Pda | JOEyGADGET

Tag Archive for 'pda'

iPhone 2.1 update and my first bug: Apple iPhone Bluetooth headset travel cable isn’t compatible…then is

Published

on Fri, Sep 12, 2008, 10:31 am

. 16 Comments

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.

iPhone 2.01 visual voicemail headset problem still can’t hear you now; Jawbone 2 retry sounds no better in spite of “experimental” buds

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Fri, Aug 8, 2008, 7:19 am

in Apple, Audio, Mobile, Salon and iPhone

. 3 Comments

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.

One-minute review: Invisible Shield for iPhone 3G - third time’s a charm

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Wed, Aug 6, 2008, 11:55 am

in Apple, Uncategorized, iPhone and iPod

. 6 Comments

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.

eReader 1.1 update for iPhone widens your virtual bookshelf

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, Aug 5, 2008, 9:33 am

in Apple, Books, Mobile, Uncategorized, Wireless, iPhone and iPod

. 2 Comments

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.

Ten iPhone 3G impressions: Good, bad and ugly features, faults and bugs

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Mon, Aug 4, 2008, 10:02 am

in Apple, MP3, Mobile, Uncategorized, Wireless and iPhone

. 0 Comments

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.

Contact search finally added to iPhone in iPhone 2.0 update

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, Jun 10, 2008, 10:33 am

in Apple, Mobile, Uncategorized and iPhone

. 8 Comments

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?

Currently working on: Inveneo.org Admin Guide Wiki

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, Apr 29, 2008, 9:35 am

in Uncategorized

. 0 Comments

UPDATE: Project complete.
I’m new to writing wikis, and my first effort is the Admin Guide for Inveneo.org. The first rough draft is currently in “beta” as I and Inveneo-tech-goddess and co-author Jaime Bruner refine the text, tighten things up, and otherwise move the work to 1.0 status.

Revisiting the iPhone iWish-list after MacWorld 2008 and iPhone 1.1.3 update

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, Jan 15, 2008, 8:42 pm

in Apple, MP3, Uncategorized, iPhone and iPod

. 0 Comments

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.

Good news: iPod Nano 1.0.3 update fixes Nike + iPod distance error

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Thu, Nov 29, 2007, 6:10 pm

in Apple, Uncategorized and iPod

. 1 Comment

I downloaded and installed the iPod Nano 1.0.3 update on my third-gen Nano and low and behold, it fixed the annoying distance reporting problem I was experiencing with the 1.0.2 firmware.

So yes, fellow Nike + iPod runners, the problem is history, and the distance you see on the screen will now match the actual distance you’re covering on foot. Happy trails.

iRegret story gets “Fake Steve”‘d - “More iPhone backlash”

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Thu, Oct 18, 2007, 7:35 pm

in Apple, Uncategorized and iPhone

. 0 Comments

The satirical and frequently hysterical blog “The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs” - a.k.a. Fake Steve - commented on my “iRegret” story for MSNBC.

My favorite part is Fake Steve’s note at the end of the post:

UPDATE: This article apparently was written before we announced our SDK. So to be fair to the hater and to us, that point is something we’ve addressed.

‘Nuff said.

Review: Apple’s new iMac

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Wed, Aug 15, 2007, 1:32 pm

in Apple, Mac, Microsoft and Uncategorized

. 0 Comments

From the sewing machine-sized luggable Compaq of yore, to the diminutive original Mac and those that followed, all-in-one computers aim to minimize clutter by bringing everything (computer, DVD drive and monitor) together in one neat package.

Apple’s newest iMac models, ranging in price from $1200 to $2,300, are less about breakthrough and more about refinement, and once again set a new standard with an all-in-one design that’s aesthetically pleasant enough to display in the family room rather than relegate to a spare room or home office.

The loaner iMac Apple sent me to test was the 20″ model (1680 by 1050 pixels), with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 320GB hard disk, 2GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, bundled applications for Web browsing, e-mail, contact and calendar management and a host of media-centric programs.

Such fine design and bundled goodies cost two or three times the price of inexpensive Windows-based PCs or even Apple’s own Mac mini, the tiny white slab of a computer.

There is nothing junky about the new iMac, which trades its former white plastic casing and plastic screen for sleek aluminum and hardened, glossy glass.

