Chet Davis - Your Technology Tutor

U.S. Consumers and Navigation Devices

More people use portable navigation devices (PNDs) than in-dash navigation systems, but users of in-dash systems use their system more often, according to a U.S. consumer survey released by Navteq:  Navigation Study: What's Driving U.S. Consumers

Since getting my iPhone I have used the Map function/s several times to help me find a specific location, find a store and even find my way when I needed to see where the closest freeway on-ramp is while coming back from the airport.  Check this previous post for some thoughts I shared about using the included Maps app on my iPhone.

You may also find some value in this post on the 'iPhonNess' website: http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/10-cool-navigation-apps-for-iphone/

Photos from Your Smart Phone Make Great Thank You 'Cards'

By Chet Davis

Here's a fun way to use the camera and email functions on your iPhone/Smart Phone!  I have used this recently while my 10-year old son was opening gifts at both his birthday and also at Christmas.  Take a photo of the gift recipient opening their present, or just after they open it (you know, with that cheesy pose) and then email it directly from your phone with a quick, short message that says 'Thanks'

I am not suggesting this necessarily replaces the traditional thank you note/card but it really does make the sender feel a little more like being there when the gift is opened.  The folks I have sent this to say they really appreciated it.

Here is how you would do this on your iPhone.

1. Take the photo (remember to hold your breath - keep the phone/camera as still as humanly possible).  I always take a couple of shots to select from. After selecting the best shot, click to send the photo (on iPhone it is the icon at bottom left corner of any photo). 

2. This opens the 'distribution' menu... I find it easiest to click on 'email photo'

3. This opens up an email message with your photo attached (you'll see it at the bottom of the draft message). Click in the ''To:' field and enter the recipients email address - if they are in your Contacts,  their name will appear, just click to select the proper address.

4. Enter your subject and a brief message and send away.  

Now you've captured a special moment and shared the memory across the miles.  I believe this kind of near instant sharing is one of the highlights of our improved technologies and will become a popular practice in the months and years to come.

Making Your List and Checking It Twice... Your A-List That Is!

Maybe I was asleep or something... probably should have read it in my bill or in an email from my mobile provider but thought there might be others like me who would benefit from this. 

What I am talking about is the AT&T benefit called the 'A-List'.  This mimics the Verizon Friends & Family Plan - the AT&T plan allows you to add up to five (5) domestic phone numbers which then you can send and receive calls from without dipping into your monthly Anytime Minutes.  I did this recently on my iPhone and have already 'saved' 274 minutes - these would have been deducted from my monthly plan minutes.  Very cool!

To do this, you simply log into your AT&T On-line Account and select the A-List link.  Enter 1-5 phone numbers (they can be mobile or land-line, like a home or business).  It takes 24 hours to process and then you can have unlimited conversations with these friends/family at any time of the day or week. You can also change these numbers at your preference - just know that it takes up to 24 hours to process.

This was apparently instituted back in September 2009 - just in case you wanted to know (like me) how long I was missing this cool plan.

My 5 Favorite Free Games on the iPhone

Hangman Lite (Virtuesoft)

This iPhone/iPod version of the classic game is not for thrill-seekers but is quite fun none-the-less.  You are presented with a number of black lines which you get to guess the letters of, and thus the word itself.  Each letter you guess that is not partof that word presents you with another body 'part' and when you have received a complete set of a body you lose that round. 

This version provides you with ten different word lists.  The full version is only 99-cen tsand gives you more word lists and also deletes the advertisements that scroll across the top of the screen.

Paper Toss (Backflip Studios)

This was one of the first games I loaded and played on my iPhone. It basically allows you to use your finger/s to flick a crumpled ball of paper into a trash can... the phone presents with a setting and you see the trash can (target) from the point of view of the launch.  There is a fan in the scene that shows the direction and velocity (strength) of the breeze created by the fan (so you can adjust your throw to compensate). Beware - the fan changes speed & direction after each toss.  The most recent update of this free game includes the original Easy, Medium and Hard Office Settings along with the Airport setting (fun to hear other people nearby complain about your paper throwing)... it also includes a new Basement setting

 

Arcade Bowling Lite (SkyWorks)

We used to play this game at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Arcades in Santa Cruz, California when I was growing up.  It was called Skee Ball rather than bowling - where you roll a small ball up a ramp into rings - each ring has a different point value.  This is a fun version of the game - the only thing missing is the little paper tickets that would dispense at the end of your turn that you would save and turn in for a prize. 

