Nov 23 2011: Mac Special
Notifications of new show notes and edits are tweeted at: twitter.com/ddhart.
– They're tagged with #Zentech.
– When what's said is unclear to me (or I'm unfamiliar with a topic) I tend to quote (" ") verbatim.
Editor's comments are delimited by < >
Notes that Mikail mentioned during the show are appended at the end.
Glenn & Mikail Graham were in the studio
They talked mostly about the iPhone 4S & iOS5 — the latest operating system for the iPhone.
Because the Zentech website was still down at the time, Mikail said he'll post much of the discussed information to his Facebook page.
Glenn said he's still using the iPhone 3GS and Mikail said you can get a 16gig version for 99 cents with a 2 year contract. Verizon & Sprint have various configurations of the iPhone 4 starting at $99 for the 8gig and going up to $399.
Mikail said he now has an iPhone 4S and with it he got the Apple Care Plus protection plan. For $99 and $50 per incident, the Apple Care plan gives 2 years of protection from anything. Additionally, he gets to ask Apple's support staff any questions he has. He went on to say that unlike some other phones, the glass of the iPhone is more prone to breaking. That's one reason he recommends a protective case, an "invisible shield" and the Apple Care plan.
He also mentioned the he bought a set of Altec Lansing speakers from Fry's recently for $20. They can charge the iPhone as well as play the audio from the phone.
Mikail said he has a lot of tips for the iPhone users, one of which is taking a picture using the volume button. You can also predefine what the iPhone does for different finger actions. For instance, if you move your finger in a circle, the phone will open a particular app. You can also set up a custom vibration pattern so you can tell who, in particular, calls or texts you from the unique vibration. <See his Facebook page for more tips>
Mikail then did a little demonstration of Siri on the iPhone 4S. It's a voice-activated assistant that's connected to an Apple server, which does much of the processing. You can ask Siri questions like what the weather is and the command will go to the Apple server, which then returns the answer.
He said Siri has been hacked to do other things. One guy got it to control the thermostat in his house by voice command.
Mikail said there are ways to jailbreak the iPhone as well as a way to unlock it. When you unlock the phone you can use it on a different cell phone network by changing the SIM card. Or you can buy an unlocked 16gig iPhone for about $650. The Verizon iPhone has CDMA that doesn't use the SIM card and you can't switch networks, as yet. Sprint iPhones originally came unlocked but are now being sold as locked phones. The iPhone 4 with certain versions of the iOS can be unlocked if you use a special SIM with it.
Carriers other than the big 3 (Verizon, AT&T and Sprint) have the iPhone available, but not T-Mobile. Glenn has switched to T-Mobile from AT&T and has experienced more reception problems in the Nevada City area. He has also started using the MagicJack unit for his home phone. He is also thinking of encouraging people to use his Google Voice number. Calls made to that number can be directed to various destinations (cell phone, home phone or other temporary location). Glenn also reported that he's very happy with his MagicJack. <He said more about it on the previous show>
Jerry called. He just missed what Glenn said and asked for a thumbs up or thumbs down on the MagicJack.
– Thumbs up.
– The original MagicJack had to be connected to a computer but the unit Glenn has does not.
– This newer unit does have to be connected to an Ethernet port and you have to have a broadband service (but not a satellite service).
– You can use it with Comcast cable but you'll need to ask them for special modem that has an Ethernet port or add a router between the modem and the MagicJack.
Jerry then asked, if he drops AT&T phone service, will he have to pay more for his DSL.
– No, you're no longer required to have phone service to have DSL. This is what's called a naked DSL. Be sure to check with AT&T first.
– And don't drop your phone service before you port your phone number to a unit like the MagicJack.
– You can even port your number to Google Voice for $20.
Glenn helped a friend get DSL service and reports "DSL no longer exits for a new sales product", according to AT&T. All they offer is U-verse. But Glenn's skeptical — he thinks it just some kind of sales ploy to get people to buy the U-verse service. <see disclaimer>
The disclaimer:
Views and opinions expressed on this show are those of the speaker only and not necessarily those of KVMR, its board, management, staff or contributors.
