With iOS 5 it’s not uncommon to sometimes see the label under many apps, including Facebook, sometimes change to read “Cleaning…” This is a feature of iOS 5 that Apple hasn’t really explained, so it’s caused a lot of you to write in an ask about it. Here’s the deal…

Basically, that’s iOS 5 deleting cache and temporary files so that when iCloud or iTunes does a backup of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, that backup is smaller and faster.

Since adding iCloud and Wi-Fi sync options, it’s become important to keep app data as clean as possible, so backups are as efficient as possible, so we’re not left waiting around for minutes or hours getting as frustrated as possible.

And yes, this is the same reason that, under the original iOS 5.0, apps like Instapaper would sometimes lose all your locally cached articles. (Since fixed with the addition of a third storage option between documents and cache, one that’s not cleaned but also not backed up.)

So, if you see “Cleaning…” pop up under Facebook or any of your other apps, don’t worry. That’s just iOS 5 keeping your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as lean and mean as possible.

Once you’ve decided you should get an iPhone 4S, in the US the question becomes — AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, which carrier should you choose? Back in January we compared the AT&T iPhone to the Verizon iPhone, and if you’re already tied to one carrier and don’t want to pay early termination fees, the decision may be easy; if not, the information can be daunting and overwhelming. TiPb is here to help!

To see a breakdown of prices and features, follow along after the break!

The best way to compare prices, is with a chart. So here you go:

Unlimited data on Sprint

One thing to point out is that Sprint’s prices include unlimited messaging and data and that AT&T and Verizon do not offer any unlimited data plan to new users (if you’ve previously had unlimited data, you may be grandfathered in and can ignore this). Unlimited data is a huge advantage that Sprint has over the other two carriers.

The coverage question

However, how much you get on paper for your money should not be the sole determining factor towards your decision. What good is unlimited data if you are frequently in places that don’t have good reception. TiPb always recommends that you do further research on the carriers specifically in your area. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers which carriers they have and how pleased they are with their service.

Pricing plans

Sprint is cheaper than AT&T and Verizon, but it’s only about 4.8% cheaper than AT&T and about 9.1% cheaper than Verizon. It adds up, sure, but quality of service has some value as well, and it’s up to you to determine how much that value is to you.

Please don’t think I’m bashing Sprint, because I’m not. There are plenty of areas where Sprint blows AT&T away when it comes to reliable service, and there are also many places where all three carriers are equally just as good (or bad). The point I’m making is that you have to take many things into consideration when choosing a carrier.

CDMA/EV-DO vs. GSM/HSPA+

Another concern is simultaneous voice and data, a feature that is not compatible with Verizon’s and Sprint’s CDMA networks. You will need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to access both voice and data at the same time with Verizon and Sprint. CDMA also has worse conference calling and other limitations.

Lastly, the Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4S will be no faster than the Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4 — both use the same EV-DO data radio. However, the AT&T/GSM iPhone 4S will theoretically be up to twice as fast as the iPhone 4, supporting HSPA+ 14.4 mbps downloads. (Actually speeds in the real world can and will vary.)

For a complete rundown see:

• Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4S and the limitations of CDMA

Making the choice

We never claimed that choosing a carrier would be an easy decision, but we hope having the information in one place may help. If you have any questions, please ask us in the comments below or check out our Carrier Forums for help:

• AT&T Forum
• Verizon Forum
• Sprint and T-Mobile Forum

Should you upgrade from whatever you have now to an iPhone 4S? The answer to that depends entirely on what exactly you have now, or whether any of the features of iPhone 4S are compelling enough to makes it worth upgrading regardless of what you have now.

Read on for the full breakdown.

Upgrading from an iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS

If you’re currently using an original iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS than your contract has likely expired and you can get an iPhone 4S at full, subsidize price. You can also get an iPhone 4S on Verizon or Sprint in the US, which wasn’t an option for any of the pre-iPhone 4S models.

The improvements to iPhone 4S for iPhone 3GS owners are significant. For iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G owners, they’re stratospheric. Retina display, a much better camera that shoots HD video, silky smooth multitasking, incredible gaming power, FaceTime video calling, Siri voice control — the list goes on and on.

Also, you get to keep your apps, you maintain easy access to any iTunes music, TV shows, and movies you might have bought, and your cables stay compatible.

iPhone 4S is almost a no-brainer update from those early iPhone models.

Upgrading from an iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S

If you’re currently rocking an Phone 4, the answer isn’t as easy. You’re probably still on contract with the carrier, so you may not be able to get the fully subsidized price unless you qualify for an early upgrade or you lean on them and their retention departments. There’s also not a huge difference in functionality — more speed, a better camera, Siri voice control, availability on Sprint, and world-phone CDMA roaming being the major differentiators.

• If you’re a hardcore gamer or productivity maven whose tolerance for lag is less than zero, the 2x speed and 7x gaming power might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you’re a photo and video enthusiast who really wants the “best camera”, that 8mp, F2.4, 1080p lens might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you want the future now, now, now, or you’re visually impaired, the artificially intelligent, natural language interface Siri promises might tempt you to upgrade.
• If you need Verizon or Sprint at home but have to travel a lot, the ability to roam on international GSM networks might tempt you to upgrade.

iPhone 4S is not a compelling upgrade for most iPhone 4 owners unless you really want or need a specific new feature.

Upgrading from Android, BlackBerry, webOS, or Windows Phone to iPhone 4S

If your current phone of choice runs Android, Windows Phone, or webOS or is a BlackBerry, here’s where it gets tricky. If you’re not on contract, it’s easier. If you are, you need to weigh the pros and cons and see if the features you get outweigh the penalties you’ll have to pay.

• iPhone isn’t as customizable as Android unless you Jailbreak it (think root), and that’s not always possible at first when a new device comes out.
• iPhone doesn’t have BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), so if that’s what your friends use you’ll be out of touch — and out of luck. iMessage will let you talk with other iOS users in an SMS/MMS type way, and there are cross-platform apps, but none of them are BBM.
• iPhone has the slickest UI and best UX in the business, but it isn’t as simple or elegant as the new Metro UI on Windows Phone, or have as good a multitasking metaphor and aggregation system as webOS. It does more (for now) but taste and preference are subjective.
• iPhone only comes in one style and screen size. 3.5-inch slab. No sliders, no flips, no hardware keyboards of any kind, and no option for 4 to 5.5-inches.
• No Adobe Flash video. (That could be a pro or con depending on how you feel about it.)
• No LTE, WiMax, or HSPA+ 21 or 41 mbps options for faster internet.

But iPhone has a lot going for it as well.

• iPhone has multiple layers but the first layer is so incredibly easy to use that the most non-tech savvy of people, people who are moving up from feature phones, can pick it up and get going with it immediately. At the same time it’s highly appealing to expert and veteran smartphone users who want to spend their time getting things done, not getting their phones to do things.
• Apple was the first to put a usable web browser on a phone and absent Adobe Flash, Safari is still the most powerful HTML5 browser in the business. Likewise the built in Mail app shows rich content with pictures. VPN, ActiveSync, and other enterprise-friendly features are also built right in.
• It’s become a cliché but there really is an app for almost everything on the iPhone. Pretty much every major app and currently all the best games are easily available in the App Store and are so functional people actually use them more than the great web browser these days.
• iTunes and now iCloud, which does a lot of what iTunes used to but without the cable, lets you easily sync your existing content and also gives you access not only to the App Store but iTunes music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, iTunes U (University) and overall more content in more parts of the world than any other service.
• If you live near an Apple Store, and you have a problem with your phone, there’s no passing the buck between carrier and manufacturer, there’s no sending your phone away for lengthy repairs. You make a Genius Bar appointment, you show up, they fix your phone or swap it for a new one (if you’re still under warranty or Apple Care). They’ll also help you set it up and teach you how to use it. If you’re new to phones, this is the single best reason to go Apple.
• Apple also creates a ton of other products to supplement the iPhone, including Mac computers, software for Mac and Windows, and together with their partners provide more cases, chargers, docks, car kits, and accessories of every kind. No other smartphone has the quantity or quality of extras, from fashionable to functional, that iPhone has.

