Palpable Positions

Jailbroken iPhone

Tethering, if for no other reason, is why you have to jailbreak your iPhone. Quick definition:

Tethering: Using the internet capability of your phone to allow internet access to any other device (computer, iPad, other phones, etc).

Whether you have an iPhone 2G, 3G, 3GS, or 4… it doesn’t matter. All iPhones are capable of running a version of iOS that has tethering enabled. AT&T is asking for $20/month to give you this option but why pay $240 a year for something you can get for free by jailbreaking your phone?

The option to jailbreak your iPhone has been around since about a week after the original iPhone was released. While it used to be an extremely complicated process (back in the original iPhone days) jailbreaking has become about as easy as it can get. In fact, it’s so easy now even my Dad can do it, and has, literally. All it takes is a quick Google search of “Jailbreak iPhone OS [insert iOS number here]” and you’ll find plenty of step by step instructions complete with download links for the necessary software; all free. Redmond Pie seems to always be the most current.

It is important to note that there is a distinct difference between “jailbreaking” and “unlocking”. Two more quick definitions:

Jailbreaking: Opens up the iPhone so 3^rd party Apps not approved by Apple’s app store can be downloaded. There are 3^rd party “App stores”, if you will, that let you download these apps. However, the iPhone will still be linked to AT&T and won’t be open to other carriers.

Unlocking: This provides all the same benefits as jailbreaking but goes one step further and allows the owner to use their phone on carriers outside of AT&T.

So why do you need the option to tether? Well once you realize you’ll have access to the internet at any time/place, you’ll understand. You’ll be able to watch shows on the internet while traveling, whether it’s in a bus, train, or car and you won’t be paying any extra. Yes, flash will work on your computer and any other iPhone restrictions won’t apply either. It will be exactly the same as using your computer or other device over WiFi, just slightly slower. Slightly slower is the truth as well, you can stream high quality HULU with a full 3G signal over tethering.

This is truly a case of once you realize what you’ve been missing out on; you won’t believe you went as long as you did with a locked iPhone. While it might not be a feature you use everyday, when you are stuck in the airport because of a delay, going on a long road trip, or in some other situation where you wish you had the option to access the internet… you’ll be very happy you have the ability to tether.

Jailbreaking also opens your phone up to a TON of other applications you wouldn’t have access to on a normal iPhone. I think the biggest plus comes from all of the utility Apps that make the iPhone so much more functional than it is under Apple’s control. Some of my favorites:

BiteSMS: By far my favorite. This app makes SMS the way it should have always been on the iPhone. When you receive an SMS, you have the option to immediately reply without closing or stopping whatever app you are currently in. Additionally, you have the option to instantly send a SMS from any place on your phone with out stopping what you are doing. Whether you are in an app or on the lock screen, it makes texting much much quicker.

SBSettings: This gives you quick access to toggle on/off a lot of features on your phone without digging through the settings menus/submenus. Also, you can toggle these settings without having to exit any app you are currently in or simply from the lock screen. Features include: 2G, 3G, WiFi, Brightness, Alarm, Tethering, and many more.

Lockinfo: Lets you display all pertinent information on your lock screen so it can be viewed without the additional step of unlocking your phone and opening up individual apps. It applies to weather, mail, SMS, notifications, calendar, etc.

Now if you’re worried about your phone not running properly because it is now jailbroken, fret not. Apple maintains their tight control over the iPhone so they can guarantee a “user friendly” experience. While jailbreaking will open you phone up to applications that could affect its performance, if you are only tethering there won’t be any issues. Further, if you decide to venture more into the jailbroken world and install other applications (I’m fully confident you will once you realize what you’ve been missing) just remember this: your iPhone is a computer, if it isn’t functioning the way you want you can just restore it to Apple’s original settings and it won’t be jailbroken anymore. Voila!

So what are you waiting for? Everyone should at least have the option to tether without AT&T’s pointless $20/month charge. Just be careful if you have the new tiered data plans, see my previous post, because tethering will eat up a lot more of your data and you don’t want the overage charges. If you elected to keep your unlimited plan, smart move for obvious reasons, you’ll be in a much more comfortable place. Just try to keep your usage under 5 GB a month because, from what I’ve seen, that is around the level AT&T will flag your account.

