iPhone 3.0.1 - Why You Should Update ASAP

iPhone users can thank two researches Collin Mulliner (a Ph.D. student at the Technical University of Berlin) and Charlie Miller (Security Researcher) who presented at a Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas that they could take control over an iPhone merely by sending a SMS message. It was described by CNET as a serious memory corruption bug in the way the iPhone handles SMS messages.

Although there are no reported incidents of users phones being affected by this security issue, I would recommend all iPhone users upgrade as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it will take a little less than an hour including the backup time, much less if you don't have much data on your iPhone. Before you upgrade, make sure you have the lastest version of iTunes.

I upgraded several phones this evening on both my Windows PCs and Macs without any issues. Thanks to my friend Jose A. who alerted me of this release via text message. I am now subscribed to the Apple Dev Team's Twitter account @iPhone_Dev so that I can monitor these types of issues.

Picasa for Mac Sizzles, much better than iPhoto

I finally installed Picasa for the Mac Version 3.0.6 today and it absolutely sizzles! It is much better than Apple iPhoto for cleaning up pictures. I've been using the Windows version for a number of years and finally decided it was time to switch!

I especially like the "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature for Basic Fixes or photo touch up and the Crop feature.

If you haven't tried it yet, here's the link.

Google Picasa MAC version
http://picasa.google.com/mac/

Google Picasa Windows version
http://picasa.google.com/index.html#

Also, I usually select the option to have Picasa search my entire hard drive for photos. However, be careful with that feature since Picasa will possibly find every joke email attachments that people sent you and who knows what else. You might have to do some clean-up after it is installed.

Atlantic Broadband Starter Service - 320 Kbps - It's Too Slow

A client of mine recently recently re-located to a new location complained that their Atlantic Broadband Service was very, very slow. When I went to diagnose the issue, I discovered that Atlantic Broadband provided them with a High Speed Internet Service of 320Kbps for $34.95 + $25.00 installation.

First of all, I was insulted to think that any "broadband provider" would have the audacity to charge $34.95 for such a service. It was President Obama in his election campaign who said, "It is "unacceptable" that the U.S. ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEC)" and "Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they'll get that chance when I'm president -- because that's how we'll strengthen America's competitiveness in the world."

I seriously doubt that President Obama with his $8B Broadband Stimulus Package was envisioning our children and students in America surfing the Internet at 320Kbps with services like Atlantic Broadband High Speed 320Kbs Internet Starter Service allegedly targeted at low usage Internet users and students (according to the Broadband Tech Rep I spoke), it's no wonder our country is in its current state.

First of all, I allege Atlantic Broadband's Internet Starter Service is a deceptive marketing practice and should be either taken off the market or upgraded to a higher speed. Yes, it's faster than dial-up, but at only 320Kbps it is 25 times slower than their next 8MB $50.95 package. Even AT&T High-Speed Internet packages are sold at 1.5MB, 3MB and 6MB package. It really seems like a classic bait and switch.

Also, when I called Broadband Customer Service about this, they told me that's what the customer ordered. My reply was, would you buy this service for your mom or dad? They also said, Comcast their competitor offered a 1MB package. My reply, THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT!

In any regard, NO ONE SHOULD buy the Atlantic Broadband Internet Starter Service Package, it's way too slow. The Atlantic Broadband's Preferred Service is $50.95 +tax in my client's area and if that's not within your budget, there are competitive services offering better alternatives. My client's Internet service was enabled over the phone in a few seconds and the service was downloading at well over 7MB, even on wi-fi. The Atlantic Broadband Rep offered no discount for my client's lost productivity.

If you have the Atlantic Broadband Stater Service or some other High Speed Internet Service and it is running slow, here are some sites to test the speed of your Internet connection.

http://speedtest.atlanticbb.net/
http://speakeasy.net/
http://www.speedtest.net

Upgrading my iPhone 3G S to iTunes 8.2.1

With each iTunes upgrade you are probably not alone in wondering if this update will break cause a problem with the data on your iPhone or your computer. So several weeks after its release, I finally installed iTunes 8.2.1 on both my Macs and PCs.

First of all, this upgrade took several minutes to download and install because it also included Safari and Quicktime. In general, it went smoothly. However, here is a list of potential issues you can review after installing this release and synching for the first time.

