Posted by Elementus on under iphe, e bug, mday, mobile commerce, public forum, thay, ly, digits, ace, urls | 
That Monday was very interesting!
Russian iPhone users helped to find one bug with unicode processing and pointed on a lack of help on registration process. I have fixed both.
Some users asked to create public forum or place where thay can share codes. I like that you need it. Practically, I have planned to do it later but now I have to change my mind.
Then, I have got comments from Semacode team. The main difference between our projects is that I try to establish e-ticketing or mobile commerce platform and I'm not so interested in simple code recognition. Therefore, I need small and reliable code that can be decoded by majority of phones, not iPhone only. For that task I cannot use textual information, encode URLS as text. I can rely on short and well compressed string of digits.
Also, I what to make each code dynamic but not seal it immediately after creation.
Tagi: iphe, e bug, mday, mobile commerce, public forum, thay, ly, digits, ace, urls
Posted by Chris on under ear buds, iphe, c lover, abbey road, studio instruments, high density, headset jack, sgs, clicker, earbuds, headsets, ly, 5mm, beatles, alg, tastes, producers, lyrics |
I’m listening to The Beatles’ Abbey Road on my iPhone right now, but I’m enjoying it more than usual because I’m using the iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone that Maximo sent me.
I have to be honest: I’m not the best judge of these earphones because I’ve never owned an isolation headset before. I’d only briefly listened to isolation headphones one other time before first trying the Maximo ones a week ago.
But I can honestly say when listening to these vs. listening to Apple’s $30 white ear buds, that it’s instantly clear that the iMetal headset puts out a more full, encapsulating sound than do the white ear buds.
The iMetal headset has a more bass-prominent sound, and you hear small details in music that you might have missed while you used lower-end ear buds. But is the Maximo headset worth $70?
iMetal headset worth the price?
I think if you can afford to pay $70, and you consider yourself a music lover, then you’ll appreciate the iMetal headphones compared to Apple’s or other standard earphones.
If you care more about singing along to the lyrics of songs than you care to listen to the songs themselves, then you might not consider these headphones essential.
Maximo’s iMetal isolation headset is iPhone-compatible, so you also get a clicker for pausing and switching songs, and a high-density condenser microphone for phone calls. And the 3.5mm headset jack fits right into the iPhone’s recessed headphone input, so you don’t need an adapter as you do with non-iPhone-compatible headphones.
This review of the iMetal Isolation Headset is based on my experience using lower-end earbuds, since I barely ever used isolation earphones before. I regret that I haven’t owned other isolation headsets, so that I could write a more informed review, but I’ll try my best to describe my experience using Maximo’s iMetal Headset anyway.
iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone - The Sound
When music is produced in the studio, instruments are panned left, right and center depending on the tastes of the producers. So when you listen to music on headphones, the different sounds come from different earbuds, L and R.
With Apple’s white ear buds, I notice the panning for the main instruments in the mix. But as I review the iMetal headset, certain background sounds that never stood out to me before become more prominent, and everything has its place in the mix.
Take a drum set, for example. If you are a drummer, you have some drums and cymbals to the left of you, some to the right and some in front of you. With iMetal’s Isolation Headset, you can be the drummer and identify where each drum sits in the space.
Bass stands out more than typical earbuds on the iMetal earphones. And so do higher-pitch sounds. That’s because, while the Apple earbuds have a frequency response of 20-20,000 Hz, the Maximo iMetal isolation headset’s frequency response is 18-22,000 Hz.
And because these earphones prevent you from hearing external sounds in your environment, the iMetal headset can get LOUD.
iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone - Sound Isolation
Besides the improved audio quality, a big perk for me about the iMetal headphones is that you don’t have to play the music as loud because the rubber tips on the earphones block outside noise from entering your ear canal. This is called sound isolation.
Sound isolating earphones prevent noise from entering the ear naturally. A foam, rubber, or plastic sleeve surrounding the earphone allows it to fit into the ear instead of resting outside of it. The snug fit and unique acoustic properties of the sleeve prevents outside noise from entering the ear. Sound isolating earphones do not require circuitry or batteries.
— Earphone Solutions
Note: This is different from noise-canceling earphones, which use a battery to electrically reduce the noise signal.
Noise-cancelling headphones use electronic circuitry to remove noise after it has entered the headphone earcup. Microphones inside each headphone earcup sample the noise field, and an electronic circuit creates an inverse or ??â??Ë?mirror-image??â??â?? of the noise signal and adds it to the music. The actual noise and the inverse noise cancel each other out. The microphones and circuitry require batteries in order to operate.
— Earphone Solutions
Since I read in the Washington Post that listening to loud music with headphones puts you at greater risk of hearing damage, I’ve never been much of an earphone user.
But the thing about this iMetal headset is that, because it blocks outside noise from entering your ear canal, the same decibel level (i.e. volume) that sounds weak on normal earphones sounds louder on the iMetal earphones.
So if you care about your hearing, here’s what I suggest if you ever get yourself sound isolating earphones:
- Listen to some songs on the headphones you normally use, and determine at what volume level you usually like to listen to music.
