My Digital Life

iPhone Backup Quick Fix; Not Really But It Works

iTunes is one of those application I love and hate at the same time.

I don't sync my iPhone with iTunes very often, but in the last month I have tried several times to sync and the process seemed to be stuck during the backup phase. In order to complete the sync, I had to terminate the backup by clicking on the little x on the right of the top middle status window in iTunes. Not having a full backup left me with an uneasy feeling, I would hate to lose most of the application data I have gathered on my iPhone. After some Binging/Googling, I found that this is a fairly common problem but the fixes seemed over complicated and risky.

Finally yesterday I put some time aside where I could work on the issue. My first approach was to let the sync process go for an hour and periodically monitor its progress. Over the course of the hour I could see the status progress albeit slowly (If you don't look closely, you might believe that iTunes is hung). I decided to let it go another 30 minutes. At the end of an hour and half the backup completed. I decided to sync again, and now the backup is back to normal time (less than 1 minute). Who knows what activity iTunes was performing to complete the backup but patience seems to have triumphed.

Exchange Tasks and the iPhone – My Environment for Now

After trying multiple approaches this is my current Exchange 2007 Tasks synchronization with the iPhone, here is my current configuration:

• PC – Outlook 2007 with ToodledoSync
• Web – Toodledo web site
• iPhone – TaskTask (Exchange Task Sync)

Since the only way to currently enable push notifications with Toodledo (they are working on it) is to set the "remind me" flag use the web site, I have decided to use TaskTask on my iPhone to manage tasks. I use a combination of the toodledo web site and Outlook on my PC.

This seems to work pretty well for now; I can add tasks to Exchange with TaskTask and set the "remind me" flag using the toodledo web site. "remind me" flag note: there can be a fluctuation of +/- 5 min on the notification time you set. I receive my push notification 4 minutes before the set time. It would be nice for Toodledo to remedy this, but I understand their concern about potential congestion on their systems and it is better to get an early notification then a late one.

I am also beta testing tasktask 1.1 which has some exciting features including support for Exchange 2003 and flagged email support for Exchange 2007 (this is a big one).

Exchange Tasks and the iPhone – Part 1

One of the many advantages of the iPhone is the inclusion of Exchange ActiveSync which allows email, contacts and calendar items to be pushed to the device. Although they are licensing ActiveSync from Microsoft, it seems that Apple is devoting little time to fully implement the ActiveSync functionality. One of the big holes is the lack of support for tasks. This does not seem to be an affront to Microsoft, the base iPhone OS has no support whatsoever for tasks. Maybe Apple does not believe in task management, hard to believe but here we are at OS 3.0 and users have to rely on third parties to provide any kind of task support on the iPhone.

If you search for "task" at AppShopper, the results include 690 applications with some sort of task functionality. Out of those I found three which synchronize directly with Exchange. TaskData, Tasks'n Notes, and TaskTask. Back in January, I plunked down $12.99 for TaskData. I had high hopes but even with the latest version 3, I have never been able to get it to work consistently with my GoDaddy Hosted Exchange account and for the price the support has been lackluster. Even though the application looks good, it sounds like the developer does not fully understand how to use the Exchange web services. I would recommend staying away from TaskData, especially for the price. Yesterday, I decided to try TaskTask, it is a new Exchange task application and for now is selling for $1.99. I was pleasantly surprised, the configuration uses the Exchange Autodiscover feature (worked with GoDaddy) and although the functionality is basic the synchronization is fast and so far it is working consistently. The only missing functionality I have found is the inability to set reminder times which I believe is an iPhone OS issue.

Hopefully that will come in time, but I wanted to explore the possibility of having task reminders. I found a somewhat convoluted solution which works with Apple's alert push model. I will describe the solution in part 2.

Cracked Screen FAQ

Last week I was in the elevator when someone bemoaned having cracked their iPhone screen. I told them that Apple stores where now fixing screens, but they responded that they had tried Apple and had no luck. I decided to do some research and found that Apple does repair cracked screens for $199 but there are other solutions as well.

There is no doubt that cracked screens are a bummer since most of the time they can be avoided. Over the last 10 years of using a touch screen PDA and smartphones, I have cracked three screens. Both were on Windows Mobile devices (they were actually Pocket PCs at the time). I had them both repaired by PPC Techs and its predecessor company. They have always come through in a pinch and have done an excellent job repairing the device. They now also repair iPhones.