• iTunes Setup Assistant -This works similar to setting your browser as Internet Explorer or Firefox, provides and option to allow Apple to organize your music for you (no thank you) and to download Album Artwork automatically (nice feature).
  
• Info -> Contacts -- Ensure that your contacts are being synchronized and that they are not being doubled up. You might want to add a contact to both your Contact Manager and your iPhone to ensure it is working correctly.
  
• Info -> Calendar -- Add an item on your iPhone and using your Calendar Applicationtion to ensure it is working.
• Info - review other settings on this page since after a new install of iTunes, Apple sometimes doesn't save your settings.
  
• Photos -Ensure your photos are being synched.
  
• Photos - Make sure you backup your Camera Roll photos using iPhoto or Picasa.
  
• Applications - You might take the time to Upgrade your Applications from your desktop.

Software Updates - What's Mandatory and What's Not!

I received a mailer from my car manufacturer about an update for the Navigation System in my car for $149.00 http://www.navigation.com/InfinitiPromo. It caused me to think what sofware updates, new software releases or annual software subscriptions I would pay for and which one's I don''t. After reviewing this list, it appears that some of my decisions are not based on price and useful features as security and princple. Lastly, if it's a Free update, I'll always install it!

Required Software Updates

• Computer Antivirus Software
• Mac Operating System (Leopard was a nice upgrade and if I wa)
• iTouch Software Upgrade (with Apple products, it's nice to know you have the current version in the event you have a problem).

Not Required Software Updates

• Any Windows operating system after Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Office Updates after MS Office 2003
• XM Radio, new feature to play on my iPhone and Computer (they should have grandfathered this feature for their long-time loyal customers.)
• Infiniti Auto Navigation (I haven't encountered many errors with the current navigation, at least in my city, these should also be free., although some would argue you are paying enough for the car, what's another $149.)

iPhone Voice Control Commands - iPhone 3GS Voice Control Commands

By far one of the most useful features in the iPhone 3G S 3.0 is Voice Control. If you didn't read or skim the iPhone .PDF user manual then you may have missed this feature unless you are one that like to uncover the the new features in your iPhone like you are playing a adventure video game or by after hours cocktail conversation.

First of all, when driving your car in states like California which require you to use a headset, this is a great feature. You can finally place a call from your iPhone without looking at it and driving. Here is a list of the iPhone Voice Control Commands.

To Active iPhone Voice Control

• Hold down the iPhone Home button for 2 seconds.

iPhone Voice Control Phone Commands

• Call 1 800 555 1212
• Dial 1 800 555 1212
• Call John Smith
• Call John Smith Mobile
• Dial John Smith
• Dial John Smith Mobile
• No - cancel command
  
• Nope - cancel command
  
• Not that- cancel command
  
• Not that one - cancel command
  
• Wrong - can command
  

iPhone Music Commands

• Play
• Play music
• Play playlist
• Play playlist On-The-Go
• Play playlist My Top Rated
• Play playlist Audio books (didn't work for me)
  
• Play playlist Purchased
  
• Play album
• Play Album T-Shirt
  
• Play Album Song
  
• Pause - to pause the music
  
• Pause Music - to pause the music
  
• Next
  
• Next Song
• Shuffle - to shuffle the playlist.
• What's playing?
• What song is this?
• Who sings this song?
• Who is this song by?
  

iPhone Voice Control Other Commands

• Help - the only commands for now are "Using iPhone Voice Control you can tell iPhone to call contacts, play albums or play playlists.

Caveat Emptor or let the buyer or user beware - In testing iPhone Voice Control 1.0, if the voice recognition system can't decipher your your command, it will sometimes randomly start calling someone in your address book. This doesn't work like the voice calling system in most cars which require you to acknowledge each entry, it is much more predatory. In my case, it started calling several people I haven't spoken to in years that are listed in my address book. In any regard, great job Apple, can't wait for Voice Control 1.1 or 2.0.

Lastly, if you are looking for Voice Control in your iPhone 3G, it's only available in the iPhone 3G S. Ugh, possibly a reason to upgrade! And it iPhone Voice Control doesn't currently work with Bluetooth. It is rumored to be in the 3.1 firmware update!

Upgrading to the iPhone 3G S

Before upgrading, I upgraded my old iPhone to 3.0 and synched,

The upgrade process was simple, call the 866 phone number, enter your
phone number, zip code and other security info, turn off your new 3G
S, wait 5 minutes, turn it back on and tether it with iTunes to
restore your backup.

