The Apple Core

July 10th, 2009

Battery percentage indicator for all iPhones

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:17 am

Categories: Battery, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Battery, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Easily the most under-publicized new feature in the iPhone 3GS is the ability to view the amount of charge remaining in a numerical percentage in addition to the visual indicator that appears on the battery icon. To enable the feature, simply tap:

Settings > General > Usage > Battery Percentage

The problem is that the feature is only available on the iPhone 3GS hardware, as is not a feature available on iPhone OS 3.0 as I originally thought. As I commented on PowerPage Podcast Episode 114, this seems bogus to me. I understand how Apple wants to upsell people to the 3GS, but isn’t that what the video camera, voice control and the compass are for?

You can’t tell me that Apple couldn’t easily have enabled the simple battery percentage indicator in software for all iPhones. The are several applications for jailbroken iPhones that do just that. Reader Brian Murray notes that a solution exists for other iPhone models, albeit without the top bar integration:

Although this doesn’t sit in the top bar of the iPhone, the app FreeMemory (pictured, right) has a percentage battery indicator and you don’t need to jailbreak your iPhone to use it. I’ve also found this app handy when memory gets tight and avoids resetting the phone.

The fact that Apple restricts Voice Control to the iPhone 3GS smells a little fishy too. Especially when you consider that apps like Google Mobile and Vlingo have voice control now for all iPhone models — not just the 3GS.

Isn’t voice control a safety issue? Could a case be made that Apple’s removal of voice control from the original iPhone and iPhone 3G puts its customers at an unnecessary risk? I bet there are a lot of attorneys that would take the case.

July 10th, 2009

Time to dump Schmidt from Apple board (Updated)

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:27 am

Categories: Google

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Eric Schmidt, Board, Apple Inc., Krazit, Corporate Governance, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Jason D. O'Grady

Since the announcement of its Chrome OS on Tuesday there has been a growing drumbeat calling for Eric Schmidt to step down from Apple’s Board of Directors, and I agree. Schmidt has got to go.

A day after the announcement that Google would battle Microsoft and Apple in the desktop operating system market, CNet’s Tom Krazit has been one of Schmidt’s most vocal critics, calling for him to step down from Apple’s board.

Krazit’s logic is sound, arguing since Google’s forthcoming Chrome OS compete with Mac OS X, a conflict exists with his presence on Apple’s Board and that the companies are on a “collision course.”

Would Microsoft ask Schmidt to be on its board? Not in this lifetime.

Schmidt has already acknowledged that he’s recused himself from Apple’s discussion of the iPhone, but is that enough? How long was he present during meetings about the iPhone while Android was still in secret development? This in and of itself is enough to remove Schmidt from the Apple board.

Now Google’s developing an OS and will be a direct competitor to Apple. Will Schmidt recuse himself from all discussions of Mac OS X too? I sure hope so. The question that remains is what’s left for Schmidt to sit in on? Which brings me to my point: What value does he bring to the Apple board?

Little collaboration has occurred between Google and Apple since Schmidt joined the Apple Board in August 2006 short of its release of the Maps application for the iPhone in 2007. Google docs and spreadsheets can’t be edited on the iPhone, Chrome (the browser) still isn’t available for the Mac, and Latitude doesn’t work on the iPhone either.

What do you think? Should Apple fish or cut bait on Schmidt?

Image: GadgetTeaser

Update: Reuters reports that Schmidt will discuss with Apple “how his role on its board might change after Google’s move to launch a new operating system.”

July 10th, 2009

One-third of mobile phones to use accelerometers by 2010

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 6:56 am

Categories: Hardware, iPhone, iPhone 3GS

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Mobile, Cell Phone, Portrait, Smart Phones, Palm Pre, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

iSuppli reports that accelerometers are expected to appear in one-third of mobile phones shipped next year, due to their inclusion in the popular iPhone and Palm Pre handsets.

The iPhone’s accelerometer detects when you rotate iPhone from portrait to landscape and changes the display accordingly. The iPhone’s 3-axis MEMS accelerometer motion sensors are also used to control many iPhone games, power management and shake modes to control music shuffle, undo, pedometers and a host of context aware apps.

The accelerometer also works in conjunction with digital compass found in the new iPhone 3GS.

With their capability to detect and measure motion, accelerometers are the critical enablers of these features, which are an essential element of what makes these smart phones so popular. These capabilities now are spreading beyond smart phones to other types of handsets.

iSuppli’s teardown of the iPhone 3GS revealed the use of a 3-axis MEMS accelerometer from STMicroelectronics. Its teardown of Palm Pre identified a Kionix Inc. MEMS accelerometer and inclinometer.

But Apple and Palm aren’t the only players, 38 percent of new Nokia handsets have integrated motion-sensing accelerometers since January. Sony Ericsson had the highest penetration of accelerometers, with 18 out of 19 new phones models introduced this year. Samsung and LG also are offering new phones with 3-axis accelerometers.