For the iPhone there are two other solutions; a do it yourself process documented by Jeff Carlson and taking your device to an Apple Store. If you are handy with small tools Jeff Carlson process looks pretty straight forward, but since the Apple store has a special tool to remove the screen from the device I would stick with them. The do it yourself process is obviously the cheapest but also the riskiest.

If you don't live near an Apple store I would recommend PPC Techs over the Apple ship in replacement program since you will end up with a refurbished unit rather than your device with a new screen.

My T-Mobile MDA in 2006 with a cracked screen.

iPhone 3GS – 1 Week Later

With minor restore glitches and battery training issues, my overall first week impression of the 3GS is "speed". Apple was right in adding the "S" to the 3G moniker. Applications like Trip Cubby which were sluggish on the 3G, run smoothly on the 3GS. Everything is just faster from web page rendering to GPS acquisition.

I like the new auto focus camera; although I can't say that I have seen a dramatic improvement in picture quality.

I had noticed that the 3GS' screen was not as bright as the 3G and Jason Kneen mentions a yellow tint in his first impression post. I put both units side by side and he is absolutely correct. Although this picture taken with my Omnia i910 does not show the difference clearly, you can see that the 3GS on the right has a yellowish tint compared to the 3G on the left. It is not dramatic but enough to notice.

I am befuddled by the lack of a full Stereo/Remote control (A2DP/AVRCP) Bluetooth implementation. Although the sound quality is very good with my Motorola HT820 headphones, the lack of a full AVRCP (remote control) implementation has me puzzled. It is like they went a quarter of the way by implementing start/stop and answer/call last number dialed but no track forward/backward. I also found that the Bluetooth stack won't recognize A2DP on my Altec Lansing iMT 525 Bluetooth stereo speaker. It recognizes it as Hands Free device, but I suspect this could be an Altec Lansing issue since the Motorola HT820 headphones which are older paired which no issues.

The biggest issue I have had this week has been with the battery. It seems that battery needs multiple full charges before it starts providing enough power for my average usage day, but at this point I have to say that battery life is no better than the 3G.

All in all I find the 3GS with OS 3.0 are a good evolutionary upgrade, but Apple still has work to implement key Bluetooth and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync functionality. Bottom line I am sticking with the 3GS.

iPhone 3GS – Battery Weirdness (update 2)

 

Update 6/24/09: Yesterday was good battery day although my usage was light email with one 20 minute charge the 3GS lasted all day.

Notice that the under the "Standby" there is now a status which tells you whether the iPhone was plugged in since the last full charge.

Update 6/23/09: Yesterday, I did use the 3GS heavily in the morning streaming audio to my Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headphones, after about 1 and half of heavy use (setting/usage showed 3 hours 12 minutes of use) I was down to 35%. I recharged using the iPhone charger for about 30 minutes and was back up to 61%. I ended up charging two other times for about 15 min (in the car using the Ridax charge converter) and at about 9:30 I ended the day with about 31%. So at this point I would say that the battery usage is no better than the 3G.

There are scatterings of battery complaints on the Apple forum (search for battery) which I can attest to after using the 3G S this weekend. On my first full day of use, the battery drained within 3 hours of average use (I had fully charged it when I received it). Then the iPhone shut itself down. I tried recharging it in my car with my Ridax charge converter (see my BMW install) and could not get the iPhone to charge at all. I then tried the BMW snap in adapter which revived the unit (I was glad to have it). After about 1 hour and half, I started using it again and the battery seem to drain quickly, however at some point the battery meter went from under 50% to over 50%. I tried using the Ridax charge converter again, and even though the thunderbolt shows up in the battery meter it did not appear to be charging.

After reading through the posts on the Apple forum, I made two changes:

1. I turned push email off and then back on (this has always been a drain, but I need it for work)
2. I turned on the percentage meter (settings/general/usage) to monitor charging and draining.

    

Battery Percentage option displays to the left of the battery meter.

I will see how today goes and update this post.

iPhone OS 3.0 – Email Inbox To/CC Status

One of the nice new features of the iPhone OS 3.0 Email Inbox display is the To / cc status displayed to the left of the subject. It identifies that the email was sent directly to your email address. If there is no status it signifies that the email was sent to a distribution list or a forwarded email address. When you open the email the To /cc email address is displayed.

