UK iPhone

So your iPhone is great for listening to music on the tube or in the car, and of course you can listen to that exact same music through iTunes when you are in front of your computer; but what about when you’re chilling in the lounge, or have some friends over for a few drinks?

That’s when you need a good-looking set of speakers to plug your iPhone into. We’re usually talking about a small dock with a couple of speakers built-in.

Those dinky little speaker sets are fine for a bit of background music but if you want to make a serious impression on the air in your room, you need the power of a subwoofer. This Sony conveniently connects the 50W subwoofer wirelessly, meaning no cables to trip over, and you get Harmonic Sound Bass Boost with 4 presets as well.

If you get tired of the music on your phone, no problem: the dock includes a DAB and FM tuner, with 40 presets and timer, while the convenience of a remote control rounds out the package.

Get the Sony subwoofer speaker dock for a great price here: Sony AIR-SW10Ti Wireless Speaker / Subwoofer With iPod / iPhone Speaker Dock

I think this is pretty ironic: Microsoft have announced that they are dropping cut and paste from Windows 7 Phone, the new version of the Windows operating system that runs on mobile phones. The weirdest thing is that they are claiming this is because “users don’t need it”.

This is ironic given the avalanche of negative publicity that Apple got when the original iPhone was launched without this functionality. It was the major charge against the iPhone by every Apple-hater. And even though Apple still sold plenty of iPhones without cut and paste, they did eventually upgrade the iPhone operating system to allow it.

So it’s pretty clear that people do want cut and paste. (I use it a lot.) For Microsoft to say they are dropping it because no-one wants it is stupid. And Microsoft fanboys were the leaders of the charge against the iPhone for not having it.

It’s far more likely that Microsoft, like Apple before it, are finding out that doing cut and paste is pretty difficult to do well. I think Apple’s solution is pretty good, but it’s not perfect: there is a delay while you hold the selection to get the context menu to come up, and sometimes the system doesn’t understand what you are trying to do.

So this is a shame, really, because if Microsoft had come up with a better way to do it, Apple would have been spurred to improve theirs. Windows 7 Phone looks like a very good effort from Microsoft, and it’s a pity that Microsoft are reverting to their bad old ways.

UPDATE: In this interesting take on the reactions to the news, there is this snippet at the end:

As it turns out, the development team actually knows exactly how they will be implementing copy & paste in WP7S but did not believe it could be implemented without affecting the release schedule they’ve committed too and therefore will be including it in an update down the road.

That is much more likely: the tech team can’t do it in time, so the PR team spin that as “no-one wants the feature”. Wonder how they will announce the feature when it is introduced “down the road”…

I’m loving these amazing Star Wars covers for the iPhone. I’ve never used a cover for my iPhone, but the number of dings and scratches on the case would suggest that I re-think that decision! If I were to get one it would definitely be one of these Star Wars ones, as I’ve been a fan since I was a kid. The only question is, which one?

Get them here: Star Wars Stormtrooper Silicon Soft Cover Case For iPhone 3GS / 3G or Star Wars Darth Vader Silicone Soft Cover For iPhone 3GS / 3G for only £17.99 each.

Not content with stealing license fee money from a helpless British public, the BBC has now turned its attention to iPhone app developers trying to meet a need. The Rewat.ch app, which would have helped iPhone users to find and watch BBC shows using its iPlayer functionality, has been trashed by the BBC legal department, despite every effort by the developers to meet any requirement, including making it free.

There are two possible conclusions: either the Beeb is shooting itself in the foot again, or it has plans to release its own app, and is clearing the way by eliminating the competition, in the same way that the free and useful railway timetable apps were shut down by National Rail so that it could launch its own ridiculously overpriced paid app with no alternative for long-suffering train passengers. Good old government monopoly strikes again.

UPDATE: The developer of the National Rail app has pointed out that his company is completely independent of National Rail, and that they have developed the app completely off their own bat. They pay a license fee for access to National Rail’s data, which is available to anyone who wishes to pay the fee. Furthermore there are free apps available still. So this is NOT an example of anti-competitive behaviour! Apologies to Dave and all at Agant.

We’ll be doing a full review of all the rail apps shortly. The review is here!

Now that the iPhone and iPod Touch have become significant gaming platforms, you might be wondering if there is any way to improve the actual interaction with the iPhone itself. Unlike console games, the iPhone is its own game controller, and the difficulty of holding a small and somewhat slippery device like the iPhone might just be holding you back from getting the top score!

Here are a couple of accessories that make getting to grips with your iPhone a bit easier:

The iPhone Gaming Grip from Exspect

This gaming grip is kind of like a largish phone protector. Made of silicone, it features emphasised corners to make your iPhone easier to grip, and includes a screen protector. You could probably leave your phone in this even when not playing.