- Switch to your noise isolating earphones.
Go to Settings » iPod » Volume Limit, keeping in mind the volume you prefer, and set a cap on your volume so that the iPod will not exceed that decibel level.
After you’ve done that, you’ll be listening to your iPhone at the same volume you always did, but it will actually be at a lower decibel level than it sounds, because the music just seems louder since it is blocked from outside noise and pointed right into your ear.
As far as isolation goes, if you have the iMetal iPhone headset turned up all the way and you have some “busy” music playing, you would just barely hear someone clapping right in front of you. Whereas, when I used the standard iPhone earbuds after using the Maximo ones, I realized how little they isolate anything. With the Apple ear buds, you could hear a paper ruffle — seriously.
If you buy isolation earphones and then switch back to your white earbuds, you will laugh at how weak they seem in comparison.
iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone - Music-Skip Feature
Unlike with the Apple ear buds, the clicker (or “music-skip feature,” as Maximo calls it) on the iMetal Isolation Headset is not located alongside the microphone. Instead, it’s a small button where the left headset cable meets the right one.
During music playback, the clicker can be pressed once to pause, or double-clicked twice to switch to the next song. The double-click time is a little bit faster on the iMetal Isolation Headset compared to standard iPhone earphones.
iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone - The Microphone
The headset’s microphone is a small, silver pearl on the left cable that hangs just below my chin. It would be nice if this microphone was a little higher up on the cable. I guess long-faced people might appreciate it more the way it is.
I would have much preferred for the iMetal headset microphone to be placed on the right cable, as it is on the Apple iPhone earphones. Maybe that’s because that’s what I’m used to, or maybe it’s the bias of a right-handed person, I don’t know.
It is, however, distinctly more clear than the standard iPhone earphones’ microphone. A test I did showed that the high-density condenser used in Maximo’s headset actually makes a difference in the sound quality of the speaker’s voice.
iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone - Overall
When I first put the ear phones in my ears, I didn’t realize that you had to really press them in to get them inside your ear canal. If you’re not used to earphones with tips like these, placing the iMetal isolation headset in your ear incorrectly will make you wonder why the heck you just wasted $70. But then, as I did, you will realize that you have to press them in and then you’ll see what isolation headsets are all about.
If you’re not used to it, it might feel strange at first to have these earphones so tightly secured in your ear, but you get accustomed to them and you start to feel like you’re in your own secluded little space.
After a while, you’ll feel so comfortable with them on that you might even forget you have them on, as the Woot! blog points out about another Maximo isolation headset:
Your ears will go: ??â????Hey, iM-490s, I??â??â??m glad we have the kind of friendship where we can just hang out together and we don??â??â??t even have to have music or talking or anything; we can just chill and it??â??â??s not weird.”
— Woot!
Maximo provides spare rubber tips in two other sizes, so you can choose the ones that fit best. The middle size fit me best.
One great thing about the rubber eartips is that you can take them off and wash them if, for example, you want to lend your ear phones to someone and you decide to be kind 
. Maximo doesn’t specify in the User Guide that you can do this, but I’m sure it would be fine.
Since the tips actually go in your ear canal, the more hygienic of your friends and family may feel uncomfortable sharing this headset otherwise.
The iMetal Isolation Headset also comes with a stylish silver bag for stowing your headphones when not in use, and an extension cable if you want to lengthen your headset for whatever reason.
I couldn’t tell you how other isolation headsets perform, but based on my experience using the iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone, I would recommend this product if you’re looking for a good pair of headphones for your iPhone.
Maximo has also done a great job with the iMetal Headset packaging, and you get a bunch of useful accessories for this fully-iPhone-compatible headset. Unboxing the iMetal headphones was almost as fun as unboxing a new iPhone — of course, I’m exaggerating.
An Alternative: iMetal Stereo Headset for iPhone
I’ve also tested Maximo’s iMetal Stereo Headset for iPhone, which does not isolate the sound as the other earphones do.
The iMetal stereo headset has a wider frequency range than the standard iPhone earbuds but the sound quality, to my ears, was only slightly improved, and the volume was the same.
The stereo headset also has a clicker for skipping songs, a microphone for phone calls, and it comes with the same accessories as the iMetal isolation headset.
The iMetal stereo headset is priced equal to the iMetal Isolation Headset. While I think $70 for the isolation earphones is reasonable, I would not pay that price for the stereo headset, which does not provide enough of a difference in quality to merit such a premium.
If you’ve got $70 and you’re looking for a better headset, go with the iMetal Isolation Headset for iPhone, not these.
iMetal Isolation Headset vs. iMetal Stereo Headset
Tagi: ear buds, iphe, c lover, abbey road, studio instruments, high density, headset jack, sgs, clicker, earbuds, headsets, ly, 5mm, beatles, alg, tastes, producers, lyrics
Posted by Chris on under iphe, phe, software update, search feature, recess, text messages, double click, email, 3g, ly, lt, ace, gps, third party, calculator, games |
Nearly a year after I published my list of 25 things wrong with the iPhone, the post has grown considerably with nearly 100 readers adding comments to it.
