Genius Mixes

Here's another great feature of iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1: Genius Mixes.

If you want this feature on your iPhone, you'll have to start with creating the mixes on iTunes first.

When I updated iTunes to version 9, it didn't create Genius Mixes for me automatically. I had the Genius turned on before the update and it was the same after the update - no Genius Mixes.

So, what I had to do was disable the Genius first and then renable it. That allowed the Genius Mixes to come out. What iTunes does to create mixes is look at your entire iTunes library and create playlists of the different genres you already have. It also should be picking songs that are similar to each other. I haven't listened to each mix to really test that out. But, so far it seems to be pretty good.

Now, to get the mixes on your iPhone is easy. All you have to do is sync it to your iPhone like a playlist. I suppose you also have to enable Genius on your iPhone, which I already did when turning on the Genius for apps.

Just to let you know, one of the funky things my iPhone does is that it doesn't always display the correct album cover for each song. I hope that can get resolved eventually. So, in the picture to the right Expose isn't really in this rock mix.

I'm really going to test out this feature when I go on my trip this Friday.

Genius For iPhone Apps

One of the best features of iPhone OS 3.1 is the new Genius tab in the App Store.

Previously, the only ways you could view apps on your iPhone is to look at what's new, what's hot, the top-selling paid and free apps and browsing through categories.

Now that there are about 75,000 apps it's getting harder and harder to find which apps you may want.

The Genius function in the App Store takes a look at the app you have on your iPhone and makes recommendations based on them. It's not a foolproof way to find the best apps, but any help we can get is definitely needed.

First of all, you need to turn on the Genius function on your iPhone. Go to you App Store and the Genius tab is in the upper right hand corner.

Then, you have to click on the button that says "Turn On Genius."

On the picture to the right, I posted my initial Genius screen for apps. Becuase I have BeejiveIM, it recommended me an instant messaging app. However, it is an IM app for Russians. Like I said, the system is not perfect.

Overall though, it seems like a good way to help me find apps that I want.

In my next article, I'll go over Genius Mixes.

iPhone OS 3.1 Is Out!

iPhone OS 3.1 is now available on iTunes! Before you update your iPhone, remember to update iTunes to version 9 and backup your iPhone in case something wrong happens during the download.

There's a lot of updates in this one, but I have a feel there are a few hidden gems.

I'll report on them as I find them.

Apple Store Heist In 31 Seconds Flat!

Check this video out:

I'm in the television news business and all the while I was thinking to myself, "That's pretty neat how they showed the surveillance video in the screen of an iPhone."
Well, I'm pretty sure these guys will be caught since we know that Steve Jobs has a kill switch on all iPhones, iPods, and MacBooks that will instantly KILL them. No, that was a joke.

Facebook 3.0 Now Available

The long-awaited 3.0 version of Facebook for the iPhone is now available in the App Store.

I have to say that the previous version was so gimped it was only a sliver of what Facebook offered on the web. In fact, I found myself going to the web app instead because of so many bugs. In recent months, the Facebook app has had a hard time loading my profile. And I've almost always had a problem with the Inbox not correctly showing that I have read the latest message.

Well, it seems that all of the above have been fixed and there have been more functionality added. You can now see your events and friends' birthdays. You can also write new notes straight from your iPhone. And the news feed is just much, much better. You can also bookmark your favorite friend pages.

With this new main menu, it appears there's much room for even more expansion. The only thing this app DOESN'T do is play those flash games, which is fine by me.

New Champions Online Fansite

From here on out, I'm not going to use this site for my deviations into the massive multiplayer role-playing game "Champions Online."

I have created a new blog called Champions Online Fan and if you're interested you can bookmark the web address: http://www.championsonline.blogspot.com

Could Qik Finally Come To The App Store?

CNET is reporting that the new iPhone OS 3.1 beta has new SDK APIs that allow developers to access to the camera. Sure, there have been apps that uses the iPhone's camera as a camera but never as something else, like a video camera.

I'm hoping that will change.

Qik has been available for the jailbroken iPhone. It allows you to stream live video from your iPhone or use your iPhone like a camcorder. Developers have also made Qik native apps for both the iPhone 3G and the 3G S.

Qik has said it has not submitted its app to Apple for consideration. But, I chalked that up to Apple not allowing developers access to the camera. Apparently, that has changed with the latest beta OS. But, there are still a few hurdles to jump before we celebrate.

I'm sure Apple could decide that the video-capturing function of Qik duplicates the functionality of the 3G S. Yes, that's Apple logic for you.

I can also see AT&T balking at the live streaming functionality of Qik. Slingplayer was only approved on the App Store after it took out 3G live streaming. That's curious because Orblive supports 3G streaming. And the USTREAM viewing app can now stream over 3G.

Speaking of USTREAM, it also has an app to record live streams for jailbroken iPhones. Since USTREAM has good standing in the App Store, an Apple-approved version could conceivably make it to the App Store before Qik does.