Buy it here: Iphone Gaming Grip: Black

Game Controller Unit

This product will make your iPhone feel much more like a traditional game controller. Reminiscent of the controllers that are built to hold the Wii remote, your iPhone plugs into the centre of this controller, making driving or flying games much more naturalistic to play.

Buy it here: Play.com Game Controller Unit For iPhone 3G / 3GS

I’m off to Sydney, Australia soon, and to keep me entertained on the 20-hour flight I’m looking for something to boost my iPhone’s battery life. Using your iPhone in Airplane mode, which switches off the cellular and wifi radios, means you can listen to music, play games, and even watch video; but all of that takes its toll on the battery, especially gaming and videos- the display backlight is a big power hog.

There seem to be a few options here.

Portable iPhone Charger

• The first is the £19.99 Portable iPhone Charger, which you charge before you go, then plug into your iPhone when its battery level drops; the Charger then tops up the battery from its own one.
• You can charge it using the iPhone’s own charger; this means you can plug the USB lead into your PC or Mac to charge (note no mains adapter or charger is included)
• Offers up to five hours of extra call time, or 20 hours of music playback
• Check remaining charge using front indicator lights

You can find out more or buy it here: Portable iPhone Charger

i-Sound Smart Battery Rechargeable Backup

• Apple-licensed – increases video playback by 6 hours
• Music playback boosted an incredible 30 hours
• Includes mains adapter charger and travel pouch
• Fantastic price discount at Play.com

Get it here: i-Sound Smart Battery Rechargeable Backup Pack For iPod / iPhone

Griffin PowerBlock Reserve

• From the well-respected name Griffin, comes the PowerBlock Reserve, at £29.99, certainly worth a look.

• It handily combines a mains charger with a snap-out battery backup that simply plugs into your iPhone for extra talk time when you need it.
• You can charge your iPhone at the same time as you charge the backup battery when you get back to HQ

Buy it here: Griffin PowerBlock Reserve Mains Charger For iPhone 3G / 3GS / iPod

Mili Power Pack

• And finally, the ultimate in battery boosters!
• For those who don’t want batteries hanging off the bottom of their phone, the Mili Power Pack fits your iPhone like a slightly oversized case
• Protects the back and sides of your phone
• Massive 31 hours of audio playback
• 9 hours of video playback
• Charges with included USB cable from your Mac or PC
• A bit pricey at £49.99, but then it does look as if it belongs with your iPhone!
• Buy it here: Mili Power Pack

And finally, remember that you can’t buy one of these at the airport duty-free! Well actually you could, but there wouldn’t be much point, as you need to charge it before you get on the plane!

Apple, maker of the iPhone and other cool stuff, has made it to the top of Fortune’s list of Most Admired Companies. Not just the list of computer companies. The whole list.

It’s hard to argue with this: Apple has completely transformed both the music industry and the mobile phone industry with the iPod and iPhone, and continues to be just about the only computer company increasing its profits and earnings year on year, as it produces the most exciting hardware and software in the field.

So congrats to Apple and Steve Jobs, and here’s to even more insanely great stuff! Can’t wait for the iPad myself…

Things have certainly changed from the days of O2 being your only choice for the iPhone. With iPhones available from Orange, Vodafone and even Tesco Mobile, the only network currently not offering the iPhone is T-Mobile. Now Tesco Mobile is effectively O2 for the purposes of network quality, although they offer different prices and shorter contracts (with a higher price for the handset).

In fact there are so many different contracts and options available that it looks as if it’s become quite difficult to know what the best choice is. But in truth the best option is the one that is right for you. If excellent coverage is important then Vodafone might be the best choice, although be aware that their monthly data limit of 1Gb/month is strictly enforced, with a charge of 50p per day if you exceed it. Still, it’s bigger than Orange’s 750Mb limit. O2 and Tesco have only a “fair use” limit, but then O2’s network is so bad you probably won’t get much chance to use it!

The cheapest overall cost is Tesco’s 12-month contract: the steep upfront cost is mitigated by being able to switch to a cheaper or even PAYG package after 12 months. But of course you will be on O2’s network for that time. If you’ve decided against O2 and Tesco, the other network’s contract price differences are marginal, and it really comes down to network preference and performance where you are.

I just love this super-cool Hello Kitty iPhone case. This would be an amazing gift for someone who loves Hello Kitty (and their iPhone!) Imagine pulling this out on the tube or bus; you’d get envious glances, that’s for sure! Also available in black:

Black Vinyl Case for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S

O2 have confirmed that they will unlock customer’s iPhones at no charge at the end of their contract, thus freeing them to sign up with Orange or (next year) Vodafone for continued service on their iPhone.

So if you are suffering under an O2 contract and looking to get on a better network, but not keen on shelling out money to replace your perfectly-good iPhone, it’s good news. As the official Orange iPhone launch day is tomorrow, 10 November, you might want to start calling O2 customer service to find out how to get free…