How to get to the new features of iOS 5 on iPhone

To get the camera icon on home screen

Double click on home button on iPhone

To take a picture, just press the "volume up" button on the left side of the iPhone.

Notification window

Slide/swipe down with your thumb from top bar(where it shows time, battery meter and network signals) once you are on the main page.

iCloud settings
Settings > iCloud  - Select the items you would like to be in the cloud

iCloud Storage plan upgrade

Settings > iCloud > Account > Storage Plan

Updating iOS automatically after iOs 5 update

Settings > General > Software Update

iTunes Wi-Fi Sync

Settings > General > iTunes Wi-Fi Sync > Sync Now

Keyboard Shortcuts

General > Keyboard > Turn  "." shortcut ON
To add a new Shortcut, tap, Add New Shortcut.

Accessibility
Settings > General > Accessiblity

Twitter settings on iOS5
Settings > Twitter > Sign in your twitter username and password and you can add multiple account

Private Browsing in Safari
Settings > Safari > Turn Private Browsing ON under Privacy

iMessage 
iMessage is an integrated feature in Messages, but make sure to turn it on inside the settings of Messages.
Settings > Messages> Turn iMessages ON

Read Receipts
Settings > Messages > Send Read Receipts option ON/ OFF

Creating Reading List
Open up a webpage in Safari
Click on the bookmark icon from the bottom, select Add to Reading List.

Opening/Retrieving Reading List
Click on the bookmark icon from safari("open book" icon). Select Reading List.

Updating iPhone from iOS 4.x to iOS 5

First and foremost: BACKUP !!!!!
Don't follow anything before you do backup.

Connect your iPhone to your PC/MAC. From the iTunes window, when the iPhone icon shows up on the left menu, right click and select Backup.

Just like me, if you were used to be App junkie(i am talking about 240 some apps), it may be a good time to reduce the number of apps you have.

Enough talk...Now lets get to work.

Once you have the backup done, select the iPhone icon, and from the right hand menu, click update and you will be presented with these series of windows.

1) When you click the update button, right next to iPhone image, this window will show up. Click "Download and Update"










2) I received this message because looks like it figured out that I am not using my primary computer where I had my iTunes library resides. But again, make sure you made a BACKUP before doing these steps

3) Click 'Next'

4) Click 'Agree'

5) Well now its the waiting game. Just follow whatever iTunes tells you.

PLEASE try not to do any other activities on your computer while doing this. Just wait till it finish.

Once everything is finished, you must be wondering what happened to all the Apps, songs and other missing things.

Well I went through the iCloud setup and all once the update was completed. 

But my main question was where are all the apps. 

The only solution I had was to reconnect my iPhone to my laptop and then when iPhone logo comes up, (Make sure its your primary computer/all of the backed up items are there) click on sync or apply from the right hand screen. 

So depending upon how much stuff you have on your iPhone, it could take hours to restore it back to the iPhone...

The main thing I noticed was that most of my folders were gone , now i have a boring process of creating them again.

iPhone 4 is out. What about the Case?

iPhone 4 case is the hottest topic on the web according to the website Alexa.com. Obvious reason, people didn't want to  spend 30-40 dollars for a side bumper cover.

Here is a list that I made to help other iPhoner's to find a case or screen protectors. I haven't yet received my iPhone or the accessories . But I wanted to make sure that I have some kind of protection beforehand, whether it fits or not.

• Boxwave's Pure Crystal Slip :   Free, but shipping is around $5

          This is what they claim: "Designed with a clean and smooth back, the Pure Crystal Slip maintains the 
          originality of your Apple iPhone 4."
          I havent received the product yet. But lets see.Even though it say's for free, the shipping is around $5     

•  Meritline has black silicone case and screen protector  - $2 for each. Free standard shipping in US.

           If you want some more fancy with screen protectors, you might want to look for Anti-Glare screen  
           protectors. They may be a bit more expensive. But will have some benefits.
 There are so many sites offers you cases according to your preference & style. But do a lot of research on what those cases will do for your iPhone. I've bought may be at least 5 cases for my iPhone 3G. But each time I am half satisfied. Either I dont like it that much, but if I like it other problems starts to occur. I had a nice clear case, after a week or so dust started to accumulate between the surfaces, and I had to clean it all the time. Some cases offers you full protection like a full body armor. But you don't want to end up hiding your iPhone. Hardcases are fine, but get Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). Its flexible. Here is a youtube video showing what it is.

 My mission is not to spend anything over $10 for cases. So I cant guarantee anything about the quality. The best place in the world for that is Ebay. But just read through every fine print before you buy the item even if it is priced for 99 cents. 


I will have a full review of the cases that I am going to receive in a week or so. Hopefully Apple will send my iPhone 4 by July 19 :)  ..... So stay tuned!!!

