One of the most useful features of the iOS 5 update is the ability to define shortcuts to frequently used words and phrases. My favourite use so far has been to create a shortcut to enter my e-mail address.

Access the Settings

Access the iDevice settings. Obviously your screen will differ to mine!

General Settings

Access the General section of the settings.

Keyboard Settings

Access the Keyboard section of the General Settings.

Keyboard Settings – Shortcuts

Scroll down to the very bottom of the Keyboard Settings and you will see at least one shortcut created by default by the system – omw which expands to On My Way!

Click Add New Shortcut…

New Shortcut Settings

Enter the phrase to be added and optionally a shortcut to access the phrase with.

Adding a New Shortcut

Here I have added my e-mail address to the Phrase field (1) and a shortcut of "ema" to the Shortcut field (2).

Click Save to return to the Keyboard Settings.

Viewing the New Shortcut

The new shortcut is displayed in the Keyboard Settings (1)

Using Your New Shortcut – 1

Your new shortcut can be used in any iOS App.

Here typing the shortcut "ema" in the Notes App displays a post-it note offering the full text of the shortcut phrase (1).

If the shortcut you’ve specified is an actual word or you just don’t want to expand it tap the small cross on the post-it note to dismiss the shortcut suggestion (2).

Using Your New Shortcut – 2

Tapping return or using any punctuation will automatically expand your new shortcut.

Click here to download a PDF version of this tutorial Creating Keyboard Shortcuts on iPad with iOS 5

Following on from my recent post about the iPhone 4 Bumper case and an excellent follow-up comment on it from Jonathan Issacs I thought I’d outline a few issues I’ve found with charging my iPhone 4.

First, to address Jonathan’s question, which was:

Great post Elaine, I assume that when using a bumper this has to be taken off for the phone to use the dock?

However I’m sure I read somewhere that this wasn’t the case (no pun intended), could you shed some light on the situation?

I made the decision not to buy the new dock, which is especially designed for iPhone 4, long before I sat in the store on launch day facing the temptation head-on! I was still smarting from my recent purchase of the iPad dock and my disappointment with it, full details of why I was disappointed are in MacBites Episode 44 but a few of my issues with it are:

1. It won’t charge the iPad without removing the case
2. It isn’t sturdy enough to hold the iPad and allow typing on the screen without the iPad rocking dangerously
3. It only holds the iPad in portrait mode, not the best for watching video

All of which didn’t stop me admiring the aesthetics of the new dock on launch day, but I refrained. The reason I refrained was that the new dock will not charge the iPhone without removing the Bumper case. This would not be a big issue but for how awkward it is to remove the Bumper case, which is extremely close fitting.

I had high hopes of repurposing the iPad dock for use with the iPhone 4 but it doesn’t fit the iPhone 4 either with or without the Bumper *foiled again*.

But no worries I guess there’s always the charging cable, right?

Well it turns out not all charging cables are made equal and when your iPhone 4 is wearing a Bumper this makes a difference. Over the years the design of these cables has varied greatly and they don’t all work with the new Bumper clad iPhone 4.

From the left these are, iPhone 4, iPod 60gb Video, generic replacement cable

The cable that ships with the iPhone 4 works perfectly even when it’s in the Bumper case. However, the 60gb video iPod cable doesn’t work and neither does the generic replacement on the right.

The dock connector with the Bumper case on

The reason is the width of the plastic casing, as shown in the image of the cables above and the silicon inside the Bumper covering the connector, shown in the previous image.

The head of the cable has become progressively thinner over the years and while this is elegant in design it’s not without issues.

Obviously my immediate concern is that a wider casing means it won’t charge my iPhone without removing the case.

A corollary issue is that the reason I had bought a generic replacement rather than a replacement cable manufactured by Apple was that with each interaction of the Apple cable it has become more fragile and less fit for purpose.

I have had an Apple cable split at the connector end on my iPod Shuffle, Apple acknowledged the issue and replaced it. Sadly this wasn’t a one off and there are at least three Apple cables in the house right now that I don’t deem safe to use, having split in general use.

Here’s just one of them!

So it looks like a catch 22 for me right now, I’m happy with the Bumper case but using it means I can’t use the dock or anything other than a new style Apple cable for charging and synching, the build quality and/or design of which is, in my opinion, flawed for anything other than extremely light use.