One more thing… for all you potential iPad consumers, if you tether with your iPhone there is NO reason for an iPad 3G. Use WiFi when you’re at home and tether your non-3G iPad when you’re not. Save yourself the $100 up charge and $30/month for service!

AT&T just came out with updated data plans this week, to be effective June 7th which is coincidentally the same day as the new iPhone announcement. If you’re reading this, chances are that you already know about the new data structure and the end of “unlimited” data plans so I won’t get into the details of what has changed (see previous link for that).

You may be astounded that AT&T would even think to do such a thing. After all, anyone with a smart phone has grown accustomed to uninhibited access to the web for virtually the life of their phone; particularly iPhone users. However, according to AT&T, the change should not affect 98% of their customer’s day-to-day phone usage and will only lower their bills. That is because 98% of AT&T customers use less than 2GB/month which soon will be their highest data plan and is $5/month cheaper than the current unlimited plan.

On this point, I completely agree. Aside from my brief foray in jailbroken tethering, I’m a self-proclaimed iPhone power user and can only manage to use 200MB a month on average. Even with the upcoming video conference capabilities of the new iPhone 4G (or iPhone HD), I doubt that 98% of us will ever find ourselves breaking the new 2GB barrier; at least for the near future. If we do, AT&T is kind enough to send three free texts at 65%, 90%, and 100% capacity to inform us of our current data usage.

So all is right in the world now, AT&T did their customer base a favor and decided to cut everyone’s monthly bill, right? WRONG!

Rollover Data

While it’s nice to save on all the unlimited data that 98% of us didn’t need anyway, now we’re all paying for a discrete amount of data per month. Similar to the way we pay for a set amount of minutes a month. Well with minutes, you get to keep the ones you don’t use through the rollover program. Where is the rollover data?!

If AT&T has distinguished itself all of these years by offering rollover minutes, they should be providing the same buffer for data users since, essentially, the same business model now exists for data. I’m very surprised that there has not been more uproar in the media about this point.

Tethering

iPhone users will [finally] be allowed to tether. While the fact that the rest of the world has been able to do this for a year already is another story, it seems deplorable to me that AT&T will charge an additional $20/month just to utilize the option but not provide any more data. $20 more per month and you’re still stuck with 2GB? That is just insane to me because while 98% of customers may not be using more than 2GB with just their smart phones, I can guarantee they will be easily using this once they tether. One 40 minute episode on HULU, high quality, tethered to your phone will burn through ~400MB, that’s almost 25% of your monthly allowance.

iPad

I am very confused about how the revolutionary iPad could be released only a month ago with one of the main selling points being unlimited 3G data access, where as now customers will be confined to 2GB/month. I seriously doubt the 98% statistic AT&T has been touting includes all the new iPad users. Especially if we are all now in the “post-PC” era and tablets will become the new status quo, as Steve Jobs recently predicted. Yes, you can use WiFi while you’re at home, but if you’re ditching your PC for an iPad, why should you need pay for WiFi anymore?

For the most part, the data plan restructuring from AT&T will undoubtedly save a majority their customers’ money. These savings are only a surface view though. Technology is rapidly becoming mobile. For instance, mobile data usage is predicted to grow by 39x by 2014. With these kinds of numbers and increased focus on cloud based storage and streaming content, 2GB looks like a smaller and smaller number. David Pogue of the NYTimes thinks that once all of this technology becomes commonplace new, higher capacity data plans will exist; but I disagree as such technology is on the cusp of being the norm (cloud based iTunes and AppleTV anyone?). I’m sure AT&T won’t be so pro-active in updating there data plans when this time comes. They will be too busy profiting from all the data overages their customers are paying so they can utilize current technology their smart phone plans from the past would have appropriately covered.

All existing AT&T customers will have the option to keep their current unlimited plans, but if you want tethering or a new plan than this option disappears. So with all other mobile carriers expected to soon follow AT&T’s lead, are we all being forced to forever lock ourselves into one carrier from fear of reaching data capacity?

iPhone 4G

The new iPhone, whether you want to call it “iPhone 4g” or “iPhone HD”, has been a big story lately. Between developers losing prototypes in bars and Vietnamese websites publishing new photos, it seems all the secrets about the newest Jesus phone are out. While I personally like the new design and think it is a respectable upgrade for Apple, a lot of the opinions I have been reading have been of disappointment. Disappointment in that Apple has failed to make the iPhone as revolutionary as it was 3 years ago.

