Facebook for iPhone Actually Works

Last night opened up the App Store on my iPhone, curious to see what new apps have been released, and got the usual badge saying that there updates for my apps.

I tapped the button and instead of looking at what apps actually got updates and what each one entailed, I just hit update all and let the iPhone do it’s work. As I scrolled through the pages of apps I saw that Facebook was getting updated.

About effing time! Maybe the app will actually work correctly.

I opened up the app and found that status updates were actually posting real times! I’ve been so used to translating that 4 hours ago on the Facebook iPhone app was actually a few minutes ago to an hour ago. This may be a trivial thing for some, but for me this was amazing. That was one of the few things that just, “grinded my gears,” as Peter Griffin would say.

Also, I haven’t experienced a crash or glitch yet with any of the screens – I just opened the Knock on Wood App so I hope that helps. What would frequently happen on my phone was after browsing for a short time on a profile page, or any page really, I would start to see nothing but blank spaces in each table. I would then have to restart the app and browse from there. Again, this may seem like a minor inconvenience to you, but as heavily as I use Facebook (which can add up to about 30-40 launches a day) you can see where it would become a huge annoyance.

Commenting also seems to have been fixed or improved! I haven’t had any errors yet with commenting on wall posts like I used to have. I remember typing long, thoughtful comments, only to find that there “was an error while posting my comment” and I would lose all the work that I just did. The fun part was attempting to remember and retype the whole thing.

So far so good Facebook, good job!

If you haven’t updated yet, run iTunes and check for updates or run the App Store on the iPhone.

Which also reminds me… where in the world is that darn Push Notification System? It would be nice of these updates would PUSH NOTIFY us.

Just a thought Apple.

iPhone Tethering

There are a few solutions out there for tethering your iPhone 3G, but there’s one method that puts smiles on my face.

The software I use for tethering is iPhoneModem by Addition. It really makes the tethering process painless and incredibly easy. I’ve never used Netshare, so those users may differ on simplicity. All you need to do is download the iPhoneModem software for your Mac (Windows users have to manually set up the SOCKS proxy), run iPhoneModem on your jailbroken iPhone 3G/EDGE, and you’re good to go!

The free version runs a nag screen every few kb that halts the current connection until you’ve either enter the registration number or hit continue trial. For casual use the nag screen is bearable but after a while it gets incredibly annoying. The program really is worth the $10 though. Yeah, you can download 3proxy and set everything up manually, but this really saves you much of the hassle.

Please remember that tethering is against your AT&T contract and excessive use can lead to huge fees for data use.

Head on over to the link to check out iPhoneModem!

[Link]

iPod Nano Review (Quick and Dirty)

I got an iPod Nano! I had a lot of Best Buy points and had a $50 dollar gift card to burn – iPod it is!

I’ve gotta say, it isn’t too shabby. It really feels great in your hand, if you can even notice that you’re holding anything. The interface is incredibly slick, moving between cover flow and the normal interface is seamless. Also, the shake to shuffle feature is pretty cool, although a little too showy for my taste (really, it’s easier to click the skip forward button). I love the curved metal design and think it’s a great refresh for the Nano line.

If you have the $149 to blow and need another iPod (or upgrade from the fatboy) def. pick this up.

Reaction and Summary to Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

Yesterday at Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event, most of the new products and features were, for the most part, true to what was being produced at the rumor mill. Among the new things unveiled at the event were the new iPod Nano and iPod Touch revisions and iTunes 8. All-in-all the event was mediocre at best, in my opinion. I wasn’t really “wowed” at the event as I usually am with Apple Keynotes. I guess I was expecting more mention of the iPhone and the new firmware; there was about 6 seconds of talk pertaining to the new firmware, that’s it. This really shocked me as I thought this was a very important part of the event, considering that many owners of the iPhone have complained about bugs and glitches more than the “demanded” volume control on an iPod Touch (If you sense a small hint of bitterness, you are correct).