 

Parachute Panic Light (FDG Entertainment)

Right away I loved the look of this game, with the appearance of paper drawn stick figures on graph paper.  You essentially guide stick-people from airplanes to water craft on the sea below... clicking to open their parachutes and guiding them with a breeze when a helicopter (or the alien UFO) comes by.  Beware of the hungry sharks if your stick-people should fall into the water.  It is a pretty limited free version but fun none-the-less.  The full version allows longer play with many more levels.

 

 

Waterslide Extreme (Fish Labs)

This was probably the second game I found and played on my iPhone 3G S.  It uses the xxx of theiPhone/iPod to move your character right and left in the slide... the crazy and fun element is that your waterslide snakes around a cityscape (and yep, you _can_ fall over the edge and down to the city streets)!

 

And one last game for fun...

An Dutch online insurance company has sponsored this free app/game that has received a lot of attention!  It has two modes - single player (which is fast!) and Multiplayer.  This is the version that has most folks talking -- you join two or more iphone end to end with this game loaded and active on each device and the car travels from phone to phone!

Even if you don't play the game -- you just gotta view this 1:37 video on YouTube that shows this game played with several iPhones end to end that show a race over some distance with many obstacles... very fun! 

 

 

If you're looking for some more free games for your iPhone or iPod Touch -- one online resource I found helpful is iPhone Gold.  Their games section is found here  http://www.iphonegold.org/games

33 things you don't need if you have an iPhone

By Chet Davis

Saturday is iPhone day at Your Technology Tutor!

How useful is a Smart Phone?  I have had my iPhone 3G S two months now and absolutely love it.  I have talked with a handful of tech-savvy colleagues who feel their best tech tool is their iPhone/Smart Phone. There are truly so many things that I use my Smart Phone for!

This week I came across an interesting online article that listed 33 things that you did not need to buy or bring or use if you have an iPhone.  This list was published by TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog.  This article may introduce to you ways you have not yet thought of getting more use from your Smart Phone -- it also shares specific applications (with links to the iTunes App Store) where appropriate, and points out which tools are also pertinent to the Apple iPod Touch.

Here are the items they suggest your Apple iPhone provides -- now some of them I would disagree but the author also fesses up to those contentions in the article:

Office Products: Telephone, Calculator. Personal Organizer, Calendar, Alarm Clock/Watch, Rolodex, Dictionary, Voice Memo Recorder, Pen & Paper, Digital Photo Frame, USB Drive, Wireless Mouse, Remote Control.

Navigation Aids: Maps/Atlas, GPS Navigation Unit, Compass.

Media: Digital Camera (iPhone 3GS only), Digital Audio Player Portable DVD Player, Amazon Kindle,The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Any classical novel with an expired copyright, Portable Game Player,

Miscellaneous: Pedometer, Flashlight, White Noise Generator, Guitar Tuner.

You can read the entire article from TUAW here: Buyer's Guide: 33 Things you don't need if you have an iPhone.

You may also enjoy these previous articles:

My Five Favorite Free iPhone Apps

My 6 Favorite iPhone Settings / Tricks

iPhone App Helps Videograpers with Time Lapse Calculations

You may know that the Apps (applications) in the iTunes store hit the 100,000 mark recently.  That means there are more than 100,000 applications available for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  There is a newer app that has a very specific purpose for folks who produce video, and more specifically Time Lapse Video.

We've all seen segments of Time Lapse film or video -- those great short sequences of a flowering blooming, the baby chicks hatching or the storm clouds speeding across the sky.  This is achieved by taking just a small interval of time (as low as 1/30th or 1/24 of a second) over minutes or hours.  Then when played back in normal speed - the subject/s look like they are moving rapidly.

The man behind this app is Carroll Lam - who is no stranger to high technology.  Carroll earned his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering in 1965 and has been working with film since he was a youngster in Texas.  And Carroll has invested his time deeply in video technologies for the past decade. One of his areas of interest has been in Time Lapse film and more recently time lapse videography. 

"I really enjoyed produced time lapse using the 8mm single frame capability on my Bolex film camera but it was mechanical... I always wanted to do time lapse with video in the early years of camcorders but could not figure out how to carry off.  When Sony digital cameras came out they had an interval mode on them, allowing you to capture a minimum of 6 frames each interval (you would have to then take the footage from the video camera into your video editor and trim each scene (timed interval) down to 1 frame".  

