I’ve been a happy iPhone user since picking mine up on launch day last summer for the iPhone4.  With the announcement of the much anticipated and then slightly disappointing 4s I’ve chosen to not upgrade, there’s not enough bang for the buck and I’m still tied to my current contract for another 8ish months.  What I did do was upgrade to iOS5 though, curious to get some of the new features and functions; one of which is iMessage.

Even though reports on Twitter and Facebook the night of the iOS update launched were filled with horror stories of users losing all their contacts, paid apps and causing hours of pain, I did the update.  After one last Sync with iTunes (which needed to be updated to 10.5) I ran the iOS update and felt no pain, no problems and no loss of data.  After playing with a few of the features I went to bed as it was late and didn’t think much of it.

That following Friday the 4s was released and a friend picked one up and started to txt me.  I noticed the colors looked a little different but didn’t think much of it.  Then I saw the … bubble indicating he was sending me a txt and realized we were using iMessage, it’s turned on by default.  Cool I guess?

iMessage is kind of creepy in that it knows when two users are both running iOS5, as my iPhone friends updated their phones and bought the new 4s I started to see more and more of them switch to iMessage.  Curious how it worked, I did a quick Google search.  It’s straightforward, a proprietary messaging system that utilizes your existing number or email address when both users are running iOS5; unlike Blackberry’s BBM service which requires a separate number, or those who are old enough to remember using Nextel’s two-way walkie talkie function.  It runs over Wi-Fi or 3g when not available and is only supposed to use a minute amount of data when not on Wi-Fi.

Up until yesterday I had no real issues, that I knew about with it.  The concept is cool, except that I’m sure Apple somewhere along the lines now is seeing our information since it must be going through their servers, right?  A txt conversation with a friend resulted in me seeing something really weird, and I asked what in the world they were talking about, took a screen shot of the conversation and sent it to them, all via iMessage.  Turns out I didn’t understand what was going on in the conversation because the message my friend sent never got to me! That’s a problem.  Who do I complain to about that?  When it was a straight up txt I could complain to AT&T, but not now.

Many are praising Apple for developing this technology, it can / will force the hand of service providers AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to rethink their current text message plans since users can now circumvent them.  I remember reading somewhere that the cost of a service provider to allow a user to send 20 txt messages a month and 2,000 is no different, they just charge us more because they can.  I’d love nothing more than to save a few bucks on what I already consider to be a bill that’s too high by reducing my unlimited txt plan to the next step down, for me that’s 200 from AT&T.  I can’t do it though.

At best 40% of my friends use iPhones, of those less than 10% have upgraded their OS yet or have the new iPhone.  Since there is no way to control or restrict the amount of incoming messages, I know with my current usage (usually between 4,500 and 8,000 txt messages a month) 200 would never cut it. Even if I could, I’d be worried of hitting the 2GB data limit in my plan, I wasn’t grandfathered into unlimited.  Again, I send and receive a ton of photos each month, 5mp camera in my iPhone and 8mp in the new 4s, all as 3g over iMessage woud add up. Apple has now forced my hand to decide.

With a failed iMessage already I have mixed feelings about leaving the service turned on and I don’t want to turn on delivery confirmation to get those notices too.  There’s also no solid information, that I can find, about whose servers these iMessages are being sent through.

I praise Apple for making a service that has great intentions and I hope it really makes the service providers look at the fees they charge their customers because this could be a game changer.  While I’m willing to chalk up this one experience as a it’s new and maybe the system is overloaded or not all the bugs are worked out, my questions may never get answers which will more than likely result in turning the service off.

Please share your experiences, positive or negative with iMessage.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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When it comes to iPhone 3G Apps, you can never quite have enough, right? Although I beg to differ, as I decided to join the masses, one thing I told myself after I purchased my iPhone was that I certainly would not download useless Apps that contained no apparent reason or use for it.

Well, I openly admit I haven’t quite adhered to Rule No. 1 of Jana’s iPhone Don’ts–I’d say Fluid and Heat Pad are rather unnecessary. However, out of the thousands of pointless Apps that only have some form of reasonable functionality or entertainment like while riding a bus or flying, you’ll clearly come across many that are actually useful, helpful and handy when you need something in a pinch.