First of all, I’m glad to hear NBC has come back to the mothership and are now offering their TV shows on iTunes. Not only are they in standard definition, but now they are in high definition! In addition, you can now watch the HD content on your computer – before you could only do so on the Apple TV. I really don’t have a problem paying $3 for HD Office and Heroes.

Apple also unveiled iTunes 8, the latest iteration of the #1 music seller in the US, surpassing Wal-Mart. THe most notable features of the new iTunes is the new Grid view and Genius. Borrowing the beloved tile view of iPhoto, you can now browse your media (music, podcasts, video, etc.) in a more efficient manner. Just like in iPhoto, you can skim the artwork to view all of the albums you have for each artist. Personally, I think the best way to browse is in the traditional list view. Next, a feature that was stressed highly by Steve is Genius. When it all boils down to it, Genius is basically Pandora for iTunes and your music library. By activating Genius, your library is anonymously pushed to Apple, analyzed, and iTunes is then set up to create on-demand Genius playlists. If you have ever used iTunes Store Recommendations, then you’re already quite familiar with Genius; the same criterion used for recommendations is the core of Genius. Now, it really is easier than ever to discover new music or even re-discover music. I’ve been ripping all of my old CD’s to my library just so I can use Genius to re-discover old songs. I tip my hat to Apple on this great feature in iTunes.

Adding on to the slew of new features and changes in Apple’s music department are the new iPod Classic, Nano, and Touch revisions.

The iPod Classic really saw, what I thought was the shaft in the new feature department next to the iPhone 3G. Apple has usually sold the iPod in two flavors, thin and thick and different sizes. Now, the classic is only sold in the thin form factor with 120GB of storage. If you don’t think Apple is going to axe the Classic or at least put it to the side yet, now is when you should getting that “light bulb” realization. I used to be the guy that had to have ALL of his music on his iPod. So, of course, I had to have the biggest iPod available to do so. Apple has done a great job changing my point of view. The newer iPod lines, with more bells, whistles, and (lets face it) sex appeal all came in smaller hard disk sizes. That’s when I came to realize that I didn’t need ALL of my music, all I needed were the ones I listened to now. So now I could feel comfortable with the newer models, yet with smaller hard disk space. Honestly, this is the way it should be, unless you’re a DJ and need your whole library to mix and scratch or a huge traveler and need weeks upon weeks of music. It’s because of this that the Classic really is taking a step aside in the iPod department, in my opinion.

The new iPod Nano combines the form factor of the first and second generation Nanos with the high resolution screen of the third generation. The new Nano is the “thinnest iPod ever” evidently surpassing the iPod Touch in thinness. Following the tapered edge design of the MacBook Air and iPhone 3G, the Nano is an ovular shape, almost disappearing when looked at from the side. The outside has changed dramatically but you better bet that Apple added new things to the inside as well. The newest iteration of the Nano includes the accelerometer made famous by the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can now view in Cover Flow, look at landscape photos, and watch video by simply tilting the Nano to widescreen. Honestly though, I don’t think viewing videos and photos on the Nano is ideal but I won’t venture into that arena for this article. Sort of putting it all together is the new UI. With the new portrait orientation and screen that takes about 50% of the device, Apple has put the main menu on the first 3/4’s of the screen and a scrolling album art marquee on the last 1/4. Also, taking queues from the iPhone, the Now Playing screen shows full album art with vertically scrolling artist name/song title/album title and position/volume/rating scrubber at the bottom. Other new features of the iPod Nano include the voice recording app and the new “shake to shuffle” feature, which is quite self-explanitory.

