iPhone 3G/2.0 upgrade

[editor]

Let me ask a couple of questions. Push only works with .Me and other things like the upcoming Exchange (server) app for Outlook? Do you think Gmail and Yahoo will make their iPhone/touch mail push?

GMail is not currently push-enabled. It's my understanding that Yahoo! mail is, though.

The quickest setting for mail is 15 minutes. Like WTF?!?

There are no time settings for push. The whole point of push is that it happens ASAP. The 15 minutes you see is for fetch, not push. They're not the same thing.

Also, has any been able to get Remote working? I downloaded, and installed and when I click on the app I get a series of 4 numbers and follow the directions, opening iTunes. But it doesn't do anything.

Works fine for me. I have it set up to control iTunes on my computer, my wife's computer and the AppleTV. So far no problems.

Not sure how to sync it to the computer/iTunes.

Do you mean sync the application, or pair it with an iTunes library?

Cool, yes, not exactly economical. .Me users are paying an additional $99/year for that 'feature' (and others admittedly).

No, .Me users get it included with the .Me/.Mac service they already had. Or if you're the sort of person who signs up for just that sort of thing, then it works out to $8.25/month, which is an order of magnitude cheaper than a Blackberry account.

BlackBerry users are getting it as part of their monthly fee.

So are .Mac/.Me users.

According to Microsoft, Exchange costs a minimum of $699 for five users. I don't know if that's per year or forever or until Microsoft EOLs it.

Five .Me users is $149/year and does somewhat more than just push e-mail and calendars.

[houstonmacbro]

Hmmm....

Okay, not in a very argumentative mood today about the virtues (or lack of) of Apple pricing.

So how did you get Remote working? I am still not sure if I am doing something wrong. Does the iPod/Phone have to be connected in the beginning?

[editor]

Hmmm....

Okay, not in a very argumentative mood today about the virtues (or lack of) of Apple pricing.

So how did you get Remote working? I am still not sure if I am doing something wrong. Does the iPod/Phone have to be connected in the beginning?

I didn't. I downloaded it over the air from the app store. IIRC I pressed "Settings" and then "Add Library." It then showed me a passcode. I went to iTunes and under "Devices" was an icon labeled "Wayne's iPhone." I clicked that and entered the password and voila!

Make sure your firewall allows external connections. I seem to recall that you're on a Mac, aren't you? Double check your firewall settings to see if there's a reason it wouldn't get through.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Just the whole thing in general. It seems it could have been handled better - the lines were gone within 2-3 hours last year but AT&T being AT&T, they insisted on the in-store activation this time around since they were subsidizing the price and didn't want anyone unlocking and jumping right away, which made the wait longer and generally exacerbated whatever inventory problems that they might have had.

I'm probably more bitter than I should be, it's not like I wasted time in any lines. I just thought that 1.) Apple would have done a better job than this and 2.) it would be more like last year and that I would have a phone by now. Just because I can wait doesn't mean I don't want one.

Imagin the nerve of a company like AT&T wanting to try and protect the exclusive right of the iPhone that they paid millions of $ to have. How dare they.

[editor]

Now that you have me thinking about it, I wonder if there's a way to unpair a remote from an iTunes library. Probably from the phone side you could delete the entry. But I wonder if there's a way to kick someone's remote off your computer. And I wonder what happens when you have multiple remotes set to control the same iTunes library or AppleTV.

[houstonmacbro]

I didn't. I downloaded it over the air from the app store. IIRC I pressed "Settings" and then "Add Library." It then showed me a passcode. I went to iTunes and under "Devices" was an icon labeled "Wayne's iPhone." I clicked that and entered the password and voila!

Make sure your firewall allows external connections. I seem to recall that you're on a Mac, aren't you? Double check your firewall settings to see if there's a reason it wouldn't get through.

Yes, I am on a Mac. I got it working.

Wanna know how ...?

Rebooted.

[editor]

Yes, I am on a Mac. I got it working.