It’s that latter element, the screen, which has already prompted a love it/hate reaction to the new iMac. I prefer glossy screens to matte and the new iMac is no exception. Turned off, the black screen reflects my visage with the clarity of a windowpane or dark mirror. Turned on, and my reflection vanishes, helped in part because I’ve stationed the iMac against the same wall as a window. Turned around, the iMac’s screen does pick up the window reflection, most noticeably around the wide black rectangle framing the screen.

The second dramatic change to the line, the keyboard, also runs the risk of turning off some potential buyers while turning on others. Candy bar-thin, the keyboard’s Chicklet-style keys respond to the same ultra-light touch as my MacBook’s keyboard. That part I like.

What I don’t like is how wide the new keyboard is on account of the right side cursor and page keys and 22-key numeric keypad. All of those extra keys mean positioning the wired scrolling Mighty Mouse half a foot away — a reach that causes a distinct stress in my right arm and shoulder.

Lefties won’t mind at all, but other right-handers like me may. To be fair, most any keyboard with a numeric keypad forces the same far-reaching mouse placement. Much nicer is Apple’s newly announced Wireless Keyboard (shipping in a few weeks), which eliminates the extra keys and cable, thereby closing the aching gap between hand and mouse.

Love or hate the keyboard and mouse, either or both can be swapped out for third-party alternatives such as those offered by Logitech, Belkin or Microsoft. Continue reading ‘Review: Apple’s new iMac’

One Minute Review: The new Xbox 360 Premium HDMI; Yes, it’s quieter, but no Falcon 65nm chipset…yet

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Mon, Aug 13, 2007, 10:23 pm

in HDTV, Microsoft, Uncategorized, Video Games and Xbox 360

. 0 Comments

I called a few EB Games and Gamestop stores in the area, and only one person knew what I was talking about when I asked if they had the newly revised 360 Premium system with HDMI in stock.

The other shops asked if I meant the Elite. Ditto at Best Buy - until the guy I asked called over his gaming specialist, Jeremiah, and this guy knew exactly what I was talking about. He checked the system and they showed 14 units in stock, however he said he couldn’t sell me one because of a September 1 street date.

I mentioned that others were already selling them, including Amazon, and he looked up some store policy info. Turns out they can sell the newly revised HDMI 360s as long as the older, non-HDMI units are out of stock or sold out. He grabbed one from the back, I paid for it ($349.99) and also sprang for Best Buy’s 2-year extended warranty ($60), which, my sales guy explained, allows me to return the 360 for a full exchange even if only the controller is busted. Back home I did a search and was bummed to discover that my new 360 with HDMI didn’t have the much-anticipated “Falcon” 65-nm chipset that promises cooler operation.

Sure enough the label on the box showed the word Zephyr as the chipset. Various reports say the Falcon chipset is forthcoming. I contacted a Microsoft PR representative and he gave me the stock reply to this question:

“We are constantly updating the console’s more than 1700 internal components and therefore will not comment on details of specific components or manufacturing processes.”

Even so, promises that the revised Xbox 360 with HDMI would be quieter are true: The machine is definitely quieter than the Elite it is replacing, with no noticeable sound when turned on and running without a disc inserted, and with a disc the operation does produce sound, but less than the Elite and the original 360.

While I can live without the 120 GB drive (since I download a movie, watch it, then delete it, and maintain only a few demos at any given time), I was bummed to find there was no analog audio adapter included like the one that came with the Elite. It allows me to use HDMI as my video but analog audio to connect to my surround sound speakers rather than use the less-than-stellar speakers built into the HDTV. I’ll either buy a replacement online or keep the one that came with my Elite when I sell or give away that black box without it.

Bottom line: A quieter Xbox 360 with HDMI.

August 7, 2007 Xbox 360 Console Update: Play that (wireless) guitar

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Wed, Aug 8, 2007, 6:44 pm

in Microsoft, Video Games, Wireless and Xbox 360

. 2 Comments

You may be wondering what was updated on your 360 when you said yes to the update it offered on August 7, 2007 (or whenever you turned it on again after that date). I’ll let “Major Nelson” explain in his own words:

Moments ago, the team released a system update (aka Dash update) to Xbox Live. Over the next few hours, when you sign in to Xbox LIVE, you’ll receive a prompt to accept this mandatory update. What’s in this update? The only thing this minor release will do is prepare your Xbox 360 for the wireless guitars that are being released in a few months.

No new features beyond this wireless support are included in this update. As usual, we’ve got some new features planned for later this year as part of our biannual release cycle.