I just don’t understand how so many Apple experts can have this opinion. From my experience, Apple products are hardly at the cutting edge from a hardware point of view. Sure when Apple releases a new, one of a kind product they are… but shortly there after the Apple products are essentially on par with industry. What makes them stand apart and consistently sell is the design, ease of use, and quality.

Let’s look at two of Apple’s main products:
 
 
Mac

It’s long been accepted that Apple’s computers are really overpriced, mediocre machines; at least from a hardware standpoint. Besides battery life, Apple never really pushes the envelope for computer design. However, their computers are still hugely successful because of the great deal of effort put into the design, aesthetics, and beauty of their machines.
 
 
iPod

When the iPod came out it was undoubtedly revolutionary. The world had seen nothing like it and Apple practically invented (or reinvented?) the portable music player. The device transformed Apple from a struggling company to a market leader and they have never looked back. But that was then. Competitors quickly came out with products that matched the iPod’s capabilities after its initial release. Since then, there have been many suitable and cheaper alternatives to the iPod. Apple has continued the progression of the product but it is fair to say, after its initial release it was never a “revolutionary” device.
 
 
The iPhone fits perfect for the profile of Apple. It was every bit as revolutionary and successful as the iPod when it came out. It has only grown in popularity since its initial release in 2007 and it appears there is no end in site. Apple has done a great job at keeping the iPhone current by giving it all the upgrades it needs to be on the same level as its competition. 5MP camera, [camera] flash, 2^nd microphone for noise cancellation, and front facing camera. I believe on June 7^th when it is officially announced, it will be right at the top of smart phone market.

This is not enough for seemingly all the critics though. They are disappointed the iPhone is not transforming the market as it did in 2007. Why should it be? Apple hasn’t done this in the past with any other products. Unless it is brand new product from Apple, I have no expectation that any successor of a current product will be revolutionary. Another example is the iPad.

The iPad was recently released, it’s a product the market has never seen before, it’s a new product from Apple, and it has been incredibly successful. However, no one should expect the iPad 2 to do the same. I can tell you now it will be essentially the same product with a few new features added so that it can stay competitive with whatever Google, Dell, or HP tablet is available at the time.

I’ll be the first to admit, I am an Apple fan boy. I’m Apple’d out and will definitely be upgrading to the new iPhone when it comes out. I know there may be HTC phones with slightly bigger screens, irrelevant higher MP cameras, and whatever other features make them stand apart, but they don’t compare in aesthetic simplicity. So as long as I’m getting the same features I can with another phone, I’ll be happy with my iPhone.

Where the excitement lies, and really, the potential for disappointment exists, is in the next product Apple creates that we can’t conceive right now or don’t know that we need yet. That has been Apple’s profile for the past decade and will be for the foreseeable future.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas -  crowded malls, black Friday… With all the holiday shopping that everyone will be doing in the upcoming weeks, I want to share a great feature of Bing.com: the Cash Back program.

I think this feature is amazing, it literally provides you cash back on a majority of purchases you make online with little hassle to the consumer. Microsoft is basically subsidizing your purchases to encourage use of their search engine.

In short, all one needs to do is create a Bing.com Cash Back account here. Then when planning to make a purchase online, make sure you navigate to the store you want to purchase from through a Bing.com search first. You will receive a refund for the purchase (I’ve seen up to 25%) which can be seen in your account online. The money is deposited directly into your bank account after 60 days (to protect against consumers returning items). For a more detailed explanation of how this all works, go here.

The amount of stores where the cash back program is eligible is pretty extensive; a complete list can be found here. It even works on eBay.com if you purchase an item with the BuyItNow feature! While some might argue that the additional cost of shipping negates the savings, I strongly disagree. With a little effort in searching for deals, store coupon codes, or using site-to-store shipping options, shipping costs can almost always be avoided – especially during the holiday shopping season. So if you are planning on making the purchases anyways, get yourself an extra discount… you can earn up to $2,500 back a year and you might as well get it if you were already planning on spending the money.

