iPhone Download World

Mark Goodier’s most-played tracks…

At the age of 18, and after four years of trying, I got a job with Radio forth. But my biggest break was getting into Radio 1.

Interviewing U2 around 20 years ago at the release of Achtung Baby was memorable and scary. one of my questions features on from the Sky down, the new U2 film – you hear me on audio. Listening back reminds me that that album was the soundtrack to many people’s teenage or maybe university years. It was a good time.

I often use TuneIn Radio on my iPhone and head out into a journey of adventure. I’m a radio guy, and I love to hear how people in other parts of the world do it. I’ve just been to the Radio Festival, where Elvis Duran (from new York’s Z100 station) spoke.

I’ve gone off Spotify a bit; I used to use it a lot, as a search tool. I don’t know why I’ve gone off it. I was always on the basic service. To me there are only so many subscriptions you can have in life before you don’t get any value out of them.

I use iTunes a lot, actually. It’s revolutionised the consumption of music and proved that people still want to buy music. It’s true that there’s a lack of A&R in the music industry at the moment but you can’t lay the blame at Apple’s door for that. the record companies have had about 15 years to distribute their music to a future audience but they were basically junkies fixing on a £4 profit per CD, which is how it was until the supermarkets started selling CDs cheap.

I use Dropbox all day, every day. It’s brilliant, not just for audio stuff that needs to be portable, but also for distributing single bits of content to people. I also use FiRe on my iPhone – it’s a remarkable recording device. I record straight from the iPhone with FiRe, send it as a wav to Dropbox over 3G or Wi-Fi, and then share it via a link. within half an hour of an interview, it’s with the producer.

I love the Financial Times web app. I think web apps might be the future. and Algorithm DJ is absolutely amazing – you can queue tracks from your iPhone, vary the pitch… DJs could literally do a whole gig with them. It’s revolutionary.

I tried to resist initially, but then it became embarrassing. I’ve had the 1, 3G, 3GS, the 4 and now the 4S… I’ve had them all, and in between I’ve even tried to wean myself off. I’ve also tried lots of Nokias and the HTC Desire, but the user experience can’t come close to iOS.

I don’t feel cheated but I’m not loving it. Siri’s fun, rather than essential, even though Apple is great at providing things you didn’t know you wanted but actually love. the expectation of iPhone 5 meant I wanted more development.

Mark Goodier has embraced the iPhone so enthusiastically, he just can’t help getting the newest one

Dusty Springfield – Son Of a Preacher Man I can’t get over how remarkable she is.

Paul Simon – Dazzling Blue If you’ve been to the Hamptons, these lyrics amplify what you feel.

Glen Campbell – It’s Your amazing Grace I have a daughter called Grace so I home

in on songs with her name in the title.

Coldplay – Paradise Even though it’s not cool to like them, this is very good.

U2 – Until the End Of the World a rock ’n’ roll monster – a great celebration of Achtung Baby’s 20th anniversary.

Chic – My Forbidden Lover Nile Rodgers is one of my heroes – he’s the architect of so many types of music.

Glen Campbell – a Thousand Lifetimes It’s remarkable for someone of 75 to have put out an album of such clarity.

Faith No More – We Care a Lot I’ve been playing this over and over recently. It’s one of a kind.

Sting – love is the Seventh Wave He’s an extraordinary lyricist, a self-made man.

Julian Lennon – Looking For Love His new album Everything Changes is great.

Pretty Please?: A 2012 Technology Wish List

With fewer than 40 hours left in 2011, it seems like a good time to think about what 2012 holds in store. there are plenty of predictions about what we can expect in technology, based on what exists now, and the current trends. I am going to take a slightly different approach, though.

What follows is a technology wish list for 2012 that are not a predictions per se. the wishes exist on their own merits without regard for current technology. At the same time, the wishes are not so fantastic that they are beyond the realm of possibility.

With that in mind, here we go:

The world has gone mobile. from both a consumer and business perspective, more people are relying on notebooks, smartphones, and tablets to connect from virtually anywhere. the problem is that “virtually anywhere” is usually lacking in power outlets, so these devices need to have the juice to get through the day…at least.

There have been significant strides in this area. my iPad 2 seems to last forever, and my current notebook can plow through most of a work day on a single charge. Smartphones seem to be heading in the wrong direction, though — both the iPhone 4S and the recently launched Galaxy Nexus seem to drain quicker than their predecessors — and there is still room for improvement.