Mikail noted that if you upgrade to iOS5 you might have an issue with the battery draining faster than with previous iOS versions. Apple is working on it and expects to have version 5.02 out before Christmas. "It's a real simple one to fix for the most part". Go into your Notification & Location settings and turning off the time server. Details will be in the notes he'll post to his Facebook page. <And the Zentech site, when it's working again>
Paula called. She's been having problems using Skype and MagicJack to talk to her husband in the Middle East.
– There may not be enough bandwidth.
– Be sure he doesn't have any apps that use the internet, including possible tasks running in the system tray — the box in the lower right corner.
– Some countries may be limiting access to certain services like Skype & MagicJack.
– Google Voice doesn't work well internationally, which was the next thing she was going to try.
Continuing with iOS5, Mikail said that it has iMessage built in so you can send text messages with pictures for free, but only to other iOS5 users of iPhone, iPad & iPad Touch. Google Voice also lets text for free.
Bruce called to ask if 2 people can talk to each other with both using Google Voice.
– Yes. It's not just for forwarding calls or voice mails. <No further details given>
Bruce went on to say he's been using Skype and that it's not limited to computers — there are phones (some made by Philips & GE) that connect thru a router <and a broadband connection, no doubt> and use Skype.
Another new feature in iOS5 is that you don't have to use a USB cable to do your synching — you can do it wirelessly. Mikail uses it in conjunction with Photostream so photos taken with one device will show up on his other devices.
– You can do photo and movie editing on the iPhone now.
– If some one sends you a video, you can save the attachment directly to the "camera roll",
Another new iOS5 feature Mikail likes is how easy it is to read message alerts on the "lock screen". You don't have to unlock to read them.
Mikail recommended an app called Hey Tell, for the iPhone or Android. It acts like a walkie-talkie. <I guess it's like sending a text message but it sends a voice message>
Jeff called to ask how much of what's been said about the iPhone is applicable to the iPad.
– Almost everything Mikail has said is applicable except for Siri.
– The iPad 2 has the same processor as the iPhone but it's been clocked down in the iPhone 4s to save on the battery life.
Mikail mentioned iTunes Match. It's a $24.99 a year service that lets you store and play back your music on the Apple server — up to 25,000 songs. If it determines that you're the owner of a song, you don't have to actually upload it to the server, it will play back a copy of the song from the vast iTunes library. <At least that's the way I understand what was said. The advantage of the service is that you can play the audio at different locations and devices>. And if you only had a 128k version of a song that you intended to upload, the matching song that iTunes Match sends you is a 256K lossless version. iTunes Match will only let you submit songs of a certain bit rate or higher, and if the version of the song you want to store is only 64k or 96k, you can use the iTunes program on your computer to re-encode it to the higher bit rate and then store that at iTunes Match. <So when you play it back, you get back a higher quality (matching) song than the one you submitted. I know, it's confusing. It was confusing to write it, but I think that's the best I could do>
Glenn asked Mikail about the Apple MobileMe service. It was a service where you were able to store your data online. It has been discontinued and replaced by iCloud.
– < FAQ about the transition here. >
– You can migrate all your MobileMe data to iCloud — the new service from Apple.
– With iOS5 you get 5gig of free storage on iCloud, but if you want to store "notes", you have to create an account.
– Dropbox is an alternative free storage service.
– Apps Gone Free and appadvice.com are a good way to find free or cheap apps & services.
Mikail mentioned a couple of more interesting apps:
– Pulsenews is a great RSS reader. <For Android or for the iPhone>
– TuneIn Radio for listening to radio stations. <For Android or the iPhone>
Leo called asking where he can get a tutorial for the iPhone 4.
– Check Mikail's Facebook page or send mail to him or to zen at kvmr dot org and you'll be directed to some tutorials.
