Lovely Charts for iPad ⧁
I think I just found my next 99¢ purchase from the App Store.
Creating iPhone Ringtones Using iTunes
Here are the steps I use to create ringtones from music in my iTunes library.
Step 1
Launch iTunes and pick the track you want to convert to a ringtone.
Step 2
Right-click on the track and select “Get Info” from the context menu to see the track’s properties.
Step 3
Select the “Options” tab. Check both the “Start time” and “Stop time” radio boxes to isolate the portion of the track you want to use as your ring tone. Make sure not to select more than 30 seconds otherwise iTunes won’t recognize it as a ringtone. To capture the first 30 seconds of a track you would set “Start Time” to 0:00, and “Stop Time” to “0:30”. Once you have the start and stop times set, click “OK” to confirm your settings.
Step 4
Right-click on the track once more and select “Create AAC Version” from the context menu.
Step 5
iTunes will now create a new track by copying the portion you identified in Step 3 above. This new track is the one you’ll work with in the following steps.
Step 6
Now, right-click the newly created track and select “Show in Finder”. (Windows users should select “Show in Windows Explorer”.)
Step 7
When Finder (or Windows Explorer) open, the newly created ringtone track should be already selected. Rename the file extension to .m4r from .m4a. “R” for ringtone. You may have to confirm changing the extension.
Step 8
Now we need to remove the .m4a version from iTunes and import the .m4r version. Return to iTunes, right-click the ringtone track you created and select “Delete”.
Step 9
Click “Remove” to confirm the removal and then click “Keep File” when you are prompted. This will tell iTunes to remove the ringtone track you created from the iTunes library but keep the actual file.
Step 10
Return to Finder (or Windows Explorer) and double-click on the ringtone file (.m4r) you just renamed. The ringtone will be automatically added to the iTuned ringtone library. You can now sync it to your iPhone using iTunes.
Final note: Don’t forget to return to the original track and remove the check marks next to “Start Time” and “Stop Time” otherwise the next time you play the track you’ll only hear those few seconds of the track.
Available iPhone Prices
For the past several months I have been anticipating reaching my cell phone update eligibility date. Based on my rate plan (one of the least expensive offered) and payment history (never a late payment) I gain eligibility to purchase a new cell phone for the subsidized price 20 months into my 2-year contract.
That date is February 9th.
Tomorrow.
And, every so often during the past several months I have visited the Apple iPhone page to poke the “check eligibility” button just to see if Verizon has taken pity on their customers and revised their eligibility date algorithm. The result always showed two columns, one giving the price “before February 9, 2012” and one giving the price “after February 9, 2012”. The second column didn’t say “on or after”, just “after”. With that in mind I planned to make my purchase on the 10th, hopefully ensuring that I would be fully eligible for the reduced pricing.
Furthermore, I’ve decided to embrace my inner Apple fanboy and visit the nearest Apple store to get my phone – a two hour drive to Leawood Kansas. My other options were to order the phone online and wait for it to ship (ha!) or visit the local Verizon store or Best Buy. It would be easier to get it locally, but when I picked up my HTC Incredible 20 months ago at the Verizon store the clerk opened the box, tore off the protective plastic, and set up the phone - all without any participation from me. I’ve waited several years to have this phone – I want to open the box, and I want to remove the protective plastic. So, to the Apple store I shall go on Friday. (Also the cello store to look at bows, but that’s a different posting.)
You can reserve an iPhone online any evening after 9 pm and pick it up the following day in the store. (You can walk in and get one on a first come first served basis as well.) So my plan was to wait until Thursday the 9th until 9:00:01 pm to poke the eligibility button and then, eligibility confirmed, reserve a phone for pick up on Friday.
Just for grins I poked the eligibility button tonight about 10:30 pm.
Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.
Android Apps
In the twenty months I’ve owned my Android phone I’ve collected quite a few apps, some of which I use all the time and others that are mere curiosities. As I prepare to move to an iPhone I’ve been reviewing my app list to see which I will try to find equivalents for in the App Store.