Until then, keep practicing your music-making on those oh-so-agreeable hands-free air guitars.

iPhone update 1.0.1: Security fixes but no new features

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Wed, Aug 1, 2007, 9:03 am

in Apple, Mac, Uncategorized and iPhone

. 0 Comments

A month after the iPhone began life as the most desired/derided tech gadget ever, the first update is available for download via iTunes. The update patches Safari security flaws which, left unfixed, make the iPhone vulnerable to hacks. Unfortunately the update includes none of the fixes or new features I and others are anxious to see, as described in my iPhone wish list (companion piece to my iPhone feature story for MSNBC.com).

In other update news, while pouring my own morning java fix my MacBook’s Software Update alerted me to two updates for my system: Safari 3 Beta Update 3.0.3, and Security Update 2007-007 (Intel) version 1.0. Information about the updates can be found on Apple’s web site.

MSNBC.com: Can the iPhone do double duty as a laptop?

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, 10:26 am

in Apple, Mac, Microsoft, Mobile, Travel, Uncategorized, Windows, Wireless and iPhone

. 6 Comments

Can the iPhone do double duty as a laptop?
Slick new phone proves it can go the distance as an all-in-one device
By Joe Hutsko

Also: iWish: iPhone updates we’d like to see

iPhone crashed, keeps trying to reboot

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, Jul 3, 2007, 10:25 am

in Apple, Microsoft, Mobile, Uncategorized, Windows, Wireless and iPhone

. 49 Comments

Four days old and my iPhone has crashed and won’t come back to life. It does not turn on when unplugged from USB cable or power adapter. When plugged into either of those, it starts up with the Apple logo for a few seconds, then goes black for a few seconds, then comes back to the Apple logo again, repeating the same thing all over and caught in an endless reboot/restart loop.

I tried restarting the iPhone by holding both the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons, as described in Apple’s iPhone help - but that’s simply meant to restart a stuck iPhone. Because the iPhone is caught in an endless loop iTunes does not recognize it, which means it cannot be restored.

I assumed there has to be some way to force the iPhone into recovery mode, so on a whim I held the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons through two of the restart cycles (about fifteen seconds) and got a yellow alert icon that instructed:

Please Connect to iTunes.iTunes found the iPhone and stated: iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes.

iTunes then downloaded a software update. I clicked the Restore button and iTunes presented a warning message: Are you sure you want to restore the iPhone “iPhone” to its factory settings? All of your songs and other data will be erased, and the newest version of the iPhone software will be installed.

I clicked the Restore and Update button and iTunes popped up the message: Preparing iPhone for restore…

The iPhone then got caught in the endless restart loop again, trying over and over, until finally iTunes gave up after about two minutes and gave me the message: The iPhone “iPhone” could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1603).

I’ll be going to the AT&T store where I purchased the iPhone with the hope that they’ll simply replace it with a new one, though whether they even have a replacement in stock remains to be seen.Stay tuned for updates.

Update (3:36 pm): I called the AT&T store where I bought the iPhone and the very helpful manager, Jason, said customers with bum iPhones must contact Apple for support. I contacted Apple by way of a public relations contact and was told someone would call me to take care of the unwell iPhone. While awaiting the call from Apple I decided to drive over to the Apple Store in Atlantic City to see if they could help more immediately.

As it turned out the Apple support person who called was going to have me do exactly that, go to the Apple Store, to meet with Sean, the very friendly and pro manager on staff.

Nate patched Sean in on our call and he was on the phone with us as I walked into the Apple store. We hung up on Nate and took care of the phone.Sean grabbed a new, unopened iPhone from the back, same as my defective 8 GB model, and then turned me over to two guys named Chris who were working the Genius Bar.

Transferring my phone account from one device to another took a couple of minutes. Out of curiosity I asked if we could see if we could get the defective iPhone to show up on a Mac (since I was using it on a Vista PC when all of this started) so we could restore it. Not because I wanted the phone back, but rather because I wanted to know for sure that my personal data would be erased and not viewable by others, whether at the Apple store or by the service persons at wherever the iPhone would wind up.

We tried to restore it, but no luck. As earlier, the device kept cycling through the Apple logo in an attempt to restart, over and over. One of the Chris guys said he couldn’t get it into recovery mode, and so I showed him that you have to hold the Wake/Sleep and Home buttons for more than a few seconds until it cycles at least once, and I think twice, before it then puts up that alert triangle icon and tells you to connect to iTunes (see above).