The first wish for 2012 is battery performance from mobile devices that allow you to roam the world with confidence, without scrambling to recharge in the middle of the day.

Less Adapter Confusion

While we’re on the topic of power, why does every single device have to re-invent the connector used to power or recharge it? if you are traveling with a laptop, tablet, smartphone, and/or e-reader, it is not inconceivable that you need to carry four separate chargers. if you happen to forget one, you are probably screwed because there is little standardization and the odds of you finding a random charger that fits your proprietary connection are slim to none.

The point of each is to simply move the electricity from the wall, or through your PC. there is no need for each vendor — actually each device because some vendors aren’t even consistent across devices — to require some unique connector to make that happen. I wish technology would pick a charging connector and stick with it.

Fewer (Or Zero) Outages

Funny thing about wireless and Internet service providers — they have no qualms making excuses and justifying system outages for the services you’re paying for, but they seem to have little sense of humor or appreciation for any “temporary outage” of your payments. it seems reasonable if you are paying for a service to expect that service to be delivered as agreed upon.

Yet, major providers like RIM and Verizon have experienced service outages lasting for days with little more than an “oops, we’re sorry”. Credits applied for disruption of service are typically paltry, and offer little consolation for not having a functional device for days at a time.

(Reliable) 4G Everywhere

While we’re at it, lets lump in dead zones and outdated wireless service. This is 2012 (or at least it will be in a couple days). Users should not have to deal with dropped calls on a daily basis, or go out of their way to navigate around known dead zones.

Even without the dead zones, though, users who select a device or provider based on the promise of 4G (or even 3G for that matter), should be able to use that service virtually anywhere. 4G service is limited to specific metropolitan areas in most cases, and even 3G networks have holes like Swiss cheese. At any given time it is a crap shoot to figure out whether my wireless devices will be able to connect on 3G, or if they will fall back to some pathetically slow legacy network.

Wireless providers need to take all that money we’re pouring in, and invest it in a robust, reliable infrastructure capable of actually delivering the speed and quality of service that they advertise.

Fluent, Flexible Voice Interaction

Siri is great. but, Siri is limited to only the iPhone 4S, and even on the iPhone 4S Siri has limited capabilities. so, for the 2012 technology wish list, let’s add voice interaction, a’ la Siri, that is more platform diverse, and more comprehensive in its capabilities.

For starters, I’d just like to see Siri offered across the Apple ecosystem. I can’t see any reason why the same Siri voice interaction shouldn’t work just fine on my iPad 2 and MacBook Air as well as my iPhone 4S. beyond that, though, it would be nice to have Siri — or Siri-like capabilities — available on devices beyond just Apple.

Aside from that, I wish for 2012 that the functionality of Siri (or other voice interaction tools) is expanded. you should be able to open apps, or take pictures using voice commands.

In 2012, can we please get pooled data plans? I have been preaching pooled data for some time, and it appears that Verizon has something along those lines planned. it doesn’t make sense that my mobile devices share a pool of minutes when it comes to talk time, but that each one has to have its own separate data plan, with its own separate expense and pool of megabytes.

I’ll take that one step farther, and say that the data pool should include all of my data — not just mobile. Rather than having one bill for home broadband, and separate bills for every mobile device, I should be able to figure out how much total bandwidth I need, and purchase one pool that can be shared by all.

The world of technology is becoming increasingly diverse. it is not unusual for someone to have a Windows PC, an Android smartphone, and an iOS tablet. so, let’s wrap up with a wish that software become more platform agnostic in 2012.

Whether it’s a game like Angry Birds, productivity tools like Microsoft Office, or cloud storage like Box.com, people should be able to use the same tools across all of their devices. And, more importantly, those tools should be kept in sync, and offer as much consistency in both features and feel as possible.

There you have it. Do you have any 2012 technology wishes that didn’t make this list? Are there any on this list that strike a nerve for you as well, or that you think shouldn’t be on the list? I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks should be on the 2012 technology wish list in the comments.

Happy new Year!

Globe, Smart war looms over iPhone

Custom Search BY MYLA IGLESIAS

THE country’s leading telecom giants, Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, are in a tight battle again, this time over this year’s hottest gadget, the iPhone 4S.

