The Apple Press » iPhone

The Mobile Mac Office – Part I: Going Paperless

Philipp — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:36:24 +0000

You run a small business, freelance, or would like to keep your personal office organized. You own a Mac, an iPhone, or an iPad. Perhaps all three. You work from home, but whenever possible try to get out while still being able to manage your day-to-day operations. If any of this describes the way you work, this is for you! We will show you some some productive and fun ways to stay organized — even while you’re on the move.

The series will be broken down into four parts: “Going Paperless”, “Organizing Time”, “Keeping Track of Bills & Payments”, and “Accessing Screen/Files From Anywhere”. Each part will be a mix of workflow suggestions, as well as software & hardware review.

A fair warning: The series is written with a somewhat serious office warrior in mind. Hence, our focus isn’t as much on price but usability. If you’re running a business, however, these products will help you stay on top and you’ll be able to expense them at the end of the year. So keep your receipts!

For now, let’s dive right in. First up:

Going Paperless

You’ve probably known for a while, that digitizing all the paperwork in your drawers would make life a lot easier. Still you’ve never come around to actually implement a paperless workflow. The challenge seems to big. It doesn’t have to be! With the right tools you can digitize your entire paper office without much pain or fuss.

That being said, a sensible solution should offer the following:

Quick & easy scanning to PDF
Broad file format support
Preserving original documents
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine
Multiple database support
Folder, subfolder, & smart-folder support
Mobile access/syncing
Easy exporting
Active development & user community

Also: Only a solid workflow that seamlessly integrates hardware and software will keep you going throughout the year. Therefore, we’re going to review a combination of DEVONthink Pro and Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S1300.¹

DEVONthink Pro

There are a few solutions for the Mac to organize your digital documents. DEVONthink, Paperless, and Evernote being just a few of the more well known contenders. In our opinion, however, all of them, beside DEVONthink Pro, fall short in one or more of our pre-requisites.

While Evernote can trump with a strong user interface, ease of use, OCR support, and syncing across all important devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, and Android), it can’t replace a paper-workflow for anything but the smallest home-office. For one, Evernote doesn’t support sub-folders, which become crucial once your database grows. More serious, however, is the fact that Evernote imports all documents into its own proprietary file format making it almost impossible to migrate the documents to another solution in the future. Also, there may be privacy issues since all documents are saved on Evernote’s servers in the cloud. The basic version is free and easy to use, however, so I still recommend using it for quick documents on the go such as flight inteniaries and travel plans.

Evernote Screenshot

Paperless seemed liked a great solution a few years ago. Its simple user interface is easy to understand and all documents remain untouched. It also supports multiple databases so you can keep your personal documents separate from you business. However, Mariner Software has fallen behind both in terms of user interface and features. Paperless still doesn’t support subfolders, OCR (for anything but receipts), or syncing of any kind, for example. More serious: Paperless can’t search through anything but titles and keywords. So even if you make your documents searchable with a third party solution, it won’t do you any good in Paperless.

Paperless Screenshot

Which leads us to DEVONthink. The software from DEVONtechnologies comes in three flavors: Personal ($49.95), Professional ($79.95), and Pro Office ($149.95). We tested the Pro Office version which adds OCR engine, Fujitsu SnapScan Support, and a web server. Depending on your needs you may get away with using the cheaper, professional version, however. (For your OCR needs you could use the SnapScan engine for example — more on that later.)

DEVONthink Screenshot

At first sight, DEVONthink can appear a little overwhelming due to its broad usage scenarios. It can be applied to note-taking, research, bibliographies, and document organization. The initial time investment is well worth it, however, as it will pay off with great flexibility in the years to come.

First of all, DEVONthink lets you manage multiple databases so you can keep your personal office separate from your business(es). Secondly, it’s the only program we tested that supports folders, sub-folders, and smart-folders. Let me illustrate why this is so important:

You’re a freelance web designer. You need to organize your invoices for tax purposes but also need a quick way to separate paid from outstanding invoices. For your tax records you can simply set up a yearly subfolder structure within your “Invoice” folder. To keep track of unpaid invoices you tag them with a keyword such as “due”. A smart-folder can now collect all invoices independently from the folder structure they reside in. Once the invoices have been paid, you simply remove the keyword and the invoices disappear from the smart-folder. Your specific usage scenarios may vary, but the example illustrates why having these options is important.

DEVONthink Pro can also OCR your documents during import. This will create searchable PDF documents so you are not constraint to title or keyword search. If you prefer to have your scanner (or Adobe Acrobat Pro) do all the OCR work for you (more on that later) it’s possible to disable this option in the settings.

A searchable PDF allows you to highlight, copy, and search text in scanned documents.

A genius little tool for your paperless workflow is the DEVONthink “Sorter”. Connect the Sorter to specific groups in your databases and drop documents or clippings to them even when DEVONthink is not running or hidden from view. Similarly, DEVONthink places a link to your main inbox into the Finder’s sidebar. Quickly drag and drop files onto this shortcut and sort the files into their specific folders whenever you have some time to spare.

