This is the first application I put on my iPhone 3G. Bloomberg provides financial information and is a great resource for investors, financial professionals, and anyone interested in the capital markets, or related news. The Bloomberg App lets you pick stocks you want to watch and gives you current quote information, related news, and performance charts. You also have access to international equity, bond, currency, bond, and commodity markets/indices.
The Bloomberg app would not make much sense for someone who didn't have a strong need or desire to be informed of current market conditions on more than a daily basis. This is where the iPhone can really compete with the Blackberry's that business people have been set on since their creation. As far as I know, no other phone has anything close to this informative for financial information, and therefore, would make the iPhone 3G a great option. The Bloomberg application for the iPhone is free as well.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
iPhone Application: Shazam
I have been using the iPhone Shazam application for about 2 months now and thought I would write a bit about it.The Shazam application for the iPhone "listens" to music playing and then sends you the artist, title, and album of the song! Its absolutely awesome. I cannot believe how much I use. The application takes about 15-30 seconds to listen to the music playing, and about another 15 seconds to send you the song information. It works incredibly well also. I've used it in bars, in the car, during a commercial playing a song I like, during the credits of a movie, and more. I can honestly say, there were only 2 times it hasn't been able to identify the song I was requesting and I've probably used it over 100 times.
Once you have "tagged" a song, meaning you've identified it with Shazam, you can quickly preview the song on youtube, send the tag to your friends, or buy the song directly to your iPhone from iTunes. Its truely amazing how streamlined the who process is and the best part is the Shazam application is completely free!
iPhone 3g Charger Problems
Last Friday, Apple announced that the "ultracompact" charger that came with the new iPhone 3g's is causing some problems. Apparently they are breaking off in outlets which can be dangerous. iPhone owners have 2 options to exchange their existing ultracompact power adapter.
1. Bring your existing power adapter to an Apple store and exchange it for a new one.
2. Go to Apple's website and fill out a request to have a new charger mailed to you. (you'll need your iphone serial number and will have to mail back your existing ultracompact power adapter)
I'm a current iPhone 3g user and have not had this problem, but I will be going online and requesting the new power adapter to be mailed to my house. I hope this solves any problems people are having with the product.
1. Bring your existing power adapter to an Apple store and exchange it for a new one.
2. Go to Apple's website and fill out a request to have a new charger mailed to you. (you'll need your iphone serial number and will have to mail back your existing ultracompact power adapter)
I'm a current iPhone 3g user and have not had this problem, but I will be going online and requesting the new power adapter to be mailed to my house. I hope this solves any problems people are having with the product.
Monday, September 1, 2008
iPhone Application: Sportacular
I recently added the Sportacular application to my iPhone 3G and love it. You get a great range of sports coverage on your iPhone. Sports include MLB, NFL, NCAA FB, NBA NCAA BB, NHL, and MLS. The best part about this application is it's free. There are several other sports apps you have to pay for. It's important for me that this application covers NCAA FB. You can select your main page on the app to be the AP Top 25, or your favorite conference. I have mine set for the Big 12. Scores are updated across the board every 30 seconds. You can also view player stats, standings, current weeks scores, news, and more.
I have a few applications on my iPhone and this is one of my favorites. You really can't beat this sports application seeing as its free and has great coverage. I'm pretty sure that Sportacular has a paid application if you are really interested in getting even more detail in your sports coverage. I personally don't need it, but a die hard sports fan might want to consider it.
I have a few applications on my iPhone and this is one of my favorites. You really can't beat this sports application seeing as its free and has great coverage. I'm pretty sure that Sportacular has a paid application if you are really interested in getting even more detail in your sports coverage. I personally don't need it, but a die hard sports fan might want to consider it.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
iPhone Picture Messaging
I received my first picture message yesterday with my new iPhone 3g. Previously I had Sprint and I thought it was a pain to have to connect to the internet to see my picture message, but ATT is much worse than that.
I got a text message saying that I had a new "multimedia" message. To view it you have to visit an ATT website. But, you also have to log in with a username and password sent with each text message that is about 8 characters long each with letters and numbers. This is a much bigger pain in the neck than the way Sprint does it.
I'm confident that the reason they chose to do it this way is to discourage users from sending such picture messages or video messages since it is included in your plan. Not a very good feature of the iPhone or ATT service.
