iPhone carriers

Yesterday someone suggested that it would be better to use a different carrier for my iPhone.  The iPhone is now available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, and you can also use it unofficially on T-Mobile, but with some limitations, such as no 3G.  I use AT&T and here's why.

The main reason is price.  I am on a family plan, which means I pay only $10 for talk.  AT&T offers data plans starting at $15 for 200 MB, which means a minimum of $25/month, but I pay $30 for unlimited data, for a total of $40/month.  If I were to ever leave AT&T I would lose that plan, which I need for broadcasting from my taxi.  Verizon no longer offers unlimited data.  Sprint does, but I would end up paying more.

A lot of people think that Verizon has the best network.  This is a myth.  It's probably true that they're the best for voice calls.  I have always had problems on AT&T, with lots of dropped calls and such, although it has improved greatly over the past couple of years.  However, I don't use my iPhone that much for voice calls.  It's the 3G cellular data network that's important to me for broadcasting video and such, and AT&T is supposed to be significantly faster.  Verizon and Sprint have 4G, but that does me no good on an iPhone.  I used to have problems with data, but recently it seems like I hardly ever have problems broadcasting video and such, especially on Ustream.  I think AT&T has been working hard to upgrade their network, especially since millions of people are about to get new iPhones.

And the network improvements on the new iPhone 4S only apply on AT&T's network, with potential download speeds increased from 7.2 to 14.4 MBPS only on AT&T.  (Real speeds are always a lot less than potential, and it remains to be seen if I'll actually get faster downloads on my new phone.)  I suspect that next year we'll see the iPhone 4G, but until then AT&T will have faster 3G.  Plus, only AT&T lets me talk while using data at the same time.

Anyway, now I'm locked into another 2-year contract, so I'm stuck with AT&T!

iPhone 4S

I have been broadcasting live video using my iPhone 4. I've been waiting to see if the new iPhone would be worth upgrading to. Now that the iPhone 4S has been released, I can tell you that there have been specific improvements to the camera and video processing:

• 8 megapixels, up from 5
• Wider aperture
• Additional lens (5 instead of 4)
• Faster shutter
• Face detection
• Faster processor
• 1080p HD video
• Video stabilization
• Temporal noise reduction

Hopefully some of those will result in better video broadcasts, with better color, sharper images, less graininess at night, less shakiness and less problems. The download speed is potentially doubled, depending on the network, but the upload speed is unchanged, so that will be of little help.

Another benefit is the integrated Siri voice assistant, which will apparently allow me to do more hands-free while driving, such as getting addresses and directions, sending texts, etc. I'll have to wait to see it in action.

Will it be worth $200 plus $55 tax to upgrade?  I guess I'll find out on Friday, because I've already ordered one!  My wife should be grateful to get my iPhone 4.

It's a shame that Steve Jobs had to pass the day after it came out. This is his legacy.

Podcasts

When I'm not broadcasting video, I like listening to podcasts.

Years ago, I listened to a lot of talk radio, mostly either AM or NPR.  The problem with that was that the shows I like where not always on when I was able to listen.  Sometimes all there was to hear was something boring.  Even if there was something good, I would have to turn it off whenever I picked up a fare.  It seemed like whenever there was not a fare, the AM station I was listening to had commercials, which would end as soon as I found another fare.  I could only hear part of the conversation.

Then I got my first iPod.  I found the podcasts on iTunes and started to listen to them instead of the radio.  Many of them were some of the same radio shows I had been listening to, only delayed, and some were not available over the air.  I was able to pause them whenever I needed to talk to passengers and continue right where I left off.  Since I had to use an earphone, I could play them even when I had passengers, if they were not interested in talking to me.  Although most did not include the commercials or station breaks, I could easily fast-forward those which did, and rewind if I missed something.

A couple of years ago I got an iPhone 3GS, and used it for listening to podcasts.  Now I have an iPhone 4, and soon will likely get an iPhone 5.  I now have a fancy Bluetooth earpiece which allows me to listen to my podcasts wirelessly.  I've been syncing with iTunes for years, but more recently I've been using the Podcaster app, which updates my subscriptions through wifi or 3G, without needing to plug into the computer every day and manage my podcasts manually.  When the new version of iOS comes out in a few weeks, I might use the new iCloud service, instead.

I listen to a lot of science podcasts, like This Week in Science, the Naked Scientists, Nature, Dr. Kiki's Science Hour, NPR's Science Friday, Astronomy Cast, etc.  I've always been a big science fan, and probably should have been a scientist.  I also listen to some podcasts on skepticism, like Skeptoid, SGU and Skepticality, and various iPhone and other technology podcasts.  I also listen to NPR shows, as I said before, and try out podcats on various topics like comedy, sci-fi, politics, history, learning Spanish, etc.

Are you into podcasts?  If so, which ones do you listen to?

Ustream or Justin

Since the beginning of 2011 I have been broadcasting video to Ustream and Justin.tv using iPhone apps.  Both are very similar and have their strengths and weaknesses.  I would like to list what I like, and don't like, about both.