The DEVONthink sorter DEVONthink script support

Once you’re ready to take your paperless office to the next level, DEVONthink also allows almost each aspect of the workflow to be automated via integrated Apple Script support. While this may not be your cup of tea, it’s nice to know that you could expand in that direction. The active and well moderated (great experience, actually!) user forum will help you to get started.

DEVONthink isn’t perfect, however, and there are a few shortcomings that we’d like to see addressed in a future release.

While you can access all of your documents — on the go — through DEVONthink’s integrated web-server (any device running Safari, including iPhone and iPad, works), the experience isn’t nearly as slick as Evernote’s synchronization service. First of all, the computer running your DEVONthink database must be turned on at all times to access the files. Secondly, novice users may find it difficult to set-up port forwarding on their routers. A static IP or a free service such as DynDNS is also strongly recommended. Lastly, there is no offline access to your database.

The DEVONthink web interface can be accessed from any computer running Safari. Above: A screenshot from the iPad.

Once the server is up and running, however, one can not only view and download, but also upload files from the easy-to-use web-interface. Still, it’s a far cry from optional cloud storage and native iPhone/iPad support. Eric Böhnisch-Volkmann, president of DEVONtechnologies assured us, however, that native iPhone/iPad support and some sort of MobileMe supported iDisk syncing will be forthcoming in a future update.

Another gripe with DEVONthink is the fact that there’s no easy way to change a document’s creation date once it has been imported into the database. This is a glaring shortcoming for anyone who needs to organize files by date and doesn’t always create PDF’s on the day the documents were issued or received. Only when you scan documents directly into DEVONthink do you get a chance to enter a custom date. Mr. Böhnisch-Volkmann states that this “omission” is actually a “feature” since some government agencies may not allow date-changes for paperless workflows.

Fortunately, there’s a nerdy workaround: Remember those action scripts? This is a perfect scenario for them. Download this small action script and place it into: YourUserFolder/Library/Application Support/DEVONthink Pro 2/Scripts/Dates/. Now highlight the document(s) you’d like to change and select Scripts/Date/Set Date from the DEVONthink menu bar. Enter a new date and you’re done.

Dates can be changed through apple script support.

Also, don’t rely on DEVONthink to password protect your database. Even though, you can enter a username and password for each database, this only takes effect through the DEVONthink user interface. A skilled individual could easily get to your documents through the finder with a simple “show package contents” command. According to Mr. Böhnisch-Volkmann the company is aware of this issue and they are working on an optional encryption solution. For now, important documents should be password protected through Adobe Acrobat Pro or Preview. Alternatively, one could create an encrypted DMG file (via Disk Utility) and place the database within this protected shell.

Even though DEVONthink isn’t perfect, it is among the best if you’re serious about eliminating every single piece of paper in your office. Fortunately, the team behind DEVONthink is very responsive to community concerns and seems to be working hard on improving an already strong solution.

DevonThink Professional Office can be purchased for $149.95 directly from the DEVONtechnologies website. A 30 day trial is available as well to get you started.

ScanSnap S1300

I can’t stress enough how much of the success of your paperless office will be based on an excellent document scanner. While you may be able to put up with a standard-mill “all-in-one” solution during your initial enthusiasm, you will catch yourself pushing paperwork to an ever growing “to-do” stack once daily routine kicks in. Unless the scanning and archiving process takes as little effort as possible, this WILL happen rather sooner than later.

And while we would love to receive all documents digitally, this unfortunately won’t be a reality for many years to come. Also: It’s probably a good idea to start archiving your existing paperwork. Hence, we need a quick and easy way to get all these pesky paper documents into our DEVONthink databases.

This is where the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 comes into play.

The ScanSnap S1300 is a small, lightweight paper-feed scanner that takes up very little space on your desk; perfect for any small office setup. Furthermore, it can be powered via USB so you can take it with you on the road. The ScanSnap S1300 is also a breeze to set up. Simply install the provided software, connect the scanner, and you’re ready to get scanning.

DEVONthink Pro will automatically recognize the scanner and offer to set-up a custom tailored profile for your ScanSnap. Simply select this profile, insert a stack of papers, and press the blue button. ScanSnap will immediately start to scan all the pages into a single PDF document and hand it off to DEVONthink Pro where it will run through the OCR engine and ask you to title, date, and file the document. Done!

The ScanSnap S1300 is a small, lightweight paper-feed scanner.

To take full advantage of the scanner, you can (and should) create additional custom profiles. A “receipt” profile which will turn every scanned page into its own PDF document turns out to be quite helpful for example. In addition, you can also set the software to omit empty pages (often the case with double sided scanning) automatically.

Another great option is to set the scanning resolution to “automatic” which will scan smaller documents at a higher resolution. This is important since the S1300 allows you to scan documents with different sizes in one batch.

Additional profiles can be created quickly in the ScanSnap Manager.