UPDATE 8/13/2009: Qik [iTunes link] is now available on the App Store with one big caveat - it only works with the iPhone 3G S. I already tried it on my iPhone 3G. It's mind-boggling that Apple allows Qik to mimic the functions of the video camera on the 3G S but doesn't allow a native Google Latitude app because it mimics Google Maps too closely. This app also doesn't do live streaming video at all. It also cannot upload video over 3G - only Wi-Fi. Disappointing.

UPDATE 8/21/2009: Today's Qik update gets rid of the Wi-Fi only restriction. Qik said this change would be made but this app isn't worth a lot if you already have the 3G S. I want this to work on the 3G: THAT would be revolutionary.

Building My Champion

Okay, I have my "Champions Online" Beta key. However, beta testing occurs only on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, I have to wait until Wednesday. *sigh*

In the meantime, I'm thinking about how I'm going to build my champion. This game is vastly different from either "City Of Heroes" or "City Of Villains" since you can combine different power sets.

I'm thinking of either starting with Dual Blades or Munitions and combining that with Power Armor.

For instance, I'll start with Dual Blades:

First power up, I'll have Blade Tempest for close area attacks. I'm not sure, but I also may have an energy-building power called Rain Of Steel.
For my next power, I could take another close attack power called Storm's Harvest.

Since I have two non-energy building powers from any framework, I can now take my first Power Armor power and I would choose Laser Sword. Ooooo.
Sticking with Power Armor, my next power would be Energy Shield. Ooooo.

Next, I'll take a Smoke Bomb for crowd control.
Since I have at least five non-energy building powers from any framework, I can choose Micro Munitions, which fires a volley of missiles out of my chest to my target.
Down the road, I'd also like to get a shoulder launcher.

Well, at least I think that's how it will work. Obviously, I won't find out about the effectiveness of each power until I start playing. But, I can still dream.

iPhone SMS Hijack To Come Thursday

Here's a quote from a Forbes article about an iPhone SMS hijacking hack coming sometime after Thursday afternoon:

"If you receive a text message on your iPhone any time after Thursday afternoon containing only a single square character, Charlie Miller would suggest you turn the device off. Quickly.

That small cipher will likely be your only warning that someone has taken advantage of a bug that Miller and his fellow cybersecurity researcher Collin Mulliner plan to publicize Thursday at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas."

Evidently, the hack allows the hacker to control all aspects of your iPhone. Not good.

This group finds flaws in cell phone operating systems and tells the company about it. Since Apple has not released a patch, the group says it is releasing the SMS hack. Although it doesn't seem that anything malicious is expected to happen, you don't want to leave yourself in a vulnerable position.

Spread the word.

UPDATE: Apple released iPhone OS 3.0.1 on 7/31/2009 which fixes the security flaw. Thank goodness I never received the hacking SMS.

Free iPhone Apps Of The Week

Tunewiki [iTunes link] - This is a great app that shows you the song lyrics for the songs on your iPhone. As you play the song, each lyric line moves up as it is being sung. Good for those impromptu karaoke sessions. One of the best parts of the app is seeing which songs are being played where you live. That's really cool.

Whiteboard Free [iTunes link] - Another interesting use of the Bluetooth peer-to-peer function. You connect with another iPhone/iPod Touch and both devices will be able to draw on the same whiteboard. The $.99 version gives you different color markers.

Snore Patrol [iTunes link] - For those women whose husbands snore loudly but flatly deny that they do. This free app records your husband's snoring for later playback. You have to be awake to record - it does not record automatically. There's a really funny audio meter with a woman's face that changes as the snoring gets louder.

Champions Online: Gunning For Closed Beta

Now, the iPhone is not my only tech interest. I wouldn't say I'm a "gamer" but I certainly have played my fair share of games. And, although I have less time now to play, I sneak a few hours here and there.

The next game I'm getting is "Champions Online." I'm a "City Of Heroes," "City Of Villains," "Star Wars Galaxies," and "World Of Warcraft" veteran. I actually maxed out in CoV and WoW.

One of the best things I liked about CoH/CoV, and to some degree WoW, is creating your own character. I'm jazzed that Champions Online will give you a wide range of power possibilities. I'm pretty sure there will not be too many similar characters, power-wise or looks-wise.

I just signed up for a closed beta key that I should be getting sometime betweeen Aug. 1 through the 5th. That's PERFECT because that's the week I took off for vacation.

In the meantime, I'm getting my fill of The Sims 3. I might blog about that sometime. Right now, the 3rd generation of my family are teenagers and my original character is back as a ghost that I can control!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to Champions Online in August.

UPDATE: I got an e-mail confirmation saying I'm getting my beta code on August 4th! I'm glad I took my vacation that week!

A fierce warrior up for any challenge, you will never back down from a fight. You are an honorable combatant, but that does not mean you are above deriving pleasure from the defeat of your adversaries.

Take the quiz!

Mid-July Wrap Of Free iPhone Apps

Signals [iTunes link] - This lets you mark your iPhone signal strength at a certain place on the map. Certainly helpful for people who want to know if they're going into a dead spot or not. Obviously, the success of this app depends on how many people actually log their signal strength. I'll do my best to post my signal strength whereever I am. It's free for a limited time.

