Get Your iPhone Fix - News

The Final Battery Solution

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:29:25 +0700

And the winner is......the Mophie Juice Pack Air! Yes, I tried a few battery cases and the one that works the best for me was the Juice Pack Air. I had looked at it before and was concerned that due to it's slimmer size, it's battery wouldn't last as long as some of the others. It came down to size vs. power. Early on, I had ruled out battery packs that hang off the dock connector, like the iPWR SuperPack or the Richard Solo series, simply because one of my requirements was to be able to use the iPhone while the battery was connected without fear of something getting broken. I had briefly used the Fastmac iV, before it was stolen, but found it rather bulky. This is mainly due to two features that I found very useful, the LED light and the USB charge port. Once I even used it to change a friend's G1 Android phone. The "flash" was less useful, but it did help when there simply wasn't enough light for a decent iPhone photo. In the end, however, I didn't need these features very often and I needed something that could be used every day.

The Juice Pack Air pretty much beats all the other battery/cases for size hands-down. In fact some people I know (not iPhone users however) didn't even realize there was a case on the phone. I also find that even though it has a little less "juice", it generally provides more than enough time to find a charger. Over Thanksgiving, I managed to eek out 2 1/2 days on the battery, although with light talk usage. I find that if I was getting the 20% warning from the iPhone, I can generally switch on the Mophie JPA and get the charge back up to 75-80% before the pack is depleted. My only minor complain is that I wish you could recharge the Juice Pack Air with the iPhone's cable, but it would probably make it bulkier.

What made this the killer solution, was the release of Mophie's Hip Holster 6000. I've always been a belt-holster kind of cell phone user, so it was frustrating that I'd always have to find somewhere to put my iPhone when a battery pack was on it. Generally I carry my iPhone 3GS "naked" in an Incase belt-holster case. Risky perhaps, but I like having the iPhone as light as possible and showing off the beautiful design. When I need more power, or plan on being out and about using the phone a lot, I can pop it into the Juice Pack Air and still have the iPhone in its normal place at my hip.

So there you have it. If you need a lightweight battery solution that is as transparent as an external battery can be, check out the Juice Pack Air and Hip Holster 6000 combo. And now it even comes in RED, which I'd definitely have gotten before, but I'll still with the stealth black case I have now.

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Super Fun Weekly Poll: iPhone Batteries

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:11:21 +0700

I'm looking for a backup battery to go with my new iPhone 3GS since it doesn't seem to get quite the life as my first generation iPhone. It could by the addition of 3G to my power drain, or just that I am using it more since it is so speedy. I've also been using Bluetooth more which I'll post about later. I wanted to get some opinions on the current lineup of batteries out there to see which would be the best for me.

Oh, and if you happen to be an iPhone battery vendor...yes, I'm talking to you Richard Solo, Mophie, and the rest...you could always send me a unit to work with and review. -wink- -wink-

Post your opinions by replying to this post and I'll compile the responses for a follow-up. Thanks in advance!

Apple Announces iPhone 3GS...S for "Speed"

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:28:35 +0700

Apple wrapped it's WWDC Keynote with the announcement of the new iPhone 3GS. Notably absent from the rumor speculation was a redesigned case with a matte, rubbery finish, front-facing camera for video conferencing, 802.11n wifi, and a last minute Steve Jobs appearance.

The good news is that the iPhone 3GS is faster, "loading apps and websites anywhere from 2-3x faster than iPhone 3G" according to Phil Schiller. Word on the street was that they doubled the iPhone's processor speed to 600 MHz., but Apple's web site doesn't confirm this. They also added video recording with editing, a digital compass, and voice controls. Also in the good news column is that the iPhone 3GS will be going on sale June 19th!

Pricing for the new iPhone starts at $199 for the 16 GB model, and $299 for the 32 GB version. By the way, the 3.0 firmware upgrade comes out June 17th and is free to everyone except iPod Touch owners who have to pay that annoying $9.95 fee to get the update.

Head over to Apple's web site for all the drool-inducing details. Here's a diret link to the 3GS spec page. I'll be in line in a week, will you?!

