At my university, as is the case with many private institutions, wi-fi users need to login with their credentials to gain access to the wireless network. In previous firmwares, this would be simple – my iPhone would connect to the network, I open Safari, and it would automatically load the login page. I login and presto, I have internet access.

Recently, iOS 4 has offered an alternate solution which I’m not a fan of. When I open up the Settings and enter the Wi-fi section, I’m presented with a list of networks, my university’s included. The weirdness starts here. It NEVER automatically logs in anymore. I have to manually select it only to be prompted, in the Settings app via a webpage popup, to login to the university network. Once logged in, I can’t actually access the internet unless I turn off the wi-fi and back on. Weird huh!

I don’t know what it is, iOS 4? Jailbreak? Network? My guess it’s the combination of all three somehow although iOS 4 pulling more weight. That’s my guess anyway and I would be grateful if anyone would share their thoughts and/or remedies. It’s not the end of the world since I at least know how to band-aid the situation but a real solution would be great.

The biggest reason I decided to get an iPad in the first place is because I wanted a way to access all of my documents, files, schedules, and all sort of other related “stuff” from a convenient and portable device. For some time, my iPhone has been device of choice but when a 1.5lb, 0.5″ thin, 9.7″ screen gadget came out that would sync with my life, I couldn’t give up the chance. Sure it wasn’t my first reaction to the iPad (my first was, “Umm, it’s a giant iPod Touch…?”) but after gathering some opinions, demoing my friend’s, seeing it in the Apple Store, I concluded that this was something I’d like to get.

After using it for the past month or so at work, I’ve had an event to run and knowing where my staff are at any given time, helping students with documents that I have on the iPad, and being able to check the internet for facts and figures have all been amazing. I love having access to all of these things at the touch of a button and have it be something that’s comfortable, portable and usable. I’m looking forward to more uses for it as it’s still being used as a work tool and here and there as an awesome touchscreen gaming device. I’ve also had many conversations with random people asking me, “Is that the iPad?!” – from young kids wowing over Tap Tap Revolution, to senior computer science students chatting with me about being at the threshold of major technological changes because of this one device. Needless to say, the vibe is great.

I could go on about my life with the iPad but I think I’ll reserve those thoughts for future posts. For now, let’s just say that I have it and I really enjoy having it!

Where's the Back Up option?

So I was thinking of downgrading my iPhone so that I could re-upgrade with a jailbroken firmware. When I wanted to create a backup to restore to after the jailbreak, I got a surprise! I had no backups in iTunes and the option to create new ones was completely gone. I searched Google and after a good hour of finding the right keywords, I would a fix. If you find yourself stranded, quit iTunes, open Terminal and type this in without the quotation marks: “defaults write com.apple.iTunes DeviceBackupsDisabled -bool false”

Reopen iTunes and like magic, you’ll find the option magically available! I hope this helps all of you looking for an answer!

I just spent 6 hours updating my 3GS to iOS 4. Why? you ask. I had no idea. I updated 3 times and each time it hung at the same 60% completion mark, I aborted out of frustration, the phone went into restore mode, rinse and repeat. I scoured the internet for answers. I rebooted my laptop, changed USB cables, changed USB ports. Nothing. Then, as if by divine intervention, the answer came to me. A voice in my head whispered, “Re-install iTunes.”

I did. It worked. My iPhone is currently restoring all of my personal settings and files (contacts, messages, and the like). Before the restore began, I tried multitasking, folders and wallpapers – they all work (Weeee!). In “About 4 minutes,” I’ll be enjoying my new iPhone iOS 4! (Double weeeee!)

Downside: In my rush to update after re-installing iTunes, I failed to choose the Custom Firmware that PwnageTool created and opted for the official iOS 4. Result = no jailbreak. I’m sad, definitely, but I know that hope is somewhere on the horizon and I only have to live without SBSettings and Winterboard a little while longer before the Dev-Team comes to the rescue.

So, do what I did and re-install iTunes NOW to avoid a long-ass wait time!

