The folks at Uniea asked me to let you know that they have a year-end special sale on their cases at their web store.  The information you need is as follows:

The code is “newyear” and it is good for 20% off on any purchase in the online Uniea store at http://www.unieastore.com. The offer is valid From 1/1 to 1/3 only and is valid worldwide.

Uniea send me some sample cases to look at a while back;  I thought they were pretty decent.  In fact I have been using one of their samples on my iPhone 3Gs for the last month or so and I like it quite a bit.  If you have a chance, you might want to wander over to their website and take a look.

Tags: Apple, cases, Hardware, iPhone, Uniea

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Image courtesy of o"Reilly publishers

O’Reilly press recently released a new must get book by Josh Clark entitled “Best iPhone Apps”. As a dedicated appophile, I regularly look for newer and better apps to add to my outrageously large collection. Big as my collection has grown, the over 50,000 choices available at the App Store dwarfs my group of apps. The amazing size and continually rapid growth of the variety of available apps at the App Store makes it very difficult to keep up and impossible to get ahead of the game.

For those who have kept their app collection to a minimum, you are losing out on a great deal of enjoyment and entertainment, to say nothing of utility from available apps.

The one bad thing about the App Store is that some apps cost money and you have to buy them to try them. If you don’t like the app you bought, you can take it off your iPhone, but you cannot get a refund. As many functions have attracted numerous available apps from which you can choose, you can easily end up buying repetitively to end up with what you want.

While Clark’s book will likely lose currency in a short period of time, I still recommend it to you. The book will cost you $19.99 for a hard copy, $15.99 for an eBook version and $21.99 for both. Apps cost anywhere from nothing to at least $69.99 (that is the most expensive one I have found to date), with most of the apps that I have seen costing less than $9.99. It doesn’t take the HP 12c app emulator to calculate that the book can easily save you more than its cost before it becomes dated. At the same time, it will certainly help you make wise app choices. I found that Clark’s choices of top apps largely matched my own in those areas that I collected apps. We disagreed on about 10-15% of the choices; but I agree that his choices were also good. He left off a few of my choices in areas he did not address and included areas in which I have not collected apps. The novice or intermediate appophile should consider this book indispensable. The advanced appophile should find it desirable.

Tags: App, App Store, Apple, iPhone, O'Reilly

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More on Mophie Juice Pack Air. I got the replacement. It worked for a few days and then stopped charging the iPhone.

It would not synch to iTunes from the beginning. It has gone back to Mophie and they have declared it defective. They said they will send me another one. It has not yet arrived.

While I was waiting, I got my hands on another Juice Pack Air. It has worked for purposes of charging the iPhone for about a week without a problem. It has never allowed me to synch the iPhone to iTunes through the case. In order to synch the iPhone, I have had to remove it from the Juice Pack Air case and plug it directly into my computer.

I have also continued to notice some signal loss when the phone is in the case.

So, the bottom line appears to be that the Juice Pack Air starts out as a great idea, but execution remains tenuous. As a charging unit, I am quite happy with it.

The failure to synch is problematic though and the failure rate that I have experienced In terms of units simply not working makes me think it is not quite ready for prime time. One other suggestion for the folks at Mophie, using a hard shell plastic case with a smooth finish is not the best idea.

Some softer outside coating to give the phone better protection would help. It would also help to have something in the finish that gave the case some resistance to slipping out of the user’s hand. Finally, such a finish would extend the useful life of the case. The exterior on the original Mophie Juice Pack works better than that on the Juice Pack Air.

Tags: charger, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mophie, Mophie Juice Pack Air

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As great a device as the iPhone is, the battery issue remains a serious problem. The iPhone 3GS and OS 3 for the iPhone do not seem to have extended the battery life (usable time per charge). iPhones burn batteries. Why the iPhone burns up battery charges as fast as it does remains a mystery as on some days it will last just fine and on others the charge disappears quickly. Some things will burn the battery charge faster than others. For exmple, using Wi-Fi is one of them. I make it a point to turn Wi-Fi on only when I plan on using it. Leaving it on drains my battery too fast. Some games require the iPhone to work continuously and also drain the battery quickly.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite games, Scrabble, falls within that category.

Since Apple has made it essentially impossible to carry an extra internal iPhone battery and swap it out when a battery runs low, we need another solution. The only viable solution is to obtain an external battery and use it for purposes of powering your iPhone and/or recharging it. Several companies have released power sources in a variety of configurations to give you supplemental power for your iPhone (or, for that matter, for your iPod Touch).

