bioneural.net » Mobile

iPhone 2G on O2 Simplicity contract

Bruce — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:09:37 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

If you liked the concept of a new iPhone 3GS but found the contract tariffs and Pay & Go up-front costs unpalatable, now might be a good time to obtain a pre-loved iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G. I have an iPhone 2G which I previously unlocked and used on Vodafone UK, but found myself drawn to O2's offer of unlimited O2 to O2 calls—not to mention avoidance of the need to unlock the device and the hassle around firmware updates that doing so entails. I had to dig around the Interwebs and make a support phone call to discover all I needed to know to get up and running with O2 Simplicity; that knowledge is summarized below. Feel free to contribute any further tidbits! Know the limitations of your phone As a glance at this chart from Apple will show, tethering and MMS are not supported on 2G iPhones: © Apple Despite the implications of this chart, you can receive picture messages on 2G iPhones, in a roundabout way (see below). Incidentally, MMS will apparently work fine on iPhone 3G but tethering requires purchase of a bolt-on plan from O2, although can be enabled without easily enough—but doing so risks disconnection. Know the limitations of your tariff A Simplicity tariff isn't the same as an iPhone tariff; O2 couldn't really make the former too attractive or they'd cannibalise sales of iPhones on contract. For the clear benefit of a month-by-month contract at a lesser price, you have to give something up. Not a lot, to be ...

Dropbox and iPhone sitting in a tree

Bruce — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:00:40 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

It's amazing how easy it is to fill an 8GB iPhone. While apps like FileMagnet (using a proprietary protocol & desktop companion app) and Air Sharing (WebDAV via your desktop or web browser) provide "documents to go" functionality, this only works if your phone is on the same WiFi network as your desktop—and providing you've enough space left after syncing that episode of Battlestar Galactica! Since the iPhone does not offer expandable storage there are two alternatives. The first is to stream media content to the device (e.g. via BBC iPlayer, Internet radio, or DRM-free iTunes tracks). Alternatively, you could temporarily cache and view a limited range of file types via mobile Safari, or download and store various documents retrieved from your FTP server (e.g. via FTP On The Go, MobileStudio)—or make use of the cloud (e.g. via Dropbox or Box). Getting your files into the cloud Dropbox software is available for Mac, PC, and Linux. When installed it creates a local folder on your desktop machine that is automatically synced to an online filestore. You can connect multiple computers to your Dropbox account so that any edits made on one machine are automatically reflected in the local folder on all linked computers: In addition to using the client software, you can access the contents of your Dropbox from any computer or mobile device with a decent web browser. The web interface is very clean and supports uploading of any file type from your desktop: The web interface for uploaded files in a ...

Add a geo field to iPhone and Address Book

Bruce — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:24:13 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Both the Mac OSX Address Book and Contacts/ Phone apps on the Apple iPhone support a custom "geo" field. You can use this field to store GPS coordinates that will open a Google Map when right-clicked on Mac or tapped on iPhone. The reverse geocoding in Google Maps isn't always perfect; this gives you the option to store a more accurate location alongside a human-readable address. Creating a geo field in iPhone Contacts If you have an existing contact with address details in the iPhone Contacts app, tap on the address to launch Maps: Maps will place a pin at the approximate location of the address for that contact: Tap the blue and white arrow on the tag to see the Info screen, then tap the Share Location button at the bottom left: In the mail message body note the GPS coordinate values and jot these down: Go back into Contacts and edit the address to which you want to add the coordinates. Tap the plus icon to add a new address: Tap the address type button at the bottom right of the next screen: Now select geo as the address type: Enter the coordinates you jotted down earlier into the first field: After editing the coordinates should display underneath the existing address: Tapping these coordinates on the iPhone will launch Maps (although you may notice odd pin labels—not sure why that is). After sync you should see the corresponding geo field in Address Book under Mac OSX: If you don't have an existing Contact address you can of course start with ...

