Yes… It’s true… I have succumbed to the coolest gadget of them all; The Apple iPhone.

I resisted for a while (mainly due to it only being available on O2 in the UK), but in the end managed to get O2 to take over our 12 phone contract from Orange, give us 3 iPhone’s and 5 Nokia E71′s (plus a couple of spare phones), and even pay our termination clause on the Orange contract. It just shows how desperate the carriers are to get you tied into a 2 year contract nowadays!

Anyway….

First impressions; As with all Apple packaging, you feel a little disappointed as it is always very minimalist, but once you start playing with the iPhone, you realise why it is so much better than the other touch enabled devices out there. I’ve had the LG Prada, HTC Touch, HTC Touch Pro, and even the Samsungs with touch sensative buttons. I can honestly say that they are not even in the same ball-park as the iPhone.

Ok, onto the top free Apps (and as always, please feel free to comment with your fav’s as well!)

1. Free RSS Reader – forget the others, this does exactly what it say’s on the tin. Add all your favourite feeds, or browse to a site and it automatically detects any feeds that are available.  Supports Landscape
2. Google Earth – Just because it is sooooo cool to zoom in on your own house. Supports ’tilt’ view.
3. eBay – Yes… I do need to know what I am bidding on or selling 24/7 !!!!
4. iTranslate – this does need a data connection, but allows you to save phrases so that you can prepare for your encounter at the patisserie in advance! – Also has the ability to play the phrase (a little scratchy,  but still useful!) out of the speaker/headphones.
5. last.fm – Ideal for all those Audioscrobblers out there… plays your fave’s and lets you listen to the usual last.fm radio selections.
6. MMS – because the iPhone can’t do this yet!
7. VNC Lite – Allows me to manage a server remotely. It’s a bit fiddly, but it does let you do everything you need to in an emergency (e.g. Reboot the server or reload your software)
8. midomi – Remember “Shazam!”… well that cost’s £1.00 per go!… Midomi is *free* (and surprisingly recognised me humming the Godfather theme!)
9. Stanza – good intuitive eBook reader
10. GuitarChords – handy pocket aide-memoir for all your Guitar Chord needs
11. Ok, this one is a ‘Paid for’ (£2.99) application called TV Plus, but what a fantastic applet… this program allows you to view the TV listings for your region, and then instruct your Sky+ or SkyHD box to record it no matter where you are! It uses a pre-registered “My Sky” account name / password to log into Sky and then remotely instruct your Sky box to record!

Silly Stuff!

1. Pac Man Lite – Namco’s original, now ported to the iPhone
2. Jellycar – I can’t even begin to explain this… just download it and laugh!
3. Labyrinth LE – great use of the inertia sensors for marble madness fun.
4. Darts -yep… it’s Darts!
5. FS5 Hockey – Remember those happy days at the seaside playing Air Hockey with your sister!

Tips;

1. Removing an App or rearranging the ‘Desktops’

If you hold down your finger on any icon for more than a few seconds and all the icons wobble. Once they are wobbling, you can drag them from one ‘desktop’ screen to another. You can also delete them by clicking on the (X) icon in the top-left of the icon.

2. Drag an App to the far right-screen to create a new ‘desktop’ area.

Thunderbird Syncing

Ok, this is a problem at the moment, only solved by using 3rd party app’s.

Here is a solution for contacts only (calendar to follow shortly apparantly)

1. Install Funambol Mozilla Plugin into your copy of Thunderbird [link]

2. Install the Funambol iPhone app (just search for it in the Apple App store)

3. Create a free account at Funambol [link]

4. Enter the account details into the options page of Funambol on both the iPhone and Thunderbird

5. Click on Tools, Funambol Plugin on Thunderbird and click on ‘Click to Syncronize’ and wait to finish

6. Click on the Funambol icon on your iPhone and do the same

You can set Thunderbird to sync both the contacts and calendar, but only the contacts arrive on the iPhone at present. The Thunderbird client can also be set to sync automatically (but not the iPhone end)

Dear Avid Reader,

Here we are once again with one of my ‘real world’ hack’s… This one gets used almost every day!

In my modest home in Latchingdon, Essex – England, I have a ‘Bar in the Garden’. This ‘Bar’ is approx 25′ x 18′ and has an indoor BBQ, Gas Heating and a Bar Counter with cupboards, fridges and glass shelves.

Clearly I needed to think carefully about the entertainment system!

My key requirements were:-

• Music, TV & Internet

Now the Music would obviously come from my huge MP3 collection (and even bigger CD collection), TV would come from Satellite TV via a dish on the side of the bar.