Next, the iPod Touch has got a brand new bag. The iPod touch has followed suit (as most of Apple’s products have) by adopting the tapered edge look. For the most part, it looks like a very thin iPhone 3G. The UI has stayed the same, with only the exterior getting the facelift. There is now a volume rocker on the left side and also a built-in speaker that Steve stresses is for “casual listening.” It has the same screen as the previous generation, possibly going the same route that the new 3G screen has that Apple calls “warmer” (people have complained of a yellow-ish screen). An interesting addition is the built-in Nike+iPod receiver in the Touch. All you need is the transmitter for your shoe to enjoy the accessory, rather than have that dongle attached that you would always fear would break off. A good question came up by imfrog2002 on my live Apple Event Ustream broadcast. He asked if the older iPod Touches would be able to use the Nike+iPod app. The answer to that, as far as I know, is no. I wonder though if all they used to create that app was to utilize the accelerometer API. If this is the case, you can definitely use the app with previous generation iPod Touches and also the iPhone EDGE/3G. Also, genius is built-in although I didn’t hear anything on “shake to shuffle” which would be nice to have on the Touch and iPhone EDGE/3G. What Apple wants to do, it seems, is market this device as not only a music/video/breakfast maker (NOTE: link NSFW), but also a viable gaming device; this is very evident in their new ad, dubbing it the “Funnest iPod Ever” (someone needs to get ahold of Apple’s grammar department stat!). I’m not sure if it could be a viable competitor, but it is a great device albeit hard to control at times with the über sensitive accelerometer.

Moving on to what I thought was the crucial part of the keynote, iPhone/iPod 2.1 software. Here’s what was said, available free to current 2.0 iPod Touch owners, $20 for 1.x iPod Touch owners, fixes bugs, available Friday. That’s it… Ticked? You bet I am! Friday will tell if this 2.1 update is really a fixer. The past two updates have been horrendus, if anything making the device harder to use. I would address the new firmware as follows.

“Oh yeah! The new firmware for the iPhone 3G! New features include freezing your phone, dropping calls, keyboard lag, and even losing sounds most of the time! Not to mention you get a free headache!”

Yet, through it all, I still use the phone. As I’ve said before, this product just isn’t on par with what I consider Apple standards. I hope this update fixes most of the problems and gives me some piece. Better yet, I hope it fixes the basic function of the product, making calls. Like Chris Hardwick said, it’s like saying I have this brand new fridge that makes my dinner and holds a lot of stuff! Does it keep stuff cool? No…

And that’s the Apple event, in a nice little package just for you. What are your thoughts on the event? Throw your comments in and flame away.

Apple Let’s Rock Event: ETA 1h 43m

I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing about it, but yes, today is Apple’s “Let’s Rock” iPod event. Rumors have been flying every which way of what we can expect at this event. From elongated Nanos, to price slashes on the iPod Touch line, there’s sure to be some epic things to be said at the event. Also, the new iTunes 8 and iPhone 2.1 firmware with push notifications should be unveiled.

As far as iPhone goes, this event will either make or break Apple in my book. I’ve been plagued with many bugs on the iPhone, as you all may have read from my flood of tweets over the last few months. I’m just so disappointed because I love Apple so much. Their products are always top-notch and state-of-the-art. The iPhone though, in addition to my MobileMe mishaps, has sort of put taken off the shimmer that Apple used to have for me. I really hope the firmware update fixes at least the vast majority of my problems.

Don’t know what MY problems are? Let’s list them.

Poor Battery
Dropped Calls
Poor 3G reception
Extreme Typing Lag
Loss of SMS-In sounds
Loss of sounds period
Severe app crashing
iPhone freezing

That’s just a the ones I hope get fixed.

Sadly, I’ll be in class during the event but I’ll be sure to have the important tweets pushed to my iPhone. Let’s hope that Apple certainly “rocks” the event.

Personally, I’ll be keeping it tuned here…

Qik On iPhone, iGerard Update, Fun Times!

Qik is finally on iPhone! Here’s just a quick video update on what’s going on!

Qik Now Supports iPhone 3G/2.0

I’m supposed to be on break, but I’m way to excited to not post this.

Why am I super stoked you ask? Qik is FINALLY on the iPhone 3G/2.0. I have been waiting so long for this! Now I can drain my battery up to 5 times faster! I’ve now got my bases covered in terms of video. MacBook for live desktop video, iPhone 3G for live anywhere video, and my Flip Mino for awesome quality pocket recording.

