Speed of iPhone 3G with iOS 4

September 28, 2010

iOS 4 slows iPhone 3G dramatically

If your iPhone 3G is running really slow after installingan an upgrade to operating systems iOS 4 read on to find out how to resolve the problem. You can get the iOS 4.1 as this will resolve some of the speed problems. But a far better and easier solution is to turn off the phone’s Spotlight search feature.

Disable Spotlight

Spotlight is the search program that appears when you swipe the homescreen to the right or tap the home button twice. Most 3G owners will probably not have used their Spotlight facility at all and so will not miss it! By a simple reconfiguration which turns off the Spotlight indexing – instantly improves navigation of the main screens of icons;  scrolling performance through text messages and emails; and even launching your apps.

Turn off Spotlight search by:

  • tap on Settings
  • tap on General
  • go to and select Home Button
  • scroll down to Spotlight Search
  • disable every item by tapping its check box
  • exit settings

Extra Tips

You can increase speeds further by reducing the icons on the screen and putting them in folders.

A tip for speeding up the camera app in iOS 4 is to disable Location Services for the camera (Settings> General Location Services> Camera> Off) this can make a huge difference to the launch, shutter lag and saving image.

iPhone 3G upgrades

The iPhone OS 3.1.3 is still faster than the latest iOS 4.1.  You need to decide whether upgrading your operating system and obtaining new features such as Folders and editing playlists are worth the slowdown.


How to deal with iPhone problems

September 24, 2010

A Faulty iPhone -get your money back.

If you own an iPhone and do not think it is fit for purpose the Sale of Goods Act 1979 indicates that it is the seller of the goods who is liable and in breach of contract. The sellor in the case of iPhone is the mobile phone provider that sold you the handset. However, you must act quickly -rejecting the phone within ‘a reasonable time’ means the sooner you return your faulty phone the more likely you will get a full refund. Apple suggests iPhone owners must claim within 30 days if they want their money back. Once you have informed your seller that you wish to return the phone you must stop using it as any further use will weaken, or invalidate, your decision to return it. If you did not buy your handset direct from Apple you must take up the issue with the seller – your mobile phone provider. Your rights are not affected if you have disposed of all the packaging that came with your iPhone.

Having problems with your iPhone 4?

Poor Reception

Earlier this Summer many new iPhone 4 users were experiencing reception problems. Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, responded quickly to the complaints of poor reception. Steve Jobs offered all iPhone 4 owners a free bumper case to remedy the signal issues, or customers could have their money back. The signal antenna problem on Apple iPhone 4 was researched by PA Consulting Group who confirmed that when users covered the bottom left-hand corner of the device with their hand it blocked the antenna and produced an unreliable signal. PA found that a number of other handsets suffered this ‘death grip’ problem too e.g. Blackberry Bold 9700 and the HTC HD2.

The bumper case insulates the iPhone’s aerials from contact with the human skin -when your mobile phone is held in the death grip  mobile reception can drop by as much as 40%. The bumpers were previously sold by Apple for £25 online – they are now free online at apple store. If they are out of stock you can apply for a voucher, and if you have paid for your Apple bumper you are eligible for a refund. This offer is only valid until September 30th 2010.

Radio Performance

The iPhone 4’s radio performance was also found to be at the lower end of normal. This means that it will tend to drop calls earlier than other mobile phones and could suffer more in areas of weak signal. The free bumper case should help to combat this problem too.

Proximity Sensor

Growing complaints abound regarding the iPhone’s 4 less sensitive proximity sensor. Users have complained that they have unintentionally switched on Apple’s FaceTime video-conferencing and accidental call making as if the iPhone 4 has a mind of its own. Apparently the proximity sensor can be affected by the touch of our ear, or cheek, making them responsible for dialling numbers usually performed by our fingers! More research has confirmed that while the iPhone 3GS deactivated on-screen buttons when users were 55mm from its surface, the iPhone 4 did this at 40mm – a 30% difference. The iPhone 4 also takes half a second longer than the 3GS model to deactivate the screen when it reached its activation range. Apple is yet to respond to these sensor findings.

Some users have suggested that proximity sensor problems are easily fixed ‘in house‘ by resetting your iPhone 4 network settings. Let us know your feelings on this issue.

iPhone 4 and pay as you go tariffs

September 23, 2010

Design

The iPhone 4 is slimmer than previous iPhone models; it has metal buttons and band around the edges, this not only looks good, strengthening its appearance, but it is also the phone’s antenna. The top of the phone has a noise-cancelling microphone to ensure improved sound quality and there is a 3.5mm jack for connecting your headphones if required. The SIM card is now on the right side of the phone and is much smaller (a micro-SIM as used in the Apple iPad). Although this is space saving it has the disadvantage of making it more difficult if and when you change your network. Display

The iPhone 4 still has a 3.5 touchscreen but the quality has been vastly improved. Apple suggests it is ‘the sharpest, most vibrant display ever’. It has four times the number of pixels of the earlier iPhone models allowing sharp displays. Apple suggests that the glass is 30 times stronger than plastic and far more scratch resistant. Battery The iPhone 4 is powered by the same chip as in the iPad – an A4 chip making the phone quick and responsive. The new chip extends the battery life and enables improved power management. This should allow 7 hours of phone talk and web browsing for 6 hours.

Camera

The camera has dramatically improved from previous models a 5MB rather than 3.2MB; plus LED flash, a backlit sensor and an integrated 5X zoom.  It can shoot videos in HD at 720p at 30 frames per second.

