Pocketables

Why tethering plans don't make any sense

This guest article was submitted by Ben L.

Cellular carriers try to make a dime off of their customers wherever they can. With all the hidden fees and overage charges, it would seem that their goal is to suck every penny from every customer they have.

What might be more ridiculous, though, is that consumers actually stand for it . . . even when the cell companies find ways to make us pay more for the same product.

Our subject for this discussion is cellular tethering plans. Tethering is a very simple concept. You own a cell phone that can browse the web through data channels provided by the carrier. By connecting your cell phone to a computer via Bluetooth or USB, you can share your phone’s internet connection with and browse the web on the computer. Simple, right? Of course.

So why is it that many carriers require "tethering plans" that cost more than the data package a web-capable phone user is already paying for? I’ve searched and searched but have never been able to find an adequate answer to this question.

As the iPhone outgrows its name, what's next?

This guest article was submitted by Chris King.

When the first iPhone was released back in the summer of 2007, it laid to rest all of the rumors that had been circulating for years. While the original handset was a complete game-changer in the cellphone industry, its true potential wasn't fully realized until last summer with the introduction of the iPhone 3G and the App Store. Even more than the upgraded specs in the new phone, the App Store is what continues to separate Apple from veteran smartphone companies like Palm, Nokia, and the tag team of HTC and Microsoft. These companies basically stood pat until Apple came along and showed them what people today wanted, and only now are they starting to respond with their "iPhone clones" and their own versions of application repositories.

For Apple to stay ahead of the competition, which they should have no trouble doing for the next few years, they need to start treating the iPhone as more than just a phone and more like the computer platform they have always claimed it is. With the 3GS's new ARM Cortex processor running at 600MHz and the PowerVR SGX graphics system, we are quickly approaching netbook power. And that is what I would like to see the iPhone become, another category just below the MacBook that offers much of the same functionality but with a slimmer OS.

Website load times: iPhone 3G S vs. iPhone 3G

Even though the iPhone 3G S isn't the major upgrade many were hoping for and most of its new features should have been included on the original iPhone two years ago, I was still happy when FedEx knocked on my door yesterday with my iPhone 3G successor in hand.

The improvement I was most looking forward to experiencing myself was the new handset's 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, a significant upgrade from the 412MHz underclocked ARM11 CPU used in previous generations. There are many ways to measure a processor's performance, some much more scientific than others, but website load times are what I personally find most useful and easiest to understand. For my mobile internet needs, I prioritize faster over fuller so the lack of Flash support and other Web 2.0 requirements are a non-issue for me.

Missing compelling incentive to upgrade to iPhone 3G S

Today isn't just the day that Apple announced the iPhone 3G S; it also marks the end of way too many months of silly rumors, bogus leaks, and far-fetched predictions. Even though the company's third handset will continue to appear in tech headlines until a "trusted source" tells someone something about the fourth-generation iPhone, we can all take comfort in knowing that the amount of false information being spread across the internet will taper off for a bit. And even Apple/iPhone haters can appreciate that.

How to transfer photos from a digital camera to an iPhone/iPod touch

This guest article was submitted by Andreas Ødegård.

One of the major complaints about the iPhone is that you can't transfer anything to it, like photos from a camera. Even the old iPods could do that using the iPod Camera Connector! Without the ability to get pictures from a decent camera over to the iPhone, blogging software like WordPress for the iPhone is rather useless. Or is it?

In the video that follows, I'll be posting an entry to my WordPress blog from an iPod touch (!) via 3G using pictures taken with a full-sized digital camera (an old one, as my main one is the camera I used to record the video) and transferred directly to the iPod. From inserting the memory card to loading the blog post in Safari, it takes 3 minutes 49 seconds. Read on to learn the trick that makes it possible.

Solving accessory incompatibility issues with the latest iPhone/iPods

This guest article was submitted by Andreas Ødegård.

Apple is notorious for making changes that break compatibility with current accessories. A few years back they removed the topside dock port in favor of a 30-pin bottom connector – a change that was actually needed. The changes they’ve made to the newest generation of iPods as well as the iPhone 3G, however, can’t be said to be very useful, breaking compatibility with various accessories – especially chargers."This accessory is not made to work with iPhone" is a message many people have seen since the release of the 3G version, but what exactly does it mean?

There are essentially two charging-related incompatibility issues in the newest Apple products as well as some incompatibility regarding line-out, microphones, Nike+ equipment, radio remotes, in-line remote controls, and AV (audio/video) out cables. These issues are all related to various changes Apple has made to the devices, all of them seemingly motivated by the desire to make money more than anything else. Read on for a list of incompatibility issues you might encounter as well as solutions to some of them.

Review: U2O iWalk battery packs for iPhone/iPod touch

Looking for a better way to keep your iPhone/iPod touch running longer? Then check out the U2O iWalk external battery packs (800mAh and 5400mAh) from Ultimate Travel Gear.

Not only do the batteries provide extra power for the Apple devices, they're compact and stylish as well. Form and function sound great, but are they worth their £16.99 and £44.95 prices? Read my full review to find out.

iPhone OS 3.0 to bring many 1.0 features

This summer, two years after the first-generation iPhone was released, Apple will roll out a software update to add features the first handset should've always had in the first place. Free for iPhone and iPhone 3G users, the new iPhone OS 3.0 will continue the longstanding tradition of screwing iPod touch users, who will be charged $9.95 for an update that adds cut/copy-and-paste, landscape email and Notes, Bluetooth, and not a whole lot more.

iPhone 3G users, on the other hand, will get MMS, landscape messaging, more complete Bluetooth support, the ability to forward/delete multiple messages and send multiple photos (the touch will be able to do this, too, but it doesn't have a camera so it's not as useful), and voice memos for free.

Push notifications and universal search will also be added, and developers are being treated to 1,000 new APIs. Good news, yes, but the entire iPhone OS 3.0 preview, which will be viewable online later today, leaves me feeling a bit underwhelmed. Most of the "biggest" announcements for consumers should've shipped with the original iPhones in 2007.

Review: iPhone 3G mobile power station

Battery life may not be one of the top complaints about the iPhone 3G, but that doesn't mean it couldn't stand to be better. Considering its multimedia, gaming, and internet features, most people are obviously using it as much more than just a phone. And that, of course, eats up battery life more quickly. For example, my iPhone 3G isn't even a phone anymore (thanks, Xperia X1) and yet I still charge it daily because of how often I use it for other things.

That's why I couldn't refuse WirelessGround's offer to send me their 800mAh mobile power station for review. They even sent me an extra one to give away to one of you! Read my full review below and find out how you can be the one to get it.

HTC turns another iPhone into an iPod touch

I don't know what it is about HTC-built smartphones, but they keep commanding me to cripple my iPhones by giving their SIMs to another device, thus becoming WiFi-only glorified iPod touches. First it was the AT&T Tilt (HTC TyTN II), which drew me away from the first-gen iPhone last December.

And now it's the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 (made by HTC), almost exactly one year later, officially taking over the position my iPhone 3G has held since July.

HTC is literally my iPhone killer.

Stay tuned for a completely self-indulgent X1 unboxing. [Update: Here we go!]