Some issues:

• On one of the phones that I upgraded, I had to call AT&T to select a data plan. The phone worked, but the 3G and text messaging services did not.
• On another phone, the text messaging only did not work. I also had to call AT&T.
• On one of the early upgrade phones, the upgrade process went smoothly.

My iPhones and iPod Touches are now upgaded to 3.0

After a long weekend, my iPhone and iTouches are all upgraded! This was a major upgrade and if haven't done so yet, I would consider the follwing to clean up your device before upgrading. I think this will save you time in the long run and help to prevent errors during the upgrade process. You can also use this time to do a little housekeeping like you woud clean an office, desk or hard drive.

• iPhone Applicatons - If you have 8 screens of iPhone Apps, I would start with a at least 2 empty screens of Apps before upgrading. There is a new iPhone Spotlight screen that takes up the screen position to the left of the home screen.
• Music - I woud reduce the number of songs you have on the your device before upgrading. This would reduce the amount of time the upgrade takes.
• Camera Roll - First of all, make sure your camera roll photos are backed up. If you are a Windows user, you can use Picasa. If you disabled the camera wizard, remember to re-enable it and save your pictures. You might consider deleting your history of Camera Roll Photos from the past 2-3 years and starting new. This would be the perfect time to do so.
• Photos - I would remove some of the photo albums if you have too many. On some of my iPhones, iTunes re-optimized the photos which took many hours.
• Other iPhone Synch Applications - Make a list of other iPhone Synch applications you may have. These may include Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar etc.
• Add Remove Programs - go to Add Remove programs and write down the versions of the following: Apple Mobile Devices Support, Apple Software Update, Bonjour, iTunes and QuickTime. This would be beneficial if you need to re-install iTunes and Apple Support asks you to remove these items. If another program you are using uses for example another version of Bonjour, you have a record of this in the event your other program stops working.
• Backup Plan - If you iPhone or iPod Touch does not upgrade, make sure you reserve plenty of time for a potential diasters recovery plan. For example, are you going to call Apple, try to upgrade on a Mac (if a Windows upgrade) or schedule an appointment with Apple. How long can you go without a phone? Is your IT guy or IT family member available to help you?

That all said, before you start the upgrade, for both Windows and Mac users, make sure you have installed all software updates!

iPod Touch 3.0 Upgrade Issues - What to Do! iPod Touch iBrick issues

Yesterday, I shelled out the $9.95 and tried to upgrade my iPod Touch to 3.0. Unfortunately, on my MacBook Pro, it failed twice and my previously working iPod Touch 2.1 was now stuck on the Connect to iTunes Screen of Death. After abandoning this task yesterday, this morning I pulled out a spare MacBook in my closet that I use to curse the small 13" screen and tried the iTouch 3.0 firmware Upgrade on it.

1) It restored my iTouch to 2.1 so it was at least functional. I did not restore the data because it was synched with my MacBook Pro.

2) It then upgraded the iTouch 3.0 firmware sucessfully. Again, I ignored the prompt to restore the data since I wanted to synch it with my main computer.

3) I plugged it in to my MacBook and it is now syching my Apps and music!


I recollect on my only visit to the Apple Genius Bar a problem with my iPhone that would not upgrade on my PC running Windows/iTunes, that this is what the Apple Genius Bar employee did. So if your iTouch is an iTouch iBrick from upgrading to 3.0, you might want to find a very good friend with a Mac to help you out.

I'm usually a fan of Apple Care Customer Support, but not during the iPhone 3G S launch weekend!

Good luck!

Apple iPod Touch Forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=221

Other Resources
Apple Care Customer Support - 1-800-275-2273

Apple Support Resources
http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

Apple Genius Bar Reservations
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

Other Articles
http://www.i4u.com/article25463.html

iPhone 3.0 Upgrade Issues - no problem on Mac, as always Windows issues

This evening I am finally upgrading the family iPhones to the new iPhone 3.0 software.

1. One of the upgrades from the iPhone Edge using an iMac went very well. I simply clicked on the Upgrade button and came back to check on the Mac later and the iPhone was upgraded to 3.0.

