Wednesday, September 14, 2011

How to Get Album Art for Your iPhone’s Cover Flow

iPhone’s unique Cover Flow — you know, the view in the iPod app that lets you flick through album covers — makes it all the more appealing to collect album artwork for the music you download.
Otherwise, Cover Flow will display blank album covers, which is way less impressive than having a full album collection complete with artwork.
This tutorial will guide you through the different ways to add album art to the songs in your iTunes Music Library.

If you download your music straight from the iTunes Store, the album artwork is included with the purchase. iTunes 7 also lets you “Get Album Artwork” for songs you’ve downloaded from other sources.
Get Album Artwork
To get iTunes to populate your entire Music Library with album art, go to the Advanced menu and click “Get Album Artwork.”
This helpful iTunes feature will find most of your music’s album art, but a lot of times not all of it. This could be due to “inconsistencies between [your] info and Apple’s, such as genre or year of release,” according to Mac OSX Hints.
In this case, you can search for an album in the iTunes Store and compare its info to the info that you have saved for your music file. Then select your song and go to File >> Get Info to adjust the file details.
This can be somewhat tedious, though, especially if you have a lot of songs that need adjusting. That’s why you might find it easier to use the iTunes Art Importer, which automatically searches Amazon.com for cover art and applies it to your songs.

Using the iTunes Art Importer

iTunes Art Importer
First, download the program and, if necessary, the Microsoft .NET Framework.
Once installed, open up the iTunes Art Importer along with iTunes. Now select the songs which need album art and click the magnifying glass button. The program will query Amazon and display a list of album artwork for you to choose from.
Once you’ve made your pick, select the songs in iTunes which you want the art applied to, and click the import button. To speed up the process, check off “Auto-import best guess” and click the import button. This saves time and works sort of like iTunes’ “Get Album Artwork” feature.
If the iTunes Art Importer can’t find the correct artwork, you can input a search term that will override the automatic search criteria. For example, when it couldn’t find my Dave Matthews “The Central Park Concert; Disk 1″ I overrode the auto-search with “dave matthews central park” and it found the correct album art.
If after trying any of the above methods, you still have songs left without album artwork, you can manually add the artwork to iTunes.

How to Manually Add Album Art in iTunes 7

Drag Album Art
First, bring up the View menu and click “Show Artwork” to display the album artwork pane in the bottom left corner of iTunes. You’ll notice the box says “Now Playing” by default. Click “Now Playing” to switch to “Selected Item” mode.
Now select the songs you want to add artwork to, open up the folder on your computer where you’ve saved the album’s image, and drag the image into the Artwork pane.
This works especially well, I noticed, for audiobooks that may not be searchable by the iTunes Art Importer. Just Google the audiobook name, find a cover image and drag it onto the book’s audio files.
Once you’ve got all your album art worked out, sync everything to your iPhone and enjoy a fancy album collection that you can show off to your buddies.
If you found this tutorial helpful, link to it from your site and/or send it to a friend.

iPhone Speed Dial: How to Add Speed Dial Icons to iPhone Home Screen

iPhone developer Nate True worked out a clever way to add iPhone speed dial functionality using the Web Clips feature introduced in firmware update 1.1.3.
This method for adding speed dial to iPhone is 100% legit — that is, Jailbreaking your iPhone is NOT required.
Read on for the very simple step-by-step instructions:


Adding iPhone Speed Dial

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and, in the URL field, type:
http://(the phone number).tel.QLNK.net
iPhone Speed Dial
2. You’ll get a “Call” popup. Touch Cancel.
3. Finally, tap “+” at the bottom of the screen and touch “Add to Home Screen”. Name your Web Clip and you’re done.
Now return to the home screen and you’ll see the new iPhone speed dial icon. Tap it and it requests a page on the developer’s server, which prompts the call.
For those concerned about privacy, the developer promises:
I assure you I will not use this data AT ALL FOR ANY REASON. It is entirely possible to put a similar script on your own web server, which will do the same thing without sending me any information; that course of action is recommended if you are at all concerned about your privacy.

How to Add a Photo to the Speed Dial Icon

If instead of the phone icon, you’d like to use a photo instead, add ?picurl=http://path.to/photo to the above-mentioned URL, like so:
http://(the phone number).tel.QLNK.net?picurl=http://path.to/photo
I uploaded a 40 x 40 pixel headshot of my contact to PhotoBucket and used the direct link to the image.

iPhone Speed Dial Cool, But Not Exactly Speedy

Nate True’s method is not exactly speed dial since you have to touch twice to call — once on the icon and again to hit the Call button.
Double-tapping your Home button to access your Favorite contacts is just as fast. Nevertheless, it’s a neat trick I thought I’d share. Thanks, Nate!

iPhone Text Message Privacy: How to Turn off SMS Preview

Update: The SMS Preview privacy issue is now resolved as of the iPhone 3.0 software update.
In my original iPhone review, I complained about having little privacy on the iPhone when receiving incoming text messages.
When you receive an SMS message on your iPhone, a preview of the message content pops up on the screen, and you can choose to either view it or ignore it. While this “SMS Preview” feature may be very convenient, it could be troublesome if a friend or family member is playing with your cool new gadget and a message you’d rather have remained private pops up on your screen — ouch!

iPhone SMS Preview
Well today I was browsing through the iPhone Settings menu, and I came across a “Show SMS Preview” ON/OFF button. The only problem is, the option to turn off SMS Preview is available only when you set a Passcode Lock for your iPhone via Settings >> General >> Passcode Lock.
Since I’d rather not have to deal with entering a password every time I want to use my phone, I set the Require Passcode field to “After 1 hour,” so that I’ll only have to enter it at most once an hour. Really, though, I rarely go 60 minutes without using my iPhone for something, so I’m hardly ever prompted for a Passcode.
Now when I receive a text message, the iPhone displays the name of the sender and “Text Message,” rather than an excerpt of the message content.
iPhone Text Message
I’m glad to have discovered this option, but I would really like to be able to turn off SMS Previews on the iPhone without having to set a Passcode Lock. What about you?
New: Has SMS Preview gotten you into trouble? Share your awkward or embarrassing stories here.
Update: A third-party app called Caterpillar solves iPhone’s SMS privacy issue. Click to read my review of the Caterpillar app’s Privacy feature.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

How Do I Make My iPhone Ring Longer? [iPhone Q & A]

I’m going to start an iPhone Q & A series, where I post some of the questions readers send me by email. Today’s question:
Kathy writes:
is there any way to make iphone ring longer?

