FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: TL on July 11, 2008, 01:22:54 PM
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Braggin'?
I'm very close to being on the edge of almost ready to be thinkin' about takin' the leap...
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People were lined up down the block this morning and the line to get in the store is still 20 deep. I especially liked the "Half the Price*" poster. That's a pretty big *
For me it seems like when the iPod started to be in color and have "picture" capability on it -- kind of cool, but much better two generations later. The 3G coverage still isn't very widespread apparently, and the data plans are supposed to be a little steep and lock you in for a while.
However, I'm considering starting to think about maybe debating the possibility of purchasing one, perhaps. Sorta.
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I've got a 1G hutPhone but I've been LOVING the new apps since last night. 3G and GPS would be nice, but software is where it's at.
Nullsoft has a radio app that includes WFMU among thousands of other stations. $5. I notified Ken of this, and he was pleased. I will get back to you if NJ 101.5 is also available.
Music-wise, there are quite a few apps that turn your phone into a little piano or somesuch, and one application that will tell you what song you're listening to as far as recorded music (works really, really well), and another that will try to identify one based on whistling or humming (works if you're a good singer). These are both free.
The Remote application is pretty rad, too. It turns the iPhone into a remote control for any iTunes computer or Apple TV in your local WiFi network, and even does nice things like displaying the artwork of the currently playing tune on your phone.
Rotary dialer. Fun games. NetNewsWire. Evernote. Awesome all around.
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Do all those apps and stuff work on the iPod Touch? I wouldn't buy one on my own, but as a college student I get a free iPod when I buy a MacBook.
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Most of the apps work with an iPod touch, yeah. Just not the ones like the rotary dialer, for instance.
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The apps are pretty cool but it still costs a ton of money. It's crazy how much it costs to get data and phone service on the iPhone or with any other company. I finally decided to look into getting cell phones for my wife and I instead of just a pay as you go and I was shocked to see how ridiculous the prices are. I'm not paying that much to be available at all times and have some cool features. If your business pays for it, fine, but I'm really surprised how so many people have made cell phones a daily and essential part of their life at the prices I'm seeing.
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It comes down to an extra $20 to $30 per month to have data. The rest, you're probably already paying.
I thought I would never need it because (free) WiFi is everywhere, but I find it very useful, especially when I'm away from home. I always have something to read in waiting rooms, I can always find an address, etc. Can check FOT board. Is that a good thing?
Hell, it's almost worth the extra monthly fee to not have to carry around more than one gadget. Now, it also replaces the game boy I never had. The utility I get from the phone is easily worth the extra money.
I'm down with you on the general swindling in wireless. For instance, contracts and higher monthly fees are supposed to cover the reduced price of hardware upfront. Ergo, if you pay full price for the hardware, you should be able to pay less per month for fees. Of course, it doesn't work that way. On the other hand, if you're just looking for the basics and no data, it can be pretty cheap.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/07/11/iphone.sales.ap/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/07/11/iphone.sales.ap/index.html)
To all the people who have to buy the new thing the first moment it's available: HAHA, suckers!
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I got an awesome iPhone from Virgin Mobile last Christmas for about $15. It's pay as you go, so it ends up being about $15.99/ month.
It even has a cool blackjack game on it!
(http://kickthebobo.com/myphone.jpg)
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It comes down to an extra $20 to $30 per month to have data. The rest, you're probably already paying.
Yeah, I'm not against Apple and ATT at all. I just don't get how all of the sudden information and a phone in hand at all times is essential. I think when I was looking at prices it was 60 dollars a month for both of us to have phones and then we get cheap quality free phones. I think I pay 25 dollars a month for my landline. I guess I can see a single person bumping up 5-10 bucks a month but for couples it's a big jump in price. Plus, a ton of people are struggling right now but everyone still has a phone plan. I mean, I understand that people are always going to spend money they don't have, but on a phone? I don't get it.
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I just don't get how all of the sudden information and a phone in hand at all times is essential.
Me, neither.
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Unlimited long distance was a big selling point for me back when I went cell phone only 8 or so years ago. It ended up being cheaper for me to have a cell phone.