Starting tomorrow, Friday, Globe and Smart subscribers can start availing themselves of the iPhone.

Globe was the exclusive dealer of iPhone for three years since 2008. Smart got the dealership license for the new model in October.

The war is expected in pricing. Neither Globe nor Smart wants to reveal its prices. Obviously, one is feeling its way on the other. One will try to outsmart or outsell the other by offering a lower price.

Globe, sole distributor of iPhone 3G and 4 since 2008, said that their orders before Friday have reached "record levels".

Globe started accepting pre-orders for both online and from walk-in customers last December 1, and an insider said that orders have reached "thousands".

Peter Bithos, senior adviser for Consumer Business at Globe Telecom, said that their pre-orders for iPhone 4S have already outpaced the volume of orders when Globe launched the iPhone 4 last year.

"Globe is one of the first in Asia to carry iPhone from the very start," Bithos said. "we know iPhone from inside-out, we’ve had years to study the habits and patterns of our customers who use iPhone and we have great offers that combine mobile browsing with SMS and calls that really the power of iPhone 4S."

Globe has a total mobile subscriber base of 29 million, 60 percent of which are using Internet-enabled phones. Some 1 to 2 million subscribers use smartphones, which include iPhone.

Smart, the country’s leading telecom provider with more than 60 million mobile phone subscribers, said that its pre-orders had reached "tens of thousands" as of yesterday since it started taking orders on December 2.

Both will have a major launch tonight, the highlight of which will be the release of the pricing and available bundles.

Some say that Globe may bundle the iPhone 4S with the iPad, also exclusively distributed by Globe.

Others say that since Smart is a new entrant in selling the iPhone, it may offer the product in a lower-priced bundle.

But the number of available units is also in question.

An industry insider said that Globe was able to procure "around 30,000 units" while Smart has on hand only "around 20,000 units."

The battle has reached even social networking sites, with Filipinos asking Globe and Smart to release their price packages so they could decide whether they will switch telcos or not.

And just like when it was launched in the US last October, the Philippine launch was also full of controversies, mostly centering on the telcos’ shipments.

Both denied the rumors, saying that they have the units already in their possession.

The Philippines is part of the third batch of countries that are releasing the iPhone 4s along with Brazil, Russia, Chile, Malaysia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey and Taiwan.

The iPhone 4s is packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. iPhone 4s has a reworked cellular architecture complete with dual-mode HSPA+ and CDMA2000 compatibility, making it a world-phone device.

Apple sold 4 million iPhone 4s phones in the first three days after its release, which made it not only the best iPhone launch in Apple’s history, but the most-successful launch of any mobile phone ever.

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The best smartphone deals for the holiday season – iPhone app article – Marty Gabel

Thinking about buying a new smartphone for yourself or as a gift this holiday season? most cellular carriers are offering great deals on top-of-the-line smartphones right now. It pays to pay attention.

Note that some of these offers can change on a moment’s notice, and others could vary by location. Potential customers should always read the fine print in case there are hidden fees. as well, many of these deals require a new two-year contract and may come with various data charges. But that’s the case with most smartphones, so you may as well take advantage of the holiday deals when you can.

Big Red Santa (Verizon Wireless)

Verizon Wireless offers a special online holiday deals section, and there are many tempting offers available. Consumers interested in Google’s Android or BlackBerry smartphones in particular have a lot of choices.

The Motorola Droid Pro is a powerful device that offers both a QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen typing options. It can also be had for free with a two-year contract. Arguably the best Android phone available for business users, the Motorola Droid Pro is equipped with corporate-level information security capabilities and a large touchscreen display. The Droid Pro also provides less-than-professional fun in the form of tens of thousands of great apps and games.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is an Android device which also doubles as a very capable games machine due to its slide-out gamepad. just a few months ago this phone was $199. now it’s available for free. Score! Capable of running apps and games from the Android Market, as well as certain Sony PlayStation games, the Experia PLAY is a bargain for game-focused consumers who are OK with signing a two-year contract.

Potential buyers should note that neither of these free Android phones offer connectivity to Verizon’s super-speedy 4G-LTE network. if you want that on your smartphone, you’re going to need to pony-up some extra cash.