##Dock While some Android ROMS allow more than 4 apps in the dock the one I am currently using, MUIU only supports 4. By the way, MUIU also doesn’t have an “app drawer” to hide away your apps. It operates the same way as iOS in that all your apps are visible on a screen somewhere.
Phone - I don’t use the phone a lot, but I do use it.
Email - I have three accounts set up on my HTC, two personal and one work. I’ll likely keep this setup going forward.
Browser - Not my favorite Android app, but it does see occasional use.
SMS-shortcut - This is a link to my wife’s contact information which makes sending her an SMS message quick and easy.
##Daily or near daily use These apps live on my primary home screen. They, along with the dock apps mentioned above, constitute the core of my smartphone experience.
Path - A relative newcomer to my app list. I like that I can post to Twitter and Facebook simultaneously.
Google+ - Not as useful as I had hoped. Browsing here is a last resort when I’ve exhausted all my other content options.
Facebook - I’m not happy with the recent feed sorting changes. Give me most recent first always please.
Twitter - Since the Android Twitter app doesn’t sync with Twitterrific I only use this to see mentions. I’m looking forward to having Twitterrific on all my Apple devices so that I can consume Tweets regardless of device and not lose my place.
Runkeeper - There was no Daily Mile app for the Android when I got my phone so I fell into the Runkeeper camp. Not sure if I’ll switch or not.
Clock - My phone is my alarm clock. I have four repeating weekly alarms set plus a fifth one for one-off alarms. No countdown timer for some reason though (a failing of MUIU). I’m looking forward to a timer.
Calendar - None of the Android calendar apps is really nice to look at. The HTC Sense calendar widget was the nicest. I’ll have to explore the iOS offerings to find (hopefull) a good calendar.
Contacts - This is only here to allow for occasional texts to people.
Evernote - I am becoming a bigger and bigger Evernote user. Grocery lists, reading lists, meeting notes, URLs, you name it, it goes into Evernote.
Gallery - I take a lot of pictures with my phone and Gallery is where I can select them to be pushed to my computer via Bluetooth.
Cleartune - One of the few apps I paid money for, Cleartune is a highly featured chromatic tuner. They had an iOS app first and I will be purchasing that on day one.
Camera - My primary camera. It’ll be one of the most used apps on my iPhone too.
WeatherBug - Not an app on the home screen, but one that gets used daily. The default HTC weather app only had some cities available in addition to your current location. My hometown isn’t available from the pick list, so when I’m not home I can’t see the weather here. The third-party WeatherBug lets me see a lot of weather information for any place I want.
##Screen T\two apps
Google Voice - One of the best features of Android is the near seamless integration possible with Google Voice. I understand that I will lose this with the iPhone. Like alternative keyboards this is an area where iOS is behind a bit I fear.
Google Talk - Jabber client for Google’s instant messaging tool. I’ll be looking for a good multi-protocol chat client on iOS.
1Password - This reader allows me to see items I’ve added to my 1Password repository. Once I have the iPhone I’ll buy the iOS version which should give me full functionality for this excellent tool.
Dropbox - Best way yet for moving files and documents between devices. This will be one of the first things installed on the new phone.
Settings - I’m a nerd, diddling with settings and preferences is what I do.
Music - I have been surprised at how little I listen to music using my phone. I don’t know if the iPhone will change that or not.
ConnectBot - A secure shell client. I haven’t used it much, but it is nice to be able to remotely access a computer or service from your pocket-sized computer. I’ll be researching a good alternative for iOS.
Wolfram Alpha - I understand the Siri + Wolfram Alpha combination is wonderful. I’m looking forward to exploring it.
SMS Messaging - Typically I only text my wife, and since she also has an iPhone, we’ll be able to use iMessaging to text each other for free.
OfficeSuite - Something I got for free from the Amazon Appstore. I’ve never really used it.