I was enjoying a delicious/nutritious burrito bowl last night at Chipotle with my Sister and soon to be Brother when an interesting point came to light. We were discussing the organic grade quality of all the ingredients used by the restaurant and how they sponsored the recent documentary, Food Inc.

Food Inc., which I recommend everyone see’s – it received a 97% on RT, essentially blames the entire degradation of the food industry on a 50 year evolution to its now industrialized state – all to meet the demands of the worlds largest buyer: McDonald’s. Considering McDonald’s was a majority shareholder in Chipotle until the end of 2006, I found this level of digression in their relationship to ironic not to mention here.

Another scary fact that I took away from this film, which I might add I had no idea was an issue prior to seeing it, is the legal implications of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). GMO’s are genetically engineered foods. Since the FDA doesn’t require that a food be labeled if it contains GMO’s, the presence of them in the food we eat has exploded. This explosion has come from the ability of large food corporations to push their product into the market through the power they have gained from patent rights on GMO’s. The presence of GMO’s in today’s food supply is so abundant that I can almost guarantee you eat some type of genetically engineered food everyday.

The power these companies now have is just astounding. The fact that this is all happening under the radar is equally shocking as well. Some of the examples provided in Food Inc. and another documentary (on Hulu for free that has a 84% on RT) called The Future of Food are unbelievable. These companies exercise an absurd amount of power by making examples out of innocent farmers to scare the rest of the industry into using their product (power gained from their ability to patent their GMO’s). Food Inc. compares their presence to the likes of the top companies in the Tobacco industry during their hay day.

Overall, Food Inc. and The Future of Food are two great documentaries that everyone should see. Regardless of if you change your eating habits because of them, everyone should still be in the “know” of the reckless nature of today’s food companies, poor oversight from our government, and the potential deadly conditions people are exposing themselves to by blindly eating anything.

Here is worth while movement to check out if the words here sparked your interest… Say No To GMO’s.

Well it has been a little while but I’m back…

Today I want to share an idea that I cannot believe doesn’t exist through a practical application. “Green” has become big and I know it isn’t a trend. It’s simple, economics has brought awareness to a problem everyone knew existed but chose to deny. However, I don’t believe the critics who claim that once energy costs subside people will return to their previous behaviors of over consumption and wasteful habits. The issue is to mainstream now and is here to stay. Energy will only get more costly in the future as demand increases exponentially, making conservation and sustainability that much more important.

Now for the idea… The Magnet Car. In a former job I worked with the construction of generators. Specifically, the unit called an “exciter” which supplies electricity to a generator. Here is a simple physics lesson: If a magnetic field is in motion around a conductor, an electrical current is created. Here is an illustration and link:

An example of electromagnetic induction

This concept works in reverse as well: if you supply an electrical current through a conductor, a magnetic field can be created. This principal is a very, very rough explanation of how generators work. An electrical current is supplied making an enormous spinning electro-magnet (rotor) that is inside a huge conductor (stator) creating a very large amount of electricity. But how does the electricity get supplied to a rotor spinning at 3000 rpm or 3600 rpm in the first place? You can’t simply hook wires up to it, the answer is the exciter…

An exciter is basically a mini-generator. It creates electricity virtually out of thin air by use of permanent magnets. The permanent magnets are assembled on a diameter (PMG) that a stator (circular conductor) spins inside of, creating a small amount of electricity. This electricity is then delivered to the generator so a large amount of electricity can be created. This is a very crude and basic explanation of how the system works.

Now that you get the basics, the reality of a magnet powered vehicle comes from the PMG. The permanent magnets, whose charge can last for as much as 1,000 years, are stationary in the unit with a conductor spinning inside them.

Why not reverse this and have a PMG on a car with the drive shaft containing the magnets while the conductor (stator) is around it? A battery could maintain the electricity needed for low speed driving and turning on the car while the electricity created from the PMG could charge the battery. This is similar to current electric cars that need to be plugged in, except The Magnet Car wouldn’t require external charging… the magnets would provide the service. The current created would be AC, but this can easily be converted to the necessary DC current through diodes.