If you’re more of a BlackBerry lover, there are two devices manufactured by Research in Motion on sale from Verizon. The Blackberry Curve 3G 9330 is good for social networking fans, pre-loaded with Twitter and Facebook. It might be a good choice for people who work at offices where the corporate network only allows secure RIM BlackBerry devices. For $99, the BlackBerry Torch 9850 is another good deal with its touchscreen capabilities and a more powerful processor.

Ma Jingle Bells (AT&T)

AT&T’s wireless homepage doesn’t scream with seasonal cheer just yet, but there are still a few bargains to be had if you look closely, and they’re offering 50 percent off select 4G devices.

For Apple fans, despite the dominance of the new iPhone 4S, there are great deals on older iPhone models. The iPhone 4 is still a very capable device and is available now for a reasonable $99.99. you still get access to a huge amount of apps and games that take advantage of the many great features of Apple’s most recent iOS 5 mobile software. Refurbished iPhone 4s (with more storage) are also offered from $99.99 to $149.99, while the still-popular 8GB iPhone 3GS can be had for as little as $0.99. all of these will require data plans and a new two-year contract, and it should be noted that the $99 iPhone 4 is also available on Sprint and Verizon.

In the Android camp, the 4G-capable Motorola Atrix is available refurbished for a mere penny, providing you sign-up for a new two-year contract. buy it online, and you will also get free shipping. The Atrix is a capable device boasting a high-resolution display, 5-megapixel camera, a powerful battery and a dual-core processor. you can also plug it into a dock to run apps and videos from your phone on larger screens.

If you still hold a torch for Palm and its endangered although still very capable webOS software, the Palm Pixi Plus is available for free from AT&T. with its compact dimensions, full keyboard, voice-guided GPS and full HTML browser, it’s a great alternative for customers who don’t want to jump into the Android, iOS or BlackBerry camp just yet.

Sprinter Wonderland (Sprint)

There’s still time to get your hands on the former Google flagship smartphone, the Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint. And what’s more, it’s totally free with free activation and shipping. however, you’ll need to hurry, because this offer ends on Dec 20. The Nexus S 4G is a speedy, slim device with a 1GHz processor, 16GB of built-in memory and a beautiful 4-inch super AMOLED display. Running on Sprint’s swift 4G network and offering a ‘pure’ Android experience, it’s a great bargain.

If you are interested in picking up a smartphone powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, Sprint is offering the HTC Arrive for $99.99 with a new, two-year contract. with its 3.6-inch capacitive touchscreen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and up to 25GB of storage on Windows Live SkyDrive, this smartphone is good for folks who need to easily sync with Microsoft Office, but can also turn on the fun with its Xbox LIVE integration.

Misel-T-Mobile (T-Mobile)

T-Mobile’s online store is hardly bursting with festive cheer, but the nation’s No. 4 carrier always boasts low prices anyway. So there are some good deals to be had.

T-Mobile mainly seems to be promoting its unlimited family plans, which over the life of a contract could save you more money than a free smartphone. For instance, T-Mobile is offering plans for its top 4G smartphones like the the Samsung Galaxy SII and HTC Amaze 4G with two lines for just $49.99 per month. this includes unlimited data, talk and text.

And there is always T-Mobile’s perennial Free Cell Phone Deals section, offering a range of older, less powerful Android smartphones which can still do a fine job of running apps and games.

Smaller carriers and retailers

The smaller carriers continue to offer great deals on smartphones, particularly if you are looking for an Android device. Further, a lot of these are available without contracts. you may have to fork out a hundred bucks or more initially, but without being tied-down to a long-running contract, you may at the end of the day find yourself saving some cash.

Switch to US Cellular, for example, and the carrier will let you have not just one, but two free phones. Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile are offering some discounts on popular Android devices too. Cricket will guarantee delivery by December 24th (and offers free shipping on its smartphones) so you can be sure to get any new devices wrapped up and under the tree before Christmas Day itself.

Meanwhile, many online retailers are offering competitive smartphone specials this holiday season. most of them will also help you port your number too, providing you are willing to sign your life away with a new two-year contract. Wirefly is currently offering the Verizon Motorola Droid X2 as well as the T-Mobile myTouch. Both of these Android smartphones can be had for free.

At the AmazonWireless site, there are still some 1 cent Android smartphone offers available including the Samsung Conquer 4G and the LG Marquee on Sprint (the former runs on Sprint’s fast 4G WiMax network), as well as the HTC Droid Incredible 2 on Verizon, with its world-phone capabilities and large, 4-inch display.