Out of the 20 Apps (yes, I counted) that I’ve downloaded–mostly for free–can I just say that Remote ranks up at the top as one of my most favorites? Closely behind, The Weather Channel sits right up there beside it since the default Weather App just wasn’t meeting my forecasting expectations.

Why, out of every App that I could possibly ever imagine having, is Remote my favorite? Normally I set my iTunes to shuffle just about any time I’m listening to music. Perhaps this is the laziness in me, but if someone else is using my MacBook while I’m in the same room (and this happens more often than I’d like it), I can instantly change songs without having to reach over or walk to my computer.

This works in between rooms, too. One morning as I was getting ready for work, my Mac was sitting on the dining room table as I stood in the bathroom. I didn’t like the song, and with the light tap of a finger I chose a more preferable tune. So easy!

I’m not the gaming-kind-of-gal so, honestly, those Apps just aren’t the slightest bit appealing. I did, however, purchase–at the sale price of $1.99–Wolfenstein Classic 3D because growing up I would watch my dad play it on our MS-DOS system. I took a liking to it then tried my luck and beat the game. I haven’t yet mastered the iPhone version. In fact, I’ve only played it once and that lasted a mere 10 minutes before I became frustrated. I just don’t have the time and patience to learn!

While I know preferences and tastes differ, I would recommend Remote to any iPhone and iTunes user. The convenience factor alone makes it pretty awesome. I should mention, though, that Remote connects to your iTunes through a wireless signal, so this minor (and I use that term lightly) detail is pretty pertinent to its functioning.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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However, I did discover a great puzzle game, hExistentalism, for the price of $2.99. It’s certainly more complex than Bejeweled or Mahjong. In fact, it’s quite addicting. I’m a huge fan of logic and this is perfect. Although the graphic may not be up to Halo 3 standards it doesn’t take away from the game itself.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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The prize is a Griffin Elan Form Graphite iPhone 3G Case, possibly one of the nicest, most modern cases I’ve seen for the iPhone with a similar to carbon fiber look on the back.

Not only is the Elan Form one of the most attractive cases, it’s one of the most functional.  Griffin, a company that constantly puts out products that impress, included the EasyDock function into the case.  The lower 1/3rd of the case slides off allowing you to properly dock your 3G iPhone into nearly any device without an adapter.   A shatter-proof polycarbonate inner shell protects your beloved iPhone while a static peel screen guards the touch-screen.  They even include a cleaning cloth!  At $35 retail, this is worth every cent to protect the spendy investment of an iPhone.

The Contest

Starting right now, the contest is open to anyone in the USA (sorry everyone else, shipping / customs becomes a pain) and will run through midnight EST on May 31st, 2009.  To enter the contest, make a donation on my behalf to the Livestrong Challenge I’m riding my bike in this August, read why I’m doing it and click the link to donate here.  You will receive one entry into the contest for every $5 you donate, no limit.  For example, if you donate $25 you will receive five entries.  On June 1st I will tally up all the entries and draw one at random, please make sure you use a valid email when you donate, as that is how I will contact you.  All donations go directly to the Livestrong Foundation, no money will go to me and all donations are tax deductible.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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The Griffin PowerDock is for charging nearly every version iPod and iPhone and claims to eliminate family wars over power cables;  and it does just that. The PowerDock is available with two or four Apple Universal power docks; I opted for the quad model since my husband and I both have multiple i-Products and am quite pleased. Included with the base are 12 dock adapters to properly hold and support the various versions of iPods and both generations of iPhones for charging.

The option to plug in four i-Products at once has simplified and organized my life. I like clean lines in my home and try to eliminate clutter as much as possible. Being of the opinion that less is more, I am not always quick to purchase new ‘gadgets’ but the PowerDock fits into my minimalist mentality. It eliminates the untidiness of multiple cords, plugs, and power blocks coming out of every outlet. Until now, those cords were necessary to ensure that my iPhone and iPod would be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Since the base accommodates four products at once, I am able to plug in my iPhone, my husband’s iPhone, and both of our iPods at the same time. There are no more spousal arguments over whose phone deserves to be charged more than the other. It also eliminates the internal battle of deciding which is more important to charge first, my phone (so I can receive business calls) or my iPod (so I can watch the latest episode of Dexter while I run on the treadmill). With the PowerDock those marital arguments and existential struggles are all abolished.

