.2/3.2.1 that introduces the Places feature seems to stop working on Jailbroken iPhones and when you try to use the app, it just shows the message:

Error, Sorry there was an error

on Jailbroken Phones

Facebook iPhone App 3.2.1 Error

Apparently this is happening on most jailbroken phones and 3.2.1 was meant to fix it - but hasn't!

More info at http://www.redmondpie.com/fix-facebook-for-iphone-3.2-unable-to-load-this-page-and-login-problem/

For those having issues using FB after the upgrade, do the following conditions apply?
*Jailbroken
*Have BiteSMS installed
*Have SBSettings installed
I opened SBSettings, More, Mobile Substrate Addons. I then disabled BiteSMSsb, resprung, and now FB works fine. Not sure what that addon does, but so far BiteSMS works fine, as does FB.

Unlock Your iPhone 3GS for free - Use on any network Vodafone, Orange, O2 and 3 Three UK

2010-07-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

As you may have seen from blog posts my iPhone 3GS is with Vodafone UK but doesn't always get the signal I need so I wanted to be able to use alternative SIMs in the iPhone if no signal exists at the location I am at.

There are various websites that offer iPhone 3GS unlocking for around the £20 - £25 mark but I spotted this video on YouTube that allows you to unlock your iPhone 3GS for free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwZbg9koZaE

Once you have jailbroken your iPhone 3GS then you can load the ultrasn0w package which then unlocks the iPhone. Using Cydia add the URL

http://repo666.ultrasn0w.com

Once rebooted your iphone will be unlocked for free!

I've just tried it with my iPhone 3GS locked to Vodafone UK and it now works with SIMs from 3 and Orange so I can now use my iPhone 3GS on any network.

Apple Announcement - How You'll Feel Flowchart!

2010-07-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

With Apple's iPhone 4 announcement tomorrow, we thought you might enjoy Retrevo's fun flowchart/guide that "predicts" how people may feel after the announcement. This is intended to be a fun, (non-serious) look at how various people may respond.

Flowchart: http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2010/07/retrevos-guide-how-youll-feel-about-apples-solution-iphone4

iPhone 4 Briefing by Apple - 16 July 2010

2010-07-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

Apple are planning a briefing on 16 July to discuss the widely reported problems with the iPhone 4G.

iPhone 4G Problems

Watch this space for feedback after the conference call.

HTC Wildfire Review (on Three 3 network UK) Android Phone

2010-07-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

My latest phone is an HTC Wildfire on the 3 network, my first Android phone. Having most recently purchased an iPhone 3GS I was interested to see how the HTC Wildfire compared and key differences between Android and iPhone OS 3.12

The first noticeable difference is the quality of the case with the HTC Wildfire feeling far more plastic than the iPhone 3GS. This is understandable as they are in different sectors of the market but the screen size of the Wildfire is not far off the iPhone 3GS.

The iPhone cannot be opened as there are no user accessible components. The back of the HTC Wildfire can be removed but this feels very flimsy and one item that probably will not wear well over time if removed frequently. The removal is a tricky process as there is only a small gap to prise the cover off and it feels as it it will break and also damage the edge of the panel.

The look and feel of the user interface is not too different to the iPhone 3GS and the touch screen is equally effective. As my first Android phone it is hard to know what is Android and what is the HTC Sense skin on top of Android but either way the interface works well.

One thing missing is the excellent my3 application that has been on previous 3 mobiles, there may be another way to find this but I've not yet spotted it.

Configuration was simple and the phone was up and running quickly. The boot up time is quite long and certainly seems longer than the iPhone but this isn't something that you do very often.

Once I have used the phone for a few days I will post some more feedback.

iPhone 3GS No Service/Searching Problem - Comparison to Nokia 6233

2010-07-12T01:15:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the above photo, the iPhone 3Gs is switching between Searching and No Service but the Nokia 6233 has 3 bars of signal on the same network and same location. I'm not even holding the iphone 3GS to affect the signal - the iphone 4G may be even worse if the case is held

iPhone App - Roadtrip by Darren Stone - Vehicle Data cost & Fuel consumption records

2010-07-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

One of the first apps that I loaded to my iPhone was Road Trip by Darren Stone. Originally I had the free version but upgraded to the paid version to allow multiple vehicles to be covered.

It is one of the easiest apps to use and has been perfectly designed to allow you to quickly record the key details with the minimum of fuss. Fuel consumption can be recorded by purely entering the mileage and litres - with the iPhone touch screen this is a piece of cake.

You can also record other expenses such as service costs, tyres etc.

Overall one of the best iPhone apps and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants (or needs) to keep track of their vehicle costs.

Photobox iPhone App -Photobox2Go

2010-07-06T05:54:00.001-07:00

I've just received details of a new app from Photobox. They say it has been reviewed as: 'A very good app and one that if you're a keen photographer or just love photos I would highly recommend'

I've now loaded it on my iPhone and will give my verdict shortly

PDA Net Review - iPhone Apps for Tethering

2010-07-05T05:54:00.001-07:00

With a jailbroken iPhone the option to install a much wider variety of iPhone apps is available. One of the best that I have seen is PdaNet which allows you to use your iPhone for tethering without paying the extortionate additional charges that mobile networks try to charge. Orange, O2 and Vodafone in the UK all charge various amounts from £5 to £15 per month to allow you to use the bandwith that you have already paid for to tether your iphone to your laptop.
The bandwidth included with my contract is 1Gb per month, I rarely use more than 500Mb so it seems totally wrong to be required to pay an additional fee to actually use this spare bandwidth on my computer.