Answer:

Even if your iPhone ringtone is 30 seconds long, your iPhone rings for only 20 seconds by default. To get your iPhone to ring for 30 seconds, instead of the standard 20-second ring, follow the steps below:
  1. Dial *#61# and touch Call. Make iPhone Ring Longer
  2. Jot down the phone number displayed on the screen. This is where your voicemail calls are directed to (as shown in the screenshot below). iPhone voice call forwarding
  3. Dial **61*(THE NUMBER YOU WROTE DOWN)**30# and press Call.
Your iPhone should now ring longer — that is, for the full 30-second duration of your ringtone. To verify that your voicemails are still being sent to the correct place, repeat step 1 and check that the phone number matches.

How to Find an iPhone App Developer [iPhone Q & A]

This post is part of the iPhone Q & A series. If you have a question, send it over.
Catherine writes:
Are there app program developers that you would recommend? I have heard from a couple of them (one who wrote in on your blog) but I am not really sure (besides the fee and their resume) what I should be looking for to find a good developer at a fair price. Any ideas?
I have not worked with iPhone app developers myself, but here are 6 tips that might help you find a reputable iPhone app developer for your project:

  1. Look in the App Store. A good way to find a talented developer is to see who designed the apps you like in the iPhone App Store. Look in the app description under “Company”. Sometimes this will not be the company that designed the application, but a lot of times it lists the websites of the developers themselves. If that’s the case, check out the developer’s website and shoot them an email asking if they would like to work with you.
  2. Find professionals at a freelance jobs site. Post your iPhone app project to an online services marketplace, and developers will bid on your project. Check out these sites first:
  3. Start a dialog with prospective developers. If you find an available developer, talk about the details of your project and see how he/she responds. Do they reply in a timely manner to your emails? Do they sound like they know their craft? Ask to speak on the phone. Find out what programming languages they are familiar with and what kind of projects they like to work on.
  4. Ask to see a portfolio. Find out if the developer you’re considering has made other iPhone apps. If not, what other development experience do they have? You should expect to see proof of experience — that is, completed projects — before you hire someone to work on your iPhone app. Consider the iPhone app you want developed and whether your prospective developer seems capable of completing it.
  5. Choose a developer who’s worked on projects similar to yours. If your iPhone app will be graphics-intensive, look for a developer with graphics experience and an eye for aesthetics. If your app will be information-centered, look at how the developer organized data in their past work. Choose a developer who has a skillset that matches your needs.
  6. Hire more than one developer. You may want to consider hiring more than one developer to design and code your iPhone app. Sometimes a developer is more comfortable with design, and another with code. Think about hiring a designer to conceptualize your iPhone app, and then finding someone else to code it.
If you’ve worked with iPhone app developers, tell us in the comments what your experience was like. iPhone app developers, feel free to let us know about your work and whether you’re available to work on new projects.

How to Crop Your iPhone Photos in 5 Seconds or Less

Cropping photos on the iPhone is easier than you think. You can crop photos on your iPhone in a matter of seconds without having to download any apps.
Here’s how:

  1. Go to the photo you want to crop in the Photos app.
  2. Pinch to zoom into the photo as much as you’d like.
  3. Finally, perform a screen capture by simultaneously pressing the on/off button and the Home button.
Your cropped photo will now appear in your photo album

Monday, September 12, 2011

5 iPhone AT&T Activation Tips: How to Speed Up the Process

If you’ve yet to buy or activate your iPhone, you might benefit from these 5 iPhone activation tips, based on advice given to me by a helpful AT&T employee working in the activations department.

1. Watch Apple’s step-by-step iPhone activation video to become familiar with the process.
2. Check & double-check your information. When you accidentally enter incorrect details, AT&T has to put a hold on the activation process, resulting in a frustrating experience for everybody.
3. Verify that your rate plan is compatible with the features you want.
4. If you plan to keep your current phone number but you are with a provider other than AT&T, call your carrier and tell them to port your number to AT&T. The iPhone can’t be activated until your phone number is “released” by your old provider.
5. If after inputting your personal details you get a message, as I did, telling you that AT&T is processing your activation, don’t go ahead and resubmit your information. That will just create more of a mess for AT&T employees to sort through, lengthening the time before you actually get your iPhone up and running. Plus, if a lot of people resubmit unnecessarily, it could cause a server overload, which already happened once.
Bear these iPhone activation tips in mind and you’ll take a load of stress off yourself, other iPhone users and AT&T employees. Plus, you’ll get to play with your new iPhone sooner rather than later… and I know you don’t want to wait.

iPhone Text Message Privacy: How to Turn off SMS Preview

Update: The SMS Preview privacy issue is now resolved as of the iPhone 3.0 software update.
In my original iPhone review, I complained about having little privacy on the iPhone when receiving incoming text messages.
When you receive an SMS message on your iPhone, a preview of the message content pops up on the screen, and you can choose to either view it or ignore it. While this “SMS Preview” feature may be very convenient, it could be troublesome if a friend or family member is playing with your cool new gadget and a message you’d rather have remained private pops up on your screen — ouch!

iPhone SMS Preview
Well today I was browsing through the iPhone Settings menu, and I came across a “Show SMS Preview” ON/OFF button. The only problem is, the option to turn off SMS Preview is available only when you set a Passcode Lock for your iPhone via Settings >> General >> Passcode Lock.
Since I’d rather not have to deal with entering a password every time I want to use my phone, I set the Require Passcode field to “After 1 hour,” so that I’ll only have to enter it at most once an hour. Really, though, I rarely go 60 minutes without using my iPhone for something, so I’m hardly ever prompted for a Passcode.
Now when I receive a text message, the iPhone displays the name of the sender and “Text Message,” rather than an excerpt of the message content.
I’m glad to have discovered this option, but I would really like to be able to turn off SMS Previews on the iPhone without having to set a Passcode Lock. What about you?
New: Has SMS Preview gotten you into trouble? Share your awkward or embarrassing stories here.
Update: A third-party app called Caterpillar solves iPhone’s SMS privacy issue. Click to read my review of the Caterpillar app’s Privacy feature.

The iPhone Comes Home to Verizon – Are You Ready?

