Time Saving Tips: iPhone

Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts

Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts

3.27.2011

MediaBook: Multimedia Search Engine

After the Gnutella network shut down (Limewire/Acquisition) a lot of people asked how they would be able to download music. While many of the files on the Gnutella network are widely available on other mainstream file sharing and hosting sites. Until recently nobody has really had a way to access these files easily as most of these sites do not allow you to search.

I built up a small application/utility to access these files and now have it freely available for use. The application is available for free on Facebook. It is simple, fast to use, and requires no download. Additionally you can use it on your mobile devices as well.

If you like music, but don't know where to find it, then this is for you. No tricks, totally free, and easy to use. Tons of hidden features. Search and enjoy!

12.30.2010

Skype - Free iPhone Video Calling Over 3G + WiFi

Skype finally has allowed video calling on the iPhone not only over WiFi, but also over 3G.

10.15.2010

Square Card Reader - iPhone 4

Square Forums/General Square Forum

Help! My reader isn't working with my iPhone4.

Jynn Louie Oct 09

If you are using an iPhone4 and have problems with the Square card reader, this thread has a quick and easy fix for you.

Our card readers currently "bridge" the grounding inside the headphone jack and the positive signal of the antenna band. This renders our card readers inactive for your iPhone4. We are working on redesigning our card readers and will be contacting our iPhone4 users as soon as they are ready for shipment.

Users have reported that plugging in the Square card reader in their iPhone4 causes the following problems:

The app doesn't do anything or give any feedback when you swipe a card.
The app is giving swiping feedback when you are not swiping.
The app is flashing the dongle icon on and off.
The app causes Voice Control to pop up.

Fear not! There is a simple and easy fix for this bug posted on our status blog. It works like a charm! All you need is a small piece of paper. If you're still having trouble with swiping even after the paper hack, here are some swiping tips:

Please try these tips and let me know if they work for you! When you plug in your reader, a dongle icon should show up in the bottom left corner of the screen (above the keypad).

1) Take a toothpick and carefully clean out the headphone/mic jack.

2) Swipe quickly and smoothly. Make sure the black magnetic stripe is facing the thickest part of the card reader.

3) Keep the card as parallel with the reader as you can, from beginning to end. It's all about the follow through. Even I have trouble with this sometimes, as I have a shaky hand!

4) Practice a bunch. After learning how to use the Square reader it should only take 2-3 swipes at most to succeed.

When you plug in your reader, a dongle icon should show up in the bottom left corner of the screen (above the keypad).

Take a toothpick and carefully clean out the headphone/mic jack.
Swipe quickly and smoothly. Make sure the black magnetic stripe is facing the thickest part of the card reader.
Keep the card as parallel with the reader as you can, from beginning to end. It's all about the follow through. Even I have trouble with this sometimes, as I have a shaky hand!
Practice a bunch. After learning how to use the Square reader it should only take 2-3 swipes at most to succeed.

If you've exhausted all these suggestions and the reader is still acting funky with your iPhone 4, feel free to write in a support ticket. We'll be happy to help.

7.10.2009

Inquisitor - Speedy iPhone Web Search

Just like the desktop version of the app, Inquisitor for iPhone is very lightweight, fast, and works great! The app launches and is ready to use incredibly fast and has a great interface that makes it very easy and quick to use. Not many options or toggles, but much better than just a regular Google search. In comparison to another popular search alternate, Cooliris, Inquisitor is much better as it is faster and just overall much more practical in most cases.

7.06.2009

Enable Tethering on iPhone 3G or 3GS

If you are interested in enabling tethering on your iPhone 3G or 3GS, there is an relatively easy fix for you.

To begin, download the following file: ATT_US.ipccIf you are having trouble with the link, copy and paste the following address into your web browsers address bar: http://rapidshare.com/files/257360515/ATT_US.ipcc.

1. Open iTunes, plug in your iPhone and wait for iTunes to find it.

2. If you are on Mac, hold down the ⌘ while clicking Check for Update. If you are on Windows, hold down the Shift key while clicking Check for Update. If you were able to select the downloaded file (ATT_US.ipcc) you can skip to step 3.