YouTube - I tend to use this only in conjunction with links I’ve been sent.
Firefox Beta - A better web browser than the default, but still rather clunky in my estimation.
Books (folder) - I have several ebook readers installed: Kindle, Nook, eReader. This is where they live.
Google (folder) - Where all the nifty Google apps hang out. Docs, Gmail, Latitude, Maps, Messenger, Places, Search.
Games (folder) - I have only a few games, Angry Birds, Air Control, Words with Friends, and a Labyrinth puzzle. Words is by far and away the only one I play.
apps (folder) - Where all the application getting apps live. Android Market, the Amazon Appstore, and AppBrain.
Screens three and four
Redbox - A mobile app for Redbox rentals
Convertr - A conversion calculator
Listen - a podcast aggregator. I used this some at first, but don’t really devote time to podcasts anymore.
Sound Recorder - Never been used.
Fly Delta - Delta Airlines mobile app which gets used once or twice a year.
Voice Search - A voice interface to search which I’ve never used.
Fast Web Installer - The client for AppBrain’s web site, allows for synchronizing apps
utils (folder) - File Explorer, Themes, Bluetooth File Transfer, Lookout, Battery widget, SwiftKey configuration, Timeriffic, AndExplorer, Speed, Samba File Server, Chrome to Phone, Barcode scanner, ROM Manager.
Tools (folder) - Voice Dialer, Calculator, MUIU Updater, Backup, Data Usage Monitor, Superuser
music utils (folder) - SoundHound, Shazam, Mobile Metronome, and ImslpDroid.
reading (folder) - Read it later type apps as opposed to ebook apps. BenPaper, ReadItLater, and Adobe Reader.
widgets (folder) - Several widgets, all weather related.
navigation (folder) - A compass, star chart, and navigation app.
unused (folder) - A collection of apps I just don’t use. Includes: Notes, FM Radio, a MUIU shortcut link, DND Mode (don’t even know what this is), a News and Weather widget, MUIU Stats, “Anti”, and a Minimalistic text widget.
Torch - A flashlight app that uses the LED flash for the camera to light your way
FlightView Free - Tracks airline flight progress
Moon Phase - Shows more information about the current moon phase than you really wanted to know.
Interval Recognition - A music quiz around intervals.
TrafficStats Lite - I got this just in the last week as my 3G usage was through the roof (3.2 GB in 25 days). It seems that my phone isn’t always connecting to the WPA controlled wireless at work. Which in turn gobbles 3G. Fortunately I’m on an unlimited data plan with Verizon.
##Worth a mention Lookout - This is my anti-malware app. It scans every new app or app update on my phone. So far it hasn’t caught anything but there is enough press about malware in the Android space to make me cautious. Once installed and setup (I’ve got the free version) it fades nicely into the background. Worth it for the peace of mind it brings.
Timeriffic - This app will be missed. With it I’ve created several profiles for my phone based on the time and day. For example, during my weekly cello lesson my phone automatically goes to silent mode. At the end of the lesson it returns to normal ring and alarm mode. I’ve got a night profile, an at work profile, and an evenings and weekend profile. I rarely worry about my phone making unwanted noise thanks to this app. I’ll have to learn to manually control the iPhone’s sounds as I don’t think there is an iOS equivalent.
HoverBar ⧁
I so want this. Of course then I’ll need an iPad 2. Actually something like the HoverBar to clamp an iPad to our treadmill would be lovely.
Leaving Android
Twenty months ago I wrote about getting my first smartphone, an Android-based HTC Droid Incredible. At the time the primary reason I had for choosing it over an iPhone (the iPhone 4 announcement was only a couple of weeks away) was the lack of 3G data coverage in my hometown.
I’ve been extremely pleased with my Incredible but I’m ready to switch to an iPhone. What follows are my thoughts about what’s been good and what’s been not so good about Android.
