I met a old colleague and friend this morning at Starbucks before work today. Now that he’s off to his job, I can start mine. At least, that’s what I thought. Since I’m still on the fence about keeping a dedicated EVDO plan, I’ve been leaving the USB adapter at home. I usually use the Boingo Wi-Fi network, which is a much less expensive $10 a month. For some reason, the Boingo client isn’t recognizing the Wi-Fi network at this location. My Wi-Fi adapter can see the attwifi network, but Boingo can’t. I’m sure it’s a one-time glitch, as the Boingo software is usually quite reliable. But when you need connectivity and can’t get it, that one-time glitch can be painful.

Since I do have both my iPhone 3GS and my Palm Pre, I already have two 3G devices with me. Seems a shame that we seem to need different 3G devices for specific purposes, but that’s the way of the cellular world these days. At this point, I’m online using the non-supported iPhone Internet Tethering feature of the 3GS. I enabled it as a backup plan, and I’m so glad I did. It’s perfect in this particular case. I was listening to music over Bluetooth with my iPhone, so switched that function over to the Pre. This way, I have wireless tunes to go with my wireless Internet.

A quick speed test of the Internet Tethering over Bluetooth yielded very usable results. I’m seeing downloads of 1.65MBps and uploads of 310kbps, which is perfectly fine for my web work. I didn’t even need to bring a USB cable with me, either. Personally, I can’t wait for AT&T to nail down its pricing plan for the feature. While I’d love for it to be free, I am willing to pay for a value-add service. The experience has me really reconsidering the entire 3G space, though. Is there really a need to have 3G in multiple devices when the connection can simply be shared or used for another purpose? I’m getting tired of multiple 3G data plans and devices…

OK, you can’t really drive your iPhone with a broken screen through the Apple store, but you can take it in for a screen replacement. Apple has begun replacing broken screens on iPhones right there in the store. The screen replacements under warranty are free, of course, but those without that precious warranty will pony up $199.

I’m not sure how often iPhone owners are cracking their screens, but they’re covered now by the local Geniuses in the store. Are there a lot of people dropping their iPhones? Just looking at the photo on the right hurts.

(via TheAppleBlog)

When Apple announced its push notifications for mobile software titles, I was skeptical. That’s not surprising, because I was raised in a multitasking world. In that world, you just run multiple apps at the same time and flip around from one bit of software to another. It’s the world that we all live in today with our computers. But the mobile world isn’t the same as the desktop world. Running multiple applications can hit the CPU and radios harder on our handsets, which, in turn, use more battery power.

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I should be working, I know it. Instead, I am having a good time using the HP Mini 1000 running Windows 7. I am in a terrible lighting situation, so I figured it was a good idea to compare the Palm Pre camera to the iPhone 3G. Note this is the older iPhone, not the spiffy new 3GS. I figured it’s a good test of the Pre camera with the flash, since the iPhone 3G lacks one. The verdict?  Both cameras pretty much suck.

Earlier in the week, we mentioned reports of Palm Pre hardware issues, but now it seems to be Apple’s turn to take some heat. Gearlog points out an Apple Knowledge Base article that covers the normal operating temperature of the iPhone 3G and 3GS. It’s basically a common-sense approach: Use the device in temps between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, don’t store it in any extreme climates, etc.

Although there was a recent picture of a white iPhone 3GS exhibiting what looked to be burned plastic on the back casing, I haven’t had any issues with my unit. I have the same one. I don’t doubt there are some handsets that run hotter than others; with massive production runs, there are bound to be a few bad handsets getting through the QC process. That number could be dozens or it could be thousands. I wonder how legitimate that picture was, though.

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Golfers are fanatics when it comes to their game. They’ll play in the rain, snow and even in thunderstorms. The only thing most golfers like nearly as much as playing the game is buying the gear to play the game. The folks behind Golfshot for the iPhone are looking to get in on that action with the release of their app, which uses the iPhone’s GPS on the links.

Golfers using Golfshot can score their rounds using the program, but that’s not the main draw. Players can track their round using the aerial images of over 15,000 courses (more added continually) and use the GPS to track progress. The program brings an accurate range-finder to the table using the GPS for accurately spotting the lay of the land. The program is a hefty $29.99 in the App Store, but golfers will pay that without a second thought.