If you’ve only been using another platform because you were waiting for the 2011 iPhone on your choice of carrier — go get it.

If you like your current platform but are curious or considering the jump to iPhone 4S, wait until you can try one at the store and really get a feel for it.

Upgrading from a feature phone to iPhone 4S.

Yes. Do it now.

(If you’re really hard up for up-front cash, consider a $99 iPhone 4 or free iPhone 3GS, but if you can scrape together the $199+ for an iPhone 4S, considering the contract will cost you ~$2000+ over two years, it’s not really much of a savings.)

Any questions?

If you’re still not sure, hit up our iPhone 4S Forums to get the help you need to make up your mind.

One of the questions we’re getting asked increasingly often is how many betas Apple will put out before the official iOS 5 release. There’s no way to know, of course, because Apple is a secretive company that almost never pre-announces anything. However, with past behavior being a fairly good indicator of future behavior, we can look at previous iOS beta cycles and try to determine a rough schedule.

From 2008 through 2010 — or iOS 2 (iPhone 2.0) through iOS 4 — Apple held an iOS Preview Event in March or April, announced a bunch of new software features for iOS, and seeded a beta to developers. They seeded additional betas roughly every 2 weeks thereafter. From 4 to 8 betas were seeded, sometimes with no new betas for up to a month before WWDC, where Apple showed off a few more features. Final features were usually tied to whatever new hardware they were announcing for the next-generation iPhone, which historically debuted at the WWDC event. At the same time, Apple would make a Gold Master (GM) seed of iOS available to developers, and announce a date for the final iOS release — typically around the same time as the next generation iPhone release — late June or early July. Then the big day would come and everyone would hover their mouse pointers over the iTunes update button, and wait for Apple to pull the trigger.

This year, however, there was no March/April iOS Preview Event and iOS 5 was announced at WWDC 2011 instead. So all bets are off.

There will probably still be around 8 betas, and there will probably still be a few more features shown off at Apple Fall Event, to coincide with the expected iPhone 5 announcement. There will probably be an iOS 5 GM seed released that day for developers, and then assuming everything goes well, an official iOS 5 general release for everyone around the same time iPhone 5 goes on sale.

We’ll only know for sure when Apple sends out invitations for their Fall Event and we get an actual date. It could be as early as mid August or as late as mid September. Last year it was September 1. The two years before that it was September 9. In 2007 it was September 5.

So iOS 5 beta 5 could be the last beta, and Apple could go silent until early September, or we could see another beta or two between now and then as they continue tweaking and testing. Here are the timelines past:

• iOS 2: previewed March 6, 2008, 8 betas, released July 11, 2008
• iOS 3: previewed, March 17, 2009, 5 betas, released June 17, 2009
• iOS 4: previewed, April 8, 2010, 4 betas, released June 21, 2010
• iOS 5: previewed June 6, 5 betas to date, released ?

We’ll expect more only if and when we see it.

We’re getting tons and tons of questions about iOS 5‘s new iMessage, how it works, where it sends to, and how to avoid sending to the wrong person or device. Apple hasn’t given out a lot of details about it yet, but based on what they showed on the keynote and how they’ve previously handled user and device ID, we can make some guesses. Now if it looks a little complex… well, it is. But we’ll do our best to lay it all out for you, after the break!

So here’s how iMessage works, as best as we can figure out at the moment.

How do you enable iMessage?

You can enable iMessage in Settings on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It’s similar to how FaceTime is setup.

1. Launch Settings
2. Tap on Messages
3. Tap on Use Your Apple ID for iMessage
4. Sign In with an Apple ID (MobileMe, iTunes, etc.) or Create New Account
5. Enter the email address you want to use for iMessage
6. Apple will verify the address, if it’s not already registered, you’ll get an email asking you to verify it.
7. You can Add Another Email address, or several, if you want.

If you’re on an iPhone, once you’re logged into iMessage your iPhone phone number will also be registered with iMessage and anything sent to it from another iOS 5 device will prioritize iMessage over SMS.

Does iMessage count as text or data?

1. Messages SMS still count against your total number of SMS/MMS in your package (if you have a limit)
2. iMessages are sent over data, not SMS/MMS so they count against your data cap (if you have one).

How does Message decide between sending SMS and iMessages?

When you enter a contact into Messages, you’ll see all the available phone number and email accounts for that contact.

1. If they have an iMessage-registered email address, you’ll see a little blue word bubble to the right of the address.
2. If they have an iMessage-registered iPhone phone number (their iPhone is logged into iMessage), you’ll see a little blue word bubble to the right of the address.
3. If they have a non-iMessage phone number (for example, they’re logged out or they’re using a BlackBerry), you won’t see any bubble.

When you pick a contact, it starts off gray and Messages will process it for a second.

1. If it determines it can send via iMessage, the contact turns blue and the text entry box says “iMessage”.
2. If it determines it can send via SMS/MMS, the contact turns green and the text entry box says “Text Message”.
3. If it determine it can’t send via either iMessage or SMS/MMS, the contact turns red and shows an exclamation mark.

So which device sends what type of message then?

1. If you’re on an iPhone and all you have is the other person’s mobile number, Messages will send via SMS
2. If you’re on an iPad or iPod touch and all you have is the other person’s mobile number, Messages will not be able to send (you’ll get a red exclamation mark in the contact name), because iPod touch and iPad can’t do SMS.
3. If you’re on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and all you have the other person’s iMessages ID, Messages will send via iMessage

What if I have an iPod touch or iPad, but my phone is non-Apple? (Feature, BlackBerry, Android, etc.) Will my iOS device intercept my SMS?

No. Remember, when you enter in a contact, you can see all their associated numbers and email addresses.

1. If the person sends to your iMessage email address, it will show up on your iPod touch or iPad.
2. If the person sends to your mobile phone number, it will show up on your mobile phone.

If we share the same iTunes account, how do I make sure my husband/wife/kids don’t get my iMessages

Luckily, Apple’s fragmented ID system works in your favor. Just like FaceTime, iMessage email addresses are separate and independent from iTunes logins.

1. Choose the same address for multiple devices if they’re all yours and you want to get your iMessages on all of them.
2. Choose different addresses for multiple devices if they belong to different members of the family and you want them each to get their own iMessages.

You can use any email account you validate with Apple (we even know some people using @crackberry.com accounts. Shh. No names.)

How do I see/change the address associated with iMessage?

1. Launch Settings
2. Tap Messages
3. Scroll down and tap on Receive At
4. Tap Add Another Email to add an addition email account
5. Tap an existing email account, the tap Remove This Email to remove an account

Just go through each of your devices and assign them the same email, or different emails, as suits your individual or family needs.

Update: Thanks reader x for the screen shots!

Any other questions?

Again, we won’t know for sure until iOS 5 ships this fall and Apple officially explains how iMessage works, but this is our best guesses based on available information. If you have any corrections, or other questions, let us know!

With rumors that Apple might be exploring over-the-air (OTA) updates for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch in iOS 5, we’re going to take the opportunity to go over how OTA updates work, what the advantages and disadvantages are (there’s always a mix of both), and why they should matter to you.

For the answer, follow on after the break.

Currently if you want to update iOS, you need to plug your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into iTunes via the USB dock cable, hit the Update button, and watch as your iOS device is backed up, a roughly 500MB firmware file downloads to your Mac or Windows PC, the firmware completely replaces the contents of your iOS device, and then your data is restored from the previous backup and your content is synced back from your iTunes library. It’s a great, tested and true process that results in backups for users, fresh installs for Apple (which are typically more reliable), and a device that is completely updated and restored to exactly its previous data state for the user.

The OTA advantage

If the current iTunes-based update process just works. So why OTA? What’s wrong with the current process?

