My iPhone arrives soon - any tips?

Alan Baxter · 08-27-2009, 08:00 PM

So I'm finally getting my iPhone soon. It should be delivered in a couple of weeks - 16GB of 3GS joy!

Any tips on the best apps and uses? I've been having a read through here and already have Stanza on standby. Any other tips?

ilovejedd · 08-27-2009, 08:54 PM

Have Calibre on standby, too. Be sure your ebooks are in ePUB format. If not, you can convert a bunch of different formats to ePUB with Calibre. You might also want to change the port forwarding rules on your router so you can access the Calibre server over the internet. For that matter, you might want to open a DynDNS or similar account so you have a static address (e.g. mybooks.dyndns.org). Being able to access your entire ebook library anywhere you have 3G/EDGE signal is awesome.

Can't think of anything else at the moment. Enjoy your iPhone!

volwrath · 08-27-2009, 09:46 PM

Jailbreak

Alan Baxter · 08-27-2009, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Have Calibre on standby, too. Be sure your ebooks are in ePUB format. If not, you can convert a bunch of different formats to ePUB with Calibre. You might also want to change the port forwarding rules on your router so you can access the Calibre server over the internet. For that matter, you might want to open a DynDNS or similar account so you have a static address (e.g. mybooks.dyndns.org). Being able to access your entire ebook library anywhere you have 3G/EDGE signal is awesome.

Can't think of anything else at the moment. Enjoy your iPhone!

Is Calibre an app or software for the laptop?

I get the ePub bit, but got pretty lost with everything else you said!

Alan Baxter · 08-27-2009, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volwrath

Jailbreak

Is there really any point? What does that allow that I'm really going to need?

montsnmags · 08-28-2009, 01:50 AM

(Not reading-related)

Shazam - it's an app (free) for those times when you hear some music in a store or on the telly but don't know what it is. You run Shazam, it "listens" to the music, and then analyzes it and (most times) comes back with the track name (and, of course, the option to click through to iTunes to buy it

).

Weather - get OzWeather or PktWeather ($2.49). At the mo' I prefer the former. They cost, but they're worth it, because the built-in weather app is crap, its forecasts never seeming to be accurate or have anything to do with what the BoM is showing. Plus, the bought apps show extra stuff.

The ABC app's (free) not bad either, if you're an ABC watcher/listener/reader.

NSW Food Watch (free) - This app works off the NSW Food Authority database to highlight (by "Nearby", "Map", or "Latest") those food places (restaurants, bakeries, etc.) that have been naughty in regards to hygiene, etc. It's an excellent app, though might make you a bit paranoid.

They're just some I use on my iPod Touch (I might be getting an iPhone 3GS shortly).

Cheers,
Marc

Alan Baxter · 08-28-2009, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Shazam - it's an app (free) for those times when you hear some music in a store or on the telly but don't know what it is. You run Shazam, it "listens" to the music, and then analyzes it and (most times) comes back with the track name (and, of course, the option to click through to iTunes to buy it

).

Now that is amazing! Thanks for the tips. Keep 'em coming.

doreenjoy · 08-28-2009, 02:18 AM

One word: STANZA

Alan Baxter · 08-28-2009, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

One word: STANZA

Got that already!

volwrath · 08-28-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Baxter

Is there really any point? What does that allow that I'm really going to need?

It allows you to easily download files off your iphone such as Kindle books that then can be de-drm'ed, It allows you to use the iphone to tether to a laptop ie internet anywhere for laptop. It allows you to run background tasks to tweek your homescreen, to be able to ssh into your iphone, and basically do whatever you want with it, not what apple wants

Alan Baxter · 08-28-2009, 09:08 AM

Well, Kindle is US centric so I can't get that anyway. You can tether an iphone here without cracking here. What does "ssh into your phone" mean?

ilovejedd · 08-28-2009, 03:00 PM

Secure Shell. Not really something the mainstream user would bother with.

Calibre is a multiplatform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) ebook management software. It has a built-in content web server which you can turn on so you can view your library and download your books using a web browser. It also generates RSS/atom feeds compatible with Stanza. I've found it to be a much easier method to get ebooks from the desktop to the iPhone. Stanza for desktop (Windows version, at least) is still very much a beta product.

One tip if you do install Calibre, create an empty folder where it can store its library. Don't point it to the same folder that contains your ebook collection, especially if you have it arranged nicely. Currently, Calibre creates folders and renames files based on an internal fixed structure:
Author\Book Title (Calibre Index Number)\Book Title - Author.ext

As for portforwarding - assuming you didn't copy over your entire ebook collection to your iPhone, enabling portforwarding on your router for the Calibre server will allow you to access your Calibre library when you're on the go. Of course, you have to leave your computer on for this to work.

DynDNS is for convenience. When you're connected to the internet, you get an internet IP address such as 61.129.236.64. Now unless you have a static IP address account with your ISP (usually for businesses only), those numbers can change and it's pretty frustrating to have to keep track of your IP address and to constantly change the address of the online catalog within Stanza. If you get a free account with DynDNS (or similar), you can get a host name such as alanbaxterebooks.dyndns.org so instead of using

Code:

http://61.129.236.64:8080/stanza/

or whatever your IP address might be at the moment, you can use

Code:

http://alanbaxterebooks.dyndns.org:8080/stanza/

Alan Baxter · 08-28-2009, 08:03 PM

Righ, that's great - thanks for taking the time to explain. I'm on a steep learning curve at the moment!

thianliongpatpoh · 08-29-2009, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Baxter

Well, Kindle is US centric so I can't get that anyway. You can tether an iphone here without cracking here. What does "ssh into your phone" mean?

yeah, but you can still have it. With it you can buy ebooks from amazon.com (there's a how-to on this), or get the suvudu free library offers, or any freebie offer. Not all free over available on Stanza.

fugazied · 08-29-2009, 07:35 PM

Just some apps to check out - Google mobile, Air Sharing, NYTimes, Remote, Solataire, Twitterific, Wikipedia, Dictionary, Pacman!, Convert Free, Stanza, Wordpress, eBuddy, Sudoku, Google earth.