Dial into these smartphone deals before it’s too late!

Trade or Sell Those Unwanted Gifts You Got This Year With Gazelle & Swap.com

Chances are you got one or two gifts that you don’t want or need this holiday season. I mean how many wool sweaters, wireless mice or NERF guns do you really need? or maybe you got a sweet new iPhone 4S and you no longer need your that iPhone 3GS. Well, instead of battling the crowds to return those items or simply tossing away those old electronics, two Boston startups are here to help you capitalize on those unwanted items. best of all, you don’t have to leave your couch. (Technically, you do when you mail them, but shopping can be done on the couch.) Check them out and let us know what you are doing with your unwanted gifts.

You remember the old days at cafeteria lunch – I’ll give you my apple for your snack pack – right? Trading goods is as old school as it comes. and with the introduction of the internet and mobile devices trading goods is now that much easier. Swap.com acts as a marketplace for users to turn what they no longer want into what they have always wanted.

The service is free and extremely easy to use. just log in through Facebook, select items that you want to swap and then start browsing for the stuff that you want. because Swap.com is an open marketplace you will have to work things out with your fellow swapper in order to finalize the deal. You can literally trade anything, even Groupons and Gift Cards!

Here is a video for more info on how to use Swap.com

Re-commerce giant Gazelle.com does the dirty work for you. and by dirty work we mean give you straight cash for your old electronics. It is as easy as it sounds. The web interface allows you to select the item that you want to get rid of, gives you a cash estimate and even pays for shipping and handling. They even have a mobile app so you can sell your old phone from your new phone.

The best part of using Gazelle is that they will even recycle all used electronics in an environmentally friendly way. and, just as a kicker, say your trying to get rid of an AT&T 16GB iPhone 4 right now, you can get $157.

I challenge you to use these local companies instead of eBay and Craigslist this year.

What are you doing with your unwanted gifts this year?

Motorola wins iPhone case in Germany – Rethink Wireless

Apple is accustomed to walking the red carpet in the holiday season but this year some of its vulnerabilities are starting to show. Its strategy to thwart tablet challengers through the law courts even before the market gains scale is delivering only mixed results, frustrating rivals but not knocking them out; and now Amazon not only has an effective alternative in the slate space (and one free from Apple litigation so far), but the retailer is putting together a whole ecosystem around its devices, which really could eat into Apple’s territory.

In the courts, the past week has seen most of the points scored by Apple’s rivals, although the first really decisive case in the anti-Android campaign will be heard this week, when the US International Trade Commission judges a patent dispute with HTC – the first time a court will make a final, rather than a preliminary, ruling on the claims that Android infringes Apple patents. this will be an important pointer for all the other cases going on around the world – over 30 with Samsung alone.

In the waiting period for the HTC case, another of Apple’s targets, Motorola, has won a very significant victory – made more meaningful because it will soon be owned by Google, which acquired it largely to strengthen its own IPR position, and therefore Android’s. Motorola, like Nokia and Samsung, has vast reserves of fundamental wireless intellectual property, which Apple lacks. The firms were slow to deploy this weapon, partly because many of the patents are essential to wireless standards, and therefore raise complex issues of licensing structures, RAND laws and ‘double-dipping’. but when this kind of IPR is placed on the table, Apple is immediately on the back foot. it was forced to make a compromise deal with Nokia earlier this year and now Motorola Mobility has own a key round in Germany, the most important European center for IPR disputes.

The court has ruled that Apple’s European sales company, Ireland-based Apple Sales International, is infringing one of Motorola’s core cellular patents related to GPRS, in the iPhone and iPad. according to the Foss Patents blog, the ruling includes an injunction against the iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, plus both iPad models, though this is unlikely to come into force any time soon. Motorola said it had been negotiating with Apple over licensing for more than four years and would continue to try to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, Samsung has failed to win an injunction against the iPhone in its first attempt on this front, in France, but has won the right to sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 slate over the holiday period in Australia – another bellwether territory for the firms’ battles in larger markets such as Europe and the US. Australia’s highest court had reversed a preliminary injunction issued by a lower jurisdiction, but Apple had still petitioned for the tablet to be kept off the shelves for a few more weeks. However, on Friday the appeals court allowed the Tab 10.1 to offered to consumers again from this week – though the actual patents case is still due to be heard in the spring. Samsung also recently saw Apple lose a bid for a US injunction against its devices.

