The Preferred Toronto Apple Reseller of MacMedics:
The Preferred iPod and iPhone repair shop in Toronto of MacMedics:
A Safe Way To Dispose Of Your eWaste – And Get A Tax Receipt Too!
My Preferred Canadian-Based ISP
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Jul
31
MobileMe Sync – Fixed!
Filed Under MobileMe, Tips | Leave a Comment
This is followup to yesterday’s post on my own syncing issues with the MobileMe service. I’m happy to report the issue is fixed! Apple actually acknowledged the problem on their Mobile Me Status Page (no. 3). The procedure for resetting the sync on the iPhone is here. Now, if only we could more easily control the colour of the calendars the iPhone/iPod Touch create! – a work-around can be found here. Thanks for the quick response Apple!
Jul
30
Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown
Filed Under MobileMe, Rants | Leave a Comment
This is the title of a book by Alan Watts and a title of a Van Morrison song. It’s also a description of my last couple of days with Apple’s MobileMe service. I was really enjoying the service and loving the near real-time sync of my contacts and calendar. Finally, no more conflicts or lapses in my data between my computers and phone.
That all began to go awry without warning or provocation yesterday. I noticed some contacts missing on my iPhone and then all the names within the Favourites section of the iPhone contacts disappeared. Contact information was jumbled and data was missing. Thank goodness this wasn’t occurring down the line on my other computers (another lesson in why backup is so important). I attempted to fix the issue using Apple’s recommendations of deleting and recreating my MobileMe account on the phone, but I haven’t been able to restore a proper sync since. The issue seems to be most persistent for Contacts – they just won’t appear, although they exist in tact on the web and in my Address Book. The calendar and bookmarks come in, but that’s it. This is disappointing as I again have to physically connect my iPhone to my Mac directly to get my important information onto it.
Not everyone is having this difficulty, but I and many others are. It’s too bad – so much promise. I’m confident this will eventually get resolved, but at the moment, for me, MobileMe is MobileBust.
Jul
26
Lost In The Cloud
Filed Under MobileMe, Views | Leave a Comment
The cloud. A amorphous place that stores our information waiting to be tickled by our desktop computers, laptops and mobile devices. The new buzz word. The new way of accessing our precious information. This is the place where Apple’s MobileMe service lives. I’ve written a brief review of MM in another post. However, a lot of people (Apple claims 1% or 20,000 customers!) have not had a positive experience with it and some of my clients are among them. Their email has either been inaccessible or in some cases, disappeared! A couple of recent articles by David Pogue and the other by Walt Mossberg are quite critical of the new service – a case of Apple trying to do too much at all once and missing the PR boat on letting customers in on what’s happening.
My experience of MobileMe has actually been quite positive. It works as advertised. When I add a contact or a calendar event to my iPhone it shows up on my computers and visa versa. It doesn’t sync my non-mobileme email, but I knew it wouldn’t. I have to push my data from my computers manually if I want a quicker sync, but I actually find it very easy and not a hassle (it will do it on it’s own as well). I’ve not experienced the 15 minute wait between syncs from my computer to my phone and If I enter data via the web interface or on my iPhone the changes appear almost instantaneously.
That being said, I don’t use MobileMe/.Mac as a my main email address and repository for electronic correspondence. For those that do, running regular backups is very important, especially since syncing changes to information works both ways – additions and deletions occur all the way down the line. I’ve helped clients recover lost calendar data because they accidently deleted an iCal calendar which deleted itself down the line from MobileMe, to each of their machines and even to Google Calendar which they were syncing with. Using Time Machine recovered the data and we were able to restore it back to all machines and services.
It’s important to periodically file messages into local mailboxes in the case of MobileMe/.Mac. You can also archive MobileMe mailboxes as an Mbox file – a standard email mailbox format = for restoration if need be.
Cloud computing is a great concept with it’s promise of ‘everywhere access’ to our information, but it also contains many potential pitfalls and ways to lose our data. There are sync services such as SugarSync that allow information to be the same and available on all our systems and on the internet. The key difference is that they make backups (and very often historical and redundant archives) in case of unintentional data deletion while it appears Apple has not, which is unbelievable. I’ll be discussing some of these amazing new data sync services in an upcoming post so stay tuned.
Jul
24
Apple Store Envy
Filed Under Rants, Views | Leave a Comment
I love Montreal. I really do. I went to school and lived there for 7 years. Many formative changes for me happened there. I go back every summer and other times too. But for goodness sakes, why in the world did Montreal get such a beautiful Apple Store?
