Pocketables

Archos 5 Android struggles to coexist with iPhone 3GS

Did you ever have a gadget that you felt you were supposed to really like but, try as you might, you could only just kind of like? That's how I feel about my Archos 5 Android Internet Tablet.

It's a significant improvement over last year's Archos 5 IMT, offers faster web browsing speeds than other ARM Cortex A8-powered devices, has a large high-resolution touchscreen, and runs on an operating system compatible with a growing catalog of third-party applications . . . yet the iPhone 3GS is still my go-to device for nearly everything I should be using the Archos 5 Android for.

App Store for iPhone hits the 100,000 milestone

Whether you consider yourself either an Apple apologist or someone who can't stand the mere mention of anything associated with the iPhone, there is no denying that Apple has dramatically changed the way we use our smartphones and they have also pushed other companies to think outside the box. Without the App Store, there would probably not be an Android Market or a Windows Marketplace for Mobile, so to say that Apple has reinvented things is a bit of an understatement.

Today, the App Store further entrenches itself in the driver's seat, with there now being over 100,000 apps available for download to your iPhone or iPod touch. Games, productivity tools, news readers, music and video players, and even a basic version of Photoshop are all available, many for free.

It's hard to believe that the iPhone originally did not have the ability to officially download apps, and it seems so long ago, even though it has been less than two years. I couldn't imagine using my iPhone without many of the useful apps I have downloaded, so here's to a bright future and the next 100,000 apps.

[Apple Press Release]

Website load times on ARM Cortex A8-powered mobile devices

While assessing my mobile gadget collection the other day, I realized that four of my devices are powered by CPUs with ARM Cortex A8 cores. For nearly eight months, my non-Android Archos 5 IMT (600MHz TI OMAP 3430) had bragging rights as the only Cortex A8 handheld in the house, so I didn't notice that it lost its prestigious title when the iPhone 3GS (600MHz Samsung S5PC100) waltzed in this past summer, the Sharp NetWalker (800MHz Freescale i.MX515) moved in last month, and the Archos 5 Android tablet (800MHz TI OMAP 3440) arrived a few weeks ago.

I've been very preoccupied with matters unrelated to portable gadgets for most of the year (and I usually don't pay much attention to internal components anyway), so the realization that a single Cortex A8 device turned into four Cortex A8 devices when I wasn't looking was a little alarming. The only thing to do, then, was to pit the units against one another for a round of website load time tests.

AT&T finally delivers MMS to iPhone users

Well folks, it's been a long time coming, but we iPhone users here in the U.S. can now send MMS messages, courtesy of the latest carrier update pushed out by AT&T and Apple just a short while ago. Most cell phone users have been doing this for years, even those with inexpensive non-smartphones, but Apple insisted that we use traditional email to send pictures. Although iPhone users in other parts of the world have had this functionality since the 3.0 update a few short months ago, we were still forced to wait here in the U.S., mainly because AT&T needed to make sure their network was ready to handle it.

Simply connect your iPhone (OS 3.1 only) to iTunes 9 and follow the directions to download and update the new AT&T 5.5 carrier file, which takes just a few seconds or so. When complete, reboot the phone and start exchanging pictures with all of your flip phone-carrying friends!

Honestly, I have been anxiously awaiting this feature for so long, I found myself checking iTunes for updates all morning. It was a little embarrassing telling people that they couldn't send me a picture because my fancy, schmancy iPhone couldn't receive MMS messages.

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.