Moving from Windows Mobile, a Couple of Questions!

[meddleuk]

Hi,

I am in the need of a little advice. I am preparing to buy the new Iphone when it comes out in the summer and having never used one much before I have a couple of questions. Hopefully someone whom has used Windows Mobile before may appreciate where I am coming from.

1. On my current Windows Mobile handset it is pretty straight forward to arrange tasks/reminders which I find invaluable. Even if I miss my reminder and go back to my phone a day later it still reminds me on the today screen that it is outstanding and I can delete/snooze/reschedule with one tap on the button.

After doing a little browsing through some forums I see that because the Iphone cannot multitask this is a big problem with setting tasks/reminders. Most people recomend using the Calendar function and setting up an appointment which can then act as a reminder. I had a quick play in the Apple Store the other day and this seemed to work ok, I set a reminder and it woke the phone up and on the sliding screen displayed the reminder. However when I pressed the slide button the reminder disappeared.
It seems to me as soon as the sliding screen is used the message disappears and you would have to rememver there and then to reschedule if needed? Is this right?

What I wanted to know is if I am away from the Iphone when the reminder goes off will it still display it on the sliding screen later when I turn it on. Also would this also work if I had more than I reminder or in addition a call had been missed. Say for instance 2 missed calls and a 2 reminders before I switch on my Iphone what am I likely to see.

Any help would be appreaciated. Also are there any Jailbreak programs that improve the situation.

2. All my music is currently in MP3 format and I use Media Monkey to transfer music to my phone. When I start using Itunes can I just import my drive full of MP3's or will it want to convert them to AAC.

Also are there any other programs to get music on the Iphone or just Itunes only?

Many thanks,
meddle
Digg

 

[Sky Blue]

The prompt will still be there when you come back to your phone. Pretty sure it'll list everything missed on the front screen.

iTunes and iPhones can play MP3s, no need to convert.

 

[Small White Car]

2. All my music is currently in MP3 format and I use Media Monkey to transfer music to my phone. When I start using Itunes can I just import my drive full of MP3's or will it want to convert them to AAC.

Also are there any other programs to get music on the Iphone or just Itunes only?

MP3s work just fine the way they are.

You should just use iTunes. Everything is made to work through there.

I can't give you much advice on #1. I just make events in iCal on my Mac, MobileMe syncs them to my phone, and I look at the 'day view' to see what I'm doing today. Beyond that, I don't know much else about events or reminders.

 

[CrzyCanuck72]

You'd probably be interested in a jailbroken program like Intelliscreen (pay) or Lock Calendar (free) that display upcoming iCal events on the lock screen.

 

[FearNo1]

On a related note, how loud is the alarm for reminders? I also use my phone as an alarm clock. Does it also vibrate assume the iphone has a silent setting?

 

[milani]

1. On my current Windows Mobile handset it is pretty straight forward to arrange tasks/reminders which I find invaluable. Even if I miss my reminder and go back to my phone a day later it still reminds me on the today screen that it is outstanding and I can delete/snooze/reschedule with one tap on the button.

After doing a little browsing through some forums I see that because the Iphone cannot multitask this is a big problem with setting tasks/reminders. Most people recomend using the Calendar function and setting up an appointment which can then act as a reminder. I had a quick play in the Apple Store the other day and this seemed to work ok, I set a reminder and it woke the phone up and on the sliding screen displayed the reminder. However when I pressed the slide button the reminder disappeared.
It seems to me as soon as the sliding screen is used the message disappears and you would have to rememver there and then to reschedule if needed? Is this right?

What I wanted to know is if I am away from the Iphone when the reminder goes off will it still display it on the sliding screen later when I turn it on. Also would this also work if I had more than I reminder or in addition a call had been missed. Say for instance 2 missed calls and a 2 reminders before I switch on my Iphone what am I likely to see.