Multitasking

The latest operating system OS 4 allows you to run several apps at once – great news. To multi-task double-tap on the home button, this shows you which apps are running and allows you to switch between apps.

Which PAYG network?

The iPhone 4 is now available from major UK networks as well as Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. You have 3 iPhone tariff options:

  1. pay monthly
  2. micro Sim
  3. PAYG

This post only informs you about options 2 & 3. However, Tesco do offer a 12-month contract costing around £20 a month – check it out below as it has some advantages to consider. If you sign up for a monthly deal with a network provider you will receive a discounted price on your handset. The iPhone 4 uses a smaller than standard Sim card so make sure the network you select offers micro-sim plans.

O2 offers the Iphone 4  SIM free 16GB  from £495 and 32 GB from £595. IPhone PAYG is on O2’s Text and Web tariff, the more you top up the more texts you get. From the 1st October Text and Web will include unlimited wifi.  For a Sim only monthly deal choose the O2’s Simplicity deal available on 30-day or 12-month contract.

Tesco is offering the iPhone 4 on PAYG at an initial handset price of £479 for 16GB and £569 for the 32GB. All iPhone tariffs from Tesco come with 12 months unlimited wifi and 1GB of mobile internet. The cheapest 12-month contract costs £20 a month and an initial 16GB iPhone 4 will cost you £349.

Vodafone PAYG deals include 12 months mobile internet and wifi; 250MB a month of mobile internet and webmail in the UK and 1GB a month of wifi with BT Openzone hotspots. You will pay a one off cost for the handset.

Three (3) PAYG offers a SIM only tariff but this means purchasing the handset separately. Their one month rolling contract costs £15 and offers you 300 network minutes; 3,000 texts and 1GB internet.

Orange PAYG is offered on its Animal plans. Orange offers Sim-only rolling monthly plans costing £25 per month. This offers you 600 minutes and unlimited texts; unlimited wifi and unlimited UK mobile internet browsing (subject to fair usage policy of 750MB a month).

This page leads onto our news item entitled ‘Compare mobile broadband networks’ on Homepage.

For further pricing information and updates use the following links:

visit the o2 website

go to tesco website

visit Vodafone website

the three website

or see the Orange website

Best satnav for iPhone

September 18, 2010

Some of the phone-based satnav apps offer great value for money. The gap is closing between standalone satnavs and phone based satnavs. There are 5 iPhone Satnav apps discussed here. Having an iPhone navigation app means you don’t need to carry a separate satnav and having a GPS in your pocket or bag can prove very useful when you are not in your car.

If you want an iPhone-based satnav the Ndrive iPhone will cost you £9.99 and has clear maps and bold schematics.This is probably your best buy currently.

A close contender is CoPilot v8.0 at £25.99 from Apple iPhone Store but a typical price is £20 if you shop around. CoPilot is a 220MB file so download it over a wifi network to your iPhone. CoPilot Live displays maps in either 2D or 3D and the maps are clear and easy to read. One of the advantages of CoPilot Live is that it gives two turning directions at a time when the turns are close together. A disadvantage of this app is that it does not offer you European maps and live traffic data is not available. It is however great value and simple to use.

Similarly, but more expensive, is the Navigon Mobile Navigator iPhone app at £52.99. For the extra money it allows you to send your current location to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

TomTom v1.0 for iPhone is also incredibly easy and fast to use. The screen display is really clear  – on a par with TomTom’s stand alone satnavs. Directions are loud and clear and it has the advantage of a night mode when the colour display changes so it is easier to read in dark conditions. The biggest disappointment is the price – you can buy a TomTom 1.0 at around £59.99.

Beware, Which users found the app to avoid was Navmii iPhone app at £19.99. This app was difficult to use and offered limited online support.

Sources: Engineering & Technology Journal; timesonline.co.uk/ingear; which.co.uk.

iPhone games reviewed

September 18, 2010

This article reviews3 games; Mirror’s Edge rated as 5 star and 4 stars -Knights Rush and Slice IT!

Mirror’s Edge at £2.99 is suited to players aged 9 years and above. Originally a console player in 2008 it has a huge following of dedicated fans and can now be played on high-definition display of the iPhone 4 where it sets an innovative new standard for mobile gaming. In the scenario you play Faith, the heroine who runs, jumps and drop-kicks her way through the enemies in her life (not a gun in sight)! The production values of this game are really high and there is not a single button to jab – Faith’s actions are sensitively controlled by swiping the screen – it is five star enjoyment and deeply impressive.

Knight’s Rush at £1.79 is also recommended for players aged 9 and above. The context is action-adventure. The player makes the choice to play as one of three sword-wielding heroes. You can slice your way through 40 levels and over 50 different enemies in your quest for mastery of the medieval world. The graphics are cartoon in character and the learning modes allow you to build up your power and mastery, culminating in the Super Endless mode where your successful kills enable you to rise up the online high score tables. An adrenaline-rush fun game.

Slice IT! at 59p is recommended for players aged 4+. It is a simple yet cerebral challenging game – that is, simple to learn but taking hours to master. The game is rather like geometric puzzles requiring the player to divide different shapes into sections – the aim is to build shapes that represent the same surface area – for example, slicing a square into four pieces with two swipes. Its geometric challenges ramp up to GCSE maths and beyond with 60 stages to work through (there are hints if you get stuck). This game is great for getting your right brain into gear – or buy it for the kids!

Source: for video trailers of games go to thesundaytimes.co.uk/ingear