This is an idea that has been around for a while, specifically 1996 as this patent suggests. With the current mass attention to renewable energy, electric cars like the Chevy Volt, and an electric high performance car like the Tesla Roadster… why hasn’t the magnet powered car been given its fair shake? It is by far the most environmentally friendly option.

Today marks the launch of Microsoft’s latest attempt to compete with Google: www.bing.com. This new product from Microsoft is a search engine which has been heavily invested in and will be advertised in the same manner, boasting a marketing budget of $80M to $100M. Microsoft’s differentiation strategy for “bing” is that it is a smarter search engine or really what they have coined as a “decision engine” (meaning it makes actual decisions in the search process to provide better information for a better search experience). http://www.discoverbing.com/welcome/

I used the site this morning and I really think Microsoft has made a step in the right direction. They learned a valuable lesson from Google: with the information overload the internet offers, simplicity is key. I believe that by just providing the bare essentials on the “bing” homepage, Microsoft will find a much higher degree of success than their former search engine attempt – Microsoft Live. Additional features like an image based background may prove to be quite interesting given the fact that Microsoft has proposed user submittal contests to determine the background image for particular days.

Former MIT Media Lab graphic designer and current president of RISD John Maeda is someone I admire and have followed for about a year. He is a clear advocate for the advantages the simplicity school of thought has to offer in all facets of life. He has written books and spoken at symposiums about how to simply your life, work, and designs to enjoy a happier life. This is an idea Google prescribed to long ago and it is obvious where it has taken them: the top (having about 60% of all internet search traffic and establishing their brand as a verb in everyday life).

Check out Maeda’s blog on simplicity, he doesn’t maintain it as actively after joining RISD but it still has some very interesting information.

http://lawsofsimplicity.com/

Microsoft may have risen to success by developing innovative software but they are clearly in a mature stage of their business cycle. While it’s inevitable that the name “Microsoft” will have a negative stigma no matter what (thanks to years of creative advertising by Apple), I think they have finally seen the light. Bing has not been an attempt to reinvent the search engine wheel but rather uses proven aesthetics in combination with an enhanced search algorithm to offer a competitive product.

Today I am writing about a pen I am completely blown away by. I have seen a couple of my teachers using it and I have had the opportunity to try it out. Now this isn’t any ordinary pen, it is capable of recording sound as you write (synced to each actual word – I’ll explain later) and capturing all pen strokes in a digital jpeg format which can be easily loaded to your personal computer, page by page as in the notebook. I have included a link to this pen, called Livescribe Pulse, which can be found at any Target.

http://www.target.com/Livescribe-Pulse-1GB-Smartpen/dp/B001AAOZHI/sr=1-12/qid=1243529343/ref=sr_1_12/188-5113196-9535242?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&field-browse=1038598&rh=k%3Apen&page=1

The functionality and ease of use of this piece of technology is what shocked me the most. One simply writes down whatever they want and all sounds are recorded. The amazing part is, to replay the sounds you just touch the pen on any word and the sounds from that point in time are played. The supplied “dot” paper – paper with unique patterns of finely meshed (very unnoticeable) dots – serve as the digital timestamp for the pen to recognize when in play-back mode. This “dot” paper can be purchased in pad format for not much more than ordinary paper or printed out for free!

My immediate reaction to seeing this technology was regret; regret I did not possess something like this while in college! For a student taking notes for six years of college, it is very tough to organize all of your work for later reference amongst yearly moves and constant life changes. However, with this pen, a student can just dock it their computer after class and load all their notes in jpeg format onto their computer. Don’t forget that they can hear exactly what the teacher was saying when each word was written as well. Dismissing all catastrophic computer crashes, I can’t think of an easier way to archive all the expensive knowledge transmitted during class hours. I believe this the next best gift to a digital camera, if not better, for any new college student.

I am speaking from an engineering perspective where notes often include drawings and are not structured like other disciplines where typing notes is much simpler. However, disregarding the obvious health benefits to hand writing (http://drbenkim.com/nervous-system-healthy.html), I think there is a clear advantage to handwritten notes for the purpose of knowledge retention; which makes this pen a necessity for everyone. So regardless of who you are, check this amazing invention out. The applications for the Livescribe Pulse pen go far beyond college students (therapists also immediately come to mind).