In the mean time  if you know any good websites that sells cheap cases, please post it.





        
Note: I am not advertising for the companies mentioned above. This is just an independent review.

iPhone 4 is out. - Look at the review from CNET

Here it is

Welcome to iPhone iOS 4 - the latest iphone operating system

Here is the news story from CNET

How to create folders in iphone for apps

Operating system - You need to have iPhone iOS 4 or higher to create folders for applications.

Step 1

• Next, press your finger on an App and hold until the App icons start to shake. This is the same process (up to this point) that you would do in order to rearrange Apps.
• Press the app and hold it down until the app starts to shake (same process to delete an app)

Step 2

• Drag the app on top of another app which you would want to have it in the folder.
• Now you can see that a folder was created with the same name as the app store category. You will be give an option to change the name. Make sure the name is SHORT.

Step 3

• You can drag and drop up to 9 apps in to a folder.

Misc: 
If you would like to replace apps from a folder or change the name of the folder

• Open a folder.
• Press your finger on an app inside the folder until the app icons starts to shake. You can drag the apps on to the home screen or just simply press the X to delete it.
• You can also change the name of the folder in the above step.

All new iPhone 4 released

Take a look at the new iPhone 4 at  the apple website

Difference between iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS . Click here

iPhone 4 FAQ from CNET

Qik Video camera FREE . This weekend only (APR 17,18)

Here is the link to download

The Video Camera for any iPhone, now with amazing touch effects!
WEEKEND SALE: free, for this weekend only (save $1.99)!
• send to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or send via SMS and Email

Opera Mini Web Browser for iPhone has arrived

Finally Opera Mini browser got the green flag. You can now download the Opera mini browser on Appstore.

Link to download

First Impression: Excellent
Screenshots: 

OtterBox Defender Case for iPhone 3G, 3G S (Black)

A great iPhone case. Make sure to have an "anti-glare protector" which will avoid the bubbles/oil spot between the iPhone screen and the screen protecor of the OtterBox case. You can buy the anti-glare protector here.

Speed up your iPhone - Here is how

1. Leave at least 500 MB of free space 
2. Do a soft reset (Hold both physical buttons until shuts off and reboots to Apple logo)
3. Download fewer emails (In Settings " Mail, Contacts, Calendars", Show 25 Recent Messages)
4. Clear your browsers history (In Settings "Safari", scroll all the way down, you will see "Clear History" in the list)
5. Clear your browsers cookies (In Settings "Safari ", scroll all the way down, you will see "Clear Cookies" in the list)
6. Clear  browsers cache (In Settings "Safari", scroll all the way down, you will see "Clear Cache" in the list)
7. Clear old SMS messages.
8. Reduce the number of Apps.
9.  Turn off radios you don't use (If you don't use Bluetooth and/or WiFi turn it off in "Settings")
10. Instead of constantly checking for new emails, change it to hourly or manually even (Turn off "Fetch New Data" under "Settings").

MapQuest 4 Mobile - Dowload for free at App store

If you are looking for a lightweight mapping application for your iPhone, MapQuest has an answer for you. Its only 4.2 MB in size. Good interface, voice guidance and its free. Here are the features of MapQuest 4 Mobile.

******************

FEATURES:
• NEW! Voice-Guidance speaks to you and informs you of upcoming turns. Change the settings if you prefer a sound prompt.
• NEW! Off-Route Assistance tells you when you've taken a wrong turn, and gives options to help you get back on track.
• Auto-Advance Feature improves "Find Me" by using iPhone® GPS to automatically locate you within your driving directions, recognize when you have taken a turn, and prepare you with the next maneuver - all without having to touch the screen.
• Energy savings mode allows you to set the power consumption level for MapQuest® 4 Mobile - NOW with a medium setting for continued voice guidance when the screen dims!
• Walking directions (pedestrian mode)
• Highly usable driving directions featuring an oversized display as well as landscape mode orientation.
• Save Maps and Routes on MapQuest.com and retrieve on your iPhone®.
• MapQuest® place carousel allows you to easily display locations for hotels, movie theatres, gas stations, and more with a single tap.
• Negotiate difficult turns/sets of turns with orientation arrows when viewing directions in map mode.
• Free-form search for businesses and places.
• Make your own my position icon representing You on the map. Use the built in camera or choose from a variety of existing icons.


Link to download MapQuest 4 moile

Iphone 3g OS 3.1.2 so slow ? here is the solution

If you are experiencing the following, you are not alone.

• When you open an app, it take a long time to load up.
• some apps shows white screen or other color when you try to open it.
  