The scanner’s best feature, however, is its incredible speed and reliability. Not only does the ScanSnap S1300 support double sided scanning, it also scans documents at an approximate speed of 8-16 pages per minute. Even long documents (ever gotten a receipt from Ikea?) are no problem for the ScanSnap S1300. Simply press the blue button for three seconds and even long documents are scanned with ease.

Take look at the short video below to see the ScanSnap S1300 and DEVONthink Pro in action:

It’s this effortless scanning experience that will keep you motivated to continuously digitize your paperwork.

And even though we were extremely impressed with the S1300 we did notice a few shortcomings worth mentioning:

You can’t scan Credit Cards, or similar plastic documents. These require a flatbed scanner. Also, the ScanSnap S1300 only supports 10 sheets at a time. Hardly enough if you’re running a large office, with rows of paper cabinets. If that’s an issue for you, you may want to take a look at Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S1500M which can process up to 50 sheets at a time. We weren’t able to test the unit at this time, however, so proceed on your own risk.

Also, slim paper receipts often “jumped” over the adjustable side-sliders during scanning. This either jammed the paper feed or resulted in diagonal scans. More often than not the auto-rotation feature of the ScanSnap Manager was able to put everything back into perspective during post-processing, however. Still, a more rugged pair of side-sliders would have been a nice addition.

The side-sliders are a little to shallow to hold slim receipts in place.

The OCR engine for both the ScanSnap and DEVONthink seemed to perform equally well in our test, by the way. Still, I found that Adobe Acrobat Pro tended to do a slightly better job at smaller file sizes. Hence, if you already own Acrobat Pro you may want to include this handy little script in your workflow as well. Simply drag and drop multiple PDF files onto this script and Acrobat will not only OCR, but also compress the files automatically. This is an additional step, but may be well worth your time if file size and marginally higher OCR accuracy are important to you. For me the DEVONthink Pro engine was good enough, however.

In conclusion, the results of the quick and reliable ScanSnap S1300 in combination with the feature-laden DEVONthink Professional Office are hard to beat. Once set up and configured to your liking it is possible and — perhaps even more importantly — fun to maintain a paperless office with minimal effort.

Unlike paper documents, which are only accessible in one place at a time, you now have access to every single document right at your fingertips on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, no matter when and where you may need them.

So, do yourself a favor and get rid of the paper!

The ScanSnap S1300 is available on Amazon for $264.99

Questions, thoughts, or comments? Contact me on Twitter @eierund and I’ll be in touch.

Next up: Organizing Time. (Coming soon!)

Link to Amazon Associate Account

How Apple Changed The Terms Of War

Philipp — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:58:51 +0000

While most of the blogosphere is going haywire over Gizmodo’s leak of the next generation iPhone hardware, and Apple is most likely gearing up their warfare against the Gawker Media Network, I’d like to take a look at another battle Apple’s been involved with for quite some time: Apple vs. Microsoft.

For as long as I can remember Apple and Microsoft have competed for market share in personal computing. No matter how you feel about the giant from Redmond, one has to admit that they have clearly pulled ahead in this battle. Yes, Apple has increased its market share quite impressively in the past few years, but it remains doubtful that they would be able to dethrone Microsoft anytime soon. At least not by the terms that we would define victory with TODAY.

What would happen, however, if Apple would simply change the terms that define the outcome of the war? Change the game from Windows vs. Mac to something entirely different?
I believe this is exactly what is happening in Cupertino right now. A few years ago, Apple seems to have shifted its strategy away from their laptop and desktop lines and focused their energy on iPhone, iPod Touch, and — most importantly — iPad instead. With the recent release of iPad and the months long delay of a refresh to the laptop lineup this is now more apparent than ever. Furthermore, these iDevices are not an incarnation of the Macintosh, they are pitched as a brand new platform. A unique group of gadgets in which Apple is the clear market leader.

This, of course, is move of genius on Apple’s part. Instead of competing in the saturated desktop market, Apple simply invented a new one in which Microsoft is all but a blip on the radar and Google & Co are desperately playing catch up. (In terms of market share, mind you.)

Here, the choice isn’t between Windows or Mac anymore. It’s between iPad and Microsoft Courier, or Android Tablet; neither of which have even been officially announced yet. Basically it’s a choice that clearly favors Apple.

The big question remains, however, if Apple’s lead in this new sector could truly have an impact on Microsoft’s bottom line. After all, the traditional computing market is substantially larger than all iDevices (Apple or not) combined. And in that market, Microsoft remains the undefeated leader. Therefore, it would be reasonable to argue that Apple’s strong lead in mobile platforms can not affect Microsoft’s stronghold on desktops. This argument may only stand true for the time being, however, since I believe that Apple is thinking big picture here.

For Apple, the current lineup of iPhone’s, iPod’s, and iPad’s is nothing but just the beginning of a transformation of the personal computing landscape. Not only will Apple add more power to its iDevices each year, they will also — and perhaps more importantly — hand their customers additional tools with every passing generation. At this point in time, the iPad may stand a chance as a full-on computer replacement for only the very basic computer user, the kind that wouldn’t even come across this website. Think email and internet for your grandparents; a tiny sliver of the overall computing market share.