It’s a shame the marketing efforts for this product have been non-existent. In an age when colleges are giving all incoming students iPhones to integrate with classes (http://www.acu.edu/news/2008/080225_iphone.html) the enormous academic market only serves as a small example for the immense potential of this invention.

I intend to blog on many different subjects but for my first post, I want to touch on an area I have found fascinating from its inception – the financial crisis. Although my interests may have faded, at the peak of the financial meltdown hype I couldn’t get enough, reading every article I came across and absorbing everything I heard from professors (I was in my second year of my MBA at the time). One series I found particularly interesting was “The Reckoning” from the NYTimes which chronicled many of the potential causes for the financial mess the world was in. I definitely recommend reading a few, if not all, of the articles in this series as they are very well written and provide many different views of how the US economy and global economy came to be in its current state.

From what I have read and learned, the reckless loans during the housing boom and subsequent collapse of the housing market were not the cause for the current economic state. Rather, the poor regulation of derivatives and push for an increasingly more free market for the 10-15 years preceding the housing bubble was the cause.  Multiple times throughout the 90’s calls for regulation were discouraged by influential people in Washington, among them Alan Greenspan. A couple examples:

1. 1994 report identifying derivative market as having “significant gaps and weaknesses” also forecasting the exact doom that has occurred

• In his testimony at the time, Mr. Greenspan was reassuring. “Risks in financial markets, including derivatives markets, are being regulated by private parties,” he said. “There is nothing involved in federal regulation per se which makes it superior to market regulation.”
• Bill created later that year to provide more regulation to derivative market never passed

2. 1997, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigated derivates and called for disclosures of trades and reserves

• Greenspan fiercely opposed and told regulators head Brooksley E. Born didn’t know what she was doing and could incite a financial crisis
• Quarreling went on and in November 1999, senior regulators — including Mr. Greenspan— recommended that Congress permanently strip the C.F.T.C. of regulatory authority over derivatives.

There is no doubt in my mind that Greenspan’s well respected opinions had a huge effect on regulator’s decisions. The outcome of this pure capitalism belief was a derivatives market that blossomed from $106 trillion in 02’ to $531 trillion in 08’ (or 07’). Further, the decreased regulation in the 00’s allowed for CDO’s and CDS’s to be the fuel for the systemic risk fire that put the world in a recession.

I want to make it clear that I am not an advocate for heavy regulation but I do believe a completely free capitalist market is a utopian idea that is not realistic. Human nature is to be greedy and the events of the past two years are perfect evidence that the presence of oversight is a necessity. Specifically in markets that can link so many industries and economies together (the definition of systemic risk), like the derivatives market.

I truly believe the housing market bubble would have been an isolated incident, respective to that industry, and would have had a much less dramatic effect on the overall economy if the proper regulation had been in place. Nevertheless, this regulation will be sure to come out of the current mess but I’m not so confident the underlying lesson will be learned. These situations need to be prevented rather than fixed. Assuming this recession ends and economic growth resumes, time will heal all wounds and the severity of what happened in the past two years will be dulled in memories. I fear the feeling of need and desire for oversight now will fade resulting in future financial creations, currently nonexistent, exposing all to the poor decisions and risks of a respective few again.

Realistically, the current financial crisis is a product of many, many things. However, my opinion is that outcomes of a belief in pure capitalism were the driving force to what has resulted today.

I was once told by a professor that blogging is one of the most important things you can do and if you aren’t, then start.

It’s only appropriate to begin with my background so that some frame of reference can be provided for my opinions. My education consists of a BSME and MBA and I have been working for about 2 years in the design of power generation equipment. My interests are in living healthy, outdoor activities, finance, and anything tech related – to start. I have had a unique post high school life, living in Philadelphia (twice), Gainesville, and Orlando – all while in undergrad. After that, I briefly lived in Charlotte and I currently live back in Orlando. I obviously enjoy change and I am grateful to have had the option available to me to be so fluid in my education and limited working experiences. That’s enough for now…