It’s a great day to be a Verizon customer. If you haven’t gotten the news yet, the iPhone is now available on both AT&T and Verizon. Verizon customers have been waiting a long time for the iPhone, but is it really worth the wait? That’s what you can expect to find out after reading this guide!
If there ever was a device that’s been hyped up by the media inside and out, it’s definitely the iPhone. Even though there are plans for a 5th generation device, the current model in use right now is the iPhone 4.
One thing that you have to understand right off the bat is that this is going to be a slightly different phone than what you would have found on AT&T. That’s because there are two different standards at play here. On AT&T you have GSM, which is mainly used overseas, and on Verizon you have CDMA, which is more or less unique to North America and a few other places. There are some serious differences between the two, which means that you have to make sure that you know what you’re getting into with the iPhone. It’ll be a lot less painful that way!
Speed isn’t going to be a problem with the Verizon iPhone — you’ll be able to take full advantage of those 1xEV-DO rev A speeds, as you might expect. Initial reviews have been pretty positive of this fact, which means that Verizon users can look forward to browsing websites and exchanging data faster than they might have been able to in the past.
The screen is still huge at 640×960 pixels, and you can rest assured that the colors are still as vibrant and heavy as they were on the AT&T. Retina is definitely a good thing.
The nice part about the iPhone on Verizon is that the interface is much the same. The call quality is a lot higher on Verizon than it is on the AT&T network, but that’s not the only thing that’s superior.
On Verizon, the iPhone 4 can act as a mobile hotspot. If you’re traveling along and you want to make sure that everyone around you can connect to the Internet, then you will definitely want to step up to the plate with the Verizon model more than the AT&T version. However, don’t think that this will be a freebie: you will need to pay $20/mo on top of your normal data costs to have the ability to share a data connection with up to 5 devices.
Is the Verizon powered iPhone worth it? At this point, we would definitely have to say yes. However, be prepared to find that Verizon’s overall costs are a bit higher than what you might have experienced on AT&T. It just depends. Right now, Verizon has unlimited iPhone data, but this is something that could change as popularity grows.
Will this new information steer you to Verizon, or you’ll be staying with AT&T? Sound off in the comments!

How to Erase a Voicemail Recording You’re Not Happy With

Have you ever called someone, left them a voicemail and then regretted the way you said something, or just wished you could redo the recording for whatever reason? If it’s a good friend it’s no big deal if you sound incompetent, but with certain people you might care more about leaving a certain impression.
I had one of those moments today but then remembered a little trick I learned on how to erase or rerecord a voicemail you’re not satisfied with.

This trick is not iPhone-specific, but it works on AT&T enabled phones at least. (I’m not sure about other service providers.)
If you realize you’re unsatisfied with a voicemail you’ve just recorded:

  1. Don’t hang up!
  2. Go to your iPhone’s keypad.
  3. Touch star (*)
Your message will be erased and you’ll be given the option to either rerecord it or hang up. That’s it. No more embarrassing voicemails.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

WiFi-Only Video Calls Makes FaceTime Practically Useless

have been wanting video calling on the iPhone for years. In fact, two years ago today I asked my readers if video messages for iPhone would be an appealing feature. I imagined different scenarios where mobile video calling would be practical, useful and fun.
So I was excited about Apple’s announcement today that the new iPhone 4 will feature a front-facing video camera as well as video chatting software, dubbed FaceTime.

iPhone FaceTimeThe caveat is: FaceTime will only be usable over a WiFi network in 2010, and God knows how long we will have to wait for AT&T to step up and offer video calling over its 3G network.
Again, AT&T lets us down. We have waited for this feature for years, and now iPhone video chatting is here, but it’s crippled because you can’t use it over cellular data networks.
What good is video calling on a MOBILE phone if you can’t use it on the go? I mean, come on. If you live in the US, public WiFi hotspots are few and far between. And if I’m sitting somewhere where I have access to WiFi, then I’ll just use my laptop’s webcam to video call.
Does this bug you, too? How long do you think we’ll have to wait for video calling over 3G on iPhone 4?

How to Sync Your Google Calendar With Your iPhone Calendar

Want to sync your Google Calendar with iPhone’s native calendar? I just figured out how to do this myself using Google Sync and Microsoft Exchange, and I’m looking forward to having access to my schedule from multiple platforms.
To sync your Google Calendar with your iPhone calendar, follow these steps from the Google Sync service.
Now that my Google Calendar is linked to my iPhone calendar, I can add events on my phone or at http://calendar.google.com and the two calendars sync up.

Some Limitations

A major limitation of this method of syncing your Google Calendar to your iPhone calendar is that Google Sync for iPhone seems to only support syncing your primary Google Calendar to your iPhone calendar. My secondary Google Calendars do not show up in my iPhone calendar. I have not solved this problem, although this post at the Apple support forums looks like it might work.
Another possible annoyance is that when you first setup the Google Sync service, events that are already listed in your iPhone calendar will not be added to your Google Calendar. However, after Google Sync is set up, events added to either calendar will show show up on the other calendar.

Got any tips?

Do you sync your Google Calendar(s) to your iPhone calendar? How does your iPhone help you stay organized? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

How to Upload Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook Using VideoUp

Because Facebook is slacking on its iPhone app, you can’t yet upload your iPhone 3GS videos using the official Facebook app. However, there is a new app in the App Store called VideoUp for Facebook that lets you upload your iPhone videos to Facebook.

How to Post Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook

You can have your video uploaded in 4 easy steps:
  1. Buy “VideoUp for Facebook” from the App Store ($.99 as of this writing). VideoUp for Facebook
  2. Open VideoUp and touch “Connect with Facebook” to login to the site. VideoUp for Facebook
  3. Touch “Select Video” and choose “Saved Video” to upload a video you’ve already recorded or “New Video” to record a new one. Wait for VideoUp to trim your video. The step “2″ circle will turn green to confirm that your video has been successfully trimmed. VideoUp for Facebook
  4. Touch “Describe and Send,” write a Title and/or Description for your video and touch “Send.” VideoUp for Facebook
VideoUp uploads over a WiFi or 3G connection, unlike some other iPhone video sharing apps that only work with WiFi.
You’ll have to keep the VideoUp for Facebook app open while your video uploads or the upload will fail. This is not a VideoUp problem, but an iPhone one, since iPhone does not let you run multiple applications at once.
Once your video is uploaded, VideoUp does not show a confirmation — e.g. “Your video has been uploaded.” — so log into Facebook to check whether the new video is displayed in your feed.

A Glitch?

