Google Maps on iPhone 3G

Google maps comes with all new iPhone's. I really got to use it this last time I was out of town and was very impressed. Especially with the GPS feature. I was traveling with by business partner who has a Blackberry and was comparing the GPS features. Now from the beginning the Blackberry seemed to be much better. But after a couple tries, we started to notice that Google Maps was sending us on a better route most of the time. Now, the Blackberry might have been sending us on a shorter route, but for the most part, the iPhone sent us on streets that made a whole lot more sense. Blackberry's GPS was constantly sending us down streets with a speed limit of 20 MPH and lots of stop signs. The iPhone or Google Maps, was sending us on routes that were much quicker and driver friendly. I can't speak for all users of both GPS systems, but during my last trip, the iPhone consistently outperformed the Blackberry.

Not So Hot 3G Network

The 3G network that ATT and Apple have been boasting about is not stacking up to the hype. Any user of the new 3G iPhone can tell you that they are experiencing more than just dropped calls. Often, iPhone users are unable to place calls, along with having their current conversations “fail.” The current speculation is that there are not enough satellites to hold the larger than anticipated 3G network of users. At times, it can be so bad that iPhone 3G users are not able to place calls for periods of up to 30 minutes. At first I thought it might be a regional issue. However, I experienced the problems initially in St. Louis, my friends in Chicago are having the same problems, and during my trip to the San Francisco Bay area and Phoenix, the issues were still present. I’ve had my phone looked at by the Genius Bar, and completed all necessary updates. Hopefully this problem will be addressed soon. Otherwise, I would expect ATT and Apple to get a lot of angry customers most likely resulting in discounted monthly statements. I was unable to find any sources discussing ATT’s plans to beef-up the 3G network. Hopefully they have a plan to address the recent problems. I’ll continue to look for reliable information about the current issues and hopefully get some insight as to when the problems will be fixed and we can continue to use our 3G iPhones without major service interruption.

If any readers feel these statements are false, or exaggerated, please comment on your experience.

iPhone Application Ads

For those of you iPhone users, I'm sure you've noticed your applications are being updated rapidly. That's because they are incorporating advertisements to your favorite iPhone apps like Bloomberg and Pandora internet radio. Sportacular is the only iPhone app that I have which hasn't been updated to display unwanted advertisements. Now all of these apps are free so we can't be too picky. However, if they start to make the iPhone run slowly, or have any sort of problems, they'll need to remove the unwanted application ads.

Spotacular's most recent update made the application better without the advertisments. You can now make a list of your favorite teams which displays their scores on the front page of the app. Sportacular is definitely one of the better apps and I appreciate them not following the new trend of iPhone apps putting banner ads on my phone.

iPhone Application: Bloomberg

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.