iPhone & iPod touch tips and tricks | Touchtip

One Definite Advantage Of The Pre Over The iPhone: Push Gmail [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:34:00 PDT

Google has a post today on its blog outlining how many of its applications are built right into the Palm Pre’s webOS. That’s hardly surprising given that it’s an OS built around the web technologies Google knows and loves: HTML, CSS and JavaScript. But buried in the post is a little nugget of information that is sure to enrage some iPhone owners: The Pre will support push Gmail from the get-go. Push technology allows an email to come to your phone without the user having to specifically call up to the server to get it (known as “pull”). This means near instantaneous receipt of messages as opposed to your phone being set to check for new messages at set intervals, which is how Gmail configured through the iPhone’s mail client currently works. Push Gmail has been rumored for a little while. But now it looks like Google is ready to tout it.

Hands on with the Sims 3 for iPhone and iPod touch [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:33:02 PDT

Become a kindly doctor. Or deck out your sweet apartment. Or become a reviled maniac who only talks to trees. All of these choices are yours when you play the Sims series of games. Easily the Electronic Arts’ most anticipated title of this year, The Sims 3 will launch on June 2nd for not only the Mac and PC, but also the iPhone. iPhone owners can look forward to playing the mirth-filled, quirky, and addictive person simulator in a handy mobile version. The ambitious project aims to be the deepest, richest, and most graphically beautiful game released to the iPhone to date.

Apple thwarts app piracy ahead of iPhone software release [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:32:14 PDT

Apple appears ready to thwart the piracy of iPhone Apps before it becomes a problem. Apple’s upcoming iPhone 3.0 software updated, which could be announced as soon as next week, will no longer allow you to re-download iPhone apps you once downloaded, according to a beta tester of the software. This change of policy is in response to a new rumored feature expected to be introduced with the iPhone 3.0 software update that will allow you to download iTunes content directly to your iPhone over the air. All you would have to do to download a TV show, for example, is submit your iTunes user name and password into your iPhone and start downloading. Currently to get premium video and other types of content on to your iPhone, you must purchase it first on desktop iTunes software and then sync your iPhone.

In preparation for iPhone 3.0, Apple posts iTunes 8.2 [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:31:37 PDT

Apple on Monday released iTunes 8.2, an update to its music jukebox software and online store interface for the Mac and Windows. It’s available for download through the Software Update system preference. Apple notes that iTunes 8.2 now supports iPhones and iPod touches equipped with the iPhone 3.0 software update. Other accessibility improvements and bug fixes have also been made.

iTunes 8.2 preps for new iPhone firmware [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:30:44 PDT

Earlier today, Apple updated iTunes to get it ready for the anticipated iPhone firmware upgrade to version 3.0. The company also updated its QuickTime video player. iTunes 8.2, for Windows and Mac, makes the program ready for the iPhone and iPod Touch operating system upgrade by pushing out changes made to recent prerelease versions of iTunes that had been available to only iPhone developers. It also includes one security fix. Quicktime 7.6.2, for Windows and Mac, contains several security fixes, including patches for holes that could have been exploited to run arbitrary code by maliciously created PSD, JP2, and some movie files.

Want an iPhone 3G? Good luck finding one [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:29:45 PDT

Add Best Buy to the list of retailers running out of iPhone 3Gs to sell. The consumer electronics giant warned its staff last weekend that supplies of Apple’s popular handset are running low, and that some stores may run out of iPhones for a few weeks by the end of June, according to a report by Sam Oliver of Apple Insider. The news is yet another indication that Apple is gearing up to debut one or more new iPhone models right away. A similar phenomenon occurred about year ago before Apple launched the iPhone 3G. In May 2008, Apple’s U.S. and U.K. online stores reported the first-generation iPhone was out of stock, as did Apple’s online and brick-and-mortar stores.

