iPhone update 2.0.2

Just two weeks of working with 2.0.1 and Apple have now released the 2.0.2 update. They claim the following new features:

Bug Fixes

Cant wait to see which bug they have fixed.

I am again being mean to them, I guess they are working hard to mend the problems people are reporting since 2.0 was first launched. I also got an email today saying they are adding another 60 days to my Mobile Me account for free. I have to hand it to them at the Apple place, they are trying to make this better. Ask me again in a month and I will tell you if they have done it.

Monkey trouble

That monkey just sat on that car and ripped off the rear washer jet
and ate it. Now it is heading for my car. Oh no!

at the end of the day..

I have been using the 2.0.1 update for the iPhone all day now and I have posted a few mobile notes. As you can see the maps app seems to be about 2% better that is was at 2.0 and 98% naffer than 1.1.4 so I am upset by that. I have found the address book in the phone app works much better with only occasional freezing however the contacts app that was added to the home screen in version 2.0 is still likely to freeze more often than not when first launched. These may sound like minor gripes but as Apple had all this stuff working just fine on the old version, I think I am justified in having a little moan.

Other stuff I have noticed is the applications seem to load and quit much faster than before. I can now check my facebook friends updates, change the podcast on the iPod and add an item on my zenbe shopping list with not delays. So this is good and Apple have obviously been busy to correct a lot of the buggy previous release.

I added a load of free applications in the evening and they all added with no fuss, which had been a problem before. When I docked the iPhone to my MacBook, it synced and transfured the new apps back to iTunes with no question. This also before had often been missed and I was forced to choose the 'transfer purchases' option to get this to work.

I still have a problem with iTunes. I am running the current v7.7.1 but I am still finding that when the store reports there are updates for my apps, it says 'you have 4 updates' and then when I click there are 26 updates. Most of the are duplicates and in this case, all of them I have.







So work still needs to be done but overall I still love the iPhone. I would imagine by the end of this month there will be another update and this will resolve the rest of the problems that seem to be hanging around. I still don't need or want a 3G iPhone as the new features are not enough to make me want to upgrade and my revision 1 phone with it's 2.0.1 firmware is still in very good condition. I imagine in a year it may not be in such fine condition and by then, who knows, the iPhone 3 may be here.

Maps app update (it worked again)

5 hours later my maps app found me again.

Maps fail

Looks like I just lucky earlier. I have tried several times today and
the maps app is still failing to find me. Oh dear.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

It worked!

I take it back. Just after I posted my last report on the maps, the
app found me.

I will test more during the day.

iphone maps app still not working

The maps app find me when I am at home but not when I am away from
home. So I guess this means the wifi search is working but the cell
tower search is not. This is a real shame as the google maps app on my
blackberry is still working.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

iPhone address book fixed

First thing that is good is the contacts list is working very quickly.
The list is scolling as soon as the lust is displayed and the search
is ready straight away. Nice.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

iPhone update 2.0.1 is here!!

I have been upset by the v2.0 update for my iPhone because is breaks some of the features and has made the phone slow to respond and crashy. I have worked with it and around the problems for a few weeks but an was very pleased to see this message on my screen today.

I hope to be able to give a few more reports today as I try out the new patch.

Man cold

The youtube version of this keeps failing so I put a copy here for you all. Enjoy.

iPhone 2.0 eve

It is iPhone 2.0 eve and I am excited! Cant wait for all the new toys to be downloaded to my favorite gadget!

We are unsure how the push features are going to work at the moment so they may take time to see just how great they are. The best thing for now will be the apps store. This is going to be great as I managed to keep my iPhone Apple approved and jail break free for the first half of the year. I am ready and willing to have tools, gadgets and games with me in my pocket along with all the other stuff I have had since day one.

It would be cheesy to install Super Monkey Ball as my first app but have you seen the demo? It just looks so cool! Take a look...


Does that not look fun?? That was from the March event. Now look at the demo given at the WWDC2008 keynote. This looks even better. I am not saying my iPhone is just a toy but why not? I play games on my PC that I also work on so why not on my phone?

iPhone youtube links

If your are reading this on an iPhone and all you see above are little blue lego bricks, then here are the links for the two videos that should work for you lucky people.

March Event

WWDC2008

I love it. More later.