From an aesthetic perspective, not only does the PowerDock eliminate clutter, the brushed aluminum exterior will fit into any modern living space. The dock itself is very sturdy, with a non-slip bottom that will keep it securely on your countertop or desk. The cord is long enough to reach a hidden outlet and since there is a power block built into the base, there is no need to plug it into a surge protector which further reduces the need for extraneous wires and cords.

Another feature that struck me was the environmentally friendly packaging. The base came in a small reinforced cardboard box with the instruction manual printed on the inner lid, thus eliminating the unnecessary extra packaging and papers that normally accompany the purchase of a new electronic item. Since the packing materials consisted of just the box, it was completely recyclable.

I have only one caveat, in my older (late 1800s) home, the power drawn from four i-Products charging at once draws a lot of current from a single outlet making it difficult to run anything else from that outlet while the iPhones and iPods are charging.

I strongly recommend this product to anyone with more than one iPhone or iPod in their home.  It reduces clutter, is visually applealing, and extremely convenient for charging multiple iPhones and iPods at the same time.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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In a nutshell, Understudy is a small plugin that works in conjunction with the Front Row application on Macs (must run Leopard) to gain access to both your existing Netflix account and Hulu by default, other streams can be added in by the end user.  So why on earth am I so stoked for this?  Simple, I can now use the Apple Remote Control to navigate Front Row after connecting my Macbook to my plasma from my couch!  It’s easier than it sounds.

Here’s what I used to make this work:

• Macbook (or any Mac that can be placed within a few feet of your TV and a power plug, Mac Mini’s work awesome for this) running Leopard.
• The Understudy plugin
• Apple Remote Control
• Internet connection
• TV that takes HDMI input
• Mini DV to HDMI adapter (if you use a Mac Mini you will need a DVI to HDMI cable and can skip the HDMI cable listed below)
• 6’ HDMI cable (longer if you need, not needed if you use a Mini)
• Mini audio to RCA cabl

My Macbook came with the remote, so my total investment was less than $25, depending on the total length of cables you need your out of pocket expenses could vary.  My plasma has HDMI inputs; make sure yours does before starting.

Install Understudy by downloading the package file and double clicking it.  Since the manual for their software is pretty much just the source code for other coders to look at, you should know that’s all you need to do, it doesn’t say that anywhere on their site though.  Understudy is not a stand alone application, so you won’t need to launch it by itself.   Launch your web browser and make sure you are logged into Hulu (free to create an account) and if you use it, Netflix.  In Netflix, add some movies or TV shows to your Watch Instantly queue.  Start up Front Row either from the Applications folder or by pressing the Menu button on the Apple Remote.  You’ll now see the Understudy icon show up in the list of options.  Navigate through the menu to add Netflix movies and Hulu streams, this can all be done by the remote control.  The only thing that still isn’t perfect is finding shows on Hulu from Front Row, as you have to add streams such as Popular Today or Newly Added Movies, so it might take a few minutes to find the exact show you are looking for.  Understanding that Understudy was meant to work with the Apple remote, I can only imagine that no search box will be added, but perhaps as the plugin becomes more developed they ability to add streams by network can added.

To connect my Macbook to my TV was pretty straightforward.  I used the Mini DV to HDMI adapter on the side of the Macbook, then connected the HDMI cable to it and the other end to the TV, this transfers the video content.  Connect the Mini audio cable to the headphone jack of the Macbook and, in my case, I plugged the white and red RCA jacks into the back of my stereo receiver, but could have easily plugged them right into my TV’s audio inputs as well.  That takes care of sound.  Lastly, make sure to have power to your laptop, don’t want the battery to die in the middle of a movie; again if you are using a Mini, you need power to work.

Getting the video to display on the plasma is takne care of, doing it so the laptop screen goes to sleep took a bit of experimenting to get working properly on my Macbook (not Pro, not applicable to a Mini).  In the preferences pane, set the display to Mirror with a second monitor attached, not Span.  On the TV, change the input to the HDMI (this is usually done with your TV remote control and choosing the source option, much in the same way you’d select a DVD player) and you should see the same on the laptop screen as the TV.  It was annoying to watch a movie with my Macbook on the stand below my plasma showing the same thing, but there is no easy way to sleep the Macbook’s display and keep the stream on the TV, but there is a trick!