If you were not able to click on the file, quit iTunes and then do one of the following depending on if you are using Mac or Windows:

Mac: Open Terminal (Applications >Utilities) and type the following that is below:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes carrier-testing -bool TRUE

Windows: Click Start >Run, and now type cmd. Type the following two commands, one at a time exactly as it is below (be sure to include the quotation marks):

cd “c:\Program Files\iTunes”

iTunes.exe /setPrefInt carrier-testing 1

After typing the commands you can now close and/or quit Terminal or Command Prompt; and now reopen iTunes and try step 2 again. If it works, you typed every correctly and can now continue to step 3. If not, please leave a comment asking for help.

3. In the dialogue that pops up select the file you just downloaded (ATT_US.ipcc). It will only take a minute, but you should see a progress bar box come up for a few seconds. Your iPhone might now even look like it did anything.

4. To Check if it was successful, take a look at your iPhone...On your iPhone, go to: Settings >General >Network. You now should see two new options, Cellular Data Network, as well as Internet Tethering.

5. Power your iPhone off and on to make all the settings take effect.

4.10.2009

Augmented Reality

Developer and professor, Blair MacIntyre of Georgia Tech University has figured out how to use the built in camera on the iPhone to scan and virtually bring to life specially made 2D objects for real time use and play within a game or app on the iPhone...developers have played with this idea of Augmented Reality in the past, but not on a portable scale such as the iPhone.

"As a developer's conference, GDC also attracts a number of game researchers such as Blair MacIntyre who is an Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech.

We met with Mr. MacIntyre about his research into Augmented Reality and how it might apply to the iPhone. The demos and possibilities he introduced were truly remarkable.

Augmented Reality is described as a combination of real-world and computer-generated data, where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.

He and his graduate students have put together some proof of concept demos on the iPhone which could pave the way to future gaming concepts.

This embedded video demonstrates a Augmented Reality Virtual Pet application on a current generation iPhone. The iPhone overlays an animated image of a dog on realtime video input from the iPhone's camera. The result is a pet that appears to reside in the real world in front of you. MacIntyre then shows off a far more sophisticated Zombie shooter (what else?) using non-iPhone NVIDIA reference design platform.

The Zombie-shooter demo serves to show the more impressive possibilities of the technology. In the game, tapping on the screen shoots the zombies in your crosshairs. Moving the camera around and in/out changes your view and if you stay still too long, the zombies start throwing limbs at you.

MacIntyre reports that his research has found that those playing these Augmented Reality games with others were more social and interactive as compared to those playing more traditional games against each other.

More extensive demonstrations of the above concepts are provided in these videos: Augmented Virtual Reality Pet on iPhone, Augmented Reality Zombies on Tegra.

Some of MacIntyre's students plan on taking these concepts and executing a true iPhone game based on the technology, especially if the rumors of a more powerful iPhone with advanced video processing capabilities are true. The next generation iPhone is rumored to be released as early as this summer."
-Touch Arcade

1.20.2009

iPhone Copy & Paste Finally Here!

Finally, someone has enabled copy and paste on the iPhone. No it is not Apple, but it is very good, and works in any application. Using "Clippy", you can officially copy and paste anywhere where you can type on your iPhone! This add-on is available through Cydia, and is at least for the moment free.

The video below demonstrates the features.

To install it, first you must have a jailbroken iPhone. iClarified has a nice guide for both Mac and Windows. If you already have a jailbroken device, then you are good to go. Just open Cydia, and under search for "Clippy Beta" (without quotation marks of course)> Then install and respiring...to see it in use, or how to use it just watch the video. Oh and by the way, if you are wondering I am controlling on my iPhone from my Mac using VNC.

Can't view Flash? Watch the movie using Quicktime, or right on your iPhone!

11.22.2008

iPhone in Mexico

While taking a trip down to Vincente Guerro, Baha California (Mexico), I was amazed to see how fast all the kids at the orphanage caught on on how to use my iPhone 2G. Originally I was taking my iPhone because my still camera was broken. Then I also realized that the iPhone was GSM and meant i was ready to travel because I could text and talk if i needed to. One day at the orphanage I showed some of the kids some photos, and then I let the kids play games like MonkeyBall, and iGolf and they absolutely loved it. Immediately everybody figured out how to play. Later in the week I let some of them take pictures, and the pictures came out great, and the younger kids loved it because it was so simple and even they knew how to take it.