In two or three years to come, however, the iPad may offer a more serious alternative as a laptop replacement for a broader user base. Think additional content creation tools and relaxed app store policies. And even further down the road — I’m talking ten years or more here — the techies among us (you!) may even be able to rely on an iDevice for their sole computer needs. Think ample horsepower and accessibility to development tools.

Therefore, the percentage of users that rely solely on an iDevice will steadily increase while the computer market as we define it today will decrease. This will affect both Apple and Microsoft, of course. But it will disturb Microsoft’s operations disproportionally stronger since they not only have more to lose, but customers are also more likely to switch to an Apple iDevice over a Microsoft one. Unless, of course, Microsoft finally starts to compete in the market that Apple has all but jump started two weeks ago.

What about connectivity, though? Opinion on the internet has it that Apple’s iPad couldn’t possible replace a desktop without a USB port (better yet: three or four), display dock, LAN jack, and Floppy Drive. Again: I believe that we must think big picture here. In ten years wireless technology may be powerful enough to cut cords altogether. And even if it doesn’t, don’t forget about Intel’s Light Peak technology, in whichʼs development Apple is rumored to have had more than a helping hand. What if Apple would replace the traditional dock connecter with an optical, lightweight, Light Peak port in the iDevice generations to come? A port that will not only multiply the speed with which you can sync your files, but also let you connect a plethora of devices, including keyboard, camera, 30-inch display, or whatever else you’d might want to jam into your iPad. One simple port. Unlimited connectivity. Light Peak could be the answer.

What I’m trying to say is this: Look at Apple’s iWork apps and keyboard dock. Can’t you see the signs — early they may be?

Whoever believes that devices like iPad donʼt have a chance to take over the computing market, doesn’t see the big picture. Microsoft, of course, will fight to remain relevant during all of this change, but it isn’t difficult to argue that Apple set the rules this time around. For the first time — in a long time — Apple stands an actual, realistic, chance to grab the crown from Microsoft. Not in the Windows vs. Mac war — that one will be all but irrelevant in twenty years — but in the iDevice war. Thatʼs where the market will be heading after Apple ignited the fire. All Apple needs to do in order to win is to keep innovating and growing their line of iDevices while holding on to that dominating market share for dear life. The remaining pieces will fall into place automatically.

Tick, tock, tick, tock, Microsoft. Time may well be running out on you.

Questions or comments? Let me know: @eierund on twitter.

How I Dodged The iBoot Bullet — State of Jailbreak Affairs

Philipp — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:17:44 +0000

I am very careful with updating my iPhone 3GS, since I have become quite accustomed to freeing the device from Apple’s tight grip via jail-breaking.

I use Backgrounder to run apps such as Cyclemeter and Skype in the background. I utilize 3G Unrestrictor to make VOIP calls over the 3G network. I implement various other hacks to enable iPhone tethering for light laptop browsing. And I unlock my iPhone while traveling overseas. Without this freedom, I can’t tell if I’d be able to tolerate Apple’s tight grip on the iPhone with “more open” platforms such as Google’s Android quickly catching up.

Hence, I kept my iPhone’s baseband at it’s original version (04.26.08), while carefully upgrading my firmware to 3.1.2 via DevTeam’s Pwnage tool. Because I purchased my 3GS before October 2009, it also sports the original iBoot 359.3 (more on that later). With this configuration I’d be able to jailbreak and unlock indefinitely.

Unfortunately, this week, my carefully preserved iPhone needed replacement due to a faulty dock connector. Not a big deal—Apple usually replaces broken iPhone’s right on the spot—but what would happen to my jailbreak options?

Since Apple has made it nearly impossible to downgrade the firmware and baseband of the 3GS (unless you’ve put some safeguards in place during the very early 3.0 days) I knew that I’d loose control over what configuration I would receive with my exchange unit.¹

So, let’s have a quick look at the possible options and their (current) ramifications in terms of jail-breaking:

iPhone 3GS | 3.1.3 Firmware | 05.12.01 Baseband | 359.3 or 359.3.2 iBoot
Game over. No jailbreak or unlock possible. Period.

Neither the Dev-Team nor Geohot currently offer a solution to jailbreak or unlock an iPhone 3GS preloaded with the 3.1.3 firmware. Geohot has publicly stated his opposition to support iPhone OS 3.1.3 while the DevTeam tools only allow you to upgrade an already jail-broken device to firmware 3.1.3. This is not to say that new vulnerabilities haven’t already been discovered, but it is highly unlikely that either the DevTeam or Geohot will release new tools until a bigger update such as OS 4.0 is released. For now: You’re stuck.
iPhone 3GS | 3.1 – 3.1.2 Firmware | 05.11.07 Baseband | 359.3.2 iBoot
Tethered Jailbreak via Pwnage (DevTeam) or Blackra1n (Geohot) and unlock via Blacksn0w (Geohot).

