Help Dieter with the iPhone 3G -- Round Robin

[Dieter Bohn]

Hiya Folks -

Well obviously I know the iPhone pretty well (I am on a podcast about it, after all!), but my duty for the Smartphone Round Robin is to look at it through the lens of a Windows Mobile user. I'll take that pretty seriously.

So questions I have:

- What is your sync solution? Are you all Mobile Me? I use Google for my PIM data, what's the best way to get that stuff onto the iPhone?
- Favorite Apps?
- I think my theme for this year's round robin is I love WM's today screen. Any way at all I can get something like that?
- Battery saving tips and tricks

Official Round Robin Thread: every day you post in this thread, you're entered for another shot at winning that iPhone 3G!

 

[berdinkerdickle]

Hiya Folks -

Well obviously I know the iPhone pretty well (I am on a podcast about it, after all!), but my duty for the Smartphone Round Robin is to look at it through the lens of a Windows Mobile user. I'll take that pretty seriously.

So questions I have:

I use Google for my PIM data, what's the best way to get that stuff onto the iPhone?

That would be my first question.

 

[Steely]

I am a Windows Mobile user/developer. Is there any plans to run apps in the background similar to WM? Do iPhone apps sort of save your state when you launch a new app or do they just log you out?

I am also curious to hear people's sync solutions with Google PIM data.

 

[reyza]

I am a Windows Mobile user/developer. Is there any plans to run apps in the background similar to WM? Do iPhone apps sort of save your state when you launch a new app or do they just log you out?

I am also curious to hear people's sync solutions with Google PIM data.

I don't know who you're asking this to, but I can answer one of your questions.
Most apps log you out after you go back to the home screen. There are a few apps that keep their state but they are mostly messaging apps.

Jailbreaking allows for apps keep their state and run other apps, but not everyone is willing to jailbreak.

 

[reyza]

Sync Solution:
I do not use MobileMe, I also use Google for PIM. The best way I have found to sync Contacts is with the app 'Sync in a Blink' from the App Store. It is $5 but it is well worth it, it does a great job.

For Calendars, I use NuevaSync. It's an online service you register for (free) that will allow you to sync Google Calendars to your phone. You have to register and set it up on the site first: NuevaSync - Over the Air Synchronization
It has step-by-step guides on the site. It will also allow syncing of contacts but I heard it syncs fine from Google to iPhone, but when changes are made on the iPhone, Google will ignore the change if the contact has no email on their information. After hearing that, I never tried it for contacts and found another way. Feel free to try it

Gmail is easy for email on the iPhone, it's right in the Setup app, and it's IMAP.

Favorite Apps:
I've jailbroken my phone so I can list so many, but if i am to stick with non-jailbroken ones, a few that come to mind are:
-Google Mobile App (of course you've heard of it)
-Evernote (sync text/photo/voice notes to the cloud)
-WeatherEye for weather
-AroundMe to find things around you like restaurants
-FieldRunners is a great game
-Ocarina is a must try. Go to their website to learn the music:
Ocarina
..There are tons.

Today screen:
There is an app called Intelliscreen that will show Emails, SMSs, News, etc fully customizable. It's only available on jailbroken phones though

Battery saving
-Turn down the brightness
-Turn GPS off until you use it
-Lock screen set to 2mins or less
-Wifi off until you use it

Jailbreaking fills a lot of voids that people complain about, but i'm assuming you're not allowed to do it . Either way, thanks for participating in this Round Robin. I'm really loving the reviews and it will be helpful to many many people. Enjoy the phone like we all do!

 

[Dimietriev]

You know what would be cool, is if Live Mesh came to the iphone...

 

[cjvitek]

For data, I sync with my microsoft exchange server. I would love some way for a multiple sync - google, yahoo, microsoft, etc.

Favorite apps? Or apps that I use the most. Favorite (right now) is probably Texas Hold Em. App I use the most is Car Care.

My battery saving tip is to plug it in for a charge whenever I get a chance.

Chris

 

[jamesus]

Sync - company exchange server.
Sync with Google - as Reyza posted, use NuevaSync.
Favorite apps - Twitterrific, Facebook, Byline, SplashShopper, Todo
Today Screen - love Intelliscreen (jailbreak only).
Battery Saving - stop playing with it constantly!!!

 

[berdinkerdickle]

Is there an app where all my upcoming appointments are on the 'Today' screen.
(or whatever it's called.)