As such, we chose the recovery option from iTunes running on a MacBook, it appeared to be doing something, then the iPhone shut off and iTunes reported the same error as earlier on the Vista PC: The iPhone “iPhone” could not be restored. An unknown error occurred (1603). Chris was about to open the new iPhone box to move my SIM from the defective phone to the new one, but I said I’d already done that. (Before leaving I popped it into my the excellent Nokia 6682 that the iPhone was replacing, and yes, your iPhone-activated AT&T SIM does pop out and work on another AT&T/Cingular phone or, in my case, an unlocked phone.) So I left the store feeling reassured that a brand new iPhone was replacing the defective one - but not very reassured that my data on the iPhone I was leaving behind (contacts, calendar, notes, Safari bookmarks and email) was gone. Had the iPhone died totally and wiped whatever was in memory? Or would Apple’s service team wipe it out, as part of a company policy? I don’t know the answer to that latter question, but I will find out soon after Apple’s PR department gets back to me.

I also asked what do customers who are not in range of an Apple Store do. I guess with any data device there’s a risk of personal information being at risk when said device needs to be sent in for repair. And like other SIM-based phones, the owner must part with the device if it needs repairs, but can generally use the SIM on a replacement phone.

Will Apple offer a replacement phone in the repair process? The AT&T store manager Jason said it isn’t AT&T’s policy to offer customers a temporary replacement phone when a phone is being repaired.Meanwhile, I popped my SIM card out of the Nokia and into the iPhone. It said to connect to iTunes to activate. I plugged the iPhone into the dock, let iTunes find it, and about a minute later it was activated without any additional input from me. iTunes synced all of my data from the automatic backup iTunes made this morning, before the first iPhone failed.Stay tuned for additional updates.

Update (4:43 pm): Just got off the phone with an Apple PR contact. She sent me a link to Apple’s iPhone Service: Frequently Asked Questions - which pretty much answered all of my questions. So, if you’re in the first 30 days you can walk into an Apple store and get a replacement if your iPhone is considered “DOA” like mine was. After 30 days you go through the service-by-mail option, by which you’ll ship your iPhone to Apple (minus your SIM) for service, and they’ll ship it back to you when it’s fixed. You have the option of renting a replacement iPhone for $29 while yours is being repaired.

As for AT&T, a spokeswoman for the company said an iPhone you’re unhappy with can be returned for a refund (minus a 10% restocking fee) within 14 days of purchase, but replacing or repairing a defective phone must be taken up with Apple.

In sum: I was lucky the Apple Store had a replacement 8 GB iPhone in stock to swap for my defective one. I was unlucky, however, on my way out of Caesars Casino on my way back to the parking garage. I slipped a $10 bill into one of the nickel slots, pressed the first button I saw (labeled 8X), watched the digital reels spin and come to a stop, and wound up with “Game Over” with nothing more to go on with or about - which is an apt conclusion for this story, as well. (Or so I hope.)

Thanks to all who took my calls and to those who dealt with me in person, and have a great July 4th holiday.

Review: Xbox 360 Elite & VGA vs. HDMI

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Tue, May 15, 2007, 11:21 am

in HDTV, Microsoft, Uncategorized, Video Games and Xbox 360

. 75 Comments

UPDATE - Xbox 360 Spring Update “Reference Levels” explained.

Received an updated reply from Microsoft that further clarifies the reference levels enhancement included in the Spring Update. The reply is from Microsoft’s John Rodman, Senior Product Manager, Xbox Global Platform (followed by the original post):

Q: Any chance one of your tech contacts could explain in layman’s terms exactly what VGA level referencing is and how it affects 360 users who connect with VGA?

A: We added a new feature to the 2007 Xbox System Update which is actually fairly common among consumer electronics devices. You may know it by a variety of names; Reference Levels, Output levels, Black Levels, Blacker than black, Enhanced Blacks, Setup, PLUGE -all of this is talking about roughly the same functionality. In Xbox 360 we call it
“Reference Levels” for those using HDMI or VGA cables and “Black Levels” for Component or Standard cables.

At a very high level, this feature is here to accommodate the different methods that TVs use to receive a video signal. More specifically it addresses the different ways that “black” and “white” can be represented in that video signal. If you want to dig a little deeper, the easiest way to think about this is to imagine a scale from 0 to 100. 0 is the dark end and 100 is the light end of the scale.

Because of the multiple “standards” put out by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) there is some confusion around what the term “Black” actually means. Some TVs expect black to be 0 while others expect it to be at 7. So, if the Xbox 360 outputs 7.5 as “Black” and it is connected to a TV that expects “Black” to be 0, it will result in a washed out colors. Conversely, if the Xbox 360 outputs 0 as black and the TV expects to get 7.5, it will end up with a very dark picture.