When it comes to supplementing the power source for your iPhone/iPod touch, you can choose from all sorts of units ranging in configuration from dongles to cases. Most of the supplemental sources I have tried work pretty well. Obviously, those carrying more power provide more charging capability and convert to greater time of use. The dongle devices work fine to charge the unit, but take time to do so and must be connected to accomplish the charge. Most will support working while the charge takes place, but the configuration works best if you have it sitting on a table rather than trying to use it on the go. The cases, on the other hand, work as well on the go as in a stationary position. My favorites among the dongles come from Tumi (www.Tumi.com) and Richard Solo (www.richardsolo.com). Tumi’s device is somewhat over-priced At $150, but comes with a hidden benefit. The device will charge many if not most PDAs and smart phones and Tumi gives you the tips to make the connection to your device(s) at no cost. Tumi’s device, a small brick, carries up to 5 charges and will support working while charging.

Image courtesy of RichardSolo                               Image courtesy of Tumi

The Richard Solo (that’s Richard Thalheimer of Sharper Image’s new company) device is much more svelte, costs much less than the Tumi device ($55) and works only with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Tags: battery, battery life, iPhone, iPod Touch, Richard Solo, Tumi

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I had some spare time the other day, so I opened up iTunes and went to the iTunes Store fore a quick look to see what it may have of interest.  I spotted a section of the store that I had heard about, but to which I had not paid much attention, iTunes University.  To my amazement, the iTunes U department had course and lecture offerings from some of the world’s top institutions of higher learning.  Among the schools represented: MIT, Oxford, Cambridg, Stanford, Duke,  and my own alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley.

The University section of the store included materials covering fields as disparate as the arts and political science, physics and foreign languages (although, I have heard some people say that physics is a foreign language to them).  I also found courses on history, mathematics,  philosophy, literature, education and rhetoric.  Stanford and Cornell even offered courses on Law.

The store has broken the offerings into thirteen general categories to facilitate finding what you seek.  The chosen categories:  ”Business”, “Engineering”, “Fine Arts”, “Health & Medicine”, “History”, “Humanities”, “Language”, “Literature”, “Mathematics”, “Science”, “Social Science”, “Society” and “Teaching & Education”.

All of the courses I looked had were of recent vintages and none of the schools charged for their offerings.  Acquiring a course took little effort, simply clicking on it and telling it to download to iTunes.  Once in iTunes, you had the option of playing it on a computer or synching it to an iPhone/iPod.  The store offers another very convenient feature;  it allows you to download the entire course or selected lectures from the course.  Some of the courses continue to grow in terms of material and lectures.  The University allows you to subscribe to the course, so that iTunes can automatically download any new material for your use and enjoyment.

If you have not yet seen the iTunes U section of the iTunes Store, you should do so ASAP.  Download a few courses and learn something new.  Expand your horizons!

Tags: Apple, Cambridge, Cornell, Duke, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, iTunes Store, iTunes U, MIT, Oxford, Stanford, UC Berkeley

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Image Courtesy of Apple, Inc.

OK, Apple finally turned out iPhone OS 3.0.  I immediately downloaded it into my 16 GB 3G iPhone and gave it a quick run through before replacing that phone with the 32 GB 3Gs that I am now using and which I will report on in a week or so.  This is a preliminary assessment of OS 3.0.  Get it!  Get it now!  Apple makes it available free for all iPhone owners. iPod Touch users need to pay $9.95 for the upgrade.

Simply put, I am very impressed with the new OS.  It improves on existing features and adds some new features to the mix.  The things that most impressed me from the start:

1)  Spotlight.  You can now search your iPhone for data or the location of an App using the spotlight feature.  Spotlight is not immediately apparent on your iPhone.  If you go to the home page of the iPhone and shift one page to the left (you could only go to the right before) you find yourself at the Spotlight screen.  Type in your search term and let the computer (iPhone) do the work.

2)  ”Find-Me”.  Ever lose your iPhone?  Not such a problem any more.  You can use the GPS features of the iPhone and MobileMe to locate a misplaced iPhone using another computer.  The system is not perfect.  For example, it won’t tell you that you left it in the kitchen under the sports page.  It will tell you that you left it in the vicinity of your house or your office or at a shopping area, etc.  Note, it only works if the iPhone is on and has power, so don’t wait until the battery is gone before you start to look.  If you find out that you left it at home, go into the house, dial up your iPhone and follow the ring.