I find the iPhone’s accelerometer particularly fun in the Dinner Spinner app and in dice games like Motion X Poker. It’s also especially effective in the iPhone version of the classic Labyrinth game. However, I find that the accelerometer gets in the way in iPhone’s Shake To Undo feature and I wish that I could turn it off.

What’s your favorite application of the iPhone’s accelerometer?

July 9th, 2009

Episode 114: PowerPage Podcast

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:13 pm

Categories: Podcast

Tags: Battery, Engineering, Jason D. O'Grady

Episode 114 of the PowerPage Podcast has been posted. This week we discuss Is Mail.app crashy?, the new 3GHz MBP and 8+ hours of battery life, how to “properly” use your MBP battery, the most under-publicized new feature in the iPhone 3GS and we wrap it up with “What’s on your Mac?” Featuring: Jason O’Grady, Rob Parker and Tom Hesser. You can subscribe to it in iTunes.

July 9th, 2009

Apple files patents for object and facial recognition for the iPhone

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:58 am

Categories: Patent, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Patent, Facial Recognition, Apple Inc., Camera, Object Recognition Patent, Jason D. O'Grady

MacRumors notes that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published “several dozen” patent applications this morning including an interesting one that covers object and facial recognition, messaging, and voice modulation.

Unwired View took a closer look at one patent filed on March 8th, 2008 which describes how Apple could incorporate facial detection and recognition technologies into an iPhone, iMac and other devices.

One use-case for the technology would allow the device to determine whether a user is actively or passively interacting with the device. For example, preventing the iPhone’s auto-lock timeout from engaging when a user is actively watching a movie or video.

The other more obvious use for the facial recognition technology would be as a means to control access privileges to an Apple device. Much like the Apple’s biometric patent that was discovered last week, the facial recognition algorithm could use the iSight camera built into all Macs (except the mini) to determine a user’s identity and allow them to log in just by mugging for the camera.

The technology could also be linked to Apple’s built-in parental control software to allow parents to restrict access privileges on a Mac used by children. It could even provide limited, guest access to a Mac to an unrecognized user or, alternatively, shut the machine down or even phone home when an unrecognized user attempts to access the device.

It’s not hard to imagine Apple extending the functionality of its popular Find My iPhone feature to its notebooks and even desktop computers to help the recovery of lost or stolen Mac hardware.

The object recognition patent describes how a mobile device user could detect an object via camera, RFID sensor or other means and have their device automatically identify and provide additional information on the object. The artwork accompanying the patent (above) shows how a user could use the technology to identify a painting by Monet, but the killer application would be for identifying retail products for doing price comparisons.

The features would certainly add some sizzle and sex appeal to the already hot iPhone, but could be quirky without a forward-facing camera. Also, I’m wondering how strong the algorithm is and if, for example, it could be fooled by a high-resolution color photo of an authorized user held in front of the camera.

Other patent applications filed by Apple include text message filtering, a smart messaging interface and changing the voice output on the iPhone.

Tip: MacRumors

July 8th, 2009

Safari 4.0.2 patches two security vulnerabilities

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:53 pm

Categories: Safari, Security, Software, Software Update

Tags: Apple Safari, Knowledgebase, Patch Management, Web Site, Security Fix, Web Site Development, Security, Internet, Jason D. O'Grady

Apple yesterday released Safari 4.0.2 via Software Update and recommends the update for users on all platforms.

According to Apple’s typically vague “release notes” the 40.2MB update improves the stability of the Nitro JavaScript engine and includes the latest compatibility and security fixes.

According to the knowledgebase article HT3666 the update addresses two security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by maliciously crafted Web sites.

The first security fix addresses a problem in WebKit’s handling of parent and top objects which may result in a cross-site scripting attack when visiting a maliciously crafted Web site. The second addresses a memory corruption issue in WebKit’s handling of numeric character references. Visiting a maliciously crafted Web site may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

If you use Safari 4 as your primary browser the update is highly recommended.

July 8th, 2009

SEC reviewing Apple disclosures about Jobs' health

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:18 am

Categories: Steve Jobs

Tags: Job, Steve Jobs, SEC, Health Care, Apple Inc., Investor, Vertical Industries, Benefits, Healthcare, Financial Accounting

A source tells Bloomberg that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigators are reviewing how Apple Inc.’s CEO Steve Jobs’ condition went from “relatively simple” to “more complex” in nine days.

A pivotal question for regulators is what Apple’s board knew at the time of Jobs’s Jan. 5 announcement that he had a hormone imbalance and a Jan. 14 statement that he was taking a five-and-a-half month medical leave, said the person, who declined to be identified because the probe is confidential.

The government is believed to be investigating whether or not Jobs’ January disclosures about his health potentially misled investors, according to the source. Bloomberg reported that the SEC probe was opened in January.

“The issue here is: Did Apple or Jobs make misleading disclosures, tested by what they knew at the time?” said Robert Hillman, a securities law professor at the University of California, Davis. “A disclosure could be misleading if it’s a partial truth.”

