Apple iOS 4 is killing my battery life on my iPod touch

One of the pitfalls of being an early adopter is that you get to be the guinea pig. I upgraded to iOS 4 and my battery is getting wiped out on my iPod touch. I have a 2nd generation iPod touch and I've never seen anything like this before. I really hope Apple releases a patch soon since I rely on my iPod when I drive to work and when I'm at the gym.

It sounds like others are experiencing similar problems on the iPod touch and iPhone.  Make sure to carry a spare power source if you recently upgraded your iPhone or iPod touch to iOS 4.

Verizon's HTC Droid Eris Android 2.1 upgrade coming soon!

The Android OS upgrade to 2.1 is coming to the HTC Droid Eris on Verizon Wireless. The Eris is a light, thin smartphone running Android and it's almost like a smaller, simpler version of the Nexus One.

Information regarding the upgrade is now posted on the Verizon website, so we know that it's coming soon! ROM: 2.36.605.1/Radio: 2.42.00.04.12 update

My favorite features found in Android 2.1 include the following:

• Voice-to-text entry
• Turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps
• Pinch-to-zoom in the Gallery and Google Maps

http://support.vzw.com/information/droid_eris_upgrade.html

When will the Verizon iPhone arrive?

Well, Apple didn't announce a Verizon iPhone this week, so when will this device arrive? Some have speculated that we might see an iPhone on the Verizon network in 2010. Do you still think that will happen?

My wife (who's a family physician) is eagerly awaiting a CDMA iPhone for the Verizon network. Until then, she will patiently wait, even though she qualifies for a "New Every Two" smartphone upgrade on her Verizon account.  To that point, I actually know quite a few physicians who are waiting for the Verizon iPhone.  How long will they be waiting, and will it be worth the wait? Maybe they'll experience 4G speed on that version of the iPhone.

New version of Epocrates on the BlackBerry® is now available!

Epocrates has released an updated version of its software for the BlackBerry.

Get the latest version of Epocrates on your BlackBerry device and enjoy improved performance and the most current clinical content. Click on the "Upgrade Now" for simple steps to get your free upgrade.

Get $100 to trade in your old smartphone for an HTC Tilt2

HTC and AT&T are offerring a trade-in program for customers interested in purchasing the AT&T Tilt2 (also known as the GSM version of the HTC Touch Pro2).

To qualify for the promotion you must trade-in a working smartphone made by BlackBerry®, an Apple® iPhone, a Palm device by Palm, a Nokia smartphone or any device running on the Windows Mobile® or Android operating system. Program start date begins November 18, 2009. Purchase a new HTC TILT2 and trade-in your qualifying smartphone by January 31, 2010. Package and send in all of the below items postmarked by February 28, 2010.

More details can be found here:  http://www.htctradein.com/att/

Bluetooth killing my battery life on Touch Pro2 after Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade

Well, it appears that Mike (who left a comment in an earlier post) was correct about the Bluetooth stack killing the battery life on my upgraded HTC Touch Pro2 on Verizon.

I upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5 and everything seemed OK, but I noticed that the battery life was draining very quickly. So, I performed a hard factory reset, and things seemed fine. However, I also noticed that the Bluetooth was "off" by default. I tested it for a few days with the Bluetooth off and my battery life seemed normal.

Then, I turned the Bluetooth on. I didn't pair with anything yet, but I immediately noticed a rapid decline in battery life. My Wi-Fi is off, so I know that's not the culprit.

So, is this why Verizon hasn't officially announced the Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the HTC Touch Pro2? I really hope that this bug gets fixed soon so that I can stay with Windows Mobile 6.5. Otherwise, I'll be going back to Windows Mobile 6.1.

Worse battery life after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5 on Touch Pro2

I'm experiencing terrible battery life on my Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5. I've performed a hard reset to make sure that it's not an app draining my battery. Anyone else having similar issues? I should have stayed with Windows Mobile 6.1 since there are few benefits to upgrading to 6.5 if you're already using HTC TouchFlo 3D (HTC Sense).

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this yet, but perhaps it's time to load a custom ROM on my Touch Pro2. When I was using the HTC Titan (Verizon XV6800, Sprint Mogul), I was mainly using custom ROMs built by DCD and others on the XDA-Developers and PPCGeeks forums.

Official BlackBerry OS 5.0 now available for the Storm

The official version of BlackBerry OS 5.0 is now available for the original Storm (9530). The Storm 2 will come with OS 5.0, so you don't have to worry about looking for some leaked versions floating around on the Internet.

The upgrade (or update) to OS 5.0 is free and you'll get some major improvements in web browsing (with tabs), e-mails (flags), word completion, and mapping options. Of course, there are other improvements with OS 5.0 so you'll have to give it a try.

BlackBerry OS 5.0 is also available for other devices, such as the Curve, Bold, Tour, etc. You'll have to visit the BlackBerry website to see if your device will also get the upgrade.

Visit: http://www.blackberry.com/update

HTC Touch Pro2 upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5

HTC has released one of its first upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5 for its Touch Pro2.

ROM Upgrade (WM6.5) for HTC Touch Pro2 (WWE)
ROM version 1.86.401.0

However, this ROM upgrade is for GSM smartphones in Europe and NOT for the CDMA smartphones on the Verizon Wireless or Sprint networks. I don't know if this ROM will fry your phone if you're on AT&T or another GSM network.

Never load a GSM ROM on a CDMA phone (or vice versa). You will end up with serious problems if you do this.

If you live in North America, I strongly suggest that you wait until your carrier has released its official ROM upgrade before you go out and risk damaging your smartphone. Patience is a virtue.