3) “Wipe” (or for you Beach Boy fans, “Wipe Out”).  As long as your iPhone has power and is on, you can wipe out all information on the iPhone remotely from your computer using the “Wipe” feature.  Not a bad idea if you get your phone stolen.  On the other hand, if you wipe it out and then find it, you can restore the information from the last synch using iTunes.

Apple also added “cut and paste” to this version of the OS.   I have not yet tested that feature, but I think it will likely add value and functionality to the iPhone.

Tags: 3Gs, Apple, Find-Me, iPhone, iPHone OS 3, Spotlight, Wipe

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A few weeks ago I wrote about my experience with the Mophie Juice Pack Air;  perhaps more accurately, I wrote about my experience with Mophie’s support and warranty service.  Since that post Mophie has somewhat redeemed itself as to its support and warranty service.  The jury remains out about the device, however.

Although Mophie’s support department never returned any of my telephone messages, several days after I wrote the last Mophie-related post, I received a call tag for the dead device.  I packaged the device up and gave it to the carrier.  Not quite a week later, I received an email telling me that Mophie had determined that my Juice Pack Air was defective and that they would ship me a replacement.  A week later I received the replacement white Mophie Juice Pack Air.  It appeared to be a brand new (as opposed to remanufactured) device.  Accoerdingly, while I do wish they had returned my phone call, I have no other substantial criticism of Mophie’s support or warranty service.

My testing of the Juice Pack Air has commenced anew as I have recently upgraded my iPhone to the Aple’s new iPhone 3Gs, operating on the new OS Version 3.

More on the testing later, as I remain concerned about the issue of signal blockage and have discovered that the new device will not talk to iTunes with my new phone and OS 3.0.

Tags: 3Gs, Apple, iPhone, Juice Pack Air, Mophie, service, signal, support, warranty

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OK, folks, you heard it here first. Apple’s SDC (Software Developers’ Conference) is Apple’s new MacWorld. For years Apple timed its new product announcements to come out at MacWorld. Since MacWorld takes place in January, that meant Apple missed the holiday season with its new announcements. Since Apple would not want to stack updates up so that it release some for the holiday season and held enough back for a significant showing at MacWorld, in reality, upgrades and new product announcements for the holiday season came out much earlier in the year, causing them to lose some luster by the time the holiday buying frenzy kicked into full gear. By opting out of MacWorld, Apple freed itself from that schedule.

Surprisingly, Apple chose its SDC as the venue to announce a number of new products. One would reasonably expect Apple to announce software products at its SDC; the hardware announcements came as something of a surprise. Be that as it may, the Apple fan club will now look to the SDC as the timing point for the release of new products.

On the software side, Apple gave us more information about OS 3.0 for the iPhone. Everyone knew Apple was going to release it in June, but most of us did not know when. We know now it will come out on June 17, 2009. As was the case with the last major update, the new system will cost iPhone owners nothing and iPod Touch owners $9.95. Look for it on a computer screen near you next week.

Apple’s web site gives detailed information about many of the new features that the new OS will bring to the iPhone; check it out at www.apple.com.

Also of note, the new Mac OS X v.10.6 (known as Snow Leopard) will come out around September at the most reasonable price of $29 ($49 for the family pack). Those of you who have been around for a while will recognize that as a substantial price reduction from prior iterations of the OS.

On the hardware side, Apple announced the release of a new MacBook Pro in 13”, and 17” screen sizes. That you get more computer for less money is not a surprise as that trend has applied for many years. The new computers follow the MacBook Air model of locking the battery up so that users cannot simply buy a second, keep it charged and pop it into place when they need it. While users may choose to void their warranty by opening the case and installing a replacement battery themselves, that is not the same thing as being able to change the battery on the fly. The good news is that Apple promises a usable battery life substantially longer per charge, so the inability to exchange batteries will not prove so debilitating as it otherwise might. Still it introduces a new and unnecessary level of inconvenience for the user in order to allow Apple to make more money by requiring users to bring their laptops in for a battery replacement.

Photo courtesy of Apple, Inc.

The other big hardware news relates to the new iteration of the iPhone 3G S (the “S” supposedly stands for “Speed”) as the 3G S is reputed to be the fastest iPhone yet.

Most notably, the new iPhones come with 8, 16 or 32 GB memories. After discounts for new and renewal subscribers to AT&T, the iPhones cost $99 for 8GB, $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB. If you bought the last iteration of the iPhone and are not yet eligible for an upgrade, you get to pay several hundred dollars more as a reward for your continuing loyalty to AT&T. The 32GB iPhone 3G S costs $499 without the discount.

Photographs Courtesy of Apple, Inc.