1. It requires you to get to a PC with iTunes. And not just any PC, but the “one” PC that contains your iTunes library or you won’t be able to re-sync your content (thanks Hollywood!). If that PC with iTunes isn’t handy, you can’t properly update.
2. It requires full firmware replacements. That means even if Apple only needs to fix a single Safari exploit or location database bug, you need to download a roughly 500MB firmware and go through the same update process, detailed above, as if you were updating to a completely new OS, like going from iOS 3 to iOS 4.

OTA updates would mean you could update anytime, from anywhere, without having to tether to your iTunes PC. If you’re at work — or on vacation — you don’t need to wait until you’re home.

It also means that Apple could, if they chose to, do smaller and more frequent patches when security issues arise or when critical bugs are found.

In fact, Apple’s already doing them in 2 instances:

1. Apple TV (2010). It runs iOS, but rather than plugging into iTunes, it handles iOS updates right on the device. However, it is always plugged into AC power, and it’s always on Wi-Fi or Ethernet. (We’ll address why that’s important later.)
2. Carrier Setting Files. Since iOS 4, Apple has been updating the files that determine, for example, tethering and mobile hotspot availability, group SMS functionality, and other carrier-specific settings.

Competitors like Google’s Android and HP/Palm’s webOS based phones have been doing OTA updates as well. But it’s not without its problems.

The OTA disadvantage

Since other smartphones have been doing OTA, we can see some of the problems that have arisen:

1. 3G/cellular data. Once you start allowing OTA updates, users might really expect them to be available everywhere, including when they’re away from Wi-Fi and on 3G connections. If Doing them over 3G can mean longer download times, the possibility of hitting up against data caps (if you’re on a 250MB plan, you couldn’t even download the firmware once), and carriers refusing to allow large downloads (like they do now with the 20MB iTunes/App Store limits.) Apple’s install base scares the network out of them. Likewise, If 3G updates are allowed, and if someone accidentally does a large update while roaming, their bill could be excessive. Conversely, if someone doesn’t have 3G but gets stuck on EDGE, GPRS, or 1xRTT (see our networking glossary) they could be painful to the point of impossible.
2. Delays/rollouts. When Google or HP roll out an Android or webOS update, not everyone seems to get it at once. Indeed, it took my Nexus One a couple weeks to pop up the OTA update for Gingerbread. iTunes delivers updates the instant Apple releases them. Why other platforms have used rollouts instead of just releasing their updates all at once, I’m not sure, but if the same factors (and/or carrier demands) force rolling updates for iOS, people who aren’t used to waiting may not be happy about waiting.
3. Restores/Re-syncs. As mentioned above, currently iTunes backs up and restores your iOS device while updating the full firmware. (Apple TV OTA updates don’t do this because it’s streaming-only and so doesn’t have to worry about local content). Handling a roughly 500MB firmware update is one thing. Handling up to 64GB of content backup and restore is another. Of course, Apple might switch from full firmware backups to a patching system, or require iTunes for major updates (iOS 4 to iOS 5) and do patches for minor ones (iOS 4.1 to iOS 4.2, or iOS 4.1.1 to iOS 4.1.2). This would result in smaller updates and remove the need to backup and restore. Except for…
4. Failed updates. If something goes wrong and you’re connected to iTunes, in the worst case scenario you can just restore (or even go into DFU mode and restore). If you’re out and about, doing an OTA update, and something goes wrong, your device is effectively dead unless and until you can get back to your iTunes PC.

The Jailbreak factor

When Apple began doing carrier file updates OTA, it became an immediate concern for unlockers. While that hasn’t turned out to be a real-world problem yet, it doesn’t mean it won’t.

Since Jailbreak depends on exploits to inject code, and updates patch exploits, more frequent and more targeted updates could kill existing Jailbreak exploits faster.

Conclusion

OTA updates are a bright, shiny future for iOS. It would further dismantle the iTunes tether, give more freedom to users, and more flexibility to Apple. But with great power comes great responsibility — to make it an easy, robust, and mainstream friendly solution. Apple is usually great at solving these riddles, but online has never been their forte. And OTA device updates need to be nailed.

(Yes, we really made it all the way through this article without once mentioning the giant new Apple Data Center in North Carolina — can you believe it? Oh, wait…)

We posted our iPad Buyers Guide earlier today but have since gotten quite a few emails asking whether or not original iPad owners should upgrade to iPad 2? There are only a few big differences between the original iPad and iPad 2 so the question comes down to whether or not any one (or more) of them are compelling enough to warrant an upgrade.

We’ll take a look at them and help you decide after the break!

If you compare the original iPad to iPad 2 you’ll see the screen is the same size and resolution — 9.7-inch 1024×768 — and the storage options are the same — 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. Battery life will be the same — roughly 10 hours — and both will have iOS 4.3 so the software will be similar. What’s different?

Cameras and FaceTime

The original iPad has no cameras while iPad 2 has two cameras — a front facing VGA at 30fps, 640×480 and a rear facing 720p at 30fps, 1280×720. It means iPad 2 can do FaceTime and use other video calling software like Skype. These might be great for families and individuals to see their long distance friends, relatives, or special someones. It also means you’ll be able to take video and low quality stills in a pinch and use augmented reality apps. You’ll even be able to use Apple’s new built in Photo Booth app and similar video and picture apps from third parties. Those cold be fun for little ones or grown ups alike. If any or all of that is important to you, you might want to upgrade.

Display mirroring

With iOS 4.3 you’ll be able to use the existing VGA adapter and the new HDMI adapter to output video from your iPad. However only iPad 2 will be able to use the new display mirroring. With display mirroring anything that’s on your iPad 2 will be shown identically on your TV — the home screen, your apps, your games. That’s great for teachers, for business users, for bloggers and reviewers who want to use HDMI capture to record the iPad screen, and for anyone who just wants to get everything out. (Or almost anything, Hollywood companies like Hulu will no doubt block any output they can.) If display out is a killer feature for you, you might want to upgrade.

Black and white

With all the delays surrounding the white iPhone 4 it’s surprising to see Apple offering the iPad 2 in white starting on day one. But they are. They really truly are. (The lack of LED flash and proximity sensor might have made it easier.) The original iPad was only available in black so if you’ve always wanted a white iOS device, or you want to make sure everyone knows you have an iPad 2, you might want to upgrade. (I know it’s superficial but it’s still a reason!)

Verizon 3G

AT&T was the only carrier choice in the US for the original iPad (unless you used Mi-Fi or a mobile hotspot phone for the connection). With iPad 2, there will be 6 models (one of each storage size in each color) that support Verizon’s CDMA/EVDO network. If AT&T doesn’t have great reception in your area but you really want to be able to use your iPad when you’re away from Wi-Fi connections, you might want to upgrade.

2x faster, 9x better graphics, gyroscope

The iPad 2 sports an Apple A5 processor which they swear will do 2x faster processing and 9x better graphics. It also adds a gyroscope to the mix. Developers will no doubt take advantage of that to provide smoother, more beautiful, better controlled games for iPad 2. Imagine Infinity Blade or Real Racing HD with more action, crazier texture mapping, and even more immersive play. Next generation gaming requires next generation hardware so if that tempts you, you might want to upgrade.

More RAM

We don’t know for sure but we’re hoping iPad 2 has at least twice as much RAM as the original iPad, which was stuck with 256MB. More RAM means you can keep more information in memory so Safari isn’t always reloading pages, multitasking isn’t dropping apps left and right, and in general everything just works better. If you’ve been frustrated by the lack of RAM in the original iPad and iPad 2 does indeed have more, you might want to upgrade.

Thinner and lighter

iPad 2 is slightly shorter and skinnier but significantly thinner and lighter than the original iPad. If you carry your iPad around a lot or hold it up to read or play games or have just always found the original iPad too heavy and the iPad 2 seems just right, you might want to upgrade.

Magnets

iPad 2 has magnets around the bezel that accessories like Apple’s own Smart Covers — and no doubt lots of 3rd party ones once they ramp up — use to make really light, really cool screen protectors that can even turn your iPad 2 on and off when you open or close them. Who knows what else will take advantage of these magnets? (I’m hoping for stands.) If you want on the next big wave of magnet powered accessories, you might want to upgrade.

