Green Inc.: iPhone App Gives Drivers Efficiency Feedback
By By Joe Hutsko
Published: October 30, 2008
An application for the iPhone or iPod Touch gives drivers the ability to track their fuel efficiency.
Tag Archive for 'iPhone'
The Pogo Stylus is an aluminum stick with a small and fuzzy hairdo on one end that can be used in lieu of your fingertip to interact with iPhone and iPod touch screens.
The stylus comes with a slide-on holder to keep the stick close at hand yet isn’t exactly comfortable to hold in because it must be positioned midway or below rather than near the upper half of the iPhone (doing so presses on the volume keys, a no-no).
While my iPhone 3G responds to my fingertip with the lightest touch, the Pogo Stylus requires a firmer press to get the iPhone to recognize it. Bottom line: Unless you’re sporting fingernails of the Cat Woman variety that prevent you from making contact with your device, hang on to your $20 and let your own fingers do the touching.
The title of this post is actually gentler than my initial title idea: “Objects are shittier than they appear.” And let me tell you, the More-Thing Ultra Slim Silicone Case is a piece of shit. It’s as flimsy and formless as a pair of stretched-out, decades-old Fruit of the Loom briefs (which are actually more useful than this crappy silicone case).
Don’t let the More-Thing website fool you: Those gorgeous, Penthouse-quality Vaseline-dabbed-lens beauty shots of the Ultra Slim Silicone cases in all their throbbing-colors glory with names like Tomato and Liquid Blue are bullshit. Ditto for the colorless choices like the black one I ordered for $11.90 plus nearly as much for expedited shipping from Hong Kong.
The fit is loose and anything but tight, and the finish - if you could call it that - is shameful. As the picture shows the cutout for the iPhone 3G headphone jack is just that - a crudely cut opening - and nothing like the cleanly round hole shown in the website pictures. Only after receiving this crappy case and slipping it onto my iPhone like a used condom found on the beach and then immediately removing it did it occur to me to check for other opinions and reviews. Low and behold, the company’s own product page for the crappy case revealed many other unhappy buyers.
Thanks for nothing, More-Thing.
Since every gadget site on earth already spread the news that the iPhone 2.1 firmware update is now available to download and install there’s nothing more to say on that front in general.
But I do have a weird 2.1 update quirk to share.
After downloading and installing the update and restarting my iPhone 3G, I received the message: ”This accessory is not made to work with iPhone.”
(Also weird: When powered on the first time my iPhone 3G’s speaker is mute when I tap my password into the “Enter Passcode” screen to unlock my iPhone.)
The only accessory attached is my iPhone 3G is the Apple iPhone Bluetooth headset travel cable, and I find it hard to believe that at least some of the testing engineers at Apple aren’t users of the headset themselves, which means they’d experience the same hiccup. What’s more, the battery icon showed that the iPhone 3G was getting juice to charge, yet the Bluetooth Headset icon was missing.
Then again, my the travel cable is plugged into a powered USB hub (by Belkin), so maybe that had something to do with the bug. After all, the powered hub on its own doesn’t even recharge my iPhone 3G unless I have it plugged into my MacBook, so maybe the hub was the culprit.
Guilty as charged?
First, I unplugged the iPhone 3G from the travel cable (still plugged into the hub) and plugged it in again, and this time I received no accessory incompatibility error (and the headset icon appeared).
I wondered if maybe the bug only occurs when powering on the iPhone for the first time. To find out, I powered off the iPhone, unplugged the cable from the USB hub and plugged it directly into my MacBooks spare USB port.
I powered on the iPhone 3G and once again I received the accessory incompatibility error.
And once again I unplugged the cable, plugged it back in, and as before received no error this time (and the headset icon appeared) - but still no sound when I typed in my passcode.
I powered off the iPhone, powered it on again, and I got the error again - yet this time there was sound whe I typed in my passcode.
Weird, right?
I’d be curious to hear from others about their own Weird iPhone 2.1 Update Tales.
UPDATE (10:51 AM): Further adventures in weirdness: When I power off my iPhone 3G and plug the Bluetooth Headset travel cable into the wall charger then power on the iPhone I still get no sound when I type in my passcode, and though I don’t get the accessory incompatibly error, the iPhone Bluetooth headset icon is absent until I unplug the iPhone then plug it back in.