After messing about with Windows Media Edition, I decided on using Media Portal (www.team-mediaportal.com)  which is a fantastic open-source Media Center application. Not only does it provide the usual DVD/MP3/Pictures interface, but also supports TV Cards, EPG and even a TiVO-style recording facility.

All the sound hardware was derived from old HiFi amplifiers and surround-sound systems, and the TV was a £150 HD Ready no-name from Comets.

The app plays nice with Hauppauge TV / Remote combination cards, and has a very configurable interface (with skinning capabilities).

At the other end of my bar, I have the Guitar stuff – As you can see below, I’ve set up a 2nd LCD panel (using a TV Interface board I purchased off eBay), add a £20 DVD player from Tesco and you have a play-along-with-the-music system!

Hi All,

I’ve compiled list of UK Sky Satellite Guides here, and NO, before you ask there is no “Get Sky for Free” – It’s impossible…

What I have done, is list some of the common issues that arise, how to extend your system, and where to get FTA (Free-to-Air) or ‘FreeSat’ cards.

My Sky Box keeps Freezing / Forcing a Software Update

This is a common issue, usually caused by a dodgy software update. All Sky Digiboxes download updates “over the air”, and sometimes you get a bad one. To Force a new update, follow these steps:-

1. Switch off the receiver’s power at the wall
2. Wait 10 secs…. Then press and hold the Backup button on the front of the receiver whilst switching the power back on
3. Keep holding the backup button until all the LEDs on the front switch on.
4. Wait 10-20 mins (A message on the screen will say something like ‘Don’t switch off….’)
5. Resist temptation to start playing with the box when it reboots… give it a few more minutes
6. Voila! Latest software loaded.

Upgrading to Sky+ or Adding another receiver to the same dish

This is actually very simple… Buy yourself a QUAD (4 outputs) or OCTO LNB (8 outputs). Unscrew the ‘F’-connectors that are currently attached to your existing LNB. Swap the LNB for the new one. Reconnect the cables. Simple!

Once you have done this, you can then run additional cables for Sky+ (required 2 x LNB feeds) or for additional receivers.

I want to control my Sky Box from upstairs

You need a ‘Link’ (sometimes called a Magic Eye) – These are cheap enough to get hold of (check eBay), but you have to enable the ‘Link’ on your Sky Box. Here are the steps:-

To install your TV Link you will need to run a length of coaxial cable from the socket marked RF2 on the back of you’re the Digibox directly to the TV you wish to watch Sky on. Plug the cable into one side of the Link and then plug the Link directly into the TV aerial socket.

The Link requires power from the Digibox, and you will need to enter a hidden engineers menu to achieve this. Part of the process involves entering a menu without any on-screen prompts. Simply follow these instructions, and do not worry if you do not see any change on the screen as you press the ‘0’ and ‘1’

• Press SERVICES
• Press 4 for SYSTEM SETUP
• Press 0 then 1 then SELECT - Do this sequence VERY QUICKLY
• Press 4 for RF OUTLETS
• Press down to RF OUTLET POWER SUPPLY and turn it to ON.
• Press down to SAVE NEW SETTINGS and Press SELECT to store the changes
• Press BACKUP to go Back to your Sky channel

Update: If you are using a SkyHD receiver with the new EPG, replace 4,0,1 with 0,0,1

Once you have done this, you will find that the little light on the TV Link will now be lit confirming that there is now power being sent from the Digibox to the remote link. Once you have tuned your TV to the Sky channel you will find you can control your digibox functions from here using a Sky remote control (or Sky+ remote control if you have a Sky+ machine)

Should you wish to use the Sky remote control to work your TV in this room (volume, mute, standby etc) you will have to program the remote to perform these functions – see “Programming your remote to control your TV functions” in your Sky digibox manual.

FITTING MULTIPLE TV LINKS – Should you wish to fit more than one TV Link and be able to watch Sky in many rooms around your house, a powered distribution amplifier is required. These are available in 2, 4, and 8 way versions and can be found from many vendors

FAULT FINDING – Most faults are caused by badly fitted connectors and short circuits. This causes the problems as power does not reach the link along the Coaxial cable. If there is no LED on the link, then there is either a short on the cable or the link is faulty. Try plugging the link directly in the RF2 socket of your digibox. If it lights up there but not on the end of the cable you have run then the fault must lie in the connectors or cable. If the link LED is on, but you cannot control the Digibox, use a short length of cable from the RF2 socket on your digibox and try the TV Link functions from there, if it doesn’t work by doing this then the TV Link could be at fault.

