Tag Archives: iPhone

Traveling Abroad with the iPhone

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Recently, I visited London and Cardiff on vacation and took my iPhone with me. I knew ahead of time I would like to get the most use out of it, without incurring ridiculous roaming fees, so I planned ahead. This article discusses a number of different solutions and the benefits and limitations of each.

My Goal: Use maps with GPS tracking while traveling abroad

Although the native Google Maps application will not function on the streets of London without an Internet connection, there are applications that you can download ahead of time that will. One application that I liked in particular was OffMaps for the iPhone. It allows you to download maps of any city or region ahead of time, as well as select city guides. The map download is extremely customizable, including selecting the map’s level of precision. The only downside was that these maps/guides have to be downloaded directly by the iPhone (WiFi or 3G) and can take hours to retrieve. I would have preferred an option that let you download the maps from iTunes, utilizing a wired Ethernet connection. Also, you must download maps for all areas you intend to visit ahead of time, as even WiFi connections can be costly and limited abroad.

While I did try other, often city-specific applications, but I wasn’t as impressed with them as OffMaps. Plus, I was able to configure the same application for multiple cities prior to my trip.

After downloading an offline map application, my second goal was to enable GPS. This as it turns out, is trickier than I thought.

Solution 1: Leave the iPhone at home

I considered leaving it at home, but it’s really hard to organize a car service on your return trip if they have no way to reach you. Also, it’s useful to check the time and recent e-mail since my cell phone has replaced my watch as my mechanism for keeping time. Finally, the iPhone is nice for watching TV and movies on the plane as well as listening to music while traveling.

Solution 2: Put the iPhone in Airplane Mode for the entire trip

Most blogs I visited prior to departure recommended putting my iPhone in Airplane Mode for the length of my trip, as it allows you to use WiFi without any possibility of incurring roaming fees. The problem, though, is that it also disables the phone’s GPS, so that you cannot track your current location. Goal failed.

Solution 3: Disable Cellular Data and Roaming

One obvious solution is to go into the General > Network settings and disable cellular data and roaming. There’s a few problems with this though. First, you’re trusting your cell phone not to accidentally charge you for usage. Based on some of the stories floating around the net about being charged thousands of dollars for roaming, that’s just a leap of faith I’m not personally able to make. Second, your battery life is going to be severely limited, because the iPhone will be searching for a signal during the entire trip. Finally, there’s no guarantee some data features won’t continue to process, such as voice mail. With Apple’s Visual Voicemail, the iPhone downloads audio files automatically every time someone leaves you a message. Think of it as a charge anytime someone leaves you a message.

There are steps you can take to disable voice mail while traveling, but I do not recommend them. AT&T has to actually switch your data plan while you’re away, there’s no option to simply disable it. For those with no-longer-available unlimited data plans, switching our data plan can make us a little edgy. Also, there’s no guarantee GPS will work in this environment, although it probably should.

Solution 4: Replace the SIM card

Those absolutely needing international access can buy a SIM from a local carrier. Given that I’m using a US iPhone, and AT&T has severely restricted non-AT&T usage, I wasn’t convinced this would work without jail-breaking the iPhone. Also, there are some security risks from letting your passwords/access transfer over a network you may not be familiar with. Ultimately, I decided this option wouldn’t be worth the headache. If I had a more open, European iPhone, though, I may have felt differently, since in those markets the phone and the SIM are not extremely interconnected.

Solution 5: Lock the SIM card

One excellent recommendation was to install a 4-digit PIN code on the SIM which requires entry every time the iPhone is started and disables all cellular/data communication if not present. The advantage to this is that GPS continues to work in this environment. The only down side is that you have make sure not to forget your PIN code. Also, I had to do a bit of searching to find the ‘default’ pin code that programmed into my SIM card.

Solution 6: Remove the SIM card

Similar to Solution #5, I realized I could just pull out the SIM card. No special tools required, just a paper clip and a plastic bag to put it in (the new Micro SIMs are tiny and easy to lose). Unlike some of the other solutions which rely on software features, this completely prevents data roaming but still allows WiFi usage and GPS support, so it’s the solution I went with. I just left the SIM in a hotel safe and carried the phone around all day. I was successful with my original goal of simulating Google Maps with tracking, as the offline maps and GPS functioned as expected. The only thing I noticed is that true GPS requires much clearer line of site with a satellite. In other words, GPS only functioned when I was out in the open, and sometimes took a while to acquire an initial signal. This is to be expected with GPS technology, but having the iPhone’s data network fix a location faster than traditional GPS has spoiled me over the last few years.

Reflections

Ultimately, downloading the offline maps was the single best step I took prior to my departure. Removing the SIM card was also quite easy to do and gave me peace of mind that the software wasn’t going to ‘accidentally’ allow data connections while traveling. Also, the battery was significantly better with no SIM card, and the iPhone could go for days without charging. I guess the data network usage really does chew up the battery.