• The touchscreen responds slow to touch
• occasional freezing.
• if you type in pass code, it hesitate for few moments before it opens up

I have experienced all these. I will have to tell you that, I have few personal emails connected to my iphone.

solution
---------
Change mail settings:

• Go to Settings
• Mail Contacts, calenders
• Open "Fetch New data"
• Turn off Push
• Change Fetch to "Manually"

Install an app called "Memory Sweep"(by gary fung):

• Here is the link

and clean sweep memory once in a while.

Hope the above solutions helps running the iphone much smoother. Please post comment and tell me your experience.

Navigon 1.3 update - error message - "There is not enough space to download this item. Please delete some photos or videos".

Navigon just released version 1.3 for iPhone which includes Navigon Traffic Live , extended map area search after destination input, landscape mode.

When you try to download the update, it may give your an error message saying that "There is not enough space to download this item. Please delete some photos or videos".

Your best bet to fix this problem is to download the software through iTunes. Search for "Navigon" in the search area in iTunes. when you click "Buy App", you will be asked to login to your account. Then if you have purchased this software already it will prompt a message saying that its an update, click Ok. Then you will be able to update the Navigon software on your iphone by syncing it to iTunes.

Happy Navigating !!!

iPhone feature wishlist

Clock
------
It will be better if we can have a snooze button which will snooze all the alarms till the next day.

People uses as many as alarms but its a pain to turn it off when you try to get up from sleep

So towards the very end of the alarm window in the iphone, there should be a red button that says "snooze all till tomorrow" or different options.

iPhone - News / Reviews / Opinions/ Tips / Tricks: Apple should change their policy to have a trial period for all the paid iPhone applications.

iPhone - News / Reviews / Opinions/ Tips / Tricks: Apple should change their policy to have a trial period for all the paid iPhone applications.

Apple should change their policy to have a trial period for all the paid iPhone applications.

If you buy the Navigon GPS software for iPhone, there is no option for trying out that software before you purchase it. I purchased it last week and didn’t realize what I was putting myself into. I was so excited to have a normal GPS on my iPhone. Couple of days ago, I returned an actual GPS which was worth $200. Why should I carry two devices? One of them sits in the car and waiting for some looters to break in and get away with it. But after $75 and fill up of a gigabyte of my iPhone hard drive space, I start thinking, what’s next?

I tried to find some information about how to return an application if you are not satisfied with it. But unless it’s a programmatic error or misleading titles which made you confuse with the actual application, there is a slim chance that you will get your money back.

I wouldn’t mind paying a dollar for an application and don’t care about it. But any price within or above a double digit, you expect a perfection in return. How to make sure if it is perfect or not? Trial period!!!! Trial periods are out there since ages and why can’t Apple implement it properly.

Apple should fine tune their refund structure or implement a proper trial period for all the paid applications before anyone starts purchasing it.

This unjust scenario should be addressed; otherwise these big businesses keep on raking money from customers without having to satisfy them.

iphone OS 3.0 - Experience

problem 1:

Once the iPhone is updated with the new operating system OS 3.0, it was loosing the WIFI connection constantly. It wasn't memorizing the connection at all.

Finally I found a solution. I happen to check my router settings (linksys). I see that the iPhone was named as iPhone-2. Somehow linksys thinks that its a new iphone or it gets confused with the new operating system. So all I did was to turn the router off and then turn it on. Problem was solved.

FCC asked to investigate Skype for iPhone restriction

Since its release on Tuesday, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than a million times—that’s a rate of six downloads a second, according to the company. All this despite the fact the software only works via the iPhone’s Wi-Fi connection, and not AT&T’s 3G network.

That restriction has angered some, who have argued that the practice is anti-competitive. Those allegations have been turned up a notch now, as the Wall Street Journal reports that an Internet advocacy group called Free Press has asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether or not the restriction is in violation of federal law.

Read the complete news here

What do we need in the next iPhone upgrade?

What do we need in the next iPhone upgrade?

Apart from drive space, we should expect a great deal of upgrade from the current version of iPhone. Some of the thoughts are the following

• Flash support for the browser( a must , no excuse.!!)
  
• Camera should capture videos and must be upgraded to include some editing tool . It will be cool if we can use the camera on both sides so that we can use it as a video phone/web cam
• Always you have to give an extra effort to read a normal web page. Well dot mobi domain names will well fit in to the iphone, there by dismissing the fact that iPhone is a dot mobi killer. Well I dont know how to make the web pages readable without zooming. I think it will still be the same in that kind of screen size.
  
• The other thing that I noticed is the scrolling of the web pages. The scroll bars on the right and the bottom are so tiny and its tough to scroll it somethings. It would be helpful if they can make it scroll anywhere on the screen.
• youtube is incomplete !!!
• this list will continue.............................