CrackBerry Kevin on the iPhone 3G - Help!

[CrackBerry Kevin]

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Hey Guys,

I'm still finishing up my time with the T-Mobile G1, but figured I'd get a headstart over here at TiPb.com.

So here's the deal...

a) I bought an iPhone 3G the day it came it out. I'd hate to be though of as a pure fan boy, so figured this was the best way to know thy competition.

b) I've never hooked it up to MobileMe (not sure on that stuff at all or how it works) - I just had it imaped to my gmail.

c) Have installed some different apps on it, but not too many. I have a few fun ones like Ocarina, Crayon Physics, Super Monkey Ball, CroMag racing. I also own a Mac and an Apple TV, so hooked up the Apple Remote app.

d) When I want to, I can type on it pretty quick. but i hold with my left hand and peck with my right. any recommendations on technique/device usage to be super speedy and accurate?

e) Despite all of the above, it really sits on my desk and collects dust. I pay a monthly bill on it and don't use it.

So basically, I like to *think* I know my way around an iPhone 3G, but push come to shove I've never really been able to make it work the way I want to use a smartphone in my life. I find as a communication tool (making phone calls, writing emails, etc.) it's just too darn slow compared to a BlackBerry and though the web browser is fast and does a great job rendering pages, my Bold does a good enough job that it gets me by ok.

I want you guys to sell me on this thing. Let me know

a) what do I have to do make it all push email and fast
b) is there anything i can to so the device "calls to me" like my BlackBerry does? better notifications when I get an email, make it be a more efficient communication tool?
c) what are the WOW apps I have to try. Not just games, but stuff that is mind boggling cool
d) are there any tricks, must-dos, must-knows that i should be aware of with this device that I may not be aware of?
e) How do i take screencaps??
f) anything else??

Appreciate the help guys!

Kevin

 

[Jeremy]

Hey Kevin, I'll give you some quick info here to get you started:

a) MobileMe or a Exchange account - You could use a Yahoo account but technically that's not true push and is not very reliable.
b) The only way you will be able to get more notifications is by jailbreaking - if you want to know more about that and how to go about it you know how to reach me.
c) Try out Google Earth, Google Mobile App, Movie Challenge - yes, it's a game but very very well done.), Urban Spoon, MobileFiles - if you have access to iDisk on a Mac...
d) I'll let other forum members give you the run down on tips and tricks - I could sit here all night listing stuff.
e) Hold the top power button down while tapping the home key - the screen will flash and put the photo in the camera roll.
f) On the contrary to what Dieter said about not being able to keep wi-fi on with the radio off - you can - in settings turn off the radio and then turn the wi-fi on. If you have wi-fi on and turn off the radio for some reason that shuts off ALL data connections.

 

[spsands]

Crackberry Kevin!

Good to see you again. Former Curve owner (sister now has it) and daily reader over at crackberry.com

I think you are going to enjoy using this phone. Maybe... just maybe, you will trade in your blackberrys and use this SUPERIOR device.

BadAsh gave you some great tips.

I will add a few.

1.As far as typing, I hold the phone almost fully in my right hand but rest it in the crease between my fingers and my palm. put your right pinky underneath the that way, my right thumb can get the whole screen if I want. basically if you have a thumb, you should be able to type almost solely with the right thumb (my fingers are really short). Now, I support the left side of the phone with my left hand and sometimes use the left thumb to take a few keys off the left side, maybe to the EDC line. Now the pics I used my left hand to take the picture, so I couldnt show you the left hand but its just there mostly for support.

I can type pretty fast, see if it works for you.

Also, if you have some sort of case/holder that you can keep the phone in and type, its easier. I bought a holster that I have to pull the phone out and type on it naked, and its a little slippier with no case. throw it in a leather case and I think you will love it.

also, if you really want landscape for email, go get easy-writer from the app store.