MobileNavigator North America LITE [iTunes link] - This is possibly the first lite version of a voice-navigated turn-by-turn app. It's a huge download at 1.3 gigabytes. I actually had more than that amount of memory free on my iPhone but the App

Store kept saying it didn't have enough space. So, I deleted "The Matrix" off my phone. The maps are within the app itself (unlike other apps which get their maps through an internet connection) so that's why the size of the app is huge. Those who have a 32GB iPhone will definitely benefit from the extra space. Now, this app doesn't ACTUALLY work. It's only a demonstration. You can type in an address and it will simulate how it will guide you from the last location it left off from. You can choose a 3D or 2D map. You also have the option to show street names and there's a night mode so it's easier to see the screen at night. From what I can tell, it's a good app but I won't definitely know until I can try the real app. It's not out yet but its European counterpart is selling for $139.99. And that's cheap compared with actually getting a real GPS system.

Free Football Quarterback Throw [iTunes link] - This the latest in a long line of apps which I think will get someone's iPhone damaged. Now, you have to treat your iPhone like a football. Wait for the hike, or you get penalized, and then make a throwing motion, as if you're throwing a football. It will tell you if you scored a touchdown. Now, there seems to be a bug with the penalty. You hear the penalty but the screen says otherwise. Other than that, it's way too easy to score a touchdown. And I bet someday someone will actually THROW their iPhone.

One Year With The iPhone... And Counting

Today marks the one-year anniversary since I got my iPhone 3G. What a day that was! I went to 3 different AT&T stores in Kalihi, Kapolei and Mililani before finally getting it at the Kahala Mall Apple Store. My trek started at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. For all of the trouble I went through, it was all worth it. I can't even begin to say how the iPhone has changed what I do and how I do things.

I definitely exercise more. Check out the MapMyFitness.com workout stats on the left-hand side of the screen. You have to go a little down to see it. I've been tracking most of my street hiking over the past year, thanks to the iPhone's GPS. I've burned more than 18,000 calories during those walks! I plan to go again today. My iPump Total Body app now uploads my weight training to MapMyFitness as well. So, I'm excited to get that started too.

I have 777 photos on my iPhone. The vast majority of those are photos I took with the iPhone. From Day 1, I've been uploading to Flickr. Since then, I've familiarized myself with Facebook, Twitter, Brightkite and Mobypicture. I can make beautiful panoramas with the Pano app. I think I've really taken the iPhone 3G camera to the limits of what it can do with no autofocus, flash, or zoom. Check out 200 of my iPhone photos on Flickr.

Since I haven't been paying out more than $100 a month on my AT&T Family Plan, I'm not eligible for the new iPhone 3G S at the moment. The next time I'm available for an upgrade is next March. By then, I'll wait for the next iPhone announcement probably coming in June. So, I should have another year with my beloved 3G.

New Smartphones On The Horizon

It seems like many people feel that the only smartphone that can compete with the iPhone right now is the Palm Pre. Now, I haven't tried out the Pre (Best Buy in Hawaii doesn't sell any Sprint phones) so I'll just take it at face value that it's good and that multitasking is worth any other downside for the device. I'll also give the T-Mobile G1 an honorable mention; it's a Google Android phone and I bought into the Android hype way before it came out.

Next month, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G is coming out. I'm not so sure this is an upgrade from the G1. Check out this video from Engadget:

Is it just me, or is the myTouch 3G small or are the hands in the video really large? I know they compare it in length with the iPhone and the myTouch is shorter. But, I also think the screen width is thinner too, which makes for a more cramped portrait keyboard than the iPhone. If you like small smartphones, however, this might be one for you.

Also, saw the videos on the HTC Hero and I really wasn't all that impressed. It looks like mobile Flash isn't quite there yet.

Now it seems that Sony Ericsson will have a contender in the ranks.

Video of a new smartphone, codenamed "Rachael," has surfaced on YouTube:

To me, it looks really good. Reminds me of the HTC Fuze interface. I hope this type of interface becomes commonplace on cell phones. I really hate cell phone software that FEELS like you're on a cell phone. Hopefully, Sony Ericsson won't skimp on the device's hardware. I bet we won't see this one until next year.

Jamble: The Monster MASH!

Jamble Music Mashups [iTunes link] is a fun music iPhone app that lets you be a DJ and mix and mash snippets of popular songs. Being a musician and into this type of mixing, I had to get it. At $5.99 it's not the cheapest app, but it might be one of the more impressive iPhone apps in a while. Definitely impressed a few people at work. The app works exactly as this video shows (minus the smiley face on your finger):

Mobi iNet: All-In-One Mobile Surfing

I found this cool little iPhone app called Mobi iNet [iTunes link]. It allows you browse a multitude of mobile websites all in one app.

If you have a lot of bookmarks in Safari or have a lot of web app bookmarks on your home screen, this will help to make everything a little easier to get to.

There are many websites that still do not have a native application. Although I do prefer a native app, going to their mobile site is better than nothing. And this app helps to organize them.

It's FREE for a limited time so get it while it's a freebie.

UPDATE: Motorola S9 Problems + A Cool Bag!