I got a text message saying that I had a new "multimedia" message. To view it you have to visit an ATT website. But, you also have to log in with a username and password sent with each text message that is about 8 characters long each with letters and numbers. This is a much bigger pain in the neck than the way Sprint does it.
I'm confident that the reason they chose to do it this way is to discourage users from sending such picture messages or video messages since it is included in your plan. Not a very good feature of the iPhone or ATT service.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tape Deck Connector for iPods
Good news!!! I just tested a tape deck connector with my iPhone and it works the best out of any others I've tried so far. The only problem is that my Jeep doesn't have a tape deck. But for those of you out there that do, I would highly recommend trying one out.
As far as FM Transmitters for Ipods are concerned, they usually run about $74+ for a good one. As as stated in previous posts, a lot of them DO NOT work with the new iPhone 3g. You can pick up a cassette hookup for you ipod or iPhone for about $25. You can find one even cheaper but I wouldn't recommend buying the cheapest one you can find. Maybe grab a mid grade hookup and see how you like it.
Here are some popular models that I've found with good feedback from users:
Belkin - $19.99
Monster iCarPlay - $24.95
I hope this was helpful for those of you looking for the cheapest, best ways to listen to your iPods in your cars.
As far as FM Transmitters for Ipods are concerned, they usually run about $74+ for a good one. As as stated in previous posts, a lot of them DO NOT work with the new iPhone 3g. You can pick up a cassette hookup for you ipod or iPhone for about $25. You can find one even cheaper but I wouldn't recommend buying the cheapest one you can find. Maybe grab a mid grade hookup and see how you like it.
Here are some popular models that I've found with good feedback from users:
Belkin - $19.99
Monster iCarPlay - $24.95
I hope this was helpful for those of you looking for the cheapest, best ways to listen to your iPods in your cars.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Nike Plus for iPod Nano
I had heard a little bit about the Nike Plus plugin on for the iPod Nano and decided to go ahead and buy one. First you need Nike shoes that have the +, meaning a hole under the inserts in the shoes. Then you have to buy the package for about $30 which includes a little plastic ball and a small plugin for the Nano. Once you have the ball in your shoe and the plugin on your iPod Nano, you are ready to go. A new field on your iPod main screen will appear called, "Nike Plus."
You have a few options with Nike Plus. You can build your own workout, set a "Power Song" to play, and select a man or women's voice among other options. The Nike Plus will keep track of how far you run, pace, and keep track of your record times. I even used it on the tread mill to compare how accurate it is and it really was dead on. I was pretty impressed.
I generally run mile before my workout and occassionally go for 3 mile runs outside. At first the Nike Plus was a lot of fun to use but after a week or two, I kind of lost the desire to even use it on my 1 mile warm-ups. I would definitley recommed this product to anyone who runs 10+ miles per week. Otherwise you probably don't run enough to really need it. Plus if you don't already have shoes that use it, you'll have to buy a pair which can run anywhere between $70-$150. I'm pretty sure you could just put the plastic ball under your laces of other shoes but I'm not sure it would still work the same.
You have a few options with Nike Plus. You can build your own workout, set a "Power Song" to play, and select a man or women's voice among other options. The Nike Plus will keep track of how far you run, pace, and keep track of your record times. I even used it on the tread mill to compare how accurate it is and it really was dead on. I was pretty impressed.
I generally run mile before my workout and occassionally go for 3 mile runs outside. At first the Nike Plus was a lot of fun to use but after a week or two, I kind of lost the desire to even use it on my 1 mile warm-ups. I would definitley recommed this product to anyone who runs 10+ miles per week. Otherwise you probably don't run enough to really need it. Plus if you don't already have shoes that use it, you'll have to buy a pair which can run anywhere between $70-$150. I'm pretty sure you could just put the plastic ball under your laces of other shoes but I'm not sure it would still work the same.
iPhone 3G GPS
One great feature of the new iPhone 3G is GPS. It didn't take me too long to figure it out. The feature is used through the Maps application. You simply identify where you are going by typing in the address, then select, "Get Directions" which it will map out the shortest distance. When you are ready to go, select "Start" and the 3G network will locate you on the map using a pulsing blue dot. As you move, so will the dot. It's definitely pretty cool.