And?

Those are our reasons for considering upgrading from the original iPad to iPad 2. If none of those are a big deal to you, stick with the original iPad. If any of them are game changers (like HDMI out will be for many of us here at TiPb) then upgrade away and sell your old iPad or gift it to someone special.

Did we miss any reason for why you would choose to upgrade (or not upgrade?) If so, tell us in the comments!

iPhone, iPod touch and iPad all have Wi-Fi radios in them and anything with a radio can suffer from interference. Some causes of interference are relatively simple, such as “holding it wrong”. Others may not be so obvious, such as being close to the microwave. Here TiPb goes through some of the common reasons that your Wi-Fi signal may have issues such as decreased wireless range, decreased network data speed, and even a complete loss of connectivity. We’ll also offer some fixes… after the break!

[Apple Support]

The previous generation of iPhone and iPod touch have 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi radios. Current generation iPhone 4, iPod touch 4 and iPad support 802.11n as well. iPhone and iPod touch only support the 2.4Ghz which is more “crowded” (more different types of devices operate at that frequency and care therefore more likely to cause interference). iPad also supports 802.11n over 5Ghz which is less “crowded”. With older Wi-Fi routers setting them to 5Ghz was great for devices that supported it but meant older devices with 802.11a/b/g couldn’t connect at all. Newer dual-band routers (like Apple’s last two generations of Airport Extreme) let you support both 2.4Ghz for older devices on one band and 5Ghz for iPad on the other — giving the better of both worlds.

So what causes interference on these radios and frequencies and how can you fix it?

• Your hand. Yes, “hold different” has become a bit of a joke but a large, waterlogged object like a big fleshy hand, if wrapped around enough area, could cause interference with the Wi-Fi radio in your device. This shouldn’t be a problem in normal use.

• Using the microwave. If your microwave is close to your Wi-Fi base station you may notice a loss of signal strength when the microwave is working. Test for it by turning the microwave on and off. If the interference starts and stops at the same time, it’s likely the case. Try changing the “channel” on your router (typically a number between 1 and 10) until you find one that eliminates the interference.

• Direct Satellite Service (DSS) radio frequency (RF) leakage. There are certain kinds of satelite dishes which can also cause interference due to the coax cable and connectors used. If there is damage to the cable get a new cabled to reduce the amount of RF leakage.

• Power lines, railroad tracks and power stations. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not these are practical sources of interference for modern home Wi-Fi routers. If you think you may have an issue with them try repositioning your router, or changing channels.

• Other wireless devices on the same frequency. Other phones, speakers, baby monitors, garage door openers, or anything else on the same 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz frequency can cause interference. If you think it’s a neighbor’s device causing the problem, again, try changing the channel on your router.

• Physical barriers Depending on what they’re made of and their RF absorption and obstruction rates, walls and floors and other physical obstructions can cause interference. (We’ve even been told stories of elevators, when they’re on the same floor, causing intermittent problems.) Try repositioning your router or even adding a second router as a bridge if you’re trying to cover a large area.

• Pacemakers Obviously you shouldn’t carry your iPhone or iPod touch in your pocket if you have a pacemaker.

• Hearing aids. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad may conflict with hearing aids as well.

• Blasting areas. Yes, if you live near an area where a lot of things get blown up the radio signals used could interfere with your device.

Types and potential for physical interference

Have you experienced Wi-Fi interference with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? If so, what caused it and how did you manage to fix it?

Note: We’ve posted a new version of this article, updated to include iPhone 4S and Sprint.

While many have been waiting a long time for the Verizon iPhone, the same CDMA network that gives Verizon its terrific coverage and reliability brings with it a host of other problems, including the famous lack of simultaneous voice and data and limited international roaming, but also some lesser known issues such as split SMS messages and greatly reduced conference calling options.

None of these are new to the Verizon iPhone but they are new to iPhone now that it’s on Verizon, and new to users who haven’t experienced CDMA before. We’ll take a look at them after the break.

No simultaneous voice and data

Verizon runs on CDMA2000 using EVDO Rev. A for 3G data (see our wireless networking guide for more on what those terms mean). EVDO Rev. A does not support simultaneous voice and data the way AT&T (and other GSM carriers) HSPA networks do. That means if a call comes in while you’re using 3G data — surfing the web, Skyping, sharing your connection via personal hotspot — you can either ignore the call and continue using 3G data, or answer the call and effectively put your 3G data connection on “pause”. If you’re on a call you won’t receive email or push notifications and if you try to surf the web or download an app you’ll be informed you’re not connected to the 3G network. Once the call ends, 3G data reconnects and you can start using the internet again.

If you’re on Wi-Fi as opposed to 3G data you can make calls and use data without a problem. It’s only 3G that cuts out during calls.

Verizon has chosen not to roll out EVDO Rev. B, which does support simultaneous data in favor of more quickly deploying a 4G LTE network (currently a hybrid CDMA-voice with LTE-data network, in the future a Voice over LTE network). They are rolling out Voice over Rev A (VoRA) aka SVDO which will allow for simultaneous voice and data on future CDMA/EVDO phones, but not the Verizon iPhone. (See The Cell Phone Junky for more on the technology.)

Limited international roaming

GSM/HSPA, the standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, is far closer to being an international standard than the CDMA/EVDO technology used by Verizon. While there are a few other CDMA/EVDO networks in North America and Asia, GSM/HSPA is supported throughout most of the rest of the world, including Europe. If you use a Verizon iPhone there are a limited number of countries where you’ll be able to roam. Verizon does offer loaner GSM phones for international travelers but that’s not as seamless a solution as GSM iPhones that can intrinsically roam around most of the world.

SMS/Text splitting

SMS/Text messages are limited to 160 characters. On AT&T and other GSM iPhones, if a message exceeds 160 characters it will still be shown as a single message to both the sender and receiver. On Verizon once an SMS hits 160 characters, any additional text is split off into a second message, after 320, a third message, etc. The same content is still delivered, it’s just not presented as nicely. (In some cases the message parts might even appear out of order which is even more annoying.)

Limited conference calling

Verizon’s CDMA network only supports “3 way calling” so you can only enter into a conference call with up to 2 other people (3 including yourself) at the same time. It doesn’t matter if iPhone can handle more, Verizon’s network and hence the Verizon iPhone is limited to 3-way calling.

Likewise, 9to5Mac points out that handling conference calls is also more challenging on the Verizon iPhone since you can’t take one party “private” or hang up on one caller while keeping the other active. (It hangs up on all callers.)

Apple provides the following diagram in their knowledge base:

That network

So yes, overall there are a lot of limitations to the way CDMA handles voice. However, if Verizon has great coverage in your area, you’re on Wi-Fi when you want to talk and surf, you rarely if ever travel internationally, split SMS/Text messages don’t bother you, and agile conference calling isn’t a must-have business feature for your iPhone, you may not care.

Otherwise it’s a compromise. Decide what’s most important to you and which carrier best provides it. If anything is a deal-breaker, then that makes your choice much simpler.

For more information and help check out our Verizon iPhone Forum.

Does the Verizon iPhone suffer from the same “death-touch” issue as the AT&T/GSM iPhone, the one that led to a month of media frenzy and an Apple “antennagate” press conference?

Not so far. That’s the short answer. For the long answer, including an explanation of death-touch vs. death-grip and what, if anything this means for Verizon iPhone users, follow on after the break…

Death-grip

Every mobile phone has an antenna and — we kid you not — the design of modern smartphone antennas is as close as it gets to radio black magic. The need to support multiple domestic and international frequencies, often four or five GSM, a couple of CDMA, and sometimes GSM/CDMA hybrids (see our TiPb guide to wireless network terms for what all that means), while at the same time making the casings as thin and light as possible leads to the engineering equivalent of sorcery. They need to be specific lengths to hit the right frequencies and they need to avoid interference. That means interference from other components inside the phone and it means interference from large, water-logged masses like your hand. Hold a phone — most any phone — normally and you won’t have a problem. Engineers have already figured out how you’re likely to hold it and they’ve designed around just that type of potential interference. However, they can’t design around total interference. Enter the death-grip.

