When I talk with my friends that don't have iPhones (and want them), the usual answer I get these days is "I'm just waiting for it to come to Verizon." There seems to be a lot of "I hate AT&T" sentiments out there. For the record, and I'll say it again – I don't have a problem with AT&T and even if the iPhone were offered on Verizon tomorrow I'd probably stay right where I am. First off I live in Michigan and although I travel the world for work, my AT&T service in my area has actually been quite good. I get 4 bars in my basement. I don't drop a lot of calls and the only time I do have issues is when I travel to known problem areas (such as Times Square NYC and the Tampa Bay FL area). So no I'm not an AT&T hater. I don't love them or hate them. They provide a service that has worked out for me. When I travel outside the US I need a GSM based phone and at that point I'm roaming on the local carriers anyway. Nonetheless, AT&T doesn't have a good reputation and certainly the Apple/AT&T relationship has been a bumpy one at times. Only Apple and Verizon know for sure when they will join hands and release an iPhone on the much praised Verizon network (everyone now says 2011 – keep in mind that these were the same people that swore it would be 2010 and 2009 before that), but I had a thought about Apple & Verizon…
What if Apple Bought Verizon?
Apple is all about "control." They like to control every aspect of their products and services. Certainly not being able to deliver data tethering and MMS for so long was a pain for them as well as other things that had to wait for AT&T's network to get up to speed. So that got me to thinking that a Verizon buyout by Apple would probably be a good thing (at least for Apple). They would be buying a popular network and then be able to completely control the user experience on the iPhone. While I'm sure this would piss off not only AT&T, but the whole industry (especially Droid handset makers), it's an interesting thought. It's also not the first time that Apple would have pissed off the whole industry 
While we'll probably never see such an acquisition take place, I bet the thought has crossed Steve's mind at least once. In any case I anxiously await the iPhone adding additional US carriers for a few reasons:
- With the iPhone on more than one carrier it will force AT&T to be more competitive (a win for us all). Right now they are the only iPhone game in town and therefore they can do things like charge a $25 (just because we can) tethering fee on top of your data plan without adding any more data.
- A multi-carrier iPhone would relieve some of the stress on having everything iPhone fall on one carrier (AT&T). Honestly, I'm not sure that Verizon would have done much better if they suddenly had an influx of millions of data hungry users. We'll never know, but it's easy to say your network is the best when you don't have the same volume of traffic.
- Lastly it will shut people up I get a little tired at times of Verizon users telling me how they never ever drop a call ever and how Verizon bows down to their every wish. Keep in mind that I do have a Verizon data card and I know for a fact that just like any other carrier their service is great in some areas and not so great in others. However, I don't argue. I just smile, because I really don't care one way or the other. I'm fine with my service and you're fine with yours, great! It's phone service, not a religion.
Understanding that you would probably wait till your contract was up if you have one, but what would you do…
Admittedly I don't do much printing these days. Also I'd have to say that i can't think of too many times that I was looking at something on my iPhone and thought "I'd like to print this." However, with the iPad things are a little different. I'm not saying that I suddenly have the need to print, but I can certainly see someone making the case for needing to print from an iPad more so than from an iPhone or iPod touch. In many cases the iPad has become a laptop replacement for a lot of people and no one would think twice about being able to print something from their laptop. Apple also sells iPad Apps like Pages and Numbers and certainly you might want to print a word processing document or spreadsheet. Apparently Apple got lots of requests for printing too and they added printing support in iOS 4.2.
The iOS AirPrint built-in printing support is severely limited!
Although iOS 4.2 now includes printing support (AirPrint), the current implementation is VERY LIMITED. Out of the box you can only print to select HP printers. That's right! No Epson printers, no Canon printers, no other printers are currently supported. So unless you're willing to go out and buy a specific HP printer, you're out of luck. Rumor had it that Apple was going to support AirPrint "sharing" in Mac OS X 10.6.5 and the support for whatever reason got pulled out of the final release. That's not to say that we won't see it in 10.6.6 or 10.6.5.1 or whatever Apple decides to call it, but for right now it is what it is. Don't worry though, I found a way to do it now!
FingerPrint to the Rescue!
