I occasionally get to travel, not as much as I would like, but I always enjoy it.  However, whenever I travel internationally, I am afraid that my smartphone (iPhone) bill will be the most expensive part.  I have heard horror stories of people returning home to discover cell phone bills of over $2000 when they barely used their phone!!

So what can you do to prevent this, short of leaving your phone at home or off during the entire trip?

It is rather simple:

First, call your cell provider and find out what the charges are for the country or countries that you are going to.  Also, ask them what international plans they have.  At a minimum, this will give you a guideline of what to expect.  They might even be able to give you specific instructions for how to configure your phone for international travel.  Take good notes, so you can change back any settings when you return.

The tricky part of determining your costs with a smartphone are all the little things that go on behind the scenes.  So you want to turn off as much as possible. An example of data services that happen behind the scenes is the automatic periodic checking for new emails. Other services might include over the air automatic syncing of calendar and contacts, a “Find-Me” feature in case your phone is lost, and any other push or location services.  The obvious data services include features such as Text Messaging (SMS & MMS), manual Sending and Receiving email, and surfing the web.

1) Turn off data roaming. This disables data services over the cellular carrier when you in an area not covered by your provider.  You will still be able to use WiFi wherever it is available.

2) Turn off 3G or 4G services.  This is an extra precaution, that will prevent your phone from using the high speed data portion of cell service.  Again, you can still access most features of your phone using the regular phone portion of your cell service for phone calls and WiFi for data.

3) If you understand your international plan and what your charges will be, or your still really want to use your phone, turn off any features you can, that you do not need.  For example, make sure you only check for new email manually, not automatically.  Turn off push notification. Don’t text and especially do not send many pictures and videos via text.  Use email over WiFi when possible. Turn off syncing, and any “Find-Me” or “Find-My-Phone” type features.

Another option that I have heard other people use, but have not done yet is simply get a disposable phone at your new location or by a local SIM card that you can plug into your own phone.

Happy travels,
Richard Lazovick

It looks like they are calling them the iOS4 and iPhone 4.

I talked about this in a previous post:

New iPhone OS4 & 4G

You can also get more information from the Apple site itself at:

iOS4 Software Update and iPhone 4, iPhone 4 Notify Me

The new iPhone4 can be pre-ordered starting June 15th and will be available starting June 24th. The date for the new iOS4 is still unknown.

Cheers,
Richard

Hopefully this will be a good thing, but in reality, only time will tell.  For most of us, this should end up saving us some money.

First, the data changes to the data plan rate structure:

Currently – At least with the iPhone, you are required to get an unlimited data

New Options -
a) Data Plus – 200 MB of data for $15/month. Additional 200MB for another $15.
b) DataPro – 2GB of data for $25/month. Additional 1 GB of data for $10.

AT&T claims that the Data Plus plan is more than sufficient for 65% of the iPhone/SmartPhone users, and the DataPro plan is good for 98% of the iPhone/SmartPhone users.  In theory, that means that 65% of the users will save $15/month and the remaining 33% will save $5/month.  What can possibly be wrong with that?

TETHERING

The new feature that is being offered on the iPhone is Tethering.  The phone has always had this feature, but AT&T is only now allowing it to be used.  Simply put, tethering is the ability to share the phone’s network connection with another device, such as a laptop computer or iPad.

c) Tethering – Additional $20/month for DataPro customers. (That’s right, you need to sign up for the DataPro data plan to be able to use tethering)

NOTES:
1) All new SmartPhone/iPhone contracts will require you sign up for either the DataPlus or DataPro plans.  The unlimited Data Plan is no longer available for new contracts.  This is the current understanding.  The actual details are not announced yet.
2) You can easily check your data usage by logging into your account on www.wireless.att.com
3) Keep in mind, that once you tether your phone to a laptop or iPad, your data usage is likely to take a quantum jump up.  So be careful to keep track of your usage when you first make the switch and enable tethering.

I hope this helps clarify and keep you up to date.

Cheers,
Richard

Now, keep in mind that until Apple actually officially releases the new OS everything you read or hear about the new OS4 is just rumor and conjecture. It is highly likely to change.

Before I get into the new features, let me explain a few of the basics:

1: What is an OS4? – An OS is an Operating System. The operating system is simply the software that runs the phone itself.  It is the software platform upon which the user interface and all the applications run.
2: The difference between OS4 and 4G. – The OS is the operating system.  It is software based.  Another way to put it is, it is the code or instructions that runs on the hardware.  In comparison, hardware is the physical device.  Since the software is just code or instructions, it can be easily upgraded and changed over time, simply by downloading it onto the phone. Frequently, it is upgraded by the manufacturer as they make improvements.  It is up to the manufacturer to decide whether they want to charge you for those changes or not.  Since hardware is the physical device, if you want to get the latest changes you need to get a new device.  You have to physically change the device you hold in your hand.  Thus, manufacturers or suppliers usually charge for the new version.