All you have to do is grab the latest Pwnage Tool and jailbreak your iPhone 3G. If you’re weary about jailbreaking, trust me when I say it is a painless process. It’s as easy as making your custom IPSW, restoring it to your backed up iPhone 3G/iPhone EDGE, and voila!

I’m jailbreaking my iPhone 3G as we speak. Post up your responses and videos here!

iPhone EDGE/3G Tethering

If you’ve been away from your Mac lately, you probably missed this incredible gem. The guys over at [url=http://www.nullriver.com]Nullriver[/url] released an iPhone tethering app on the App Store for $10. How this got past the App Store people is beyond me. It was almost immediately yanked from the store, but not without a few people downloading it first. It looks like it just gave the whole process a simple GUI for the technologically impaired. The wireless tether works by creating a SOCKS proxy server and an Ad-Hoc Wi-FI connection to the iPhone’s EDGE/3G data.

Many people say that using the iPhone as a bluetooth modem is a feature that is desperately needed. At times I couldn’t agree more. For example, not many airports have free Wi-FI (the only one that I know of is JAX). Instead of buying a T-Mobile one-day pass or whatever service the airport provides, I’d love to just tether my iPhone and use the 3G network. As-of-late, there is no solution for this that won’t likely hike up your phone bill. I’m not sure if there is a way that AT&T can detect if the 3G connection is being used by an iPhone or computer; if there is a way, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will throw some hefty data fees on you. In reality, Mobile Safari is a true full-featured desktop browser that happens to be on a mobile platform. Therefore, could AT&T really tell the difference? Yes, maybe AT&T would see a huge spike in usage, but how do they know an iPhone 3G user didn’t just get bored and extensively browsed, watched YouTube videos, and sent/received photos?

At other times, I don’t see a need for tethering because I’m usually always around a free Wi-Fi hotspot. Whether I’m on the UF campus, one of the 50 (exaggeration) Starbucks locations in the Gainesville area, or traveling to other cities in Florida, there’s usually a hot spot I can get to. Most of the time, I don’t have a need for tethering. Two to five years ago, I wouldn’t be saying the same thing.

To put things in perspective. my hometown of [url=http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=perry,+fl&ie=UTF8&ll=30.12464,-83.581581&spn=0.066072,0.11055&z=13]Perry, FL[/url] is a little behind in the tech world. About a year ago, wireless internet and broadband connections finally became somewhat standard. In 2002, I set up a wireless network in my house. Nothing incredible, 802.11B wireless running on a 5 Mbps downstream DSL connection. I was one of the very few people in Perry with DSL, let alone with a wireless network. I think tethering would work great for towns such as my hometown. Although you would be running on the unbearable EDGE network, it would help you in a bind.

This leads us to two questions: Should the iPhone 3G be tether-able and should AT&T charge a premium for tethering? In my opinion, I think tethering should be available and AT&T should not charge a premium. Mandatory data plans have already had the $10 increase (for those of you think it isn’t much, that’s an extra $120 a year). With the unlimited $30 data plan, we should be able to tether for free.

What are your thoughts on tethering and what position should AT&T take on the issue?

Apple Stores Are Seductive (Online and Offline)

Let’s face it, Apple Stores are dead sexy.

The aesthetics, layout, and even the employees of retail Apple Stores really make for a quality experience. Personally, I have yet to have a bad experience with an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. As soon as you enter one of these stores, you’re welcomed with a smiling face. Yes, maybe that smiling face is hiding a very hungover employee, but it feels nonetheless genuine. Every Apple Store I’ve visited has always been well-staffed. There’s always a person to ask if you need assistance, even at the busiest times of day. Apple truly has every facet of consumer need filled with a special position.

The aforementioned greeter is what Apple calls Concierge. Apple describes Concierge as, “The warm welcome comes to life.  Be the first person our customer meets—that sets the tone for the revolutionary shopping experience only Apple can give,” and boy do they have that shopping experience right.