Close the lid to the Macbook, wait for it to go to sleep, the hard drive will stop spinning and the light on the front will start to pulse slowly.  Plug a USB drive into the Macbook, this will wake the computer up and start the hard drive to spin, wait about 15-20 seconds and open the lid to the Macbook.  The display on the Macbook is now in sleep mode and enables the video to continue to work on the Plasma.

Edit: Randomn3ss commenter joelco pointed out that simply lowering the LCD brightness on my Macbook would turn it totally black, skip everything in the top 2 paragraphs, that’s much wasier!

Get comfortable on your couch, use the Apple remote to start Front Room and enjoy watching Hulu and Netflix on your television.  I will be experimenting with adding other feeds into Understudy from the laundry list I now have and will be looking at purchasing a Mac Mini sometime in the soon future to use full time as a media center so my Macbook can remain my working computer.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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For clarification purposes, I have successfully streamed video on my Macbook while running a copy of Windows XP installed via VMware Fusion, awesome software by the way.  While it does work, it requires Internet Explorer 7 along with just about every security install for it right form the Micro$oft website and is a bit of a hassle to do.  XP does run fast my my Macbook (Core2 Duo 2.16 with 2GB Ram), but it also caused the not-so-quiet fans to kick on, the ones that blow air up through the keyboard.  Because of this I never really went out of my way to watch any streaming content.  I also sold my Windows desktop computer this summer, leaving me only with a gutted Ubuntu box and my Macbook, which is fine by me.

Tonight I logged into my Netflix account in Firefox 2 (still haven’t upgraded to 3 yet) and went to the Watch Instantly tab where I was prompted to install Microsoft’s Silverlight technology.  The download and install was painless and quick, after that, movies automatically started to work.  I recall a very long delay between the time I would hit Play in Netflix and the time it would start in XP, so I did a little screen capture video.  This was taken on my Macbook, on the Wi-Fi network in my house connected to my Verizon FiOS internet connection which has been giving me a steady 10Mbps downstream since I had it installed.  I didn’t do a full screen grab or include sound because I wanted the video to load as fast as possible, plus in my opinion it wasn’t needed.

No editing was done to this, so you can see truly how fast the Netflix Watch Instantly movies load, play, skip to scenes and then go back to browsing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m very impressed.  After the holiday’s I plan on looking around for a used Mac Mini to hook up to my Plasma and stream Netflix, Hulu and run bittorrent off of, as a PVR in a sense.  Hopefully the price on the second hand market for the Core solo models drops a bit more as I’ll also need to buy a 500 or 750GB hard drive to install, but that’s another article next year sometime.

Any suggestions for movies or TV series I should add to my Instant queue?Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Or you can be a communist and steal it, but we all know that God hates communists.  You don’t want to be on God’s bad side, now do you?  *removes tongue from cheek, continues post*

I was over on Mix Tape Therapy (with Ms. Mix and Bitch) reading her list of the Top 20 Covers and came upon JC’s cover of “Hurt” by NIN.  I forgot how much I loved Cash’s version of the song and scoured my computer for it.  I lost the MP3 when I switched to my Mac and referred to iTunes (where I, luckily, had a credit – thanks mom!).  Cash also cover’s Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” on the same album, another cover about which I forgot, and rekindled my love for.  Another bonus is the Sting cover, “I Hung My Head,” off Mercury Falling, one of (in my opinion) Sting’s most underrated solo albums.

Cash’s version of “Hurt” opens up a flood of memories.  The pain in his voice resonates more viscerally than Trent Reznor’s, as though we’re hearing the deathbed confession of an old man, weary of the world and the pain in it.  Prepare yourself for some catharsis; the song just breaks my heart.  Doesn’t help that a very significant ex introduced me to it (and, huh, funny that he lived up to the song’s lyrics), and he just emailed me for the first time in a year, so it’s fitting that this song comes back into my life.

Start with track 1, “The Man Comes Around,” and listen through to the end.  Cash emotes raw feeling that most modern recording lacks.  He didn’t record this for lack of money, fame, or prestige.  He made it toward the end of his life and gave us lucky listeners one more solid recording in a legacy of legendary music.