Your situation improves slightly if you get a hold of an iPhone 3GS with 359.3.2 iBoot and firmware 3.1.2 preloaded. At least you’ll be able to jailbreak (choice of DevTeam or Gehot) and unlock via Blackra1n. Since Apple has upgraded the iPhone 3GS’ iBoot version to 359.3.2 for all devices manufactured after October 2009, however, a tethered jailbreak will be your only option.

A tethered jailbreak basically works the same as an untethered jailbreak with one obnoxious difference: To reboot your iPhone it must be connected to a computer with your jail-breaking software installed. If you run out of battery, for example, you won’t be able to reboot your phone until you have a chance to connect it to your computer. Same with an unexpected restart. Obnoxious, but your only option at this point.

To find out what iBoot version your 3GS has boot the phone into DFU mode and look for “Apple Mobile Device (DFU Mode)” under the USB header in Apple’s System Profiler.
iPhone 3GS | 3.1 – 3.1.2 Firmware | 05.11.07 Baseband | 359.3 iBoot
Untethered Jailbreak via Pwnage (DevTeam) or Blackra1n (Geohot) and unlock via Blacksn0w (Geohot).

With the original iBoot you’re all clear for an untethered jailbreak via your choice of Pwanage or Blackra1n. No rebooting issues. The only unlock option remains Geohot’s Blacksn0w.
iPhone 3GS | 3.0 Firmware | 04.26.08 Baseband | 359.3 iBoot
Choice of Pwnage/Blackra1n for untethered Jailbreak and UltraSn0w/Blacksn0w for unlock.

The holy grail for jail-breaking and unlocking. If you start off with a 3GS on firmware 3.0 you can keep all your options wide open. Unfortunately, it’s VERY unlikely that you’ll be able to get a hold of this configuration through any official channels at this point in time. Even on a refurbished unit.

With iPhone 3GS jail breaking has become quite a bit more complex. And it is safe to assume, that Apple will continue to further fight the hacking community with the release of their next major hardware upgrade. If jail-breaking is near and dear to your heart, but your iPhone 3GS needs replacement, I can only suggest you look into either getting it fixed through unofficial channels, or cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Fortunately for me, my refurbished exchange unit came pre-loaded with 3.1.2 (05.11.07 baseband) and the original 359.3 iBoot. Hence, I was able to jailbreak and unlock via Gehot’s Blackra1n and Blacksn0w without a hitch.

I dodged the iBoot bullet. Now I’ll be guarding my 3GS by all means necessary. I doubt I’ll be this lucky again next time around.

Questions or comments? Let me know: @eierund on twitter.

Don’t forget to wipe your jailbreak by upgrading your 3GS to an official Apple firmware before taking it in to the Apple Store. You may void your warranty otherwise. Remember that you may risk loosing your jailbreak/unlock for a long time to come.

Better iPhone Macro Shots – at No Cost

Steve — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:19:17 +0000

Taken with an iPhone 3GS and a drop of water. Keep reading to learn how, or skip ahead.

Several articles about taking macro shots with an iPhone have been circling the web lately. The first seen here, instructs people to destroy a DVD player and extract the laser’s focusing lens. A second article posed on Make Magazine’s Blog uses the front lens from a disposable camera to achieve a similar result. The results from both methods are impressive. However, I will show you a few much simpler methods which are easier, faster, cheaper, and produce better results!

Magnifying Glass:

Don’t ruin that DVD player! The simplest way to shoot macro on your iPhone is with a humble magnifying glass! The penny seen on the left (click it to see the full rez) was taken using this method. Simply hold any magnifying glass (this one would work just fine) over your camera lens and shoot away, no need to take anything apart! The magnification provides a real boost to the 3GS, which has an autofocus lens that allows you to get relatively close to the subject, and older fixed focus models benefit even more. I’ve used this method since the original iPhone to shoot things like boring barcodes, closeups of parts I need and even dangerous wildlife. See the examples below:

Extreme Close-Ups from an iPhone 3G

Credit Card Magnifier:

If carrying around a full magnifying glass doesn’t suit you, consider getting a credit card sized magnifying reader. You can pick one up at pharmacies and most book stores. I bought mine at Barnes and Noble for less than five dollars. The quality won’t be as high as what you can get from a magnifying glass, but you can’t beat the convenience. Slip it into your wallet or purse and use it any time you want to snap a barcode or get some small text in focus. Amazon sells the one below, an Itoya PL-A Pocketlens for $3.99:

The pictures below were taken using this method. On the left is a dollar bill taken without the lens. The iPhone 3GS simply cannot focus close enough to capture the detail. With the credit card lens (picture taken at the same distance) everything is in (relatively) good focus. It’s the difference between a fuzzy “Huh?” and readable text, and it certainly has it’s uses.