If video from your Xbox 360 looks too bright or too dark, you should try each of the settings and see what works best for your particular TV. If you are happy with you’re the video from your Xbox 360, then don’t bother changing it.

(Original post, April 29, 2007):

Got my Xbox 360 Elite this morning. I went to Walmart first, found a woman in the electronics section, and asked where are the 360 Elites. She looked at the flyer in her hand and said “They ain’t out yet.” I said they’re shipping today, and asked if she’d check the computer for me, to see if they’re in back. “They ain’t here, I tol’ you - some people axed the same thing yesterday, we ain’t got none.” I said okay, told her to have a nice day, and she said the same in return.

I figured I’d go to Circuit City or Best Buy and wait till they open at 10. On the way there I noticed Target was already open, and on a whim went in to ask if they had the 360 Elite. The nice young guy in the games section said he thought so, he’d go check. He came out with four 360 Elites, selling one to me, and two to another guy who showed up.

I opted for the 3-year warranty for $29.99, bringing my total receipt to $544.62.

At home, I unpacked the 360 Elite and was bummed to find that the rumored transfer cable/kit was not included. I did a search to find out what was up, and learned that even if it was included, using the transfer cable would wipe out whatever new stuff was on the 360 Elite’s drive - not that any of it is very interesting. (A downloadable coupon in the Xbox.com support section entitles 360 Elite owners to a free transfer cable kit.)

I decided to transfer my stuff using the 64 MB memory card I had on hand. One look at the size of some of my saved stuff - like more than 1 GB for Oblivion alone - gave me pause. The I realized that for that game, and most others, I needed to transfer only the actual save game files, which were rather smallish; the rest, such as the 1+ GB Shivering Isles expansion pack I bought a few weeks ago, I could re-download once I was all set up. I also transferred over Arcade games like Uno, Wik, Worms and some others. The back and forth process from 360 to 360 Elite took about 45 minutes.

Now, for my most burning question: Would the HDMI connection be noticeably better than the VGA connection I was already using?

In a word: No.

An email to my Xbox press contact, asking for clarification, received this reply:

As you mention, the console can output 1080p resolution video over both VGA and HDMI. There may be very, very subtle differences depending on a consumer’s display, but we wouldn’t expect many people to notice.

There will be a difference between HD DVD video played over component and that played over HDMI. The content protection policies of HD DVD allow a maximum output of 1080i over component, so if you have HDMI (or VGA for that matter) you will get the full 1080p resolution.

In the end, by supporting HDMI we are giving our customers who have HD displays another option in the case their display doesn’t support VGA, plus they get the benefit of audio and video over a single cable.

In fact, others have reported that the HDMI isn’t noticeably better than the component video connection, either. On that, I disagree - switching from component to either HDMI or VGA is considerably different, and I notice a dramatic improvement with the Xbox 360 dashboard, in games, and when watching DVD movies.

My second biggest curiosity was noise, and whether the 360 Elite would be quieter than my original 360.

In a word: Yes.

When the DVD drive isn’t spinning, the 360 Elite is quieter than my original Xbox 360. When playing a game it is also quieter. Others have reported the drive isn’t actually quieter, just different in tone. That may be the impression for those who are comparing the old and the new in a large office environment, but in my bedroom, the new is quieter than the old. Perhaps that’s because my original Xbox 360 was the earliest of early units - shipped to me a few days before the 360 was released to the public. It’s that “old.”

But is it whisper-quiet? Nope. It’s still a pretty noisy product.

Bottom line: If you’re HDTV or monitor has an available VGA port, use it (by purchasing the optional VGA cable) with your existing Xbox 360 and enjoy video as good-looking as the 360 Elite’s. If my HDTV had only HDMI and component connection, I would definitely buy the 360 Elite for the sharper picture it delivers when connected that way. As for the hard disk, I had at least 8 GBs available on my old 360 and I don’t see filling this one up fast. My media lives on my MacBook (which I can tap into via the 360 with the add-on program 360Connect), and as far as downloading movies, which I do quite often (last night I watched The Parallax View, a 70s conspiracy theory film starring Warren Beatty that I highly recommend), I watch them then delete them, since they’re only viewable for 24 hours once you start watching. Still, others may want a bigger hard disk for their stuff, and the 360 Elite satisfies on that front (albeit at a pretty high price when compared to the GB-per-buck ratio found on PC add-on drives).