Taking his engineering aptitudes and his passion for video, he constructed a spread sheet years ago to help with the calculations required to produce a time-lapse video segment without having to repeat the calculations each time you wanted to film or videotape a new subject or segment.

When Sony introduced the Sony XD-CAM, it allowed the capability of single-frame interval recording because it recorded to solid-state media, not tape. Carroll had connected with another professional videographer up in Rhode Island who was also using the XD-CAM.  "He learned what I had created and was very interested as well - I sent him my spreadsheet for the time lapse and he thought it valuable enough that he put it on his website as an interactive, online application.  It was great but the limitation was that you had to be online to use it.  And many videographers who found this valuable were needing to access this tool out in the field."

With the advent of the iPhone, Carroll came up with the idea of producing an application that _could_ be used in the field.  Carroll had all the data to make it work and found a software company in Tennessee to work with.  He wrote the specs for the program, provided the impetus for what it would look like - how it would work and let them complete the programming.  When the app called 'TimeLapse Calculator' was completed, the software company offered to upload and prepare the product for launch in the iTunes store but Carroll wanted to learn how to do it himself. 

When asked about the process, Carroll shared "The App process went well for me... I had just one change, a price mention that Apple recommended I remove as the app would be seen and available around the world with different currencies.  The whole process with Apple took about 3 weeks.  This is a relatively simply application without any controversial aspects to it, so really it was largely to make sure my app did not affect the success of their unit (the iPhone or iPod Touch)."

Click the image below to see full-size view of TimeLapse webpage

I asked Carroll how he feels about his sales to date "I am pleased so far... with 100,000 applications in the apps store it is a challenge to be seen by the right customers (the folks who do not only produce video but those who produce TimeLapse video."

I have had the opportunity to play with and use the TimeLapse Calculator app myself and think it is a great  tool!  I love the ease of use - the attractive and functional layout or interface, the very clear help/info within/on the app (and on Carroll's website).  You input the frame rate you are shooting in, the frames per interval, the clip length or the duration (length) of the event itself and ask the app to calculate for you and it does -- and it does it fast!  One of the cool capabilities built into the app is the ability to save calculations and settings you may need again in the future).

If you're an event videographer doing Time Lapse calculations this US $4.99 is a small amount of money well spent.  You will find this App in the Apps section of the iPhone store listed as the TimeLapse Calculator - direct link here (will open iTunes).  You will also find full information on the TimeLapse Calculator on Carroll's website here.

My Five Favorite Free iPhone Apps

As you may have heard Apple announced this past week that developers have created over 100,000 apps for the App Store for iPhone® and iPod touch®.  "Now customers in 77 countries can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. App Store users have downloaded well over two billion apps, continuing to make it the world’s most popular applications store."

In talking with friends though it is a daunting task to find apps for your iPhone that are useful... so I wanted to share with you today my Five Favorite Free iPhone Apps.  At least one of them you already have but there are some cool options it provides and wanted to ensure you knew about these as well.  These 5 apps are not necessarily revolutionary and definitely not mind-blowing but I find these very practical and useful.

• Clock
• Cell Tracker
  
• The Weather Channel
• Flashlight
• Flixster
  

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Clock

This app comes pre-loaded with/on your iPhone (and is one of the apps that cannot be deleted).  So the clock is not earth-shattering but it is cool that you can add other time-zones.  Because I have customers in many different time zones I can quickly glance at this app and see the relative time where they are.

And the screen shots below highlight the other neat functions available in this application:

              Stop watch function (with lap function)                                     Timer Function

               I used this at Soccer practice this Fall                         I love the spinning dial & the different tones

                                           

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Cell Tracker

It is helpful to be able to quickly check how many minutes you've racked up in your current billing cycle, isn't it?  I downloaded and tried the AT&T application but frankly found it cumbersome, and took too long to provide me the info I wanted quickly. 

So I found a great free app called 'Cell Tracker'.  It's by a company called 'PageOnce'.  I also use their application on my computers that is an online database of sorts, providing a one-screen glance at all your info (more on that computer application in a future post).  But this free app shows you the current billing cycle, your minutes used vs. plan minutes, your messages and text history (by quantity, not info). 