This is my second iPhone the first being the 3G version in 2008, I was forced to miss the 3GS due to the 18 month contract I was locked into with O2. This time however I had outwitted them by transferring to the Simplicity for iPhone contract in January this year paying £20 a month for more voice minutes and texts with the other services staying the same.

Since the white iphone 4 wasn’t available on launch day my only decision was between the 16gb and 32gb versions and since this would be my first iPhone capable of recording video I considered the decision pretty much made for me … a 32gb it would be.

So I was all sorted, or was I? The only thing I hadn’t decided on was a case. When Apple announced the iPhone 4 they also announced a semi-case called a Bumper. As a case was a bit lacking as it had neither a back or a front, it was in essence a strip of what looked like elastic which wrapped around the metal edge of the new device.

I’ll admit I wasn’t particularly impressed with it as a case and even less impressed with the price of $29 which using Apple’s exchange rate translated to £25. Hence, the only options available at launch were a £25 elastic band or a naked iPhone. I decided to reserve judgement on the Bumper until I’d seen it, which proved to be a wise move.

The night before launch a story started circulating regarding the cellular signal gradually diminishing when the iPhone 4 was held in a certain way. More information followed to the effect that it was touching the antenna system especially in the lower left corner of the phone that was causing the problem. If true then adding a Bumper to the device should mitigate the issue. The queue was alive with talk of this potential problem and there was much debate as to whether the Bumper would prevent it.

The staff brought phones out of the store to demo them to those waiting in the five various queues they had organized and when I asked if we could see the Bumpers in action he promptly returned to the store and brought one out which he passed around the queue. It was helpful to be able to see it and even better to be able to test it prior to making a decision regarding it’s purchase.

I decided in the end that it didn’t detract too much from the new sleek design and in fact having tried it I could see that with a Bumper I might not need any other case. The rim of the Bumper lifts the phone off any surface it is laid on so there’s less chance of scratching it. It also made the iPhone feel very secure when I was holding it, much more so than the case on my 3G.

Obviously with chatter reaching monumental proportions over the signal issue I tried replicating the symptoms on my iPhone 4 but with or without the Bumper I could not get the signal to degrade irrespective of how I held the device but plenty of others are reporting that they can so your mileage may vary.

Since my purchase many people have commented that they are seriously considering purchasing a Bumper to mitigate any problem with signal loss arising from touching the antenna. So for those considering the purchase here are a few images which show various comparisons between an iPhone 4 with a Bumper and one without.

Comparison of the front

Comparison of the back

There’s a cutout for the mute button and metal buttons for the volume controls

Cutout for headphone jack, secondary microphone and a metal button for the power switch

Yes it shows finger prints on the plastic strips

Contrary to my initial skepticism the Bumper isn’t just an elastic band it has more shape than that, nor is it made solely from rubber/silicon. There are shiny plastic strips on each edge which keep the shape of the Bumper.

Showing the cutout and buttons

Cutout for the iPhone charging/synching connector

Interior view of the cutout for the mute switch and volume controls

Interior view of the headphone jack cutout and the power switch

So that’s the iPhone 4 Bumper, I’d love to hear what you think and if you’ve any questions just add a comment!

Picture the scene it’s the Christmas gathering for all the local groups I’m involved in. All the guests either work in technology related areas or are keen technologists in their spare time. So imagine my surprise … no imagine my horror … when one of these folks came out with a declaration to the effect that; a phone’s a phone and a computer’s a computer, completely separate devices with separate functions and never should the twain meet!

His sentiments rendered me almost speechless.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse another guest supported the sentiments of the first and added to it. He explained that he’d bought a “hand held” device that proved to be an expensive waste of time as he’d never really used it.

So did they have a point? Have I been deluding myself for the last 18 months about the imperative that I believe my iPhone to be?

First, I must mention the term “hand held device”, an expression I hadn’t heard since my Windows days, it brought back memories of large clunky devices that cost the earth to connect to the Internet at speeds that would have shamed a 14.4 modem. Not to mention that it was navigated by squinting at an impossibly complex interface while stabbing a stylus at it hopeful of provoking it into some kind action.

I did have a Sony Clie and loved it. I used it to it’s full potential despite the pain of trying to get even the most basic of synchronization working and I used it right up to buying my iPhone.