Wanna know how ...?

Rebooted.

The phone or the computer?

[houstonmacbro]

The phone or the computer?

Computer.

Once I rebooted and plugged the iPod touch back in, I got another little icon that allowed me to put in the access numbers and it synced.

[editor]

Computer.

Once I rebooted and plugged the iPod touch back in, I got another little icon that allowed me to put in the access numbers and it synced.

Whatever works!

How long does it take for the album art to show up on your Touch when you select a song? It seems kind of random to me. Sometimes it's instant, and sometimes it can take 5-10 seconds. Occasionally none will show up even though I know there is art available.

[houstonmacbro]

Whatever works!

How long does it take for the album art to show up on your Touch when you select a song? It seems kind of random to me. Sometimes it's instant, and sometimes it can take 5-10 seconds. Occasionally none will show up even though I know there is art available.

It's very sporadic. I thought it just wasn't working at first because it wasn't showing.

[technoevil]

Do any of the At&t stores in Houston have anymore in stock? I have been trying locations all around west Houston and none of them have the 8GB version in stock. I also tried the Apple store in Memorial City.

[travelguy_73]

We bought a white 16gb at the Galleria Apple Store (my partner waited 3 hours in line on Monday), and they had the 8gb one at that time. Their website has the availability detailed by store.

It's a pretty slick phone. I will probably trade my Curve in for the upcoming BB Bold because, as much as I like the iPhone, I need me some real keys!

[houstonmacbro]

We bought a white 16gb at the Galleria Apple Store (my partner waited 3 hours in line on Monday), and they had the 8gb one at that time. Their website has the availability detailed by store.

It's a pretty slick phone. I will probably trade my Curve in for the upcoming BB Bold because, as much as I like the iPhone, I need me some real keys!

How's battery life?

[travelguy_73]

Not fantastic, but typical for 3g. It definitely must be charged daily, unlike my edge-Curve. However, when it is on Wi-Fi (even when it says 3g on the menu), the battery life doesn't drain as quickly.

[editor]

That's good to hear. I keep a 3G phone in a drawer for when I'm overseas and its battery drains quite quickly. I think the most TV viewing I ever got out of it was 90 minutes before it went flat.

As for the iPhone, I think the real game changer here isn't so much the 3G as the new applications. I use my phone waaaay more now than I ever did before because I find it so much more useful than before. I think Apple knows this, too, because a couple of times over the last six months it's referred to the iPhone as a "mobile computing platform" rather than a phone.

My big new applications now:

• AOL Radio
  
• Remote
  
• Bloomberg
  
• WeatherBug
  

And now that there's push wireless syncing, I get a lot more function out of my calendar than ever before.

Wish list:

• Syncing notes
  
• A better working AIM client
  
• Syncing VoiceRecord
  

Also, it would be nice if there was an RSS listing the new iPhone apps as they come out. it's only been a week but I know I'm behind.

[ricco67]

Well, I have decided (finally) not to drink the coolaid. The biggest factor for me was the access fees. Currently I have a 2500 minute plan with Tmobile and use about 1200 minutes a month. To use the same amount would cost me quite a bit more with the data fees. So I'll probably go with ATT, but not get the Iphone.

[editor]

Well, I have decided (finally) not to drink the coolaid. The biggest factor for me was the access fees. Currently I have a 2500 minute plan with Tmobile and use about 1200 minutes a month. To use the same amount would cost me quite a bit more with the data fees. So I'll probably go with ATT, but not get the Iphone.

An interesting decision. If I wasn't getting the iPhone I'd stay with T-Mobile. Isn't T-Mobile cheaper for voice and plain GPRS? The only reason I'd go AT&T is for the data and the iPhone. Too bad T-Mobile still hasn't gotten its 3G act together.

Since you're not going iPhone are you going Bold?

[travelguy_73]

• WeatherBug
  

Isn't WeatherBug adware? No thanks!