When launching the first time you need to connect to your online AT&T account but after that it shows the info after a minute or two.  Since the app is free, it does regularly start up with a screen 'Want to see our other apps?.  Just click 'back' at the top left and it takes you to your Cell Minute Tracker.

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The Weather Channel

Now there is another free app dealing with Weather and it even comes with your iPhone.  It is appropriately called 'Weather'  It provides a real time update of the weather for the next 6 days (including today) and is fed by Yahoo Weather.  The neat thing about that app is you can add other cities pretty easily (by clicking on the tiny 'i' at bottom right corner.  Then you can slide back and forth between cities (something I do when I am planning a trip out of state) so I know how best to pack.

But I like the Weather Channel app even better.  It provides (what I think) is more accurate  weather conditions and has the ability right in the app to view hour by hour as well as 36-hour and 10-day weather forecasts. There's also severe weather alerts, weather maps, videos available in the app from the Weather Channel.

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Flashlight

This is one of the most basic of apps but one I have used on several occasions. I think it may also have been one of the first I loaded when I got my new iPhone.  Flashlight, when pressed simply brings a solid white screen to your iPhone.  This again is VERY helpful for a quick light at night or in dark spots (like behind the entertainment center, etc).  It won't replace your halogen or new LED flashlight but is very handy to have available.

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Flixster

This free iPhone app is from the good folks at NetFlix... if you like to go to the movies this is a helpful application to have with you.  There are several screens to choose from: Box Office with what is new , what's popular and the ability to search a title; Upcoming which shows the soon to be released movies by date; DVD which displays movies on DVD in categories (New, Coming Soon, search) and the category I use the most... Theaters.

This lets you set your zip code and see the movies playing in the theaters nearest you.  Click on the Theater name and up pops the contact info as well as the titles & show times for that day. Very handy indeed!

Note: I should mention that each time the Flixster app launches there is a move advert but you can easily press the 'skip' button at bottom to go to the application.

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You can find and download each of the above four applications in the Apps store at iTunes.

You may also be interested in these previous articles from Your Technology Tutor:

• My 6 Favorite iPhone Settings / Tricks
• Photoshop.com Mobile iPhone App - Photo editing, sharing, upload

My 6 Favorite iPhone Settings / Tricks

So I have been working with the iPhone for more than 1 month and am still really enjoying this hand-held technology tool! There are a couple of neat little tips or operations that I have learned from others that I wish I knew myself earlier so let me share them five of my favorites with you here:

1. Saving Recent Calls to Address Book
2. Setting Home Button to Preferred Option
3. Almost Automatic Domain Name Extensions for Email Addresses
4. Maximize Your Maps Experience
5. Shortcuts to deleting / erasing typing
   
6. Snap Camera Shutter on Release

Saving Recent Calls to Address Book

After placing (or receiving) a telephone call on your iPhone you may have noticed the calls show up in the 'Recents' list under your Phone button.  If that person is in your Contacts (address book) their name appears - there is an easy way to add a recent phone # to your contact list... press the tiny icon at the right side of a chosen recent call (the tiny white arrow inside the blue circle).   

Your iPhone opens up an address book/contact page with that phone number (and the location if that was detected).  You can then click 'Create New Contact' (or you can click 'Add to Existing Contact' if this new telephone number belongs to an entry already in your contacts.     

Setting Home Button to Preferred Option

It is enjoyable and convenient to be able to customize your iPhone to suit your preferences and your own experience. 

One of the cool features is the ability to program the 'Home' button which is the button on the bottom center of the front of your iPhone.

Open the 'Settings' application, then click on 'General' -- scroll down and click on 'Home' and you will see 5 options. Click on any one of these options and have set-up your iPhone so when you press this Home button twice, it will take you to that function. Here are the choices:

• Home = goes to the first page of your iPhone apps
• Search = opens the iPhone search tool (enter a name, application or web URl and it will display
• Phone Favorites = opens the list of favorite contacts on the Favorites Page under your Phone
• Camera = opens the iPhone camera
• iPod = opens the iPod application

Almost Automatic Domain Name Extensions for Email Addresses

When you are using the Mail application on your iPhone there is a built-in shortcut that allows you to quickly add the domain name extension for a recipients email address.  While in the 'To:' field of an email message, simply press and hold down the period button at bottom right and up pops a mini-menu with the 4 most common extensions:  .net, .edu, .org, .com. Roll your finger over to your choice and let go -- it will add that extension for you.