I don't talk much on the phone, and then only to the same few people, but it's nice to be able to do it any time, and to make use of time spent, e.g., walking to the train station. Plus, it helps out on planning. You never have to make plans, actually, you just meet up in a general area and make phone calls. I'm with you on the people who are always chat chatting away, though.
It'll never happen to me, because I have too much junk, but there's also something kind of cool about the fact that if you have a cell phone and a laptop, you can basically be at home anywhere. Urban nomadism and so forth. It's a very strange cultural development.
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People were lined up down the block this morning and the line to get in the store is still 20 deep.
People were lined up here aswell. For like two days! Afraid they will run out? Ridiculous. I silently cheered last night, when the skies opened and it started to rain, violently, for an hour.
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/2154/kooar385139725a1e69353rc3.jpg)
So to answer TL's question, I don't have one, and I'm probably not getting one.
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I broke down and got a cell phone about a couple years ago when I started getting serious about bicycle commuting. I wanted to be able to get out of a flat I couldn't fix, or if someone ran me off the road or something. That's never happened, and I rarely use my cell phone. I think of it as I think of insurance, it's there when I need it. $35 bucks a a month is the *cheapest* plan, though. (after tax etc...) I agree completely with Gilly on this point, it's ridiculously expensive unless you're always talking on it or text messaging. Living in a state without laws against using phones while driving, though, I'm as unenthusiastic about cell phones as I ever was, to say the least.
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To all the people who have to buy the new thing the first moment it's available: HAHA, suckers!
People were lined up here aswell. For like two days! Afraid they will run out? Ridiculous. I silently cheered last night, when the skies opened and it started to rain, violently, for an hour.
Jesus, guys.
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Jesus, guys.
Oh come on. I don't hate them or anything. I just think it's ridiculous to sit in line for two days, for something completely non-exclusive. It's not like the store only had five of them, I can walk over there now and get one. I just don't see the point, but to each his own etc.
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I went by the 5th Ave. Apple store last Saturday and there were people camped out there. One dude did have a solar powered iPod dock, rocking some shitty tunes.
However much of an Apple fanboy I am, I'm a lines anti-fanboy even more. I can't think of anything more unpleasant.
A good way to get something like a new gadget you can't wait to have, is to take a handful of sleeping pills. You then "travel through time" a few days or weeks until the lines and hype have died down a little.
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You know, I would pay 10-20 bucks for a data plan a month for that Pandora feature and streaming radio. Can you just buy the data plan and not the phone plan or are there any devices like that (solely meant for internet radio)? A Touch isn't the same because you have to be around wi-fi.
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You can get an EVDO card or some such for a laptop, but as far as I know there are no 3G-only mobile devices.
Streaming is cool, but using that much data KILLS your battery. It's doable in a car, with the phone hooked up to power, but kind of impractical otherwise, unless it's only for a short time.
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Um...no. First phone post!
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Jesus, guys.
Oh come on. I don't hate them or anything. I just think it's ridiculous to sit in line for two days, for something completely non-exclusive. It's not like the store only had five of them, I can walk over there now and get one. I just don't see the point, but to each his own etc.
Yeah, what he said.
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Well, if you really thought "to each his own," you wouldn't have said those things. But whatever.
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Wow, you sure are picky, Jouster!
Anywho, I think the iPhone is pretty cool, even the first generation, from what I've seen. The 3G makes it even more attractive to me. Once more networks start selling it (so far we have the same deal as you guys, only one carries it), or more precisely my network, I'll consider getting one.
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Well, if you really thought "to each his own," you wouldn't have said those things. But whatever.
It's not like a new movie or album - I applaud ridiculous enthusiasm for stuff like that. But we're talking about a phone, one that will be probably be obsolete in eight months.
BUT TO EACH HIS OWN!
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That said, I only posted that comment to have fun. The irony of people lining up all day for something that immediately malfunctioned made me laugh, not out of contempt for the customers, just out of my appreciation of irony. I was zinging Apple more than anyone else.
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I got an iPhone 3G last week - it's awesome. I find it hard to believe I waited so long. Having access to my work email and calendar are great (we use Outlook, which took less than 5 minutes for me to set up). Also having access to the web is great - "What movies has Jennifer Grey been in since Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing?" "Well, let me check on that." Phone quality is on par with other phones I've had.