2. Some of my favorite apps are: Facebook, Folders (by Ractors), CoolIris is really cool, Fring, Ifish, TapDefense and of course SnowReports. I guess im not blown away by any apps, I expect my apps to be good. I suppose trying to find a good app with the Blackberry is a little harder... (looks to the sky.. nods and remembers)

3. You have to Jailbreak. If you were gonna own one, you know you would. So you gotta do it. I have a mac theme running, my own wallpaper, dim wallpaper, cycorder for the video recorder (which dieter said the iphone doesnt have) and all sorts of fun stuff. In fact, I have christmas lights flashing around the border of mine right now.... No WAY you can do some of this stuff on any Blackberry.

4. BadAsh will probably know where it is, but I even saw a program to edit word, excel and all of your favorite microsoft files. I forget where now.

Seriously, as a Mac user, you should love this phone. I know you arent brain-washed like Dieter. Come to the light, Kevin!!!


Shon

 

[Duvi]

Kev already knows me... hehe. I went back to Crack!

A) Push... well you can get push w/o MobileMe and Exchanging using Mobile2Web, but I've never messed with it as I have and use both Me & Yahoo. With this method you should be able to get push for Gmail. You forward your messages to an exchange or yahoo account for push.

B) Jailbreak is the way to go and QuickPwn 2.2 is the best method. You can then download IntelliSync for today type action. Sorry no "led" action.

C) Apps I like and used:
WordPress - Blog from the iPhone, great app.
WeatherEye - Just as good on the iPhone.
Twitterriffic - Twitterberry for the iPhone.
iBowl - Awesome free game. I was addicted.
1Password - Password storage.
NetNewsWire - Yes, pretty awesome substitute for Viigo.

Shazam - my favorite app. Always recognizes the song and saves them in a list for downloading later.

Another thing you don't have to worry about it memory leaks and app space. Go app crazy. I went 40+ apps and it didn't slow me down one bit (except when backing up the data, lol)

D) Carry your usb cable, lol. Although I noticed 2.2 is improved battery, still carry a spare just in case.

You can easily create "launchers" like the BB by going to the webpage and then hitting the "+" symbol and then hitting "Add to Home Screen" You can also use clipalizer to create icons if the website doesn't support it. Chase (my bank) and NFL.com do, both I've done the "launcher" for.

 

[devonair]

a) what do I have to do make it all push email and fast?
Forward Gmail to a free Mail2web account and use Exchange. I hate tethered syncing, so use Entourage to access the Mail2Web account (its not supported but it works, haha). If you prefer to use Apple's desktop apps, keep that Entourage sync setup, but tell it to sync your Exchange calendar with iCal (which you can then set to sync with gCal). Don't let Entourage sync with Address Book, but instead have it sync directly with the Exchange server, and then up to Gmail contacts.

b) is there anything i can to so the device "calls to me" like my BlackBerry does? better notifications when I get an email, make it be a more efficient communication tool?
err... jailbreak. =)

c) what are the WOW apps I have to try. Not just games, but stuff that is mind boggling cool
Easy WiFi for ATT for simpler free access to ATT hotspots

 

[marcol]

Hi Kevin,

a) what do I have to do make it all push email and fast

As others have said, Exchange and Mobile Me. Both are fast.

b) is there anything i can to so the device "calls to me" like my BlackBerry does? better notifications when I get an email, make it be a more efficient communication tool?

Without Jailbreaking, not much beyond making sure you have all the alert sounds turned on (Settings>Sounds).

c) what are the WOW apps I have to try. Not just games, but stuff that is mind boggling cool

Safari and iPod I think these are the only apps I've used on any mobile device that I'd describe as 'mind boggling cool'.

 

[jamesus]

A - What Bad ASh said. Use Exchange (free option is Mail2Web) or MobileMe. Best options by far.
B - Bad Ash is all over it. You can use Intelliscreen or StatusNotifier, but you have to be jailbroken in order to use it.
C - My favorite is Shazam. Listens to the music and then retrieves the song information for you. I also like i.TV, as it has TV, Movie, and your NetFlix all in one app. Best of all it is free.
D - Must jailbreak. It is easy and totally worth it. There are customizations out there and some cool programs that regualr iPhones can't even compare to.
E - Bad Ash has it again!
F - Once you start playing with the phone, you will be hooked!!!