In specific, If you already have an iPhone or iPod Touch, it is probably running OS3, or the third version of the Operating System software.  There have been several tweaks and minor updates to this version of software over the past year or two.  In June, Apple is expected to release Its next major upgrade, OS4.  This version of the OS has some really cool and exciting features.

Apple is also expected to release a new version of the hardware in June.  This will be the 4th generation of the hardware.  It has some really cool new features also!

To get ALL the benefits of the new OS4, you will need the 4G version of the iPhone or iPod Touch.  However, if you already have a 3G or 3Gs version of the hardware, you will get many of the benefits of the new OS.

I will highlight some of the new features here:

Apple iPhone / iPod Touch OS4

• Multitasking – This is one of the most exciting new features.  Multitasking is the ability to run multiple programs at once.  This feature already exists in a limited form, but will be greatly expanded in this new release.  The neat thing is, they claim they have done it in a very special way that will not slow it down significantly or consume excessively more battery power. This feature will only be available on the iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touch 3G (and, of course, newer versions).
• Application Folders – This is a really nice/convenience feature. It is the ability to organize your applications into categories. For instance, you can group all your social networking applications into one folder, your financial programs into another folder, etc…  This is not a big deal if you have only a few programs, but if you have a lot, such as I do, it can be significant.  Let me clarify: Currently, to find an application, I either have to scroll through pages to find that application or I need to go to Spotlight, remember the name, and start typing the name.  In contrast, with folders, I should be able to go to my home page, click on the appropriate folder and find all the applications in one place that will fit my needs.
• A New Mail Application – The new mail application will have a unified Inbox, fast Inbox switching, and threaded emails.  If you only have one email account, this is not a big deal.  But if you have multiple accounts, this is a huge convenience.  The biggest benefit here is that you can see all your email at once or view each email account separately.  It is your choice.  See my previous post: Email on the iPhone vs the Blackberry. These changes further closes the gap between the iPhone and the blackberry for business users.
• Fast Application Switching -  Quicker switching between tasks and a better ability to resume an application where you left off, after closing it.
• Game Center – Apple will introduce a centralized gaming service where players can connect to other players in a multiplayer network. This is similar to the Xbox Live and PSN.
• iBooks – This is a trickle down from the iPad.  In addition to reading your Kindle books, you can also buy and read your iBooks. Yes, you can download the books you already bought on your iPad too.
• 5x Digital Zoom – This is the ability to zoom in on a subject before you take a picture.  It is already available with applications such as Free Zoom, but it is nice to have it built into the main camera program.  Don’t confuse digital zoom with optical zoom.  Digital zoom is uses software to extrapolate what the camera sees and expand a certain portion. Optical zoom uses the lens to zoom in on the subject. As a result, it is very convenient, but the quality is not as good as with optical zoom. Most digital cameras have a combination of both optical and digital zoom.
• Bluetooth Keyboard – The iPhone will be able to use a wireless keyboard.
• Other – There are many other changes and enhancements to the operating system.  These are the ones I found most significant.

Apple iPhone / iPod Touch 4G

Unlike the new OS4 release, Apple has not announced the 4G.  Everything about it is conjecture with two caveats: 1) Apple has a history of announcing new versions of the iPhone in June and releasing them in July and 2) an Apple employee “accidentally” left a prototype of the iPhone 4g in a bar, someone found it and sold it to Gizmodo.

• Additional Front Facing Camera – for video chats.
• Improved Main Camera - on the back
• Flash for the Camera – for low light and night pictures.
• Micro SIM Card – Like on the iPad, instead of the regular SIM card found on the current iPhone. This is the card that you can slip from one phone to another and identifies it as yours, with your phone number etc.
• Improved Display – much higher resolution, clearer, crisper images.
• Secondary Mic – possibly for improved noise cancellation, e.g. better pick-up  & less feedback.
• Misc Body Changes – it looks like the physical casing of the phone and some of the buttons have changed, but it is really too soon to tell.

To get more information, you can go to Apple’s site, or do a Google search on Apple iPhone OS4 or Apple iPhone 4G.

I hope this helps you understand Apple’s planned new iPhone adn iPod Touch offerings.

Cheers,
Richard

You can get them all over the place, but usually they come with a small fee, or when you buy something else.

However, you can easily create your own ringtones by yourself from almost any music or sounds in your iTunes library.