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CANOE Travel – Travel Tips – Nifty gifts for people on the go

My Airport Butler is secured under your luggage handle. (Handout)

The wonderful thing about giving gifts to the travellers on your list is, in most cases, they don’t have to wait for a trip to start using them.

All-weather jackets, compact umbrellas, palm-sized speakers for electronic devices, battery charges, etc., are just a few of the items that can be used at home or abroad. and of course, travel books can be enjoyed before, during and after a trip.

Here are some suggestions:

BOOKS

— Explorer’s Guides Victoria & Vancouver Island: a Great Destination (The Countryman Press) by Eric Lucas: British Columbia has a lot of trees, and reading this attractive new 198-page book (with colour photos) you realize just how many have been incorporated into attractions — at least on Vancouver Island.

There’s the WildPlay Element Park in Nanaimo, where you can follow an obstacle course in the trees; the curious Shoe Tree near Port Hardy — a piece of folk art that has hundreds of old shoes, boots and other footwear nailed to the trunk of an old cedar; and even a hotel in the trees, built by Free Spirit Spheres on Qualicum Beach. Chapters are divided into the five regions of the island and include practical information on lodging, dining and recreation to help plan your visit.

— Great Journeys: Travel the World’s Most Spectacular Routes (Lonely Planet): there are two types of trips — the quick getaway you take for a needed break, and the journey — an out-of-the ordinary voyage that often takes longer, involves an unusual itinerary, and advance planning. this oversized hardcover from Lonely Planet is a compelling collection of the latter, presenting more than 70 of the world’s most spectacular routes, from Marco Polo’s Silk Road to the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Expeditions are organized by theme including classic overland routes (Cairo to Cape Town), famous literary journeys (Che Guevara’s Motorcycle Diaries through South America), great walks (The Great Wall of China), classic rail journeys (The Orient Express) and more. a description of each experience is enhanced with colourful images, practical information for planning, shortcuts, detours, and recommended reading for those who want to learn more.

— The Not-for-Parents Travel Book: Cool Stuff to know about every Country in the World (Lonely Planet): this 207-page oversized hardcover book follows the style of many contemporary adult travel books that are crammed with bite-sized bits of fascinating information on various destinations. give it to any young reader and they in turn may entertain you with a grab bag of facts you may not know: That Estonia (where Skype was invented) has more meteorite craters than any other country; that Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, liked to bathe in donkey’s milk and supposedly died when she let an asp (Egyptian cobra) bite her; and that the world’s oldest winery is in Armenia — a wine press and grape-jars from 6,000 years ago were discovered in a cave there. The Not-For-Parents series also includes smaller single destination books (Not-For-Parents London, Not-For-Parents new York, Not-For-Parents Paris and Not-For-Parents Rome).

HANDY ITEMS

— MEC Uplink Jacket: It’s always wise to bring a jacket along on a trip, even to warm weather destinations in case of cool nights or unusual cold snaps. The MEC Uplink Jacket is a good choice because it’s ultra light, and can squish up small in your luggage. I wore it on a recent trip to Britain, and was surprised a coat this thin could offer so much warmth. Sure enough, the tag claims it’s as warm and soft as down, compresses like down, offers excellent water resistance and is thermally efficient. Available in black, red violet or moonlight blue for $125 at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (Toronto location at 400 King St. W. call 416-340-2667.

— My Airport Butler: this instant table-top is secured under your luggage handle (works best with low-rise handles, otherwise the table may not remain securely in place) and comes in handy while waiting at the airport or train or bus station. It’s ideal for writing or holding your belongings, including a cup of coffee. Plus it folds up flat so you can easily store it in a suitcase front pocket when it’s time to board. Price: $19.95 US plus shipping and handling from MyAirportButler.com.

— Solar Battery Charger: Environmentally conscious persons might appreciate a solar battery charger. C.Crane’s high output solar panel charges AA, AAA and D sized batteries for electronics such as cameras. The upside is it doesn’t cost anything to use and it’s easy, though you’ll need sunlight and patience, as batteries will take longer to power up than conventional chargers. $29.95 US. Check ccrane.com or contact Durham Radio in Whitby (1-888-426 1688).

