Tips

Search MobileMe mail from your iPhone or iPod Touch

We have been exploring iPhone OS 3.0 for nearly a month and continue to discover new features, so when we recently stumbled across a productivity boosting MobileMe news post about searching your MobileMe Mail on an iPhone or iPod Touch, we had to share.

According to Apple, iPhone OS 3.0 gives your iPhone and iPod Touch the ability to search messages stored on the MobileMe cloud (server). The process works like this:

Select your in-box or another folder belonging to your MobileMe account. Flick scroll to the top of the screen to reveal the search field. Tap the … Read more

Apple cops to OS 3.0 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth problems

A rash of Wi-Fi connectivity and signal strength complaints have cropped up after Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 software update. Some users complain that their iPhones and iPod Touches drop from Wi-Fi unexpectedly; others that they can't connect to the Internet at all. Some users have been able to resolve connectivity problems by resetting their network connections (via Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings), but this simple fix hasn't worked for everyone. In some cases, not even a total system restore fixes the problem.

Apple has finally acknowledged the problem in a technical service … Read more

How to: Get the most out of your subwoofer

I recently participated in a Podcast focusing on subwoofer performance with Home Entertainment magazine's Editor-in-Chief Geoff Morrison, Director of (loudspeaker company) Revel Products, Kevin Voecks, and Brent Butterworth, a freelance writer for a number of magazines including Sound & Vision.

Voecks immediately zeroed in on the importance of placement, which is absolutely crucial to getting the best out of any sub. I'd go so far as to say an average sub, perfectly placed and set up, will outperform a great sub that's been carelessly placed and set up. That's because the sub's interaction with room acoustics can play havoc with sound, all too frequently resulting in boomy, uneven bass. … Read more

Apple says cases cause iPhone 3GS discoloration

Summer in Texas this year is hot, but not as hot as the debate over the iPhone 3GS overheating, an issue circulating the Internet for several weeks now. The debate finally came to a head when some users blamed white iPhone 3GS discoloration on overheating and only worsened when Apple updated the heat advisory for the iPhone 3GS.

After some users interpreted Apple's advisory as an admittance of guilt over the widely reported overheating issue and Apple responded that it was merely updating a technical document to cover the iPhone 3GS, a French site--FrenchiPhone.com--is claiming that certain cases … Read more

Do you use all seven channels on your home theater receiver?

An industry insider recently admitted to me that only 30 percent of AV receiver buyers ever bother to hook up all seven channels to their receivers. That guesstimate seems a little high to me; the standard 5.1 channel setup: Left, center, right speakers upfront, and a pair of surround speakers to the sides of the main listening position can supply a truly immersive sound experience.

Seven-channel home theater adds two more speakers, placed behind the main listening position. That's tough to accomplish in rooms where the couch or chairs are up against the rear wall. There's no "rear" there, so some folks mount the rear speakers up high, or bounce the sound off the ceiling.

Still, the rear surrounds typically contribute little, so it's pretty hard to justify the added expense and hassle of running the extra wires for a marginal sonic improvement. The one exception might apply to very large rooms where the side and rear surround speakers are further apart from each other. The extra coverage may produce a more complete sense of surround envelopment. … Read more

iPhone upgrade update: I did it, with the help of my wife

A few weeks ago, I was at wit's end. I couldn't upgrade to an iPhone 3GS, and apparently neither could many other people who bought their 2008 3G in the window that AT&T had promised would net "most customers" a 2009 3GS subsidy.

AT&T was never really forthcoming about what, exactly, would trigger being qualified for an update versus not. I gave up, and then had an idea: my wife was eligible for an upgrade to her 2G iPhone, but didn't want to pay $15 more for a 3G data service. In an incredibly generous move, she allowed me to use her upgrade eligibility for an experiment.

We went to the Apple Store at Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, bought an iPhone 3GS, and then headed home. I swapped my SIM out of my 3G and into the 3GS, and synced with my home MacBook. In seconds, it seemed like a fluid swap had occurred.

Then I took my wife's new 3GS SIM and put it in her old iPhone. The iPhone 2G displayed a "plug into iTunes" screen and emergency call display when I restarted, but plugging back into her Vaio brought up an iTunes page that required reauthorization before an AT&T activation. After entering her social digits and billing zip, a funny thing happened: iTunes itself recommended to me that I downgrade my wife's newly-minted 3G data plan back to 2G, to match the phone detected. I agreed, and moments later, her first-gen iPhone was up and running once again. … Read more

Apple updates heat advisory for iPhone 3GS

Last week, Apple revised a support document about iPhone temperature to include the iPhone 3GS. The June 25 document cautions iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users to operate their handsets within acceptable temperatures. It makes the following recommendations:

Recommended operating temperatures Operate iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between zero and 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Low or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly.

Recommended storage temperatures Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20 and 45 degrees Celsius (-4 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Don't leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.

Symptoms of overheating

iPhone will no longer charge iPhone display will dim Weaker cell signal iPhone temperature warning screen appears (see below)… Read more

Explore new Android apps

Though the Android Market has been open for eight months, it lacks many important features present on Apple's iPhone App Store. Above all, you can't browse the full gallery of apps on your PC. What limited browsing features that are present on the official Android Market site only display selected applications.

But where Google has lagged, the community has stepped up. A number of clever Web sites now enables users to perform improved searches, view a complete listing of apps, and see historical rankings. You can use a combination of these sites to discover new apps and trends. … Read more

Get songs off your iPod

Apple's iTunes software makes it dead-simple to copy music onto your iPod, but when it comes to moving files in the opposite direction--from the iPod to your computer--there's no obvious solution. I get an e-mail on this topic at least once a week, usually from someone who's had his laptop stolen or watched helplessly as his hard drive crashed. After an incident like that, it can be a relief to know your music collection (or at least part of it) is backed up on an iPod.

Of course, relief can quickly turn to frustration when you plug … Read more