iPhone, iPad & iOS Discussion -- White iPhone on Sale 4/28

[quote name='mykevermin']Varies by app. I know for a fact that mlb.tv does not output video.[/QUOTE]

The iPad 2 does mirroring via the HDMI adapter, so actually every app does effectively output to a TV that way. However, the video is 4:3, not 16:9, because it's mirroring and the iPad's screen is 4:3. In order to output at 16:9 or at 1080p, the app needs to provide specific support for that. For example, the Netflix app does.

EDIT: unless some apps can expressly *block* even the mirroring output. Hmm... never considered that. I don't know if it's possible or not. It really doesn't work with the MLB app?
 
[quote name='crunchewy']The iPad 2 does mirroring via the HDMI adapter, so actually every app does effectively output to a TV that way. However, the video is 4:3, not 16:9, because it's mirroring and the iPad's screen is 4:3. In order to output at 16:9 or at 1080p, the app needs to provide specific support for that. For example, the Netflix app does.

EDIT: unless some apps can expressly *block* even the mirroring output. Hmm... never considered that. I don't know if it's possible or not. It really doesn't work with the MLB app?[/QUOTE]

I'll try again sometime, but I got audio and no video before when I tried. I'll check it out in a bit to confirm, but even when I would get video (e.g., of the iOS interface), the output would switch to audio only when I went to a video feed for a game. Like it knows I'm using the HDMI and is deliberately blocking it.
 
[quote name='crunchewy'] On the other hand, unless you don't currently have a computer to plug it into, I'm not sure it should be a big deal (maybe its a bigger deal for Windows users - I don't know). I don't plug mine into the computer much in any case. Mostly I just use it, and mostly install apps directly on it, and occasionally plug it in to backup or for the (not very frequent) updates.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it's no harder on Windows. Just plug it in and the synching (unless you've turned it off) is automated and it will pop up and tell you if there is an update.

I've got a lot of gripes with the iPad, but requiring a computer isn't one of them. Like you I only do it when I here there's an update as I don't really care about backing up apps etc. as I'm not really playing games where I need to back up saves or anything else I worry about losing since apps can be easily redownloaded from the app store.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']Any iPad owners here with buyers remorse?[/QUOTE]

I have a mild case of it. I'm not sure it was worth the near $700 after tax and smart cover for what I use mine for now that the newness has worn off--reading news mainly, along with the occasional library e-book or PDF of a research article for work.

And the limitations I knew about beforehand still bug me--no file system, no USB drive support, no MS office compatible apps that don't wreck formatting when going back and for with the PC versions with docs with lots of tables and figures and so on.

That said, there aren't any other tablets I'd really consider right now as the Android ones have similar limitations and tend to have 16x9 screens which I hate. The iPad's 4:3 screen is better for my use since I mainly use a tablet in portrait orientations as I mainly use it to read. 16x9 screens are too narrow in portrait--while 4:3 is great for reading and still fine in landscape for video and net surfing, so that's my preference.

So I guess it's not so much buyers remorse as just questioning the value given my uses as I knew it wasn't the ideal tablet for me going in. So I'm not really super regretting it or wanting to sell it right now since there's nothing better out.

I more want something that's a tad closer to a Tablet PC. Something with a file system, usb drive support, MS office apps etc. so I can get by with just taking a thin, light tablet on a business trip instead of my bulky laptop (I'd don't travel enough to justify buying a smaller laptop that I'd only use when traveling--where as a tablet I use a lot around the house to read the news etc.). But by no means a full Tablet PC like in the past as those sucked as they were big, bulky and just had windows shoehorned onto a tablet. I don't need/want a full OS, just simple things like a file system, flash drive support, and MS office apps that are 100% compatible with the desktop versions.

I'm hoping when Microsoft finishes the Tablet OS they're working on for late 2012 that some tablets along those lines come out. Until then I'll keep the iPad 2 as I like having a Tablet even if I question the value of what I paid! :D

All that said, if you just want a tablet to surf the net, watch videos, play games, use as an e-reader etc. and don't need/want to do much work-related stuff with it, then the iPad 2 is mostly excellent at those things. Just some annoyances with getting the same types of files into multiple apps, lack of flash which rules out some video sites on the net etc.

But it's definitely the best media consumption tablet out there currently--and that's what it's designed to be. Most of my annoyances are just not liking Apple's walled garden approach (I want a file system and more customization options without jail breaking) and wanting a tablet that's more aimed at business users which is not what the iPad is designed to be.
 
Sounds like the Windows 8 tablet version will scratch your itch, if MS keeps good on their promises.