I remember when the Yorkdale Apple Store opened in Toronto. It was exciting to have our own store, but let’s face it – it’s small and Toronto is huge. Then came the announcement of an Eaton Centre location. I’m thinking, ‘alright, we’re going to get our flagship store just like San Francisco and New York’. If you’ve been to the Eaton Centre Apple Store you’ll know that it’s another small boutique outlet. Don’t get me wrong – they’re beautiful stores and they do a brisk business.
But I want Toronto to have a huge flagship store. It deserves one – on Queen Street or Bloor Street. We are the GTA! This is Toronto! There is tremendous demand in this city for Apple products and an extremely large existing client base. And it’s fun to walk into these big stores. And they might offer better training facilities for One-To-One users.
I know that the Apple Stores are a threat to the smaller resellers in the city. In fact, I prefer to use local resellers to the larger Apple Store outlet (my preferred reseller is Riverdale and Beaches Mac to be specific). They tend to be more responsive, personal, support the local community and are generally easier to deal with. However, having a large Apple flagship store pushes the brand more into the limelight and I think this helps everyone. So, come on Apple – give Toronto the store it deserves!
Jul
23
Plugging Into Apple Mail
Filed Under Advice, Apple Mail, Recommendations, Views | 1 Comment
Many of my clients use Apple’s free email program simply called Mail. Some chose it at the beginning of their experience with OS X and some have made the transition to it from other applications, mainly Microsoft’s Entourage (part of their MS Office suite of applications). The great thing about Mail in its current form since Leopard’s (10.5) release is its tight integration with the other Apple applications such as iCal, Address Book and now MobileMe. The built-in data detection of addresses and dates is cool and it supports Quick Look for fast perusal of attachments. It does, however, have it’s critics.
One major complaint is how it draws those said attachments while composing a message. If you’re attaching a single page PDF or an image of almost any kind, the file will draw itself in the body of the message making it difficult to type around the attachment if it’s been inserted between text or inadvertently somewhere you don’t want. Multi-page PDF’s, text documents etc…draw normally as just icons.
Another complaint is it’s inability to categorize messages without creating a mail box that might correspond to how a message might be filed. Entourage users miss a tighter integration with their calendar and to-do lists. Wouldn’t it be great if Mail could do these things properly?
There is an answer. I use two great plug-in applications with Mail that really extend it’s functionality. One is Mail Attachments Iconizer which helps to draw attachments in particular ways and the other is Mail Tags, an amazing add-on that provides keyword tagging, message notation, colour coding and tight integration with iCal for creating appointments and To-dos on the fly. I won’t go into more detail as you can check out their sites directly.
I also recommend the great Take Control eBook on Apple Mail – they have one for Leopard and one for Tiger.
Please note that I am not affiliated in any way with any companies or products that I recommend.
Jul
21
When I appeared on CityTV’s CP24 Home Page segment recently I was asked about how I was able to use my 2G (first generation) iPhone with Rogers in Canada. The process is called Unlocking which allows an iPhone to be used with any carrier that supports the GSM cellular standard. Another process, called Jail-breaking, allows the installation of third party applications into the iPhone. This worked well up to version 1.1.4 of the iPhone and iPod Touch software. When version 2.0 came out those of us with currently unlocked devices were told to wait to upgrade as no unlocking hack was available. Because I wanted to test the new 2.0 software as well as the sync possibilities and promises of MobileMe I went out and bought the officially supported 3G iPhone.
The iPhone ‘hacking’ team called the iPhone Dev Team has claimed that they can now both unlock and jailbreak older iPhones to 2.0 and just jailbreaks the new 3G iPhone. What does this mean? It means if you purchased an older phone and want to take advantage of the newer 2.0 software you may be in luck, although the process, as the iPhone developer Erica Sadun notes, is not for the faint of heart. If you own a new iPhone 3G the news is a bit gray. Although you might want to jailbreak your new phone, Apple’s new App store is a great service that gives you access to tons of applications – some free, some not – in a very to easy to use interface. The application community that you get access to using a jailbreaked phone were not all free, although many were. However, the relative stability and (hopefully) reliability lessens the value of the hack of the new phone.
My recommendation is that you upgrade older hacked phones at your peril. If you want to take advantage of the new features of the 3G model and all it has to offer you can’t really go wrong. You’ll have a warranty, get the new 2.0 software pre-installed, a great GPS (it really works well), 3G cellular speeds and a better data plan than I ever had with my unlocked phone.
I’m not saying the unlocking/jailbreaking tools aren’t useful – they’re just not as useful as this Fortune article points out. At any rate, BE CAREFUL with your older phones and unlock at your own risk.