Battery life is short, but longer than other 3G phones. I mostly turn the 3G off to extend the battery life - I just use the slower but less-battery intensive EDGE network. 3G is only really necessary if you want to download big files or complex web pages, and you can always turn it back on. At home, I just let it connect to my wireless network, which is as fast as 3G. I get more than a full day's use out of a charge that way. I would get the 16GB if you plan to have any music or movies - I'm still deciding what to leave off even at 16GB.
A needed accessory is the Anti-glare screen cover. It's a thin sheet of silicone that basically protects the glass from getting scratched, and, more importantly, keeps fingerprints and, uh, grease off. It's not invisible, but on balance it's great. At $14.95 for two, it's kind of pricey for what it is, but it fits perfectly and it does what it says. Takes 20 minutes to get it on just right, but then it stays on till you take it off.
You'll also want to get an extra connector ($19.95) if your computer and where you charge the phone are in different rooms.
So, TL and everybody else, I would recommend it heartily!
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A buddy of mine, to demonstrate the unscratchability of the screen, will scrape his keys across it. I don't have the guts.
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i do fine with my sidekick, but i do envy the limited internet format i see in the iphone 3G commercials.
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If you aren't away from wifi often I recommend the touch. The iPhone has internet everywhere but if you don't want to pay that hefty price every month the touch is no slouch with almost all the features of the iPhone. I was able to find a guy on Craig's List who wanted to trade his touch for my Classic straight up. It's only 8GB but I've found with Last.fm and Pandora that the only time I listen to my own mp3's is in the car so I just fill it with new music and absolute favorite albums.
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I got the 32 GB Touch and I was surprised to find that I love it.
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unfortunately, the fingerprints on the screen would bug me. especially if they were somebody else's. i consistently wipe my screen off anyway, but still...what a chore.
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I have the previously mentioned anti-glare films but have yet to apply them (I still have the original plastic that it came with over the screen)- I'm hoping they'll help on that front.
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Lemme give another plug for Tuner, which is what you want if you want to use your hutPhone or touch to listen to WFMU streams. It's very cool and not too harsh on the battery.
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unfortunately, the fingerprints on the screen would bug me. especially if they were somebody else's. i consistently wipe my screen off anyway, but still...what a chore.
Yeah, Baron and Allison, the anti-glare film solves the fingerprint problem completely. Like I said, it's not completely invisible (the only thing I haven't tried to do with it on is watch a movie) but it hasn't been interfering in any way so far. And I haven't had to wipe the screen in the two days since I put it on - it seems to somehow repel dirt, dust, fingerprints.
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Is there a comic book reader app at the Itunes store? I'm not around wifi right now to check.
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I have been enjoying this Griffin iPhone sleeve.
(http://www.griffintechnology.com/images/assets/headers/0000/3006/elanholster_1.jpg)
I don't use the clip. You take it out to use it. It protects it while it's in your pocket, and adds friction to keep it from slipping away out of your silky basketball shorts. Also, it provides a nice surface with a slight angle to rest it on the table sometimes. Overall, I'm not a fan of the kinds of cases that basically have a big hole for the screen and function as little more than trimming, and which then require the over the screen sticker. The sleeve is a fair and balanced solution.
Using the case also eliminates the human grease phenomenon.
Gilly, last time I checked, no comics readers. File Magnet has been improving, but it stinks at big, image-based PDFs (which you can easily convert CBZs to on a Macintosh Mac), and there is likewise not very good support at viewing just a decompressed folder of sequentially named images*. I'm sure something's coming, although it remains to be seen if the small screen + flicking and zooming around is a satisfactory reading experience.
* If you don't use iPhoto for importing images, it might be realistic to just decompress the images into a folder and sync them from there, and use the Photos app.
ps: There is a comic reader but it's only a frontend for buying comics from this one online store.
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Yeah, I've heard about that one. Let me know if one pops up.
What apps are you using? I'm pretty standard right now with Last FM, Pandora, Facebook, Sports Tap and Google search. My two app. wishes are a comic book reader and Hulu.
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Personally I've mostly downloaded game-type applications. If I'm near wifi to use things involving the internet, it's probably because I'm at home where I can just use a computer anyway.