Anyone see iOS 5 won't be able to load onto the 3GS? It's a rumor right now, but I wonder what will happen. At least the iPhone 3G had some iOS 4 features, but handled them really poorly, which might be the reason this rumor is popping up.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']I'll try again sometime, but I got audio and no video before when I tried. I'll check it out in a bit to confirm, but even when I would get video (e.g., of the iOS interface), the output would switch to audio only when I went to a video feed for a game. Like it knows I'm using the HDMI and is deliberately blocking it.[/QUOTE]

You have an iPad 2 or an iPad 1? Only the iPad 2 does mirroring. If you have an iPad 2 and it's not showing video, then I guess that apps can block it if they want to.


[quote name='seanr1221']Sounds like the Windows 8 tablet version will scratch your itch, if MS keeps good on their promises.

Anyone see iOS 5 won't be able to load onto the 3GS? It's a rumor right now, but I wonder what will happen. At least the iPhone 3G had some iOS 4 features, but handled them really poorly, which might be the reason this rumor is popping up.[/QUOTE]

Given how "well" iOS 4 worked on the 3G, and how people hated that, it wouldn't shock me if iOS 5 was current gen (and the next) only. We'll just have to wait and see.
 
I'll have to try some other stuff tonight then and see what happens. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've tried many games, and mostly just Netflix (and seeing that the springboard shows up.)
 
[quote name='seanr1221']Sounds like the Windows 8 tablet version will scratch your itch, if MS keeps good on their promises.
[/QUOTE]

That's what I'm hoping. I really like Windows 7, so I have hopes Windows 8 will be just as good.

I just hope they really nail the Tablet version of Windows 8 and it doesn't end up just being a slightly tweaked version of the desktop OS.

Tablets really need their own, touch optimized from the ground up, OSs. The ones of the past with shoehorned desktop OSs where terrible, and the current ones with SmartPhone OSs are too limited for my needs.

So I'm hoping MS hits the sweet spot inbetween those with their Tablet. But MS has been so entirely hit or MS on OSs lately that I'm not holding my breath! :D
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That's what I'm hoping. I really like Windows 7, so I have hopes Windows 8 will be just as good.

I just hope they really nail the Tablet version of Windows 8 and it doesn't end up just being a slightly tweaked version of the desktop OS.

Tablets really need their own, touch optimized from the ground up, OSs. The ones of the past with shoehorned desktop OSs where terrible, and the current ones with SmartPhone OSs are too limited for my needs.

So I'm hoping MS hits the sweet spot inbetween those with their Tablet. But MS has been so entirely hit or MS on OSs lately that I'm not holding my breath! :D[/QUOTE]

The tile concept is scalable. I imagine their tablet OS being a lot like flipboard for iOS, which is awesome.

WP7 shows a lot of promise, it's just too immature with a lack of killer hardware. They might actually put out something worth a damn once the Mango Nokia devices hit later this year.
 
I don't really like the Flipboard app interface much, though I love the content you can get through it.

I don't like that you have to swipe on the right side of the screen as the pages "flip" in the middle. A lot of times I'm only holding it with my left hand, and in a similar app like Zite I can just swipe on the left side of the screen to change pages.

Also, there's a lot of times I end up opening an article when I was just trying to swipe.

So it needs some work. Bug in general I prefer just simple swiping anywhere to change pages rather than that flipping animation as it's more limiting.
 
Sorry if this is stupid, but I don't keep up with iPhones. I'm switching to Verizon soon and I'm thinking of going with the white iPhone 4. Did they fix the antenna issue in that, or do I still have to use a bumper?
 
[quote name='Rocko']Sorry if this is stupid, but I don't keep up with iPhones. I'm switching to Verizon soon and I'm thinking of going with the white iPhone 4. Did they fix the antenna issue in that, or do I still have to use a bumper?[/QUOTE]

My brother never uses a case and has had no problems with his
 
Yeah, I've been thinking about that, but I want the unlimited data plan. No way Verizon will keep that until the fifth gen iPhone launches.
 
Good point. If you need the unlimited data, jump on it now and you can at least lock it in for 2 years.

I doubt they'll grandfather people into it though, so when the 2 year contract is up they'll probably shift you into one of the tiered plans at that time. But at least you'd get the 2 years.
 
I don't think I *need* the unlimited data. But I'd like to have that security, and TBH, my phone now is an entry level android (LG Optimus T) so even the iPhone 4 will be a huge breath of fresh air as far as hardware goes (and I do prefer iOS to Android). So, I mean, I'd rather make the jump now, get the data, and then deal with 2 years when 2 years comes.
 
Go for it then.

As for the Antenna's, there seem to be less problems with it on the Verizon iPhones.