Bare iPhone 3GS vs. 3GS with flat lens

And finally, how to get truly Extreme Close-Ups (for free) with an iPhone-

A Drop of Water:

That’s right folks, get huge magnification from just one drop of water! In this case, we are letting the curved surface of a drop of water suspended on the iPhone lens distort the image. The effect can be seen in the images above: strong enlargement and very close focus. The optical quality of a drop of water is not nearly the same as that of manufactured glass, but it does allow you to get much closer and best of all, it;s free. The round bezel that covers the actual camera inside the iPhone (seen below on the left) makes a perfect place to suspend a droplet.

The picture on the right shows the drop from the side. As you can see, it doesn’t need to be very big. A drop that is big enough to provide a roundish curve is all that is needed. Interestingly, the size of the drop controls both the amount of magnification and the minimum focusing distance. A tiny drop, just enough to wet the lens, will not magnify much but it will allow you to get closer to the subject. A huge, ready to drip off drop, on the other hand, will magnify intensely and require you to hold your iPhone steady just a few millimeters above your subject. It will also exaggerate distortion around the edges, providing sharp focus only at the center of the drop. A nice, “medium” sized drop, like the one pictured above on the right, will allow you to take pictures less than an inch away from the lens with out distorting too heavily around the edges.

The result is similar to photographs from a Holga, sharp in the middle and increasingly soft at the edges, as can be observed in the photograph at the beginning of this post. Like any technique, practice makes perfect. The wobbling water over the lens will exaggerate any shaking movements you make while taking a picture. It helps to take the picture in bright daylight so a high shutter speed minimizes this problem. Also, the center of focus will be in the tip of the drop, so be sure to hold the iPhone at an angle such that the drop is well centered on the lens. For those concerned about getting their iPhone wet, use caution and only apply a tiny drop to the lens. I’ve been doing this for quite some time, to no ill effect.

This may not be the most practical method of macro photography, but anyone with a cellphone and a spare drop of water can give it a try! Have a look below for a few more images produced using this method, and don’t forget to click to see the full resolution.

small tin, small drop

small tin, big drop

tooth-brush bristles

reference for scale

Jailbreak Central – 3G Unrestrictor

Steve — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:16:56 +0000

In this episode of Jailbreak Central, learn how to remove the 10MB limits and VOIP blocks on 3G.

In prior incarnations, 3G Unrestrictor was known by the less memorable name voipover3G. The purpose of the original app was to enable the use of VOIP applications like Skype or Fring on the 3G network. Apple mandates that VOIP apps only work on a wifi connection, probably to appease the byte mongers at AT&T. Of course, the bandwidth available on a 3G or even EDGE connection is enough to support a VOIP call. Voipover3G, first released for iPhone 2.2 software, tricked applications like Skype, Fring and Truphone into believing they were on a wifi network. There was even a preference file advanced users could edit to trick more applications. The problem was, it barely worked. Few other applications could be tricked successfully and keeping Skype tricked was a moving target.

The release of the iPhone 3.0 Software Update eventually brought with it an updated 3G tricker in the Cydia store called 3G Unrestrictor.
As you can see in the screenshot above, 3G Unrestrictor gives you an easy interface to toggle which apps are tricked. After a simple install from Cydia (and a payment of $2.00) you can simply use the list of apps to check off the ones you want to work on 3G. Skype, which was difficult to force onto 3G in the past, works flawlessly when using 3G Unrestrictor. Combine this technique with Backgrounder (which I talked about in an earlier post) and you have an always-on Skype connection which will ring when your friends can call. Just tap on Skype when you hear the ring and accept the call. It couldn’t be easier.

Even cooler, 3G Unrestrictor allows you to download podcasts and apps of any size. This is perfect for that moment in the airport where you realize you forgot to sync your iPhone and have no new podcasts to listen to on the flight, or when you really need to get that huge Worms update but are nowhere near WiFi.

If all you only want to use Skype on 3G, to make cheap international calls or save some cell minutes, the original voipover3G is still available, and better yet, it’s free. You can find them both in Cydia, but I fully recommend dropping the 2 bucks for 3G Unrestrictor. To read more or check if the app you want to unrestrict is compatible (most are), visit the developer’s site here.

Jailbreak Central – Backgrounder

Steve — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:43:41 +0000

Scenario: You are listening to streaming music with an app like Pandora when you get a text message. You click reply and go to the Messaging App. But what happened to the music?

The problem lies in how the iPhone OS handles processes (applications). In the default behavior, pressing the Home button closes an application and exits the process. Hence, Pandora can’t play music while you switch applications. There are only a few exemptions to this rule. The iPod app, for example, can continue to play music in the background while you use other apps.

While Apple stubbornly refuses to allow 3rd party applications to run on the background, developer gaizin blesses us with a solution.

His app Backgrounder allows you to send an application to the background without quitting the process. Background Pandora and stream music while you browse the web, get directions in Maps, send texts, anything. Background your favorite twitter app and get live updates. Better yet, background Skype so your friends can ring you for free at any time!