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Holdem is great.
You can listen to WFMU at iphone.wfmu.org. It's pretty freaking cool.
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You can listen to WFMU at iphone.wfmu.org. It's pretty freaking cool.
It flakes out on me after an hour or so, making me clear the cache. Tuner lasts and last. I did use the stream while on the road, though, a few months ago.
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Ones in bold I really really like.
1Password
2 Across
AOL Radio
Bomberman
BookSearch
BookShelf
Cro-Mag
Crosswords
Cubes
Enigmo
FileMagnet
Fire Words
HoldEm
JawBreaker
Labyrinth LE
MarbleMash
Monkey Ball
Morocco
Muddle
NYTimes
NetNewsWire
Pandora
Quordy
Remote
RotaryDialer
Scrabble
Stanza
TapTap
Tetris
Trism
Tuner
WeatherBug
Zenbe
iChing
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You can listen to WFMU at iphone.wfmu.org. It's pretty freaking cool.
It flakes out on me after an hour or so, making me clear the cache. Tuner lasts and last. I did use the stream while on the road, though, a few months ago.
Yep me too. The archives do as well.
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Gilly did you buy the Apps thing through the iTunes store (for $10 or so)? Or jailbreak the thing?
I have a new iPod Touch myself, and am trying to figure out what's what.
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What what?
You Brits with your funny phrases.
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Gilly did you buy the Apps thing through the iTunes store (for $10 or so)? Or jailbreak the thing?
I have a new iPod Touch myself, and am trying to figure out what's what.
I bought the update. From what I've heard, it doesn't make sense to jailbreak now that the App Store is running.
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You Brits with your funny phrases.
That's not the worst part.
I was initially going to write "I have a new iTouch, myself"
But reading that over, I decided not to.
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saying so would just be beating a dead horse, samir. we all know already.
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top thing I'm sometimes amazed that iPhone owners don't realize, is that you can use the headphone mic to pause/play/skip music. Second is swipe to delete emails.
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The only thing about jailbreaking the touch that kind of interests me is that I think it allows apps to run in the background. So, when you close out of last.fm or Pandora it doesn't turn the music off. The thing I don't know is if you can use last.fm or Pandora on a jailbreak touch.
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top thing I'm sometimes amazed that iPhone owners don't realize, is that you can use the headphone mic to pause/play/skip music. Second is swipe to delete emails.
Dude, I probably read a novel's worth of crap on this thing before I bought it. I can do anything with it.
But, I must confess that I am embarrassed by how much I read about it before I got it. I have a problem and need help or something.
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agreed. albeit, i dont have an iphone, but most anything i buy that comes with a booklet, i read front to back. then im suddenly the "expert".
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I admit it took me a few days to realize that you pause/change volume on the Touch by double clicking the home button. Which, incidentally, is one of the few things (the other main one being the battery life) that I don't like about it- it's difficult to do so quickly. I might start using my old iPod again for when I'm driving, since I can change the volume or pause it without having to look.
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Thank you so much! I got mine second hand so I had no idea about the double click. That makes things much easier.
I bought an adjustable cell phone holder for my dashboard and it makes it easy to navigate in the car. I looked all over for one and I ended up finding one at Walmart of all places for 5 bucks. I had to tear off a piece of foam to make it fit but it works and sticks right to the dash in arms reach. I'm sure you could find one at the Apple store for 75 dollars too.
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I admit it took me a few days to realize that you pause/change volume on the Touch by double clicking the home button. Which, incidentally, is one of the few things (the other main one being the battery life) that I don't like about it- it's difficult to do so quickly. I might start using my old iPod again for when I'm driving, since I can change the volume or pause it without having to look.
Yeah, the external volume control rocker and microphone clickity click are essential on the phone. I would hope that the touch gets those in the next revision.
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I downloaded Simplify Media on my touch today, can't wait to get home and set it up on my computer. Has anybody set it up yet?
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Simplify Media is the best app in the store right now. You show the desktop app where all of your music folders are and it streams them to your iphone/touchand it's as fast as Pandora or Last.FM too. It does take a few hours to initially scan your library if it's huge. You can also share your library with 30 friends. It was free for the first 100K downloads and I'm not sure if that's been reached yet but I'll attest that it's well worth $4.99.