 

[hgerstung]

Intelliscreen allows you to customize your Lock Screen with tons of possible displays (like your upcoming appointments, last received emails, weather info, received SMS messages, Newsfeeds and so on), but it is only available for jailbroken devices. If you decide to jailbreak yours, you can add a number of other useful applications to your iPhone:

• QuickGold - fastest app launcher: pressing the "Home" button while you are at the Home screen will present you with a search field that finds applications, contacts, SMS messages
• Cycorder - Record Video with your iPhone
• SwirlyMMS - Send and Receive MMS
• Winterboard - Customize the look of your iPhone, tons of themes available
• Categories - Sort rarely used app icons into folders, cleans up your home screens dramatically (and you do not even need to launch the apps from within the folders, you can use QuickGold)
• BossPrefs - provides a one-stop screen that allows you to easily enable and disable things like 3G, Edge, Wifi, Bluetooth - without having to dig your way through the regular "Settings" app and its nested sub menu maze

Jailbreaking is a snap using QuickPwn, which is already available for the latest firmware 2.2 ...

Cheers,
Heiko

 

[marcol]

- What is your sync solution? Are you all Mobile Me? I use Google for my PIM data, what's the best way to get that stuff onto the iPhone?

Mobile Me for me. Works a treat (now).

- Favorite Apps?

Third party? Top five list has changed slightly this week:

NetNewsWire
WunderRadio
eReader
BBC iPlayer (UK only, sorry)
Facebook

Change is addition of Facebook (which I've only just joined). The iPhone app is very nice (even if it does seem to have me in the wrong time zone).

If not limited to third party then Phone, Safari, Mail, Calendar and iPod would be my top five.

- I think my theme for this year's round robin is I love WM's today screen. Any way at all I can get something like that?

Others obviously know more about this than me. I'm pretty happy with the app-centric approach but done right I could see a Today screen could be a plus.

- Battery saving tips and tricks

Use Auto-Brightness (Settings > Brightness) and don't set the slider too high.

Other: upgrade to 2.2 if you haven't already.

Prior to upgrade:

Safari = best mobile browser, but unstable.

After upgrade:

Safari = best mobile browser.

Plus, with 2.2 everything is just that bit quicker and the addition of OTA podcast downloads is pretty sweet. I listened to a couple of new podcasts over the w/end just because it's so easy to browse around on the device and find them when you have a free minute. It's a simple addition but one that changes the game. Of course it's not perfect - notifications of new episodes and lifting the 10 MB cellular limit would make it better still.

More other. C'mon Apple let's have some of the things users have been craving. Unified email inbox anyone? A turn-by-turn nav app is way over due too.

 

[Dimietriev]

Would a unified email inbox be do-able by a third party app, or does that involve getting to close to the core os and is off limits?

 

[marcol]

Would a unified email inbox be do-able by a third party app, or does that involve getting to close to the core os and is off limits?

I would have said the latter before I read this:

Apple approves third-party email client for the App Store, violates its own policies - Engadget

Not sure now.

 

[reyza]

I would have said the latter before I read this:

Apple approves third-party email client for the App Store, violates its own policies - Engadget

Not sure now.

I think it's possible they are already working on a unified inbox. Look what happened with Podcaster. They said it duplicated something already there (not really) but low and behold, they now have Podcast streaming as of the latest update. It could already be in development.

 

[JackisBack#IM]

Will the Iphone 3g allow me to add a memory card?

 

[jamesus]

Will the Iphone 3g allow me to add a memory card?

There is no additional storage option for any iPhone.

 

[dannzeman]

Dieter, whats the possibility of you jail braking the iphone? Is that allowed? I would imagine it'd be easier to achieve your goals that way.

 

[pinguino1]

.

Guys, I'm not an iPhone guy. however following this contest we can learn unbias thing about the iPhone.

I noticed a lot of post here talk about jailbreaking,
is it that the only way to acomplish things efficiently?

I believe jailbreaking goes ok with power users to get what they want.
but the basic iPhone user (99%) don't know, don't want, don't bother do they have to live with limitatons?

.

 

[Dimietriev]

I would have said the latter before I read this:

engadget. com/2008/11/22/apple-approves-third-party-email-client-for-the-app-store-viola/]Apple approves third-party email client for the App Store, violates its own policies - Engadget

Not sure now.

Yes, this was an interesting developement.

 

[Touch Me]

Re: jailbreak

I believe jailbreaking goes ok with power users to get what they want.
but the basic iPhone user (99%) don't know, don't want, don't bother do they have to live with limitatons?

Jailbroken iPhones are almost mainstream if we are to believe the polls and anecdotal evidence. Perhaps 20% or more according to some guesses. Of course, the "basic" iPhone user is happy with how it works out-of-the-box and that is how the round robin should be run.