<The following is from an email I got and is pretty much unedited>
Below are a ton of useful tips & tricks and links for today's show that you
can use for posting to the Zen Tech site and also will be a bit of a road
map for where/how the show will flow beyond the phone calls and improv that
Glenn and I do live. Thought it might help for us as well as the
listeners…
*A FEW LIVE EXAMPLES OF FUN SIRI THINGS WE CAN DO ON THE SHOW BESIDES JUST
TALKING ABOUT FEATURES & WHAT IS NEW [?]*
SIRI will be a fun feature to demo live…
We can do a few things like have SIRI send Paul an email or Glenn a TEXT
message or show how easy it is to set a REMINDER with nothing more than
one's voice.
We could also choose a song and have SIRI play it or tell us info about the
song that is playing, or tell SIRI to call one's self by a particular
nickname if you like, like this:
SIRI please call me Master, to which SIRI will reply: "OK I will now call
you Master"
*SIRI Fun – examples of the silly things you can ask SIRI – (we'll do some
of these live on the air)*
________________________________
1. What is the meaning of life
2. I Love You
3. Will you marry me
4. Open the pod bay doors
5. Siri siri siri
6. who made you
7. I’m drunk.
8. I’m going to kill myself.
9. What's the best phone?
10. Testing 1, 2, 3
11. I’m drunk
12. I’m going to kill myself
*LOTS OF TIPS & TRICKS, INFO & MORE + LINKS ON iOS 5 FOR THE ZEN TECH
WEBSITE*
these should be easy enough to just paste in w/o much work…
*
The MAChanic Facebook page* where Mikail posts FREE tips & tricks and
interesting Apple related articles regularly:
https://www.facebook.com/TheMachanic.MacTech
*iOS 5 Complete List of New Features
*If you are wondering what is new & worthy of checking out in the new iOS 5
for iPhone/iPod Touch & iPad, here is a great overview that lists all by
category.
A great overview of many of the *TOP New Features*
30 of the Best iOS 5 Features
(list)<http://www.gadgetreview.com/2011/10/30-of-the-best-ios-5-features.html>
*iOS 5 Hidden Features – Fun Videos (useful Tips for the iOS thrill seekers
among us!)
*iOS 5 BATTERY ISSUES TIPS
*
If after upgrading to iOS 5 & you find your battery life is much worse you
might want to check your 'Location' & 'Notification' settings as they may
be helping drain your power more than think…
Check this link for more info: *iPhone 4S: Notifications, Location
Services, the bane of good battery
*
*Note:* these tips worked well for me on an iPhone 4S with my battery life
improving by several hours if not more!*
iOS 5.01 UPDATE INFO*
Note: the recently released iOS 5.01 update has had rather mixed reviews, I
personally have not upgraded to it yet due to these issues and am awaiting
the rumored 5.02 update that is suppoed to drop sometime before Xmas 2011.
read the article at this link for more info: http://tinyurl.com/cab2cc5
*iMessage – what is it & why is it so cool?
*
*iOS 5 iMessage Feature Overview
*
Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5
users
Track messages with delivery and read receipts
Group messaging and secure encryption
Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi
*iOS 5 TIP: iMessage App
*So what's the difference from my old SMS Texting app?
iMessage is an application which allows iPhone users to send texts and
multimedia messages without being charged (for FREE!). This new feature is
quite similar to RIM’s Blackberry Messenger, better known as BBM, which
allows Blackberry owners to communicate via text fee free.
You can send infinite messages through any wireless services such as 3G,
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE from your much loved devices such as iPad, iPhone (iMessage
for iPhone 4) and iPod Touch. It also allows users to send text, pictures,
videos and contact messages to their friends.
The only caveat is that both sides need to be running iOS 5. Messages with
iMessage are unlimited and secure, too. You can talk to all your friends or
family at once with group messaging, and also see who’s reading with
delivery and read receipts. And if words aren’t enough, you can also send
photos, videos, locations, and contacts.
