Tag: iPhone

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Geeky/Programming Ramblings

Temporary Vacancy at the "Roach Motel"? – Facebook + iPhone (useragent) = Your Contacts

I have read Dare O’s blog for a while now (years?), and recently it seems recently once every few weeks he mentions how Facebook keeps all your data so you can’t export it easily. Yes , it’s true. The email addresses are graphics, and they expire every so often, which sucks.

I was tooling around on my iPhone the other day, on http://iphone.facebook.com, and noticed that I could click on email addresses, they were links. This means you could write an app to get to them and scrape them.

Looks like that fun has ended as now Facebook has them as images as well on the iPhone, which stinks. They are my friends, my data, why can’t I get to it? Getting their email address would be more useful than getting their latest mood or their latest drink someone bought them on one of the Facebook apps.

Let my data be free!

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Geeky/Programming Product Reviews

IzyMail – Get Windows Live Hotmail on your iPhone

Since Microsoft doesn’t want to enable IMAP for Windows Live Hotmail accounts (It just started enabling POP3 for Hotmail Plus users), getting your Windows Live Mail on your iPhone just doesn’t work. This really stinks if it is your main email address. GMail on the iPhone stinks because of the threaded conversations – every time you send a message, you get a new one in your inbox – ugh!

Yahoo has IMAP which is good, I just don’t use it for my email. I actually use Windows Live Custom domains and use my @stevienova.com address with Windows Live Hotmail, which is really cool.

Now, the solution I am using is IzyMail – and it works. I tried quick to set it up on the iPhone itself, and it didn’t work, but there are instructions on how to set it up if you have a Mac – which I just so happen to have. I assume if you setup and Outlook account on Windows using IMAP and sync those settings it will work too. I paid the 18 dollars for the premium subscription, and it is worth it. My email now syncs to my iPhone, and all the folders. If I move a email from the inbox to a subfolder, it moves it on the server. Now, my iPhone mimics my Windows Mobile smartphone using Windows Live HTTP (DeltaSync) email syncing (as opposed to IMAP or POP3)

Please Microsoft – open up IMAP – as even a paid option! Or, on the flipside – Apple – allow HTTP mail on Mac’s and iPhones!! Getting your email from the web to a device SHOULD NOT be this complicated!!! Maybe in like 1995, but not in 2007!

Now, just have to figure out a way to get my contacts sync’d up OTA and the phone will actually be somewhat useable!

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Geeky/Programming Life Product Reviews

iPhone Woes! Syncing Contacts

Whew, finally got my contacts onto my iPhone. How?

I use Windows Live Custom Domains, which then I use Windows Live Mail. As you would think, none of this is supported on the iPhone in any way shape or form. There is no “over the air” sync of contacts either. Blah.

So, I cleared out my Plaxo contacts, synced that up with Windows Live Mail. Good. Then, cleared by Yahoo contacts, synced that up with Plaxo, good. Then in iTunes, set my contacts to sync with my Yahoo Address Book, then manual sync to the phone. Finally have my contacts! Although, its a manual process! Yuck!

On the T-Mobile Dash (or any Windows Mobile 6.0 Device) – you can sync directly with Exchange, or Windows Live Mail – OVER THE AIR!! And if that fails, you can sync with your Outlook Address Book manually. Also, there are 3rd party apps that will sync your contacts on your device with pretty much anything. So far I haven’t found anything for the iPhone, well I am guessing because there are no 3rd Party Apps! I haven’t dug too much into the hacked apps to see if there is anything yet.

Next – syncing my Windows Live Mail – I am not sure if this is even going to be possible!

Side Note: one thing that irks me on the iPhone is it takes two steps to get to contacts, and another to see their info. Would be nice if there was a main screen icon for “Contacts”

Update: I found this http://theliveforums.com/index.php?autocom=ibwiki&cmd=article&id=1  which I am doing now instead. The ITunes to Yahoo Address book sync is really flaky, it only worked once for me. And, which really is a pain, if I add a contact in Windows Live, I have to wait for it to sync to Plaxo then Yahoo, then Sync manually. Using the method at the live forums, I can sync my Windows Contacts directly from Vista. Much easier. Still work be nice to sync OTA though!

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Geeky/Programming

Hacked!!! iPhone running T-Mobile

well, I did it. Bought a 4GB model, just finished hacking it, I have my T-mobile SIM card in, it makes calls.

Followed this to get it activated

http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5273

then this to get it unlocked

http://iphone.unlock.no/

EDGE Settings (Not sure if this is the best, but it works)

Settings -> General -> Network -> Edge
APN: wap.voicestream.com
username: [blank]
password: [blank]

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Geeky/Programming Product Reviews

iPhone Free Unlock? Information is FREE!

Looks like the iPhone Dev Hackers Team has just released the source code for a free unlock so you can use the iPhone with any SIM…how sweet is that? It reminds me of the movie Antitrust – where they broadcast the source code over every device in the world!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/11/early-iphone-sim-unlock-open-source-code-released/

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exclusive/iphone-free-software-unlock-confirmed-death-star-explodes-298825.php

http://iphone.unlock.no

Now, I have bashed the iPhone recently, and I still stand by that bashing. I hate the fact it is locked to AT&T. I will never get one and activate it with AT&T. But, do I get one and hack the hell out of it? Well, of course. If I can move my SIM from my T-Mobile Dash to the iPhone and back, well that is just awesome. I still think there should be an SDK, hopefully one day there is.