I’ve noticed that if you let your iPhone go into sleep mode while your video is sending, VideoUp will sometimes fail to upload the video. If you notice this happening to you, here’s what I suggest: go to Settings >> General >> Auto-Lock and touch the “Never” option. This way your iPhone won’t go to sleep while you upload your video. To save battery, remember to turn Auto-Lock back on after you’re done uploading a video.

How Do You Share Your Videos on Facebook?

Do you use VideoUp? Let us know in the comments how you post your iPhone videos to Facebook.

How to Activate an Upgraded 16GB iPhone

If you get rid of an old iPhone and upgrade to a new 16GB one, AT&T makes you go through the entire activation process all over again. I received my 16GB iPhone today and activated it, so just so thereâۉ„¢s no confusion, I’ve outlined the steps below:

AT&T should just let you transfer your old iPhone’s SIM card to your new iPhone, but instead you’re forced to redo the whole tedious activation process which you were happy to be over with after you purchased your original iPhone.
But don’t worry, previous iPhone owners do not have to extend their contracts after buying a new iPhone.
If you owned an iPhone before and you’ve purchased a new one, follow the steps below to activate it with AT&T.
(Note: These same steps apply no matter what iPhone model you’re upgrading to/from.)
16GB iPhone SIM card
1. You can either activate the SIM card that’s inside your new iPhone or you may use your old one.
I chose to stick with my old SIM since it’s got data stored on there that I can use if I don’t have my iPhone for whatever reason and need to use a backup phone.
2. Sync your iPhone to your computer. Once iTunes opens, you’ll be prompted by an AT&T activation screen. On the following screen, select “Replace a phone on my account with this iPhone.”
16GB iPhone Activation
3. You’ll be asked for your phone number and the last four digits of the AT&T account holder’s social security number.
iPhone Activated
4. Finally, you’ll have to agree to both Apple and AT&T terms of service and then if all goes well, your new iPhone will be activated.
5. After you’ve activated your iPhone, you’ll be prompted to restore it from the iTunes backup of your old iPhone.
If you’ve got more than one backup, you can select from a list.
After that, simply wait for your iPhone to sync your contacts, photos, notes, music and media and soon you’ll be enjoying your new 16GB iPhone, as I’m doing below. :)
16GB iPhone

Friday, September 9, 2011

iPhone Auto-Correct FAIL: “WhiteHouse” to “Wherehouse”

iPhone white house to whorehouseI was watching the White House Youth Clean Energy Economy Forum on WhiteHouse.gov/LIVE yesterday, and as I was sending a text message to my sister about the event, I was set back by my iPhone’s recommended correction:

I laughed and clicked X, of course.
But it got past my friend, an employee of Campus Progress who was actually at the event when he shared this with his thousands of followers on Twitter AND Facebook:
iPhone autocorrection for whitehouse: whorehouse
Embarrassing, I’m sure, but hilarious.

WiFi-Only Video Calls Makes FaceTime Practically Useless

iPhone FaceTimeI have been wanting video calling on the iPhone for years. In fact, two years ago today I asked my readers if video messages for iPhone would be an appealing feature. I imagined different scenarios where mobile video calling would be practical, useful and fun.
So I was excited about Apple’s announcement today that the new iPhone 4 will feature a front-facing video camera as well as video chatting software, dubbed FaceTime.


But…

The caveat is: FaceTime will only be usable over a WiFi network in 2010, and God knows how long we will have to wait for AT&T to step up and offer video calling over its 3G network.
Again, AT&T lets us down. We have waited for this feature for years, and now iPhone video chatting is here, but it’s crippled because you can’t use it over cellular data networks.
What good is video calling on a MOBILE phone if you can’t use it on the go? I mean, come on. If you live in the US, public WiFi hotspots are few and far between. And if I’m sitting somewhere where I have access to WiFi, then I’ll just use my laptop’s webcam to video call.
Does this bug you, too? How long do you think we’ll have to wait for video calling over 3G on iPhone 4?

5 Ways I Use SugarSync to Sync and Share Files, Music & Photos in the Cloud

In just a month, SugarSync has become one of my most valued iPhone apps.
I recently decided that it was time to get serious about backing up my files. With all of the projects that I work on, it would be a major setback to lose the data on my harddrive. SugarSync iPhone
While most of my files are backed up on hosting servers — specifically HostGator, which I trust a lot after 5 years — even the best web hosting servers can go down and you could end up with a near-tragedy on your hands. Imagine losing everything.
I originally downloaded SugarSync specifically so that I could back up my iPhone photos as I take them. But since then, I’ve come to realize how useful, and important, a good cloud storage service really is.
Below are 5 ways that I use SugarSync and the SugarSync iPhone app:

  1. To back up my iPhone photos as soon as I take them. SugarSync lets you take photos from within the iPhone app and they get stored automatically. Or you can use the workaround that I figured out to route your photos through Dropbox and use the CameraSync app to back them up. This was the original reason I downloaded SugarSync. I chose SugarSync vs. Dropbox for the following reason:
  2. To back up specific, important files on my computer. This is why I chose SugarSync vs. Dropbox. With Dropbox, you designate a “Dropbox” folder and then put your important files and folders in that folder to be backed up. I prefer SugarSync’s approach, where you leave your files in their intended places and simply tell SugarSync which folders you want backed up by clicking the menu option “Add folder to SugarSync.” Update: A commenter has clarified that Dropbox now allows you to select folders outside of the Dropbox folder to sync.
  3. To access my files from anywhere with the SugarSync iPhone app. Not only does SugarSync back up folders like your typical external harddrive, but it stores them on secure servers AND lets you access them anywhere you go through the iPhone app. If you download a compatible app, such as Documents To Go, you can even edit the files, too.
  4. To access and stream my music from anywhere using the SugarSync iPhone app and online music player. I only recently learned about SugarSync’s music player and I love it for this reason: I can store my music in the cloud and remove it from my iPhone to clear out space, then use SugarSync’s music player to play my music from the cloud.
  5. To share files with anyone, at any time. The other day, I needed to send someone a document, but I had written the document on my laptop originally without the intent to share it. Luckily, SugarSync automatically backed it up as soon as it was saved, and it’s now accessible from my iPhone.
The above reasons are a few of the reasons to use SugarSync, but an email they sent me today suggested a number of other uses for SugarSync:
There are some very powerful ways you can use your new SugarSync account – here are highlights of our top 10: 1.) Back up and secure your data (you never know when your computer will crash)
2.) Access all of your files on the go (from any browser or mobile phone)
3.) Share entire folders and collaborate on projects
4.) Send large files you usually (try to) email or FTP
5.) Share high res photo galleries with friends and families
6.) Stream your entire music collection
7.) Take pictures with your iPhone, auto-sync them to your computer
8.) Open, edit and save office docs with your Blackberry
9.) Work from home, without having to lug around your work computer
10.) Restore all your data if your computer crashes or is stolen

Will iCloud Destroy SugarSync?