 

[Rene Ritchie]

KEVIN!

a) I bought an iPhone 3G the day it came it out. I'd hate to be though of as a pure fan boy, so figured this was the best way to know thy competition.

Fan boy!

d) When I want to, I can type on it pretty quick. but i hold with my left hand and peck with my right. any recommendations on technique/device usage to be super speedy and accurate?

Trust the smartware. Most often it will just magically correct as you hammer ham fistedly at the little virtual keys. Trusting the smartware is key to the... er... keys.

e) Despite all of the above, it really sits on my desk and collects dust. I pay a monthly bill on it and don't use it.

Fanboy.

a) what do I have to do make it all push email and fast

Since you only really need it for a week, grab the free MobileMe trial. Not only will it automagically sync everything in your address book, ical, and mail.app to the cloud and iPhone, it can sync everything (doc, preferences, app settings, etc.) between your iMac and (collectible Dieter) MacBook. It will also enable Back-to-my-Mac, which is very sweet.

b) is there anything i can to so the device "calls to me" like my BlackBerry does? better notifications when I get an email, make it be a more efficient communication tool?

If you turn notification on, it will beep and vibe when you get new stuff. No little morse-code flasher, but sound but shake is good. If that doesn't work, just imagine all the email you might be missing and you'll be checking that sucker every minute! It's like the device is playing hard to get, and is all the more seductive for it...

c) what are the WOW apps I have to try. Not just games, but stuff that is mind boggling cool

Aside from the UI? New Google Maps could tell you how to take a bus from your place to Waterloo and what it'll cost ya. Google makes great stuff in general, from Earth to the speak-enabled Mobile App. Some of the games are stunning, as you already mentioned.

d) are there any tricks, must-dos, must-knows that i should be aware of with this device that I may not be aware of?

Lots: iPhone Help and How-To Guides | The iPhone Blog

e) How do i take screencaps??

Answered already.

f) anything else??

Alter your state of mind. The iPhone is not a BlackBerry. It's not an up-converted pager with instant crack-addiction that wants you to do more and more constantly while putting up with all sorts of legacy cruft.

It's a fresh, new, completely-designed for touch consumer smartphone that's meant to literally renew your childlike sense of wonder. It's meant to be *fun*. You can get lost in it one moment, and then just marvel at the simplest of interface transitions the next.

The medium very literally encapsulates the message.

Sure, a bare bones stripped down frame-only buggy might get your from a-b the fastest (if you ignore traffic laws and don't kill yourself in the effort), but this baby makes the trip a pleasure.

 

[htc news]

Exchange is the way to go if you want true push. Mobile me is more of a send than a push and not as reliable as exchange from all the reports I have heard.

When I am logged onto the exchange server directly it usually takes less that 10 seconds for it to show up on my iPhone.

Personnaly I prefer the way the iphone just lets me know that something new is happening while it is still in my pocket. No need to pull it out to see if I have recieved a response to an email or sms. At the same time the flashing lights of other devices wake me up while I can easily sleep through the hum of the iphone.

I didn't want to like it but I have to admit it really works well for me.

 

[Mike M]

When I type I like to hold it in portrait mode, centered equally in both hands, pinkies under it with both thumbs typing away. Pay attention to the auto-correct for a while. Get to know what it catches and what it doesn't, it's way beyond a basic spell checker/T9 type of auto-correct. This one acts like one of those combined with a built in mind reader. Take advantage of shortcuts like pausing on the dot to bring up .com, pause on the 123 key and drag to place a single char and it auto switches back to alpha, etc. Apple packed it with little goodies like that so read up on them tips!

I usually stick with portrait mode because it's easy to switch from app to app. The landscape keyboard doesn't have quite the same intelligence as portrait, it makes it easier to get used to just the one really well. I'll switch to landscape to sit back and browse the web with 2-thumb swipes and taps for the sheer joy of it.