By now Apple has addressed some of the problems with the iPhone, and I want to thank them for listening to our feedback, but also encourage them to continue to improve the iPhone, even past version 2.0. First:
10 iPhone problems Apple has corrected
- 3G has been added to the next-generation iPhone
- The 3G iPhone will have real GPS
- iPhone 2.0 will let you mass-edit your email by making it easier to move & delete individual emails or groups of emails
- Apple now lets you add custom ringtones to your iPhone via the iTunes store, albeit for $1
- Apple made it quicker to dial your favorite contacts by letting you double-click the home button
- The next-generation iPhone’s headphone input will not be recessed, so you will be able to use any and all headphones with it. Why did Apple recess the headphone jack in the first place?
- iPhone’s calculator is vastly improved on iPhone 2.0
- Games and third-party applications will be supported through the App Store
- You can now send mass text messages
- iPhone 2.0 will have a search feature for finding contacts quicker.
I’m thankful to Apple for making these changes, but some of iPhone’s problems remain unaddressed. In a year, Apple has responded to only ten of the 25+ complaints discussed in my post — not just by me but by other iPhone owners who left comments.
A lot of iPhone’s problems are due to small, easy-to-add features that are missing even though they mean a lot. Apple can very easily correct these issues, so what are they waiting for?
Here are 25 things still wrong with the iPhone that Apple should consider if it wants to stay competitive in the now-revolutionized mobile phone market:
25 things STILL wrong with the iPhone
Beginning the list are iPhone problems posted in my original list last year.
Note: The iPhone 2.0 software update will not be released until July 11, so some of these things could change. Add your comment to the list at the bottom to increase the likelihood of Apple taking our requests seriously.
1. iPhone still cannot copy & paste text. iPhone lets you email web pages via the Mail application, but what about when you want to copy & paste a paragraph into a form? Or a web address into a text field?
2. iPhone still does not display a time stamp for each individual text message. This is not a big deal for me right now, but some readers commented that they preferred each text individually stamped.
3. Still no Flash or Java on Safari Mobile.
4. Landscape orientation for the keyboard is still limited to Safari. I would love to use the Mail app in landscape, and even the SMS and Notes apps.
5. Still no privacy settings have been mentioned for the iPhone’s privacy-violating SMS Preview feature.
6. No Undo function for when you make a typing error.
7. The YouTube app is still non-interactive — that is, you can’t post or view comments — and iPhone lacks support for social networking in general.
8. You still cannot save documents to a My Documents type of folder. The only improvement is that iPhone 2.0 will let you save photos from emails in your Photos library.
9. Still no mention of whether we can send more than one image per email.
10. No cropping option for photos.
11. Although the Contacts app will now have a search function, there’s still no Find function for finding a word in a web page. This is a feature I use a lot in Firefox (CTRL+F). The thing is, Safari Mobile is not that stable yet, so adding a feature like this might bog it down even more.
12. Still no mention of a To-Do list, a useful feature many readers have told me they’d appreciate.
13. Still no AIM, iChat or instant messenger on the iPhone. Blackberry users have Blackberry Messenger to chat with other Blackberry users, but there’s no such feature on the iPhone.
14. No mention yet of whether the iPhone’s poor camera has improved. How about at least digital zoom, image stabilization and a simple LED flash like that of the Sidekick and the Blackberry Curve?
15. No speed dial feature.
16. No MMS support, although there are workarounds.
17. The iPhone cannot be used as a hard drive storage device.
18. Still no video camera, even though lower-end phones like the MOTORAZR have video cameras.
19. You still can’t disable auto-correct on the keyboard. It’s fine with me, but some people have told me it drives them crazy and they’d rather just turn it off.
20. You can’t delete individual calls from your Recent Calls list.
21. You can’t delete individual text messages.
22. I would like to see a more advanced Notes application, with spell check, styling options and copy/paste (a feature I mentioned above). Notes should also sync to my computer. And why not also integrate the Notes app with online services, like blogging software? That way you could type a post up in Notes, disconnected from the web, and then publish it on Wordpress, for example.
Perhaps this is something a Wordpress app in the App Store could accomplish.
23. Safari crashes way too much. This has been a problem with every iPhone I’ve owned, and it’s also been a problem for my readers, who shared their comments on my article about Safari crashing.
24. Let us sync to iTunes via Bluetooth. Currently, iPhone Bluetooth support extends to hands-free devices only.
25. Add voice dialing to iPhone. Without tactile feedback on the keyboard, voice dialing is a must-have for drivers.
With the App Store coming in July, it’s possible that third-party developers can build software that solves these problems, but to me, most of the features listed are basic functions an advanced mobile phone like iPhone should have.
What do you think?
I would love to hear your thoughts about what’s missing on the iPhone in the comments. If you want to be updated about my future articles, subscribe to this blog.
Tagi: iphe, phe, software update, search feature, recess, text messages, double click, email, 3g, ly, lt, ace, gps, third party, calculator, games