Copyright 2009 Jeffrey Allen.  All rights reserved.

Tags: Apple, Apple SDC, iPhone, iPhone 3G S, iPHone OS 3, Mac, MacBook Pro, OS X, Snow Leopard

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I waited with anticipation for the release of the Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone 3G case and supplemental rechargeable battery.  Well, Mophie finally released it and it sells for $79.95.  For those of you who, like me, have wished for longer battery life between charges for your iPhone 3G, I have good and bad news for you.

The good news is that the Juice Pack Air, which comes in white, black or (of all colors) purple, will add considerable life between charges to your iPhone 3G.  It adds some bulk (size and weight), but not so much as to make you unhappy to trade that off against the additional usage time between charges.  While Mophie could have produced it with a bit more care to ensuring that the top and bottom matched up more closely, that too comes within reasonable levels of tolerance.

The bad news is that the case appears to impair signal transmission and reception as, when I had the case on the phone dropped calls that it should not have.  I dropped far more calls with the case on than with the case off.

The case charges through a micro USB port.  I have no issue with that as many devices charge using micro USB ports these days and it synched up just fine with iTunes using the micro USB connection.  Unfortunately, rather than mounting the charging port flush with the surface of the case, Mophie’s designers chose to carve a notch out of the case and recess the port. They made the notch relatively small.   As a result many (maybe most) micro USB plugs will not fit into the notch.  Accordingly, you need to carry the micro USB plug that comes with it (or another equally slim-housed plug), which kind of defeats the purpose of the use of a common port that should allow for one cord to charge many devices.

My experience with the Juice Pack Air prove short-lived, however.  About a week after I got it, the recessed micro-USB port broke and prevented me from charging the device.  I do not know if it was because of the recessed port or some other reason.  I do know that I have a number of devices that use the micro USB port connection and have not had any of them break except this one.  All the others have the port mounted flush to the surface of the device.

The worst news, however, is that my efforts to contact customer service to follow up on getting this repaired and on other matters have proven fruitless.  I tried telephoning, making sure to call during their work ours and got voice mail each time.  While their machine took my messages, I have not receive any return phone calls or emails (I left phone number and email information in the message).  I also tried contacting the company for warranty service/customer service through their web site.  Shortly after the posts I received confirmation of the receipt and a notice that they assigned a case number.  The email said someone would get in touch with me soon.  So far, however, I have heard nothing further.

I am not sure what caused the failure of the USB port, but I noticed on the Apple web site that I was not the only one to experience that problem.  I also notice in other reviews of the Juice Pack Air on the Apple web site that others noticed the drop off in handling of calls with the case on the phone.

Normally, I do not like to write negative reviews and generally choose only things I like to write about.  This device promises to be so useful that I thought I should share my experience with others contemplating acquiring one, so that they could make an informed decision.

Copyright 2009 Jeffrey Allen.  All rights reserved.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone battery, iPhone case, Juice Pack Air, Mophie, Product Review

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The number of people who have iPhones and do not make use of the Apps available in the iTunes Store App Store amazes me.  If you have an iPhone and have not taken a good look at the App Store, you should.  If you don’t have an iPhone yet, take a look at the App Store, it may convince you that it is time to get an iPhone or, at least, an iPod Touch.  The iTunes store reports that it now has over 15,000 apps available, some free, some that you have to buy.

The range of apps runs from amusement to business to productivity to travel to substantive legal and medical information.  For example, I keep apps that provide the California Evidence Code, Federal Rules of Evidence and FRCP on my iPhone.  While Apps do not exist for all codes or even for all states, there are Apps for several codes in many states.  Check the store out for your state codes.

For those of you studying for a bar exam, the Law in a Flash series provides summaries and study aids for Constitutional Law, Federal Income Tax, Evidence, Real Property, Future Interests, Wills & Trusts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Corporations, Torts and Real Property.

Travel information abounds in the Apps Store.  I recently downloaded a number of additional Apps containing street maps, subway maps and general information about New York, in anticipation of a trip I will take there. New York is not the only city for which you can get travel information;  you can find it for many major cities throughout the world.  You can get information about restaurants (I like Zagat and UrbanSpoon the best).  You can get the local movie listings for wherever you happen to be in the US.

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The bottom line:  Without the App Store, the iPhone was one of the best phones around.  With it, everything else pales in comparison.

Copyright 2009, Jeffrey Allen.  All rights reserved. drugs vytorin canadian

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Tags: App, App Store, Apple, iPhone, iTunes, iTunes Store, Law in a Flash, Travel, Urban Spoon, Zagat

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