Apple will soon release a similar cloud service called iCloud, which will give you 5GB free (same as SugarSync) and give you anywhere-access to your files, media, contacts, etc.
iCloud certainly has the potential to crush SugarSync, since it is a similar service and will integrate well with the iOS software. In the end, however, competition is good for consumers overall, so I look forward to seeing what innovations the other cloud services unveil to compete with Apple.
I for one will probably stick with SugarSync unless iCloud offers a far superior value.
Note: This post may contain referral links, which I use only to recommend products or services that I personally use and enjoy.

Will iPhone 4 Be Less Prone to Cracked Glass?

A few years ago I dropped my iPhone on the ground, cracked the glass, and paid a whopping $250 to get it replaced. Cracked iPhone Screen
I wrote a couple posts about the cracked iPhone screen incident and have since received hundreds upon hundreds of comments on them from readers who also had bad experiences damaging their iPhone screens. A couple of lawyers even claimed Apple deserved to be sued over the issue.
Now, Steve Jobs has announced that Apple has developed a new “glass that’s 30 times harder than plastic” for iPhone 4.
Did Apple develop a stronger iPhone glass in response to the thousands of iPhone users who have made the expensive mistake of cracking their iPhone screens?
Hopefully fewer people will be victims of cracked iPhone screens once the new iPhone is released. Has this ever happened to you?

iPhone Still Needs Better App Management, Notification Handling

iOS4 brought some much-needed improvements to the iPhone in terms of app management. Now, apps can be grouped into folders and a multitasking panel lets you switch among active apps (for 3GS users only). The problem is, these features are underwhelming additions to a platform that should have had these capabilities as soon as the App Store was introduced.
Apple should have added folders to iPhone two years ago. What they should be doing at this point is paying attention to the details and making the app management process more fluid.

App Management & Notification Handling

Moving an iPhone app
As I began to drag app icons from page to page to organize my folders, I wondered why that process is so difficult. I had to move each app, one by one, across pages to its destination folder. Why can’t Apple simply apply the same select/copy/paste system to icons to make organizing apps a cinch?
iPhone Folder Select/Paste
Another thing that’s sorely missing from the iPhone is a notification handling system. The iPhone is far too advanced to be missing this feature. Right now, if I get a notification for an item in my Todo list and I close it, I will never see that notification again. iPhone is in desperate need of a notification handling system (like Facebook) so that I can keep track of my many notifications. If I choose to be notified about something, then it’s obviously important enough to me to be kept in a list of recent notifications

Thursday, September 8, 2011

iPhone Speed Dial: How to Add Speed Dial Icons to iPhone Home Screen

iPhone developer Nate True worked out a clever way to add iPhone speed dial functionality using the Web Clips feature introduced in firmware update 1.1.3.
This method for adding speed dial to iPhone is 100% legit — that is, Jailbreaking your iPhone is NOT required.
Read on for the very simple step-by-step instructions:


Adding iPhone Speed Dial

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and, in the URL field, type:
http://(the phone number).tel.QLNK.net
iPhone Speed Dial
2. You’ll get a “Call” popup. Touch Cancel.
3. Finally, tap “+” at the bottom of the screen and touch “Add to Home Screen”. Name your Web Clip and you’re done.
Now return to the home screen and you’ll see the new iPhone speed dial icon. Tap it and it requests a page on the developer’s server, which prompts the call.
For those concerned about privacy, the developer promises:
I assure you I will not use this data AT ALL FOR ANY REASON. It is entirely possible to put a similar script on your own web server, which will do the same thing without sending me any information; that course of action is recommended if you are at all concerned about your privacy.

How to Add a Photo to the Speed Dial Icon

If instead of the phone icon, you’d like to use a photo instead, add ?picurl=http://path.to/photo to the above-mentioned URL, like so:
http://(the phone number).tel.QLNK.net?picurl=http://path.to/photo
I uploaded a 40 x 40 pixel headshot of my contact to PhotoBucket and used the direct link to the image.
iPhone Speed Dial

iPhone Speed Dial Cool, But Not Exactly Speedy

Nate True’s method is not exactly speed dial since you have to touch twice to call — once on the icon and again to hit the Call button.
Double-tapping your Home button to access your Favorite contacts is just as fast. Nevertheless, it’s a neat trick I thought I’d share. Thanks, Nate!

iPhone App Review: Angry Birds

Multi-coloured exploding birds and pigs that are set to destroy the word, what’s not to like? Angry Birds has captured the imaginations of gamers all over the world, and the fact that it is one of the most popular iPhone applications ever is just a bonus. If you haven’t experienced the thrill of launching those angry little creatures at the pigs (which let’s face it, look a lot angrier than the birds), then you really haven’t lived yet. Well, that or you don’t have an iPhone. Either way, you are definitely missing out. So, what’s it all about?
Well, we start off this crazy adventure as an angry bird, obviously. The aim of the game is to destroy the pigs that are set on their path to world domination. Of course, it is not as simple as it sounds. These pigs are jammed in between, on top of, and next to different structures. These structures are made out of glass, wood and bricks. However, you have to correctly angle your bird in the catapult in order to make the structures collapse, thus destroying the pigs that are eager to stick around.
So, we’ve established that this is a good game to play, especially whilst on the move, but what are the things that really make this game excel in terms of portable gaming?  Well, first of all there is the fact that there are over two hundred frustratingly brilliant levels. With that amount of levels there is no way that you can ever get bored of this addictive game. Physics are incredibly boring, we all know that, so what better way to enjoy physics than to fling explosive poultry at things? Both educational and good for anger management!

Considering this is a review and all, it would only be fair to put in some of the negative things about the game. However, this is hard because there really aren’t any. OK, that’s probably not true. The game can often be very frustrating. If you lack patience then you don’t want to play Angry Birds because you will probably blow a fuse. The only other negative aspect of the game is the fact that the strategy is fairly limited and oftentimes it is a case of luck as opposed to skill, although the majority of us will claim to be some kind of Angry Birds Jedi. Well, I am, you’re not.
In all seriousness, Rovio Mobile truly has outdone themselves with this fantastic game. For those of you who are still having some doubts, just download Angry Birds Light, the free taster, and see for yourself. Once you have realised that this is a game that you absolutely have to have in your life then you can pay for the full version. With that, I will leave you with this. Angry Birds is a game that every single iPhone user all over the world absolutely has to own.