But in any case, you'll have no problems with a bumper or case on it, and I'd suggest one anyway just to have a little added protection in case of drops anyway.

I'm still deciding whether to take the smartphone plunge myself. I'm waiting for the new data tiers to be announced to see if there's one I'm willing to pay for. I'm around wifi the vast majority of the time since I have wifi at work as well as home, so I could go with a pretty low end data plan. I'm leaning toward getting a Droid if I take the plunge though.
 
[quote name='Rocko']Sorry if this is stupid, but I don't keep up with iPhones. I'm switching to Verizon soon and I'm thinking of going with the white iPhone 4. Did they fix the antenna issue in that, or do I still have to use a bumper?[/QUOTE]

They updated the firmware to show more bars, but every test I've seen showed that actual reception was not improved. My neighbors and friends 4th gens have even more dropped calls and worse reception than mine (which doesn't seem possible). I wouldn't touch a 4th Gen this late in the cycle- the 4GS or 5 would be what I'd wait on if you want to go the iOS route.

I'd really like an android phone, and I'd really like to get one before the unlimited plans get phased out on Verizon.

As far as unlimited data goes, I've hit AT&T's softcap several times.

EDIT:

Also, anyone who hasn't tried MetalStorm: Online should really do so. It's the most fun I've had with the iPad.
 
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The antenna issue is solved with a case. Pretty much any case, and like dmaul said, it's probably a good idea anyway. There's lots of really thin and light cases too. I don't like the bumper because it won't work with my headphones, though that might not be an issue for you. Also if you have an older 3rd party dock connector cable that may not work with it either. Newer ones should be fine, and of course any official ones. I'm sure they'll address the antenna fully in the next iPhone, but I wouldn't let that stop you from buying the current one. It's a great phone... even if it might require a case. :)
 
Can I sync my contacts list with my Facebook, pulling photos and email addresses into my contacts? Not, however, syncing my Facebook friends list up to my contacts. I don't want a shit ton of Facebook friends added to my contacts, just matching my current contacts up with FB.
 
[quote name='Ed_']I'm excited about iOS 5, but I'll wait until a jailbreak is released. I can't picture going back to "normal."[/QUOTE]
Same.
 
I'd been looking on and off for a tripod solution for the iPhone 4, and I think I found something that will work pretty well. It's a clip that you pop the iPhone 4 into (caseless-only) and it has mounts to screw into a standard 1/4 " threaded tripod mount. Both Portrait and Landscape. The design of it seems pretty slick. It's $17.95 shipped from the source:

http://snapmountforiphone.com/

It's also on amazon, but there you pay for shipping. However, it's worth looking there because the reviews of it are good so far:

http://www.amazon.com/SnapMount-4--...R7CW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307025899&sr=8-1

I'm pairing it with a standard "original" gorillapod, but I also like that the snapmount will let me use any tripod, or even a monopod. I'm planning to use it for time lapse and perhaps even stop motion video, as well as on our vacations as a portable tripod for both the iPhone and our point-and-shoot camera. FYI, at joby's website you can currently use coupon code KONG to get $5 off, so it's $14.99 shipped for an original Gorillapod.

FYI, I looked at their Gorillamobile specifically for the iPhone 4, but the reviews on amazon aren't encouraging. Sounds like the case it requires is pretty crappy and delicate, plus you can't use that to connect to any other tripod. So the above combination seems a lot better and with KONG coupon, it ends up cheaper too.

I put in an order for the SnapMount and a gorillapod. It will be a Fathers Day gift for me. :) I'll post impressions once I have it.
 
Good news for Kindle app users, as well as other ereader and media apps.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/09/apple-gives-in-to-publishers-changes-policy-on-in-app-subscript/

Apple decided to change their new policy that was to have required in-app purchasing--which Apple gets 30% of every sale--for any apps that had external options for buying content on the web.

Now the new policy simply bans having a "buy" button in apps that jumps out to the web browser for shopping. Apps can still get files that one manually opens the browser and buys, so you can--as one example-- just shop on Amazon.com and then buy books and download through the archive in the Kindle app.

That's no big deal, so no worries of the Kindle app or other ebook and media apps being pulled or severely hampered on iOS.
 
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I figured they'd eventually either capitulate or work something out. I don't think either side wants Kindle and Nook off the App Store, etc. That wasn't going to happen. Speaking of which, that new Nook e-ink reader seems pretty nifty... aside from the crappy touch tech (though it does work with gloved hands). It's a lot smaller then the Kindle due to not having a keyboard. I like that. Still not sure I should buy one, though, as I don't read that much.
 
Maybe this move will push for lower subscription costs?