[ricco67]

An interesting decision. If I wasn't getting the iPhone I'd stay with T-Mobile. Isn't T-Mobile cheaper for voice and plain GPRS? The only reason I'd go AT&T is for the data and the iPhone. Too bad T-Mobile still hasn't gotten its 3G act together.

Since you're not going iPhone are you going Bold?

I might, haven't decided on that. The primary reason for my wanting to go to AT&T is the rollover minutes. While I have the 2500 plan, there are times when i only use 800 minutes. So I figure I downgrade my plan a bit, and possibly save the minutes I was wasting.

[barracuda]

Do any of the At&t stores in Houston have anymore in stock? I have been trying locations all around west Houston and none of them have the 8GB version in stock. I also tried the Apple store in Memorial City.

What I've heard is none of the AT&T stores nationwide have any iphone 3gs in stock, and they are only servicing direct fulfillment orders when they get a new shipment to the store. I placed an order for the black 16GB iphone on the 12th, and it's still backordered.

[editor]

Isn't WeatherBug adware? No thanks!

Maybe in Windows, but not on the iPhone. The only adware application I've seen is the New York Times.

[houstonmacbro]

Maybe in Windows, but not on the iPhone. The only adware application I've seen is the New York Times.

I swear, something is weird on my iPod touch after moving to 2.0. It seems to be running a lot slower (especially when changing apps .. even the original apps).

Thoughts?

[editor]

I swear, something is weird on my iPod touch after moving to 2.0. It seems to be running a lot slower (especially when changing apps .. even the original apps).

Thoughts?

I see it sometimes. Sometimes not. I have a theory I'm developing about it. How full is your Touch? It seems to me that any computer program running is going to suck up some memory to work in. I usually run the thing full., so plan to unload some songs from my phone to see if that improves performance.

[houstonmacbro]

I see it sometimes. Sometimes not. I have a theory I'm developing about it. How full is your Touch? It seems to me that any computer program running is going to suck up some memory to work in. I usually run the thing full., so plan to unload some songs from my phone to see if that improves performance.

Barely an 1/8 full.

[jmancuso]

would never do business with AT&T again but i like the iphone interface and have been considering an ipod touch. already have a palm TX that does everything plus a 4G ipod so can't justify buying it now.

[editor]

would never do business with AT&T again

I haven't had any problems with AT&T yet, but when my contract expires I'll probably take my iPhone over to T-Mobile. It's my understanding that the only feature that won't work on the T-Mobile network is visual voicemail, which isn't a dealbreaker for me since no one ever calls me and most months I use under 10 minutes of talk time.

The reason I'd jump back to T-Mobile from AT&T is because I can't stand AT&T's landline division. I've had so many problems with it over the years.

FWIW, if your beef is with the wireless side customer service, it's worth noting that iPhone users get different (better) customer service reps than regular AT&T wireless customers.

Still, it's a good feeling knowing I'm half way through this contract. This is the first mobile phone contract I've ever had and it's like a little gnawing in the back of my head knowing it's there. I never had a contract with T-Mobile or Cincinnati Bell.

I saw today that the "jailbreak" tool has been released. It's nice that these "hackers" (they're not really) are enjoying themselves, but what's the point? The reason people would jailbreak their phones before was to install free applications on them. Now there are dozens of free applications available through the iTunes store and more being added every day. Moreover, these apps have been at least partially vetted by Apple not to hose your personal information and whatnot.

It's interesting to note that the "hackers" haven't unlocked the new iPhone yet. I wonder if they realize that's because there's no reason to do so anymore. The reason people did it was to use the iPhone in other countries around the world. Well, now it's available in 72 countries and if your country isn't on the list you can buy one unlocked from Hong Kong or France or Germany and I think even the UK.

[barracuda]

Editor, you may want to rethink going to T-Mobile due to their wireless data speed. They only have 2.5G Edge data speeds in Houston. Maybe they will upgrade by the time you change, but I believe only New York City has 3G wireless under the T-Mobile network right now.

