July 2007 - Posts
The iPhone is a pretty good device when it comes to reading web pages and such. One of the missing features with the web paradigm is that you need to be always connected to get content or access those web based application that is being developed with the iPhone UI.
I have found myself surfing the net in more situations where I would have not before, for example I might be checking the news during breakfast where as before I would read the newspaper. Since the device is less intrusive than bringing a laptop to the table it makes it so more convenient.
So on to the good stuff. Lets say you have a PDF or document that you would like to have off-line. Since the iPhone doesn't let you sync files to the flash and access them via some file browser you have to cheat.
Basically all you have to do is email the document to yourself.
Now the trick.
- You will need to synchronize the email with your iPhone (I am using IMAP and Exchange).
- Since the iPhone by default only syncs the first 50 emails (per folder) you might want to bump it up if you are saving many emails in your inbox.
- For me I created a folder in my inbox, documents, and store all these emails with attachments there.
- Finally after you see the email on your iPhone you need to do one more thing, click on the attachment so that it is downloaded from the server.
So now you can use the awesome panning an zooming utilities the iPhone provides with your frequently used documents!
For better performance, sync when you are on WIFI...
My train schedule (PDF) viewed offline on my iPhone:
This is a continuation of my last post. Well it seems that there is no joy with the iPhone SIM in an HSDPA PC Card. It will not connect. I have another Cingular SIM that has a data plan associated and that works fine.
It seems from the articles I have seen around the web, you need to have one of the Media.Net packages associated with your account in order for the data to work. Unfortunately to add the Unlimited Media.Net will cost $39 and the Unlimited Data plan will cost you $80. Also it looks like if you change from the iPhone package you will lose Visual Voice Mail :(
One of the funniest things I have ever seen. But it could be useful...
I just realized that I should be able to use the SIM from my iPhone in a HSDPA PC Card in my laptop. I will give it a go after I get one of course.
To be continued...
Now people on EBay can get a good return...
I will definitely be doing this this weekend...DIY iPhone earbud replacement
It looks like 1/3 of the people who took this poll have permanently returned the phone...
Well as with all new things the honeymoon period is over...Now the reality of what the capabilities and limitations are.
No Copy and Paste, yes I am still ranting about it. I remember back to when I had the SMT5600 and I returned it due to the fatal flaw of the Windows SmartPhone operating system. So far I don't think I am there yet, I still have a few weeks to bail out. My primary use case it that I like browsing to a web site, highlight a few paragraphs and send it to someone. Now I have to send the link and explain where in the page the information is located. Very annoying. Same with email, notepad SMS etc...
I seem to be having some issues with IMAP, Although I have send and receive working, it seems that when I delete an item on the iPhone it doesn't delete on my mailbox. Maybe this is by design or just some configuration error on my part. The interesting thing is that if restore the deleted item from the trash on the iPhone, I will have two copies in my Inbox on the server...Very uncool. So in the interim I won't delete anything on my iPhone I will just use OWA.
The calculator, what gives no percent? Even the basic calculator in windows has a percent function.
Safari based applications. Are you kidding. I didn't think much of it when it was first announced but now that I am wanting more functionality I have to make do with these widgets. First of all why would I trust any internet based app with my information, maybe my grocery list but not with my login information or anything else. And second of all, how come I can't link any of these things to the home page of the device. Apple has got to continue the momentum and get the development community behind the iPhone.
Finally in my rant is the lack of saving things locally on the device for retrieval later. So since EDGE is sooooo paaaainfully sloooow, I would like the ability to access content, lets say my train schedule (which is in PDF form) save it somewhere in the freespace I have and then retrieve it when I need it, not download it again. Also, I have a zillion PDFs and CHM files that I would also like to be able to read on the device.
One other thing, I had mentioned before that the mic on the included headphones has a switch, well it doesn't mute phone calls as I initially expected, it will only allow you to answer and hang up the phone.
Oh, I almost forgot a good one, the iPhone DOESN'T let you manually manage you music library. It is an all or nothing deal.
-end of rant
Here is one of the most indepth reviews of the iPhone. It reveals many of the missing features with the applications and integration with POP servers.
Today I finally used the iPhone to participate on a conference call. I typically have a 10 minute walk from the train to the office in NYC. The result was nothing but amazing. The audio quality was excellent, I could hear everything going on using the headphones. Additionally the included mic on the phone seems decent, it does pickup a lot of the background noise. but the mute on the phone really mutes the handset. (You don't hear buzzing on the conf call)
So for the whole walk the call was steady and no drops. Unfortunately I dropped the conf call when pressing the button on the mic. I think it was due to the fact I already had music playing before I placed the call. I think if I started w/o music playing, the mic switch would of worked (muted instead of restarting music) as expected.
On another note, entering data in the phone book is very easy. Apple keeps the interface free of unused fields (As opposed to Windows Mobile). I was able to quickly add/update quite a few contacts during my train ride.
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