You'll get the most out of it if you don't expect it to be more of the same in a phone. Take an afternoon (or a weekend) to browse the app store. Find apps that do what YOU want them to do, read through the comments, LEAVE comments (it's very common for devs to make changes based on comments), play with features, etc. Let it keep your grocery list, don't be afraid to ask google mobile any of life's questions, grab a cheap solitare app for some surprisingly enjoyable "classic" game time.

It's like switching girlfriends. They serve the same basic functionality. She might not know all your thoughts or have the same tricks as the old one did, but she's got a bag of new tricks she's waiting to show you and a whole lot better personality!

 

[Nick9283]

nuevasync = google sync for blackberry
must have if you dont want to bother with the mobile me

 

[Sizemore]

Sounds like all of the questions have been answered pretty thoroughly. So I'll just recommend some of the applications I can't live without

1. Google Reader (web app) for iPhone
2. Fieldrunners - a tower defense style game that I'm completely addicted to
3. Evernote - I moved the notes application off my first home screen and replaced it with this. Notes sync between the iPhone app, the web app, and the app on my mac. If you mark a note a 'favorite' you'll be able to view and edit it even if you don't have an internet connection. Very handy.
4. Wurdle - Kind of like bookworm for windows mobile.
5. BusySync - I use this on the mac to sync my google calendars with iCal. I then sync ical with mobileme. It sounds complicated, but it works surprisingly well. I sync with google every 5 minutes and the sync with mobile 'Automatically' the result is almost like having google calendar pushed to my iPhone.

 

[wesdavies]

Here are some food for thought regarding the iPhone, Kevin:

• Use visual voicemail to filter calls
• Information can be swapped with ease between the built-in apps - try sending a text to yourself which includes a phone number, email address, or URL to see what I mean.
• Use Favorator (third party app) for quick dialling, texting and emailing favorite contacts.
• A number of great third party todo and project management apps are already available - find one that works for you.
• If you use IMAP you can file emails in folders - how's that for a novel idea!
• Email key reference documents to yourself and store them in folders on your device - use the excellent built in file viewers to access them.
• Use the built-in Notes app, or one of the excellent third party replacements, to compose articles/emails prior to sending or for further editing.
• Use MobileMe or an exchange server to get push email, calendar and contacts on your iPhone. Then forget about syncing.
• Take advantage of the iPhone's simplicity
• Think outside the box. There is more to life and effective communication than just responding to a stupid light which blinks on your pager.
• Use Safari to conduct your business - do your banking, book theater and cinema tickets, manage your brokerage account with ease.
• Don't forget about all the iPhone dedicated web apps - some of them are excellent. The mobile versions of the New York Times, Time magazine and Reuters are superb.
• Use the built-in screen grab facility to capture information from the web for forwarding to colleagues and friends. Do the same with directions, business and transit info and street views in Google Maps.
• A number of great file sharing apps exist allowing you to access, view and share your desktop files while on the go.
• Use the iTalk recorder to capture high quality recordings of meetings which you can transfer wirelessly to your Mac or PC for later reference/review.
• Trust the keyboard and watch your typing speed dramatically increase. Get used to using a keyboard that requires no finger pressure at all, enabling you to type for long stretches with no stresss of fatigue. How's that for productivity?
• Use the magnifying glass when editing notes to easily insert additional text or fix errors - it's way easier than on a Blackberry. Again, how's that for productivity?
• And when you're done, kick back and relax. Watch a movie or tv show. Play a game - there's a whole world of fun beyond brickbreaker, you know. Download a podcast. Do some Christmas shopping using Amazon's dedicated iPhone app. Music? Well that's covered, in spades.
• Have fun!!!

And remember - addiction is always a bad thing.

 

[Doctor]

Some thoughts for you:

Some thoughts on e-mail. First, my iPhone receives Exchange e-mail BEFORE my computer does, even though my iPhone is connected through a 3G connection. Go figure. As a result, is getting e-mail faster than on your computer fast enough for you? (Sounds like a Jimmy Johns commercial). Second, gmail's features seem to work much better since the introduction of 2.2.