My favorite use for Backgrounder is to send Fstream, my favorite free audio streaming client, to the background so that i can listen while following directions from Maps in my car.

iPhone Activation: Hope You Didn’t Plan to Use Your Phone Today

Philipp — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:19:56 +0000

Well, we hope that all of you happy iPhone owners out there didn’t try to restore your iPhones today, because if you did, you won’t be using it for the next couple of hours.

After restoring my iPhone today (I was advised to do so by a Genius in order to try and fix a faulty battery meter) iTunes was not able to re-activate my phone with AT&T since “iPhone activations are not currently available due to scheduled AT&T system maintenance.”

The text continues to explain: “We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. To activate your iPhone, please connect it again after 3pm EST Sunday.”

Excuse me, but are you kidding me? For years we’ve been making fun of Microsoft and its rigorous activation policies for Windows and now we’ve become a victim of it ourselves?

Activation in itself always presents an annoyance, but the least AT&T and Apple could do is to make sure that customers don’t ever need to spend hours without a working phone. Activation should NEVER be down for maintenance. A backup has to be in place. Alternatively, the iTunes store should maybe check BEFORE restoring your iPhone if activation is available or not. Afterwards it really doesn’t help much any more.

Either way, this sucks. Bad Apple. Bad AT&T. You’ve really screwed this one up.

Thank you for cutting me out from the world.

Congratulation iPhone Owners

Philipp — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:05:30 +0000

I just wanted to congratulate all of you happy iphone owners out there. You did well. We hope you like your little friend as much as we do.

Enjoy!

Ps: of course this entry was written from my iphone. Typing isnt all that bad.

iPhones Arriving in Southern California

Steve — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:25:05 +0000

I wonder what could be in those FedEx boxes… iPhones maybe?

iPhone Waiting Line Live Stream Up!

Steve — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0000

See us and a collection of other streams on our Round-Up Page! And don’t forget to go to our live chat!

Update 11:27pm: We’ve added two more live streams to our page, ZOOOMR TV and SHOOBY on Justin.tv

Got a stream we aren’t covering? Let us know in the comments!

New iPhone Video Posted: Activate From Home!

Steve — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:29:45 +0000

Check it out on the Apple iPhone page for yourself!

According to the video, users will be able to activate their iPhones from home using iTunes. Incredibly, you can do everything you could do at the AT&T right inside of iTunes, including:

Signing up with AT&T
Choosing a plan
Getting a credit check
Number porting!

Even with all the other hype, this seems to be a HUGE deal. I am not aware of any other cellphone provider that allows its users this much independence.

After all, how can a salesman pressure you into buying the insurance when you are sitting on your own couch?

Will this be yet another way that the iPhone changes the way people use cell phones? According to AT&T:

iPhone’s user-driven activation is another example of how AT&T and Apple have partnered to bring innovative new features to our customers,” said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO, AT&T. “iPhone’s innovative activation and sync is just one example of how this is going to be a real industry game-changer.

One has to wonder how users will be able to take advantage of discounts and other services provided by AT&T during the home activation. Users must be able to activate in-store as well for this very reason, unless there is no plan to honor any existing deals.

With the amount of thought that has gone into this product and its launch, I’m willing to bet that things will go smoothly on Friday, so long as the monkey handling you at the AT&T store can keep the poop on his side of the cage.

iPhone Data Plans Announced

Steve — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:17:13 +0000

Get ‘em while they’re hot folks! Step right up and observe the eighth wonder of the world!

It’s Amazing!
It’s Terrifying!
It’s The Singing Bearded One-Eyed iPhone Pricing Plan!

What? You didn’t think a little showmanship was in order?

After plunking down that fat cashwad for the phone, happy iPhone owners have the privilege of choosing from six different plans, ranging from $59.99 to $219.99.

Every plan includes Visual Voicemail, Unlimited Data and 200 SMS messages. Almost all of the plans include unlimited nights and weekends, with only the cheapest $59.99 plan left out.

See the plans for yourself right here

iPhone: Three Years In The Making

Philipp — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:22:51 +0000

CNN Money posted an interesting interview with Stanley Sigman, AT&T’s CEO of wireless operations. In the first part, of what will soon be a two-part-series, Sigman explains why AT&T has decided not to sell the iPhone on its website for the launch and how Steve Jobs approached him about the deal three years ago.

It was approaching three years ago when I first received a call from Steve and he shared with me what his vision was. I had not seen a phone and Steve had not held a phone. He had a vision of the phone at that time, and this (contractually obligating AT&T to deploy the iPhone) was in some respects a difficult decision to make because it required me to make a commitment to a device that I had not tested.

He continues to argue that he had full confidence in Apple’s capabilities and that the iPhone is truly an Apple product with a little help from AT&T on the radio side.

At the end of the day, I had confidence that Steve and his team had the capability to design hardware and develop software that would nail it, and I had confidence in our ability to work with them on the radio side and the technical side. We’re not going to take credit for the concept, the hardware or the software. He did that. But we worked with them hand in hand in the testing process to make sure it was what he wanted it to be and what we wanted it to be.

