iPhone4idiots

First, let me be clear as I’ve seen numerous posts and comments that have this wrong. iCloud does not stream your music. Think of it as a storage locker instead. It is replacing MobileMe which died today as you can no longer sign up for MobileMe and existing accounts only run through June 30, 2012. What’s exciting is that while MobileMe cost $99, iCloud is free. While killing MobileMe, what does iCloud mean for Amazon and Google’s Cloud services as well as pirated music? Continue Reading…

Great news for you non-jailbreakers out there. iOS 5, coming this Fall, is a major update where Apple has once again taken some of the best Cydia apps and implemented them into iOS. I guess the best place to start is with the Lock Screen. iOS 5 will provide a Lock Screen that provides more information and allows you to access apps directly by swiping them. No need to swipe to unlock to get to your home screen and then find and tap the app. This is very similar to Cydia app LockInfo. I don’t think it’s going to be as customizeable as LockInfo (why would Apple want you to design the look yourself) but it’s a big improvement. Along those lines you will now be able to access the camera much faster. No need to enter a passcode or slide to unlock. Just touch the camera button on the Lock Screen and it launches. Also, you can now use the up volume button to snap photos. I bet a ton or you have missed a good picture by a few seconds trying to get it launched. This will make all the difference. While this is nice, IMO the biggest and best upgrade in iOS 5 is Notifications. Continue Reading…

Apple is held the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco today. This is who’s who of developers and bloggers that is always filled with major product announcements. Even Steve Jobs is there despite all his health issues. So what did Apple announce? Well, before I get into OSX Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud, IMO one of the biggest news stories at this year’s event is what Apple didn’t announce. For the first time since it’s introduction there will not be a new iPhone released in June. The iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 were all released in June. To me this just shows the next iPhone won’t offer a major upgrade. Sure they’ll add a few megapixels to the camera and maybe a second LED light on the back. Hopefully another major upgrade like removing the home button to allow for a larger display will be coming next year when I’ll be due to upgrade my iPhone 4. Look for the next iPhone to come this fall with the release of iOS 5 which is the most significant iOS update yet! More on that in post later today.

As you know I live in Nashville, Tennessee – it’s a great place. I was sad to see Governor Bill Haslam sign legislation that will make it illegal to share your username and password with anyone outside of your household. Of course the powerful Nashville music industry was able to get Tennessee to become the first state to pass something like this into law. This applies to services like Rhapsody and Netflix. The law takes effect July 1. Anyone convicted of stealing $500 or less of such entertainment could face up to a year in jail and a fine of $2,500. Over $500 and the violator could be charged with a felony which would come with bigger fines and more jail time. While they claim the law is aimed at those that steal passwords in bulk and re-sale them, you know there is gonna be a college student that shares his password with all his fraternity brothers that will get sued. For now only Tennessee has this law, but my guess is it will spread like a virus to other states soon.

The World Health Organization yesterday added radio frequency electromagnetic fields (what cell phones emit) to the list of “possible carcinogenic” agents. This got a lot of press with headlines like, “Mobile Phone Radiation Leads to Brain Cancer!” I for one am not concerned. First, cell phone radiation is non-ionizing meaning its completely different than nuclear or X-rays. Second, the list of “possibly carcinogenic” agents includes things like coffee. That said, given the dramatic rise in cell phone usage over the past decade I think it’s likely there will be an increase in brain cancer over the next 20 to 30 years. While not worried, I wouldn’t hold my iPhone to my head eight hours a day for 20 years and think no biggie. For those that do use a cell phone a lot, a headset is a smart idea. Sadly, I am quite confident Apple will one day face lawsuits similar to the cigarette industry. For these on other thoughts see this video.