As I look at my iPhone and its seven pages of applications, here are the ones I use the most:

Stanza: I've been able to find a lot of books that are my favorites in PDF files, and then I use the Stanza desktop application to convert those files and move them to the iPhone. Very useful.

Sportacular or Sportstap: Useful on days when I want to see the results of a particular game (or series of games). I used this a lot during the World Series, and I still use it a lot on Saturdays (college football) and Sundays (NFL).

iheartradio or WunderRadio - When I want to listen to some particular stations online. I haven't been able to find NFL games on WunderRadio, but I did find World Series and Baseball Playoff Games on some channels. When will someone release a NFL radio app?

Dactyl: A game where you touch the bombs before they explode, and you can't touch any part of the screen that isn't a bomb. High score for me at the moment is 912. My next goal score is 1000. You get into a groove, but it takes a while (and sometimes a number of tries on a certain occasion) to get into that groove.

Air Hockey: I like the original one, the one that costs money. I spend a bit of time playing this.

Paper Football: There's a "lite" version that doesn't seem much different than the full version, but I bought the full because I played the "lite" all the time. My feeling is that if you play something enough, you ought to buy it. It's not challenging, but sometimes we need to have a fun game that isn't that tough. Sort of an "enjoyable cruise-control" for the mind.

Arcade Hoops: I was a big fan of "Hot Hoops" on the PocketPC a few years ago...and this is as close as it gets on the iPhone. I've been playing this a lot lately.

Bubble Wrap: Free, fun, and fun with multiple people. Play against other people in your family (especially kids) and see what your high score may be. I haven't bought the full version of this...I ought to for how much we play it.

Solebon Solitare: Again, a lite and full version exist. I like Solitare every now and then, and it made sense to upgrade to the full version. I haven't played many of the versions of Solitare, however, I stick to general old Klondike 3, which is also part of the lite version.

Facebook: As others have mentioned, it's a good app. I wish you could interact with your group memberships, as well as some of your other facebook "apps," but I think many of those other apps are flash-driven.

Pianist: I'm a high school choir director, need I say more?

Weather Bug: Still the best weather app out there...beats the iPhone's own app (what use is weather without a forecast?)...and I do like it better than the Weather Channel app (tried it).

Fieldrunners: someone else mentioned this...but a great game, addicting, and you just wish eventually for more weapons and different maps (they are probably coming).

iProRecorder: seems to work good for what I do...and now you can set up a download to your computer over wi-fi.

That's my mini app review...lots of apps that I didn't mention that are for special uses, played occasionally, or just haven't been played much yet.

One bit of advice with iPhones/iPod Touch models is for a family to use one main iTunes account, and to use one computer to sync all the devices (up to five) so you can share games.

 

[ryrycalguy]

I switched from a BB to an iPhone only because I am a Mac user and it syncs much better. My only suggestion is to appreciate the ease of syncing an iPhone over syncing a BB with PocketMac.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

My iPhone also typically gets Exchange before anything else. MobileMe as well. The push is good.

 

[Duvi]

I've actually been playing around with my iPhone a little since 2.2 and noticed that I am receiving emails faster than my mail server. In one instance, a whole minute longer.

In fact, it even shows mail as "read" faster than my server. For instance, I have my yahoo account on my BB, iPhone, and of course running on my PC. I would read it on my PC or BB and noticed that it would show up read faster on the iPhone than the PC (if I read it from the BB) or BB (if I read it from the PC).

Another thing is "Fast Contacts" I've heard to be a good contact manager.

 

[Nick9283]

quick tip if you ever wanted to forward an email or a text simply take a screen shot of it. then go to photos and forward the screen grab you just took

must have app is ping fm web app
google mobile (google with your voice)
ifriends
simplify media
around me
loopt
remote
asleep
photogene
MoPhoTo
yahoo one connect
joost
orb live

 

[the7thanomily]

I didn't read all the comments, so I hope this hasn't.
- when wanting to get to the top of any page quickly, just tap the info bar at the top of the screen.
This feature is extreamely help full and you'll use it constantly. Now if only there was a way to get to the bottom just as fast... P

 

[T-ulk]

google mobile is the must have!