RouteBuddy To Go for your iPhone

Bruce — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:48:43 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

I've been spending a lot of time lately using RouteBuddy (more on that soon), and also too much time playing with various apps from the App Store for iPhone/ iPod touch. Among other functions RouteBuddy allows you to create high-quality road maps upon which you can plot custom points-of-interest (waypoints), or display track logs and route plans. While these maps may look stunning on a 23" Cinema Display as you zoom in and out, that's not hardware you can tuck under your arm as you explore unfamiliar streets on foot. True, you could just print the maps, but Apple's iPhone offers a high resolution yet compact viewport—so why not go paper free? There are several native apps for iPhone that make this prospect enticing; here's how to fake your own RouteBuddy To Go and how to create waypoints in RouteBuddy using your iPhone's location awareness. Take your RouteBuddy maps mobile Firstly, this method assumes that you have purchased RouteBuddy and have licensed suitable mapping (you can of course use other map data e.g. Google Maps) and that you have purchased FileMagnet from Magnetism (or, pending release, an alternative file sync solution and viewer for iPhone). Open RouteBuddy and maximize the map view to encompass the area you are interested in. You can capture this map in one of two FileMagnet-compatible ways: Enter Command-Shift-4 on the keyboard to bring up the crosshair tool and drag it across the dimensions of the map view then release to make a screen capture. Rename the Picture 1.png file ...

iPhone geotagging good for a laugh only

Bruce — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:59:23 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Geotagging outdoors with the original iPhone—which uses triangulation of cell tower signals—seems to be as entertaining as some of the "productivity tools" in the App Store. In other words, laughably useless. While the iPhone did somewhat erroneously relocate a pavement sign to the North Sea shipping lanes, it also managed to pin a photo of a rose to within 1.4km of the actual location. How can it be so inconsistent, and are things really as bad as they seem? The new iPhone 3G features built-in GPS, which although limited at present offers the prospect of enjoying a growing number of location-aware applications. One of these is geotagging using iPhone's built-in camera, and the good news is that those with first generation iPhones can update to version 2.0 firmware and experience similar functionality. Similar, not the same—because the original iPhone contains no GPS receiver hardware, and for reasons unknown Apple's Bluetooth implementation is currently neutered so iPhone cannot be paired to a data logger. The image below was recorded in Chesterfield, pretty much in the middle of the UK. To plot the iPhone-geotagged location you'll need to download the images using iPhoto; it's no use e-mailing them from the phone, because the EXIF-GPS data are stripped out. Something for Apple to fix! iPhone now includes "location awareness" for candid photography Aside: The "pick up or pay up" pavement graffiti is put down by the local council, using biodegradable spray paint. Despite such signs it's still a case of "eyes down" in our neighbourhood, as most ...

Using faux Contacts for GTD on the iPhone

Bruce — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:16:28 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Despite strong indications of an imminent second generation 3G iPhone, the recent £100 price drop on the 8GB iPhone proved too tempting. I had hesitated because the iPhone failed to meet my minimum requirements for basic PDA functionality. With 1Password mostly overcoming the secure data exchange obstacle, the remaining challenge was to find a network-independent way of managing and synchronising tasks ("to do" items). I've also been wading through David Allen's book Getting Things Done in a search for ways to improve my personal productivity. Could I cherry-pick the key principles of the GTD religion and apply them on the iPhone using only the built-in apps? This is Part one of a two-part series exploring GTD using a Mac and iPhone. Part two is here. The essence of GTD The OmniFocus Basics Video does a good job of distilling the core ideas in the GTD method. It outlines three concepts: Actions are something you can physically do in a single step; Projects are activities that require more than one physical action to complete; Contexts are physical requirements for carrying out actions (e.g. being at work, at home, connected to the Internet, etc.) The video also summarizes three workflow steps to getting things done: Capture all outstanding individual ("atomic") actions; Organize those actions by grouping them into projects and/ or context; Do the outstanding actions. Let's put that graphically (adding horizontal reorganization as part of ongoing review): I'm not being strict about contexts being a physical place, person or thing: in my world a context can be a frame of mind, or an ...

Workarounds for iPhone foibles

Bruce — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:45:44 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Maybe the whole concept of in-phone, out-of-date apps is itself out-of-date? Apple would seem to think so, asking iPhone users to "expand" the capabilities of their device by taking it online. Doing so has drawbacks (e.g. relying on a network signal and cost-effective data plans) and doesn't always provide a solution. In a follow-up to my previous post I look at possible workarounds for the iPhone's "missing features". People seem to be raving about how well it does what it does, so far less elegant workarounds are the only way to address the iPhones limited functionality at launch. The following list is composed from the features I considered lacking in my personal functionality wish list: The lack of an in-phone task (to-do list) manager (with Mac sync) could be addressed with the arrival of Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), but for now Ta-da List has an iPhone friendly view (free); The lack of text note synching (Notes does not sync) again might be addressed in Leopard. For now one way to sync notes would be to use an IMAP e-mail account with Mail on the iPhone; The lack of an in-phone password manager (with Mac sync) is a tough obstacle. I can't think of a way to overcome this that doesn't depend on network access to a secure online file store; You can't scribble quick notes or draw rough pictures using a built-in app, but maybe you don't need to if you can display photos (e.g. a map showing how to get to your house) ...