10.18.2008

Playlist Folders

The other day I told you about creating and using smart playlist to sync only what you want to your iPhone or iPod when you have limited space. If you found that useful, and have a lot of playlist, you may want to consider putting some of them in a folder.

Open iTunes and go to File> New Playlist Folder. Then just drag the playlist you want into that folder. If you want to remove a playlist from a folder, just drag and drop it out of the folder on the the word "Playlist".

10.15.2008

iTunes: Smart Playlist

Considering the fact that all my music, let alone, my whole iTunes library does not fit on my iPhone, I had to create a way to always have the music that I like the most. The solution was smart playlist. This way I never have to mess with anything more than once, and will always have a consistent library that updates based on what I like the most. With an exception to one playlist which is designated for my iPhone for the songs that for whatever reason don't fall under any of my smart playlist; or for the ones I know I want on my iPhone.

To create a smart playlist open iTunes and go to File> New Smart Playlist... or just press ⌘-⇧-N (Command-Shift-N).

Once you create a smart playlist you can then add rules. Rules are simply just filters to make the playlist get what you want, and only what you want. Below are 5 different examples you can use to get you started.

Brand New

Mobile Mix

This Week

Ratings

Recent

Top 100

10.10.2008

Installer: Bypass System Requirements

Can't install iTunes 8 because you have Tiger? There is a very quick and simple fix for this that will allow you to bypass most system compatibility checks as well as re-download or install updates.

Open a finder window and go to /System/Library/CoreServices/ either by clicking through each folder or by just going to the Go menu and choosing Go to Folder... and typing in /System/Library/CoreServices/.

In the CoreServices folder, find and open SystemVersion.plist (Depending on your view settings, you may or may not be able to see the .plist part).

Tiger will open the file with TextEdit; and Leopard will open the file with Property List Editor. Either one will work just fine for what we need.

Find ProductVersion, then change the number below to whatever version number is necessary for you.

Next change the value for the ProductUserVisibleVersion string. For example if you have Mac OS X 10.4.8, and change the version tags to 10.5.5 then you might consider putting something like 10.4.8/10.5.5. This will only change what you see in screens such as "About This Mac".

Modified Value for ProductVersionNumber.

Once you have made the necessary changes, save the file to your Desktop. You can go (File>Save As...) in the menu bar or press ⌘-⇧-S (Command-Shift-S) keys.

Save As... (TextEdit)

Save As... (Property List Editor)

Then drag it back into the /System/Library/CoreServices folder and click "Replace" when prompted to overwrite the old file.

You will then have to enter your username/password to authenticate the action.

Thats it! Now go to the Apple Menu and take a look at "About This Mac" screen!

What is interesting is that there are apparently already updates for Snow Leopard.

9.21.2008

GSM Numeric Signal on 2.x.x

For those of us with jailbroken iPhones, who want to have a numeric GSM signal strength displayed instead the standard signal bars, just install QuickGold through Cydia, and then search for, and open FieldTest. Now you can just tap on the signal bars and make them change to a numeric signal. As of now the reading goes back to the regular bars when you exit FieldTest...I really want to find out how to get the numeric battery info back.

9.16.2008

iTunes 8 Finally Fixes App Update Issues

Back in iTunes 7, all the way back a whole 5 days or so, iTunes would not delete the old versions of an app when you downloaded an update, the new update would just assume a new name such as "Remote2.ipa" or something like that. Now in iTunes 8 the problem is fixed and old versions of the app are automatically moved to the trash/recycle bin.

9.07.2008

Get "My Number" to Show Up in iTunes or iPhone Contact List

Having ported my number from Verizon to my iPhone I was not able to see my number in iTunes, the top of the contact list on my phone, or anywhere else where your number would otherwise be stored. After much research, I finally came to a solution that was super easy and actually worked. It literally took me under 5 minutes, and nothing but my own iPhone. Just unplug your iPhone from the computer and give AT&T a call.