PDA Net allows you to do just this. You need to download the iPhone app and also install the client on your laptop. There is a free version of the app that allows any website other than https. By paying for the app you can access any websites from your laptop.
I have been very very impressed with Pda Net and would highly recommend it to anyone with a jailbroken iPhone 3G or 3Gs.

iPhone 4G - Apple finally admits poor signal problems

2010-07-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

iPhone 4G - Apple finally admits poor signal problems

Curiously the BBC also state:

However, there have been few - if any - complaints about older iPhones losing signal strength when held in a certain way.

They clearly haven't been reading my blog about the iPhone 3Gs and poor signal. Judging by the number of hits it gets for people looking for the phrase "iphone 3g no service" I am far from alone.

Hopefully they will now fix it although the explanation of the signal being displayed incorrectly is hardly reassuring. Having even less signal on the iPhone 3Gs is not likely to improve it!!

On another blog Brian Klug reports

With my bumper case on, I made it further into dead zones than ever before, and into marginal areas that would always drop calls without any problems at all. It's amazing really to experience the difference in sensitivity the iPhone 4 brings compared to the 3GS, and issues from holding the phone aside, reception is absolutely definitely improved. I felt like I was going places no iPhone had ever gone before. There's no doubt in my mind this iPhone gets the best cellular reception yet, even though measured signal is lower than the 3GS.

This could be positive news for iPhone 3Gs owners like me who experience the No Service error so frequently.

iPhone 4G - Apple finally admits poor signal problems

2010-07-02T10:35:00.001-07:00

The Apps They Might Have Used - American Revolution Edition

2010-06-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

These days it's hard to imagine a current president or world leader who isn't connected to the internet, who doesn't get email, and who doesn't have a cell phone. When Barack Obama went to the White House, a BlackBerry went with him. Senators, congressmen and leaders around the world are connected by their laptops, cell phones, and various other devices but it wasn't always like this. Our founding fathers (and mothers) had to do things the hard way. If they wanted a message delivered, someone had to deliver it by hand. If they wanted to research something, they had to find a book or an actual person who knew more than they did. If they got lost, there was no GPS device to point them in the right direction.

To celebrate this Independence Day, Retrevo has taken the liberty of imagining what apps some of the most famous people behind the American Revolution might have used on a regular basis. While we can't go back in time and actually test our ideas, we hope this inspires a new appreciation of what people had to go through in the days before the wiz-bang-appification of society that we so often take for granted.

- George Washington: iTopoMaps

It's difficult to lead troops into battle, especially if you're relying on a hand-drawn map, made by a surveyor in the days before Google Maps. That's why we think George Washington, first President of the United States would have probably used the iTopoMaps App while he was leading his troops. Because Washington was a surveyor in his youth, we also think he would have had his own ideas for the development of such an app. To learn more about iTopoMaps visit http://bit.ly/9df5NO

- Benjamin Franklin: Hootsuite

Were he alive today, Benjamin Franklin would most likely be the poster child of Social Media. He was many things in his lifetime; a printer, an author, a satirist, a politician, a scientist, and an inventor, as well as one of America's Founding Fathers. With so much going on, we like to think he would have loved Hootsuite, the app that helps you organize and keep up with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and various social media platforms. To learn more about Hootsuite visit http://bit.ly/4rqd

- Abigail Adams: Pages

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States. She is best known for her letters to her husband while he was in Philadelphia during the Continental Congress. John and Abigail frequently wrote to each other about politics and government, and we think, if Abigail had had an iPad, she would have drafted those letters in Pages, possibly adding pictures, and charts to support her ideas. To learn more about Pages visit http://bit.ly/a3mZUl

- Thomas Jefferson: Language Master

Thomas Jefferson was a man who loved books. After the British burned Washington D.C. and the Library of Congress in 1814, Jefferson sold his own personal library of books to Congress. Jefferson was also deeply interested in learning different languages including Latin, Greek, Spanish, Italian, French and Native American dialects. While we think Jefferson would have not been without an eReader, the App we think he would have liked is Language Masters; an app designed to help people learn various languages. To learn more about Language Master visit http://bit.ly/d3IxJX

- Betsy Ross: Fabric Stash

While historians don't all agree that Betsy Ross actually made one of the most popular versions of the American flag, we know Betsy Ross was an American seamstress, and that means she had fabric. Ask any sewer and they'll tell you about their "stash," that assortment of fabrics that they've purchased over the years that keeps growing. We think Betsy would have loved Fabric Stash, an iPhone and iPad app that lets sewing enthusiasts organize their fabric, compare patterns, and colors, all from the palm of their hand. To learn more about Fabric Stash visit http://bit.ly/9mSUiL

About The Apps They Might Have Used

What if we could go back in time and share the wonderful world of apps with some of history's most notable people? What apps would they use on a regular basis? The Apps They Might Have Used is a fun and educational article series from Retrevo.com, that looks at the lives of some of the most famous people in history and explores the apps those people might have used and enjoyed.

Retrevo.com is one of the largest consumer electronics review and shopping sites in the world, helping people decide what to buy, when to buy, and where to buy. Retrevo uses artificial intelligence to analyze and graphically summarize more than 50 million real-time data points from across the web to give shoppers the most comprehensive, unbiased, up-to-date product information they need to make smart, confident purchasing decisions for electronics.

By Jennifer Jacobson of Retrevo.com

Original Article From Retrevo: http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2010/06/apps-they-might-have-used-american-revolution-edition