Question is, do you wait for the 2nd Gen iPhones? Do you get one now? I might walk down to the Apple store right now and check them out. Seeing as I can hack it/unlock it, it makes it soooo much more appealing. Here is a screenshot of some code, directly from my computer, love it :

image

Oh, and also an Exec at Apple today said that they are indifferent on 3rd party apps on the phones, which is a good stance.

I still despise iTunes. Next task for the iPhone Dev Team – rewrite iTunes!

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Ramblings

iPhone then iTouch…iWaaaaa = iCoupon

Yesterday and today you could almost hear the collective “waaaaaaa” from the suckers who bought iPhones in the past 67 days. “Mommy I bought a new toy but now it’s cheaper! Do something!!”

Well the whining got them a $100 iCoupon, but still, come on. Apple, open up the phone to all carriers, add 3G, add a real SDK, then, maybe I will consider buying one. Oh, and let me activate it without iTunes too..

By the way, I am writing this from my T-Mobile dash…oh….snap!  (emailed to myself, and transferred to WLW later so I could add some tags!)

 

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Geeky/Programming Product Reviews

iPhone. iDontGetIt

The iPhone. Ok, I finally got to play with one – thanks Mickey. It is pretty cool, but still. Windows Mobile can do everything plus more than the iPhone can, so why aren’t the fanboi’s wetting themselves over Windows Mobile devices? Why aren’t companies like SmugMug, 37Signals, Digg, etc making specific versions just for Windows Mobile? Windows Mobile has been out for many many years. It can do portrait, and landscape. It can do video, music, and maps. It can do SMS, email, web, photos, GPS (via Bluetooth) and more. Why isn’t anyone doing anything about that? What is so great about the iPhone? Because really, you have to use iTunes? iTunes blows. It really does. I swear it has to be the most poorly developed application out there for Windows, with Quicktime a close second (Ballman back me up here) 

It is funny when all of sudden, all these people are discovering you can actually do things on your mobile phone, where Windows Mobile users have know this for years. The biggest difference is that I can develop an application in an afternoon using the .NET compact framework for my Windows Mobile, that actually INSTALLS on the device, and has access to EVERYTHING (file system, registry, innards of the OS – and if I go the C++ route, even more so!). On the iPhone I can make a web app – whoo hoo! Big deal, there are tons of web pages that I can access on my Windows Mobile device. And with sites like T9Space.com, I can get them to render, somewhat well.

One other HUGE dealbreaker here is this: I can hook my Windows Mobile device up to my laptop, and boom – I have a modem. Can you do that with the iPhone?

I listened to the naysayers before it came out. The flip-floppers.  What were they thinking? 2 year contract? at&t – the worst of the worst. But they say “its an iPod” – wait a minute, iPods sucks too…why? because you have to (unless you are uber geek) sync them with iTunes!!! Oh wait – its multitouch!! – ok, that is about the only thing it has going for it. That isn’t something so groundbreaking that I am going to switch from my T-Mobile Dash smartphone for.

I just wish companies/developers would realize that there is a huge market out there for Windows Mobile – why don’t you develop specific apps just for that? Why why why! I ask you??!?! The iPhone is $300 a sale more into Apple’s bank account, for no real reason. It is locked down. It is like a TV that will only play CSPAN. Come on guys, open up to Windows Mobile. I usually tell people – ask me what I CAN’T do on my Windows Mobile device. I haven’t found a good answer to that yet.

Why would all these tech enthusiasts, total geeks, etc, totally be in love with a device which is just crippled, and not open? It is just limited in so many ways, I just don’t get it.

iAmStillNotConvinced.

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Product Reviews

iPhone – why I am not buying one.

Oooooooh, the iPhone. Apple’s latest gadget. Well, it has been all over the blogs and media the last couple days, and here is why I will NOT buy one.

  • iPod – i have a 80 gb. It sucks. Itunes sucks. It is a pain to sync. It locks up. I don’t like it.
  • No 3G – are you kidding me?
  • Battery – I can’t replace it myself? And the battery life is 2 hours if you use it at all
  • Full Touchscreen – this is cool if you are like, never going to use your phone. How about the bars, purses, backpacks, wherever you throw it – its going to get scratched.
  • PPC6700 – i already own a Pocket PC 6700 through Sprint. I can play music. I have wifi. I have bluetooth. I have a touchscreen. I can send SMS. I can browse the web. I can play videos. I can hookup a GPS though bluetooth (the iPhone has no GPS). I have word, excel, outlook, powerpoint. I have a camera and video recorder. I can watch TV (through slingplayer mobile). I can use it as wireless modem. I can develop programs for it and do whatever I want on it. The question is – what CAN’T I do with it. 🙂

I could probably go on and on, but this is one gadget I do not want!

What is even better, other people agree.