2. I have another iPhone 3G that is synched with a Mac Pro laptop running Parallels with the the Windows version of iTunes. This iPhone 3G synchs with Microsoft Outlook Calendar. I was rarely able update my iPhone firmware with my laptop and this time was not different. I received an error message that it was unable to restore. Luckily I have a spare MacBook that I never got around to selling or gifting and was able to update to the new iPhone 3.0 firmware with it. I then reconnected my iPhone 3G to my Windows/Parallels and was able to synch it.

Here are some of the key new features.
- Cut, Copy & Paste with shake to undo
- Landscape keyboard
- MMS (not available yet)
- Forward or delete single or multiple messages
- Added search features in mail, calendar, notes and iPod
- Spotlight search for the iPhone (Tap Home button once or scroll to a new Spotlight screen left of the home menu. Ugh, you're still limited 8 screens so in my case the upgrade prodess randomly removed some of my Apps because Spotlight takes up one of the eight.)
- Support for CalDAV and subscriptions in Calendar
- Improved Safari, performance, HTML 5, HTTP streaming audio/video, auto-fill usernames and passwords. ( A client of mine reports Safari is much faster on the iPhone 3G S, huh, a reason to upgrade).
- New Voice Memos application (unfortunately, it doesn't do voice dialing!)
- Synch Notes via iTunes
- Internet Tethering (available later)
- Browse and download movies from the iPhone
- Stereo Bluetooth
- Wi-fi autologin
- Enhanced Stocks application (I hope I have a good reason to use it in 2009/2010)
- More parental controls
- ITunes account creation and login from the iPhone
- YouTube account login and access to subscriptions, ratings and favorites
- Shake to shuffle
- New languages, dictionaries and keyboards
- Find my iPhone and Remote Wipe via MobileMe (huh, I might need to try MobileMe again!)
- Support for Exchange Policies
- Create and send Exchange meeting invites
- Search mail on server (Exchange Server 2007 and IMAP servers)
- Search LDAP company directory
- VPN on demand and VPN proxy
- Encrypted configuration profiles
- Encrypted iTunes backups
- New APIs
- Compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S

It looks like I may need to read the manual to understand the new features.
See: http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/iphone

Digital TV Signal Strength Improves- NBC Miami

It appears to me that NBC in Miami has significantly increased their digital TV signal strength in the past 24 hours. I can now receive TV reception from a room that faces West or at Biscayne Bay. Before today, I was not able to get any NBC digital TV signal (stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3). It's coming in nearly crystal clear on an analog TV with a digital TV converter box and only a standard VHF antenna. I returned the special digital TV UHF antenna a few months ago because it didn't help much. I also tested it earlier this week and I didn't notice any change. I am also receiving DTV 4-1 (CBS) and DTV 29-1 (Fox) DTV 29-2 without any significant transmission issues.

I guess the "beta" program is now over for Digital TV. I might eventually look at buying a HD Digital TV antenna for the living room. I'm not a big fan of my Satellite TV provider, but I'll certainly wait because in my opinion, their beta program really started this morning.

For other info on my experiences installing a converter box.

http://www.martinogawa.com/2008/10/digital-tv-converter-box-installed.html

Upgrading to the New Apple iPhone 3G S Online

I usually upgrade my iPhones at the Apple Store but for the new iPhone 3G S this year I decided to upgrade online at the AT&T site. I wanted to avoid the chaos of the Apple Store on Friday, June 19th.

1. At http://wireless.att.com I logged in to my AT&T wireless account. I have a family plan and I imagine like most famlies, each family member's current iPhone has Upgrade Plan. In my case, some of the phones are eligible for the new pricing since their two year contract has lapsed and of course my iPhone 3G falls under the iPhone 3G S Early Upgrade path. On the AT&T Manage Account interface, there are tabs for each family member or phone. Under Phone/Device, I clicked on Check Upgrade Options.

2. Upgrade Phone - A screen with each of the family member phones appears with a checkbox to upgrade their phone. You can upgrade multiple phones at this time. In my case, the screen also showed the following.

• No Commitment Pricing - You can take advantage of our no commitment pricing. Additional discounts may be available on 05/24/2010. (This message appeared on my iPhone 3G which I have to pay the Early Upgrade fee. I imagine it means that I don't have to extend my contract at this time and next June 2010 when a new iPhone comes out, I can extend it at that time.)
• Discount - We can offfer you an additional disount of up to $50.00 off regular 2-year commitment and a waived upgrade fee on most devices. (This message appeared under the main family member's account only but is not available on iPhones).
• iPhone Upgrade Fee $18 - As a valued AT&T customer, we can offer you an iPhone upgrade with a new 2-year commitment and an $18 upgrade fee.