Of course, syncing over WiFi would definitely be slower than USB, and speeds will vary depending on your connection speed. I probably wouldn’t use it for large syncs of movies or TV shows but for quick playlist changes, one new album, or small and frequent syncs would be the way to go.

Let’s hope that Apple approves this app because I can’t wait to have it!

I’ve just downloaded it and will be playing with it; I’ll hopefully write about it soon.

***

I have to say that it’s definitely not what I expected. I did expect speed and I was right about that – the speed is definitely noticeable when using 3G and not so noticeable when using WiFi. The biggest disappointment came with text and alignment rendering. The text shows up as tiny lines that you need to zoom in to read. Opera Mini also re-aligns columns and passages of text so that they are easier to read when zoomed in on but completely wrong when looking at the page at a glance. I’m currently managing a website for my university and I was shocked to see how different my pages looked on Opera Mini – it doesn’t seem to like many web standards, Javascript, or simple CSS3 tags. I found a review of Opera Mini on AppleInsider that I feel completely aligns with my experiences and opinions about this new browser that I don’t think I will be using for casual browsing.

Late last week, I experienced the failure of my first real set of headphones, the Panasonic RPHC500. The warranty had expired and it was beyond manual repair or tinkering. I swallowed hard and decided I was in the market for a new pair of headphones. I remembered seeing a paid of headphones that I liked over on Uncrate – I entertained the idea of owning a Bowers & Wilkins product and wondered if I should make the investment. So, I did some research on various sites and collected the opinions of other audiophiles. The overall message I was getting was that these headphones were well the money and you would have to hear them to believe them. Another set of comments warned about their lack of comfort after using them for prolonged listening session. And one comment stuck with me – they’re too tight on big heads. Now, I can admit that my head is slightly larger than normal (it’s no watermelon, I assure you) so I value and internalize a comment about headphones – especially ones this expensive.

I made the trip to the Apple Store – the only store that sells them. After an initial “sold out” notice, I returned a few days, waited while they brought it from the back, I found myself opening the box while still riding the escalator inside the mall. By the time I got inside Sears, the tape had been removed and needed a place to temporarily put down the box so that I could enjoy my new headphones on my train ride home. Here comes the review part.

Comfort

When I first put them on, I have to admit they felt awkward. I found myself adjusting them often to find the right balance between comfort and ability to hear my music properly. I was so used to my Panasonic’s enveloping my ear into its speakers, having a set sit flat against my ears was a new experience. They definitely needed some getting used to. After a few more days, I realized that the headphones could rotate on an axis I didn’t know of – one parallel with the same of my ear. I could rotate them for a loose fit that rested on my ear naturally or I had the option of turning them to flatten my ear to my head causing them to stick to my ears better. I was starting to like that these headphones were designed for more than one set of ears. When riding the buses and trains in the later trips, I found myself enjoying my music and not being able to even feel the headphones on my ears – my body was getting used to this new way of listening and I was getting happier.

Sound

I’m a stickler for sound. I’m not an expert on the specifics, terminology, or much of the science behind sound but I have an ear for good sounding speakers. I enjoy listening to music and watching movies with a good sound system. My headphones need to rival sound system quality – I expect my headphones to put out great sound. Using the P5′s are, like I said earlier, different from other headphones and my RPHC500. When I put them on, I realized that my iPod equalizer was not set properly and promptly changed them from Treble Booster (Panasonic setting) to Loudness. And this is when I realized that the P5′s claim to do away with artificial bass to mimic good speakers. I can’t describe the difference but I can say that the sound quality is better – I actually can hear more.

Noise Isolation

I used to own these Sony headphones and while I despised them for the fickleness of its retractable cord, I found out that noise cancellation is something I look for in headphones. I want to hear the music and only the music. Now, I realized the hard way that this isn’t something you always want – friends on campus have tried to get my attention with no luck and I hate feeling guilty after they tell me they were yelling for me for some time. That said, the P5′s don’t have powered noise cancellation. However, the P5′s employ a technology called noise isolation, a method to focus the music into your ears alone while blocking out ambient sound by only its shape and design. The P5′s allow only certain sounds in – car honks, the guy behind you saying “excuse me,” and your girlfriend asking you a question – the rest it effectively blocks or quiets them down. Also this technology does a great job of isolating the sound to you alone. With some headphones, music tends to leak out and the guy sitting a couple of rows behind you knows that you’re secretly listening to the Backstreet Boys’ new album. These headphones though keep almost all the sound private from nosy neighbours and so only you know what you’re listening to.