If you are using an iPhone 4S you can even ask Siri to text for you. Just
say "text (insert friend's name here)" then “I’m on my way” and Siri writes
your message and fires it off.
*How to Use iMessage So Everyone Will Love
You<http://gizmodo.com/5846238/how-to-use-imessage-so-everyone-will-love-you>
iOS 5 WiFi SYNC**
*
iOS 5 TIP: Wi-Fi Sync
Finally iPhone is now wire-free. you can now sync the device with iTunes
wirelessly. Presently, the Wi-Fi sync feature is only available to Mac OS
users and you must upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6.8, otherwise you won’t see the
Wi-Fi Sync option.For the very first time you use Wi-Fi sync, you have to
connect your device to computer and enable a “Wi-Fi Sync” option in iTunes.
Once the option is set, you’re ready to sync with your device wirelessly.
NOTE: Contrary to what I've read (including the article in the link below)
you do not have to have your iOS device plugged in to power nor USB once
you set it up on both the Mac and your iOS device. This means as long as
iTunes is open & running on your Desktop Mac you can freely sync via wifi
anytime you like.
*How to Use Wireless Sync in iOS
5<http://www.pcworld.com/article/242242/how_to_use_wireless_sync_in_ios_5.html>
*
*
iOS 5 PHOTO EDITING & ALBUM CREATION & HOW TO SAVE VIDEOS FROM AN EMAIL TIPS
*
*iOS 5 TIP: Photo editing comes to the Photos app!!
*In the Photos app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, you can now do basic
image editing work. Simply by tapping on the edit button at the top right
of a photo, you get access to several iPhoto-like tools:
* Rotate, to turn your image in 90 degree increments
* Auto-enhance, which waves a magic wand and tries to balance your image
* Red-eye removal, so you can just say goodbye to flash-induced evil
possession
* Crop, which lets you cut away the parts of an image you don’t want, and
includes all the standard
*
i*OS 5 TIP: Create new photo albums in iOS 5 – and here is how to keep your
Camera Roll organized in iOS 5!
*
1. Open the Photo App in iOS 5.
2. Tap the action button in the top-right.
3. Tap the photos you want to include in your new album.
4. When you've selected all your photos, tap the Add To button at the
bottom.
5. Tap "Add to Existing Album" or "Add to New Album."
6. Choose your existing album or type in a name for your new album.
Now your camera roll photos will be organized and easy to manage on your
iOS 5 device. NOTE: the folders you create on your iOS device are not
transfered to your Desktop computer!
*iOS 5 TIP: Save Videos to Your Camera Roll!
*This is just one of those new 200 Features of iOS 5 that you might not
have yet realized, and certainly a most useful addition for anyone using an
iPhone.
Check this link for more info: *iOS 5 Allows You to Save Videos to Your
Camera Roll | Cult of
Mac<http://www.cultofmac.com/125638/ios-5-allows-you-to-save-videos-to-your-camera-roll/>
*
*
SIRI VOICE ASSISTANT INFO*
*"Siri, how much data do you gobble up in a
*
*What can you say & or ask SIRI?*
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/05/iphone-4s-what-can-you-say-to-siri/
**
*Silly & Siriously Weird SIRI Remarks
*http://siriouslyweird.tumblr.com/
*
A good review of SIRI in WIRED*
http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/10/iphone4s/
*
iOS Useful Utilities*
*iPhone / iPod Touch Backup Extractor <http://supercrazyawesome.com/>*
a very useful FREE! tool for iOS folks. So what does it do?
This application converts the iPhone / iPod Touch backups that are created
by iTunes into readily usable Mac OS X files. It is designed to run on Mac
OS X 10.5 upwards.
What's it used for?
Extracting application resources for developers to help them investigate
bugs.
Exploring files that are created by third party applications using Finder.
Decoding the SQLite database files that are stored on the iPhone / iPod
Touch, such as Call History, SMS messages, and Notes.