False alarms, trains and ipods

So today I had a bad train day. The train system gave me a fair amount of exercise as they decided to make me run as often as possible. It started when the car park at St Albans was full and I was running a little late so had to park in the new car park that is a little walk away from the station. Then I get my ticket, check the departures board and head for platform 3 for the 933 to Brighton, first stop London St Pancras. From there I will use the Victoria line to get to Vauxhall.

Listening to my iPod I see a lady in station uniform waving at me from platform 4. I pull out an earbud to learn that the train I am waiting for is now present on platform 1. Now I know this is my fault for wanting to pass the time on the station platform listening to podcasts rather than listening to the important information around me. So I thank the lady and run for the bridge and over to platform 1. The train is full by the time I get back down the stairs so I have to jog to the front of the train where there is just enough room for little old me and my PC case.

The rest of my journey was fine until I returned to St Pancras on the underground. As I step off the underground train I pull an earbud out to listen for any announcements and here an alarm. A loud alarm with a clear voice message that was saying "there is an emergency in the station, will all passengers leave the station as quickly as possible". The quickest way for me to leave would be to step back on to the train from which I have just vacated. But the doors where shut and it was leaving without me. So I (and a few others on the platform) started to walk quickly (run) in the direction of the way out. I am not a fit man and with a PC bag, an umbrella and slip on shoes, I am less able to run than I am to fly to the moon. A while later I arrive in the tunnels where I can here the alarm but not the message. I keep going and eventually arrive at the escalators. Here I can here the tannoy message. It now says, "sorry but a fault caused the emergency message to play, engineers are now fixing the problem". I stopped running.

Later as I am telling this story to a friend, she reminds me that today is 7/7, the anniversary of the London bombings. I am glad I didn't remember that at the time.

Time heals and years after these events we forget just how frightened the world was when these thing where happening around us. The same things that are happening day to day in other countries around the worlds and the people there are also trying to get on with there lives.

The cost goes on up

This is a funny but true.

lego of the (my) past

I love this video from Gizmodo. A Lego vault that has all the stuff I loved as a kid. Take a look at the Gizmodo link here.
I has this big space ship and I spent hours playing, making my own stories and generally being a kid that was born to be a geek when he grew up. I am 35 at present and am showing no signs of growing up any time soon. If I could find that lego space ship I would dust it off and give it spin round the living room. Just don't tell anyone, okay?

Is there life on Mars?

There may be water on Mars. Take a look at this link from the Phoenix Mars Mission.

Custom security installation industry news

The cost of fuel is going through the roof and this is now causing a new crime wave to hit domestic fuel tanks. A simple solution is to connect the fuel tank to the houses alarm system via a radio link.
Read more at the following link.

http://www.info4security.com/story.asp?sectioncode=9&storycode=4119380

I work for castle caretech and we are looking at several ways to protect different kinds of fuel tanks.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Deathstar cafeteria

A good friend of mine has just sent me this link. Click Me. I think I remember Eddie Izzard doing this routine a long time ago. This video makes it funny all over again.

Enjoy.

Should I get the new Apple iPhone 2.0

Steve Jobs, the emperor of computer cool, has again stood up on stage at WWDC2008, the World Wide Developers Conference held every summer and used as one of the two annual presentations that he typically give to tell us what new gems Apple have for us to drool over.

You can see the full video at Apple. Be warned, this is a long film.

So the big announcement was the iPhone 3G. A brand new iPhone with two key new features. 3G and GPS. Also the device gets better battery life and improved audio. So is it worth it?

Well the big thing that his Jobbieness told us is the new device is going to cost just $199 for the 8Gb version or $299 for the 16Gb version. This is half the price for them on the other side of the pond. So what do we pay back in the UK?

Well that is quite interesting because for the first time, the phone is subsidized. So if I upgrade my phone on my £35 per month contract then I can get the iPhone 3G for £99. Not bad but a little annoying that I get nothing for being a loyal early adopter of the new device. A brand new customer can walk into the O2 store and get the same deal.

There is a new £30 contract but this offers just 75 minutes and 125 SMS messages. For the 35 contract I get 600 minutes and 500 SMS messages. Both of these plans of corse include unlimited data.

The big deal comes when you step up to the £45 or £75 contract when you can get the 8Gb iPhone for FREE! The 16GB is also free on the £75 contract and just £59 when purchased with the £45 contract. See the O2 site for details.

So will I get one?

Yes. But not yet. I am perfectly happy with my iPhone v1 and I am very much looking forward to the free update to version 2.0 that will offer some fantastic new features.