You can read the interview in its entirety on CNN’s website. Part two of the series will follow soon.

iPhone Queue Protocol

Philipp — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 06:00:49 +0000

Alright everybody. Only three days left until the mighty iPhone will bow its magnificent head. Only three more days until all of our dreams will come true. (Besides the 3G and GPS ones of course…)

So, are you ready to do your fair share and stand in an endless line to purchase your dream like these guys have already started today?

This brings us to an interesting question. How should we behave in the iPhone line?

Here’s some guideline suggestions:

Respect the official line: If someone got to your location before, respect it. These guys probably want the iPhone just as bad as you, so don’t start another line. It’s just going to cause tension.

Don’t cut in line: This one seems self explanatory, but I guess it isn’t. During the PS3 launch many late-comers tried to sneak up to the front of the line. Don’t do it. It WILL get ugly. Trust me!

Be Prepared: Read up on our iPhone Survival Guide so you will be able to get through the night.

Stay home if you won’t buy the iPhone: I know you all want to take a look at the iPhone, but may we plead with you to do so another day, if you’re not yet prepared to purchase the phone? There’s already going to be a large crowd and you’ll only make matters worse. If you’re not eager enough to buy an iPhone on Friday maybe you can wait till Saturday to go and check it out. They won’t sell their on-display models.

At The Apple Press we have a strict rule with our friends. You can only come with us if you are willing to wait with us all night long and are prepared to purchase the iPhone. Absolutely no exceptions. We don’t care if you’re our best friend, our mum, or the pope. If you ain’t buying the iPhone you ain’t coming with us! Basta!

So, are you going to buy the iPhone come Friday? Got any other suggestions you would like to add to the iPhone Queue Protocol? Go ahead, let us know in the comments.

iPhone: Setting’s Menu Exploited [Pictures]

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:07:35 +0000

For the first time, Apple today allowed us a closer look at the iPhone’s setting menus during a Guided Online Video tour.

We’ve taken several screenshots of the menus, stitched together long menus [whenever possible], and placed them on a large map for you to discover:

Click To Enlarge

Of course, Apple has not yet exposed all menu entries and probably won’t do so until the iPhone will launch on June 29th. That being said, however, enjoy what we know up to this point, including the complete list of all ring-tones that will ship with the iPhone.

iPhone Supports Airplane Mode

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:56:43 +0000

Apple’s Guided Online Tour already revealed support for Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF formats as well as real time traffic in Google Maps. Last but least, the video also revealed an airplane mode while demonstrating the settings menu of the phone.

“On an airplane after liftoff you can only use your iPhone if you turn on Airplane mode. Notice the airplane icon appears in the upper left. When airplane mode is activated, no cell-phone, WiFi, or bluetooth signals are emitted from the iPhone.

The settings menu also shows that there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to choose your own iTunes ring-tones.

iPhone Displays Real Time Traffic

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:41:14 +0000

In addition to Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF support, another tidbit users were able to learn through Apple’s Guided Online Tour was the addition of real time traffic in Google Maps.

Pressing on the little car symbol in the lower right of your Google Maps screen will display real time traffic in the area.

“Tap on the traffic button and get an up to date view on the local surroundings. Green lines indicate everything that is flowing smoothly, while red and yellow lines mean problems ahead.”

If only the iPhone would support GPS…

iPhone Supports Microsoft Word + Adobe PDF Formats

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 17:16:34 +0000

Many have speculated if users will be able to read Microsoft Office and PDF documents on the iPhone. The answer came this morning in form of Apple’s guided iPhone tour. While demonstrating the iPhone’s email function the announcer states:

“This email has a PDF and a Microsoft Word document attached. To view the attachments I simply tap on them. I can pinch to zoom in and tap to drag around.”

At this point there’s no further details for any of the other Microsoft Office Programs such as Excel or Powerpoint.

iPhone: Guided Tour and New Website

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:37:19 +0000

Apple this morning has redesigned it’s iPhone website for a third time in just a few weeks. The website now presents itself in a white clean look with much more information at your fingertip.

One of the greatest changes is the addition of a guided tour. The 20 minute Quicktime movie may be viewed in small, medium, and large formats or downloaded for later viewing.

You can also take the iPhone for a 360° spin. The fun begins at http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Gigantic iPhone Displays Now Fully Functional

Philipp — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:21:26 +0000

As earlier reported, Apple was installing what seemed to be a gigantic iPhone display. Well, it seems as if Apple has taken off the covers in some of its stored and revealed the display in question.

The larger-than-life display shows off various iPhone functions on a gorgeous screen. It is safe to assume, however, that the screen is for demonstration purposes only, and doesn’t allow for any touch-screen action.

In addition, Apple also released some signs making its customers aware of the launch date on June 29th. (As if we needed any reminders…)

MacRumors forum user “sminman” has made the following shots available for the web community to enjoy:

Visit your local Apple Store in the morning to see one of these displays for yourself.