I don’t think of my iPhone as a “hand held” computer, a second best device only to be used in dire emergencies when there’s no “real” computer available. In fact there are functions that I prefer to use iPhone applications for even when I’m sat in front of my 24 inch widescreen iMac and despite having 5 more than capable Macs within 10 metres of my desk.

Of course a social event isn’t the best place to vehemently expound the virtues of my iPhone. Actually, have you ever noticed how the naysayers are viewed as wise beyond their knowledge while those seeking to elucidate the benefits of some glorious piece of tech are scrutinized as if attempting to legitimizing the dirtiest of proclivities?

So through gritted teeth I managed a half smile and made all the appropriate noises about that being one point of view although it wasn’t mine … I was a model of tact and diplomacy

So the evening wore on and posterity demanded photos were required. The original miscreant explained that his magnificent DSLR kit was languishing at home due to it’s excessive weight and bulk. I wasn’t going to argue with that as so was mine! The difference was of course I had my iPhone … score 1!

As the quiz began so did the frantic Googling from said iPhone, we were doing rather well. The music section of the quiz followed and the second miscreant thought be had me on the ropes. From memory the quote went something like “Your fancy tech won’t help you here.”

Oh how wrong was he. Said music round involved identifying songs from only about 15 seconds of them. Yes it sounded like a job for Shazam to me as well. So without explanation I held the device up to the playing song and within a few seconds it had discovered all the necessary information and was happily flashing it in the unbelieving face of miscreant number two.

While he recovered himself I checked the traffic news and weather for a party goer who’s schedule demanded an early departure. An accident had closed the motorway and since she wasn’t local she knew of no alternative route. Of course there’s an app for that and within minutes she was on her way with instructions and screen shots of the alternative route e-mailed to her corporate issue Blackberry.

Miscreant number one’s other half was now more than interested in the iPhone and it’s capabilities. The exact words were “Why haven’t we got one of those?”. He played his trump card explaining that the iPhone was only available on O2 which didn’t have good coverage where he needed it. Knowing he was with Orange I casually dropped it’s availability via Orange into the conversation … let’s just say his next phone is looking like an iPhone!!

The iPhone has never supported Flash and while mention was made of that fact when v.1 was released it’s continued omission has not engendered any great depth of feeling. Since the iPad runs on essential the same operating system I didn’t expect Flash to be supported and therefore wasn’t surprised when it wasn’t.

What has happened since has astounded me: the vitriolic claims and counterclaims have flowed thick and fast.

Adobe have voiced their willingness to work together with Apple to resolve any concerns Apple may have. While Apple initially said nothing Steve Jobs this week had plenty to say on the subject at least to his own employees. According to Wired and Macrumors (US spelling is correct!) Apple’s CEO said “They are lazy. They have all this potential to do interesting things but they just refuse to do it. They don’t do anything with the approaches that Apple is taking, like Carbon. Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it is because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5.”

The world may be moving to HTML 5 but Jobs is overlooking the fact that the majority of the browsing world isn’t there yet and as the longevity of Internet Explorer 6 demonstrates old technology takes some considerable time to die out completely.

As an active member of the Adobe Community Programme I have access to the very best Flash developers, programmers and users. Obviously their stance is that Apple are missing a fantastic opportunity to offer a full browsing experience on their newest product by continuing to shun Flash.

Many Apple users are of the opposite opinion even going so far as disabling Flash in their more than capable Mac desktop computers and laptops. To the uninitiated that may seem tantamount to removing the nose to spite the face but to a large percentage of Mac users it makes perfect sense.

Why?

Well while Flash runs admirably on the Windows platform it does so because Microsoft have granted Adobe, the manufacturer of Flash, access to the Windows graphic APIs. Apple have steadfastly refused to do so for their OS X platform. So while the Flash development platform and the Flash Player is available for OS X is does not have access to the Apple OS X graphic APIs and as such is unable to benefit from the performance enhances access to them would provide. The workarounds Adobe have employed to mitigate the effects of having no API access have meant that Flash does not run as well on OS X as it does on Windows.

