appleJAC Macintosh Users

It was the Worst of Times, it was the Best of Times

by Ken Zindle

Dickens needs to forgive me for the use and rearrangement of his words. I can’t think of a better way to say it though.

Now, let me begin here by saying that as a ‘clergy person’-----up-to-date-me!-----I have lived by service. The phone call in the middle of the night, fetching me to a problem was my stock and trade. For this, among other, reasons, I am keenly aware of service and how good, or wretched it might be.

The Worst of Times:  Last Friday night my iPhone decided to play dead on me. It wouldn’t turn on unless I connected it to the computer!    I called Apple Care on Saturday and discussed it. We agreed that it should be sent in, since if it’s a problem with the battery, it would have to be sent in anyway. They said they’d send a box.Well drat!  Monday was a ‘holiday’, therefore no box. Tuesday the box arrived. I packed it; FedEx picked it up, and away it went.

The Best of Times: It’s now Thursday at 12:20 PM, and I have a new, replaced iPhone. It’s here, it’s activated, it’s synced and it does all those wonderful things that I’ve asked it to, including playing Bugs Bunny Cartoons, and teaching me an Italian word every day.

This is certainly ‘preaching to the choir’. (I know what that’s all about.) But I need to say that this kind of service warms the cockles of the heart of this veteran of  a life of ‘service.’.

Where “Apple Care” is concerned: it’s all a ‘no brainer.’

“My Word!” (Or iPhone Apps)

by Ken Zindle

I’m studying Italian. Why? Because I want to!  I travelled to Rome in both 2006 and 2007, and found Italy one of the most wonderful travel destination. (It joins the ranks in my mind of places like Vienna; Warsaw, Poland, the Rhine River, Hong Kong, and the Gulf Coast of Florida!) When I’m going to a place like that, I always want to be able to do some communicating in the local language. So, last year I started an informal Italian class and worked on the language on my own. That worked well, and I was able to get along remarkable well. (It helps that the Italians are pleased, when you try to speak their language, instead of insisting that they use your English. They are also very forgiving about your mistakes.)

Along comes the Declan Software application for the iPhone: “Italian Word of the Day.”  Great app!!!  It not only provides the daily word, for the enormous fee of $.99 but what is remarkable is the kind of Word of the Day that you receive. They are phrases that are designed to get you into a conversation mode with the language immediately. I mean phrases like:  “on the left,” “ on the floor,” “on the table,” “instead of”. They are conversation blocks, not just words.

Of course they also have a similar application for words in other languages.  That’s cool but right now it’s Italian that I want, and they’re coming through.  Look them over.

Some Chargers May not Work with iPhone 2

Spent some of today testing the new iPhone 3G  Most things work well.  Exactly the same as the older iPhone.  One notable exception is the Auto adapter I have installed in both my vehicles.  I have the USASpec iPod adapter that pluggs into my auto radio.  Works great and I can control the ipod with the radio controls or the iPod itself.  That part still works but unfortunately, it will no longer charge the iPhone.  That is truly a bummer. 

I did some searching and found this on Macworld.com:

Apple has dropped support for FireWire charging with the iPhone 3G. This means that many accessories won’t charge an iPhone 3G.  Apple gave accessory developers a strong hint that this was going to happen a while ago, but he said that some companies have continued to implement FireWire-based chargers despite the warning.

There’s some hope in sight: At least a couple of third parties will be releasing converters that will pass through the dock connection, but convert the power to a USB standard. That adapter may make many of those charging devices come back to life

Here is hopeing this will be a solution to allow me to again charge the iPhone in the car.

CoZip iPhone Cover

Since I purchased my iPhone, I have enjoyed going nude. Well, the iPhone that is.... without a cover or case. I have and continue to use a DLO Belt case that works just fine but when I pull the iPhone out, it is coverless. But now I have found a thin case to cover the back of the phone and more importantly, protect it.

This cover, from a company named CoZip, is available in a number of colors on Amazon. The real added benefit of it is that it allows me to protect the back of the phone and also holster it in the case I use on my belt.

Finally a thin, protective case with a rubberized feel that keeps me from thinking I am going to let the phone slip from my hand.

They make these for the iPod touch too...