OP: You're completely right about the first point. To be honest, if you're migrating from a WinMo phone, you'll probably be very disappointed with the task management on the iPhone - at least based on the native apps. However, there are some very good (and fairly cheap) task specific programs. I'd recommend Things by Cultured Code (http://culturedcode.com/things/iphone/). They've got a really great setup, and with push notifications coming to the iPhone with 3.0 OS later this summer, I think that Things will become even more functional (with task reminders, and alike). Just have a look at the application, and see if it suits your needs. Although it works perfectly without a Mac, I think it would probably be ideal to have a Mac and the desktop app so you could sync and input from the desktop as well. Still though, if you're looking for task management, it really doesn't get much better than Things.

 

[ckurt25]

On a related note, how loud is the alarm for reminders? I also use my phone as an alarm clock. Does it also vibrate assume the iphone has a silent setting?

Even if the phone is switched to vibrate, when you have an alarm set from the clock application, the phone will vibrate and play the ring tone you've selected for the alarm

 

[podsonic]

I just moved from winmo to the iphone and am not sure I did the right thing, the iphone interface is very slick and it has many plus points (like safari which is great!!) but I do feel somewhat boxed in by the "rigidity" of the device. I don't want to jail break as I don't want to void my warranty, if you are any sort of "power user" on WM I would think very carefully about any move.-

 

[CocoaPuffs]

I just moved from winmo to the iphone and am not sure I did the right thing, the iphone interface is very slick and it has many plus points (like safari which is great!!) but I do feel somewhat boxed in by the "rigidity" of the device. I don't want to jail break as I don't want to void my warranty, if you are any sort of "power user" on WM I would think very carefully about any move.-

Elaborate.

ps. jailbreak doesn't void warranty, I never had problem exchanging my jailbroken phone. Many others can say the same thing.

 

[podsonic]

To elaborate, the lack of multitasking and a user accessible file structure are the biggest things I miss. I beleieve the multitasking but will be addressed by the 3.0 update (I hope) not sure about the other bit. There are a couple of other things missing that I can live with because either the overall quality of the device make up for them or they will be fixed by 3.0 (e.g. bluetooth limitations).

BTW, not trying to "dis" the Iphine here, I do like it. I have yet to come across any device that does all things for all people!!!

 

[Michael CM1]

On a related note, how loud is the alarm for reminders? I also use my phone as an alarm clock. Does it also vibrate assume the iphone has a silent setting?

The reminders "alarm" isn't too loud, but the reminder stays on the screen until you unlock the phone. Not the greatest, but not too bad.

As far as an alarm clock, there is an alarm that is a frickin' air raid siren. IT WILL WAKE YOU UP. I don't know if it vibrates only if you have an alarm set, but mine does vibrate along with the alarm. It will vibrate off a table if you leave it too close to the edge.

 

[question fear]

You'd probably be interested in a jailbroken program like Intelliscreen (pay) or Lock Calendar (free) that display upcoming iCal events on the lock screen.

Agreed, you're going to need something.

I actually did the opposite of the OP. I went from an iPhone to a windows mobile phone because tasks and alarms are too important to me. I hated not having consistent reminders until I dismissed an item. Unfortunately, two calendar alarms and "poof" all reminders gone was not cutting it for me.

I did like Intelliscreen when I tried it, but I am too task focused. If I were more calendar focused it might have worked for me.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Elaborate.

ps. jailbreak doesn't void warranty, I never had problem exchanging my jailbroken phone. Many others can say the same thing.

[off-topic]
Did you restore the firmware or otherwise hide the visible signs of jailbreaking before exchanging?

In Apple's public statements, they've claimed that the act of violating the iPhone license agreement voids the warranty. They've also claimed that jailbreaking the iPhone constitutes a violation of that agreement.

However, the fact that a license agreement was violated, is a very different thing from the task of proving the fact that the license agreement was violated. In any practical scenario, the absence of evidence to prove that the license had been violated would leave Apple with no grounds to withhold warranty service.

 

[Interstella5555]

Elaborate.

ps. jailbreak doesn't void warranty, I never had problem exchanging my jailbroken phone. Many others can say the same thing.