Though I’m an iPhone 3G owner, I’m still a fan of Palm’s Access-based Palm smartphones like the Centro - so much so it would be my smartphone of choice if I wasn’t using the iPhone.
As such, I’d be really pleased about Palm’s release of Facebook for Palm smartphones. When it comes to getting *anything* done on a smartphone, nothing beats mobile-tweaked apps over their general web counterparts.
To download Facebook for the Palm Centro, Treo 755p and Treo™ 680 click here.
One thing that bugs me about the iPhone’s email program is the inability to rearrange the order of email accounts to my liking.
Unfortunately there’s no “Edit” button like Phone Favorites to drag names up or down to reorder them.
But there is a way to reorder your email accounts to your satisfaction. Here’s how:
- Plug in your iPhone and launch iTunes.
- Select your iPhone in the Devices column on the left, then click the Info tab at the top of the screen.
- Click “Sync selected mail accounts:” if it isn’t already selected.
- Uncheck any mail accounts that may be selected except the mail account you want to appear at the top of your email accounts list.
- Click Sync.
- When iTunes finishes syncing leave the prior mail account checked then check the mail account you want to appear as the next account on your email accounts list.
- Click Sync.
- Repeat step 6 for each additional mail account until you’ve synced them all.
I’ve sung the praises of Zagg’s Invisible Shield screen protector for iPhone and most recently, for the iPhone 3G. Invisible Shield provides a nice touch and slightly watery effect that’s pleasant view, and most important of all it hides those ugly fingerprint smears. In my recent review of the new iPhone 3G shield I reported on how glad I was to see the new version closed the circle around the Home button, however I bemoaned the upper and lower flaps that gave me such a hard time I wound up slicing them off for my third (and successful) installation.
Good news: Zagg’s new revision ($14.95 for front shield; $18.95 for back shield; $24.95 for both) says goodbye to the flaps altogether. Nice.
In related iPhone 3G protection news I picked up Griffin’s Elan Form ($29.99) case a few weeks ago. The hard polycarbonate plastic case is finished with nicely textured leather that feels good in the hand - and integrates so tightly you’d think it was Apple’s own design. The lower half detaches to allow the iPhone 3G to stand in a dock, and though my retrofitted iPhone Bluetooth headset dock can accommodate my 3G, I’ve taken to using the travel cable instead rather than be bothered with removing and reattaching the lower half each time I reconnect my 3G. The Elan Form also comes with a shiny clear plastic shield (which shows finger smears) to protect the screen, but I’ve left that off in favor of the Invisible Shield.
Combined, these two iPhone 3G add-ons inspire a new take on the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup line: Two great fits that fit great together.
You know there’s trouble ahead when a review starts with “I wanted to love this product.” I did want to love the The Kangaroom Bamboo Laptop Stand and Charging Station, but, overall, I don’t.
The love list: It’s bamboo, and beautiful to the touch. It’s reasonably wide, with room enough for my 13″ MacBook and Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 (sort of), though it’s not exactly the best fit for my “Dave” Laptop Table by Ikea. The stand elevates my MacBook up a few extra inches, which provides less stress on my neck from angling my head downward all day. End of lovefest.
The don’t love list: The two so-called “docks” for gadgets are just recessed pockets with holes in the bottoms for cables and are not big enough accommodate my re-tooled iPhone Bluetooth Headset charging dock. That there are two of them means there’s less space on the right for my mouse hand. The company’s suggestion to hide a power strip underneath the stand and is fair enough, but because there’s no base to the stand the power strip and cables are left hanging when you lift the stand up. Worse, no base means you can’t comfortable rest the stand in your lap while sitting on the sofa.
As it stands the Kangaroom Bamboo Laptop Stand is definitely attractive at first glance, but unfortunately its usefulness bottoms out the moment you lift it off the table.
In my quest to find the perfect Bluetooth headset I recently tried the Jawbone 2 but was less than satisfied with the results. Remembering the things I liked about Apple’s iPhone Bluetooth Headset that I owned (and promptly lost), I decided to buy another one. What I like most is how integrated the headset is - both the hardware and the user experience. Unfortunately the welcome price drop from $129 to $99 means Apple also dropped the bundled dual-purpose charging dock that accomodated both the iPhone and the headset. I still own my original dual dock, however the new 3G’s thicker base prevents it from fitting into the dock (though I managed to “fix” my old dual dock with a little chisel handiwork).
The Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset still comes with the handy Travel Cable, which has a small recepticle for plugging in the magnetized headset contacts to charge both the iPhone and headset at the same time.
Like the original the headset automatically pairs with the iPhone the first time you connect them together, and the headset’s battery level appears in both locked mode and in the upper right status bar beside the battery meter. A very nice touch.
As with the original there’s no ear loop, so it’s one-size-fits-all or nothing if the headset won’t stay in your ear. It fits fine in mine, and this time around I’ll be sure to always cover the rubber ring around the earpiece to protect it from deteriorating the way my original headset did after just a few weeks of use.
And like the original there’s still only one button for turning the headset on and off and handling calls.
But unlike the original there’s one very important improvement that makes it possible for me to see past the headset’s weaknesses: It sounds great.
The louder, clearer sounds probably owes itself more to the iPhone 3G’s improved audio quality than the headset itself, but whatever the reason, I’m pleased with the improvement over my first one.
All told, I’ll take the all-in-one charging solution, tiny form-factor and ear loop-less design over any of the other headsets I’ve recently tried. Now if only the iPhone 3G’s battery life lasted longer would I’d actually care whether the iPhone Bluetooth Headset really offers the estimated 5.5 hoursof talk time Apple says it does.
The Wall Street Journal today reports sales of iPhone and iPod touch apps via Apple’s iTunes Music Store hit $30-million last month, and wiley Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs publically acknowledge his company does in fact have to power to hit a “kill switch” to zap on users’ devices applications the company deems dangerous. I wrote about antivirus and antispyware protection for portable devices for Salon two weeks ago, on how protection for smartphones has been around for some time and recently Intego announced a half-assed means of protecting iPhones and iPod touches (not quite), but the kill switch definitely rates as the biggest Big Brother means of active eradication ever. Here on the home screen one minute, gone the next?
Two things to do with wireless audio. First, a number of iPhone users reported 2.0 devices paired with Bluetooth headsets worked fine on calls but they were unable to listen to visual voicemail messages via the headset, forcing them to dial in to their voicemail and listen to it the old fashioned way. My iPhone 3G had this problem with one headset, while it worked fine with a second headset - the Aliph Jawbone 2, which I reviewed for Salon’s Machinist column (giving it low marks for its underperforming noise-cancellation feature). Users are reporting the visual voicemail problem isn’t fixed with the iPhone 2.01 update; I’m unable to test because I don’t have a second headset handy.
As for the Jawbone 2, Aliph sent a second Jawbone 2 to try in case the first was defective, and also tossed in two “experimental” gel earbuds to try to see if they did a better job of keeping their Jawbone more firmly planted against mine. With the standard earbuds the NoiseAssassin was as ineffective as before while talking and walking my dog along lightly busy street traffic under low sea-breeze conditions. The test bud has an extended flange of sorts that makes plugging the headset into the ear awkward because of the loop, and though the extra-push it provided pressed the Jawbone 2 more firmly against my face, the sound quality was barely better, and the lightly yet still more forceful feel grew uncomfortable after 20 minutes of yapping. My only explanation: Maybe I need to work my jaw eating more junk food so my cheeks fill out to make the Jawbone 2’s job easier.
Last year I wrote about the Invisible Shield screen protector for my original iPhone. As many point out the iPhone, iPod touch and new iPhone 3G’s hardened glass surface is scratch resistant.
But it’s not smear resistant, and that’s the real reason I dig the Invisible Shield. So I was thrilled when the company sent me the updated version, which fixes something that irked me about the first one: The open circle around the Home button.
The new one closes the circle for a nicer finish - and also introduces two new flaps at the top and bottom of the shield that totally buzz-killed my first and second attempts to achieve the kind of perfect fit I attained with the original.
The flaps overlap the top and bottom metal edges, with little spurs on either side to allow for the device’s curvature. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the top or bottom flaps to completely seal, and blister/bubbles appeared in both tries.
Frankly I don’t see the point of the flaps in the first place, and when another set arrived I trimmed off the flaps and spurs with a sharp chef’s knife, which allowed me to achieve a nearly perfect fit.
I say nearly because I didn’t quite trim enough from the top flap and some of it extended beyond the glass. I trimmed most of it off without removing the shield, and I’m happy with the final result.