Party With Your iPhone

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:52:13 +0700

Looking for all the hip places to find WWDC parties this week? Brandon “Quazie” Kwaselow has compiled a handy list on his blog.

Check them out and maybe I'll see you there.

WWDC Coming Soon!

Sun, 24 May 2009 00:45:24 +0700

Only 2 weeks away before new Apple stuff!!

WWDC is fast approching! The conference will be held from June 8th through 12th in San Francisco at the Moscone Center West. Currently the Keynote is expected to be given by Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller. Given that there is going to be a huge focus on the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0, Scott Forestall, Apple's senior vice president of iPhone Software, will probably be on stage to tell everyone where its at. There is much speculation abound that Steve Jobs might make a brief appearance, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Also expected is the announcement of the 3rd generation iPhone and some possible iPhone siblings...the mythical iPhone Nano perhaps? No doubt there will be a few weeks between WWDC and when the iPhone hits Apple's stores, but I'm itching to upgrade, even though it means leaving behind my 1st Gen in all it's aluminum backed goodness.

AddictedToiPhone.com Relaunch

Thu, 21 May 2009 15:08:21 +0700

This is just a quick post to highlight the "Re-launching" of the web site. It has been sitting idle for a while, but the hope is to inject some life and get 'er up to speed with news, reviews, and other kinds of iPhone goodness! There might even be some iPod Touch stuff thrown in for good measure.

I hope you'll come back and check out the updates. You can also catch up with me on Twitter: @addicted2iphone

Make that App look Pretty

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:36:38 +0700

If you are skilled with photoshop you are now able to fool even the savviest of venture capitalists. Or if you really do need the money, Geoff Teehan and crew have come up with a Photoshop PSD library full of UI assets that you can use to come up with beautiful pictures of your soon to be completed app! The download is available for no cost. Hope all you app developers find this useful!

(by way of TUAW)

iHologram (FAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:27:10 +0700

Contrary to reports on other websites, the iHologram app is just a concept rendering of what could be a very cool app for the phone. The video as seen below demonstrates how a simple drawing could hypothetically be viewed in 3D if the character is oriented correctly.
Says Gizmodo:

David [OReilly]’s application assumes a constant viewing angle of 35 to 45 degrees, which is the usual when anyone watches the iPhone screen. Knowing that angle, the application calculates the orientation of the screen relative to the viewer using the iPhone motion sensors, so when you turn it around, the 3D world perspective gets skewed accordingly.

Thanks for Listening Apple!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:34:06 +0700

In response to a lot of grumblings and some screaming Apple has decided to make a dedicated iphone software update page. The site does not go too much in depth with Steve's phone, but it does show that Apple is starting to listen to customer complaints and may be taken customer support more seriously. You can follow the previous link and see what it's all about.

iTunes 8 and the iPhone

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:38:14 +0700

Contrary to the rumblings from other blog sites, my source tells me that iTunes 8 likely will not have the "unlimited" feature where you pay a yearly subscription to access all music on iTunes. He cites Jobs' desire to allow people to "own" their music rather than renting it out. He also cites the recent MobileMe and iPhone activation debacle as an indication that Apple is not going to be rushing any new type of software on us in the short future. Obviously this rumor has had some legs as it has been talked about over the past couple years, but this one is really just the dream of a couple people that probably are still using rhapsody. Here are the "supposed" features of the new iTunes 8 that will in fact not be released. WISHFUL THINKING!!

iTunes Unlimited
-256 Kbps music; highest quality digital music subscription service ever
-50% of U.S. store available for iTunes Unlimited at launch, U.S.-only launch
-Available through iTunes or retail box a la MobileMe, funds applied through iTunes gift cards cannot be used towards subscription purchase
-$129.99 stand-alone or $179.99 with MobileMe, current MobileMe subscribers can add iTunes Unlimited for $99.99
-One-year subscription period
-Current a la carte options unchanged
-When signed in to subscription account, “Buy” is “Get”
-“Download and Play throughout iTunes Unlimited Subscription” or “Buy and Keep”
-“Buy and Keep” option available for downloaded subscription songs, purchased version replaces subscription version
- Late October launch with iTunes 7.8