6 Trusty Tricks for New iPhone Owners

If you recently got an iPhone, here are six useful features on your new device that might not be instantly obvious to you:

  1. To instantly scroll to the top of the page in almost any app, just tap the status bar at the top (with the clock on it).
  2. To email multiple photos, go to your Camera Roll in the Photos app, tap the icon on the bottom left, then individually select each image you want to email. Finally, touch Share at the bottom, then Email. Update: If you select more than five photos, the Share button becomes disabled for some reason. If you want to email more than five photos, you can copy and paste them into the body of the email. Thanks to Leon for pointing this out.
  3. To reorganize your app icons, touch an icon on the home screen until they all start to jiggle. That is your cue to grab icons and move them around. For example, because I use my Camera more than my iPod, I moved the Camera icon to the dashboard at the bottom to make it more accessible. I also move apps I don’t use (Stocks, Contacts) to a separate page by dragging the icons off-screen to the left or right.
  4. To add a shortcut to your favorite website on your home screen, visit the site in Safari, press “+” and then “Add to Home Screen.” An icon will appear on your home screen for easier access to your bookmark.
  5. To pinpoint your location in Maps, tap the icon on the bottom left of a map. Your location is represented by a flashing blue dot. If you have a 3GS, tap the lower left icon again to reveal your cardinal direction (a headlight on the blue dot points north, south, east or west).
  6. To copy text, press and let go of the text and touch Select or Select All to choose the words you wish to copy. To paste text, hold and let go of the area where you are pasting to and touch Paste.

    Bonus iPhone tips

  7. To send a video or photo to someone via text message, go to your Camera Roll (in the Photos app) and tap the icon on the bottom left. Tap MMS.
  8. To sync your Google Calendar and your iPhone calendar, follow these directions.
  9. To make your iPhone ring longer, follow these steps.
Got any iPhone tips to share? Please consider sending this post to a friend in need.

How to Sync Your Google Calendar With Your iPhone Calendar

Want to sync your Google Calendar with iPhone’s native calendar? I just figured out how to do this myself using Google Sync and Microsoft Exchange, and I’m looking forward to having access to my schedule from multiple platforms.
To sync your Google Calendar with your iPhone calendar, follow these steps from the Google Sync service.
Now that my Google Calendar is linked to my iPhone calendar, I can add events on my phone or at http://calendar.google.com and the two calendars sync up.

Some Limitations

A major limitation of this method of syncing your Google Calendar to your iPhone calendar is that Google Sync for iPhone seems to only support syncing your primary Google Calendar to your iPhone calendar. My secondary Google Calendars do not show up in my iPhone calendar. I have not solved this problem, although this post at the Apple support forums looks like it might work.
Another possible annoyance is that when you first setup the Google Sync service, events that are already listed in your iPhone calendar will not be added to your Google Calendar. However, after Google Sync is set up, events added to either calendar will show show up on the other calendar.

Got any tips?

Do you sync your Google Calendar(s) to your iPhone calendar? How does your iPhone help you stay organized? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

How to Upload Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook Using VideoUp

Because Facebook is slacking on its iPhone app, you can’t yet upload your iPhone 3GS videos using the official Facebook app. However, there is a new app in the App Store called VideoUp for Facebook that lets you upload your iPhone videos to Facebook.

How to Post Your iPhone 3GS Videos to Facebook

You can have your video uploaded in 4 easy steps:
  1. Buy “VideoUp for Facebook” from the App Store ($.99 as of this writing). VideoUp for Facebook
  2. Open VideoUp and touch “Connect with Facebook” to login to the site. VideoUp for Facebook
  3. Touch “Select Video” and choose “Saved Video” to upload a video you’ve already recorded or “New Video” to record a new one. Wait for VideoUp to trim your video. The step “2″ circle will turn green to confirm that your video has been successfully trimmed. VideoUp for Facebook
  4. Touch “Describe and Send,” write a Title and/or Description for your video and touch “Send.” VideoUp for Facebook
VideoUp uploads over a WiFi or 3G connection, unlike some other iPhone video sharing apps that only work with WiFi.
You’ll have to keep the VideoUp for Facebook app open while your video uploads or the upload will fail. This is not a VideoUp problem, but an iPhone one, since iPhone does not let you run multiple applications at once.
Once your video is uploaded, VideoUp does not show a confirmation — e.g. “Your video has been uploaded.” — so log into Facebook to check whether the new video is displayed in your feed.

A Glitch?

I’ve noticed that if you let your iPhone go into sleep mode while your video is sending, VideoUp will sometimes fail to upload the video. If you notice this happening to you, here’s what I suggest: go to Settings >> General >> Auto-Lock and touch the “Never” option. This way your iPhone won’t go to sleep while you upload your video. To save battery, remember to turn Auto-Lock back on after you’re done uploading a video.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Phoenix iPhone Repair

The following is a list of the top Phoenix iPhone repair services. For a more thorough list of iPhone repair options, visit our comprehensive listing of iPhone repair services.
Each Phoenix iPhone repair service in this post was picked according to my sole discretion after consideration of the reviews on Yelp and/or Google Places.
Feel free to add your opinion on these repair services in the comments section of this blog post (Note: Company representatives MUST disclose company affiliation in the comments.)
Warning: AppleiPhoneReview.com has no control over the actions of these iPhone repair services. We accept no responsibility for what happens to your iPhone if you decide you want to use one of the following repair services.
As of this writing, we are not affiliated with any of the noted iPhone repair services, but we reserve the right to consider sponsored listings (with disclosure) at a future time.
Phoenix iPhone Repair Services:
(All information should be considered accurate only as of the time of this writing.)