Common ringtones include playing a special tune or song when a friend or family member calls.  For example, you can play “Here Comes The Bride” if your wife calls.  In my case, when my wife calls, I hear her voice say “Hey Rich, it’s me Caroline!” over and over again.  People look around, trying to figure out where she is.  (To be honest, it’s kind of eerie at times.  I feel like she is sneaking up on me.)

Creating a custom ringtone with iTunes 8 is easy.  There are two ways to do it, depending on whether you want to create one from 1) a song you bought from the iTunes store or 2) almost any other DRM-free (Digital Rights Management free i.e., non-copy protected) songs or audio sounds (e.g., MP3, ACC, and AIFF files). Any voice memo or song ripped from a CD or downloaded from a DRM-Free source such as Amazon should work just fine.

1) To create a ring-tone from a song from iTunes, select the song from within iTunes, then go to the “Store” menu, select “Create Ringtone …” and follow the instructions.

2) To create a ringtone from any DRM-free song or sound within iTunes, (which is the real intent of this post) follow these simple step-by-step instructions (This might look complicated, but it is really very easy. I just put in a lot of detail):
a) Open iTunes
b) Locate the song (or audio sound) you want to use.
c) Click on the song once to highlight it. It will turn blue.

d) Right click on the song and select “Get Info”

e) Select the “Options” tab.
f) Check the “Start Time” and “End Time” boxes, then select your desired start and end times that you want for your ringtone clip. (To find your desired start and end times, first listen to the song and watch the timers window at the top of iTunes. Note, the entire clip chosen must be 30 seconds or less.

g) If necessary adjust the volume using the Volume Adjust slider.
h) Click “OK”
i) Make sure the song you want is still highlighted

j) Set your import options to AAC or Apple Lossless, by

1. going to the  iTunes menu,
2. then select Preferences… , a window will open,
3. click on the General tab,
4. then click the Import Options button.
5. select AAC Encoder or Apple Lossless Encoder (Not Mp3).  “Apple Lossless Encoder” is shown below:

k) Click on “Advanced” in your menu bar
l) Select “Create AAC Version” or “Create Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) Lossless Version”, depending on which you configured above.

m)  A duplicate copy of your song will appear in iTunes.  This new song will have the same filename but shorter “Time”

n) Go back to the original song and uncheck those “Start Time” and “End Time” boxes. (See Steps c-h).

o)  Locate the new duplicate song. (You can use the sort or search features to help.  It will be underneath the original song if you sort by name or at the top if you sort by date.)

p) Drag the “new” song to your Desktop. This actually just makes a copy and places it on the desktop. (If your screen is too full, you can go to the iTunes menu and select Hide Others.)

q) Once the “new” song is copied to your Desktop, delete the version that is still in iTunes. (Delete only the “new” song you created in iTunes, not the original song and not the copy you moved to the desktop.

r) On your Desktop, you will notice the file has an extension “.m4a“.  Click on the file name once, to highlight it, then change that extension to “.m4r”. Changing this file extension to .m4r makes it a ringtone.

s) Drag the newly renamed .m4r (songname.m4r) file back into iTunes
Drag the file over the “Library” column and release when “Library” becomes highlighted
* You have to delete the duplicate song file (Step p) otherwise iTunes won’t import your new .m4r file

t) You should see your new ringtone under “Ringtones” in iTunes. (You will not see it with all the other songs under Music.)

u)  Sync your iPhone using iTunes to get your new iPhone ringtone! (Make sure “Sync Ringtones” box is selected under the Ringtones tab.)

v) Now when you create a new contact or edit an existing one, and want to set a Ringtone, you will see your new one listed at top in the “Custom” section.

w) That’s it — YOUR DONE!!

The answer is simple: Use Emoticons.

You have seen them everywhere.  They are those cute little icons.  Originally they were just smiley faces  – used to indicate a light-hearted or humorous message.  They have since expanded to portray just about everything from being sad , to shocked , to playing football  or taking a bath .

Although this capability is not built into the iPhone you can easily add it without jailbreaking your phone.  In other words, “There is an APP for that.”

There are actually a series of applications.  Just go to the iTunes store and search on “Emoji”  Then choose the application that you like and follow its installation instructions.

I used “Emoji Enabler – Easily Unlock 460+ Beautiful Emoticons For Free”.  It was very easy to install and has hundreds (460+) of emoticons, way more than I can ever imagine using.

NOTE: This works great from one Apple product to another (e.g. iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to iPad, etc).  It might or might not work with other devices, such as other smarth phones or email clients, depending on the features that device or software supports.

One warning – it can become addicting and annoying to use these emoticons.
Do NOT overdue it.

