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Posts with tag iphone 101

iPhone 101: Headphone issues

Recently, my iPhone was having issues. Specifically, it thought headphones were inserted when they weren't. I first noticed the problem as I was typing and didn't hear that familiar "click" that normally accompanies a key press.

I thought I had accidentally toggled the ringer mute button (which I seem to do often), but no, it was set to ring. I inserted some headphones and heard everything - the clicks, music, etc.

I placed a call and tried turning the speaker on and off to no avail. Next, I rebooted the phone. No dice. I connected it to my Mac and performed a sync with iTunes and still, there was no sound.

I reset the phone by holding down the power button and the home button. Still, there was no sound without headphones. At last, I got a can of compressed air and gave a couple of short blasts into the headphone port. That did it! The phone must have been interpreting the junk that had collected in there over the past year as headphones.

A simple solution that, hopefully, will save you some time.

iPhone 101: typing accented characters



Over at MacTips they have a nice tip which I figured would make for a good iPhone 101. If you find yourself needing to type an accented character (acutes, graves, umlauts, etc.), all you have to do is hold down the relevant key for a couple of seconds and voilà a nice pop-up menu will appear with the available choices. The trick works for a number of different characters besides the vowels (e.g. 'z' and '?') and seems to function as well on the iPod touch.

iPhone 101: Bookmark travel destinations

I did some traveling this summer (with two toddlers, so don't be envious). Certain that I'd need to conduct a search or two, I bookmarked my destinations on my iPhone, and you can do the same. Just follow the steps:

  1. Launch Google Maps.
  2. Enter the zip code of your destination city.
  3. Once it has been found, create a bookmark.
  4. Repeat for each stop you'll make.

Now, when you're jonesing for a venti iced green tea latte in a strange place, simply launch Maps, click Bookmarks and then your location. You'll be sippin' in no time.

iPhone 101: End a call quickly

When you simultaneously press the sleep/wake button and the volume button during a call on the iPhone, you'll immediately end that call and lock the screen.

Now, at the end of a conversation, you may give your iPhone a gentle squeeze and slip it right into your pocket.

Thanks, Will!

iPhone 101: Take decent photos

There's one aspect of the iPhone that's counter-intuitive - the camera.

Unlike nearly every camera ever made, the iPhone takes a picture when the "shutter button" is released, not pressed.*

I've gotten some nice snapshots, but only after I figured out my current process:
  1. Press and hold the shutter button
  2. Compose the shot
  3. Release the button
Now, isn't that better?

*Yes, many digital cameras feature a "two-stage" process (half a press to focus, full to capture the image), but most take the photo upon a full press, not release, of the shutter button.

iPhone 101: Locate your callers

Here's a neat feature that almost works beautifully. If you've received a call from a number you don't recognize, go to "Recents" and touch its blue arrow. A window appears that lists the number as well as the geographic origin, based on area code. Pretty cool.

Of course, if a person purchased her phone in New York and them moved to Colorado, this information would be incorrect. Still, it could help you identify that "mystery caller."

iPhone 101: Updating your "Sent from my iPhone" email signature

Is that "Sent from my iPhone" message starting to get on your nerves? By default, every email sent from your iPhone gets appended by a signature specified in Settings > Mail > Signature. To clear out this signature entirely, delete all the text from the Signature text field. Your emails will lose that "Sent from my iPhone" tag.

Of course, if signatures don't particularly bother you, you might want to add a more personalized quote or even some contact information (although preferably not using unnecessary ASCII art). Or, you can put on your antipersonnel hat and start messing with people's minds, e.g. "Sent from my Blueberry." How do you intend to sign your emails?

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