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Written by Jim Barr
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Thursday, 26 January 2006 |
IPTtips.com Launches
After purchasing an iPod Touch (IPT), I quickly discovered that its capabilities far surpassed being just a media player with its Multitouch interface, WiFi, Web browsing, and basic PIM applications. And with existing "unofficial" and forthcoming "official" applications, the IPT could easily be destined to become the killer next-generation PDA. So, in keeping with tradition, I registered IPTtips.com to provide Tips, reviews, and information about the iPod Touch.
I'm really excited about the iPod Touch, particularly because Apple has plans release a Software Development Kit (SDK) so we should soon see additional applications. There is also an "unofficial" group of dedicated and skilled developers who are also creating applications that really boost its capabilities.
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PDA's: Back to Basics Check out my new Palm Z22 PDA articles! First, is an article where I explain how I am trying to simplify my PDA use by moving to a Palm Z22. Next, I review Palm's Air Case for the Z22. Finally, I review the good bad, and simple of the Z22 PDA.
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Written by Jim Barr
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
 I'm always looking for decent cases for the devices I carry, and I have found another case for the iPod Touch that I just love. The Belkin Silicone Skin Case is a molded case made of silicone rubber that stretches to fit snugly around the iPod Touch. It provides cut-outs for the screen, top power button, brightness sensor, Universal Connector, and headphones. There is also a recessed portion over the front Home button giving it a great look and nice tactile feel. The case nicely protects the chrome back from scratches, and it provides the iPod Touch with a great grip. It only adds just a fraction of an inch to the overall size, so your iPod Touch remains slim and sleek.
This case is simple, yet elegant in design, but like similar "skin" cases it does not provide any protection for the screen, so a modest screen protector is included. (I personally use some left-over Palm PDA screen protectors, though the supplied protector will work just fine.) This setup makes the iPodtTouch very "front-pocketeble", and I am much more likely to regularly carry it with me because of the small size and confidence in the protection. After all, what's the point of having a device that contains your favorite content if it is too bulky to take with you? Currently, this is my case of choice. |
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Written by Jim Barr
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
Text entry on the iPod Touch's on-screen keyboard is surprisingly easy, but sometimes, it can be tedious to enter numbers, symbols, or special characters. But did you know that there are a few "shortcuts" that you can use to make this kind of entry quicker and easier? Read on for some tips on "shifting" letters, inserting numbers, symbols, and International characters, and making a quick entry correction.... |
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Written by Jim Barr
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
 Arguably, one of the greatest current contributions to the Internet is Wikipedia, a solid encyclopedic resource for general knowledge of topics spanning literally millions of articles. Though the accuracy of some of its articles is questionable, overall, Wikipedia does an excellent job of presenting generally reliable content. A point of note that any researcher, student, or general Internet user should know, is that because of its susceptibility to error and vandalism, Wikipedia, should not be used as a difinitive research resource, it should be considered a great starting point for researching a topic.)
Like searching on Google, Wikipedia is fast and intuitive to use. On the iPod Touch, the Safari Web browser renders Wikipedia pages very well. But accessing Wikipedia from the iPod Touch has one major drawback: you must be online. Recently, however, there have been several sfforts to provide Wikipedia content in an offline format. This article covers two such offerings:
Wikipedia.appWiki2Touch (My Pick!)
I review what I like about them, what I dislike, and which I like best, so read on for a full review of these two applications.... |
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Written by Jim Barr
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
Web Clips on your iPod Touch's Home Page are very handy, but if you accidentally delete one, how do you get it back? Well, you can't. When you create a Web Clip, consider also creating a corresponding Bookmark in Safari. This way, should you ever accidentally delete your Web Clip, you will have an easy way to get it back. Bookmarks can also be optionally synced through iTunes providing additional backup.
To create a Bookmark from a Web Clip, simply launch your Web Clip, tap the "+" button and select "Add Bookmark".
To create a Web Clip from a Bookmark, launch Safari, select the Bookmark, let the page load, and then tap the "+" button and select "Save to Home page".
An added benefit of maintaining Web Clips as Bookmarks is that you now have access to Web Clip pages right from within Safari instead of having to exit Safari to the Home page and selecting the Web Clip. I like to store these Web Clip Bookmarks in a "Web Clips" folder in my Bookmarks, but you can organize them however you want.
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Written by Jim Barr
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
Here's a simple, yet not always intuitive tip. Have you ever been using Safari while lying down in bed or on a couch? You get comfortable, and as you tilt your iPod Touch, does the screen auto-rotate the wrong way? You then go through the delecate balancing act of finding that "sweet spot" just before it rotates, then you cock your head uncomfortably, just to view Safari in widescreen mode? Well, the solution is so simple, if you follow Apple's intuitive UD design. Because the iPod Touch only rotates 90° in either direction, once it is rotated, it will not rotate further. So when rotating yout iPod Touch, simply rotate it in direction you are lying. For example, if you lye down on your right side, rotate it clockwise. If you turn over to your left side, rotate it counter-clockwise.
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Written by Jim Barr
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Monday, 03 March 2008 |
 Like any PDA or pocket-sized electronic device, the iPod Touch is prone to scratches and dings, so on eof the first accessories you should consider is a case to protect it. Cases come in all sizes and shapes, so what is best for you is a very personal and subjective decision. I found the Griffin Elan Convertible case at my local Circuit City, and I find it to be a solid choice for the money. Read on for a full review.... |
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Written by Jim Barr
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Tuesday, 26 February 2008 |
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The Google Maps application included in the "January Update" apps has a very nice offline feature: Routing. While connected to WiFi, Tap the "Directions" button, and enter the starting location and then the ending location of your desired route. Maps will then download the route data and store it for offline use. All route-point information including zoomed-in maps immediately surrounding each route point is downloaded. Once completed (ie: the progress "spinner" stops) you can shut off WiFi, and the route information will be retained to use offline. Read on for more details on how to use this useful feature.... |
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The Complete Collections | "Complete Collections" are consolidated Tips pages. |  | Click above to view "Gmail Tips - The Complete Collection" that includes my original review, and all the Tips.
|  | | Click above to view "Moxi Tips - The Complete Collection" that includes my original review, and all the Tips. |
Top Site
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GmailTips.com is proud to have been listed as one of PC Magazine's "99 Undiscovered Web Sites" in their "Top Web Sites of 2006" article. PC Magazine describes these 99 sites as
"...sites that are flying under the radar, but are useful, funny, or interesting enough to merit entrée into the Web's public consciousness." |
ReplayTV to DVD Howto
ReplayTV 5xxx owners: From transfered recording to DVD in under an hour!
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