There aren’t many times where an exciting new web technology comes to handheld devices before it hits the traditional desktops and notebooks, but this is one of those times. Over at NewTeeVee, Liz shows off a video that demonstrates Apple’s HTTP adaptive video streaming. Support for the feature is already in the new iPhone 3.0 software and it offers two key benefits.

For starters, you don’t need to either download or pay for an application to view HTTP video streams, since in theory you can view it in a browser. And since the data is sent over HTTP with other traditional web traffic, you don’t need to punch a firewall hole to consume the content. Using HTTP also allows content to be broken down into viewable chunks so the provider can send the most optimized chunk to viewers at any given time. That’s where the “adaptive” part optimizes video playback based on the speed of your connection. In the video demo, you can see this happen over a 3G connection: the video starts out a little fuzzy, but eventually cleans itself up rather nicely.

iPhone owners can view the same demos at http://iphone.akamai.com to see live streams of NASA TV or FoxBusiness.com Live, plus on-demand segments of Storm Chasers, Deadliest Catch and several other channels. I tested a few videos on my iPhone 3GS and the quality was outstanding. In some ways, it rivals and may even exceed the great experiences I’ve had with SlingPlayer Mobile, which also optimizes the media stream. Here’s a screen-cap from my phone to give you an idea of what I’m seeing once the optimization takes place:

As I alluded to above, this functionality is on mobiles first. Support for HTTP adaptive streaming is due to arrive in Apple’s next operating system update, called Snow Leopard, which ships in September of this year.

One of the most common questions I get from readers is, “What’s a good online task management system?” There are several to choose from, but Remember The Milk is always on my list. The basic task functionality is free, and it integrates with my Gmail account. The advanced features will cost you, though, and for that reason, some folks shy away from it. But if you pay $25 per year for the Pro account, you can use the free iPhone application in lieu of the web client.

Version 1.1.0 of the RTM software for iPhone and iPod Touch devices includes push notifications, which might provide the tipping point for folks to grab a Pro account. Essentially, your task alerts will get pushed to your iPhone and pop up on your device at the time you set. Non-Pro account users can try the iPhone app free for 15 days.

I’ve enjoyed my free RTM account for several years, but this new feature has me thinking of upgrading my account. I’ve been holding off on choosing one, and only one, task management platform because I haven’t found the perfect one to meet my needs. I’ve looked at OmniFocus, Things, Gmail’s Tasks, you name it. I need a task manager I can actively use when online at a computer or when out and about with just a phone. It has to be cost-effective, simple and configurable. Plus, it needs to remind me when a task is due, wherever I am and on whatever device I’m using at the time. I’m creating a task to give this some additional thought, but the inclusion of push notifications has me leaning towards RTM.

The Skype people are busy, as they have released version 1.1 for the iPhone in addition to the WinMo version we covered earlier. This new version adds the ability to check Skype voice mail and to send SMS messages, but it lacks a highly desirable feature: push notification.

Push notification is the feature enabled in 3.0 that addresses the lack of multi-tasking on the iPhone. Some users of Skype on the iPhone are pitching a fit on the Skype blog that this “little” feature is not included in Skype 1.1. If any program needs push notification, then Skype is certainly it, as you can’t just run it all the time to the exclusion of all else. I guess your Skype buddies have to call your mobile number to tell you to switch to Skype to save money. Yes, that must be it.

Barnes & Noble entered the e-book market in a big way with its purchase of Fictionwise, one of the biggest retailers of electronic books. Barnes & Noble’s main business is selling “real” books in the brick & mortar world, but it continues to show its willingness to embrace technology with the release of its new app for the iPhone.

The B&N Bookstore App is free in the App Store and is designed to make it easy to find books and reviews on the iPhone. The app lets the consumer purchase books online for store pickup or home delivery. For those who like to touch books prior to purchase, it also includes a store locator which tells you if a particular B&N location offers a Starbucks Café and AT&T Wi-Fi access.

(via Crave)