Ultimately, GPS was only partially useful, as I was able to figure out where I was on the map pretty quickly based on landmarks. However, had I been traveling in a more difficult-to-navigate city or had a worse sense of direction, I would have probably used GPS more frequently.

Apple should Develop a Flash Compiler

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One interesting solution to the continuing public battle between Apple and Adobe over Flash support on its mobile platform would be for Apple to release its own Flash compiler, one that would allow a developer to create Flash applications without ever purchasing an Adobe product. Before you laugh, hear me out.

Neither company is open
What bothers me about the whole public fiasco is that both companies have been arguing that they support open formats – Apple in its preference for HTML5 and Adobe in its desire to publish its own applications freely to the iPhone – while both basing their own technology on extremely proprietary and closed formats, as seen in Apple’s recent closing of the iPhone and Adobe’s tight control of its Flash product.

The truth is, neither company wants their products opened for the world to use, but both companies demand the other open their platform. If Adobe was really serious about Flash as a ubiquitous platform, then they should donate Flash to a standards community that would open it to the world. Likewise, if Apple wanted anyone in the world to be able to develop on the iPhone, they would have created it as such and declared it an open standard.

Unfortunately, I agree with Apple
While I personally would love to develop iPhone applications using Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone compiler (I really would!), I fully support Apple’s right to close the platform. Above all else, mobile platforms must be secure and Adobe’s iPhone compiler seriously threatens that security. The iPhone, like many other mobile platforms, is not open for the world to develop on, nor should it be.

There are many whispers that the government is investigating anti-trust violations over Apple’s blocking of Adobe’s iPhone compiler, but that would be ridiculous, since Apple does not have a monopoly on smart phones. In fact, the Android recently surpassed the iPhone in sales, leaving Apple in third place among smart phone manufacturers. Apple would have to be in first place with a clear monopoly on the market before I would support any government intervention telling Apple what it can and cannot do with its mobile platform.

Apple’s Flash Compiler
Since Adobe believes it has the right to freely develop on the iPhone while at the same time arguing Flash should be supported everywhere, one interesting twist would be for Apple to develop its own Flash compiler and even run-time. That would very likely upset Adobe and lead to a very interesting argument over proprietary platforms. Adobe could claim only they have the right to develop Flash applications, something Apple currently asserts over its iPhone application. On the other hand, Apple could claim that if the Flash platform is everywhere then it should be open for anyone to develop applications on, something Adobe likewise states about the iPhone platform.

And as an added bonus, Apple could develop this compiler as an iPad/iPhone application!

Adobe Axes Flash CS5 iPhone Exporter

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No Flash for Apple iPhone As previously reported, Apple has made it quite difficult for Adobe by banning its Flash CS5 Flash-to-iPhone converter a mere 4 days before the public release of Adobe Flash CS5. Nearly two weeks later, Adobe has responded by announcing they are ending development on the Flash CS5 iPhone compiler.

Mike Chamber, the Adobe Flash Platform project manager, made the announcement in his blog, saying:

    While it appears that Apple may selectively enforce the terms, it is our belief that Apple will enforce those terms as they apply to content created with Flash CS5. Developers should be prepared for Apple to remove existing content and applications (100+ on the store today) created with Flash CS5 from the iTunes store. We will still be shipping the ability to target the iPhone and iPad in Flash CS5. However, we are not currently planning any additional investments in that feature.

Mike also comments about the merits of the endeavor:

    So, was all of the work on the iPhone packager a waste of time and resources? No, I don’t believe so. We proved that:

      1. There is no technical reason that Flash can’t run on the iPhone
      2. Developers can create well performing and compelling content for the device with Flash

While I understand he’s trying to find a silver lining in this murky cloud, I don’t think anyone ever questioned Flash’s ability to run on an iPhone. Steve Jobs seemed more concerned with Flash’s likelihood to drain battery life than with its ability to run properly.

Finally, Mike writes that if Apple won’t have them, they will be pushing forward with the release of Flash for the Google Android.

There hasn’t been a public fight between two big powerhouses like Adobe and Apple in recent memory and it betrays the two companies’ roots. Once upon a time, Adobe’s Photoshop product was the reason you bought a Mac. It was Apple’s biggest competitive advantage, at a time when it didn’t have many. As the Adobe creative suite grew, the number of designers dependent on Apple’s products grew with it. It is hard to imagine that two companies who evolved together and owe each other for their success could have such a falling out. If Adobe really wanted to hurt Apple, they could stop releasing their creative suite products for Mac. While last month this would have sounded like an outlandish prospect, this month after such a public feud between the two companies, it seems well within the realm of possibilities.