Ken Burkhalter
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Finally (IMHO) a Great Alarm Clock Ap

 

We travel around the world a lot, and with time zone shifts and exhaustive days a good alarm clock is a critical accessory to have.  Due to baggage space restrictions, we have had to carry as many "Swiss Army knife" (multi-function) devices as possible.  The iPhone has become our electronic Swiss Army knife, providing a traveler's delight of functionality from Alarm Clock to fight tracking to tide charting.


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Use Your Ringtones for Alarm Clock Sounds

 

I've seen a number of posts around lamenting that various iPhone Alarm Clock applications can only  play canned sounds or iPod tunes, but not Ringtones for an alarm sound (Although I've got to admit I can't imagine why anyone would want to think their phone was ringing at 6:00AM!?).

Actually, if your Alarm Ap supports iPod tune playing for alarm sounds, then, as they say, "You're in fat city".

To use a Ringtone for a


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Dragon Dictation-The Killer Ap?

At last I think I've found my killer ap for the iPhone.  It is "Dragon Dictation" from Nuance Software (http://www.nuance.com). Based on their "Dragon Naturally Speaking" for the PC software, they have ported a significant portion of the functionality to the iPhone platform.  I found the speed and accuracy of this ap to be extraordinary... especially given that it is FREE (at the moment). Search for "Dragon Dictation" at the iTunes Application store to locate this ap.


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The Ultimate Universal Charger/Cable setup

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 For years I have looked for a "minimalist" portable and universal charger and cable system to support our phones, cameras, GPS units and other electronic devices while traveling.

Tired of hauling around a bag of chargers and different cables to match the varying connection ports on each device, I finally initiated an exhaustive Internet search accompanied by lots of contact emails to clarify specs, etc.

All of this effort has paid off, however, in the form of a single charger that works in vehicle 12V sockets as well as international power mains (with appropriate adapter plugs) from 90-240 VAC, AND a single cable with interchangable Tips at the device end.


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Tethering OS 3.0 iPhones w/o Jailbreaking

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There has been much disappointment with AT&T for not enabling tethering the iPhone to your laptop for Internet connections.


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iPhone 3GS Compass Calibration

A number of people have reported difficulty in calibrating their 3G S Compass.

The documentation is rather vague in the procedure.  It states:

"The compass needs to be calibrated the first time you use it, and may need to be calibrated occasionally after that. iPhone alerts you whenever calibration is needed.


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3G S Map Orientation from Compass

The iPhone 3G S documentation indicates that "The icon at the bottom of the Compass screen lets you find your current location in Maps. Maps also takes advantage of the built-in compass to show which way you’re facing."

Initially I couldn't make it work as unfortunately there is no more information presented on how to make that work!

Here's the secret.


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Home Security & Automation Application

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We travel a  lot and since we live in Michigan, the weather extremes can be severe.  Thus I always wanted to be able to monitor house and freezer temperatures while we were gone.  We once returned home to find a freezer had failed and the resulting aroma and mess was so substantial we had to haul the freezer out of the house and to the dump!


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Simplify Connecting to Your iPhone via Your Local LAN

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Due to the Apple SDK constraints on developers of iPhone software, data exchanges with your phone is limited to email and local area network connectivity. 

Some iPhone applications such as “Files” allow you to import and read your Word, Excel, and PDF files from your desktop computer to your phone, and move that data to the iPhone by establishing a wireless connection between the phone and desktop over a LAN.


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iPhone Image Storage Locations

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The Camera and Screen Capture capability of the iPhone is extraordinarily handy, but only useful if you can then use the images (which generally means getting them onto your desktop/laptop computer).


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