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I was driving home Tuesday night and was going to miss the first part of the Best Show. I went to the WFMU iphone website and started it up, unplugged my iPod in the car and plugged the iPhone in and was listening to the Best Show live on my car stereo - whole thing took about 45 seconds.
Technology is cool.
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My most reliable source of internet access this week has been my iPod combined with a burrito place's free wifi.
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Has anybody done jailbreak (I don't know how to word that right...) on their touch or iphone? I kind of want to, but I'm hesitant. I don't think I'll screw up the install I'm just worried about the stability of it and if I can get back my 2.0 update I paid for if I don't like it.
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I didn't on my iPod Touch because I really didn't see the point- it makes sense on an iPhone where you might need to use a different carrier but not on an iPod where you now have legal applications anyway.
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There are a lot of apps that I want to try out that are only available as jailbreak apps like Scrobble and the Nintendo roms.
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I used both of those when I jailbroke my phone many months ago. The last.fm scrobbling thingy (iScobbler?) crashed my phone all the time and ROMS were too hard to actually play. iPhone games really need to be designed specifically for the iPhone.
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I've broken like six Treos and three Centros. Scared I'll just break an iPhone, so gotta stay away. Plus read it's not the best for business applications and texting/emailing. Is this true? Just switched to a Blackberry. I am sooo lame.
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I've broken like six Treos and three Centros. Scared I'll just break an iPhone, so gotta stay away. Plus read it's not the best for business applications and texting/emailing. Is this true? Just switched to a Blackberry. I am sooo lame.
Typing is just as fast on the iPhone once you get used to it. It can't copy and paste which is basically the only limitation.
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I used both of those when I jailbroke my phone many months ago. The last.fm scrobbling thingy (iScobbler?) crashed my phone all the time and ROMS were too hard to actually play. iPhone games really need to be designed specifically for the iPhone.
Yeah, I'm looking at videos of the NES app and it looks pretty lame. There's a new program called Scrobble... I think the last one was called MobileScrobbler... anyway, people seem to like Scrobble. So, did you go back to Apple then? From what I've heard, you can get third party apps and use the App Store as well. Do you know if that's right?
Here's a list of everything on Cydia as of the end of July. There's a lot of interesting stuff on there especially iComic. I'm not to worried about bricking my ipod and I don't have to worry about voiding a warranty since I don't have one.
http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/iphone-modifications/cydia-apps-list-32728.html
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I've broken like six Treos and three Centros. Scared I'll just break an iPhone, so gotta stay away. Plus read it's not the best for business applications and texting/emailing. Is this true? Just switched to a Blackberry. I am sooo lame.
Typing is just as fast on the iPhone once you get used to it. It can't copy and paste which is basically the only limitation.
Yeah, I just figured out how to copy/paste on BBErry, it was so easy on the treos, and I need to do it all the time. Dunno what I'd do without it.
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I just can't be bothered to deal with jailbreaking stuff anymore. It's easier to just surrender. The apps are too variable to make it worth the hassle.
As to the copy/paste, one thing that's nice about an all-screen/software interface is that new features can easily be added after the fact, like the iPhone's accent marks feature. I expect copy/paste to be part of the 3.0 software, but who knows.
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I did the jailbreak last night and I'm loving it. Yesno, did you use icomic? That's a really great comic reader. Sometimes you have to zoom in a little to read the words, but not that often since it allows you to flip it and get the widescreen view. That app plus Scrobbled have made me very happy that I decided to go for it. The NES is pretty much unusable like you said. I even tried some simple puzzle games like Adventures of Lolo and even those were too hard to navigate. I'm interested in this (http://toucharcade.com/2008/08/25/iphone-gaming-control-pads-in-the-works/) but I wonder if it would work with the emulator.
I suppose you have to reinstall this thing and wait for new firmware if you ever want to get Apple updates huh? The 2.1 doesn't interest me that much... I'm not installing updates until I need to because I love what I can do with it now.
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Yesno, did you use icomic? That's a really great comic reader.