The piece takes a hard look at corporate governance and whether Apple has made sufficient disclosures to its board and investors about Jobs’s health. Some investors would argue that since Jobs is critical to Apple, his health is material information that needs to be shared with investors, while others argue that federal privacy laws supersede investors’ right to know the details of his health.

Where do you stand on the issue?

July 8th, 2009

Pandora saved from the hangman's noose

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:59 am

Categories: Music, iPhone

Tags: Agreement, Pandora, Jason D. O'Grady

Back in May I suggested that Apple acquire Pandora with some of its $29 billion warchest in order to save it from certain death. Well, it appears that Pandora (and all other Internet music streaming services for that matter) got the call from the governor that they were desperately waiting for.

According to Pandora CTO Tom Conrad (via TechCrunch) the call came in the form of a resolution between webcasters, artists, and record labels, tells us. “Pandora is finally on safe ground with a long-term agreement for survivable royalty rates,” Conrad says.

The key part of the resolution involves SoundExchange agreeing to a 40-50% reduction in the per-song-per-listener rates. In exchange, Pandora is giving up a 25% share of its U.S. revenue. This agreement runs through 2015.

This is great news for everyone that appreciates online music streaming — and who doesn’t. Now can someone tell me why Pandora for iPhone was down most of yesterday?

July 7th, 2009

How Amazon killed Delicious Library for iPhone

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:59 pm

Categories: Amazon, App Store, iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Mobile, Amazon.com Inc., Advertising & Promotion, Smart Phones, Marketing, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

A quirky change in Amazon’s Product Advertising API is having a huge, negative impact on Apple developer Wil Shipley.

It looks like Shipley will have to scrap eight months of development on the iPhone version of his killer app Delicious Library, because of this sentence in the Amazon Advertising API guidelines:

You will not, without our express prior written approval requested via this link , use any Product Advertising Content on or in connection with any site or application designed or intended for use with a mobile phone or other handheld device.

TechCrunch reports that Shipley tried to obtain permission from Amazon but it apparently said no exceptions were being made, adding “they told me to remove it today, or they’d shut me down.”

Amazon has been limiting access to its product data for mobile devices for nearly two years. At the time it claimed that it was “still thinking through how to best serve customers who want to use mobile devices to shop on Amazon.com.”

Really?

In other words, Amazon doesn’t want mobile apps to use its product database because it may want to develop a similar app some day. Amazon should allow developers to use the data in mobile applications but add a clause gives them the opportunity to turn off the faucet if they decide to compete down the road.

I don’t see Amazon ever creating an app like Delicious Library, so what’s the harm? DL doesn’t compete with its Amazon Mobile app and if anything, DL for iPhone might encourage people to buy more products from the Internet shopping goliath. What a shame.

Tip: TechCrunch

July 7th, 2009

iPhone 3GS users complain of poor battery life

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:40 am

Categories: Battery, iPhone 3GS

Tags: Apple iPhone, Battery, iPhone 3GS, Smart Phones, Engineering, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

The LA Times dubbed it iDrain, iPhone 3GS users are calling it a royal pain.

Despite Apple’s claims that the iPhone 3GS comes with “longer battery life” users are complaining that its new vunder-handset actually has less battery life than with the previous model.

iFixIt noted in its recent teardown that the iPhone 3GS battery is six percent larger than the iPhone 3G battery, leading many to suspect that iPhone OS 3.0 may be the culprit.

Apple promises improved battery life with the 3GS. The battery is listed as 3.7V and 4.51 Whr. This comes out to 1219 mAh, compared to 1150 mAh on the 3G. That’s only a 6% increase.

ComputerWorld notes that users have been reporting worse battery life on all iPhones since the day the iPhone OS 3.0 was released:

Users started complaining about poor battery performance almost as soon as Apple offered iPhone 3.0, the software available for download June 17 for first-generation iPhones and second-generation iPhone 3Gs. The new iPhone 3GS relies on the same software.

“After updating to [iPhone] 3.0 the battery life is very short. It consumes 5%-10% an hour,” claimed an original iPhone user identified as “ukfasthands” in a message posted on Apple’s support forum June 17.

A colleague recently complained that during a four-hour flight in airplane mode his iPhone 3GS battery dropped from 85 to 27 percent while composing 17 emails and recording a two-minute video. Another potential culprit is the iPhone’s recently activated push notication feature. Scott Forstall claimed that push would cause a 20 percent drop in battery life.

If you’re afflicted you’ll most likely have to wait until Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1, or if we’re lucky, some battery improvement could come with the security update that’s been promised for the end of July. In the mean time, try implementing some of my and Apple’s iPhone battery savings tips, including:

1. Minimize use of location services
2. Turn off push notifications
3. Fetch new data less frequently
4. Turn off push mail
5. Auto-check fewer email accounts
6. Minimize use of third-party applications
7. Turn off Wi-Fi
8. Turn off Bluetooth
9. Use Airplane Mode in low- or no-coverage areas
10. Adjust brightness
11. Turn off EQ
12. Turn off 3G

How is your battery life with the iPhone 3GS? Chime in in the TalkBack below.

Photo: The iPhone Blog