— Sound Oasis Travel Alarm Clock: any travel product that performs double duty is always welcome. with the Sound Oasis Travel Alarm Clock, you get a time keeper (to make sure you don’t miss that early tour) and a sound machine with a choice of 19 soothing sounds (including ocean surf, summer night and spring rain) to block out noise and promote sleep. Wake to a buzzer, your choice of sounds, or record your own. Powered by dual voltage AC adaptor (included) or 4 AA batteries (not included). Price: $89.85 US. Magellans.com or call 1-800-962-4943.

— Speakers: Palm-sized speakers that deliver great stereo sound are ideal for anyone travelling with a laptop, MP3 player, iPhone or iPad. Tweakers Mini-Boom Speakers have a built-in USB charging cord and audio-in cable that fits all devices with a 3.5-mm jack. a single charge will give you six hours of play time and retractable cables mean no tangled wires. comes in black or red for $35.85 US. Magellans.com or call 1-800-962-4943.

— Mighty umbrella: Have you ever unfurled an umbrella in a rainstorm, only to watch it collapse and bend out of shape when you need it most? Obviously you (and I) weren’t using the Windpro Flatwear Umbrella, which has vents that allow wind to escape, preventing it from blowing inside out during gusty conditions. a flat frame construction makes it easy to pack. Navy, Khaki, Black or Red. $24.85US. Magellans.com or call 1-800-962-4943.

Solar Powered iPhone Charger & Battery Backup

My Power Pack for iPhone 4/4S (AM-403) arrived recently. The AM-403 is a solar powered backup battery / charger for iPhone and it’s pretty great I’ve been testing it for over a week now and it’s time for the review!

Quick Review

Here are the highlights incase you don’t have time to get into the details below:

The Power Pack takes about 4-5 hours to charge with a USB cable and 12-20 hours by sunlight.
Completely dead iPhone was charged to 67% in about 1 hour
Experienced dropped calls when using the iPhone in the charger – using headphones or speakerphone solved this issue
Testing a solar powered device in Minnesota, in December is damn-near impossible
If you read this, you’ll wonder why the hell I still live in Minnesota

If you have a couple minutes, the full review of the charger starts below:

What’s Included?

The Power Pack for iPhone 4/4S (AM-403) came with a few parts – A USB cable to charge via computer, a clear cover for the front of your iPhone, printed instructions and of course, the actual Battery Pack/Charging device.

Charge the Charger

The instructions recommend using the USB cable to charge first time. then you can charge by USB or sunlight. it also said you can expect 4-5 hours to charge via USB and 12-20 hours when charging by sunlight.

The Power Pack was about 50% charged when I got it in the mail. I plugged the USB into the charger and into my Macbook to get things going. After a couple hours, the Power Pack was 100% charged.

Testing Begins!

FYI: Intentionally draining your iPhone battery is incredibly frustrating… and slow!

Pro Tip: if you want to burn the iPhone battery, play a very long video over and over. I watched a recent keynote address a few times. okay, I didn’t actually watch. I just had it running while I was building an Apple Forum!

Eventually the battery died… With the iPhone battery dead and the Power Pack fully charged, it’s time to begin testing.

At 12:45pm, I placed my completely dead iPhone into the Power Pack. The iPhone began charging immediately A minute later, the iPhone tuned on and I got a few notifications I missed while the iPhone was dead.

Now that the iPhone had a bit of power, I closed all open apps, but left the Wifi and everything else on – just like I would use the phone any day of the week. I sent a few text messages and checked email… everything was working as normal – while it was charging.

It seems the max charge is 67%, but the Power Pack still had more juice. For whatever reason, it wouldn’t deliver more power to the iPhone.

To see how much more power the charger had, I left the iPhone in the case and started watching a video. The iPhone battery held at 67% for the next 20 minutes. then it started to drain at the normal rate.

The Case

Opening the Power Pack was easy – the top portion pops right off. The iPhone slid into the Power Pack, and it was very snug fit. So tight, it was a little challenging to remove the iPhone from the case.

The battery pack and case is thick. I don’t use a case on my iPhone so this felt like the phone doubled in size. Also, it’s so large on the sides of the iPhone the volume & external buttons are hard to press.

The case looks good. Even though it’s big, it’s still well designed and feels very sturdy. all of the edges and groves are smooth and nicely assembled.