##Crapware Unless you pay full price for your phone (feature or smart) you are benefitting from a subsidy. The visible cost of this subsidy is the two-year contract you are required to sign. With Android-based smartphones there is a somewhat hidden cost in the form of crapware. Your brand new smartphone will come with several carrier-installed apps that you cannot remove from your phone. At least on a new Windows-based computer you can remove the crapware that comes pre-installed.
Having apps you neither want nor can remove on your phone is a minor niggle but it speaks to the tone of your relationship with the cellphone carrier – they really don’t care whether you want those apps or not.
##Lack of Updates In the case of my HTC phone, operating system updates happen only when, and if, HTC devotes energy to updating their custom user interface, called Sense. Over the summer when it appeared that HTC would not be making Gingerbread available to my model of smartphone I took the initiative and rooted my phone and installed CyanogenMod, a 3rd-party ROM. It was a relatively easy process and it gave me Gingerbread on my phone, but it hasn’t been without difficulties. In November after updating from CyanogenMod 7.1 to 7.3 my phone freaked out and it ceased to be stable for any use. I was fortunate enough to have a backup from before the update that still worked.
Honeycomb (Android 3.0) was designed solely for tablet devices so Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) is the latest and greatest operating system from Google. Unless the ROM community steps up and makes an ICS ROM that will work on my now two-year old hardware, I’ll be trapped at version 2.3 going forward. (Yes, I could buy a new Android phone, but some of those brand new phones don’t come with ICS either. The carriers don’t seem to care as long as they are selling devices.)
The average smartphone buyer has neither the technical chops nor desire (perhaps) to have the latest and greatest OS available for their device. I do have that desire, and while I have the technical ability to keep up in spite of HTC, I no longer want to risk bricking my sole telephone.
##Google Chrome Just today I learned that there is a beta version of Google Chrome for Android. Google Chrome is my browser of choice and I would love to have it on my smartphone. However the beta only works on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.x) and my phone is only running 2.3.x. As I said above, I’m at the mercy of the ROM community to produce a version of Ice Cream Sandwich that will work on my two-year old hardware.
##Browser The stock Android web browser, called “Browser” is horrid. I have never liked it, and compared to mobile Safari on my iPad it is truly lacking. I’ve tried several other browsers with mixed satisfaction. The latest Firefox betas aren’t too bad, but I still find it lacking.
The lack of a decent browser for my phone means I rarely use it to browse web pages.
##Turn-by-turn-navigation The turn-by-turn navigation app is very nice. While I don’t travel often, I have made good use of it at conferences or trainings to find restaurants, lodging, and points of interest. Of course several weeks ago while using it in Kansas City to find our way from hotel to concert hall my phone decided to reboot mid-navigation. To be fair I think the reboot was caused by the ROM on my phone and not the navigation app, but it goes to highlight my situation with Android. Either I run a stock OS and accept being two or more operating system generations behind, or I root my phone and install a ROM hoping that it is stable enough on my hardware to be functional.
##Alternative keyboards The stock Android keyboard is good, but some of the 3rd party ones are outstanding. I’m a huge fan of SwiftKey, which predicts the next word with surprising accuracy. There are some texts that I send often enough, a wake-up text to my wife, for example, where I only need type the “G” in “Good morning” and the poke the space bar to accept the suggested word for the entire rest of the message. In preparation for not having a predictive keyboard I’ve actually turned SwiftKey off and gone back to typing the entire message. Being a nerd is sometimes challenging.
##Camera The camera in my Incredible is just that – incredible. It takes amazingly good pictures for a device that isn’t primarily a camera. The pictures are so good that when we travel I don’t think about taking a digital camera at all. More than once I have told Sibylle that it’s really a camera with a phone built-in.
##Mini USB port My HTC uses a mini-USB port for charging and syncing. Since this is a standard and not proprietary like the 30-pin connection iPhones use, it feels better. With the huge presence i-devices have any more I think 30-pin connectors are easier to come by than they might have been a few years ago.