Trusted Cell Phone Repair by Sun Cellular

Company: Sun Cellular, Inc.
Website: http://www.suncellularinc.com
Website: Yelp: None
Google Places: Visit on Google Places (8 reviews, avg. 5 stars)
Summary: Rapid service, reasonable rates, great service is the consensus of customers of Sun Cellular, a trusted service for iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, HTC, Motorola and cell phone repair according to the owner. Sun Cellular replaced one customer’s iPhone screen in 20 minutes. Only one customer gave the shop less than five stars and that was at a hectic time after the shop burned down according to the owner.
Call Sun Cellular, Inc. at (602) 267-7800.

iMobile Repair

Company: iMobile Repair
Website: http://imobilerepair.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (6 reviews, avg. 5 stars)
Google Places: None
Summary: Mobile service that goes where you are giving “awesome service,  reasonably priced”  according to one review. Miles from iMobile Repair replaced the glass on an  iPhone for $75 that Apple said would cost $199.
Call  iMobile Repair at (602) 363-9836.

iPhone Solutions

Company: iPhone Solutions
Website: http://www.iphonesolutionsaz.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (4 reviews, avg. 5 stars)
Google Places: None
Summary: iPhone Solutions replaced the LCD on a customer’s  iPhone that another repair shop said was not repairable. They also offer  replacements of screen,  battery, charging port, repair water damage, unlock and jailbreak all iPhones and iPod Touches.
Call  iPhone Solutions at (602) 515-1358.

Choosing a Phoenix iPhone Repair Specialist

This post should by no means be considered a review of Phoenix iPhone repair services. Rather, it should be a starting point in your search for a good PhoenixiPhone repair service.
Thanks for reading and good luck finding a quality iPhone repair technician.

New York iPhone Repair

The following is a short list of the top services offering New York iPhone repair. For iPhone repair services in other U.S. cities, visit my post on where to repair your iPhone.
Each NYC iPhone repair service on here was chosen according to my personal discretion after I considered reviews on Yelp and/or Google Places.
Feel free to add your thoughts on these services in the comments section below (Note: Company representatives must disclose company affiliation in the comments.)
Warning: I have no control over the actions of these iPhone repair companies, so I take no responsibility for what happens to your iPhone should you decide to use one of the following services.
As of this writing, I am not affiliated with any of the listed iPhone repair services, however I reserve the right to consider sponsored listings (with disclosure) in the future.
New York iPhone Repair services:
(All info should be considered accurate only as of the time of this writing.)

LaptopMD

Company: LaptopMD
Website: www.laptopmd.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (19 reviews, avg. 4 stars)
Google Places: none
Summary: LaptopMD is a computer and electronics repair company that also fixes iPhones. All but one of the iPhone-related reviews currently on the LaptopMD Yelp page are five-star ratings, however be aware of a handful of Yelp reviews that complain about very poor service getting other devices fixed there.
LaptopMD is located in the Midtown West neighborhood and can be reached at (212) 920-4833.

QuickFIX Inc. Repair Services

Company: QuickFIX, Inc.
Website: www.quickfixny.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (7 reviews, avg. 4 stars)
Google Places: Visit on Google Places (37 reviews, avg. 4.5 stars)
Summary: Located on 5th Ave and 33rd St, QuickFIX overwhelmingly has four- and five-star reviews on Yelp and Google Places for iPhone glass repair and other iPhone repair services. Quick fix offers an online monitoring system to check the status of your repair.
Call QuickFIX for iPhone repair at (212) 810-6432.

iFix

Company: iFix
Website: ifixny.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (11 reviews, avg. 4 stars)
Google Places: Visit on Google Places (10 reviews, avg. 5 stars)
Summary: iFix NY will fix a wide array of electronics, including repairing a cracked iPhone screen, an issue which many of their Yelp reviewers had. Note the small handful of negative reviews on the iFix Yelp page.
Call iFix at (212) 933-4440.

BNY Tech

Company: BNYTech, Inc.
Website: www.bnytech.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (5 reviews, avg. 3 stars)
Google Places: Visit on Google Places (34 reviews, avg. 4 stars)
Summary: BNY Tech currently has average reviews on Yelp, but largely positive reviews on Google Places. BNY Tech services include: Computer repair, iPhone repair, data recovery.
Call BNYTech at (212) 244-1844.

Phone Medic

Company: Phone Medic
Website: www.thephonemedic.com
Yelp: none
Google Places: Visit on Google Places (10 reviews, avg. 5 stars)
Summary: Phone Medic is a mobile phone and laptop repair center in Brooklyn, NY. Although they do not have a Yelp page, their Google Places page is filled with 5-star reviews praising great service with a quick turnaround time.
Call the Phone Medic at (347) 746-6349.

AppleBerry iPhone Repair

Company: AppleBerry
Website: www.repairmyiphonenyc.com
Yelp: Visit on Yelp (4 reviews, avg. 4.5 stars)L.A. iPhone Repair
Google Places: none
Summary: Located in the Midtown West neighborhood, AppleBerry offers iPhone repair services including fixing cracked iPhone screens and other iPhone and iPad issues.
Call AppleBerry at (212) 354-2000.

Choosing a New York iPhone Repair Service

This post should not be considered a review of New York iPhone repair services. Rather, it should serve as a starting point in your search for a high quality NY iPhone repair service.
Thanks for reading and good luck finding a reputable iPhone repair person.

How to Fix Your iPhone Home Button… With a Vacuum Cleaner

iPhone Home Button Vacuum Cleaner
Last year, I complained about my iPhone 3GS home button losing sensitivity and becoming increasingly difficult to press. A year later, my iPhone 4 home button has the same issue, and worse.
A faulty home button could be the result of several things. It could have water damage, it could have dust clogged beneath it, or it could be intentionally planned by Apple to become obsolete.
If your home button is hard to press, your best bet is to take it to the Apple Store and see if they can replace your phone at the Genius Bar under warranty.
But if, like me, you live far away from the nearest Apple Store, or if your warranty is void for whatever reason, then I advise you to try this unconventional, but somewhat-effective fix for a faulty iPhone home button: suck the dust out of your iPhone charging port with a vacuum cleaner.
I read about vacuuming your iPhone in an Apple Support forum and was skeptical, but I tried it and, although it did not solve the problem completely, it worked to an extent. Pressing my home button no longer stresses my finger as much as it used to after trying the vacuum fix.
Just connect the hose attachment to your vacuum cleaner, turn on the vacuum and put the hose up to the charging port at the bottom of your iPhone.
You may want to use a pair of tweezers or a needle to take out dust particles as they are pulled into the charging port.
Do this a few times, and if you are lucky like me, then your home button will be at least slightly easier to press.

iPhone Glass Repair: My Visit to the Apple Store

Apple StoreUpdate: If you are urgently seeking an iPhone glass repair specialist, see my post on where to repair iPhone.
I went to the Apple Store in Miami today to get a replacement iPhone after my iPhone glass cracked when I dropped it on my wood floor.
Read about my iPhone glass repair experience below:
Since I read on the iPhone warranty that “service may not be available if your iPhone has been damaged due to accident or abuse,” I was expecting that the iPhone glass repair would cost me and that I would not get a free replacement.