Part of the reason I am buying an iPhone is to get off the Sprint voice network. Sprint's data network is fine, but their voice network has become less and less reliable over the past few years. I would guess that 3 out of 5 calls get disconnected. Oddly, when I first began using Sprint, I almost never experienced a dropped call, and that is with the same phone. So their network bandwidth and reliability seem to have deteriorated over time.

[barracuda]

I swear, something is weird on my iPod touch after moving to 2.0. It seems to be running a lot slower (especially when changing apps .. even the original apps).

Thoughts?

I have an iPod Touch as well. I installed the 2.0 upgrade last week to get a better feel for what the iPhone 3G applications were like.

Functionality-wise, most of the apps I've downloaded have been great. I even have it synced up with Exchange, since that is a big part of what I'll be using the iPhone for.

I have noticed a little lag when opening or switching applications, but it hasn't been terrible. What has been terrible, though, is that my standby battery life has suddenly plummeted. If I leave it out of the charger overnight with a full charge, it will be down to 10 or 20% battery by the next morning. This is with nothing running (to my knowledge). Before the update, it would remain near full charge for weeks with no use. All I can presume is something I downloaded stays running in the background after exiting the application, and it must be eating up CPU when the iPod is turned off. So be careful what you download.

[editor]

Editor, you may want to rethink going to T-Mobile due to their wireless data speed. They only have 2.5G Edge data speeds in Houston. Maybe they will upgrade by the time you change, but I believe only New York City has 3G wireless under the T-Mobile network right now.

Yeah, I know about T-Mobile only having Edge, but that's OK. I have the old iPhone, so I can't do 3G, either. Part of the reason I stayed with T-mo for so long is that it kept promising 3G. Then when it finally arrived (so far only in Seattle and New York I think) it's on non-standard bands so my 3G phone won't work with it. That made jumping to AT&T for the iPhone a much easier decision.

Part of the reason I am buying an iPhone is to get off the Sprint voice network. Sprint's data network is fine, but their voice network has become less and less reliable over the past few years. I would guess that 3 out of 5 calls get disconnected. Oddly, when I first began using Sprint, I almost never experienced a dropped call, and that is with the same phone. So their network bandwidth and reliability seem to have deteriorated over time.

I wonder if it has to do with the Sprint-Nextel merger. The big challenge there was moving all the Nextel folk off of their old phones an onto Sprint's frequencies. Maybe there's just too many people for the infrastructure now.

[editor]

I have an iPod Touch as well. I installed the 2.0 upgrade last week to get a better feel for what the iPhone 3G applications were like.

Functionality-wise, most of the apps I've downloaded have been great. I even have it synced up with Exchange, since that is a big part of what I'll be using the iPhone for.

I have noticed a little lag when opening or switching applications, but it hasn't been terrible. What has been terrible, though, is that my standby battery life has suddenly plummeted. If I leave it out of the charger overnight with a full charge, it will be down to 10 or 20% battery by the next morning. This is with nothing running (to my knowledge). Before the update, it would remain near full charge for weeks with no use. All I can presume is something I downloaded stays running in the background after exiting the application, and it must be eating up CPU when the iPod is turned off. So be careful what you download.

I think you have the same problem my wife does. When she's at work she's in a marginal cell reception area so the thing kicks itself into high power to maintain the constant push signal.

The solution was to change "push" to "fetch" and set it for 30 minutes. She only needs her stuff synced once a day, so even 30 minutes is more than enough, but it helped her battery life a lot. She used to come home in red (~10% left), now she comes home with about 80% of the charge remaining.

If you can stand the updates not being absolutely immediate, try switching your phone from push to fetch and play with the settings (15 min, 30 min, 1 hour) to see what a good balance is for you.

[Edit]

Sorry... I just re-read your message and noticed that you have a Touch, so cell reception isn't your issue. But maybe changing those push settings might help anyway.