3. Phones & Devices - The next screen lists the six different iPhone 3G / 3G S options. The main selection here is the color choice, the default is black and you need to click on the square white box to change the color, then click on the link (not a great user inteface).

4. Accessories -- The next screen gives you the option to purchase a long list of iPhone 3G / 3G S accssories. The iPhone 3G S and new iPhone 3G is the same size as my old iPhone 3G so I did not need a new case, but I ordered some other cases because the iPhone Edge is a different size than the iPhone 3G / 3G S. I also did not buy Apple Care because the phone is covered for a one year period.

5. Rate Plans - The iPhone 3G / iPhone 3G S has a more expensive data plan so when upgrading some the phones from the iPhone Edge, I needed to select new data/text messsaging plans. Here are some other rate issues that came up which I needed to research.

What are Nights & Weekends?
Question:What are Nights & Weekends?Answer:Nights and Weekends are generally defined as "Nights" from 9 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and "Weekends" as 9 p.m. Friday night until 5:59 a.m. Monday morning, in the time zone from which the call was placed. Extended Nights and Weekends feature can be added at an additional charge on qualified plans.
Some calling plans may have a different definition of "Nights and Weekends" as detailed in your contract or Customer Service Summary.

6. Shopping Cart - You need to provide AT&T with a credit card to check out. It will not be added to your monthly invoice.

7. Ship Date - Our iPhones should arrive on Friday, June 19th via Federal Express.

8. Other Notes; If you want your iPhones or a family member's iPhone shipped to a different address, you must call 1-866-499-8008 to order over the phone.

Reasons to Upgrade to the iPhone 3G S - iPhone 3GS

• Battery Life - The new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G should have an improved battery life. Apple claims that the battery life should improve when using wi-fi.
  
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA - The iPhone 3G S contains a chip that supports faster 3G download speeds.
• Camera - The iPhone 3G S comes with a 3 megapixels camera including a new Autofocus feature and support video. The iPhone 3G has a 2 megapixel camera.
  
• Speed - The new iPhone 3G S and iPhone 3G should be much faster than the old iPhone 3G or the original iPhone Edge. Apple claims that it should load Web pages and launch Apps twice as fast.
  
• Disk Space - The iPhone 3G S will be available in 32 GB, 16GB.
• Voice Control - The iPhone 3G S will have a voice control feature for auto dialing.
  
• Other Features - The iPhone 3G S has several other features that might be useful to some users. This includes a Digital Compass and Stereo Bluetooth.
• iPhone 3G S Dimensions - According to the specification sheet, the iPhone 3G S is the same size as the current iPhone 3G. Unlike the upgrade for the iPhone Edge, you shouldn't need to buy a new case.

Here is the pricing for the iPhone 3G S for new and existing customers. Current customers can go to http://www.wireless.att.com for their upgrade pricing from AT&T.

• New Customers - $299 for the 32 GB iPhone 3G S; $199 for the 16 GB iPhone 3G S; $149 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB; $99 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB; $129 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB (Refurb) and $79 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB (Refurb).
  
• iPhone Edge Customers - If the two year agreement has expired, iPhone Edge customers will be able to receive the discounted pricing (above) as if a new customer.
  
• iPhone 3G Early Upgrade - Customers Less than 2 years remaining on contract - $499 32 GB iPhone 3G S; $399 for the 16 GB iPhone 3G S; $349 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB; $299 for the 8 GB iPhone 3G; $329 for the iPhone 3G 16 GB (Refurb); $279 for the iPhone 3G 8 GB (Refurb).
  

Unfortunately, AT&T and Apple's pricing appears to punish the loyal Apple customer who buys each new Apple product when it comes out. That said, you can sell your old iPhone 3G or gift it to a family member to lower the cost of the Early Upgrade fee.

Backing up your iPhone or iTouch

With the release of iTune 8.2 and the pending release of the new iPhone 3.0 software or firmware, iPhone and iTouch users should ensure their iPhones are backed up. In addition, if you are considering upgrading to the new iPhone Pro, you should ensure your camera roll photos are backed up so you don't inadvertenly lose any info in case there is a problem with backup file. Here's Apple's KB article on backing up your iPhone and itouch.