iPhone Glass Repair Cost

I was right. Despite my pleas, both the tech support rep and a manager insisted that the warranty would not cover any physical damage and that I would have to cover the cost of the iPhone glass repair myself.
So I reluctantly handed over $250 big ones — an act I’m hoping to soon forget — to get myself a replacement iPhone.
iPhone Broken Glass
Apple’s repair fee for the iPhone is much too high, in my opinion. I feel that charging $250 for something that probably costs $10 or $20 to fix is taking advantage of customers.
Apple knows that once I’ve paid the hefty price for an iPhone, I’m not likely to leave it damaged and buy a competitor’s phone, especially when there are few phones out there that can offer the same user experience. They could probably charge an iPhone glass repair fee of $400, the price of a new iPhone, and people would still pay up.
So I went home and tried to forget about the arm and the leg I’d just given to Apple in exchange for a new iPhone. Then, as I was importing my backed up contacts from iTunes and upgrading to firmware version 1.1.3, I noticed a significant discoloration on the chrome that I had missed before.
Had the iPhone replacement cost me $50, I would have disregarded the smudge, but for $250 I refused to settle for a new iPhone that was anything less than perfect. So, irritated, I drove back to the Apple Store and explained this to a manager.
Although he was nice, he tried to explain to me that certain defects are “within spec,” and that I might be out of luck.
He said, “for example, if a pixel on the screen is out, that would be within spec and we wouldn’t be required to replace it.” In other words, “if we give you a damaged product, it’s not our fault.”
I refused to accept such a nonsense policy, so the manager agreed to put me on standby so that I could talk to a tech support rep at the Genius bar. Once I was called up, the tech support employee replaced my phone without hesitation.
Now I’ve finally got a clean, functioning iPhone. Next week, I’m ordering myself a case so that this doesn’t happen again. Have you ever had to deal with a cracked iPhone screen? Did you have any luck with an iPhone glass repair service other than Apple’s?

iPhone Glass Cracked: Will it Cost Me?

iPhone glass cracked on your iPhone 4 or 3GS? Read about my cracked iPhone screen below and find out what you can do about your iPhone 4 broken glass or 3GS broken glass.
If your situation is urgent and you need to find an iPhone repair service now, then see my guide on where to repair iPhone. At the moment, there are listings for iPhone repair specialists in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Chicago. More cities to come.


Tip: to prevent a broken iPhone screen in the future,
consider investing in one of several rugged iPhone cases.

Last night my iPhone’s touchscreen was disabled after I accidentally dropped my iPhone and ended up with a cracked iPhone screen.
iPhone Glass Cracked
My iPhone glass cracked in about five places after I dropped it on my wood floor.
But the iPhone screen cracks are not on the top glass layer of the iPhone. I can actually slide my finger down the screen and it’s completely smooth.
What appears to have cracked is the touchscreen beneath the glass. So my iPhone works perfectly fine, except that I can’t interact with it.
As long as my SIM card is inside, I’ll continue to get phone calls that I can’t answer, my preprogrammed alarms will continue to go off without my being able to hit Snooze, and the phone will not turn off until the battery drains.
The obvious downside of a touchscreen phone is that, generally, if one feature breaks they all do. The lack of hardware buttons means you can’t answer calls, turn off alarms, send text messages or do ANYTHING without a working touchscreen. The cracked iPhone glass resulted in my iPhone becoming completely unusable.

Does iPhone Glass Crack Easily?

When I read the results of PC World’s iPhone stress tests, I admittedly got a little cocky and decided to go without a case for my iPhone.
I’ve dropped my iPhone a number of times, without a problem. However, this was the first time I dropped it directly on its glass surface… and it resulted in a broken iPhone screen. The iPhone cracked glass issue is not unique to me, however.
After doing some research, it seems the cracked iPhone screen problem is not uncommon. iPhone Atlas notes that “an awkward fall, too much pressure and other unnatural impact can cause cracks in the optical glass.”
Furthermore, you may be more likely to end up with your iPhone 4 screen cracked, since the iPhone 4 contains glass on both sides.
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iPhone Cracked Glass Under Warranty?

Apple states on the iPhone Warranty (PDF) that “Service may not be available if your iPhone has been damaged due to accident or abuse.”
Nevertheless, iPhone Atlas said they “received reports from some readers who had success having their iPhones with cracked iPhone screens replaced free of charge by geniuses at the Apple Store … but don’t count on it.”
I’m going to try my luck this weekend at the Apple Store, but I’m not feeling too hopeful. If Apple declines to replace my iPhone for free, I’ll either have to pay them $249 to repair my iPhone, or have it repaired by someone else, which will void the warranty.
What really bugs me about the $249 repair fee is that it’s only applicable to 8GB iPhones. The 4GB ones cost $199 to repair, even though the hardware that I need replaced is identical on both versions!
So I gave Apple more of my money on January 29 to get an 8GB iPhone, and now they want to exploit that and charge me more for repair? I think that’s unfair.

iPhone Glass Repair: Other Options

So what can you do if you are in need of iPhone glass repair? You can pay Apple a couple hundred for a replacement iPhone, but there are other options as well.
To begin, search for an iPhone repair service in your city.
If you’d like to fix your iPhone yourself, SlashPhone posted a tutorial for replacing your iPhone’s cracked glass with a $5 sheet of plastic. It’s not quite like the real thing, but it’s also $245 cheaper. Note that if you choose to do this, your warranty will be voided.
This is not an option for me because, as I mentioned above, the broken iPhone screen in my case is the touchscreen digitizer below the glass, not the glass surface itself.
Motorola Phone
I’ll be sure and report back after visiting the Apple Store this weekend to let you all know whether Apple was willing to replace my cracked iPhone glass for free.
Until then, I’ll be relying on my trusty old Motorola phone from Wal-Mart. Not quite as useful as the iPhone, but it does make phone calls!
Update: I got my replacement iPhone from Apple. Read about my iPhone glass repair experience.
Update #2: Over time, evidence in the comments of this blog has begun to indicate that a cracked iPhone screen is a problem for many iPhone users.

Ever Cracked Your iPhone’s Glass?

If so, did you get a new phone for free or did you have to shell out big bucks for repair? Please share your experience in the comments.

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