There are so many great apps, it just takes a few hours browsing to get them all, have fun

08-27-2009, 08:00 PM	#1
Alan Baxter Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 198 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: South Coast of NSW, Australia Device: Laptop for now, iPhone soon.	My iPhone arrives soon - any tips? So I'm finally getting my iPhone soon. It should be delivered in a couple of weeks - 16GB of 3GS joy! Any tips on the best apps and uses? I've been having a read through here and already have Stanza on standby. Any other tips?

08-28-2009, 03:00 PM	#12
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,126 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	Secure Shell. Not really something the mainstream user would bother with. Calibre is a multiplatform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) ebook management software. It has a built-in content web server which you can turn on so you can view your library and download your books using a web browser. It also generates RSS/atom feeds compatible with Stanza. I've found it to be a much easier method to get ebooks from the desktop to the iPhone. Stanza for desktop (Windows version, at least) is still very much a beta product. One tip if you do install Calibre, create an empty folder where it can store its library. Don't point it to the same folder that contains your ebook collection, especially if you have it arranged nicely. Currently, Calibre creates folders and renames files based on an internal fixed structure: Author\Book Title (Calibre Index Number)\Book Title - Author.ext As for portforwarding - assuming you didn't copy over your entire ebook collection to your iPhone, enabling portforwarding on your router for the Calibre server will allow you to access your Calibre library when you're on the go. Of course, you have to leave your computer on for this to work. DynDNS is for convenience. When you're connected to the internet, you get an internet IP address such as 61.129.236.64. Now unless you have a static IP address account with your ISP (usually for businesses only), those numbers can change and it's pretty frustrating to have to keep track of your IP address and to constantly change the address of the online catalog within Stanza. If you get a free account with DynDNS (or similar), you can get a host name such as alanbaxterebooks.dyndns.org so instead of using Code: http://61.129.236.64:8080/stanza/ or whatever your IP address might be at the moment, you can use Code: http://alanbaxterebooks.dyndns.org:8080/stanza/

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08-27-2009, 08:54 PM	#2
ilovejedd hopeless n00b Posts: 5,126 Karma: 19597086 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: in the middle of nowhere Device: PW4, PW3, Libra H2O, iPad 10.5, iPad 11, iPad 12.9	Have Calibre on standby, too. Be sure your ebooks are in ePUB format. If not, you can convert a bunch of different formats to ePUB with Calibre. You might also want to change the port forwarding rules on your router so you can access the Calibre server over the internet. For that matter, you might want to open a DynDNS or similar account so you have a static address (e.g. mybooks.dyndns.org). Being able to access your entire ebook library anywhere you have 3G/EDGE signal is awesome. Can't think of anything else at the moment. Enjoy your iPhone!

08-27-2009, 09:46 PM	#3
volwrath Guru Posts: 713 Karma: 1001739 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Device: SGS3/PW2/Nexus72	Jailbreak

08-28-2009, 01:50 AM	#6
montsnmags Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,155 Karma: 4632658 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	(Not reading-related) Shazam - it's an app (free) for those times when you hear some music in a store or on the telly but don't know what it is. You run Shazam, it "listens" to the music, and then analyzes it and (most times) comes back with the track name (and, of course, the option to click through to iTunes to buy it ). Weather - get OzWeather or PktWeather ($2.49). At the mo' I prefer the former. They cost, but they're worth it, because the built-in weather app is crap, its forecasts never seeming to be accurate or have anything to do with what the BoM is showing. Plus, the bought apps show extra stuff. The ABC app's (free) not bad either, if you're an ABC watcher/listener/reader. NSW Food Watch (free) - This app works off the NSW Food Authority database to highlight (by "Nearby", "Map", or "Latest") those food places (restaurants, bakeries, etc.) that have been naughty in regards to hygiene, etc. It's an excellent app, though might make you a bit paranoid. They're just some I use on my iPod Touch (I might be getting an iPhone 3GS shortly). Cheers, Marc

08-28-2009, 02:18 AM	#8
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	One word: STANZA

08-28-2009, 09:08 AM	#11
Alan Baxter Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 198 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: South Coast of NSW, Australia Device: Laptop for now, iPhone soon.	Well, Kindle is US centric so I can't get that anyway. You can tether an iphone here without cracking here. What does "ssh into your phone" mean?

08-28-2009, 08:03 PM	#13
Alan Baxter Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 198 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: South Coast of NSW, Australia Device: Laptop for now, iPhone soon.	Righ, that's great - thanks for taking the time to explain. I'm on a steep learning curve at the moment!

08-29-2009, 07:35 PM	#15
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	Just some apps to check out - Google mobile, Air Sharing, NYTimes, Remote, Solataire, Twitterific, Wikipedia, Dictionary, Pacman!, Convert Free, Stanza, Wordpress, eBuddy, Sudoku, Google earth. There are so many great apps, it just takes a few hours browsing to get them all, have fun