July, 2010


29
Jul 10

iPhone 4, 3GS tip: Tap-to-focus also sets exposure

Tap-to-focus is a handy feature on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. But did you know that exposure may also be affected by where you touch the image?

Wherever you tap the on-screen preview (before taking a shot), your iPhone will assume that that is your subject. It will adjust exposure to make sure that the subject is not too bright or dark. It may not be noticeable in most cases but if you have an especially light or dark subject the effect can be dramatic.

In the first photo I tapped on the camera, which made the image very bright. This result might be helpful if you are actually trying to show some small detail on the camera, but it made the photo too bright for my taste.

In the second photo, I tapped on the tabletop near the camera. The focus remains about the same, but my iPhone adjusted the exposure to make sure the table top is not blown out. In doing so it made the overall photo darker. The subject may be a bit on the dark side, but it looks a lot more natural this way.

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28
Jul 10

iPhone, iPod & iPad Wallpaper part 3

Welcome to the third installment in my series of wallpapers for iPhone, iPod and iPad. To view all posts in this series, please visit the iOS Wallpaper page.


iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad
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22
Jul 10

Firefox tip: Send mailto links to Google Apps webmail

Firefox lets you choose Gmail as your email service, but it doesn't work if you're using Google Apps on your own domain name. Here's how you can configure Firefox to send mailto: links directly to your Google Apps web email interface:

  1. In Firefox, open a new window (File menu, then New Window)
  2. In the address field, type about:config and press the Return or Enter key on your keyboard.
  3. You'll be warned that this "might void your warranty." Click the I'll be careful, I promise! button.
  4. You'll be presented with an intimidating list of settings. Ignore them and just type the word "register" into the Filter field.
  5. All you should see now is a line that says gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost. Assuming the rightmost Value column reads false (which it does by default) double-click it. The whole line should become bold and the Value column should say true instead. Keep this window open for the final step (minimize it or move it out of the way.)
  6. In the box below, delete YOUR_DOMAIN_HERE and type the name of the domain you have registered with Google Apps.
  7. Highlight all the text in the box below and Copy it.
  8. Open a new window in Firefox and Paste into the address bar.
  9. Press the Return or Enter key on your keyboard.
  10. A bar will appear at the top of the window, asking you to confirm that you want to add Google Apps as an application for mailto links. Go ahead and click the Add Application button.
  11. Open the Firefox settings window: On a Mac, go to the Firefox menu, then Preferences. On Windows, click the Tools menu, then Options.
  12. Click the Applications tab.
  13. In the Content Type column, locate the entry called mailto.
  14. Click the menu next to it and select Use Google Apps, then close the window.
  15. Go back to the Firefox window where you have the about:config page open.
  16. Double-click the line that says gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost and make sure its Value switches back to False. Close the window when finished.

You're all set! Now you should be able to click on email links in web pages and have them open a new message in your Google Apps email.

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21
Jul 10

iPhone, iPod & iPad Wallpaper part 2

Welcome to the second installment in my series of wallpapers for iPhone, iPod and iPad. To view all posts in this series, please visit the iOS Wallpaper page.


iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad
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16
Jul 10

First month of iPhone 4: Is 2GB enough?

I’m close to the end of my first AT&T billing cycle to consist primarily of iPhone 4 use. So far I have used about 1.5GB of 3G data with wifi disabled, and at this rate I should come in at less than 2GB by the end of the billing cycle.

With my iPhone 3G I usually used quite a bit less since it had slower hardware and a slower Internet connection.

I think I use my iPhone more heavily than most people, so the 2GB plan should be plenty in most cases. But if you’re using a lot of Pandora, YouTube, etc. on a 2GB plan, you might want to keep wifi on to avoid overage charges.

And the 200MB option? If you do anything more than basic email and Twitter you’ll almost certainly want to keep wifi on.

Ultimately 2GB would be enough for me but I’m not letting go of my unlimited plan just yet. To me it’s worth paying the extra $5 to not have to worry about it.

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14
Jul 10

iPhone, iPod & iPad Wallpaper part 1

What’s This?

Starting today I am posting wallpapers for iOS devices on my blog. They will appear in weekly installments.

There are two versions of each image. They are edited and cropped with your iPhone, iPod or iPad in mind, to make sure they look their best on whatever device you use.

This Week’s Images


iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

iPhone & iPod | iPad

How Do I Use Them?

  1. Load this page on your iPhone, iPod or iPad.
  2. Click on the iPhone & iPod or iPad link under a photo you want to use.
  3. Hold your finger on a photo until you are prompted to save it.
  4. Once saved, go to your Settings app.
  5. Click on Wallpaper.
  6. Click on your Camera Roll.
  7. Select the photo you saved and push the Set button.
  8. Choose whether you want to save it as your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Both.
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11
Jul 10

Tip for iOS 4 and Twitter: Enable SMS Character Count

Most Twitter users today post using the Twitter website, or a program or browser extension on their desktop, or an application on their phone. But lest we forget, Twitter was originally conceived with text (SMS) in mind. Consequently “tweets” are limited to 140 characters in length so that they fit in a single text message.

All good iPhone Twitter apps tell you how many characters you’ve used, but until recently the iPhone’s “Messages” app did not. If you wrote a message that was longer than the limit it would simply be split into pieces and transparently delivered as multiple separate messages. That’s fine when texting your fiends, but can be a real pain if you like to be old school and tweet via SMS.

With the new iOS 4 for iPhone, you can enable character count. Just open your Settings app, then Messages, and switch “Character Count” to “On.” Just remember that the iPhone shows how many characters you’ve used out of 160, not Twitter’s 140. Still, its better than manually counting to make sure you haven’t exceeded the limit.

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