Master Dilettante

I know I’ve been complaining a lot about my iPhone.  Apple products are supposed to just work — that’s their brand — and this one just hasn’t, at least not for me.  But I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of technology torture, and just about everything’s working now, if not the way I would have liked originally.  I’m going to recount in the next few posts my trials and tribulations and how I overcame them.

Recall my most recent complaints:  (1) abysmal battery life and (2) broken Microsoft Exchange integration.

I was sometimes getting less than 5 hours of battery life, even after Apple replaced my unit with a new one.  Firmware 2.1 plus some more prudent battery conservation practices have all but solved #1.  I’ve read too many articles, blog posts and discussion board threads on this to recount.  Plus, I’ve finally succumbed to logical suggestions — most of which I daresay I had heard already — from BW and ES.  Here’s what’s worked for me:

First, I’m only fetching data now, and only hourly.  Such is the disappointment of and lowered expectations in performance of the iPhone 3G that the very reason for buying it — push — is what must be disabled to provide more reasonable battery life.  I’m not even upset that I don’t get push, because it was working so poorly — that battery-killing wheel seemed to be spinning constantly — and I’m so grateful for longer battery life.

Second, I’ve slightly reduced the number of accounts from which I’m fetching data.  I have work Exchange, Yahoo, Gmail and MobileMe accounts.  Instead of fetching data from all of them, I’m forwarding Gmail to Yahoo and fetching from Yahoo.  I use MobileMe only for calendar and contacts syncing, so I have it set up but never check that email.  And I’m even fetching from my work email account.  I came to terms with the fact that I don’t need push email to distract me in meetings, and I already get push when sitting in front of my destop with Outlook open.

Third, I’ve turned brightness down fairly low.  Even with a protective film on the glass, it’s still bright enough for me.

Fourth, I’ve left Bluetooth and Location Services on.  I use my Bluetooth headset to and from work every day, it’s too much of a pain to go into Settings to deactivate and activate it repeatedly, and I’m not convinced it’s a drain on the battery.  For Location Services, much of the time I have this off, but I just end up switching it on when prompted when using Google Maps or some other geo-aware application that calls for it.

Finally, I’ve left both 3G and Data Roaming turned on.  As eBay alumnus Ryan Spoon notes, push has a much greater effect on battery life than 3G.  I know at least one other iPhone 3G owner — ES –  who switches off 3G not because of the perceived battery life drain but because he believes the network is unreliable and results in dropped calls.  I’m accessing the Internet often enough that I want the speed from its being on all the time.

The net effect?  I can go over a day without recharging.  And I don’t live in constant fear of a sudden drained-battery-induced shutdown.  Frackin’ fantastic.  Reasonable battery life?  Check!

Next, I’ll bemoan the complete failure of Exchange integration, my data sync requirements and then the awkward but functioning solutions I’ve devised.

Some of you may know that I’ve been having myriad problems with my iPhone 3G, mostly around rapidly deteriorating battery life and inability to restore from backup.

Today, Apple released the new 2.1 firmware, and it’s broken my Exchange integration.  Right now, I have no calendar, no contacts and no email — the unit is useless to me without these core functions.  I’ve tried deleting the Exchange account and re-adding it, but that doesn’t help.  Apple support forums indicate that at least a few others are experiencing the same problem.  Frankly, I’m sick of the inability of the iPhone to perform basic functions, and I’m seriously thinking about switching back to BlackBerry.

Two reasons to buy Apple products:  (1) They just work and (2) sex appeal.  So far, (1) is absent leaving my iPhone decidely unsexy. 

I must be spoiled. Over the past two years, the only airplane flights I’ve taken over 6 hours have been international flights in which the amenities, meals and service have been adequate to great. Moreover, I’ve been fortunate to travel business or first class.

By amenities, I mean the in-flight kits containing socks, toiletries, etc., given to business class and above passengers and little things like even audio headsets. By meals, I mean the quality and variety of the food and drink provided. And by service, I mean the attentiveness, attitude and efficiency of the flight staff.

If you fly internationally on non-U.S.-based airlines, you will realize immediately that the amenities, meals and service on U.S.-based carriers, particularly on U.S. domestic flights, in contrast, are noticeably and unequivocally worse.

Amenities on U.S. carriers are non-existent or minimal at best. I’m writing this post on a United Airlines flight to Boston, and the audio headset for listening to in-flight entertainment was loose, not packaged in plastic, with the cord coiled around it. At least the plastic packaging that used to be used provided the illusion of hygiene. Now, high-maintenance gadget geek that is am, I bring my own Bose noise reduction headset wherever I fly. Today, however, I can’t use it, because the headset jack in my seat is not just broken, it’s literally missing altogether.

But wait, there’s more! Meals . . . . I must have missed this in the news, but somewhere, somehow, sometime, domestic flights on United discontinued hot, included meals. Now, if you want to eat on a 6-hour flight, you can either bring your own food or you must pay $5 for a lousy assortment of cold crackers and snacks. United Airlines lists the “SnackBoxes” available.

Last, service ranges from outright rude to measurably dour. Southwest Airlines is a noticeable exception, but Southwest doesn’t offer long flights. (I haven’t flown Jet Blue yet).

Compare this experience to the experience you might receive on any Asia-based airline, say Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Asiana, Korean Airlines or Quantas, and you’ll know that American carriers aren’t even trying.

I have neither monitored nor studied the plight of U.S. carriers. I know that United Airlines has been in a world of hurt. Evidently, the failed economics and/or management of these carriers prevents them from providing even the service they provided in the past.

The only thing that keeps me with United is my accumulation of frequent flier miles, but, even were I want to switch, it is but as if American Airlines or any other U.S. carrier offers a superior alternative.