As mentioned in my original review, the Invisible Shield gives the screen a “watery”-like finish that I personally prefer to pure glass, and the fact that I don’t see smears will have me recommend it - though I also recommend you trim those pesky flaps and spurs so you achieve a perfect fit the first time around.
In my post for Salon’s Machinist column I wrote that eReader for the iPhone (and iPod touch) is a dream-come-true for me.
I’m pleased to see that FictionWise is sticking to its words to offer frequent updates and improvements to the program.
The first update offers the following enhancements:
eReader for iPhone and iPod touch version 1.1 includes the following new features:
- The ability to download eReader PDB files from web sites other than eReader.com and Fictionwise.com, as well as personal content in eReader PDB format. For details see the Personal Content FAQ.
- New options to: lock screen orientation, tap instead of swipe to turn pages, choose white text on black background, turn off page animation, and turn off full justification of text.
- Ability to sort the on-device bookshelf by author, title, or download date.
- Better error messages and several bug fixes.
This will take less than a minute. The Griffin PowerDock 2 allows you to charge two iPod or iPhone devices at the same time. That’s the good news - if that’s all you want. The bad news is there’s no USB connection. Deal-breaker for me because I want to charge and sync my iPhone 3G and iPod nano at the same time. End of story.
Ten off-the-cuff comments about the iPhone 3G after three weeks of day to day use, in order of brain-dump relevance:
1. Applications: The single most important improvement over the original, opening up the already amazing device to all manner of multiple-personality possibilities. My personal favorite is eReader, and others include PayPal and eBay and NY Times, while Facebook and iScopes represent two dedicated apps that are still better served by accessing mobile editions with Safari. Facebook app’s mobile pic upload is cool, yet status updates don’t appear, and iScopes requires a tap of the back button to select next horoscope category, whereas the Safari mobile edition has a Next button. But make no mistake - the iPhone 3G’s killer app is apps.
2. Speed bumps: The jump to 3G is a good thing. Browsing websites and auto-checking mail are now matter-of-fact processes, though the hit on battery life is evident with heavy usage.
3. Speed slowdowns: Overall the 3G feels slower than the original when switching applications or doing things like accessing contacts and checking SMS text messages. I’m guessing the ability to run multiple apps while running with Push turned on are causing the slowdown, though turning off Push didn’t seem to make much difference, so I’m interested to hear what others think.
4. GPS: Sweet and surprisingly accurate in my experience. No turn-by-turn navigation yet, but I expect it’s coming sooner than later. Ditto for a 3G version of Nike+, which I use on the nano, and am so looking forward to using with the 3G.
5. Cut and Paste: It’s still missing, and it’s still my number 1 wish-list item. While the new notepad app MagicPad demonstrates cut and paste is doable, I can’t understand why Apple is taking so long to bring such a basic feature found on every other smartphone in the world.
6. Notes: Still no sync with desktop app like Stickies or Outlook, which sucks.
7. Bluetooth: Problem accessing voicemail with certain headsets; one of mine worked as a headset but not when listening to voicemail, the other worked fine. Obviously a bug that will likely be addressed in update.
8. Sound: Louder and clearer speaker and speakerphone than the original, which is a very good thing, though strange bugs like no user interface sounds at times, which come back only after I connect and disconnect Bluetooth headset.
9. Contacts: Finally, the ability to do what every other cellphone has been able to do since creation: search contacts.
10. USB connector: Sucks that the new 3G doesn’t stand in my original iPhone dock, though the new shape and all-around fit, finish and feel in the hand are definitely more appealing than the first iPhone.
On Friday I filed my last post as guest blogger for Salon’s Machinist column (complete list below). Special thanks to readers for taking time to comment - especially those who left very kind words for my final post.
- So long!
- How I spent (two weeks of) my summer as Machinist’s guest blogger.
- A Grimm take on games
- Video game designer American McGee loves the darkest tales best.
- One-minute review: Jawbone 2 headset
- A new Bluetooth is supposed to cancel noise, but all that’s canceled is the conversation you want to hear.
- Give us a (virtual) kiss
- Facebook gift designer Susan Kare on Mac icons, computer kisses and everything in between.
- Leave my phone alone!
- New software for protecting iPhones and smart phones.
- The movie-download food chain
- From big screen to hard disk, how Hollywood doles out digital media.
- All you can eat — for cheap?
- Comparing unlimited cellphone plans.