Miscellaneous

For those of us who have iPhones and iPod Touches, the P5′s come with a remote on the cable that lets you control your music, answer and make calls, and record audio. There are two cables included in the box: one with the remote, and one without. Another inclusion is a soft carrying case with a felt lining. Personally, I’ve never used my headphones’ carrying case and this one kind of looks like a man purse without straps – only Indiana Jones could make it work. Finally, there’s one last reason I really like my P5′s and that’s the design of it. It has a solid and retro look. The thin steel bars, the aluminum casings, everything about it simply looks great.

*****

Pros: Amazing sound quality. Durable. Great design.

Cons: Not a con, but I’d say try and buy to make sure they feel comfortable on your head – they’re not really universally fitting. Also, they’re a bit on the steep side, price-wise.

Rating:  (out of 5)

1Password: password manager and form filler

Acorn: image editing software

AddressBookSync: Facebook <-> Address Book sync

Adobe Photoshop CS4: c’mon, everyone knows PS!

Adobe Reader: PDF viewer

AllSecure: securely encrypt your data

Aperture 3: photo management software

AppShelf: application licenses manager

AppZapper: uninstalling apps the right way

Audio Recorder: basic audio recorder, nothing fancy

Blackra1n: jailbreak software

Blitz: CPU management tool (freezes other apps and focuses CPU attention to one app)

BootXChanger: changes boot-up logo

Bowtie: iTunes controller

Braid: awesome game!

CandyBar: icons & dock manager and icon replacement software

Chicken of the VNC: VNC client

Coda: html, css, javascript, etc. editor

CoverScout 3: iTunes album cover art finder and applier

DaisyDisk: beautiful disk management software

DeskPic: self-made automator “app” that changes wallpapers on click

DemoGod: iPhone/iPod Touch screen viewer

DivX: DivX codecs and video player

Espresso: awesome and preferred html, css, javascript, etc. editor

Evom: multimedia conversion tool

Firefox: c’mon, it’s Firefox!

FixPngDroplet: not really an “app”, utility to fix png previews that are taken off devices, like an iPhone

Flip4Mac: Windows Media Player web conversion to Quicktime

Flow: FTP client

FuzzyClock: customizable menubar text-based clock (awesome)

Google Chrome: internet browser, duh!

iDMG: easy DMG maker

iPhone Simulator: from Apple SDK developer kit for iPhone web design

iSquint: dead multimedia converter (kept it for nostalgic reasons since app has ceased to exist on internet)

iTap: iPhone trackpad Mac client

iWork: for times when Keynote just kicks Powerpoint’s ass

Jumpcut: clipboard manager

LimeWire: P2P client (I know, it’s not the best)

Little Snitch: blocks at your will outgoing internet connections from silent apps

LittleSnapper: snapshot manager (excellent webpage image captures)

Loginox: Login screen background changer

Microsoft Office 2008: we all use it!

Monkey Island: just got the game from Macheist! Haven’t played it yet…

NetNewsWire: RSS reader

PhoneView: view and edit contents of iPhone’s folders (awesome app!)

Pic2Icon: convert images into icons of themselves

Picturesque: image editing software, with neat presets

Pixelmator: PS alternative, really got it for my girlfriend, don’t use it myself

Pwnagetool: another jailbreak tool

RapidWeaver: again, got it for my girlfriend who wants to learn about web development but coding isn’t an easy language

Ripit: DVD ripper

Screenflow: screen recording software

SlipCover: create boxart icons for media (create a dvd case with poster for a movie file)

Stuffit: unarchiver

The Hit List: task manager (waiting on that iPhone app!)

