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Tips and Tricks for Iphone Noob

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Outlier, Apr 6, 2011.

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  1. super_mario

    super_mario Member

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    I think it would be cool to have facetime on my 3gs but I don't think it would work very well with the one camera on the back of the phone.

    Also, jailbreaking the phone opens it up to malicious apps. Apps in the Apple app store are vetted by Apple. Apps from the app store can also be revoked. Having a "white list" of trusted applications is not bad.
     
  2. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    Sure thing. I have a 3G only and the stuff below may have changed since two versions... but I found some helpful ways to utilize my phone to the fullest... I'll share some. :cool:

    Tips:
    Shake it up, baby
    With most applications, you can "shake" the device to do an action. In texting (Messages), it will ask if you would like to undo the last typing action. In the iPod application, it will play the next song in a shuffle.

    Take the screenshot
    If you ever need to take a screen shot to show someone what your screen looks like, press the menu button for a second, hold it, and press the off/on button on top. It will flash and save the screen shot to your Camera Roll album.

    Are you going to Geo tag that?
    By default, the iPhone Geo tags your location onto each photo. To turn it off, go to Settings, Location Services, and switch the "Camera" button to "off." You can also turn the GPS (location service) for other apps here.

    Whose bright stripes and bright screens
    Bring down your screen's brightness to save battery life.

    Hang Up and Lock
    When finished with a call, don't just hang up by pressing the red "End" button, press the on/off button on top. This not only hangs up the phone call, it also locks the phone so you don't inadvertently call another person or start an app.
    I disagree with this. :eek:
     
  3. DarkHorse

    DarkHorse Member

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    I said "facetime on a 3g" but what I meant was "facetime on 3g". :) Typo.

    Under normal circumstances, facetime only works on wifi. Sorry about the confusion.


    I mean, as far as jailbreaking opening up the phone to malicious apps, if you're concerned about that then you are the classic case for staying away from jailbreaking.

    I personally don't subscribe to the notion that only apps screened by apple are safe for my phone, anymore than I worry about installing applications on my PC, but I also don't discredit anyone for taking the established, middle of the road approach. I mean, obviously Apple's model is working because it's making them a lot of money.

    But after jailbreaking my phone, I can tell you that I personally like my phone a lot more. Maybe it's cause I'm a software engineer and I'm used to having more control.
     
  4. shipwreck

    shipwreck Member

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    Does jailbreaking ones device clear its exisiting contents? How easy is it to revert, or tell if the phone has been jailbroken? Are there any realistic negative ramifications to watch out for?
     
  5. oomp

    oomp Member

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    Hitting ignore on a call will send them directly to voicemail. Hit top button (sleep) to stop call on your side & keep them ringing.
     
  6. DarkHorse

    DarkHorse Member

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    It does clear the contents of your phone because it modifies the firmware. But if you have stuff from the iTunes store you can make sure all of your purchases are synched before you do it and just put everything back on the phone. (use the normal iTunes Backup function) Some stuff you won't be able to save like text message history, but it should be relatively unimportant stuff like that.


    It's actually super easy to revert. You just connect to iTunes and tell it to Restore your phone, and that's it. After you do the Restore, then you can pick the "Restore from backup" option and get all of your apps and stuff back.
     
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  7. The_Yoyo

    The_Yoyo Member

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    one of my favorite jailbreak apps is camera buttons it cost me 99 cents in cydia but its one of the most practical tweaks i've ever used. It lets me use my volume buttons when I have my camera app open to take pictures or record video. This way i can hold the phone in a much more natural camera position and not have to tap the screen to take a photo.
     
    #27 The_Yoyo, Apr 6, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2011
  8. DarkHorse

    DarkHorse Member

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    The only thing I can really think of is that jailbreaking technically voids your warranty if you have one. Having said that, you can always restore to the non-jailbroken state and supposedly you can still get support that way.

    Just to be clear though, it is not in any way illegal.


