square fixes reader problem with iPhone 4
by Chiyin on Oct 22nd, 2010 @ 11:58 am
Just a week after receiving the original Square reader I received a new one that addresses some issues people were having using the reader with the iPhone 4. Although I didn’t experience any problem with the reader, some users were having issues, most likely because the original reader’s input jack is all metal and it was making a connection to the antenna. The new reader is a bit slimmer and the input jack ends in plastic, which is what I think will fix the problem of the metal to metal connection.
I’m glad to see a company that responds this quickly to address issues and problems their users are experiencing. Keep up the good work Square.
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Apples & Oranges, iPhone Accessories, iPhone apps
Here are all the cases available in iPhone 4 free case program
by Justin Horn on Jul 23rd, 2010 @ 9:39 amThe iPhone 4 case program just went live and here are the lucky third party companies that got in: Incase, Belkin, Griffin, and Speck.
Here is the full list of cases available:
- Apple Black Bumper
- Incase Snap Case – Smoke
- Incase Snap Case – Clear
- Belkin Shield Micra – Clear
- Griffin Motif – Diamonds/Smoke
- Griffin Reveal Etch – Black/Black Graphite
- Speck Fitted Case – Black Tartan
- Speck PixelSkin HD – Black
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Antenna Issue, iPhone 4, iPhone 4 free case program, iPhone Accessories
Mophie Juice Pack is coming for iPhone 4, just not yet
by Justin Horn on Jul 20th, 2010 @ 3:55 pmDear loyal customers,
We’ve had a lot of inquiries from our loyal customers regarding a new juice pack for the iPhone 4.
Here’s the low down: Of course we are coming out with a new juice pack for the iPhone 4. We have been
working on iPhone 4 concepts since before there was an iPhone 4. In fact, we are coming out with more
than just a new version of the juice pack air. Our new product line will give you, our customers, more options
than ever when it comes to capacity, color and finish. You will be impressed.We are a certified partner of Apple. Let’s just say that we can’t say any more. Please be patient and know
that we will be announcing these products soon and you won’t be disappointed.Thank’s for sticking with us.
-The mophie team
So it’s coming, we just don’t know when. Sounds like it’s time for a new iPhone 4 juice pack poll!
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Review: Cable Jive duraSync … how tough is your cable?
by Chiyin on Nov 17th, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
A while back Justin had some troubles with his iPhone USB cable breaking and apparently he was not the only one. The folks over at Cable Jive also experienced the same problems but instead of replacing theirs with a standard cable, they created the duraSync, a tougher cable that would not suffer the same tearing as the original.
How tough is this sync cable you ask? Well, our friends at Cable Jive sent us a sample to test it out…
The first thing we noticed was how much thicker the cable is. It has a thick rubber outer layer and a tear resistant inner shielding. The ends are also a lot tougher than the standard ones, the product description says there is a double layer protection on them, I didn’t try to pry them open to find out though, so we’ll take their words for it.
Function wise there’s not much to say, it works just like any other sync cable. Connect your device and it syncs.
To find out how tough the cable really is, we ran a few tests. First we tried pulling it, which didn’t do anything as the inner braided shielding is designed to keep the cable from tearing. Then we tried crushing it in a car door. We were actually able to charge the iPhone while the cable was caught in the car door. And for good measure we decided to run it over with a car. And guess what? The cable still works.
Now the question is, do you really need a cable this tough? And would you pay $20 for it? Personally I don’t think it’s necessary. For my daily use this cable would be overkill, especially when I can get a replacement cable for a fraction of the price. But if you live or work in a rough environment then it would probably make more sense. Overall this is a very well built cable that certainly lives up to its name, but at this price I don’t think it’s for everyone.
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Apples & Oranges, iPhone Accessories, iPod, Reviews
A2DP bluetooth on iPhone 3G S works great, 3G not so much
by Justin Horn on Jun 21st, 2009 @ 6:42 pmIf you read my last post on A2DP you know that I got excited when 3.0 beta 5 seemed to fix the A2DP issues I was having on my iPhone 3G, but with further testing I found that it was only mostly fixed. When just walking around casually my S9-HDs sounded great, but when I tried to jogging the audio would start to cut out as it did before. Even though it still broke up beta 5 did make it happen a lot less often making it usable, but still quite annoying and far from a finished Apple solution. I speculated on a possible reason for the issue in the comments of this same post:
Also, my update on 5.16.09 still stands with the 3.0 GM. It works and sounds great, but when running with the iPhone in my pocket or hand it does break up every once in a while. My thinking is the CPU can barely handle the iPod and Bluetooth at the same time, so when you start moving the iPhone around it has to track the accelerometer movements and puts it over the top.
I just completed my “jog test” with my new iPhone 3G S an no matter what I did I was unable to get it to break up at all! So it seems my speculation might have been right as both the 3G and 3G S sport the same bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. The only other 3G S upgrade I could see affecting bluetooth would be the extra CPU power and possibly the extra RAM. Glad my investment in the bluetooth headphones has not gone to waste. One small disappointment still stands though, even on the 3G S I was still only control pause/play with the S9-HDs (volume is controlled on the headsets themselves). So if you are planning on using A2DP headphones with an iPhone 3G on 3.0 I obviously cannot recommend the S9-HDs, but if you do find a pair that work nicely on the iPhone 3G please leaves us a comment or send us an email to let us know!
Also, up until this point I have been using the S9-HDs to test the iPhone A2DP functionality, but now that we are out of beta and they are working well on the 3G S I will be writing a proper review for them in the future.
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iPhone 3.0 beta 5 fixes A2DP issues!
by Justin Horn on May 14th, 2009 @ 7:21 pmUPDATE 6.21.09 A2DP bluetooth on iPhone 3G S works great, 3G not so much
UPDATE 5.16.09 After doing a test while running I did get it to break up a little bit so I guess it’s not perfect, but at this point I’m not sure if it’s the iPhone or the headphones. Either way in a 9 min jog it only broke up a few times for just a sec or two so it was still very usable unlike beta 4. While walking with it in my pocket I was still unable to get it to break up at all.
Not much changed in beta 5, but a big update for me is I can now use my S9-HDs I bought to test when 3.0 beta was first released. After writing about my first impression of A2DP I’ve been testing against each new beta. The audio skiping and sound quality issues improved with each update, but the issue with the audio cutting in and out when using the headset outside (seemed like a bad bluetooth connection) remained in my last A2DP update. One beta later and the problem is solved! I’m now able to use the S9-HDs when jogging, guess I have to start working out more now.
Also, beta 5 is the first beta where Apple requires all new apps to be 3.0 compaitble. So it looks like if this isn’t the final beta, there probably aren’t going to be too many more before it’s released to the public…which is making me think they may release 3.0 firmware before releasing the 3rd gen iPhone.
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