The Apps store has been much anticipated since its announcement in March. But now I am very interested in the Mobile Me service. I have my own MacBook and a company Tosh Windows PC and my iPhone. Mobile Me offers to keep them all in sync. Email, address book, Calendar & pictures. This will push all of these items to all of my devices and keep them in order all over the place. I have been using the .mac service for a little while and this is promised to be the re birth of that service. Very exciting.

The iPhone will have Exchange support and it looks like my company is moving over from Lotus to Exchange so this too is exciting.

The faster data of the 3G network will be nice and the GPS location improvement over the existing GSM location system will be nice. But neither are that much of a big feature to make me rush out and slap down the cash for the new shiny model.

Steve Jobs spends two hours on stage and Mahalo compacts it to 60 seconds (again)

Steve Jobs spends two hours on stage to an anxious Apple fan base and a room full of Apple developers. Two hours of the well known reality distortion field and Mahalo compacts it all down to 60 seconds (again). Nice one people.



the full video can be found at the Apple website. WWDC2008 Keynote

Hamilton wins Monaco after crash

lewis win his dream race. Nice one!

read more | digg story

Worshipful Company of Security Professionals - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My boss had made his first entry to wikipedia. He is so proud.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Security_Professionals

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Aaaarrrgggghhhh!

What is that? It looks important, should I stop? Oh no, what do I do?

Oh hold on. A bulb has blown. Never mind.

(This message was brought to you the people at Over Dramatic Icons Inc.)

Here we go again

Tiki Bar TV 's Lala shower video

Have you ever, has a member of your family, or anyone you know ever seen Tiki Bar TV? Well if not, you are missing out. Check it out here for some fun times in a Tiki style.

So the best episode of Tiki Bar TV ever is the Lala shower episode and they have not listed it on the Tiki website. Why is this?

Enjoy...



So if you want to see more from the people at the Tiki Bar then follow this link.

is there anybody there?

How do you tell if people are reading you blog?

Leave a comment if you want. Or not, I don't mind.

Sort it out

In the last three months I have started my new job and it has been so fast and hard that I realise that I have forgotten or left behind all my best organising tools. I remember where I left them. It was in my old Dell that I had at my old firm. The bad news is I gave it back and before I did that I deleted almost all of the useful stuff. So I have gone back to watch a video again that helped me so much back then and it is doing so again now. Inbox zero. Look down this page and there is a video and powerpoint oops sorry Keynote presentation made by Merlin on the subject of inbox zero. The idea of making sure you have no messages in your inbox at the end of the day. All messages must be actioned when read.So much of what we do today is based on email and if you don't sort it out it will eat you alive and then you will ignore it and then you are in big trouble people. Watch the video and see what I mean.

Parking meter

This is a sight I have not seen for a while. A parking meter. I am
remembering, as I hunt for change under the seat, how these used to be
all over the place. Now its pay and display. Or the even newer phone
to pay. In fact there is a sticker on this meter that says I can do
that if I want. Perhaps the meter does not work and it is just here as
a place for the council to put the sticker.

Quick Change Artists on America's Got Talent

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-wUgnyGv0

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

How *not* to fire bomb a night club

Milk bottle - 40p
Petrol - £1O
Old motor bike - £100
Setting fire to your self while attempting arson - priceless!





read more | digg story

Indiana Jones is old

Harrison Ford is getting old right? I was a kid when I watched the other films and I remember I was young, very young. I am ... years older now and Harrison Ford was ... years older than me when I was a kid watching him being an older guy, being Indiana Jones. So is it right that he plays Indiana Jones in the new film?

Yep, looks like fun, cant wait. What do you think? Leave comments.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Trailer

It's a very very big iPhone

This is what my living room wall will be like someday.



Can't wait.

Spicy food

You need to see this before you eat spicy food. I'm serious...

Birthday party surprise

If your going to have a birthday party when you have a gerbillion dollers you shoud have one like this...



Looks like you had fun Tom

Traffic

Thank you to podcast for keeping me sane in this traffic

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Is that what I think it is?

So I'm at ASDA and looking at the cars in the carpark, one looks a
little out of place.

Facebook has gone too far

I had this video pointed out to me the other day. So what do we need, a new facebook. There are plenty of other sites out there that would let me stay in touch with everyone I known, but everyone I know is on facebook and I think it would take more than a little time to get them all to switch. Here are some…

Pownce


Twitter

A nice virus?