I did notice a couple fixes that would make it better. One would be a voice command to prompt the user to turn or when a turn is coming. Another would be to have the map rotate to that you are always traveling up on the screen. Currently, you have to turn your iPhone after you make a direcitonal change if you want to be moving in the same direction as the blue dot.
The commercial for the Instinct says that it has voice command GPS. At this point I would say that is its biggest competitve advantage over the iPhone 3G. It wouldn't take much for the Instinct's GPS to be more responsive than the iPhone's. I noticed that sometimes I would be passing streets that the iPhone GPS displayed I hadn't yet. I would say the feature is definitely useful, however, if I were planning a long road trip I definitely wouldn't trust it to get me there without a few mistakes along the way.
I did notice a couple fixes that would make it better. One would be a voice command to prompt the user to turn or when a turn is coming. Another would be to have the map rotate to that you are always traveling up on the screen. Currently, you have to turn your iPhone after you make a direcitonal change if you want to be moving in the same direction as the blue dot.
The commercial for the Instinct says that it has voice command GPS. At this point I would say that is its biggest competitve advantage over the iPhone 3G. It wouldn't take much for the Instinct's GPS to be more responsive than the iPhone's. I noticed that sometimes I would be passing streets that the iPhone GPS displayed I hadn't yet. I would say the feature is definitely useful, however, if I were planning a long road trip I definitely wouldn't trust it to get me there without a few mistakes along the way.
Monday, July 28, 2008
iPhone Rubber Skin
I recently purchased a rubber skin for my iPhone. I originally wanted one that had something to hold the headphones with as well but I couldn't find any for the 3G iPhone. I would recommend that anyone that has an iPhone get some sort of protective casing since accidental damages caused by the owner are not covered.
I purchased the DLO rubber skin from Best Buy about a week ago and think it works great. I had a clear plastic case for my iPod Nano which is fine, but after having the rubber skin, I recommend rubber. I say this because it is way less likely to fall out of your pocket. Actually, I think it's impossibe for an iPhone or iPod to fall out of your pocket if its cased in a rubber sleeve.
Another important feature/benefit of the DLO skin is that it comes with 4 screen protectors. I originally thought they would make my iPhone screen unresponsive but they are very thin and when applied properly you can't even tell its on. Again, I recommend anyone with an iPhone or iTouch get something similar to this. You really do need to protect your screen as well.
I purchased the DLO rubber skin from Best Buy about a week ago and think it works great. I had a clear plastic case for my iPod Nano which is fine, but after having the rubber skin, I recommend rubber. I say this because it is way less likely to fall out of your pocket. Actually, I think it's impossibe for an iPhone or iPod to fall out of your pocket if its cased in a rubber sleeve.
Another important feature/benefit of the DLO skin is that it comes with 4 screen protectors. I originally thought they would make my iPhone screen unresponsive but they are very thin and when applied properly you can't even tell its on. Again, I recommend anyone with an iPhone or iTouch get something similar to this. You really do need to protect your screen as well.
Road Trip for iPod
I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the receiver unfortunately does not have a hookup so I use an FM transmitter. Particularly the Road Trip. It costs around $70 and can be purchased at Best Buy, Circuit City, and I'm sure several other electronic stores. It's definitely better than the Harmon Kardon I had before, but could be better. I know that I'll probably never get super high sound quality out of an fm transmitter, but would like to see some improvements in the future. My signal always gets overpowered by satellite radio users. Why can't a product for iPods be as strong as satellite radio signals?
The Road Trip is also slightly compatible with the new 3g iPhone. The support however is not there. It will play music just fine, but cannot really support it so you'll have to either use some sort of rubber band, or don't take fast turns. I still use my iPod Nano in the car since it fits so well, but would like to be able to use my iPhone. There is supposed to be a product made specifially for the iPhone which is the iTrip Auto by Griffin. I haven't had the chance to pick one up but probably will be doing so in the near future.
The Road Trip is also slightly compatible with the new 3g iPhone. The support however is not there. It will play music just fine, but cannot really support it so you'll have to either use some sort of rubber band, or don't take fast turns. I still use my iPod Nano in the car since it fits so well, but would like to be able to use my iPhone. There is supposed to be a product made specifially for the iPhone which is the iTrip Auto by Griffin. I haven't had the chance to pick one up but probably will be doing so in the near future.
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