Call Customer Care (If possible from another line) at:

(800) 331-0500

or

(866) 241-6567 (TTY)

Here is what to say:

"I had my number ported to my iPhone, and it has been over 36 hours but my own number is still not showing up in iTunes or above my contact list on my iPhone. I was told to call you and ask to resend the OTA (Over the Air) programing to my iPhone because I don't think the SIM card was properly programmed."

Once the send it check to see if you can see the number on your iPhone and then if so go ahead and hang up with AT&T because the OTA programing worked. The number will not show up in iTunes until your restart your iPhone, so go ahead turn your iPhone off and on and then you are done!

Before OTA Programing

After OTA Programing

8.29.2008

NetShare - Internet Anywhere

I am absolutely amazed by this little app and wish it was not taken down from the AppStore. Good job Nullriver. I am actually sitting in the back seat here in the car right now and have internet on my MacBook Pro!

8.04.2008

iTunes Update Allows Much Faster iPhone 2.0 Backup

If you have not already, I would recomend that you go ahead and update your iTunes as there are notacible improvements in both stability of Apps, and an amazing boost to the backup speed. I have 49 third-party apps as of now (not jailbroken...yet-waiting for Installer 4) and can get a backup of my iPhone in about 5 minutes. It used to take much longer.

When I first upgraded to the 2.0, my backup literally took over 3 hours with about the same amount of apps, and untl now, I have just been clicking the little "x" button when iTunes says "Backing Up" Just now it took me about 5 minutes to add about 15 songs and backup and sync!

5.04.2008

What Happened to My Search Bar?

4.24.2008

Corrupted Springboard Solution (No Data Loss)

If you are having trouble with your iPhone starting and are getting the spinning wheel over the Apple Logo when your device starts up, or just can't respring, this may help.

I like to call a "Faux-Upgrade". Do a Shift+Click in iTunes on the upgrade button to upgrade to the same firmware you have now and this will of course erase your 3rd party apps and you will have to use ziphone or jailbreakme.com again, but otherwise this will fix the problem of from what understand springboard not loading as well as it will retain your personal information such as contacts, calendar, notes, bookmarks...Although all the Library files for official apps are retained as well as your music and videos, you may loose some of your 3rd party app's library files so SSH into your device and back them up if you can. If you can't SSH just try something like iPhoneBrowser. In the case that your iPhone continually restarts as did mine, just try putting it into Recover Mode.

I have done this with 1.1.4 before and only lost my 3rd party apps, but retained everything else like I mentioned. iTunes thinks this is a regular upgrade and therefore retains personal information, but upgrades/restores and recovers/fixes your other system partition.

If you didn't know the iPhone ships with 2 partitions. Although I believe it is all on the same chip of memory or 2, it is partitioned.

Everything but "/private/var/root/" or "/private/var/mobile" would fall under the system partition.

4.23.2008

iPhone 1.02 Gets Flash?

This is interesting, this was found in a local newspaper, but is not confirmed as to if it is a mistake or an actual leak. The interesting is that this is firmware 1.02 or older becasue it does not have the ITMS (iTunes Mobile Store), as well as it has the old calculator icon.

2.08.2008

iPhone Notes Fix

iPhone Notes Fix-"iPhone Notes Not Don't Save" Followup

So the other day I had mentioned that by iPhone notes were not saving correctly. Come to say, not saving at all. I also had the problem that I could read the notes and thought I was editing them but really did not change anything. The last thing was that when I did thus it really made it look as if the save time on my notes were messed up. The problem was that I had updated to 1.1.3. Meaning my file system was changed from "root" to "mobile". Due to the fact that I just restored the "notes.db" SQL DB rather than let iTunes restore all of my pictures and other stuff I had backed up as a way to save some time. This was fin until the fact that now I finally realized why it seems as if my BSD system is not working correctly. The reason for this is that many of my files in my iPhone's documents folder still belong to "root" permission wise. So what I have to do is move everything back to "/private/var/root" and then make everything read and write permissions dr everybody so I can take ownership as "mobile". I did this with my notes and they are no longer read only. Seems like Apple missed updating permissions when restoring from an older firmwares backup.

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