There's an App for that! If you're on a Mac with a shared printer you can download and test Collobos Software's FingerPrint App for Mac OS X 10.5/10.6. This App aims to bridge the gap between AirPrint and your existing printer. You can download the App and test it for a week at no charge. As a matter of fact they encourage you to test it first before paying for it to make sure that it works with YOUR printer. Yes that means that even with this software there's a chance that your printer won't work and that's exactly what happened to me. Although I don't have any real interest in Printing from my iOS devices, I still want the option if I can have it. So I downloaded FingerPrint and within a couple of minutes I had it up and running and ready to test. It saw my Xerox Phaser 8550DP printer and so did my iPad! Woohoo! However, when I brought up a page in Safari on the iPad and attempted to print it nothing happened. Nothing was ever sent to the printer. I figured, "oh well I guess I will continue to live without printing." Then Collobos updated FingerPrint with a new option. This new option allows you to not only print directly to a "compatible" printer, but also send the print job to the Mac that's running the App as an Adobe PDF. You can either "Send to Mac" or "Send to iPhoto". I tried the "Send to Mac" option and it worked! My PDF ended up in the ~/Documents/FingerPrint folder and immediately launched in Preview. So at a minimum I could at least hit print from there and get the printout that I wanted.
That's not good enough!
One of the most popular features of MacGroup-Detroit and one of the things that sets us apart from most other groups is MacGroup TV. MacGroup TV is the monthly broadcast of our meetings. It allows our members to see the meetings they missed pretty much on any device they choose. While it was already possible to download the meetings or stream time to your iOS device. However, MacGroup-Detroit is pleased to introduce a dedicated App for MacGroup TV.
How does it work?
Like I said, you could already subscribe to MacGroup TV in iTunes and the episodes will download to your computer automatically and sync over to your device the next time you sync. You could also go to the show in the iTunes App right on your device and start watching a meeting stream over the internet or download one. With the App you have a one tap button that takes you right to the show and shows you the most current meeting. You can "Star" your favorites to get to quickly to watch over and over or download them right in the App for offline viewing. Any meeting you start to watch and then want to finish later will pick right back up where you left off. Also unlike iTunes, our App allows us to easily include Bonus Content such as PDF notes/handouts from the meeting as well as bonus clips that only appear in the App. As we move forward this will allow us to distribute even more content besides the movie itself.
The MacGroup TV App is $1.99 and you can get it here from the 
This is not the typical "I hate AT&T" rant you're probably thinking of based on the headline. I'm actually one of those iPhone users who does NOT hate AT&T. I don't love them either. They provide a service that for the most part I haven't had any major problems with. Have I had dropped calls? Yep! Have I been in low coverage areas? Yep! Have I experienced an overloaded data network (think Macworld Expo) first hand? Yep! These are all the typical reasons why people HATE AT&T. However, I don't really see this as being very different from any other network. I used to be a Sprint customer and I have a Verizon data card.
I have yet to see or use any network with 100 % great reception in all areas and zero dropped calls. The way I see it is that it's easy to say Verizon (or any other carrier) has GREAT service when they aren't under the same load. Don't get me wrong, I seriously think AT&T needs to improve their network. I also think that if the iPhone had been exclusive to Verizon from the start and saw an influx of millions of data hungry users all at once, we would have seen similar problems with their network too! They may have responded more quickly. They may not have had as many problems. They may have handled the growth better and they may not have. The problem is we'll never know. Lastly let's not forget that it was AT&T that was willing to take a chance on the iPhone back in 2007 when Verizon (reportedly) rejected the iPhone deal.
I want the iPhone to go to Verizon for two other reasons
Even if Apple announced that the iPhone was NOW AVAILABLE on Verizon TODAY, I would not move off of AT&T. The reason is, I need a GSM based phone that can operate in any country in the world as my job requires worldwide travel. Like it or not, the rest of the world is GSM based and CDMA networks are primarily a US thing. Even if Apple had worked things out with Verizon first, they would have still needed to build a GSM version of the iPhone to sell in other countries. Why do I anxiously await a Verizon iPhone?
The first reason is to relieve the strain on AT&T! If Verizon offered the iPhone it's estimated that AT&T would lose about 30% of it's current iPhone base over to Verizon. That means about 30% less strain on the network for the rest of us who are staying. Less strain in theory would mean faster data and less data outages for the remaining customers.
The second and perhaps bigger reason is that it would force AT&T to be more competitive. I find the latest pricing tactics to be a bit "monopolistic inspired." First they remove the unlimited data plans about a month after the iPad shipped, which removed the flexibility of switching back and forth between unlimited and limited data plans as needed. Then they added a $20/month charge for iPhone tethering that just doesn't make sense as there is no technical reason to justify a higher charge. If you're already on a LIMITED Data Pro plan, which maxes out at 2GB/month, why do you have to pay an additional $20/month to use that same data via a laptop? In essence it's a "just because we can" charge. So perhaps if iOS devices were also available on Verizon there would be more of a price war going on between the two that would make it better for all of us.
So whether you hate AT&T or love AT&T, having the iPhone on multiple US carriers is a good thing for everyone.