How to Do Everything with Your iPhone

It's always tempting to either believe all the hype over a new product or to doubt that there is anything new to rave about. The iPhone is one of those technological advances that seems to have an incredible architecture and design, and functionality that is easy to master. It appeals to a wide audience that includes the somewhat hesitant, technology phobic individual as well as the technology savvy. The authors provide a good balance of what is myth and what is reality about the iPhone. The book provides extensive instructions that would allow the reader to satisfactorily setup the iPhone for use without personal technical support. I consider this a plus, since one often needs personal technical support at critical moments where circumstances do not allow access to technical support. Additionally, the authors include expert level ideas and instructions for the maximum use of the iPhone functionality and features that even the more experienced reader can learn from. I was introduced to the iPhone by an avid fan, and I have now test-driven the iPhone. I believe this book to be essential in both determining whether to buy the iPhone, or once purchased, to make the most out of the investment. It is hard to decide, without actually holding an iPhone and walking through some of the tutorials, whether the subject of the book or the actual iPhone is the more unbelievable wonder.

Click here to read the detailed review by The Macintosh Guild.

Who needs iToner ?

Thanks to Joe Mertzluff for the following tip......

Did you know GarageBand 4.1.1 has a menu command to send your music as a Ringtone to iTunes?

Here's the skinny.....

1.  Create a new garageband document.
2.  Create any music mix you like or just drag an MP3 file to the new window.
3.  Turn on looping and select up to 40 seconds of the music.
4.  Go to the Menu item "Share" and select "send Ringtone to iTunes"
5.  Now just sync your iphone and you can select the ringtone for everyone or a chosen one.

Signal: The Ultimate Media Remote

You have to give this a try......

Use your iPhone as a remote control for your iTunes library with Signal.

Control your music anywhere

Signal turns your iPhone, iPod touch, or Pocket PC into an advanced wireless remote control for iTunes, Winamp, or Windows Media Player. Control playback, browse or search your media library, and edit playlists from anywhere in the house - all from the palm of your hand.

The missing link to your digital jukebox

Stop going back to your computer every time you want to pause the music or change the song. Signal gives you the ability to control your music from wherever you can hear your music, so you can change songs from the comfort of your favorite chair or rock your next party from the deck, patio, or any room in the house.

Your iPhone as the ultimate remote

Signal offers an interface specifically designed for the iPhone and iPod touch, and takes full advantage of the device's capabilities to provide a two-way, live updating view of your media player.

Complete control of your media player

With Signal you can:

Play, pause, and stop your music
Move between songs in the playlist
Adjust the volume
Rate songs
See the current album art
Browse and search your media library
Add songs to the queue
Remove songs from the queue
All from a fun and easy-to-use handheld interface.
The perfect Airport Express companion

Signal really shines when you connect your computer to your stereo. Streaming solutions like the Airport Express allow you to wirelessly send music to your stereo, and Signal gives you the freedom of wireless control to go with it. Put them together and you get a simple solution to play and control your music through the whole house.

iPhone Books: Getting the Most from the Best

by Tom Piper

After having had my iPhone for nearly five months, there is still more to learn about this delightful communications companion. I’ve devoured everything I could read about maximizing my knowledge, including iPhone The Missing Manual by David Pogue (early PDF version). The next generation of iPhone guides have now come out from leading authors in the field . . . more information available at www.peachpit.com.

In order to assist the early adopters, the technology embracers, and the next-version-waiters, I’ve acquired The iPhone PocketGuide and The iPhone Book. These books are reasonably-priced, immediately-available, extra-ordinarily useful, and particularly well-written. I’ve seen, heard and read presentations from these Apple experts, and this is some of their best work.

This review includes a combination of my observations and Internet summaries of these publications. Both books are filled with great information: The Guide is more conversational on B&W stock with green accents, often annotated with useful notes and tips, plentiful illustrations, and good advise; whereas The Book is physically larger, with full-color large illustrations, divided into “how-to” topics, punctuated with “iTips”, and described with overly-large text blocks.

The iPhone Pocket Guide
by Christopher Breen
Publisher: Peachpit Press          Pub Date: September 20, 2007
Print ISBN-10: 0-321-51008-9   Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-51008-2
Pages: 272     Price:  $14.99 (discounted 2nd Edition, $8.99 with free shipping)

Here's your essential companion to Apple’s iPhone. This handy, low-priced book is packed with quick results so you can jump in and master the iPhone right away. Snappy writing, eye-catching graphics, and a fresh design  walks you through the most common iPhone tasks.