*
**Recover iPhone, iPad or iPod photos from backups with
Picturescue<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpicturescueapp.com%2F&h=zAQHQTdMbAQGZ0MpHKMrV1EbWkvNVKNQdrkprjG6vPorJgQ>
*
A useful utility for restoring photos from a previous backup of your iOS
device. It's FREE to download and check out what photos are residing in
your old iOS backup files, but it'll cost you $4.99 in order to extract &
export any of them.
*How to quickly access settings from your Home
Screen<http://gigaom.com/apple/how-to-quickly-access-settings-from-your-home-screen/>
*
<http://gigaom.com/apple/how-to-quickly-access-settings-from-your-home-screen/>Don't
want to Jailbreak your iPhone but would still like to have access to a cool
Jailbreak like timesaver? Here is a 'fully legit' way to access useful
parts of your SETTINGS app via a one-touch-icon from your Homescreen. Or
access this link directly from your iOS device to add the profile of your
choice, and remember you can always delete the ones you don't need
afterwards: http://iphoneza.co.za/IconSettings/
*
iCloud*
*iCloud Overview (what you need to know)
*
iCloud vs. Wi-Fi Sync: Which does what?*
ttp://tinyurl.com/7znsgx4
*iTunes Match Info & Tips
**
Hands On With iTunes Match*
*Check Out Your Music's iCloud Status
*Dealing with iTunes Match's 25,000 Track Limit*
*Secrets of iTunes Match*
*EXTRA BITS & DEALS*
*
Jailbreaking & iOS 5 – CURRENTLY NOT RECOMMENDED!!!*
After seven betas, one GM and another performance improving update (which
itself has two betas), iOS 5 hasn’t received an untethered jailbreak yet.
Folks who wish to enhance their experience with apps and tweaks from Cydia
have to make do with a tethered jailbreak, but it appears that the
jailbreaking community is getting closer and closer to an untethered
jailbreak for iOS 5 as one hacker has sent out an update regarding its
progress.
No details have been given regarding the bug, but, perhaps, it is a
userland exploit like the five userland exploits which were announced by
p0sixninja at this year’s MyGreatFest. These userland exploits – unlike
bootrom exploits – are software-based and, hence, would be available for
all iOS devices, including iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (as was shown by MuscleNerd
of iPhone Dev Team), on the version of iOS which has the userland exploit.
The last userland exploit-based jailbreak was comex’s JailbreakMe which was
based on a PDF exploit in Mobile Safari on iOS 4.3.3. The main disadvantage
of a userland exploit is that it can be easily patched with a software
update whereas bootrom exploits cannot be patched unless hardware is
revised.
Current iOS 5 jailbreak is tethered-boot only, meaning you’ll have to
connect your device to your computer every time you need to restart it. If
you’ve got a supported iOS 5 device, you can jailbreak it using Redsn0w or
Sn0wbreeze. For more info I'd recommend doing a search for "iOS 5
Jailbreak".
*Apple's Black Friday Ad Leaked (good deals for the listeners)
*
New MacBook Air for $899 bundled with discounted $199 AppleCare* (time
sensitive so act quick for this deal!)
*
Pocket-Sized Projector for Your iPhone 4/4S*
*
PlugBug Charger, 10W USB iPad/iPhone Charger + MacBook Plug Attachment**
$34.99*
http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/plugbug/
————————–
OK hope all of this helps the cause…
*Whoops!!!*
One very cool goodie I forgot that would be most useful to the iOS crowd is
the following and should be placed under the EXTRA BITS & DEAL section.
*
Apps Gone FREE! – Get high quality paid apps for free each day. Every day
hundreds of apps reduce their price to free for a limited time*
Check their website out here:
http://appchronicles.com/category/apps-gone-free/
Or download the app directly for you iOS device from iTunes at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/appsgonefree/id470693788?mt=8
Thanks much!!!
Last updated: 6:25 PM 11/24/2011