Will Zune HD challenge iPod Touch? [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:28:53 PDT

Microsoft wants its upcoming Zune HD to go head to head with the iPod Touch. Is that really plausible? The Zune HD portable media player, announced last week, will feature an HD Radio tuner and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen. It will use flash memory and a version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. It will feature an HDMI connection for streaming video to HDTVs, Wi-Fi connectivity, HD video support, and a built-in accelerometer. I think that Microsoft's Zune HD, if as advertised, could supply some real competition for my iPod Touch

Does Opera outperform iPhone's Safari browser? [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:28:16 PDT

The problem with statistics is that it's too easy to jigger data down to numbers that prove in the end how quickly the exercise can resemble art as much as science. Take the latest stats regarding Opera's mobile performance, for instance. StatCounter's Tuesday graph showed proof of Opera's climb above the iPhone's Safari browser for the month of May. Yet the claim that "Opera took 24.6 percent of the worldwide market compared to 22.3 percent for iPhone" is quickly followed by the admission that one only needs to calculate page views from the iPod Touch for mobile Safari to bypass Opera's lead. Web surfing from the Touch alone represents 14.9 percent of May's mobile browsing, according to StatCounter. Add it to iPhone's browser score and Safari's 37.2 percent overall market share quickly outpaces Opera's not-quite-25 percent.

The Short Lifespan Of The iPhone [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:27:28 PDT

For the past several weeks, I’ve been noticing something about my iPhone: Severe slowness. I put it sleep and wake it back up, clear its memory (with an app), restart it and even sometimes manually reboot it — some of these methods alleviate the symptoms, sometimes. Other times, I have to just deal with it being too unbearably slow to do much of anything, including the basic phone functionality like placing a call or sending a text message. And sometimes the iPhone gets really hot, even when it’s in its sleep state, and I’ll turn it back on to see the battery mostly drained.

Expect Next iPhone Hardware, Software in Early July [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:26:52 PDT

The iPhone 3.0 operating system is tantalizingly close to completion — but don’t plan on lining up at the Apple Store for a new phone just yet. That’s because it’s unlikely the OS will be ready for consumers to download by next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which Apple is hosting. And without the promised software, Apple is unlikely to release new phone hardware to go with it. Based on conversations with developers and Apple’s past product launches, Wired.com expects Apple to announce the final iPhone 3.0 roadmap to developers at WWDC, and the software and next-gen handset will likely follow within three to four weeks, or by early July.

What We Know About The Apple Tablet So Far [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:17:46 PDT

More evidence of the Apple Tablet surfaced today. We first wrote about the device at the end of last year when OEMs in China started hearing about the device. Details are still thin, although probably not because of a lack of leaks. Rather, Apple may still be locking down important specs like screen size. We’d heard 7 - 9 inch screen size late last year, but today’s reports range up to 10 inches, which we’ve also heard from our sources as a possible size. We don’t know what the final price point will be, but somewhere between $500 and $1,000 makes sense. We’ve also heard that the launch date was pushed from this Fall to early next year, and we’ve confirmed that significant human assets from the iPod and iPhone team have been dedicated to the project. In other words, the project is very real.

Analyst: Apple to Unleash Touchscreen Tablet in 2010 | Gadget Lab ... [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:17:12 PDT

Evidence continues to mount that Apple will deliver a touchscreen tablet next year, with an analyst laying out solid reasoning for this rumored device to become a reality. It appears more likely to be an oversized iPod Touch, not a tabletized MacBook. “Between indications from our component contacts in Asia, recent patents relating to multi-touch sensitivity for more complex computing devices, comments from [chief operating officer] Tim Cook on the April 22 conference call, and Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi along with other recent chip-related hires, it is increasingly clear that Apple is investing more in its mobile-computing franchise,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research statement issued to clients. Apple’s next step in mobile computing will likely be the release of a touchscreen tablet featuring a 7-to-10-inch display sometime in the first half of 2010, Munster predicts.

Is This The Future of the iPhone? Push, Background, Bundles [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:59:11 PDT

Version 3.0 of the iPhone operating system is in beta testing among developers and if all the actual and rumored changes come to fruition, the iPhone user experience is likely to be very different soon. In this post we'll take a brief look at three of the biggest changes being talked about: push notifications, background apps and bundled software. Some of these changes are much more likely than others. We've also got a few fantasies about what we wish was coming soon to the iPhone.