As the back cover summarizes, the iPhone Pocket Guide shows you how to:
    •    Set up and quickly start using your phone/iPod/Internet device.
    •    Make and receive calls and send text messages with your phone.
    •    Sync calendar and contacts between the iPhone and your Mac or Windows PC.
    •    Send email using AT&T’s wireless network or a Wi-Fi connection.
    •    Listen to songs and watch movies and TV shows (and YouTube!).
    •    Surf the Web using the built-in Safari browser.
    •    View photos and take pictures with the built-in camera.
    •    Get instant info using the built-in Stocks, Maps, Weather, and Clock applications.
    •    Run the numbers with Calculator and jot quick reminders with Notes.
    •    Fix common problems and learn what to do if you can’t fi x them yourself.

The iPhone Book: How to Do the Things You Want to Do with Your iPhone
by Scott Kelby; Terry White
Publisher: Peachpit Press           Pub Date: August 16, 2007
Print ISBN-10: 0-321-53410-7    Print ISBN-13: 978-0-321-53410-1
Pages: 240         Price: $24.99 (discounted to $22.49 free shipping, or $17.99 PDF version)

As the ad says: “This book is a "show-me-how-to-do-it" book, that skips all the confusing techno-jargon and just tells you, in plain simple English, exactly how to use the iPhone features you want to use most.”

The iPhone Book is from Scott Kelby, the award-winning author of the smash bestseller, The iPod Book, who takes that same highly-acclaimed, casual, straight-to-the-point concept and layout and brings it to learning Apple's amazing iPhone. Scott teams up once again with gadget guru, and leading iPhone authority, Terry White to put together a book that is an awful lot like the iPhone itself—simple to use and fun to learn. The book's layout is brilliant, with each page covering just one single topic, so finding the information you need is quick and easy, with a large full-color photo on each page so you can see exactly how it works

Ringtones for the iPhone with iToner

Apple now sells ringtones for the iPhone but how about....No hacks.....No per-ringtone fees.....and Unlimited custom ringtones for your iPhone!

Drag, drop, and sync.

iToner enables you to quickly transfer custom ringtones for your iPhone - without modifying, hacking or having to reset your iPhone. Simply drag and drop your MP3 or AAC audio files on iToner's window, click the Sync button, and you're done. Even better, your ringtones will continue to work with future iPhone OS updates!

Your iPhone. Customized.

Your iPhone allows you to assign different ringtones for your different contacts. With iToner, now you can have a Barry White ringtone for when your girlfriend calls, Frank Zappa for when your college buddies ring you up, or the theme from Jaws for when your boss is calling.

Lack of MMS on the iPhone Bother You?

So, the iPhone cannot send MMS messages.... What's with that?   Although I suspect that the feature will surface in an update sometime in the next month or two, there is a work around that will enable  MMS capabilities to your iPhone.

Since you can email pictures you have taken, to send a picture to any cellphone just email it to the recipients MMS email address. All you will need to do is enter the recipients 10 digit number into the appropriate carrier field.

US Based Carriers:

Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com
AT&T = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net
Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com
Cingular (AT&T) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com
Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com
Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net
US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net
Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com

Review: Case-Mate Signature Leather Case and Signature Holster for iPhone

I have always loved Case-Mate products.  They seem to me very well made and look very high end and beautiful.  This new case, designed exclusively for the iPhone is made of soft, supple Napa leather wraps that is perfectly contoured to fit the curves of the iPhone.   While it looks good, it is also made of leather that polishes easily while the impact resistant shell inside protects against everyday wear and tear. The case comes with a fully removable 360-degree ratcheting belt clip but the rachet mechanism is too week to allow for the phone to remain horizontal on the belt.  That should not be a problem though because the case is designed to integrate with the Case-mate Signature iPhone Leather Holster.  In this configuration, the screen is protected as the phone is slipped into the holster.

That brings me to the review of the holster itself.

The Case-Mate Signature iPhone Holster is marketed for people on the go who desire more complete protection for their Apple iPhone.  The above case works perfectly with this sleek leather holster.  The holster is also handcrafted from leather which is wrapped around an impact resistant molded shell.  The form-fit leather cradle will hold your iPhone while in the leather case so your phone remains fully protected at all times. I must admit, this pair is one of the most secure ways I have seen to carry your phone.

Sounds great, right.  Well, not so much.  As great as the holster is, the intent is to allow you to carry it on your belt.  The holster comes with a multi-directional, 360-degree ratcheting belt clip which allows for adjustability and maximum comfort while standing or sitting.  The ratchet portion of the clip is very positive and locks the case into any angle.  That part is great.  But the belt clip that is molded into the ratchet is horrible!