Assuming your contract was up or you weren't under any current obligation to stick with your provider:
When I'm at home, I need cables to be able to reach from one device to the next and usually the ones that ship with the devices are great. However, when it comes to travel I usually want short cables whenever possible because they take up less space and make it easier for TSA to X-ray your gear. I had found short cables for just about everything else I carry such as Firewire and USB devices, but I hadn't yet found short cables for my iDevices (iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc.). That all changed with a blog reader pointed me to Cable Jive. Cable Jive makes a variety of different cables and solutions, but the one that I was most interested in was their iStubz for iDevices. They cost $8 (half the price that Apple charges for a sync cable) and they work great! Like I said, they make some really useful products and I'm also intrigued by the DockXtender cable and the CableDrop
OK, so you've either got a shiny new iPhone 4 or you've upgraded your previous iDevice to iOS 4 and now you're trying to sort though it all. Well I thought I would share 10 random tips on the iPhone 4/iOS 4 that might not be so obvious or just to make your life just a little more fun. So here they are in no particular order and completely off the top of my head:
1. Put More Apps in the Dock
The iPhone has always been limited to only 4 Apps in the dock at once. The iPad takes it up to 6. However, now with iOS 4 and folders you could theoretically have up to 48 Apps in the dock for quick access. Granted I don't need 48, but I do need more than 4. So what I did was create a "Productivity" folder and I put it in the dock so that those 12 Apps are accessible to me no matter which Home screen I'm on.
2. Choose a Different Home Wallpaper
If you're on an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 or an iPod touch 3rd generation, you can now change your home screen wallpaper. You could always use a custom wallpaper that appeared on the lock screen, but now you can have a separate one that appears behind your apps. Also I highly recommend using an App like Adobe Photoshop to create a custom Wallpaper for your lock screen that actually has your name and contact info on it in case you lose your iDevice and someone is nice enough to want to return it. You could also put I.C.E. (in case of emergency) contact info on it too. OK, so that's really two-three tips
3. Zoom
Your iPhone running iOS 4 just got a 5x digital zoom. However, it doesn't give you the zoom slider until you actually tap the screen.
If you have an Apple Mobile Device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) it's actually possible to sync it with multiple computers. You just have to understand the rules. Apple groups things into four categories:
Data – the data or info category consists primarily of things like your contacts, calendar, bookmarks, notes, email accounts, etc. This information can either be sync'd via iTunes or wirelessly via MobileMe or Microsoft Exchange (although Notes currently can only be sync'd via iTunes).
Media – the media category consists of your music, movies, music videos, TV shows, podcasts, audiobooks, ringtones, iTunesU and now iBooks. This content can either be sync'd or managed manually.
Photos – well this category is pretty self explanatory. It's your photo library and all of your photo albums. Your photos can either be in iPhoto or simply in a folders and subfolders.
Apps – last but certainly not least is your Apps that you've downloaded from the App Store.
Now that you know what the four categories are the content from these four categories can live on one, two, three or four different computers. In my house I sync my iPhone, iPad and iPod touch between two computers. I have a MacBook Pro that is my main everyday computer and we have an iMac that is our "iTunes media server". Of the four categories above I sync my Data, Photos and Apps with my MacBook Pro and I sync my media with my iMac. This works great for me because it means that I don't have to keep every song, movie, TV show, etc. that I own on my MacBook Pro.
Before I ever knew that there was an app for it, I would use my iPhone as a flashlight. It just seemed so natural with that large illuminated surface. It would light up dark areas quite well. I even tried to use it as a mirror, but that didn’t work out so well. And yes, there are apps for that. But they don’t work out so well either.
So I wondered, what are some other off-the-wall or ingenious uses for this wondrous device?
Here are some apps I found developed for the iPhone/iPod touch that leave you chuckling with laughter, scratching your head, or bunching your eyebrows together in dismay.
HangTime
HangTime measures how long your iPhone is in free fall during the time you throw it up in the air. Yes, that’s right, treat that $$$ pricey device you purchased, as a ball. Throw it in the air and hopefully you'll catch it as it comes down, otherwise…
While this app seems to no longer be available in the App Store, it was too crazy not to give it a mention. Too crazy.
http://iphonehangtime.com/gallery/
Annoyance
This iPhone app is filled with sounds that annoy people.
Sounds like, Nails on a Blackboard, Baby crying, Slurping, Hiccups, Car Horn, all designed to play a prank and annoy people.
What this app may need today is a button for the user to make a quick dial of 911 when someone gets a bit too annoyed by all of these annoying sounds.
Loading ...
