iPhone 3G battery draining too fast? Try this

The iPhone 3G has been shown to exhibit poorer battery life than its predecessor when persistently utilizing 3G connectivity. However, some have reported inordinately short battery life, which could have a variety of causes including:

• faulty battery indicator
• overactive Push mechanism
• application flaws
• hardware defects

If you think you’re suffering from unusually short battery life, try the following procedures:

Turn off Push The iPhone 3G’s Push functionality for Exchange and Mobile Me accounts can destroy battery life. Turn this option off in “Settings” and compare your new battery life to the old.

Force-quit applications If an application quits unexpectedly and you notice poor battery life afterward, relaunch the application then force-quit it by holding down the home button for several seconds. This can eliminate problematic or hung processes that might be draining the battery.

Reset iPhone In some cases, simply resetting the iPhone can resolve signal strength issues. Hold down the home and sleep buttons simultaneously until you see the white Apple logo, indicating that your iPhone has restarted.

This procedure can right a faulty battery indicator and eliminate applications that have hung or are otherwise improperly chewing battery.

Reset network settings Tap Settings, tap General, tap Reset, tap Reset Network Settings. This will cause your iPhone to restart, and will delete any stored Wi-Fi passwords as well as DNS settings and more. It can resolve signal strength issues in some cases.

iPhone 3G sold unlocked in Hong Kong, Italy

We have received multiple reports indicating that the iPhone 3G is being sold as an unlocked device by 3 Hutchnison Telecommunications in Hong Kong and TIM in Italy. This means that users can insert any carrier’s SIM card into the device and access the attached network. However, both carriers are still requiring users to sign a two-year contract before they purchase the unlocked iPhones.

Per the Office of the Telecommunications Authority, Hong Kong, carriers are not allowed to SIM lock a phone for the purpose of solely tying customers to their network. However, Hong Kong carriers can SIM-lock a phone to protect the handset subsidy or to enforce mobile plan contracts.

Boosting iPhone 3G signal strength

The iPhone 3G automatically switches between 3G and 2G networks for voice and data connections. In theory, the phone should hop off 3G when signal strength is too low or non-existent, and hop back on when the signal gets better. In our experience, however, the ; isn’t aggressive enough regarding the switch from 3G to 2G. In other words, you may find that your phone stays connected to a 3G network when the signal strength is too low to allow incoming or outgoing calls.

The simple solution is to manually turn 3G connectivity, forcing a switch to 2G — which may take several seconds — and likely a boost in signal strength.

A number of other signal-strength-boosting techniques are available, including:

Reset iPhone In some cases, simply resetting the iPhone can resolve signal strength issues. Hold down the home and sleep buttons simultaneously until you see the white Apple logo, indicating that your iPhone has restarted.

Reset network settings Tap Settings, tap General, tap Reset, tap Reset Network Settings. This will cause your iPhone to restart, and will delete any stored Wi-Fi passwords as well as DNS settings and more. It can resolve signal strength issues in some cases.

Reseat your SIM card If your iPhone’s SIM card is not seated properly, signal strength can suffer. Try re-seating the SIM by pushing a straightened paper clip into the small hole on the top of the device to open the SIM tray, making sure the SIM Card is properly in place, then re-inserting the SIM tray. Also check for debris inside the tray or SIM card slot.

iPhone apps hands-on: Google, MySpace, eBay and AOL Radio

With the debut of the AppStore come a number of native applications that replicate the functionality of already extant iPhone-optimized Web sites. The impetus for creation of native applications has, thus far, been driven by the ability to use location sensitivity, access to the camera, and other iPhone technologies that are conventionally inaccessible through MobileSafari.

Google

Google’s native search application for the iPhone and iPod touch is simply an interface to the popular engine with location awareness — essentially the only advantage this application holds over the mobile-optimized Web site. Like other location-aware applications, Google may ask whether or not you wish to allow use of your current location.

Clicked search results are, as should be obvious, launched in MobileSafari.

The application has a settings screen that is accessible by pressing the grey circled italic “i” in the upper right corner of the Apps screen. In the settings pane, you can configure Google to search your contacts, previous searches or websites. You can turn Google suggestions on or off and even turn on Safe Search. Safe Search will not pull up any adult topic returns in the search results. Finally you can clear your search history.

The “Explore More Google Products” button brings you to a page that shows all of Google’s Apps on one screen. Touching one of those App icons results in Safari launching and bringing to that application.

MySpace

Once you’ve logged into the MySpace application you are presented with your own personalized home screen. You have immediate access to your mood settings, profile, Friends Status and Mood, Friends Updates, Comments, bulletins, and the ability to search for other people. The interface feels a bit cramped on the iPhone’s screen. Along the bottom you’ll find a row of five buttons that immediately jump to home, mail, requests, friends, and photos.

The My Friends section allows you to see your top friends, all of them, those that are online, new friends, and friends with birthdays. You also have complete access to your MySpace email. You can visit your inbox, compose messages and even see your sent, saved and trashed emails. The Mail icon at the bottom of the Apps screen notifies you when you have new messages by displaying a white plus-sign inside of a red circle.

3G activation problems render first-generation iPhones unusable

Because of widespread issues with activation caused by the launch of the iPhone 3G, activations of first-generation iPhones that have been updated to iPhone OS 2.0 are unable to complete, rendering the devices temporarily unusable.