Jailbreaking DOES void the warranty; you conning Apple to give you a new phone doesn't change this.

 

[CocoaPuffs]

[off-topic]
Did you restore the firmware or otherwise hide the visible signs of jailbreaking before exchanging?

In Apple's public statements, they've claimed that the act of violating the iPhone license agreement voids the warranty. They've also claimed that jailbreaking the iPhone constitutes a violation of that agreement.

However, the fact that a license agreement was violated, is a very different thing from the task of proving the fact that the license agreement was violated. In any practical scenario, the absence of evidence to prove that the license had been violated would leave Apple with no grounds to withhold warranty service.

I understand Apple's position on jailbreaking, and I don't believe such justification has any merit to protect themselves from financial losses of people jailbreaking their phone. As matter of fact, I believe most people that jailbreak their phone have better knowledge of operating the phone than those who don't, and these guys are less likely to go into a genius bar for swapping or wasting time asking questions. Personally, I still have my very first 3G phone I bought on the July 12th, and I went in there 3 times hoping they would swap it new because of the crack by the silence button, which they declined. It's my wife's phone that I finally went in there and swapped it, which was also jailbroken, and we did DFU restore it before we did.

Jailbreaking DOES void the warranty; you conning Apple to give you a new phone doesn't change this.

I am sure you have done far worse things on daily basis than swapping a device that has nothing to do with usage, but rather build quality.

 

[goosnarrggh]

...It's my wife's phone that I finally went in there and swapped it, which was also jailbroken, and we did DFU restore it before we did.

Precisely -- you removed the evidence of the fact that the phone had been jailbroken before you returned it.

That's because, if it had been returned while it was still in a jailbroken state, it would have run the risk of being denied service just a surely as if the water indicators had been triggered.

The distinction here is not the question of whether or not the warranty is void - by definition, as soon as you violated the EULA, that was the case. By analogy, if somebody dropped their iPhone in water but fished it out before the water sensors tripped, the warranty would still be void, although there would be no evidence of it.

The question, rather, is whether or not Apple can prove that the warranty has been voided. As you've seen, that likely won't happen if you don't leave behind any evidence.

 

[kevink2]

What I miss is pocket quicken, editing documents which easily sync back and forth to pc, and the ability Opera had of being able to open new pages in new tab. I could queue pages up and have them there when I was ready.

The second item above should be fixed soon.

 

[CocoaPuffs]

Precisely -- you removed the evidence of the fact that the phone had been jailbroken before you returned it.

That's because, if it had been returned while it was still in a jailbroken state, it would have run the risk of being denied service just a surely as if the water indicators had been triggered.

The distinction here is not the question of whether or not the warranty is void - by definition, as soon as you violated the EULA, that was the case. By analogy, if somebody dropped their iPhone in water but fished it out before the water sensors tripped, the warranty would still be void, although there would be no evidence of it.

The question, rather, is whether or not Apple can prove that the warranty has been voided. As you've seen, that likely won't happen if you don't leave behind any evidence.

Alright buddy, every time you run the red light, you should just mail a check to the local traffic court, which makes a lot more sense than the EULA.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Alright buddy, every time you run the red light, you should just mail a check to the local traffic court, which makes a lot more sense than the EULA.

Of course, nothing is ever a crime... unless you get caught...

Anyway, I can say with absolute certainty that during all my 28 years on this Earth, I have never run a red light. (The fact that I don't drive certainly helps me maintain my record on that point though! )

At the end of the day, I actually agree with your contention that, by any practical measure, jailbreaking shouldn't normally lead to any problems obtaining warranty service. You're absolutely right about that.

All my rambling mainly just boils down to a thought experiment. Along the lines of, "If a tree falls in the forest but there's nobody around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The Newtonian physicist in me says, "Of course it does - the vibrations in the air will occur no matter what." The quantum physicist in me wants to shout, "Unless the phenomenon is observed, there's a probability that the tree never even existed in the first place."