Apple iPhone / iTouch Backup KB Article
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

FILE LOCATIONS

On a Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

On Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

On Windows Vista: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Don't Buy an iPhone until after June 8, 2009

On Monday, June 8, 2009 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, Apple will announce its new lineup of Apple iPhones. There is speculation that Apple will announce:

• An iPhone 3G Pro for $299 that includes a 3.2MP camera with video recording
• A new 3G wireless chip that supports downloads speeds up to 7.2 Mbps
• A $99 iPhone
• A Digital Compass or a magnoetometer

If you are waiting to upgrade your current iPhone or are going to buy a new one, I would wait until after June 8th. You'll probably end up waiting until the end of June or early July to get the new iPhone Pro!

Apple Developer's Conference - June 8th
http://developer.apple.com/WWDC/

List of Facebook Phishing URLs - bestspace.be the latest!

This morning I received a Facebook Message from one of my "trusted friends" with a message to "look at bestspace.be". When I tried to post a message on my friend's wall with the website address bestspace.be, FB blocked or filted the URL bestspace.be from being posted. What I don't understand is why FB can't block the SMTP messages from being sent.

Oh well, here's my current list of FB Phishing website addresses:
- areps.at
- bests.at
- bruga.at
- bestspace.be
- fcoder.at
- kirgo.at
- nutpic.at
- sweeter.be


XXX sent you a message.

Subject: Hi

"Look at bestspace.be"

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/

___
This message was intended for xxx@xxx.com.com. Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:
http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?
Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

Kirgo.AT - Facebook Phishing Scam - Don't Log-In

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

XM Radio - Removes Online XM Radio feature from its Subscriber Package

Huh, I just noticed that XM Radio removed their online service from its basic subscriber package. For this loyal XM Radio customer who has been paying for their service in his car for almost a decade, they want another $2.99 per month for it. I didn't listen to the service that often but once in a while if I wanted a break from my iTunes, I would listen to it. Also, all of their channels were not part of the free service such as ACC football. I hope for the $2.99 per month, you get all the channels and it just isn't the old limited set of channels and the purported "higher digital quality audio". This techie doesn't really believe that line! It's not a large amount of money, but what ever happened to the concept of "grandfathering" your early adopters, i.e. taking care of your loyal customers. It use to be that once you provided a customer with a service, you didn't take it away. Out of principle, I will not be paying the $2.99. Also, I understand many Sirius customers were promised a lifetime membership, but after the merger, they had to pay additional fees to get the XM channels. If this doesn't sound like a "Monopoly" or unfair pricing, then what is?

Here the letter I received from them. If XM didn't have a monopoly, I would be switching to Sirius.

---------------------

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for contacting XM.

We have received your email and we are sorry to hear that you are no longer able to get XM Radio Online. Since March 11, 2009, the online listening platform was upgraded to a higher Digital Quality Audio and is no longer included free as part of a base subscription. XM Radio Online is now $2.99 per month with a radio subscription.


To add XM Radio Online to your subscription, please go to http://www.xmradio.com/getxmro/index.xmc and follow the instructions provided. If you are having difficulties, please contact our Listener Care Center directly at the telephone number provided below. Our representatives will be more than happy to assist you.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346). Our Listener Care Center's hours of operation are as follows:

Monday - Saturday 8AM - 11PM ET

Sunday 8AM - 8PM ET

Thank you,

Glen
------------------

Taking my iPhone to Europe or Abroad - iPhone International Plan

In the past, when we have traveled abroad, I've disabled iPhone features by enabling a SIMM Pin and used the Wi-Fi on my phone only. What I discovered is that Apple has since changed their iPhone Software and Wi-Fi now works on Airplane Mode so disabling the SIMM Pin is no longer necessary. For this trip, I will be signing up for an International Roaming Package so that I can use the iPhone's 3G service for directions, checking mail and receiving text messages. Here are the details:

1. AT&T International Plan Customer Service 1-800-335-4685 - The day before I leave, I'm called them to subscribe the following services:

• AT&T World Traveler- $5.99 per month (calls in Spain, Switzerland and Italy are $.99 cents per minute)
• AT&T Data Global Add-On for the iPhone - $59.99 for 50MB of usage, $0.005/KB overage or $5.00 per MB for overage. You have approximately 1.67 MB per day data usage which is important as it relates to your normal AT&T billing cycle, your vacation dates and how AT&T does the pro-ration. When you sign-up, the beginning and ending date of your AT&T contact and how it falls within your travel period. To be safe, you might have to have the AT&T Rep back date your contract 30-days or less because of how they calculate the pro-ration.)
• Here's an Example: AT&T takes your total MB per month and divides by the number of days until the next billing period. If you travel started 1-day before your new billing period, then you would have 1.67 MB and $5.00 per MB for any overage. So if you used 3.67 MB the first day of your trip, you would be charged $59.99 / 30 days or $2.00 per day + $10.24 (2MB overage @ $5.12 per MB ) = $12.24. The second billing period you will be billed at $59.99 under the same formula. (Yes, it sounds complicated but worst case if you you pay$119.98 for two months for 50 MB iPhone data usage. (more later on data usage) In my case, the Rep back dated my contract 30 days so I had 7 days to use 50 MB which was more than enough.

2. Forwarding -- Before I leave the United States, I will use the iPhone to forward my calls to my Google Voice number. When people call this number, for any voice messages, text transcripts will be sent to my phone using Google's new cool service. I am lucky to have one of these beta accounts.

3. Text Messages -- Incoming text message are covered by my domestic plan. Outgoing text messages are $.50 each.

More info is at the link below.

http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/roaming/affordable-world-packages.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-0017YW-0-1&WT.svl=calltoaction

4. Canceling - When I get back to the States, I will cancel the plan without any penalty.


5. iPhone Usage Reset Statistics - Before my plane took off from the United States, I Reset the iPhone Usage Statistics Settings --> General --> Usage --> Reset Statistics (This allowed me to track my Cellular Network Data Sent and Received).

6. International Usage -- On my first day of travel, we landed in Madrid, Spain and drove North to Salamanca. The first thing I noticed was that I was not able to connect to Google Maps until I re-booted my iPhone several times (i.e. everytime you change Cellular providers such as Vodafone, Orange). Google Maps worked, but I'm not convinced it was as accurate as in the United States in the smaller town of Salamanca.

7. Photos and Google Maps - I normally blog on vacation and like to upload photos from my iPhone. As you would expect, each blog photo uploaded used a good amount of my daily 1.67 MB data usage. In addition, Google Maps also uses up your data.

8. Email - Spain didn't have good free wi-fi service like some other countries so I was judicious about checking my email, especially with the amount of spam I get in some of my accounts.

9. Coverage - For celluar service and 3G on the train from Madrid to Barcelona was also better than I expected.

10. Wi-fi - A side note that wi-fi was $20 to $26 per day in Spain and Switzerland. When I had Internet cable access in Barcelona, I actually used wi-fi sharing for the first time. My daughter was able to use my Internet connection and I also used it to connect my iPhone.

11. AT&T Text Message - Reset Statistics - On the day my billing period ended, I received a very informative text message from AT&T reminding me to reset my statistics and of the $5.12 per MB overage charge.

12. Text Messages - When using this service abroad, my incoming messages were generally unrelaible. There appeared to be a long latency from the time someone in Spain sent me a text message to the time I received it. In general, this was not expected.

12. Returned Home - I returned home and canceled my International plans today. I had to wait a few days to avoid the data plan overages.

Best links to Swine Flu Information (H1N1 virus)

Here are the best links I could find on the Swine Flu virus. When an incident like this occurs, as a consumer interested in up-to-date, relevant and comprehensive information on this topic, I found myself searching: 1) Google Web Search; 2) Google News; 3) Twitter.com #swineflu ; 4) Wikipedia ; 5) YouTube.com

1) Google Health News
http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&topic=m

2) World Health Organization Press Briefings
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/multimedia/swineflupressbriefings/en/index.html

3) CDC site
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

4) Google Maps

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5


5) You Tube Video on Swine Flu Virus
Dr. Joe Bresee, CDC Influenza Division.


6) Twitter.com CDC Emergency Site
http://www.twitter.com/CDCemergency

7) Wikipedia - Swine Flu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

8) U.S. State Department Travel Alerts
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4488.html

9) N95 Masks and Respirators Info on CDC Site
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/masks.htm?s_cid=tw_epr_76

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ppe/masksrespirators.html

10) Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN on Twitter.com
http://www.twitter.com/sanjayguptaCNN