I'd definitely subscribe to a couple magazines if the price were comparable/cheaper than the print versions.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Still not sure I should buy one, though, as I don't read that much.[/QUOTE]

Probably not as a dedicated e-reader is really only needed by people who read a lot.

You can always read in the apps on the iPad anyway, and that should be sufficient for someone who isn't reading books daily.

I prefer reading on e-ink, but only be cause I often read for hours at a time and its easier on the eyes. But I don't mind reading on the iPad. I spend a good bit of time reading news paper apps, PDFs for work and library e-books on the iPad without much problem other than my eyes getting tired fast and the iPad being a tad heavy for reading for a long time.
 
I was having a problem with my iPhone where the mute switch wasn't actually muting. It showed the icon indicating that sound was off, but games still made sounds. Probably rings too. I finally seem to have fixed this by going into the General settings, then Reset, then Reset Settings. It wipes out all your settings, including WiFi passwords, but seems to have fixed the problem. I should note that I use to be Jailbroken and I'm somewhat suspicious that this problem may have arisen from a hack messing with settings, though I'm not sure. In any case I'm happy it seems to be fixed.
 
I had a similar issue, crunch. Except my phone made the lock sound and just echoed nonstop until I reset the phone so since then I've had the lock sounds and keyboard clicks off.
 
I had been looking for an app that would make it easy to upload a screenshot and get a link to it, and I found it a week ago or so. Uploadr is free and does the job well. It's an iPhone app, but of course works fine on the iPad too, though it doesn't rotate depending on how you're holding it, which is mildly annoying, especially for us OCD types. :) Still, it's free and works great. It uploads to imageshack. There are no options and no ability to select an account. It just gets uploaded (from your photo library or you can take a picture within the app) and it copies a link to it to the clipboard. I've been using it in the 1000 Heroz thread.

http://appshopper.com/utilities/uploadr
 
Something I noticed only after doing that settings reset is the iCloud feature of being able to have new purchases made on other platforms automatically sent out to your other devices is already there, but you need to enable it in the Settings app. Open the settings app and then tap Store. Music, Books and Apps having individual toggles. Also there is a toggle for whether or not to download via 3G when you don't have a WiFi connection (presumably still limited to smaller downloads). I'm wondering if this applies to podcasts? I think if you enable music, then it does, but I'm not sure yet. I hope it does. That would be great if so, and I think it should be because it says it applies to free and paid downloads.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']Something I noticed only after doing that settings reset is the iCloud feature of being able to have new purchases made on other platforms automatically sent out to your other devices is already there, but you need to enable it in the Settings app. Open the settings app and then tap Store. Music, Books and Apps having individual toggles.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for pointing this out. Works on iPod Touch too.
 
I've got a quick iPad question. So I want to buy an iPad, but I also want the retina display. I don't mind buying an iPad 2 and then selling it as used once the next version is released. Assuming the iPad 3 comes out next spring and features the HD screen, how much do you think I could expect to receive for reselling a 16gb iPad 2 (wifi)?

Please help me decide if I should take the plunge. Thanks!
 
Posted in the Target thread that I found some Zagg full body shields in the clearance section. I scanned them but it was not found in the system. I asked the cashier for a price check and to make a long story short, I got two for $7.50 each. As I was paying his supervisor said they should have been sold at $9.98 as that was the last clearance price. He took them all down but let me buy two more but at the $9.98 price.

Anyhow for anyone looking for one the ASIN is 057000753.


[quote name='Swift900']I've got a quick iPad question. So I want to buy an iPad, but I also want the retina display. I don't mind buying an iPad 2 and then selling it as used once the next version is released. Assuming the iPad 3 comes out next spring and features the HD screen, how much do you think I could expect to receive for reselling a 16gb iPad 2 (wifi)?

Please help me decide if I should take the plunge. Thanks![/QUOTE]

If repeats itself, and it likely will, the iPad 2 will drop in price by $100 like the iPad did when the 2 came out so you will have it to sell it at a loss of about $150 or more.
 
I actually doubt we'll see a retina iPad any time soon, as I think it would be too expensive. Who knows for sure, though? I'm sure the next iPad will have other nice improvements, but the 2 is pretty nice already.
 
I actually doubt we'll see a retina iPad any time soon, as I think it would be too expensive. Who knows for sure, though? I'm sure the next iPad will have other nice improvements, but the 2 is pretty nice already.