Have fun

Richard

PS  Thank you to Karolyn for showing me this application.

One such feature came in handy yesterday, so I wanted to share it with you.

The Feature is an Undo.

So how do you do it?  Turns out, this is very simple.

When you look at the iPhone/iPod Touch, you will notice that only has 4 buttons:

1) The Sleep/Wake button on the top
2) The Home button on the bottom
3) Volume control on the side
4) Ring/Silent on the side

You also already know that you have extra features, such as Select, Cut, Copy, & Paste by touching the screen.

But no where do you see an Undo feature and there are no other buttons.  So, how does it work?

The answer is very simple:

Shake The iPhone/iPod !!

That’s it.

In applications where it is supported, which is most text applications, if you want to undo the last process, simply shake your iPhone/iPod Touch.  For instance, I had written a long email, then accidentally erased it by Pasting text replacing what I had typed. I started to panic, then remembered this nifty little trick.  I shook the iPhone and – a little pop-up menu appeared asking if I wanted to undo the last action. I clicked Undo and – viola – my typed text reappeared! I was ecstatic.  Okay, a slight exaggeration, but needless to say, I was very happy.

If you delete more than one portion, shake your iPhone/iPod again and you will get the options: Undo & Redo.

Watch this video to learn more.

If you are having trouble viewing this video, try downloading and installing Quicktime (for free), or you can view the video online by clicking here. (see Note)

Good luck,
Richard

Here is just a quick update.

The iPad will become available on April 3rd, 2010.   If you are so inclined and just can’t wait, you can preorder it now on Apple’s website.

You will have two options:

a) Get your iPad on day one. Pre-order it from the Apple Online Store and have it delivered free on April 3.

Or

b) Reserve one to pick up at an Apple Retail Store on April 3.

But, I have a question for you.  Do you care?

Are you so excited to get the iPad that you just can’t wait?

Here is my opinion, and most of the people I have talked to agree:

I think the iPad is very cool.  It has the “Gee Whiz” factor that Apple is known for.  But right now it does not seem like it is worth the price.  Yes, it is great for viewing movies and surfing the web, but other than a larger screen and being faster, does it really offer more than an iPhone or iPod Touch?

I cannot carry it around as easily as my iPhone or iPod Touch, and it cannot do as much as my laptop.  Is it really worth $499 for the starting model or as much as $829 + celluar charges (3G data plan)?

If money were no object, I would definitely get one.  But for now, money is a consideration. So I am going to wait to see what new applications come out and read some other reviews before I get one.

What is your opinion?  Are you going to get an Apple iPad?

Cheers,
Richard

It is one of the most popular mobile phones around. I think the Blackberry is still the most popular overall, but there are several reasons for that:
1) The Blackberry has been around for much longer than the iPhone.
2) The Blackberry is carried by more cell phone service providers than the iPhone.
3) There are many versions of the Blackberry. There are only 3 versions of the iPhone.

This last reason is actually to your benefit. It makes it very easy to choose which iPhone is right for you.

When deciding which iPhone to get, here are somethings to consider:
1) Do you like to take pictures?
2) Do you need to take videos?
3) How much music and videos do you have and do you like to keep them all with you?
4) Do you like to use your phone while driving?
5) Do you need to know which way you are facing not just where you are?
6) Is price important?

Watch this video to learn more.

If you are having trouble viewing this video, try downloading and installing Quicktime (for free), or you can view the video online by clicking here. (see Note)

It looks like they are trying to continue their dominance of the internet. The Android operating system and Nexus One were designed to make it easier to use smart phones to interact with web sites and services. I will be providing more details in the future, but here is some preliminary information:
- 4 GB memory, expandable to 32 GB
- Battery life 7 hrs talk, 250 Standby
- It’s 130 grams in weight and 11.5 mm in width, about the width of a standard #2 pencil.
- 5 MP camera with LED Flash (The iPhone has 3 MP camera, no flash)
- Has Wifi, GPS, and Voice Commands.
- Every text field is voice-enabled. Every time you speak, it will process your speech into text. It gets better and better the more you use it.
- Supports Multitasking. (The iPhone has very limited multitasking).
- Applications will not have to go through the same scrutiny and review process that they do with Apple for the iPhone.
- There are about 20,000 applications already available for phones with the Android operating system. (There are over 93,000 for the iPhone). The preliminary hub is that the Nexus One is the closet competition to the iPhone. Well, let’s not forget about the Blackberry.

If you have a Nexus One. Please let us know what you think about it.

Cheers,
Richard ]]> http://www.mpnspecials.com/google-nexus-one-takes-on-apple-iphone/feed/ 1