How can you manufacture such a nice case and holster and drop the ball completely on the belt clip.  This stuff is not rocket science guys.  Let me explain.  The clip is first off way too week.  I want the clip that holds the case to my belt for my $600 phone to be strong.  There should be no way to accidentally pull the clip off your belt but is this case, it is hard to keep it on the belt.  The clip takes almost no pressure to press the spring-loaded mechanism and release the clip.  In fact, on the first day of use, I came perilously close to popping it off my belt on to the asphalt.  The clip is just way too week.  Not only is it week, it is bowed on one side leaving an opening wide enough to accommodate a wide thick belt.  But an average business mans belt is more like 1 ¼” and very thin making the clip flop around on the belt and turn sideways.  Not the holster turning, but the clip being too loose on the belt.

In addition, the clip is so loose and so weak, I cannot even reinsert the phone in the holster without pulling the clip off my belt.

Case-Mate was very close to perfect but left this one part, the clip, completely unusable.  I highly recommend the case itself if you need a case that does not have a belt clip but if you need to clip your phone to a belt, this solution, whether the case itself, or most definitely, the holster, just doesn’t measure up.

Want to see what should have been done.... read on

TomTom connects to iPhone!

I have been trying many things to find out just what works with the iPhone and what dosent.  As you know, I am a big TomTom fan so I tried to pair my iPhone by bluetooth to use the hands free feature in the TomTom 510 I have and it worked easily.  The TomTom recognized the iPhone, made the connection and then..... told me it was downloading my phonebook.  Say What?  Oh yes, it downloaded my phonebook from the iPhone to allow me to dial from the TomTom screen.  Very cool!

David Pogue Sings the Praises of the iPhone

What can I say?  Here is an iPhone story from David Pogue of the New York Times.

A Few iPhone Tips and Tricks

After working with the iPhone for a few days, here are a fw tips and tricks that I have found.  THe first one I figured out but the next two are from Mac Rumors.

Folders in Mail

I wondered how I could create folders to put some of my email in on my account.  Normally, I use POP to check my email and I found no way to have any other folders show up on a POP account.  I then tried using the IMAP server for the same account and found that any folders I created on the IMAP server show up on the iPhone.  This allows me to save a few emails in a folder to refer to later.

Here are a few I found on MacRumors

Safari Web Browser

I just found this today and thought it was a really useful feature. I was reading TUAW on my iPhone and got to the bottom of their news feed and wanted to go to another site. I was beginning to scroll back up to the top to get to the URL entry field and accidentally hit the top bar, the one with AT&T and signal strength and the time and battery life and found myself at the top of the page staring right at the URL field. So amazingly simple and brilliant.

In short:

1. You're at the bottom (or anywhere) of a webpage on your iPhone and want to go to the URL field.
2. Tap the top bar with the time and battery life indicator.
3. Boom! You're at the URL entry field!

Typing a Period (or and other Punctuation)

When typing, here's a quick way to input a period. Click on the .?123 button and slide your finger over to the period (or comma) and release. A period will be written, and the keyboard will go back to letters. Alternatively, click the .?123 button with your left thumb and tap the period button with the other. Again, you'll get the period and the keyboard will switch back to letters.

After seeing the demo... how could I resist?

I spent part of Saturday afternoon with appleJAC Member at Large, Tom Piper, doing a short test drive of his new iPhone.  I must admit, I had convinced myself that I did not want one and that my Windows Mobile Smartphone was just fine for what I do.  That was well and good until I touched the display... after that, all my objections melted away.

After doing a little work Saturday, I decided to stop by the local AT&T store to see when they get their next shipment in and the guy told me they had one 8gb iPhone left in stock.  They had sold out Friday night but got a few more in on Saturday.  How could I resist.

My activation was not as uneventful as Tom's.  He told me his was active in 10 minutes but mine took 22 1/2 hours.... Yes, AT&T said their system was being overwhelmed.  But it finally happened and I now have an active iPhone.  Beauty, simplicity, and function, all in one package.  More on it later I am sure.....

iPhone hits Jefferson City

It you are wondering what the iPhone is all about, check out this man on the street interview prepared by appleJAC menber Steve Mays with people in the Jefferson CIty AT&T iPhone line at 10am on June 29th.

Steve promises to post an additional interview with people as they get their iPhones this evening so check out his Blog for that.