From the beginning I have had problems with both apps.  I would frequently get disconnected, which might be blamed on AT&T's notoriously bad cellular reception in San Francisco.  I notice that it happens more in some areas than others.  Both apps also sometimes crash, that is, close unexpectedly, or otherwise malfunction.  Both have been updated a number of times, sometimes improving things, sometimes making them worse.  For several months I could not use Justin.tv at all, because the current version of the app simply did not work, and I was not the only broadcaster with that problem.  Now the Justin app is working fairly well, but I must say that the current version of the Ustream app is far more reliable.  It does not disconnect or crash nearly as much as before, or as Justin does.  I can now broadcast on Ustream for hours without interruption.

However, I do not get very many viewers on Ustream.  Sometimes I don't on Justin, either, but at other times I attract quite a crowd.  I definitely get more viewers on Justin.  I prefer not to broadcast if there are no viewers to interact with, so even though Ustream has the better app, I tend to be on Justin more often.  I do maintain a regularly scheduled show on Ustream, at 5:00 pm Pacific Time on Sundays and Mondays, but am lucky sometimes if even on viewer shows up.

But interaction is key for me.  Both apps have issues with seeing the chat room, although that's improved somewhat.  But sometimes I will not see anybody typing in the chat room, and I cannot tell if they're just all quiet, or if it's not working.  The only way for sure to fix it is to quit the app I'm in and "force quit" it in the iPhone Switcher, then restart the app and hope it reconnects quickly.  Fortunately, Ustream has two chat rooms, the second one being called the Social Stream, which they want you to cross-post to Facebook and Twitter.  Viewers can uncheck the Facebook and Twitter boxes, but if I type there I am forced to cross-post, which would be confusing if there was anybody following my on Twitter.  There is also a forced delay of 30 seconds between posts there.  However, it does come in handy when I cannot view the chat room, which at one time was happening for months.

Another thing I like about Justin is the option for high-quality video.  The problem with that is that it is often very choppy and annoying for viewers.  The only way to get high-quality video on Ustream is to record it offline and upload it afterwards, which I usually do at the end of my broadcast, since the last video I upload plays whenever I'm offline.

Another thing I like about Ustream is that I have the option of seeing the iPhone status bar.  This tells me things like, what time it is, my battery status (very important if the cord comes loose), signal strength, whether my GPS app is still running in the background, etc.

Another major advantage of Ustream is that I can switch cameras on the fly.  My iPhone has cameras on both sides, so I can switch from forward to interior view, and record what happens inside the cab.  The only way to do that on Justin is to stop the broadcast and try to restart it, which sometimes does not work smoothly.

Otherwise, the two apps are very similar to each other, and I will likely continue to use both.

Follow my GPS

I used to use an iPhone app named Cabulous.  It would track my location via GPS, along with other taxis, and customers could use the app to find a cab.  Additionally, viewers of my broadcast could follow my location as I drove around.  However, recently they came out with version 2.0, which tracks taxis through their companies, rather than through drivers' phones, and since my company does not subscribe, I am no longer listed.  However, I bought an app called FollowMee which will allow people to track me when I'm driving.  The URL is pretty ugly, so I created a short URL.

Using GPS really sucks up the battery, as does video broadcasting, so I have to keep my iPhone always plugged in.  Even so, sometimes it gets unplugged or the cord wears out or I get a car without a functioning plug, so I bought extra power cords, a backup adapter, and an external battery, just in case.

New iPhone car mount

I broadcast live video from a cab using my iPhone 4 mounted to the windshield.  I was unable to do so for a few days because my car mount broke.  This was a Boxwave car mount that is customized for iPhone 4s.  I was reluctant to buy the same product, because I might want to get the iPhone 5 whenever it is released, and it probably won't fit, thus I was thinking I'd have to get a new one soon, anyway.  So I opted for the Kensington K39256US Quick Release Car Mount.  I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, and am quite pleased.  The flexible "goose neck" arm attaching to the suction cup is longer, making it easier to manipulate into a good position for the camera.  It was the constant attempts to manipulate the old one that broke it.  I can also switch the iPhone's orientation between vertical and horizontal more easily, without having to twist a nut.  It's also easier to remove the iPhone from the cradle and to restore it, and I can even keep it in a case while doing so.  It also came with a mount that attaches to vents, which includes a pivot and tightening nut, and although I don't have much use for it in the cab, I found that it is handy in my Jetta.

I will occasionally be blogging about other iPhone accessories and apps.

My taxi blog

I am a San Francisco taxi driver.  I broadcast video from my taxi at Ustream and Justin.tv.  Since I cannot put much information there, I thought I'd start a new blog, where I could tell viewers more about myself, the status of the video shows, San Francisco and the taxi business.

I broadcast on Ustream regularly on Sunday and Monday evenings starting around 5:00 pm Pacific Time.  I usually broadcast on Justin later in the evening.  Occasionally I will also broadcast on other nights during the week, depending upon my schedule.  I will post on Twitter when I start a broadcast, and also whenever I post on this blog.