FreeSat / Freeview

Call Sky on 08442 410 595 and tell them that you want a ‘Card Only’ – It should cost £20 and work on any Sky Digibox – Ideal for the [cough..] Villa in Spain [cough..]

The BBC and ITV also provide ‘Freesat’, but although it can use a standard Sky dish without realignment, it does need a different receiver (Sky Digiboxes won’t work)

Turning a SkyHD Remote into a Sky+ Remote

The SkyHD Remote will work just fine with a Sky+ receiver. Just follow these steps:-

1. Press TV
2. Press and Hold i (Info) and Select until the LED flashes twice
3. Press 1, Select, Sky

Replace the 1 with a 2 to change back to a SkyHD remote.

Getting the Sky+ Remote to control your Surround Sound / Amplifier

The Sky+ Remote (NOT the standard Sky remote unfortunately….) has a hidden ability to control your surround-sound or audio AMP. Once programmed, the Navigation UP/DOWN buttons become the volume control for the Amp, and the LEFT button becomes ‘standby’. Various other functions may be mapped, but it is dependant on your Amp.

The steps are as follows:-

1. Turn on the AV amplifier you wish to operate
2. Press the TV button on the Sky+ Remote
3. Press and hold down the Select and the 0 (zero) buttons on the Sky+ Remote until the LED blinks twice (if it doesn’t, then your remote doesn’t support this function)
4. Input the 4 digit number from the Sky+ code list below. The LED should flash twice to confirm that the code was entered successfully (again, if it doesn’t, your remote is probably too old to support this function)
5. Use the Left navigation button on the remote to try and switch the AV Amplifier into standby. If this works then the other AV Amplifier functions should also work and the correct code has been selected. If all functions do not work correctly then repeat steps 1 – 3 and work through all the alternative 4 digit numbers from the code list until you find the code which supports all or as many of the AV Amplifier functions as possible.
6. If your Sky+ remote is pretty new, or you have the Sky Navigator Remote, you may be able to set the normal Volume controls to become the amplifier ones. To try this; Press TV, Select and 1 together until LED flashes twice (if it doesn’t, then its not supported on your remote), then press Sky.

AV Amplifier Codes:

More Useful Remote Contol Codes

Turn a Sky+ remote into a standard Sky remote:-

TV, Hold Yellow+Select until LED flashes twice, 0, Select, Sky (replace 2 with 0 to reset back)

Turn a [ rev 8 ] Sky remote into a Sky+ remote (without the record buttons of course!):-

TV, Hold Blue+Select until LED flashes twice, 2, Select, Sky (replace 2 with 0 to reset back)

Setting your secondary remotes to auto-switch the aspect ratios between 9:16 and 4:3:-

If you have both widescreen and normal TVs connected to the RF2 output, then they normally have to all use the same picture format set in the ‘second location’ format setting.

Solution:

Set the ‘default picture’ format to widescreen.
Set the second location picture format to 4:3

Then on each sky remote to be used for widescreen use the following sequence:

TV, Blue + Select until Led flashes twice, 1, Select, Sky (replace 1 with 0 to reset back)

Each TV using this code automatically sets the format to widescreen. Unmodified remotes would stay in the normal 4:3 format.

Getting the code that the Sky engineer entered into your remote (Blink-back):-

Press the TV button on the Sky remote

Hold down Select and the Red buttons together for approximately two seconds until the LED blinks twice

Key in 9, 9, 0

Key in 1 on the numeric keypad and count the number of times the Red LED blinks. This is the 1st digit.

Repeat for 2 and 3

Note: no Blink = 0 (zero)

Useful Installation Tool

I found this tool recently… it uses Google Maps to show you your own house, and where you can place your dish. http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/ or http://www.dishpointer.com/

My Satellite Guides

• Installation Guide (Alignment / Angles) – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/1.pdf
• European Alignment Angles – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/2.pdf
• Installing a Link / Magic Eye – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/3.pdf
• Remote Control Codes – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/4.pdf
• Advanced Channel Tuning Guide – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/5.pdf
• Sky Minidish Assembly Instructions – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/6.pdf
• Sky Zone 2 (60cm) Assembly Instructions – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/7.pdf
• LNB (Quad/Octo) Adapter Kit Instructions – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/8.pdf
• How to fit the new ‘type 4′ LNB’s – http://www.internet-tools.co.uk/ebay/sat/9.pdf