Jul
17
MobileMe and iPod/iPhone 2.0 Software – First Impressions
Filed Under Advice, MobileMe, Tips, Views, iPhone | 1 Comment
I have been fortunate to be able to test out the newly released iPhone software on my own brand new 3G unit as well as on my on my iPod Touch. With MobileMe finally up and running I ran the new services through its paces and I have to say I’m pretty impressed.
There have been hiccups over the last few days with the intense interest and traffic to Apple’s site, but things have settled down a bit and Apple has made a few clarifications about this service as well as a one month extension to existing .Mac/MobileMe members. Before you install the new software on your iPod Touch or sync your iPhone please, please back sync and/or backup any important information on the device or computer. The same absolutely holds true when migrating to MobileMe either from .Mac or for the first time. Back up your Address Book and Calendar information first! You may have to reset the Sync History within the MobileMe system preference. If you don’t see it you’ll have to download the updater here. It requires Mac OS 10.4.11 or 10.5.4.
The iPod Touch software update can only be done through iTunes and costs $9.99. It is worth it! The App store is easy to use and there are some great free offerings. I utilized Apple’s Remote application to control my MacBook’s iTunes library at a recent party and it is worked flawlessly. I was able to hook my computer directly to stereo 1 (living room) and stream music to an Airport Express attached to Stereo 2 (Garden) and control the whole scene from my iPod Touch – what’s playing, skipping tracks, volume, browsing etc..I absolutely love it. The new Calendar is great as it now respects multiple calendars and colour codes them appropriately. The search function in Contacts is very welcome.
Setting MobileMe to work with my different Macs and iPod Touch/iPhone isn’t difficult, but one needs to act with caution. I chose to override the data on MobileMe from my Mac to make sure all was in Sync (you will be prompted). There are some issues to be aware of. Check out MacRumors take here. Also make sure you check out Apple’s overview. It’s really great to be able to input calendar or contact information in my iPhone and watch it sync to my laptop and desktop computers. The MobileMe web interface is elegant, but still a bit choppy in performance. When entering or changing data via the web or iPhone interface syncing is fairly quick. However, if you enter data on your laptop/desktop it can take up to 15 minutes for the changes to appear on your iPhone or on the web (hence Apple’s clarification). However, not having to sync up my devices manually is very freeing and knowing they’re in sync is great.
One note – adding information is great, but deleting an item will also occur down the sync line so be careful when doing this.
The App store is fun to peruse and there are many useful free items, but be careful – it’s easy to spend money here. All in all I really love my iPhone and the new software. I sense a few glitches here and there (some apps crash and I’ve had re-download some items) and battery life is a bit dodgy when running in 3G mode – Apple is already working on a new update to the 2.0 software.
More to come…
Jul
15
iPhone 3G / MobileMe First Impressions
Filed Under MobileMe, Views, iPhone | Leave a Comment
In order to test out and get to know the new iPhone 3G and how it works with MobileMe and I felt I had to go out and myself a new unit (poor me). My first impression: I LOVE THIS DEVICE and I love how it works with MobileMe. The glitches of the first few days of the truly bold rollout of the phone, new service and new software for both the iPhone and iPod Touch are working themselves out. The syncing between computer and iPhone/iPod Touch works beautifully (with some careful configuration) and the new App Store is going to extend the functionality of the iPhone to new levels. A full reviews and deeper descriptive impression is forthcoming so stay tuned…
Jul
12
Setting Up MobileMe Sync
Filed Under MobileMe, Tips | Leave a Comment
Once you manage to actually log into MobileMe and get an iPhone or update your iPod touch this link will take you Apple’s how-to of setting it all up. You will also have to update to the latest version of Mac OS 10 (10.5.4 as of this post) and the new iTunes (7.7).
Jul
12
Not a steller day for Johnny Appleseed. The release of the iPhone, it’s new software and the MobileMe rollout all in one day – it was just too much. I’m holding off on all the updates to be safe and let the early adopters take the fall. My 2G iPhone continues to work, but won’t be honored by Rogers vis a vis the new services like Visual Voice Mail or better data plan – I have to buy a new 3G model to get that. I have to wait at least a few days past my 1 year as a cellular subscriber. Echh! I can’t log into MobileMe no matter what I try, but I can get my .Mac mail and see my iDisk. Very odd. My iPod Touch remains at version 1.1.4 – the 2.0 software just isn’t appearing. All in all it’s a pretty dismal showing for Apple. I’m sure they’re trying their best, but it’s a bit of a washout. I’m just going to go into denial and pretend the release is next Friday!