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Shivering Isles patch for Xbox 360 and PC

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Mon, Apr 30, 2007, 1:24 pm

in Microsoft, PS3, Sony, Uncategorized, Video Games and Xbox 360

. 0 Comments

Bethesda Softworks today released a patch for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the Shivering Isles expansion pack for Oblivion. Xbox Live prompts 360 players to install the patch when the game is launched; the PC version can be downloaded from Bethesda’s website. My contact at the company, Pete Hines, sent the below info regarding the patch:

On Apr 30, 2007, at 12:33 PM, Pete Hines wrote:

The patch notes on our site cover both versions:

http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_patchnotes12.htm#5

Specifically for this update:

Fixed a crash caused by bad form IDs

Fixes an issue where the game would try to use a form IDs that was either restricted or not available yet.

Fixed an issue where form IDs were not being marked as free properly, causing objects to disappear in game.

Thanks for the update, Pete.

While my first post on JOEyGADGET.com last year was about Oblivion being a bit of a bore, my feeling about the game has changed, thanks to the Shivering Isles expansion pack that was released several weeks ago. With so much focus in a single (yet huge) region, my enthusiasm for the game has been reignited, and I’m spending many late nights deep in the game.

I’m nuts about the dual realties of Mania and Dementia, and I’ll be sorry when the add-on ends. But by then I’ll be so much more powerful I’m actually excited about diving back into the main quest.

Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion

My Palm Treo 680: The bezel is a real crack-up

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Sun, Mar 25, 2007, 5:59 pm

in Mobile and Uncategorized

. 4 Comments

Look closely at your Palm Treo 680 (or other Treo model). See any tiny cracks on the bezel surrounding the touchscreen? Pay particular attention to the left and right spaces between the green and red buttons, and the application buttons below those.

I ask because I’m on my fourth Treo 680 exchange with Cingular. The first I exchanged because the SD memory card was flaky - recognizing an inserted card sometimes, but other times, not. That was the main reason to have it replaced - and the tiny cracks were mostly an unsightly, but secondary reason that I hardly noticed.

Cingular sent a replacement, the SD memory slot worked fine, and there were no cracks on the bezel. But a week or so later I noticed the start of a hairline crack in the very spaces mentioned above. It’s important to point out that I never dropped the phone, and never handled it roughly. Yet there were the little cracks. Which became more pronounced over the next few days, and after a week I noticed the start of still another crack about a half an inch up from the left green/answer button.

I called Cingular and arranged for another replacement phone, which Cingular sent overnight via DHL.

Within a week, same thing: Cracks appeared in the same spaces first mentioned, then a little farther up on the left edge, and then another one, same side, left edge, just below the word “palm.” Also as before, I never once dropped or roughly handled the Treo.

Last week I once again contacted Cingular, arranged a swap, and they sent a replacement overnight, with a label to return the broken one (within ten days or else I’d be charged more than $300; ditto if they determine the phone has been dropped).

The replacement Treo 680 is as good as new - but for how long? I’m afraid to use it, for fear of starting another Treo 680 crack-up.

Anyone else experiencing this not-so-funny Treo bezel crack-up problem?

SOHO Notes: The start of a long-term working relationship?

Published

Joe Hutsko

on Thu, Mar 8, 2007, 1:15 pm

in Apple, Mac, Mobile and Uncategorized

. 3 Comments

This is a test, to see if I can post a blog entry directly from SOHO Notes for the Mac - particularly if it supports formatting, like italics, and bold. If so, cool. I may be using SOHO Notes more for my day to day work - non-fiction and creative/fiction - than I have in the past. It seems like a more functional way to bring lots of disparate information together, under one roof. It has a Palm sync option, so I’m covered on that front, and there’s also a Journal folder, and another for keeping track of Passwords - securely, I expect. A side feature is called Services, which lets you search for info in SOHO Notes much the way you search for system-wide information using Spotlight. A little panel in the lower right corner bearing the SOHO Notes tab pops open for quick access to SOHO Notes folders, and there’s also a clipboard feature for going back several steps to information copied to the clipboard, to paste as needed. That could come in handy. I also see a little key icon in the middle of the tabbed SOHO Notes pop-up window, and I’m guessing that is for access to the aforementioned passwords I’ve saved. Possibly more to come on this subject, as I continue to work with the program.

Update: I was not able to post to my blog as directly as I expected; I need to figure out an Atom API connection between SOHO Notes and my blog.

Tag Archive for 'pda'

Recent Posts