ThemPark: system theme replacement

Times: newspaper-styled RSS reader

TinyGrab: grab screenshots and send to friends via generated URL and cloud imaging

Transmission: torrent manager

Transmit: preferred FTP client

Tweetie: twitter client

VLC: lifesaver video player

Voice Candy: record and have fun with your voice (basically photo booth for your voice)

WMV Player: you never know…

World of Goo: amazing physics-based game with a twist

WriteRoom: ambient and distraction-free writing

There you have it – that is one HUGE list! I was thinking of adding links but that would be incredibly tedious but if you’re interested, let me get you started. Here’s 1Password. In total, my applications folder tells me that there are “96 items” totalling “7.32 GB.” That’s not bad, an average of 76MB per app. Of course, some of them I don’t use as often and collect dust but trust me, I’ve seen a greater number than 96 in my Applications folder before!

If you have questions about the apps, mini-reviews, or recommendations, please comment!

Canada wins Gold in Men’s Hockey, destroying the Americans in OT 3-2 and at the same time, bringing home the most amount of Gold Medals any country has ever won in Winter Olympics history!

I find myself extremely happy and proud to say that I AM CANADIAN! Congratulations boys and I can’t wait for you to defend the title in 4 years!

█ ♥ █

Here we go:

Categories – Create folders of apps for organization

CyDelete – Delete Cydia packages from your iPhone like an App Store app

FontSwap – Swap system fonts, notes fonts, dialer, etc.

iFile – Finder for your iPhone

Infinidock – Have multiple icons in your dock and scroll through them like pages

iPodPop – Always displays iPod popup when double tapping Home button

LiveClock – Display the real time on the Clock’s icon

LockInfo – Display various notifications and information on your lockscreen

MakeItMine – Change your carrier name

MultiIconMover – Move multiple icons on your springboard at once

ProSwitcher – Palm Pre-styled application switcher

Reflective Dock – Create a live reflection of your dock icons

SBSettings – Have your commonly used toggles at your fingertips

WeatherIcon – Display live weather information on Weather’s icon

Winterboard – Really?

Extras

Activator

Backgrounder

LockInfo Matte UI

OpenSSH

I think the next thing I’ll do is perhaps make a list of the apps I’ve downloaded from the App Store. And I guess the next logical post in this sequence would be the apps on my Mac. Let’s do that.

I love 32px icons! The amount of detail crammed into a small 32×32 icons takes a lot of patience and attention to detail. When using these icons, they’re great because they leave things looking uncluttered and neat. For the iPhone, the icons have always been a traditional rounded square with the exception of a few unique themes. However, I recently found a theme title ThirtyTwo and it is exactly what it sounds like – 32px icons for your iPhone! The icons are true to the 32px standard of cleanliness but because of their size, some tweaks need to be let go. For example, because I like the Dock the theme provides, my Reflective Dock tweak doesn’t look so good anymore. Also, LiveClock doesn’t have an accompanying theme – there are two that are available on MacThemes but both download links are offline (anyone know where I could get it?). But, someone has managed to port over their own WeatherIcon icons so you don’t have to part with that tweak!

You can find all the icons, docks, and wallpapers over on MacThemes and while you wait, here’s a screenshot on my iPhone.

Here’s how it works.First make sure that both your iPhone and Mac are on the same wireless network – this doesn’t work otherwise! Start by downloading DemoGod from Plutinosoft’s website on your Mac and ScreenSplitr from Cydia on your iPhone. Then, open ScreenSplitr – you’ll notice a green badge with “ON” on its icon when you’ve done thi. Next, fire up DemoGod and you’ll see a list of iPhones running ScreenSplitr (it should only be you, right?). Click on it and your iPhone will display a popup telling you that you are trying to connect to it. Accept and voila! You can now use your iPhone regularly and see it live on your Mac! Hitting CMD+T will rotate DemoGod to catch the times your iPhone is on its side.

When you’re done, simply close DemoGod and “open” ScreenSplitr to turn it off.

The blog itself stays the same at its core – all iPhone/iPod Touch and Mac related stuff I find interesting enough to write about. My only wish is being able to completely transfer my blog over to another domain (stats included). But that’s okay, until I get my own domain, this will have to do!

Ps. Notice the cool new banner to accompany the name change?