After a week of using the Power Pack, I found the solar panel scratches easily. Not major gouges, but teeny, tiny scratches in the surface. They’re noticeable if you move the case around in your hand, you can see them. this is just like the back of the iPhone 4 – it also scratches in the exact same way.

Making Calls With the Power Pack On

I made a few phone calls with the iPhone in Power Pack. I was worried people wouldn’t be able to hear me because the case covers the mic. Good news, the sound was not an issue at all. Even speakerphone was loud and clear for me and the person I called.

Unfortunately, I noticed reception was not good. each call I made was eventually dropped. I tried holding the iPhone different ways, but that didn’t help. However, when I used the headphones and was not touching the iPhone (it was sitting on the table), reception was perfect. Also, reception was not an issue when using speakerphone and NOT holding the iPhone.

If you want to make a call while the iPhone is in the charger, use speakerphone or headphones.

Also, the case covers the plug on the bottom of the iPhone. you won’t be able to plug the iPhone into a computer while it’s in the Power Pack.

Charging in the Sun

Before we get into this, you have to understand a couple things. First, I live in Minnesota. Second, Minnesota doesn’t get much sunshine – especially in mid-December. Here’s an idea of the sunlight we got this week (from Weather.com):

This image doesn’t describe the actual weather. Even though 3 of the 4 days showed sun, Minnesota only averages 9 hours of sun light per day. that sounds like a lot, but it isn’t. The average sun rise is 7:30am and sunset is 4:30pm. Yeah, I know…

So, finding a place in the house where there is direct sunlight, in December, in Minnesota, is a huge challenge.

I mention my depressing climate situation because it’s the worst possible time and location to test a solar powered… anything. if I lived closer to the Equator, the test results would be very different.

To get as much sun as possible, I placed the charger in a window for a week. just like this:

7 days in the window might have earned 5 hours of direct sunlight (and that’s a generous estimate.) The charger manual estimates 12-20 hours to fully charge by sunlight.

You can press a button on the back of the device to show how much power it has. now, it’s only showing 1 bar out of 4. After a week in the window, the backup battery is only 25% charged.

Obviously, my location is not ideal for charging via solar power.

The good news is, this solar powered charger doesn’t need many hours in the sun to reach 25%. if my iPhone is dead, and I’m desperately in need to use it, an extra 25%. that would be enough to make a few calls, check the web, email etc.

For example, if you take your iPhone camping (check out these apps), plugging in the battery pack would give you enough power to make an emergency call and pinpoint your location and find directions on Google Maps… Assuming you’ve got a cell signal, which is a whole different issue.

Great For Travel

I don’t travel much, but the A-Solar Power Pack is definitely coming on my next trip. in fact, I’ll be using it on my next road trip. Every few months I drive about 2 and a half hours to La Crosse, Wisconsin… stay there for a few hours and drive right back.

5 hours in the car alone.

I have Google Maps open and tracking my location the entire drive – just to make sure I’m going the right way. Plus, I make calls, email and surf the web while at my destination. as you can imagine, this eats up the battery and doesn’t leave much power for the drive home.

Now, I’ll charge the battery pack by USB the night before my drive. that way if the iPhone battery dies before the drive home, I can plug it into the charger and charge the iPhone with Google Maps open.

Sure, I could use a car charger for iPhone. I don’t because I want something that will charge the iPhone anywhere, anytime. The A-Solar Power Pack is a more versatile solution.

More Information

You can get more information on the iPhone 4 Power Pack from A-Solar at their website: a-solar.eu. I tested the AM-403 which works with iPhone 4 & 4S

Apple & Mac Blog

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Category: iPhone

Apple to possibly debut completely redesigned iPhone in Fall 2012 – SlashGear

BGR has just reported that Apple is possibly debuting a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall of 2012, following the trend first set by the iPhone 4S, of new Apple products being launched later in the year, instead of mid-year releases. according to the report, the new iPhone will incorporate an aluminum back panel (similar to that of the iPad 2) rather than the glass found on the current iPhone models, the iPhone 4 and 4S.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. in all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. first, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

The revamped design is also rumored to see the the usage of a rubber or possibly plastic bezel covering akin to that on Apple’s iPhone bumper covers, with it serving as protection for the device’s antennas from direct skin contact.

Reports from earlier stated that Apple’s next-generation iPhone will utilize an aluminum case akin to the one found on the iPad 2, as well as a potentially larger display. SlashGear readers, what do you make of the whole situation? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.