Expert Blogs

You want more time? Now there's an App for that!

If you ever wished for a genie to give you a longer life, there is now an App for that! Skyclock shows you how to get your day's worth, each and every day!

When I first saw this App I thought "So what?" but then as I started using it I rapidly discovered what a useful and rather amazing tool it was. I never thought about the daily changing skylight conditions that we take for granted. It just doesn't get light or dark at the same time every day!

By Ken Burkhalter, June 14, 2010

iPhone on T-Mobile?

In a note to investors, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said his checks with Apple suppliers and others suggest AT&T Inc. will lose its exclusive place as the iPhone carrier no later than the first half of next year.

By Ken Burkhalter, June 12, 2010

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.

By Ken Burkhalter, January 11, 2010

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

By Ken Burkhalter, January 11, 2010

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.

By Ken Burkhalter, December 12, 2009

The Ultimate Universal Charger/Cable setup

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.

By Ken Burkhalter, November 16, 2009

Tethering OS 3.0 iPhones w/o Jailbreaking

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

By Ken Burkhalter, July 3, 2009

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.

By Ken Burkhalter, July 3, 2009

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.

By Ken Burkhalter, July 3, 2009

Home Security & Automation Application

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!

By Ken Burkhalter, January 31, 2009

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