I got that SnapMount for iPhone 4 and the GorillaPod for Fathers Day and it works out great. You can definitely use the base GorillaPod with it. It handles the weight of the iphone and mount with no problem at all, including when sticking out to the side hanging onto a pipe. Which is what I did at our Fathers Day cookout - I attached my iPhone 4 to a thin-ish pipe that runs from ceiling to floor in our living room and took a time-lapse video of the party from up high. It worked perfectly.

http://snapmountforiphone.com/

EDIT: it looks like you can't order a SmapMount right now as they ran out and are making changes to their production line to keep up with demand. Anyway, I'm really happy with it and would definitely recommend it... once they have them for order again. The time-lapse app I'm using now is TimeLapse. I recommend that too. It works great, though in spite of faster settings being available, it can only consistently manage one shot every 3 seconds, presumably that being as fast as the iPhone 4 can store the photos. Another app I used could do it a bit faster, but the quality was far worse.

EDIT: FYI, the snapmount is available from amazon again.
 
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I thought I had solved that weird problem with the Mute switch sometimes stopping to work (muting puts up the icon, but you still get sound and volume up/down works just as if you weren't muted), but today it returned! And then I got suspicious - I hadn't used TomTom for a while but I had today.

So I shut down and then back up, and checked that mute was working. Fired up TomTom and used it for a few minutes and the problem was back! I tried force quitting TomTom, but unfortunately that didn't help. Only shutting down completely and powering back up fixes it. :(

This sucks because I really like TomTom and I've tried a bunch of GPS apps. TomTom is the best, but man is that aggravating. It's surprising to me, though, that an app could cause the Mute function to fail. I still wonder if there isn't some lingering issue caused by previously being jailbroken, but it's hard to say. Or maybe it's a bug in the OS. One thing TomTom (and other GPS apps) can do is lower/mute the main volume and then make it's own sound (voice). I'm thinking that perhaps that is the source of the problem.

EDIT:this might have just been a false alarm. LOL. It turns out that at the home screen you can adjust the volume while muted, but you won't actually hear sound and when you go into an app you can't adjust volume. Weird, but I suppose it's so you can mute, adjust volume, and unmute. Not sure.
 
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My home button on my iPhone is getting harder to use. It's really a weakpoint of the design. I had a similar problem with an iPod touch when I had one of the those. I have to press the button a certain way and a fairly hard to get it to register. It's a bit annoying. I wonder if there's any way to fix it? In fact when I saw a rumor that Apple was getting rid of the physical home button, I was probably the only person who cheered. :) Of course that's just a rumor anyway.
 
Mine has always sucked and getting my background menu to pop up is just a pain in the ass, needs to be a button on the side or just removed all together imo
 
does anyone know if it's possible for birthday's entered in your contacts that show up in your calender to have alerts on them?

For instance, I'd like it in the morning of my grandfather's birthday to be an alert, was messing around with it and I don't think it's possible but thought someone might know definitely.

thanks.
 
I don't think it's possible in the current version of iOS. I actually have a separate Birthdays calendar, that I use for Birthdays that need to have alerts. I show the Birthdays from contacts, and have the Birthdays calendar hidden, so that I don't see the birthdays twice. Not ideal, but it gets the job done. Hopefully iOS 5 will improve on that.

On a completely unrelated note, the problem that I thought was just in my mind wasn't. Today I used TomTom to navigate my way somewhere and I was playing TuneIn Radio in the background streaming an internet stream and then when I got to my destination, the mute button no longer worked. It showed the icon that it was muted, but even in apps the volume controls worked and my iPhone was making sounds. I rebooted my iPhone and the problem went away.

So on the way from there I used it again and again used TuneIn radio, and again the same thing happened. I rebooted again, and this time I did the same thing except that I played music via the iPod app instead of TuneIn and... it didn't happen. Probably needs further experimentation, but there is indeed a problem. For now I guess I'll just have to reboot after having used TomTom and TuneIn at the same time. Maybe it doesn't even have anything to do with TomTom, and it's just TuneIn Radio. I don't know, however I think it's probably the combination.
 
Speaking of contacts....

Is there some app I can use where I can export all my contacts from my Palm Pilot that I still have in the Palm Desktop software into some other PC (or Web app) and then sycn up with an iPad app to access on the go?

For calendar I just switched to google calendar and sync that up with the calendar app as I didn't care about keeping past events or entering future ones. But with contacts I hate to have to reenter everything manually into some new app.
 
Kindle App has been updated. Removed the button linking to the store as required by the rule change.

On the positive front, I Amazon finally made their Kindle magazine and newspaper subscriptions availabe for the iPad app in enhanced versions with color images etc. (before they could only go to actually Kindles).

List of available publications here: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_lin...rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1310263122&pf_rd_i=133141011

I'm doing a trial of Newsweek and I'm impressed so far. Nice to get the articles with all the pictures etc.
 
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