Maximize Your Maps Experience

When using the 'Maps' application (the standard, included app.) there are some really cool features.  I love this little app -- in addition to real-time positioning (blue dot with blue circle represents your position), there is a useful directions and search tool.  Click 'Directions' at bottom and enter 'End' address, then press 'Route' at bottom.  Using your current GPS position it will provide a suggested route for your trip along with mileage, and estimated duration of your trip with 3 modes: Car, Transit and walking/hiking. 

The 'Search' button at bottom allows you to enter a business and it will show (with red pin) the  matches on your map.  Then you can go one step further by clicking on the pin, then click on the blue arrow and it displays the street address, website and telephone number of that location/entity.  Very helpful!

Shortcuts to deleting / erasing typing

When you are in Messages, Mail, Safari or Notes apps on your iPhone just shake (gently) the phone and a small menu will appear, asking if you wish to 'Undo Typing' or 'Cancel.   Click 'Undo Typing' and whatever you have typed so far in that application will be deleted. 

You can also press and hold for a moment in any of these text entry windows (until the magnification ring appears) and then release... you will be presented with a different mini menu 'Select', 'Select All' or 'Paste'. You could click 'Select All' and then backspace to delete all text entered.

Snap Camera Shutter on Release

My buddy Seth showed me this one... while using the iPhone camera there have been times when it was tricky to get a good shot by pressing the home button (with the Camera app open).  Instead, (with the Camera app open) you can also press and hold the home button, releasing the home button when you want to snap your photo.. voila! 

Photoshop.com Mobile iPhone App - Photo editing, sharing, upload

Many of my friends who use Photoshop and who have an iPhone are intrigued with the new Adobe release, the Adobe Photoshop app.  This free application allows you to crop, adjust color, apply effects - think of it like a lite, lite version of the very powerful Photoshop computer application.

Check out the new iPhone app from Adobe Photoshop here:  mobile.photoshop.com

(or you will find the app in the iTunes store)

Here are the options that come with this new iPhone application from Adobe:

• Transform your photos with essential edits like crop, rotate and flip.
• Correct and play with color by adjusting the saturation and tint, enhancing the exposure and vibrancy, and converting images to black and white.
• Use the Sketch tool to make photos look like drawings, and Soft Focus to give photos a subtle blur for artistic effect.
• Apply dramatic changes with effects such as Warm Vintage, Vignette and Pop. Edits or changes can be undone or redone so you can experiment without the worry of losing your original photo.

Word 'on the street' is mostly favorable about this new application -- long-time Adobe users are/were hoping for more capabilities, but some folks have remarked positively on these capabilities that their iPhone photos now enjoy.

Tomorrow I will also share news about Adobe's new photo-sharing website that is a companion to this iPhone app.

Smart protection for my Smart Phone

A friend of mine had purchased an iPhone before I did and he mentioned he had this great case for his phone, one that really offered protection not only for the touch-screen but also protection for the whole phone. This wrap-around case was not inexpensive in my mind... at $49.95 that seemed a bit steep to me.

But then when I thought about the fact that this is a $600 piece of technology that will be accompanying me not only in and out of the office, across the country in and out of airplanes, on hikes. etc.  I thought that I should take advantage of a good solid means of protecting my technological investment .  

So, after a bit of research I too - opted for the Defender Series case by OtterBox. The company offers several choices for iPhone cases (and for other hand-held digital tools), with the Defender Series the most protection. The case actually is 3-layers of protection, with a sturdy film protecting the touch-screen, a polycarbonate shell that surrounds the phone - offering protection against impact and lastly a pliable silicone skin that covers it all up and helps cushion when dropped.  All the functions of the iPhone are accessible (connectors, speaker, etc) with the case so you don't lose functionality - only gain piece of mind and phone safety.

The only complaint I have heard from others (in on-line forums) is that the holster (included) is a little clunky.  I have not used many phone holsters but I guess I could see their point. 

Now - I do not offer you the wisdom and analysis of experienced comparison -- but I do offer a solid recommendation from this customer of OtterBox.  I trust my iPhone and all that's in it and all it does for me with their protective product.

You can check out this product - and even order from their on-line store here:
http://www.otterbox.com/defender-series-cases