Thanks, Johnny.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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For a working computer, 120gb suits me fine; I don’t need 500gb or more of photo archives or movies stored locally.  What I could use is an extra few gigs deleted out of the Mac OSX install that I never use, but how do I do this and what could be deleted?  A few weeks ago I got my answer from an RSS feed in my reader (sadly I don’t recall which blog) that would grant me my wishes of reclaiming disk space.

A very small application called Monolingual installs simply and quickly and lets you delete unused languages from your OSX install.  Don’t know about you, but I only use English, I will never have a need for Cantonese language set.  Running the application is simply, most languages are already ticked but I went through and ticked everything except for English and Spanish (who knows, maybe I will learn Spanish one day).  Click Remove and sit back and wait.  In less than 5 minutes I freed up 2.4gb of space!

Officially, the software,

Additionally, should you delete the English resources your install will be FUBAR’d and you will start to cry.  This should be added to one of those few things that just about everyone does when they first get a Mac or reinstall the operating system.  Does anyone know of a similar program that will remove all the printer drivers and devices that I’ll never use?Similar articles that might also interest you:

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Because it’s me, this is totally not what happened.

I went to my local Apple Store in Suburban Square (Ardmore, PA) on Wednesday and spoke with a concierge about my problem. He assured me that the fix would be done by Saturday at the latest, since I had to leave town on Sunday. We scheduled an appointment with a “Genius” for Friday at 1pm, the next available appointment. He didn’t check to see if the battery was in stock then – and in retrospect I should have asked – but assumed that he would get the part in by Friday if they didn’t have it, since he knew a customer 1) needed that part and 2) could not wait to have it sent in and 3) with only a Nano, would end up killing her friend Kim on their cross-country drive.

I show up on Friday, surrounded by people with iPhone issues (dude, I’d totally be on that bandwagon if they hadn’t contracted with AT&T, but that’s another story). My personal Genius said yep, you need a new battery and OF COURSE they were completely out of stock. I state, somewhat irately (the first Genius wasn’t really that nice and blamed me for not checking on the stock on Wednesday), that it needed to be done, please call the King of Prussia store – anywhere from here to Delaware – and get me the part and an appointment. He stated that he didn’t have time to help me and grabbed the man who eventually become my Apple Store savior – Dan in the black shirt.

Thank god for black shirt Dan. After hearing my sob story about the stresses of moving across the country (I know – I’m moving to freaking paradise, finally going to grad school, and getting a dog… my life is soooooo tough), he called KOP (who OF COURSE also didn’t have the part). Sensing that I had completely given up hope (literally, head down on my Fat City Reprise purse, completely dejected, and wondering how many times I’d hear Miley Cyrus on shuffle all on my Nano), Dan vowed to figure something out. I expected, I guess, that maybe they would forward my info to the Apple Store in Boulder and hook me up or maybe let me purchase a replacement 30GB (since they no longer sell them) for the price of the repair.

I was offered neither of those options. I saw the Holy Grail of ridiculously amazing customer service.

Since there were no 30GB iPods in stock (OF COURSE!!!), I was going to be given a brand spanking new 80GB iPod for the price of the repair. Holy shit. Insane – I don’t even have enough music to fill that. I looked at Dan and tried to not cry, which freaked him out I think, because he got that “Oh Christ, please don’t freak out” look on his face. I assured him that I was thrilled, just because shit like this doesn’t ever happen to me and I had been super-stressed out. He then made it better by telling me that it would be easier if they charged me nothing. NOTHING.

Because Apple cares about their customers, I got an 80GB iPod for free.

Now, I think this is just an instance of good karma… I wouldn’t expect to just be handed iPods when you walk in. They definitely saw my case as a special circumstance, especially since I had been promised that the repair could be completely by a certain date. And I tried to keep my composure (although I’ve been an emotional headcase because of this stupid move and leaving my friends), which I think helped my case a bit. I was just really pleased to see that they value their customers – I’ve been pretty loyal to that store, having purchased my two iPods, my mom’s iPod, and my MacBook there. But I think this was just Gaia’s way of telling my misanthrope self that humanity have some redeeming qualities (like the patience of Dan in the black shirt). Well done, Sub Square Apple Store – not only have you redeemed my faith in humanity, but you made a long road trip much more bearable.Similar articles that might also interest you:

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