##Removable battery I can take the back off my Incredible and remove the battery. This could easily go in the “Cons” column as I need to do this with surprising frequency as the phone does become unresponsive at times. I don’t know if this is due to my having added a 3rd-party ROM to the phone or if it would have the same behavior with the stock HTC ROM. Regardless, I can force it to reboot if I need.
Bike Fit
I own three bicycles, two of which are in riding condition. The oldest, and currently not in working order bike, is built around a Trek frameset I bought while a freshman in college some 33 years ago. I added some custom wheels, and bought or repurposed parts to finish the bicycle. I rode it from 1979 until about 1988 when I bought my current road bike, a fat-tube aluminum framed Cannondale SR 900. At $900 in 1988 this was a serious purchase and I’m glad I still have this bike. It’ll be an antique next year at 25 years of age. Two years ago Sibylle and I bought a pair of Giant cross bikes and have enjoyed riding them in and around our neighborhoods since then.
In an effort to get into better shape I bought a magnetic trainer last winter and stuck my Cannondale on it and tried to ride several days a week. I’m heavier than I every was 25 years ago and some of my joints have been injured since then making riding far less comfortable than it used to be. Within minutes of starting to ride my groin is numb and I seem to be developing a rather persistent saddle sore. After reading about the potential long term effects of sitting on one’s perineum I decided I needed to make some changes to bikes or stop riding.
I went to the local bicycle store with the idea of getting a dual platform seat, hoping that it would eliminate the cause of the numbness and saddle sores. What I learned was that most people find these seats uncomfortable as with out a nose you constantly feel like you are falling off the seat and have to hold your self on them. They suggested that I try a bike fitting session, which would make adjustments to my bike that might also improve riding comfort.
This morning over the course of an hour and quarter I had my bike fit session and I am hugely encouraged by the results already. We made several adjustments all aimed at relaxing my riding posture.
##Handlebars Clint started by rolling my handlebars up a few degrees. This made an immediate improvement as I didn’t have to lean quite as far forward to grab the top of the brake hoods.
##Leg angle Next we measured the angle of my knee with my foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The optimal range is 25 to 35 degrees. With my original setup I was at 20 degrees on both legs. By lowering my seat a little bit we reached a very comfortable 30 degrees.
##Seat Positioning We next measured the location of my knees in relation to the ball of my feet and the pedal axel. Ideally the knee should be over the ball of the foot which is over the pedal axel. In my case my knees were slightly behind that ideal position, moving the saddle forward a bit corrected this. Clint also adjusted the cleat on my left foot a bit to better align the ball of my foot and the pedal axel.
##Handlebar Stem The final adjustment we made was to change the handlebar stem. The original Cannondale stem had what Clint referred to as “negative angle”. By putting one with a positive angle in its place we raised the bars a bit. Along with the new stem I’m getting new brake cables (the raised height will make the old cables too short) and new handlebar tape (the old likely won’t come off easily after being there for so long).
##Geometry The result of all these changes is an entirely new riding posture. The new geometry felt immediately more comfortable. In a normal training session on my fixed trainer 25 minutes was enough to cause me total numbness and quite a bit of discomfort. This morning I was on the saddle for the better part of an hour with no numbness and my saddle sore wasn’t aggravated. For these reasons I think the new posture will be a huge improvement. I am now looking forward to my next training session and to rides outside later this spring.
The Ranger
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The reviews on the back cover compare Quinn Colson to the likes of Elvis Cole. While I didn’t find this book as enthralling as a good Elvis Cole story, it was good. It will be interesting to see where the author, Ace Atkins, takes the character and story line next.
A Corpse in the Koryo
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I learned about James Church and his Inspector O novels through @timbray on Twitter. The novels are all set in North Korea and they paint an interesting picture of life there. Just as novels offering a glimpse inside the Soviet Union were fascinating to me before that regime fell, novels about the secretive North Korea are also interesting.
The Upside of Dyslexia ⧁
It is fascinating what we can learn when we look beyond the accepted understanding of something.