- Mini-Note has many problems
- The diminutive computer scores high on design but low on functionality.
- Noisy and oh-so-nice
- Das’ new keyboard has the look and feel of a classic.
- Searching 101
- Three tips for better search results.
- Can Cuil kill Google? Not yet
- The new search engine has its perks, but so far, it falls short.
- How safe is safe?
- Security expert Doug Camplejohn on building a smarter firewall to outsmart cyber slimeballs.
- A bookmark for the iPod
- Books on tape turn to books on iPod, and listeners must learn to find their places accordingly.
- (World wide) web of intrigue
- A high-tech mystery and more are on Machinist’s summer reading list.
- Do-good phone doesn’t look good
- Credo, a new green cellphone company, has great intentions but not such great gear.
- E-books galore
- Sony expands its e-library, challenging Amazon.com.
- Knol lacks knowledge
- Google’s would-be Wikipedia competitor doesn’t have the goods to challenge the Free Encyclopedia. Yet.
- Phoning it in
- Blogging from your mobile: Tools for the writer on the go.
- The DVD isn’t dead
- More movie and TV downloading devices have entered the ring, but the DVD hasn’t gone down (yet).
- User friendly
- XBox Live for Windows gets cheaper and adds gamer-generated content.
- A stickies situation
- Simplify your workspace by squishing your stickies and separating your screens.
- Remember typewriters?
- Adios distractions, hello single-task focus, thanks to word-processing programs that re-create the simplicity of blank paper and ink.
- One-minute review: A balancing act for small spaces
- Staying cool in an upright and mostly locked-in position to get things done.
- Digital disasters friends and family should have prevented
- Oops, I was going to back up my computer, but…
- Why the iPhone is the best and worst e-book reader ever
- Reading a long novel on a tiny screen is claustrophobic, but if the book is good your brain will get the message.
On Fox Business News: New iPhone, Big Deal? (July 11, 2008)
Joe Hutsko, Courtney Friel and Aline Yu talk about the new iPhone.
Nearly a year after its release, the iPhone is finally getting a feature every mobile phone already has - the ability to search contacts. The no-brainer missing feature was the number one item in my iPhone wish list story for MSNBC (iWish: iPhone updates we’d like to see - Our top 25 suggestions for making the super-slick device even better.)
From the iPhone webpage, in Apple’s own words:
If you have a lot of contacts, use the search feature to quickly find specific names.
No-duh.
At this rate, does that mean we won’t see the second wish list item (a feature found on every other smartphone): Copy and paste?
I’m overjoyed by my friend (and one-time WIRED editor) Mark Frauenfelder’s decision to serialize my first novel, The Deal, on his web site, Boing Boing. Thank you, my friend!
Pre-order the new trade paperback edition of The Deal and I’ll sign and inscribe with words of your choosing.
From Mark’s post:
“My friend Joe Hutsko contacted me a few weeks back with the intriguing offer to serialize his novel, The Deal, on Boing Boing. I jumped at the chance.
I read The Deal when it first came out in 1999 and loved the thrilling story about a Apple-like company’s undertaking to create an iPhone-like device. It seems fitting to offer the first chapter of The Deal on the weekend before iPhone 2.0 is to be released.
We’ll post a new chapter of The Deal every Friday.”
Last summer I wrote a story for MSNBC.com the iPhone (Can the iPhone do double-duty as a laptop replacement?), and a companion story (iWish: iPhone updates we’d like to see).
With Apple’s release today of the iPhone 1.1.3 update for iPhone, a number of new features have been added. Weirdly, a number of the top wish-list items - like the ability to cut and paste, or lookup a contact by typing in a few characters of a person’s name or contact info, the way you can on every other mobile phone in the world - are still absent.
Although only one of the 25 wish list items was addressed in today’s 1.1.3 iPhone software update, it is a big one: The ability to “Manually manages music and videos.”
To many the value of this feature (which has always been an option on iPods) isn’t obvious. The short explanation: With this feature turned on, you never have to worry about whether songs on your various playlists duplicate one another, hogging precious storage space. Thank you, Apple.
As Apple chairman Steve Jobs stated today, there are still 50 weeks left in 2008 to release more iPhone improvements, so at a rate one every other week they just might get to those remaining 24 wish list items by the time we’ve got a new president in the White House.
Let’s hope.
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