The other type of employee is the specialist. They’re the people who ask if you need help and are always there to fill your needs. If you really need one-to-one help with shopping, you can set an appointment for a Personal Shopping Specialist. This is a true, face-to-face shopping experience. With a Personal Shopping Specialist you don’t have to fight for attention (not that you do at an Apple Store) and don’t feel rushed to make purchases. I’ve had a shopping specialist help me and a friend with an iMac purchase. Never before have we felt so at-ease about a product and not feel buyer-remorse. You have to remember that it is incredibly easy in the retail world to emulate a used car salesman; at the Apple store, there are no cheesy sales pitches or coerced purchases.

One of the most prominent areas (the focus, actually) of the Apple Retail Store, is the Genius Bar. This is what sets Apple apart from the rest of the computer-service chains. The Genius Bar is available to any Apple customer, whether the product is under warranty or not, for troubleshooting of any Apple Product. Appointment-based, the Genius Bar really is an experience in itself. Coming from a world where you build your own PC and have respective warranties for each product, it was mind-blowing to know I could take my Mac to the Genius Bar and get every derivative of it inspected and repaired at one place. There are times when your hardware needs to be shipped off, but most of the time it’s fixed on the spot. Each Genius is fully trained and knows all of the nooks and crannies of a Mac and OS X.

The second component of the Apple Store experience is the Apple Online Store. Here you can get the same experience at a normal Apple Retail Store with the added convenience of sitting at home. The design of the website is very streamlined and it is incredibly easy to find any product. Most, if not all, products in the Apple Online Store have zoomed-in views and Apple/Customer product reviews all in one page. Not only is the shopping experience easy; the checkout procedure is fast and painless.

All of these components of Apple Retail make it really hard not to purchase an Apple product.

iPhone 3G: Now Sans MMS!* [May Cause Discomfort!]

On a recent post, I backed up Apple’s case for not having MMS implemented on the iPhone as-of-late. I still stand behind my case, except it did cause me a little bit of grief the last two days.

I’ve recently become the uncle of a beautiful, 7 lbs. 6 oz, baby boy. born two days ago (7/23/08) It’s very exciting and I can’t wait to visit him, my sister, and brother-in-law this weekend. Thankfully, we’re in the age of sharing copious amounts of information in various ways, from email, text messaging, and even tweets. So, naturally, I ask my brother-in-law to send me a shot of the baby. I tell him that the iPhone doesn’t have picture messaging capabilities and that he could just email it to me. He told me he would email to me when they got to the house a few days later. I was in a rush (and was at work) so I agreed and told him to email it when he could. After getting some paperwork out of the way, I decided to text my sister and my brother-in-law and tell them they could email me directly from the phone. I sent a few texts explaining the process – basically start a picture message as usual and instead of a phone number in the “To:” field, just put my email address. I didn’t get a response, which makes sense as the baby had just been born 12 hours ago and they were most likely exhausted. I let it slide and called my dad later that night.

I talked to my ecstatic father, he told me that he didn’t have a picture to email but my mom had a picture on her phone. He then passed the phone to my mother and I asked her if she could email me the photo.

Before I go on, let me set a little background on my mother. My mother is filipino (which is where I get my awesome tan) and her natural dialect is Tagalog. In Tagalog, syllables and words are much shorter and, therefore, one who speaks the language has an extremely fast tongue.

Alright, picking up from where I left off. Not only does she have a very fast tongue and can talk at 120 sps (syllables per second), but add to that a frustrated feeling of messing with a gadget that isn’t working correctly. This is a recipe for a conversation disaster. Each time as I attempted to throw a solution she would repeat the problem to me and we would get in that cut-off jive. I would start something, then I’d stop to let her say something while she would stop to let me say something… a vicious circle.

Finally she handed the phone off to my brother and he explained the problem. Long story short, the message was somehow not downloading from the server so he would text my brother-in-law, get the photo, and send it to me. The next day, somewhere around noon, I received the photo.

I guess there are times where MMS would be great on the iPhone 3G, but really, I think I can live without it.