Palm Pre to drop to $150

According to a series of circulating rumors on the Internet (who knows if these rumors are actually true), the Palm Pre will drop to $150 on the Sprint network. It seems like the $99 Apple iPhone is putting the pressure on other smartphones. Plus, when you consider the state of our current economy, it's no wonder that smartphone prices are dropping. Let's wait and see what happens on Sept 9.

I'm eager to see all smartphone prices drop to sub-$200 prices. This way, people (like me) won't feel so guilty when we're upgrading our phones to have the latest and greatest gadget. I'm trying to be good by minimizing how much I spend each time I upgrade. My most recent upgrade was free, so I have no guilt about that.

My impressions of Windows Mobile 6.5

Microsoft hasn't officially released Windows Mobile 6.5 yet, but we all know that it's coming out fairly soon. New phones running Windows Mobile 6.1 have an "Upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5" sticker that suggests that they will get a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's analogous to purchasing a PC running Vista if you know you can get a free upgrade to Windows 7.

The sad thing about Windows Mobile 6.5 is that it really isn't a huge improvement from Windows Mobile 6.1. Also, I struggle to see why it's taking so long to release 6.5. If we look at some history, we see that Microsoft released:

• Windows Mobile 5.0
• then skipped to Windows Mobile 6.0
• then they released an update called 6.1
• and now we're waiting on yet another update called 6.5

Seems a bit absurd that they would have 3 different versions of Windows Mobile 6 (6.0, 6.1, and 6.5). Windows Mobile 6.5 makes some improvements (scrolling, icons, larger menu text, etc.), but it really isn't optimized for touch-based input/navigation/use. The amazing thing is that I continue to be a loyal Windows Mobile user hoping that Microsoft will come out with an OS that really is optimized for smartphones.

Testing Windows Mobile 6.5 Build 23017

I've been testing Windows Mobile 6.5 for the last week on my Verizon Wireless smartphone. It's an older phone made by HTC and it's branded as the XV6800, but it's really an HTC Titan. I wasn't expecting stellar results because of the relatively slow processor and limited RAM, but I have to admit that it runs quite efficiently. It's a bit slower compared to Windows Mobile 6.1, but I really like some of the new features. I'm currently testing Build 23017 and I'd like to thank the guys at PPCGeeks.com for providing custom ROMs for the XV6800. Build 23022 is out, but it's not ready for mass testing yet.

Some of the nice features found in Windows Mobile 6.5 include:

• Larger menus for finger touch-friendly navigation (forget using that stylus pen)
  
• Improved "Today" screen for better finger-touch navigation options
  
• Touch-friendly icons in the "Start" menu. The actual menu is gone and you're left with icons. This reminds me of the original Palm OS in some ways. Most smartphone operating systems use this type of icon placement and don't use a traditional "Start" menu (or cascading menu).
  
• Panning improvements for finger-touch scrolling
  
• Better Pocket Internet Explorer (I still prefer the Skyfire mobile web browser). You'll see zooming capabilities and other performance improvements.
  

Since my old XV6800 isn't considered a phone capable of technically running Windows Mobile 6.5, these tests will be limited. However, I do plan to upgrade my phone and I anticipate that my next smartphone will be better suited to run Windows Mobile 6.5. By the way, I'm also using the built-in GPS on the XV6800 and I'm getting a fast satellite lock within a matter of seconds. Once I upgrade my phone, I'll be using this XV6800 as a standalone GPS navigation unit.

iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.0 Software Updates

FYI, if you're trying to update your Apple iPhone or iPod touch operating system to OS 3.0, make sure you're using the correct firmware update files. iTunes will automatically download the correct file for you, but in case you start getting confused, here are the files you'll need:

• iPhone 2G (1st generation) OS Firmware 3.0: iPhone1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
• iPhone 3G (2nd generation) OS Firmware 3.0: iPhone1,2_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
• iPod Touch (1st generation) OS Firmware 3.0: iPod1,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw
• iPod Touch (2nd generation) OS Firmware 3.0: iPod2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw

My iPod touch (2nd generation) is now running OS 3.0. Was it worth $9.95? Yes, because some of the apps now require OS 3.0 to run. If you're using iTunes, the update process is fairly automatic.

However, if you're trying to manually update the firmware, here's how you can do it:

• Connect your iPod touch to your PC
  
• Hold Shift and click the "Restore" button on iTunes (In Mac OS X system, press and hold Option key and click Update)
• Locate the correct iPod Touch ipsw file and proceed with the software update

The update process will start and your iPod may reboot a few times. Do not disconnect the iPod touch until iTunes has completed updating.

iPhone and iPod touch OS 3.0 Upgrade

The iPhone and iPod touch upgrade is now available from the Apple store. Did you upgrade your Apple iPhone or iPod touch to the new 3.0 operating system software? Some people have reported having some problems, but it was smooth sailing for me. Some of the highlights of this new upgrade include:

• Cut, Copy & Paste
• Landscape Keyboard
• MMS
• Voice Memos
• Safari Improvements
• Internet Tethering
• Spotlight Search
• and more...

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.0 Upgrade

On June 17, the Apple iPhone OS (operating system) 3.0 upgrade will be released by Apple. I've heard that the OS has leaked out on various torrent sites, but I haven't looked. This upgrade will also be available for iPod touch users, but it won't be free. It's $9.95 for iPod touch users. It's free for iPhone users.

Many of the features in 3.0 have been available to users who have hacked (jailbreak) their iPhones. Tethering may be one of the most practical feature for users who travel with their laptops. For iPod touch users, the improvements to Safari may be worth the $9.95 if you do a lot of mobile browsing. Those improvements are described as, "Enjoy faster performance, autofill user names and passwords, and more."