Mac-friendly alternatives to Apple's 1G iPhone

Bruce — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:04:28 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

The iPhone has arrived in the US. Even if it were available in New Zealand I still wouldn't buy one. I'm happy to wait for the large beta-test program (i.e. 1 in 5 US adults) to refine the product first. That said, I've been looking for a way to converge my mobile devices (phone, PDA, iPod) for some time. Sadly the 1st generation iPhone does not look like the device to fill this need. Relative to other Mac-friendly alternatives it comes up uniquely short in a number of areas on my feature wish-list. But of course I haven't seen or held it in the "flesh", and it is only a 1G device—so I can't be overly critical. Or can I? Most of the pre-launch focus has been on iPhone's interface (not unimportant), but what about comparative features? It's clear that while the iPhone offers few unique features (iTMS DRM playback, bookmark syncing) it's also immediately apparent that, relative to comparable products, the iPhone has the most limitations. I've been a Palm user since 1999, owning a Palm V, an m505, and (currently) a Tungsten T3: I also use an ageing Sony Ericsson T610 and an iPod (1G deceased; currently an iPod Photo). It would be nice to carry around one device instead of three (ditto on the chargers); I had hoped that device might be the iPhone: So the iPhone has arrived. I posted on the perfect PDA + phone back in 2005—it still hasn't arrived. With Palm OS so obviously stagnating ...

Internet via T610 + Axim X50v on Vodafone UK

Bruce — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 15:22:26 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Use your T610 as a GPRS Bluetooth modem paired with an Axim X50v to send and receive SMS and e-mail, browse the Web, receive faxes, update WorldMate weather and currency rates, etc... Step 1: Linking to the Bluetooth modem Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and from the Today screen open Bluetooth Settings by tapping on the Bluetooth icon in the bottom right corner of the X50v screen. Make sure the Accessibility tab looks like this then tap (OK): From the Today screen open Bluetooth Manager by tapping on the Bluetooth icon in the bottom right corner of the X50v screen. Tap New and in the Bluetooth connection Wizard that opens tap "Connect to Internet via phone": In the next "Step 1" screen just tap Next to leave the default phone selection "Unknown, or phone not listed". The following "Step 2" screen is informative, so tap Next again. See an icon representing your T610? Good: Now tap the icon and enter a passkey at the prompt (e.g. a 1-4 digit number): When you tap Next your T610 should ask you if you want to add DELL AXIM X50 to My devices. Hit yes on the T610, enter the same passkey you just entered on the Dell, and push (OK). Eyes back to the X50v and you should see the following screen, asking if you want to make this your default connection to the Internet. I left this unchecked since I'll mostly be using WiFi (details here): Tap Next and then Finish. You should be taken to My ...

Faxes not spam via Vodafone Mail

Bruce — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 19:42:14 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Vodafone Mail customers have a combined Inbox facility for e-mail, faxes, and voice mail messages. The usefulness of this facility was limited—until the introduction of e-mail filters—by the inability to avoid spam messages. Sure, you could log in via webmail to view faxes and play back voice mail, but at the expense and irritation of a handful of spam! E-mail filtering allows you to receive those faxes using your usual e-mail client without having to download all the spam as well... Login to Vodafone Mail Choose Settings and select Email Filtering. Choose to Receive emails only from listed senders and either enter your own address then click Add: Save and Logout. Note: You can also optionally choose whether to receive a free SMS notification that you have a new fax—in case you don't check your e-mail very often! Set up your e-mail client The following instruction assumes you are using Mail 1.3.9 under Mac OS X Panther. Create a new e-mail account, calling it "Fax" or an alternative of your choice: Don't enter your Vodafone Mail username at Email Address or your name at Full Name, otherwise the account will show up in the Accounts pop-up menu when composing a new message. For Incoming Mail Server use imap.vodafone.net; enter your Vodafone Mail username at User Name and your Vodafone Mail password at Password. You don't need to select an SMTP server, as this is going to be a "receive only" account. Now, when you receive a fax, it will appear in your Inbox just like an ordinary e-mail (with the fax itself ...