Apple doubles its iPhone market share [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:58:06 PDT

If there was any doubt about the popularity of Apple's iPhone, a quick look at the latest market share figures from research firm Gartner should put them to rest. Released on Wednesday, the newest data from Gartner shows that Apple's share of worldwide smartphone sales grew from 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008 to 10.8 percent in the first quarter of 2009. In terms of unit sales, Apple jumped from 1.7 million in the first quarter of 2008 to 3.9 million during the same period in 2009. While the quarter's iPhone adoption metrics may be impressive, Apple wasn't the only smartphone maker with big gains. Research In Motion saw its BlackBerry market share rise from 13.3 percent in first quarter of 2008 to 19.9 percent in 2009. The company's unit sales grew from 4.3 million to 7.2 million over the same period.

Palm hopes its Pre is a handful for competition [del.icio.us]

touchtip — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:55:51 PDT

More than a decade ago, Palm Inc. rose to prominence on the strength of its Palm Pilot, a small device that put computing power literally into customers' hands. In its stock's first day of trading nine years ago, the shares nearly tripled from their initial offering price. But the technology market bust, lowered demand and the rise of smart phones, where Palm's Treo was once a major player, took their toll. Palm looked into selling itself two years ago, and its stock hit a low in December, closing at $1.42, down 99.6% from that first-day close.

Palm’s Pre-emptive Strike - An Act of War, or Ho-hum?

Dean Lucas — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:31:54 +0000

It’s official. Palm announced this morning that it will be releasing its new touch screen phone, the Palm Pre, two days before Apple’s Steve-less Steve-note address at the WWDC on June 8th. Will Palm’s preemptive strike be enough to steal…

Friday Roundup for May 8th, 2009 - iPhone tips submitted by you

Dean Lucas — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:09:17 +0000

Touchtip’s Friday Roundup returns this week with the very best iPhone tips from our readers! This round includes some secret tips that even expert iPhone users may not know about. Wanna learn the best way to force your iPhone to learn…

Skype for iPhone and iPod touch is about a thousand shades of awesome!

Dean Lucas — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:12:21 +0000

Finally, the king of VoIP applications has arrived in the App Store allowing iPhones and yes, even iPod touches, to enjoy free phone calls and instant messaging. The free Skype app isn’t the first VoIP iPhone app to offer this functionality, but…

The Ultimate Travel Companion for iPhone - Tripit

Dean Lucas — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:13:19 +0000

We’ve finally consummated our relationship with Tripit, thanks to today’s release of the first official native iPhone app from the creators of the Tripit web site. And best of all, it’s free. You may have already read our coverage of Tripit here…

App Store Countdown Contest - At a Billion Apps Served, Apple Gives Out Prizes

Dean Lucas — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:18:54 +0000

If you haven’t paid a visit to the App Store lately, now is the time. Apple is running a contest with some very cool prizes like a fully loaded MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod touch, a $10,000 iTunes card, and…

Flight Control iPhone Game, You Are Cleared for Take Off [review]

Dean Lucas — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:08:38 +0000

Earlier this month, iPhone app developer Firemint released their newest game for iPhone and iPod touch, Flight Control. We almost wished we hadn’t tried this game; it’s crazy fun but frighteningly addictive. You could burn a lot of hours on…

Troubleshooting Your iPhone’s Wi-Fi Connection [iPhone tips]

Shane Burley — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:59:00 +0000

No matter how advanced AT&T and Apple try to claim the 3G network is for the iPhone, there really is no way around the fact that using a Wi-Fi connection is the best way to go. It continues to be…

Think Global, Go Local with Audio Tours from HearPlanet

Shane Burley — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:29:37 +0000

Internationalism is one of the main consequences of mass corporatism and globalization, but it has its advantages and disadvantages alike. On the more positive side it has helped facilitate more people traveling on a worldwide level in a more economic…