The Email Inbox To / cc status to the left of the subject (blue box).

iPhone 3G S – Battery Weirdness (update)

Update 6/23/09: Yesterday, I did use the 3GS heavily in the morning streaming audio to my Motorola HT820 Bluetooth headphones, after about 1 and half of heavy use (setting/usage showed 3 hours 12 minutes of use) I was down to 35%. I recharged using the iPhone charger for about 30 minutes and was back up to 61%. I ended up charging two other times for about 15 min (in the car using the Ridax charge converter) and at about 9:30 I ended the day with about 31%. So at this point I would say that the battery usage is no better than the 3G.

There are scatterings of battery complaints on the Apple forum (search for battery) which I can attest to after using the 3G S this weekend. On my first full day of use, the battery drained within 3 hours of average use (I had fully charged it when I received it). Then the iPhone shut itself down. I tried recharging it in my car with my Ridax charge converter (see my BMW install) and could not get the iPhone to charge at all. I then tried the BMW snap in adapter which revived the unit (I was glad to have it). After about 1 hour and half, I started using it again and the battery seem to drain quickly, however at some point the battery meter went from under 50% to over 50%. I tried using the Ridax charge converter again, and even though the thunderbolt shows up in the battery meter it did not appear to be charging.

After reading through the posts on the Apple forum, I made two changes:

1. I turned push email off and then back on (this has always been a drain, but I need it for work)
2. I turned on the percentage meter (settings/general/usage) to monitor charging and draining.

Battery Percentage option displays to the left of the battery meter.

I will see how today goes and update this post.

iPhone 3G S – Restore 3G to 3G S problem

As I was perusing the Apple forum to research my battery issue, I noticed that there were several posts about restore issues. I had issues with the restore myself and posted my fix in my initial 3G S post, but I thought I would break it out for clarity.

My problem with the restore was that none of my applications or music was copied over, although some settings like email did make it.

My solution:

1. Connect your 3G to iTunes
2. Single click on iPhone name in left sidebar and edit name
3. Right click on iPhone name and perform a manual backup
4. Connect your 3GS to iTunes
5. Click on Restore
6. Select the newly edited name of your 3G

This will take a little while, but will complete successfully. The application icons even make it back to their appropriate place…

AT&T Delivery Comes through as Promised and Restore from 3G to 3G S Works Well

AT&T never promised delivery on the 19^th, but said they would try; with the help of FedEx my iPhone 3G S arrived at 11:33am on the 19^th . Thanks AT&T. Setting it up took a little time but the instructions are fairly straight forward.

1. Charge the iPhone (that took about 1 ½ hour)
2. Activate with iTunes (that took about 10 minutes). iTunes asks if you want to restore from a previous backup, I said yes. The restore was very quick and when completed the restore was lacking my applications and music. After some research I found a drop down window which displayed multiple backups from my 3G with the same name (another iTunes rant: why aren't the backup dates displayed?). Instead of trying to figure which backup was valid, I plugged my 3G back in, changed the device name (click on iPhone name in left bar to edit), manually forced a backup (the backup name is the iPhone name). Then I plugged my 3G S back in and did a restore using the backup I had just created (new iPhone name). This time the restore took a little more time but everything went back into place, even the location of the applications on the Home screen. Pretty cool (Hey Microsoft take note).
3. The instructions tell you to check voicemail, my Visual Voicemails where restored correctly. I never checked the real mailbox but everything seems fine.
4. The next step is to activate the phone itself online @ http://att.com/activation or by calling 855.895.1099. I activated online and was told to wait at least 15 minutes. My 3G S screen displayed a message that "Activation could take some time". After about 15 minutes I rebooted the unit and voila my iPhone 3G S was now active on the AT&T network. The iPhone 3G S came with an installed SIM so there was no swapping required. When I activated online the new SIM card was automatically registered (all I needed was my phone number).

This was the easiest Smartphone upgrade purchase and setup I have ever had. Kudos to Apple and AT&T since waiting in any kind of line is not my cup of tea. I drove by the Clarendon, VA Apple store yesterday and there was a line but nothing even close to the last 2 years. Clearly offering pre ordering to customers is the way to go…

My 3G INCIPIO silicon case (which I love), fits the 3G S perfectly. If there are new design cues on the 3G S, I can't see them.

My impression so far; the 3G S is faster but it is not like night and day. As I speculated before this is clearly an evolutionary design and if you are happy with your 3G there is probably no need to upgrade, but if you have a 2G then this is the device you want…Still I do love the autofocus on the camera and the compass is a nice feature. I have not tried the video or the voice control yet…