Hence, Flash is regarded by many OS X users as a resource hog and they choose to deploy third party applications whose sole function is to stop Flash running in their browser. The most popular of these Flash blockers is ClickToFlash available at no cost from http://rentzsch.github.com/clicktoflash/

No-one can deny that much of the Flash content that is presented to users in a browser falls into the category of “annoying adverts” but Adobe would no doubt prefer that their tools are not blamed for the output of web designers with predilections for creating such content. Flash gets such a bad press for the “annoying adverts” that it’s easy to overlook the innovations that it was responsible for and the inventiveness the Flash developers and community continue to demonstration.

Much has been made in the pro-Apple camp of the fact that HTML 5 is an open standard whereas Adobe and it’s Flash platform is a commercial entity. However, this stance conveniently ignores the roots of the Mac community exemplified in the pivotal 1984 advert for Macintosh. The ideology of Apple as the David against the Goliath of IMB is clear from that advert and the seeming reversal of roles is clearly advanced by this erudite post from Adobe Community Manager Rachel Luxemburg.

So a week on instead of enjoying the buildup to the release of the iPad we are bombarded with requests to petition Apple to change it’s stance and subjected to Steve Jobs scornful opinion of Adobe. At the same time we’re witnessing users blocking Flash on one class of device while another equally vocal group of users are demanding it’s deployment on another platform.

As a Mac user for the last four years I personally have never disabled Flash. I have never found it to be so annoyingly slow, unstable or capricious to warrant such treatment but I personally know many who have. Since Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, an online conferencing system I use on a very regular basis, requires Flash I won’t be doing without it anytime soon either.

Sadly the omission of Flash from the iPad means I won’t be lounging somewhere comfortable while presenting or participating via Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro when the iPad is released. However, I’m not too concerned about it as I’ve had a Flash-less iPhone for over 18 months now and can’t say life without it has been unbearable.

So what’s your take on it?

Time to change to a better value tariff so off I headed to O2 in Bolton. I knew what I wanted was a tariff called Simplicity 20 for iPhone … if only acquiring it had been simple. Sadly, it was a complete disaster, for the full horror of the day take a listen to MacBites episode 40.

The store staff had clearly had no training in what was available to cater for the specific needs of iPhone customers. A glaring omission given that all the customers who purchased an iPhone 3G on the day of release are out of contract this month. The staff were all most helpful and cordial but this didn’t translate into a smooth transaction when they were unaware of the difference between a Simplicity tariff and a Simplicity for iPhone tariff.

For the record this is the difference:

Simplicity (During January promotion) – £20

• 700 Free voice minutes (100 minutes more than usual)
• 700 Free text messages (100 texts more than usual)
• 1 free bolt-on (they recommend unlimited internet)
• No visual voice mail
• No free wifi

Simplicity (After January promotion ends) – £20

• 600 Free voice minutes
• 600 Free text messages
• 1 free bolt-on (they recommend unlimited internet)
• No visual voice mail
• No free wifi

Simplicity 20 for iPhone – £20

• 600 Free voice minutes
• 1200 Free text messages
• 2 free bolt-ons (they recommend unlimited internet and unlimited wifi)
• Includes visual voice mail

The Best Way to proceed?

From my experiences I’d by-pass the stores, they don’t seem to have a clue what is the best option for iPhone customers coming out of contract, and call O2 directly. If given a choice, which you should be if ringing via your iPhone, select the option to speak to the cancellations department. The option actually connects you to a department called Retentions who seem to be the only people at O2 who have any knowledge of the existence of the iPhone version of the Simplicity tariff.

Tell the Retentions department you want to switch to Simplicity 20 for iPhone with 600 free minutes, 1200 free texts, 2 bolt-ons and visual voice mail. If they deny all knowledge of its existence ask to speak to a supervisor and/or show them this screen capture of my O2 account … it really exists!!

You might have to wait 24 hours for everything to be activated and you might have to manually reconfigure your settings. One of the side effects of changing tariffs was that the phone reset itself and failed to connect to the 3G network. This was easily rectified by entering the following settings into the General > Network > Cellular Data Network of the phone:

The only other gotcha I encountered was having to set Visual Voice Mail up again from scratch but this shouldn’t be necessary if O2 transfer you to the correct tariff in the first place. Being without my visual voice mail made me realize that it was a feature of the iPhone that I had greatly under-appreciated … a mistake I won’t make again

Good luck with your tariff transfers and I’d love to hear how you get on so be sure to leave me a comment below!