I need to give that a go. I've been pretty sour recently on comics but maybe a good portable reader will fix me. I've tried the sideways macbook thing but it's so awkward.
Can't wait until these:
(http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/09/08/plasticlogic2.jpg)
are available. See http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/plastic-logics.html.
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Hey gilly, I think that ComicZeal is what you're looking for.
You have to convert .cbzs to work with it with some cumbersome software they provide, but there's a reason for that: they explain that to view a lot of .cbzs straight is too processor-intensive. A lot of the images in .cbz are really, really big. The format it converts to maintains just enough resolution so you can read the text, but you can't zoom into people's nostrils. It has bookmarking, and portrait/landscape view. I think it's as good as it gets with a smaller screen, for a comic reader.
Also, Fring allows Skype/AIM voice calls over WiFi, but I haven't tried it yet. Nothing wrong with a little free international long distance. (It's free, ComicZeal is $3.)
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How do you get the zip files on to your iPod if you haven't jailbreaked it? That sounds exactly like iComic actually, but you can SSH them on to your iPod. When a page's resolution is too big it will just be a black screen with oversize written on it. But, I've read a bunch of comics and I've only had that show up once and it was only the comics cover. The only converting I've had to do is changing rar files to zip files. But, Comic Zeal sounds like a good option for a person who doesn't want to jailbreak.
I heard about Fring, that looks awesome. I only have an ipod touch, but that's a great app. The market for phones without contracts is going to be huge now even though you do have to be around wifi. In Minneapolis, they have citywide wifi and I've heard (but I'm not positive) that your signal never drops, it just changes from one wifi spot to the next one. So, a unlocked iphone with Fring might be all a person needs if they spend the majority of their time within the city. Unfortunately, I'm about 10 miles out of range. I've never used Skype, can you take incoming calls with it?
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You run a creator program. It scans a particular directory for .cbzs, .cbrs, and image folders. It converts them and puts them up for download on a mini web server that runs for as long as it's open, on a local address. You navigate to that local address in Mobile Safari, choose a comic to download, and ComicZeal launches and downloads the comic. The converter software is still pretty rough but it works.
A lot of programs work in a similar way, setting up a web server or something through bonjour that you connect to locally. That's how all the "suitcase" programs work. (One of them is the opposite: it turns your phone into a server that you connect to on your desktop. You then copy files onto it just like it's any network drive.) A couple of programs (like Things and Omnifocus) even sync with desktop applications in that way.
You *can* take incoming calls with Skype, but for that to even conceivably work without keeping Fring running all the time Apple will have to get their third-party notification system up and running, and even then Fring themselves might have no way to implement it. Frankly I've never seen much advantage to Skype vs. iChat, but it's nice that it's supported.
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I've been using the Genius feature for the first time this past week and I have to say that MusicIP does a much better job of creating playlists. Genius seems to rely on what's popular, MusicIP does a better job of finding songs that sound similar. Plus, it isn't limited to the ITunes catalog. It's not 100% accurate but Genius is probably like 5 percent accurate while MusicIP is maybe around 45%. I would recommend using the standalone app and send playlists to ITunes rather than using the ITunes plugin which doesn't seem to work as well.
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I got the iPhone 3G in August and really like it. I've only had problems with my comcast email account, but my exchange (work) account works almost as well as being at my desktop. I've got some of the apps, really am hooked on Sextuple Word Challenge, although I think there are better word games out there, if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!
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if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!
Muddled, Quordy, Firewords
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thanks yesno, are those free apps?
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So Google Street View on iPhone OS 2.2 is about the coolest thing ever. It lets me see how you average street scene in Tokyo is as dull as the average street scene anywhere.
But this screenshot of a Tokyo woman who has been brutally ripped in half is a bit disconcerting.
(http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/11/21/f_IMG0001m_f25bf9e.png)
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Bumping an old thread to ask... is there a good app for the iphone to browse and post on forums?
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I have no idea, but I have noticed that this is the only forum that works properly on my iPod in terms of staying logged in and recognizing what are new posts. Of course, this is on my first gen ipod touch, so for all I know they've improved things by now.
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Just use the mobile version of the site. E.g. http://www.friendsoftom.com/forum/index.php?action=unread;wap2