Inside Solsis » iPhone

iOS 4 is here

JamesH — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:39:11 +0000

iOS 4 is out for the iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPod Touch (exc. 1st generation) so the question is what do you do next. At this stage if your thinking of upgrading I thought I would provide a bit of information about the process and my experience in getting it working.

It was a painfully slow download, but right now everyone trying to download the update so it is going to be slow. On my 23MB ADSL line it took just under 35 minutes to download the 363MB file. To install the update on multiple iPhones I copied the iOS download from my iTunes to all the others I need to activate it on

I first updated my iPhone 3G and the process will be quite slow.I would recommend that prior to updating you backup your phone and disable iTunes ability to backup. If you’re on a mac you can open a terminal window and type the following:

defaults write com.apple.iTunes AutomaticDeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true

If you use windows open a command prompt and type the following:

“%CommonProgramFiles%\Apple\Mobile Device Support\bin\defaults.exe” write com.apple.iTunes AutomaticDeviceBackupsDisabled -bool true

On the 3GS it’s a lot quicker. The OS install itself takes about 20 minutes and when done will prompt you to restore your old settings. I didn’t because I wanted to see all the features by exploring and setting up the phone as if it where a new phone.

If you are thinking about updating your work supplied iPhone or it’s yours but configured for work, there are a few things you should remember

Make sure you know your mail server settings. For Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync you’ll need you Windows username and password and your Webmail address
If applicable make sure you know your VPN settings or know where you can download your VPN profile from
You’ll need iTunes 9.2

As with all these things if you’re unsure about whether or not you need this update or would like assistance installing it please contact Solsis Support on 0845 600 2552

Windows Live to get Active Sync Support

JoeW — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:09:33 +0000

I have been reading on the web that hotmail is going to get Exchange ActiveSync enabled over the summer allowing users to keep their email, calendar, and contacts in sync with their mobile device.

Although not officially enabled yet it appears some users have had limited success (including me) it appears that to get it working you specify the server name as m.hotmail.com and leave the domain box blank.

Please remember ActiveSync on most devices currently only supports one email address, this means that if your work email server is configured on your phone then you most likely cannot take advantage of this new service. iPhone 4 users, iPhone 3G* and 3GS* users will be able to support multiple ActiveSync accounts.

*3G and 3GS users will get this in iOS 4

iPhone OS 4.0 Brings Multitasking At Last

JamesH — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:46:26 +0000

Today Apple unveiled plans for the biggest iPhone software update since iPhone 3.0. The OS lots of new features for iPhone and iPod touch owners to enjoy. And for developers, and a new software development kit (SDK). It will ship this summer for iPhone and iPod touch.

Particularly exciting is the new enterprise features, which are summarised below.

Users will be able to set up multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts including Exchange 2010 mailboxes. With the new unified inbox feature, you’ll be able to see messages from all of your email accounts displayed in a single inbox, or you can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account. If you receive an attachment that you want to save or edit, you will be able to open attachments with compatible apps from the App Store.
Perhaps the most exciting thing for me is the expansion of the VPN support. To be able to connect to my home server with a choice of more VPN solutions is one of the most anticipated new features for me.
SSL VPN support in iPhone OS 4 gives your users another way to securely access enterprise resources. These new protocols can even be leveraged to connect seamlessly to a corporate network via VPN on Demand. Forthcoming apps from Juniper and Cisco will support SSL VPN on iPhone.
iPhone OS 4 will work with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS this summer, and with iPad in the fall. Not all features are compatible with all devices. Most disappointingly multitasking is available only with iPhone 3GS and I think
Multitasking will allow tasks to be performed in the background while preserving performance and battery life. So you’ll be able to make a Voice over IP call while checking email

Hopefully I will get to test the BETA OS 4.0 in the near future and will post some screenshots and reviews right here.

Apples and BlackBerries (A very fruity discussion about SmartPhones)

JamesH — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:17:43 +0000

We get a lot of phone calls from clients asking our opinion about which is the best option for mobile email, and although there are many SmartPhones in the wild the question normally comes round to “What should I choose Apple or BlackBerry.

Both the BlackBerry and the iPhone bring the very best in mobile email and internet capabilities to the mobile phone, but they accomplish this in very different ways.

Windows based SmartPhones like the HTC Touch HD and XDA use Exchange ActiveSync as does the iPhone. By adding ActiveSync to the iPhone and making it available to the enterprise market who run Microsoft Exchange email environments, Kerio Mailserver and even Google Apps for Business. ActiveSync is available from Exchange 2003 SP1 and later and uses a push style notification to send email, contacts, calendars, and tasks (Windows Mobile only) much like a BlackBerry without the need for a separate server.

BlackBerry’s use either the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) or BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). BIS is hosted by Research In Motion and provides limited mail push facilities but requires the user to sync their contacts and calendars but plugging their BlackBerry into a cable and manually syncing it. The BES on the other hand sits inside your environment and pushes the contents of your Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell Groupwise mailbox to your BlackBerry.

A BlackBerry is perfect if you send a high volume of email from your mobile device or want full integration with your office network, as some users find it easier to use an actual keyboard (versus the touch screen keyboard like the iPhone). While it does have other functions such as internet browsing, third party applications, music and video, it’s primary focus and strength is email and battery life. (with the exception of the BlackBerry Bold the BlackBerry battery is second to none)

While the iPhone also has exceptional email capabilities, its strength happens to be those other functions! The iPhone is also a full-featured iPod, allowing users to download both purchased and rented music and videos. The iPhone’s web browsing is also better, and thousands of third party applications can be downloaded for specialty uses. Personally I have both BlackBerry and iPhone and for plane travel I prefer my iPhone because of the entertainment features when I am on a long haul flight but for roaming and roaming charges the BlackBerry wins hands down.

Unlike our US counterparts who are limited to one provider for their iPhone we can get iPhones on o2, Orange, Vodafone, and even Tesco. It’s just this techies opinion but when you compare all the UK networks currently providing iPhone in my opinion o2 and Tesco (uses o2 Infrastructure) provide the best value, the best coverage and the best overall experience.

Our advice to clients is easy….. call us before making a SmartPhone purchase, so we can advise you on some things to consider, including your company’s technology resources, your service provider, and your functionality needs.

iPhone OS 3.1.3 released to the wild

JamesH — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:17:25 +0000

OK folks grab your USB cable and plug you iPhone into iTunes, Apple has released iPhone OS 3.1.3 to iTunes. It’s not show stopper and as updates go but it is an Apple update and since they are few and far between it must be necessary. Here is a brief overview of what the update contains:

Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard

As usual with Apple updates there are no actual specifics that tell you what security issues have been resolved but we are sure they are in there.