We all love our iPhones, and of course, they go everywhere with us. What about when you leave the comfort of AT&T’s network and travel abroad? Can I take my iPhone with me? Will cost me extra? These are very important things to know while planning that trip, and could save you from some massive inconveniences and not to mention a bundle of your hard earned cash. In this post, I will address some common questions and concerns, and give you the information you need to know before you go.
First things first, the iPhone uses the GSM cellular network. GSM is the most common type of cellular signal in the world, and more than 80% of all cellular networks in the world use this technology. The iPhone, is what is known as a ‘quad-band’ GSM phone. This means it supports all 4 of the common GSM frequencies in use today. This means of course, that yes, you can take your iPhone with you on your trip!
Of course, it is not just that easy. To use your iPhone abroad, there are several preparations you need to make, to ensure you are not slapped with a huge bill. By huge, I mean up to four figures, don’t mess with this! To put it in prospective, 1 YouTube video, could cost as much as $40 dollars to stream without the proper plan features. You will need to have an international roaming package added to your plan before you go.
For data, AT&T offers two different options for your trip. It is not pro-rated, and it is charged for one full month, even if your trip is not that long. For $24.99 and $59.99 you can get 20MB or 50MB of data, respectively. If this is not for you, make sure you have International Data Roaming toggled off on your iPhone. To do this, go to Settings > General > Network > Data Roaming. This will ensure your iPhone will not automatically ping the internet when you are not watching, for example to check email. You will still be able to use WiFi, at no charge, just as you can here.
For voice, AT&T offers international voice packages. Calling rates vary from country to country, so you will have to notify AT&T of which country you are going to, so they can add roaming for that country to your plan. A list of rates by country can be found here.
If you are visiting Japan or South Korea, unfortunately, you will not be able to use your iPhone. Those countries use the 2100MHz W-CDMA network technology there, and the iPhone is not compatible with it (yet!).
For more information, please visit AT&T’s International page.
Written by Chase Higgins on April 18th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on GSM and iPhone Europe and Cingular / AT&T and Carriers and iPhone archive.
DropCopy is an application for the iPhone and Mac that makes copying files to your iPhone from a Mac, or vice versa, simpler than ever before. DropCopy is only for Mac OSX, so sorry Windows users. Windows users are SOL because the company does not intend to port it over.
DropCopy works on a jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch. The application is simple, and dead efficient. The application runs on the Mac in the background, allowing easy access. You browse your Mac for files to transfer, and when you see something you like, you just drag it to a circle near the top left of the desktop. You will then be prompted to select a destination iPhone or iPod Touch, and voila, done. Files transferred to your iPhone via DropCopy are stored in the ~/Media/DropCopy folder by default, but another folder can be chosen if desired.
Transferring files from your iPhone is just as easy. You open up the DropCopy application on the iPhone, and you are greeted with a help screen to tell you how to do it. DropCopy is great for quick transfers, and is a good alternative to SSH. The application only allows transfers to the iPhone when it is open, it does not run in the background, and poses no security risk.
You can get DropCopy for your Mac from here. For the iPhone, the application is already listed in Installer.
Written by Chase Higgins on April 18th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Software and iPhone 3rd Party Apps and iPod Touch and iPhone archive.
The Xylo "Touch Thru" hard-shell iPhone case
I wrote of earlier this week boasted that it was "the first of its kind," but I'm always dubious of such claims in the hype-driven gadget universe. Sure enough, just a few days later Uncrate is featuring a similar product from Case-Mate called the "
Naked Case" that goes for the same price.
Other than bearing a far more provocative name, this acrylic case appears to do the same things its rival promises--allowing touch-screen access through a clear protective cover. (Case-Mate credits its "electrostatic membrane" while the competing Xylo talks of "ultrasonic signals." Whatever.)
It's unclear which came first, but it really doesn't matter--this is already way too much time spent on the given topic. Suffice it to say that there's more than one way to protect and use your iPhone and iPod Touch screen for $35.
Written by -Administration- on April 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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Is your iPhone marred by fingerprints? Do your digits leave a gross smear of grease on an otherwise lovely display? Well, now a small company in Austria has just the solution for you. For just 9.90 euros ($14.16) these Phone Fingers will protect your precious iPhone (or any touch-screen phone for that matter) from nasty smudges. Made out of black latex, they come in four sizes, from small to extra large. They're certainly the most unique iPhone accessory we've seen, even if they'll make you look like a dominatrix. Check out this
zany video for a closer look.
Written by -Administration- on April 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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I consume what an expert might call “way too much media,” but even I only have so much time. More often than not, I need to keep a list—a queue if you will—of all the books, movies, TV shows, music, video games, etc. that I want to check out. Sure, I could just keep a note in the iPhone Notes app, but sometimes typing the information in is just an exercise in frustration.
Besides, a picture = 1K words, right? Snapping a shot is easy, but it still means that you have to take the time to do the heavy lifting later. That’s where ViPR comes in. Designed by Evolution Robotics Inc., ViPR is a visual pattern recognition system: you can take a picture of an object like a book or movie, email it to the ViPR server, and have it send you back information about it, including links to iTunes (for music), YouTube (for video), and the web. The software even seems to be able to do its job if you take sloppy off-angle pictures, like me, snap an upside down shot, or have your hand covering part of the object.
The company’s also developing a native iPhone application, which they say is due out in June. I’m hoping for some robust list features so I can really keep track of all my extensive media habits. Hit the jump below for a demo video.
[via Gizmodo]
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Written by Dan Moren on April 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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