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Q&A Archives

Q&i - week of Aug. 26, 2007

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Scott Kleinberg posted Aug 26, 2007 | 1 comment

Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007 -- 3:33 p.m. -- at my desk

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51xggfal46l_ss500_Hello, and welcome to another exciting installment of Q&i ... the premiere spot for all your iPhone questions -- and more importantly, the answers.

I apologize for not posting last week. Sadly, I didn't have enough questions. So please keep them coming. Just email me at skleinberg@tribune.com. I know you've got things on your mind.

Just one this time around.

The question is from caller Mark

Q.Scott, I am very much an early adopter and I'm a big Apple enthusiast. With that said, I am a big fan of sending pix messaging to my friends. So my question is, why did they not support MMS in the iPHONE? Is it something that can be remedied by a simple software update? I use MMS on my phone so much that it may keep me from purchasing one this coming November when my contract runs out. Thanks, Mark.

i.Thanks for the question, Mark.

I share your frustration. While I don't really know why there's no MMS support, I have a theory that really doesn't make much sense, but nonetheless, it's a theory.

With Apple wanting to showcase how easy and cool it is to send e-mail via an iPhone, there was probably some sort of agreement that sending photos would be done via e-mail and not via MMS. That's all well and good, but the problem is that not everyone can get email on their phones. More people have MMS than email. So if you truly want someone to see your photo on the go, email could actually be the worst selection.

The Apple vs. AT&T thing is probably the same exact reason there's no iChat ... iChatters could circumvent text messaging completely, but not everyone who has a cell phone has IM on it. So same with the photos ... you have to remember that everyone has different capabilities.

My guess would be that it will be implemented down the road. Yes, it's a simple software update. If you think about what MMS really is, it's SMS with an attachment. That's really all it is. So therefore, making the SMS accept attachments is probably doable with a click of a button.

But then the question becomes ... how much more for this capability? More and more, cell companies are turning to the unlimited model ... where whatever kind of message you send is included in a flat fee. So pictures, video (not in the iPhone) and SMS are all bundled.

AT&T would be smart to create a bundle like this. No one wants to worry about how many messages they send. I'm annoyed now at the 200, 1,000, unlimited. Make it all unlimited and make it at a fair price.'

So Mark, I'd say that even though the omission of MMS was a big oops, I really wouldn't let it stop you from getting an iPhone. I do believe it will be implemented, although I have no inside information on that. But the phone overall is so cool, I think you can overlook it enough to still enjoy it and still find it practical.

In the meantime, everyone out there who wants certain features added to their iPhones should contact Apple and AT&T and let them know. The more they hear from folks like us, the greater chance there is of us being heard.

Thanks again for the question, Mark. I hope the answer was at least somewhat helpful.

Remember to send your questions to skleinberg@tribune.com

Thanks for calling.

Published in Q&A

Q&i - week of Aug. 12, 2007

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Scott Kleinberg posted Aug 16, 2007 | 1 comment

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 -- 12:31 p.m. -- at my desk

Iphone_keyboard

51xggfal46l_ss500_I always deliver on my promises.

Here is the first installment of Q&i ... Q&A for the iPhone.

Thank you, callers, for sending in your questions. I've researched, asked, pleaded and prodded. While I wasn't always successful, hopefully I can shed some light.

So here we go.

First question is from caller Bill:

Q.Coming home on the train last night my music was cutting off while browsing, Happened at least 4 times. Had to go back to the home screen, go to iPod, select the music again and start it up. Really annoying. Which also reminded me of a question - is there a reboot button on the iPhone? There isn't, is there?

i.Oh you may not see it, Bill, but it's there. In fact, there are a number of different ways to reboot your iPhone. I'll use Apple's troubleshooting guide as my source here because I want the information to be as up to date for you as possible.

RESTART
To turn off your iPhone, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button (at the top) until the red slider appears. Slide your finger across the slider to turn off iPhone. To turn iPhone on, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.

CLOSE A FROZEN APPLICATION
Does your iPhone appear frozen or stuck? Try pressing and holding the Home button for 6 seconds to close a frozen application. Then try restarting the program again. Works well if you are browsing the Internet and all of a sudden nothing's happening.

TRY REMOVING STUFF
Hopefully this never happens, but ...

If your iPhone is not working as expected, it may be due to some of the content synced to it. Try selectively removing certain content that may be causing unexpected behavior such as contacts, calendars, songs, photos, videos, or podcasts. Problem is that it's a crapshoot that you'll find it, but if you notice your iPhone acting up at a certain point where it wasn't before, try to use the process of elimination to figure out if there's a problematic file.

RESET SETTINGS (LAST RESORT)
Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. Note: This will reset all settings. No data or media will be deleted.

ERASE ALL SETTINGS (LAST RESORT)
Tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Contents and Settings. Note: This will delete all media and data. All settings will be reset as well.

RESTORE VIA iTUNES (FINAL RESORT)
Connect iPhone. When it appears in the Source list, click on Restore in the Summary tab. Note: This will delete all media and data. All settings will be reset as well. You may also find restore useful if you have hacked your iPhone in any way and find that software updates from Apple aren't working as expected. Once again, I recommend not hacking your iPhone, no matter how much you want a Van Halen ringtone.

And if you are still having trouble, I'm afraid your only other choice is to head to your nearest Apple Store or give Apple a call.

I hope that's helpful, Bill.


Second question is from caller Lew:

Q.Have you found a way to email info like a vCard or just a phone number from the contacts?

i.Sadly, Lew, no. And I've tried. It seems to be one of those missing pieces of functionality that Apple left out -- one of those head-scratchers since so many people use vCards and like to carry over some of the functionality of their Treos, etc.

Now does this mean it absolutely can't be done? I wouldn't say that. I would turn to the many callers here who might know a trick that could help Lew, which would also help me.

So if anyone knows, skleinberg@tribune.com is the place to send the answer, or feel free to post it in the comments section.


And that's what I have for this week. I'm looking forward to your questions for the next edition of Q&i.

Thanks for calling.

Published in Q&A

Just Q and i

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Scott Kleinberg posted Aug 10, 2007 | no comments

Friday, Aug. 10, 2007 • 4:40 a.m. • on my couch

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51xggfal46l_ss500_You've heard of Q&A.

Now it's time for Q&i.

Q&i is iPhone, Therefore I Blog's new space to ask your questions and get the answers you've been seeking.

I've said all along that I wanted to make this blog a community and you've all helped make it that.

So each week, I'll compile as many questions as I can and post them under the header Q&i. And rest assured, if I don't know the answer right away, I'll find it. And contributions from callers are always welcome and in fact encouraged.

So think about what you'd like to ask and send me an e-mail at skleinberg@tribune.com.

Oh, and by the way, just in case you didn't get the Eddie Rabbitt cassette tape pic ... when I wrote this, all I could think about what that duet he had with Crystal Gayle back in '82 ... Just you and I (just yoooou and I iiiiiii). Anyhow, if you didn't have that in your head, you do now. No thanks are necessary.

Thanks for calling.

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