If you take your big (or even not-so-big) fleshy, watery hand and wrap it around as much of your phone — again most any phone — as possible, you’ll likely end up covering enough of the antenna to interfere with reception. If you’re in a high signal area, 4 or 5 real bars, you’ll likely see your phone drop down to 1, 2, or 3 bars. If you’re in a low signal area, especially 1 or 2 bars, you can kill it dead.

I’ve done this with an iPhone 3GS and a Nexus One, and YouTube is full of videos of people doing the same thing with Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and other phones. (Apple controversially put up videos showing many competing phones being death-gripped). Most phones can be death-gripped. Even the Verizon iPhone 4, apparently.

Death-touch

The death-touch, infamous from the AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 is different in kind. You can death-grip an iPhone 4 — just like most any phone — but you can also achieve pretty much the same result with a single well-placed finger. Take that finger and touch it to the black band at the bottom left hand corner of the iPhone 4′s stainless steel band — the point where 2 antennas come close together — and you can cause something very similar to the death-grip. Again, if you’re in a high signal area you probably won’t notice anything other than a few bars dropping off. If you’re in a low signal area you can literally use it like network pause button. Touch it and the radio connection dies. Remove your finger and the connection starts again.

It’s real, it’s repeatable, and it’s a problem for people in those low signal areas unless they put a case on their iPhone 4 that sufficiently insulates the antennas from bridging. (Apple gave away free bumpers to address the issue.)

Does the Verizon iPhone suffer from death-touch?

So far there’s no evidence of the Verizon iPhone suffering from the AT&T/GSM-style death-touch issue that sparked “antennagate”. Since it has a different antenna array necessitated by its CDMA radios it’s possible death-touch simply isn’t a problem for that hardware.

The Verizon iPhone does seem susceptible to death-grip, however, but again (again, really) most phones can be death-gripped. It’s the nature of radios.

We’ve had a few TiPb readers ping us to ask what’s going on with timeline-based apps like Twitter, IM, RSS, etc under iOS 4 multitasking — specifically why they aren’t updated or updating any more when they open. The answer is the current timeline update conundrum.

First, it’s important to remember that Apple didn’t include background timeline updates in their multitasking API. Apps can stream music, they can wait for VoIP activity, and they can handle location for navigation or check-in, but they can’t update your Twitter, IM, or RSS the way Apple’s own Mail app can. Apple’s SVP of iPhone Software, Scott Forstall said they prefer iOS handle that via push notification instead.

Push notification is fine for alerting you that a new update (tweet, IM, article, etc.) has come in, but when you launch the app — because of the lack of background timeline updates — the app has to then check back with the server and download every update since the last time it ran.

Under iPhone 3.0, this was handled by most apps when you launched them (some more quickly than others). Under iOS 4, however, apps now save state and restart from where you last left them. And therein lies the problem — many apps aren’t checking for updates because they haven’t been relaunched, they’ve just been continued from their last saved state.

No relaunch, no check for updates.

UPDATE: per comments below, tweets, and emails, developers are telling us that apps can, in fact, be coded to check for updates when they return to the foreground and that it’s not overly difficult to implement (and some apps are indeed implementing it).

If that’s indeed the case, the question becomes: why is the only solution in many of our favorite timeline apps still a manual refresh? (i.e. trigger the reload action by tapping a button or other gesture, sometimes backing out a screen or two to get to a place you can do it — which defeats some of the benefit of saved state.)

Do we need to start a “naughty and nice” list for this functionality?

Can you run an iPhone without an AT&T voice or data contract, and could a Verizon (or Sprint) MiFi be used instead (insert iPhone on Verizon! humor here). That’s what TiPb reader Angie wants to know:

Can you use an iPhone with wifi? like I have Verizon MiFi and cannot afford the AT&T data cost for the iPhone.

TiPb answers after the break!

For those unfamiliar, MiFi is an EVDO modem and WiFi router all-in-one. So, you can use it to connect to Verizon or Sprint’s 3G network, and share that connection with several WiFi enabled devices. For geeks, they’re pretty much little pocket-sized miracles.

So, you could run all the basic iPhone internet functions by connecting to your MiFi over WiFi, including surfing the web, checking email, downloading music and video from iTunes, and of course getting and using App Store apps. About the only thing you wouldn’t be able to use is the Phone and SMS/MMS. However, VoIP apps like Skype could mitigate the phone part — our good friend Matt Miller from NokiaExperts.com has been Skype’ing away on his N900 via MiFi and enjoying it. Likewise, IM or faux-SMS apps, of which there are tons and tons in the App Store, could make messaging livable as well. WebApps like Google Voice if that’s how you roll, can get around SMS as well.

It won’t be perfect — you’ll have to set up your MiFi and wait for your iPhone to connect, and incoming calls would be a hassle since VoIP won’t run in the background on a stock iPhone, but it’s the closest anyone can come to an iPhone on Verizon, or iPhone on Sprint these days.

Now, if you Jailbreak your iPhone, then GV Mobile (Google Voice), Backgrounder-enabled Skype, and many other options become available.

If anyone else has tried running their iPhone off of a Mifi on Verizon and/or Sprint, please add a comment below and let Angie know how it worked for you.

TiPb loves answering your questions, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Stupendoussteve on Twitter:

ever heard of iPhone finding you at a previous address, states away, where you’ve never even taken the phone (post restore)?

We have! And TiPb answers after the break!

The iPhone uses Location Services to determine where it is. Location Services uses three (3) distinct technologies, and different iPhones (and iPod touches) support different levels.

The most precise, supported only by the iPhone 3G, is aGPS. aGPS uses cell tower-based GPS crunching to give you a fairly tight indication of your current position.

Next is cell tower triangulation, supported by iPhone 3G and the original iPhone 2G. Google mapped all cell towers in the US (and other countries), recorded their GPS locations, and then tries to determine where you are if it doesn’t have — or can’t get to — an aGPS signal proper.

The last — and the one causing your problem — is WiFi router mapping. Skyhook got into a bunch of vans, drove around the US (and other countries), detected WiFi routers in homes and businesses, and recorded their unique IDs along with their GPS locations.

For iPod touches, and for iPhones that aren’t getting good aGPS locks, Location Services uses WiFi mapping to find out where you are. The problem you’re encountering is likely that Skyhook recorded the location of your WiFi router when you lived in another state, and now when your iPhone is finding it, it still thinks you’re at that old address, across town, or across the country.

Skyhook may eventually drive around and re-map your WiFi router, or you can go to SkyhookWireless.com and manually re-locate your WiFi in their system — though in our experience it can take a long time for them to update either way.

[This is an official Smartphone Experts Round Robin post! Every day you reply here, you're automatically entered for a chance to win an iPhone 3G, Case-Mate Naked Case, and Motorola H9 Bluetooth Headset! Full contest rules here!]

Our video preview is done, our final review is posted, but you had Palm Treo Pro questions and so we’ll try to provide some answers… After the break…

deathscaller Says: Does the Pro’s Internet speed compare to the iPhones at all?

3G is 3G, but the cpu speed and software engine can make a difference. Web browsing on the iPhone seemed much faster, which I chalk up to MobileSafari’s WebKit foundation (well known from back in it’s Linux Konquerer days for its sheer speed). Email is much lighter than web rendering, and iPhone does HTML email, where I only saw mobile email from the Treo Pro, so that’s not a fair comparison, but both were snappy (though Gmail IMAP still gives me fits on every platform)

Justin Says: I’m curious to know your thoughts on the email set up. I had a hell of a time when I used the Treo 750, and that was ultimately what drove me away.

I won’t lie: it’s fairly hideous. Then again, Windows makes you set up Exchange in Control Panel rather than Outlook, so my expectations have been trampled. I couldn’t get Exchange to work due to the failure to allow custom certificates to be accepted (on the iPhone, you can just ignore the warning). Gmail set up, but defaulted to POP, not IMAP. It did do a decent job of auto-detecting Gmail’s settings, however.