These days it is unlikely you would know that you had a virus as they just hide on you PC and send spam mail. Or there are a few that steal your data, or a few less that just break your computer. But a modern virus does not want to be found. This one is just funny, like the old days. Humm... This reminds me of the kind of Virus I used to get back in the day when I had my Amiga. No damage just a hacker proving what he can do...

HD-DVD is gone

If you didn't know Betamax lost the format war and so did HD-DVD. It is now safe to purchase a Blu-Ray player with confidence. You could switch to online movies but they are not ready in the UK yet. Perhaps we should wait a little longer.

So HD-DVD is gone but here is a reminder of the fun it caused...



Digg the Code from Cali Lewis on Vimeo.

Portal ending video

I have never played this game but this links to other video I put up titles 'What Makes me Smile'. A couple of people asked where it comes from so I found this on YouTube. It may make more sence to you than it does to me.

Internet Helpdesk

Okay I know this is not new but some of my friends have missed it and this has to be the best six minutes ever seen by YouTube. I and my friends work in a technical industry and relate to this... a lot.

Enjoy...

What makes me smile

If you want to know what makes me smile then take a look at this.

What you need to know from my point of view is I am a kinda fan of each of these people on the stage. Leo Laporte is the host of loads of podcasts and a talk radio show that is also published as a podcast. Merlin Mann is the funniest person I know. He is a productivity guru and runs the website 43 Folders and is a frequent guest on Leo's podcasts. Veronica Belmont is now the host of Mahalo Daily but I know her from her last job at C-Net TV as a producer of the Buzz Out Loud podcast. Jonathan Coulton is the creator of one of my favourite songs Code Monkey and has now written this song for the game Portal. This song come at the end of the game and is now possibly more popular than the game. The song is now also a part of the game Rock Band and this is what you are going to see.

What fun, enjoy…



Jonathan Coulton performs "Still Alive" in Rock Band from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.

Cool dash?

It does look better than my last car but I would still swich it for an
Audi or VW anyway. I am I too fussy?

Done that

What a day

So we went to the Ritz for afternoon tea. Jen's friend was ill so
couldn't come. We set off with two hours to do 28 miles and it took
two and a half. I took three wrong turns and I got pulled over by the
police on the way home.

But what about the Ritz? Well all the stress of the trip went away
when we walked in. The environent is so relaxing. I thought it may be
a bit too posh for me but I found it very cool. I can say that it must
be the most relaxing place in London.

I would say it is well worth experiencing this just so you can say you
have been.

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Wow!

This is nice.

The Ritz

Off to the Ritz for afternoon tea. More later...

Jim

Sent from my iPhone

Are you kidding?

Does Henry drive a Vecta? Or is someone in serious trouble?

Nice place

Nice place

Lunch

Damn fine lunch

Hello tosh

Brand new tosh and it has XP. This is Jan 08. When will the world
trust Microsoft?

Smartcookies

What if?

http://smartcookiejim.blogspot.com/

Sent from my iPhone

MacWorld

Mackbook Air don't need this one

Apple TV 2.0 don't need this one either

So my money is safe and it looks like I am going to get a free upgrade
on my iPhone that will give me maps with location. I wonder if this
will be a tomtom replacement. Good news is this will be free.

Happy days.

Sent from my iPhone

iWait

Later today Steve Jobs will stand up on stage and deliver his keynote
speech to open the MacWorld expo and tell us what is new and exciting
in the world of tech.

I have now had my iphone for a few weeks and love it. I had my iPod 5g
for a year now and my family have a selection of iPod Nanos. We all
use the fantastic devices from Apple and none of us has a Mac! What
will we be wanting in 2008?

We wait and we wonder...

Sent from my iPhone

Yes it does

They make this so simple

Sent from my iPhone

Does it work?

So I want know if I can blog from my email. Can you see the horse.

I have been out for the day and one of the party was not feeling well so could not come. While we were out I took several pictures on my iPhone and Nikki took several with her Nokia phone. As I was taking my snaps I was sending the best of them off to our missing member via email. This is great, the picture is in full resolution and it costs nothing to send. What a great experience. It was simple, quick and received very well. If it can be done on the nokia, it is not simple or it charges you.

Keep up people.

Christmas is over

So Christmas is over, we have had the visit to the panto with nikki's kids. Bradley Walsh at Milton Keynes. Great. They loved it, and I laughed quite a bit as well.