iPhone thread

[HaHaUK]

1. Can I play any of my mp3’s on the phone or do they have to be converted to a format that it recognises?

Any MP3s or AAC tracks play fine on it.

2. Which applications would you recommend?

I havent seen any of the offical apps yet, but would recommend Snapture (adds loads of features to the basic camera) and Ringtones (converts your MP3s to ringtones) if theyre still compatible with the 3G iPhone.

3. Can It play movies? (avi files,divx, etc)

Nope, you need to convert them to MP4 to play them on the iPhone.

5. How much does data cost, like surfing websites and using sat nav (does it have sat nav?)

With the O2 contract unlimited data comes free with any of the tariffs you pick, and yes the 3G iPhone will have GPS.

6.Which ear phones and case would you recommend?

I dont use a case on my iPhone and have only a few blemishs around the mirror border, otherwise its still in perfect nick and I use it everyday. I also use the standard headphones that came with it which I love. The headphones also includes an inline microphone meaning you dont have to take the headphones out to answer calls, and the iPhone automatically pauses and plays songs when you recieve/make calls etc.

[ChrisF]

and yes the 3G iPhone will have GPS.

Important to note though that the GPS doesn't give turn-by-turn so you can't really use it in your car like you would any other sat nav devices.

I think there's some vagueness over whether or not Tom Tom can legally release their software on the iPhone.

[CMcK]

Regarding the earphones question my other half swears by the V-MODA Vibe Duo's which has a built in mic like the pack in phones. http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TP637?mco=MjYyOTU2

Personally I use a set of iGrado neckband phones.http://www.gradolabs.com/frameset_main.htm
Fantastic sound quality.

[rumbletum]

Important to note though that the GPS doesn't give turn-by-turn so you can't really use it in your car like you would any other sat nav devices.

I think there's some vagueness over whether or not Tom Tom can legally release their software on the iPhone.

Eh? Tomtom is apparently up and running on the iPhone already

[TommyG]

Brilliant!

Thank you very much HaHaUK.

I'm gob smacked that you get unlimited data on any contract. That's flippin' great! Converting movies is easy as well.... I'm kinda massively excited now

Also, good point Chris, but I guess it'll be useful if i'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and don't have a map with me, or lost in a city.....cheers matey

Those headphones look great! I might have to think about it first though and give the standard ones a go before I splash the cash on those bad boys

Thanks again guys

[ChrisF]

Eh? Tomtom is apparently up and running on the iPhone already

Yes, but the Apple SDK licence says you can't write anything that competes with Apple's software, so its unknown at present if Tom Tom can actually release it.

[CMcK]

I think the Tomtom software might be OK.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/06/13/tomtom_for_iphone_lives_jobs_true_health_green_iphone_3g.html

I certainly hope so as I would like to use the iPhone in our new Golf when it arrives.

[ChrisF]

Result then! I'd certainly love to do away with my sat nav device as well.

[fishbowlhead]

I installed a cronium custom keyboard skin for my iPhone the other day and it seems to have overwritten the standard one completely. I've uninstalled it but its still there. Any idea how to get it back without a system reset to factory settings?

[EvilBoris]

Maybe install the customise app and restore it from that

[Taka]

Rumours on the interwebz has it that O2 are going to open at 7am in the morning on launch day. Other rumour is that we'll be able to sign up to contracts ahead of time to speed up the activation process on the day.

[ChrisF]

Is anyone here (or does anyone in here intend to) develop for the iPhone/iPod Touch?

The iPhone SDK requirements just state you need Leopard and an Intel based Mac. Now, the only Mac I have is a PowerPC based one so I need to upgrade. Question is what to? I quite like the idea of a Macbook Air (the PATA one, not the SSD!) but is that up to the task? I hear it's OpenGL support is a bit ropey? Any suggestions please? (laptops only btw... and strictly iPhone development, wont be using it for anything else)

[ascender]

I've briefly owned all of Apple's laptops over the last few months thanks to some work I'm doing. So....

Macbook Air is a lovely looking piece of kit, but is definitely a case of form over function. Its more than powerful enough for web browsing, word processing etc, but if I was doing anything more than that, I would look at a Macbook. You're also limited in terms of HDD and memory, which may not be an issue. As a second machine, especially if you're on the move a lot, I think it makes sense. But its still a lot of money for the spec of machine.

Macbook Pro. Main advantages over the Macbook range is that they have dedicated graphics instead of a shared chipset. They also have a higher resolution screen, backlit keyboard and can drive the 30" cinema display. Nice aluminium cases too. Oh, and if you need a matte screen, the Pro is the one to go for as the Macbooks are all glossy screened now.

Macbooks have come in to their own a bit recently as they've had their cpus upgraded and with memory cheap as chips, bung in 4Gb RAM to any of them and they'll be more than capable of anything you can throw at them really. I think its blurred the lines of the product lineup a bit as they're no longer the under-powered distant relative of the Pro. Black or white plasticky case might put you off a bit, but they still come with the same 2Gb RAM, big hdd and built-in webcam that the Pro does. They have a lower resolution screen but can hook up to the 20" and 23" cinema displays.

Having used them all, I'd go for a Macbook. They're a nice size which makes them very portable, but also powerful enough and sensibly priced. Unless you need the features of the Pro, or desperately want one, I don't see the need really.

Sorry, I've been waffling...

[ChrisF]

Excellent reply, thank you. To be honest I had kind of picked out the mid-priced (829?) Macbook as most likely candidate for it, but was kinda hoping that the Air would be up to the task. Guess not

Sorry to have derailed the thread slightly, t'was an iPhone related question though

[Orgun]

Hi guys

I'm currently thinking of getting an iPhone and I was wondering if its worth waiting until july for the new one or if I should just pick up one of the current models? Not sure if it makes much difference but im currently with Carphone Warhouse on O2.

I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between the two.