Andy’s iPhone Blog

UPDATE: The 1.1.1 firmware update for the iPhone “broke” iToner and erased any custom ringtones on your phone that were created by it. With iToner version 1.0.3, Ambrosia Software has fixed these problems.

You can create ringtones for your iPhone using Apple’s iTunes and selected songs from the iTunes Store. Apple has made, as usual, a very slick interface for downloading the song and editing it inside iTunes. I, however, have lots of MP3 files not purchased from the iTunes Store. I also do NOT want my choices limited or to spend 99 cents for every ringtone! Ambrosia Software has come up with iToner, a $15 application to create and sync ringtones with your iPhone. Combine iToner with the Open Source audio editor application, Audacity, and you have the ability to create, edit and sync the music or sounds you want!

I was in a rush to get ready for my business trip to Washington, DC. I was trying to save a few pennies as I was traveling on a Sunday and had time to take mass transportation to my hotel in Arlington, VA. I fired up Google on my Mac, looking for transportation from Dulles airport (IAD) to the hotel. Checked out the hotel web site and determined I could take the Metrorail. I identified the bus that takes you to Metro station. Looked at the Metro map online at www.wmata.com and was ready to go.

My next step was to obtain a Metro map that I could load onto my iPhone. I wanted to visit some DC monuments and sites while in town. Should be easy, I thought. Turns out this was not the case.

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I was recently in New York City on a business trip. There were major events going on in the city and I could not get a room in Manhattan. I ended up staying at the Holiday Inn, near JFK. Not cheap even so - at $250+ a night. I had a meeting in the morning in Brooklyn near the water, close to the Manhattan Bridge. There are many high-tech companies that are locating in this area, in restored old brick buildings. This area is not one that taxis or limos like to drive to/in, though this is obviously changing. The location I was going to was pretty much “off the map”. My iPhone was the tool that got me to my meeting on time!

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One of my favorite Macintosh-oriented sites, macosxhints.com has added a new RSS feed for the iPhone. I have found macosxhints to be a *great* site for hints, tips and as a general resource. Just one example: add or change a forwarding number for your iPhone. More info can be found - here. Add this feed to your favorite RSS reader!

Apple has just released iLife ‘08. As part of the iPhoto upgrade, there is a new feature that allows you to create Web Galleries. These are similar to regular albums but automatically sync to a photo gallery on your .Mac site. One option to an iPhoto web gallery is to enable emailing of pictures to the gallery. You attach pictures as attachments and send to your gallery email address. A new option in the iPhone “Photos” application appeared “magically” when Apple released iLife ‘08. You can now select a photo and “Send to Web Gallery”. Good stuff!

OK, after much research and visiting of a couple of Apple stores - and viewing, touching and trying different iPhone cases - I have chosen the InCase Leather Folio to cuddle my precious iPhone. The case is very well made. The belt clip is low-profile and securely sewn onto the lined leather pouch. The pouch fits securely on my belt and doesn’t protrude into my stomach, as some other cases did. The phone is easy to retrieve and allows access to the headphone jack. Headphones stay plugged-in when removing the phone. The only minor issue I’ve had is to getting to the phone when the case is sitting on a table or desk. This requires two hands and I’ve missed calls wrestling with access. I now pull the iPhone completely out of the case when I’m not wearing it. Highly recommended!

This tip has been posted on lots of sites but you may not have seen it Put your iPhone in field test mode by accessing the Phone application, tapping Keypad, then entering *3001#12345#* and pressing Call. You will see a “Field Test” menu that offers the ability to view information in various categories: Network, Cell, GPRS, PDP, Call and Versions

I recently visited my local Apple Store to purchase a case for my iPhone. I had used a leather “hip holster” in the past for my Treo but was not happy with the life of the case due to the belt clip pulling off, over time. My daughter has a Contour iSee case for her iPod and it has served her well. The new iSee case for iPhone has the clear plastic case for the phone and a snap-in holster for wearing on the belt. I thought this combination would work well for me so I purchased one. Alas, it is not the perfect case I hoped it would be. Read the rest of this entry »