    Really the main reason for NOT jailbreaking is pretty much if you PREFER to keep things the way Apple give them to you. Apple would prefer to maintain that control because it keeps you using their products and buying apps from their store. They spend a lot of money trying to set themselves apart from the rest of the world, and a lot of people really like that. Jailbreaking breaks you apart from the traditional Apple experience, and for some people that kills a small part of their soul. Only you can decide if you are that kind of person or not.
     
  9. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    :confused:
    [​IMG]

    :p
     
  10. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    My friend jailbroke his iPhone 4 and tells me how great it is but.....are there any potential drawbacks?
     
  11. CrazyDave

    CrazyDave Member

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    What about when there are software updates (read: new fixes and features)
    Isn't updating problematic for jailbreakers? I've heard/read a lot of headaches related to this. This to me would be one of the main reasons not to. Aside from the fact that not many of those jailbreak 'features' are appealing enough to warrant the headache/concern.
     
  12. bnb

    bnb Member

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    If i get an older iphone passed on from someone who no longer wants it, what's involved in getting it to work on my network and data plan? Is this the 'jailbreaking' of what you speak, or is there something else needed or are phones specific to certain carriers?

    And do I even 'need' a data plan if all I'm happy using it in places where there's open WIFI? Can I just use it as a phone? I'm really clueless about this stuff...
     
  13. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    Is your network T-Mobile or the like? If so, they have some info on their boards. Here is one of many threads: http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Non-T...phone-Internet-to-Work-on-T-mobile/td-p/66349

    Jailbreaking, as others have stated, takes control away from Apple and puts it in your hands so you can get data and applications that are not offered by Apple or their store. I'm not sure if you need to jailbreak your phone to work on another carrier but it wouldn't surprise me.

    I believe all carriers are now requiring data plans for any smartphone.
     
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  14. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    NO. That's not jailbreaking. You just visit your new or current phone company, tell them you have an iPhone you would like to use, and they sell you the service via an activated SIM card you (or they) put on the iPhone, and then activate. You will more than likely have to restore the iPhone to factory defaults (deletes everything). Read this: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5689731

    Yes. All iPhones require a data plan. You cannot activate an iPhone without a data plan, because this is how you will get apps (via wi-fi or 3G or iTunes on your PC).
    No. What's the point of having an iPhone without all the good apps and music? ;)
     
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  15. DarkHorse

    DarkHorse Member

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    Actually SwoLy, you are in error here. I'm on T-Mobile, and I don't have a data plan (nor have I ever), and I have an iPhone.

    Opening up the phone to other carriers is called "unlocking," and it's a different process than jailbreaking, but jailbreaking IS a prerequisite. As part of the jailbreaking process, you can also choose to additionally "unlock" the phone. Honestly it's a lot easier to do this on a Mac in my experience, but you can also do it from a PC. (check out pwnageTool)

    Wifi works just fine for me as far as getting apps and music, etc. In fact, it's even more efficient just to get them on iTunes on my PC and then sync. And yes, I use the real iTunes store and yes, I have a real iTunes account, and yes, I pay real american dollars for my purchases. I just choose not to pay the extra $15 a month for the data plan.
     
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  16. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    Good correction, then. I am with AT&T and they require a data plan. I do not know of the other carriers. :eek:

    There's a cheap way here: http://www.jbwebdev.com/data-plan-tmobile-iphone/
     
  17. Outlier

    Outlier Member

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    so my iphone is a 3gs and it's already been jailbroken.

    question: is there anyway to get games that cost money for free? and how do i put them into my iphone?

    Any suggestions for good quality games? I'm currently downloading Pocket Legends...
     
  18. Lil Pun

    Lil Pun Member

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    I have a 3GS I might attempt to jailbreak just to see what I can do with both types.
     
  19. Qball

    Qball Member

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    I'm sorry, you'll never lose the 'noob' term if you go with an iPhone. ;)
     
  20. OmegaSupreme

    OmegaSupreme Member

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    ...and so it begins.
     

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