Mike M Says: How well does it do things the iPhone is lacking? Cut and paste, to dos, mms, etc. And would you even consider switching just to get these features? I know I wouldn’t, but I’m sure there are people out there who are on the fence who would like to know.

I really wanted cut and paste, but on both the Treo and Android I ended up not using it much. It was too annoying. On the iPhone, if I want to send you a webpage I’m looking at (or location, or photo, etc.) I just hit the + button, pick your address, and boom, email is sent and I’m back in on the web. Having to manually fiddle with highlighting tiny, irregular text blobs, going through menu gymnastics, manually switching apps, etc. just slowed me down and made me think it wasn’t worth it.

MMS is useless to me as I don’t have any friends or family using it either, and everyone else I just email the stuff to right off the iPhone. It’s device independent, which I prefer.

If Apple really nailed implementations of these features, I’d certainly be really happy and probably use them when I had to, but if they did it badly (no Storm jokes!) I’d be even more annoyed. So no, I wouldn’t switch.

Anthony Martinez Says: How’s that keyboard. I picked up a Palm in a store once and thought it was way too small. But then the iphone keyboard is small in portrait mode too. What are your thoughts?

Material is better than the 6xx/7xx series, but the narrow width takes that step forward back a notch.

Jeff Says: What have you missed most from the iPhone that the Pro doesn’t offer?

Without a hint of sarcasm: joy. The iPhone is just a pleasure to use. The Treo Pro was powerful but a lot of work. I didn’t enjoy the experience, even when it impressed me. User experience on the iPhone — every little detail from app flow to stretch and bounce animation effects — is just so well polished.

PRIMECHUCK Says: Does the phone stream live events

Qik style? According to WMExperts, yes it does.

Mike M Says: How close do you think palm and the iPhone are from being incomparable devices? Palm doesn’t seem to be much of a contender anymore, how long before they drop out of the competition?

I hope never. While Apple is amazing at competing with themselves (see the iPod space), everyone does better with strong alternatives pushing innovation.

Jason Says: Is the touchscreen very important to navigation/data entry/etc? Most other phones are either all keys or all touchscreens…

I’m used to using touch screen on Palm devices (insert stylus humor here), so for me it was very easy to default back to. Crackberry Kevin, by contrast, likely never went near it.

Rey Says: What’s the best and worst thing about it?

Best is that it’s a really great WinMo device with excellent hardware. Worst is that it wasn’t a Palm Treo.

Touch Me Says: The tiny 320 x 320 screen on the Treo looks like a big disadvantage compared to the iPhone’s 480 x 320. How does that affect its use? Or does not needing screen real estate for a virtual keyboard and menus make it a wash?

It felt cramped, which is amazing since the previous gen WinMo Palm had 240×240. And when the default soft keyboard popped up, not only was it tiny and stylus-compelling, it usually covered the field you were supposed to type into.

BLUELINE Says: What is of like haveing a phone with both touch and physical buttons for the ui. Do you think it is better or worse then a all touch or no touch phone?

I like having the choice, though I won’t know for sure until I’ve used a completely non-touch device like the BlackBerry Bold. However, I’m increasingly coming to believe that hard keyboards — for some types of users like myself — are a thing of the past.

Jason Says: Has palm changed anything about the Windows Mobile OS to make it their own? Sort of like the panels on the SE Xperia or the Fuze…

Not this time around, far as I could tell, though that keeps WinMo smoking fast (if heinously ugly).

Jeff Says: what was the learning curve like on the keyboard going from the iphone to the pro?

I used to have a 680, so not too bad. I did find it annoying that the hard keyboard wouldn’t change to reflect state. With the iPhone, I’ve gotten used to pressing “shift” and seeing upper case, pressing 123 and seeing numbers, etc. Especially in password fields, I was never sure what I was typing (even with the little icons on screen).

Jason Says: With the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, would you use the Treo Pro (or AT&T Fuze and T-Mobile G1) as much for music/videos?….I can’t imagine using the connectors

Treo Pro has the 3.5mm headphone jack, it’s the Android G1 and HTC FUZE that don’t have them, and yes it’s even more egregious than the original iPhone 2G’s wonky 3.5mm (because it needs an even more annoying adapter).

Jeff Says: How about battery life?

It was great! It lasted more than a day, however because I couldn’t get everything working, I did far, far, far less with it than I typically do with an iPhone.

KLutes Says: I am curious as to how robust the device feels as a whole in comparison. More solid less solid or about the same build quality. I see lots of cracked glass iphones on my college campus and I am curious as to how bang up prone this little gem is.

Both the iPhone 3G and the Treo Pro have had reported problems with micro-cracks in the plastic casing, but Dieter’s Treo Pro is still pristine! Build quality is superb, with a ton of fit and finish. However, it’s plastic, not glass, and was a little creaky around the battery cover. The iPhone has no removable battery, so it’s as close to a solid slab as you can get.

Bela says: Do you feel that this phone compares to the Android ?

Android is still very much a beta/technology preview, while WinMo in its current incarnation is a relic, so as the former rises and the latter falls, they could be comparable during this brief slice of time. What Android 2.0 and WinMo 7 look like is a far more important, and difficult question.

Thanks everyone for sending in your questions!

[This is an official Smartphone Experts Round Robin post! Every day you reply here, you're automatically entered for a chance to win an iPhone 3G, Case-Mate Naked Case, and Motorola H9 Bluetooth Headset! Full contest rules here!]

You had Google Android G1 questions, we’ll try to provide answers. Unfortunately, we already shipped the Android G1 off to TreoCentral’s Jennifer and we’re moving on to the Palm Treo Pro, so we won’t be able to answer anything we didn’t already find out last week, but for the most part, we’ll try our best to give you an iPhone look at Google handset.

See our answers, after the jump!

Jason asks: in what user-friendly ways does the G1 shine? I know the open OS is a big deal for developers, but what about the average user?

If you’re in a Google world, with Gmail and gCal, then the G1 is awesome with it’s login/activation setting up Google push at the same time. I still maintained Google Contacts is an embarrassment, however, and needs work pronto. I’m not sure how well Google Docs work, if at all, as I didn’t test those.

For users, the open OS means the potential for a wider range of more innovative software, but it will depending on developers being interested and able enough to produce it, of course.

Fassy asks: What are the major differences between Android’s WebKit browser and Mobile Safari? Do sites render differently, and, if so, how? Can/does the G1 use iphone-optimized versions of sites? Is the G1’s browser any more (or less) stable than Mobile Safari?

The major difference between MobileSafari and “Chrome-lite” (is that what the cool kids are calling it?) is that Chrome lacks multi-touch, which was a huge negative coming from the iPhone mindset. Multi-touch just kills on moving around the space.

Sites rendered similarly, since the engine is the same, but Chrome didn’t resize pages and text flow the way Safari does, so it required extra zoom-out steps all the time. I didn’t see any iPhone-optimized pages pop up on the G1 either, though I did notice when I tried to login to the MobileMe website, it told me to use the built in iPhone apps instead, so Apple was obviously miss-identifying Chrome as Safari.

Chrome was much more stable than MobileSafari 2.1. It didn’t crash once the whole week. So far, MobileSafari 2.2 hasn’t crashed on me either, so maybe things would be more even now.

cherryhead25 asks: Obviously their apps are tied into Google but have you found the phone productive at all? I mean is there a document/spreadsheet editor, or alarms for tasks? What are the calendar views like compared to the iPhones PIM? What about foreign language support like the iPhone has built in, specifically Asian languages. These are deal breakers for me so please elaborate on the productivity side of things.

The learning curve definitely impacted my productivity, especially the dismal contacts. I didn’t try docs, but I didn’t see any way to view or edit them built in. Calendar had a week view, which is lacking on the iPhone. Didn’t see foreign languages, but remember this is a localized to T-Mobile in the US phone. I’d bet when it goes international, like the iPhone 3G did, we’ll see that. I think Android Market will need to enable paid apps before we see the big productivity tools show up as well.

It’s still very much early day with this phone. Just imagine the omni-pesent Google “beta” tag being on the phone.

Dimietriev asks: How easy is it to buy and download apps from the android store. With the iphone, you can do it fairly quickly, especially from the phone.

Very easy! I was very impressed with the download and install on Android Market, and the notification of what services each and every app would use (i.e. GPS, network, etc.) Update notices also popped up right when I launched an app, so no having to rely on an App Store-like badge.

Dimietriev asks: Also, how do you think the swinging hinge will hold over time(long term)? You refer to the word ‘creaky’.

In my experience, each added level of complexity and mechanics is an increase in the chance (read: certainty) of breakdown. Whether it lasts as long as you plan to keep the phone, however, is a question. I’m guessing many people would upgrade handsets before wear-and-tear sets in. But, yeah, definitely “creaky” and not my preference.

Leanna asks: Is the touch screen just as nice and responsive? Or do you need to push harder or hold your finger down for longer?

It’s good, being capacitive like the iPhone, but not quite as buttery smooth (but what is?). Also, not being a glass screen, it didn’t “feel” as nice. Also, having to switch input methods ruined the sheer joy of the experience. I like touch screen. I don’t want to have to change to keyboard and back, track-ball and back. When the virtual keyboard launches, I’m hoping this goes away.

Keil Miller asks: Will android be on other phones and allow for less confusing methods of input?

My guess is yes, there may well be all keyboard, all touch, etc. versions of Android, similar to what we see with WinMo and BlackBerry now. However, on the flip side this will make development as difficult as those platforms since lack of unified hardware means never knowing what input end users will have available. Every iPhone/iPod Touch works the same, which is a huge plus for developers.

Dimietriev asks: Also, what are the options, if any, if you want to back-up the device?

Didn’t see any. iPhone backs up via iTunes when you tether it, and the G1 you really don’t have to tether, which I love. I’m guessing there’s some sort of backup in place, but I didn’t stumble across it. If the iPhone goes completely tether-less eventually as well, I wonder if we’ll see a Time Machine-like option?

Lead asks: Is there a software keyboard?

Not yet, but I understand it’s coming. In my opinion, it would greatly enhance usability in portrait mode especially

James asks: is there any way for you to type up messages an emails while still in portrait mode?

Not yet! See above!

jhunt4231 asks: Does the G1 run flash?

Also not yet, but also coming if we’re to believe the demo at the recent Adobe MAX conference.

Deathscaller asks: Whats the internet speed like compared to the Iphone and(if it has WiFi) how does that compare.

The G1 has WiFi and while I didn’t run any speed tests (d’oh!) I found them both to be snappy.

Luis asks: is there anyway to change the icons on the G1? how customizable is the whole android os?

In theory, it’s ultimately customizable by carriers, manufacturers, and users. According to Ryan Block of GDGT, while there’s no skinning process yet in place, all the UI files are standard image and XML, so anyone could either replace or rewrite them, or create a framework to more easily do so.

Firas asks: but I wonder if my 3 year old nephew would enjoy using it as much as my iPhone.

At the age of 2 1/2, my godson could use the iPhone. By 3 he could use it well. He can unlock it, return the home screen, switch home screens, find the apps he likes, launch them, quit them, play games, look at the photos, etc.

About the only thing he could do with the G1 was launch in at my head and demand the iPhone back. (I joke only slightly).

Alex Radu asks: How’s the camera on the G1? Both in terms of quality and features and options…

I’d say better than the iPhone but when really discussing mobile cameras, we’re discussing the difference between horrible and terrible. It’s not as bad as an iPhone, but not as good as an N95. The iPhone’s camera is greatly restricted by the thinness of the device. It lacks the space for mechanisms. The G1, however, is much thicker, even if part of that is taken up by slider action. Everything is compromise.

royk asks: what’s one thing the g1 does better than the iphone? what’s one thing the g1 could learn from the iphone?

Aside from the more open SDK, Gmail is much better. User experience could learn tons from the iPhone.

Eric asks: Do you like the physical keyboard better than the iPhones virtual one?

Not for me, but then I’ve never liked physical keyboards on small devices. Going back to the Palm 600, I’ve found them hard to use. I vastly prefer the iPhone-style keyboard. I’d recommend asking Crackberry Kevin or Dieter this question, as they live with hard keyboards while I — frankly — have freed myself from the tic tac-tiles

Thanks everyone for sending in your questions!

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Chris:

“Why doesn’t the iPhone have real GPS?! Even the [redacted] Samsung Instinct has turn by turn! Why does Apple add [redacted] like street view [but] not the things users really want?”

TiPb answers after the break!

We’ve covered iPhone GPS and turn-by-turn navigation quite a bit here at TiPb, especially Dieter who lives out in the middle of somewhere and claims he needs it quite a bit. Why wouldn’t Apple add it indeed? Should be a no-brainer, right?

Well, here’s a few things:

1. Apple doesn’t really supply the GPS middlewhere on the iPhone. They have the chip, of course, and they made the UI (Steve’s even boasted about it on stage!), but the App itself is “powered” by Google Maps. So, the functionality of the App is in some ways limited to the functionality provided by Google. For example, we’re seeing street-view, transit, and walking directions in iPhone 2.2 Beta 2. Why? Because Google has been rolling that out across smartphone platforms, starting with Android. Do any devices have Google-powered tun-by-turn yet? Not to our knowledge. And there may be a reason for that…
2. Licensing conflicts. Google doesn’t own the maps they serve. They license them from Tele Atlas and Navteq. Dieter pointed out a while back that Google’s “API only provides Tele Atlas data, it appears that it’s prohibited from serving Navteq data. As early as ‘05 there has been speculation that there was some sort of license fight between Google and Navteq and both sides decided to take their ball and go home.” This looks like a pretty complicated and potentially deal-breaking deadlock (read the whole article for more). And it’s not the only legal problem…
3. Apple’s iPhone SDK agreement currently prohibits 3rd party turn-by-turn Apps. This could be to avoid the licensing issues mentioned previously, to leave the door open for an “officially licensed” version if Apple and Google can come to an agreement with the licensors (who may not want to see a competitive convergent device like the iPhone get that functionality), or because Apple feels they’ll be sued by the first brainiac who tries to switch between turn-by-turn and SMS and back while driving into a lake.
4. Why can’t TomTom or another dedicated GPS manufacturer release an iPhone App directly, using their own Apps? After all, TomTom has already said they’ve made their system run on the iPhone. The App Store has a reported 2GB size limit, so there’s likely space enough for a robust install. Despite the SDK licensing restrictions, however, would a company like TomTom feel iPhone App sales would make up for the loss of dedicated hardware unit sales they’d face? There have been stories about the dedicated GPS players fearing the iPhone (and other convergence devices) would put them out of business. Let’s remember when Popular Mechanics asked the president of a GPS navigation system manufacturer how he felt about the prospect of a GPS-enabled iPhone, the president said he was: “Scared [expletive]-less“.
5. Could all of the above issues be at play? Apple’s head of iPhone Marketing, Greg “Joz” Joswiak, previously said: “there are some murky “complicated issues” preventing driving directions apps at the moment. ‘It will evolve. I think our developers will amaze us.’ “

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Brenden:

quick question – are you still hearing about widespread reception issues with the iPhone 3G? I bought one and took it back because of poor reception, but i’m considering getting one again if the reception issues are fixed ..

TiPb Answers, after the jump!

There hasn’t been nearly the outcry about reception problems, or network connectivity problems since Apple released firmware 2.1. Your carrier and the region you’re in, however, could play a roll in the ultimate equation.

Anyone else having reception problems under 2.1? If so, what carrier and area are you in? Please let us, and Brenden, know!

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Jozsoo:

Is there an iPhone-friendly version of the web apps section of Apple’s site? Seems odd to me that the iPhone maker has no such tailor-made service on its site. Or am I missing something? Maybe you could cover this on your blog for others, too, to know.

TiPb answers, after the jump!

To the best of our knowledge, there is no iPhone optimized version of the Apple WebApps page for MobileSafari. Curious that. On first blush, it may seem that Apple is merely doing what they promised: providing a real web page for a the first mobile device capable of displaying “just the internet”.

Is this strange, however, in the face of promoting other sites like Facebook and Amazon that do provide iPhone optimized WebApps? (We’re not talking games here that require more complex AJAX-based interactivity — though Facebook can be buggy enough to crash MobileSafari almost regularly…)

It seems like Apple could show a little leadership here and create that very MobileSafari optimized version of that page. Call it WebApp Central (because “Store” would be inappropriate), and make it the drop dead easy (and gorgeous) way to add browser links and WebClips to our Home screens for every great WebApp out there (because there are still many).

Anyone know of a great 3rd party WebApp for WebApp sites that Jozsoo and the rest of us might like?

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Joephoto5:

My Bookmarks are listed in the order that I created them… Is there a way to resort them??? Is there a way to “group” them … (ala: sites dedicated to “news”, or sites dedicated to the “iPhone”, or sites dedicated to “aviation” etc.) ???

TiPb answers after the jump!

On the iPhone, you can hit the “Edit” button in the bottom left corner to delete (red circles on the left) and re-order (stacked lines on the right) your bookmarks in Mobile Safari. Once in Edit mode, you can also create new folders. However, I don’t believe you can move items into or out of folders on the iPhone itself.

Update: twokidtech in the comments below points out that, if you tap a link, it will open up a properties inspector which, aside from letting you change the display name and other attributes, will let you re-file your bookmarks. Thanks twokidtech!

However, if you sync your bookmarks with Safari (Mac/Windows) or IE (Windows), you can organize your bookmarks on the desktop however you want, and your next Sync should update your iPhone to reflect this. (MobileMe users can also have this happen automagically through over-the-air “push” sync).

Anyone have any bookmark organization tips for Joephoto5? Let us know!

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). Today’s question comes from Brandon:

I think it was universally acknowledged that September was when Apple promised is background notifications for the iPhone 2.x. September has come and gone and I don’t know about you guys but I still don’t have background notifications on my iPhone. Would be nice if you guys posted something busting apple’s 3@!!$ for missing the date and hoping we wouldn’t notice. I think alot of people like myself bought iPhones with the promise of these notifications in mind.

TiPb answers, after the jump!

We posted about the lack of push-notification when it disappeared from 2.1 Beta 4, and again when it didn’t show up in 2.2.

However, our take is that 2.0.x was so beset with bugs, that Apple had to focus on stability first, and then worry about new features later.

We think Apple was humbled on July 11th, and they’ve chosen to take some extra time with Push Notification and get things right, rather than rush out new, likely buggy features just to make self-imposed deadlines. (Do we really want a Push Notification Service as broken as MobileMe was at launch? Hopefully not!)

Of course, TiPb would love us some working Notifications, so we really do hope we get them — stable and properly polished — in 2.2.

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). For today’s debut TiPb Answers, reader Michael asks:

I can’t believe that my pet iPhone omission wasn’t a choice in the poll of what we’d like to see in iPhone 2.2. Flash support! Maybe a system update isn’t necessary to roll out Flash, but that has been my only gripe with my iPhone (other than having to deal with AT&T during purchase and setup). I can’t watch Hulu, or other Flash based video on my phone without it. I’ve wondered if this isn’t exactly Apple’s intent – why permit Hulu to compete with the iTunes store? What do you think?

TiPb answers, after the jump!

Our understanding is a little different than the above, Michael, so please bear with us as we go back a bit and get into Flash a little more deeply.

First, video is only one of the things Flash does (and some would argue while Flash does make video ubiquitous, it wasn’t until they jumped to the H.264 codec — same as Apple uses in iTunes — that they made it actually watchable!), it’s not the only thing or even the main (technologically speaking) thing. What Flash does, in broad stroke, is make interactive animation on the internet, and this interactivity has grown over the years into a fairly sophisticated scripting language in its own right. Yet, despite what UK courts might think, it remains a proprietary third party add on, and regardless of its popularity, is not really part of the core internet (read: web, including HTML, CSS, and Javascript).

Currently, the major uses of Flash on the internet consist of:

1. Video wrappers, like YouTube and similar sites.
2. Multi-media websites, like movie studies often employ to present more dynamic, more *protected* content.
3. Rich internet applications, such as Adobe’s Photoshop express, which seeks to make Flash a/the standard for WebApps.
4. Hyper-annoying “punch the monkey”-style adverts that enable user-tracking more secretly and robustly than regular web snooping.

While you asked about #1, we have to understand that a FULL Flash deployment on the iPhone would also bring the others as well, along with the historically bloated, buggy implementations Adobe has never seen fit to address on the desktop OS X, and the various security and privacy issues that go along with it. Bottom-line, full-on-Flash is basically a code interpreter like Java, which adds a far greater burden to resources while making the device far more vulnerable to hackers, and lets advertisers annoy and invade us to deal-breaking degree. Bottom-line? We’ll probably not see desktop-class Flash support in near to far future, and while Flash-centric developers should lament that, users should probably be ecstatically happy about that.

Want to make your rich internet WebApp for the iPhone? Use AJAX. Want to make a Batman site that take 10 minutes to load, won’t scale to the iPhone screen size and protects your valuable Hollywood content from — gasp — a fan downloading an image? Stick to HTML. Want to clutter out MobileSafari with Flash monkey nonsense while slipping insidious cookies onto our system? Don’t let the lack of support hit you on the apps on the way out…

As to Flash-video in the specific — this is far more likely. While politics between Apple and Adobe may be playing a part, it’s not impossible to imagine either a simple Flash video plugin that passes the video off into an intermediary player similar to the existing Quicktime plugin.

For us, this would be the best solution as it would give the most popular aspect of Flash (ZOMG! Vidz!) to the masses, while sandboxing the security and privacy issues, and hopefully forcing Adobe to create a better, and more optimized OS X application (similar to how Apple streamlined Quicktime X for the iPhone).

With regards to Hulu, please first remember it’s a US-only site, which while a huge percentage of the iPhone user-base, is basically dead to the 69+ other countries that will get the iPhone in 2008. However, before NBC patched things up with iTunes, they did flirt with providing a similar service directly to iPhone users anyway. So we imagine that Hulu could fairly easily add iPhone support if they wanted to, not to mention give a little love to those of us outside the US (understanding the complex rights messes they’ve gotten themselves into over the years…)

Anyone have anything to add for Michael?

TiPb loves answering your emails, but we also love sharing our answers with the community in hopes that more people will benefit, and even better answers will present themselves (hey, that’s why we have them forums!). For today’s debut TiPb Answers, reader Ryan asks:

I’ve installed some apps on my phone from itunes, one being facebook mobile. What concerns me is that once i’ve entered my user/pw the first time it is never required again and anyone who simply “slides” the phone unlocked will have full access. I assume this is true for email as well (although I haven’t set that up yet.)

My question is, is there any way to passcode a particular icon on the iphone? Or put a security lock on it?

TiPB answers, after the jump…

Unfortunately, Ryan, there doesn’t seem to be any facility to lock or password protect individual Apps on the iPhone (unless the individual App in question provides that on their own, like 1Password for example). Two options you may want to consider are:

1. Enable the Passcode on the iPhone (Settings – General – Passcode Lock), so you have to input a 4 digit Pin in order to unlock the iPhone, and therefore launch any App or access your data.
2. Use WebApps (website based applications) instead, which you log into via MobileSafari on your iPhone and typically won’t store your credentials unless you check a box (and even then you can clear cookies to remove the login info). In some cases, like Facebook, the WebApp is arguably even better than the native App as well.

Security and convenience are eternal enemies. The iPhone currently defaults more towards convenience.

Anyone have any other options for Ryan?