The other day I helped out a few people by detailing the how to solve the, “Could not activate cellular data network: You are not subscribed to a cellular data service”, message popped  up on the iPhone following network updates applied via iTunes.

Though I thought I’d seen the back of this little issue, I was surprised too the message pop up again over the weekend. At first I thought it was just a glitch as the iPhone swithed to Wi-Fi at home, but once out and about I realised it was back with a vengeance with the results that once again I could no longer browse via O2.

Popping back into the settings I discovered that  my phone has somehow reverted back to the old APN settings of ‘idata.o2.co.uk’. This is correct for contract iPhones, but as I bought mine outright (could not face the 18-month lock-in) and am on O2’s Simplicity Tariff, these APN settings are not correct and should be mobile.o2.co.uk for Cellular Date and wap.o2.co.uk for MMS.

So why had it reset? I immediately realised it happened after I’d upgraded to iPhone OS 3.1that came out last week.

I’d held off for a few days as I was aware of a few horror stories of  bricked iPhones following the update, but after carefully balancing the successes and failures via a Twitter poll, I decided to take the plunge, manually backing up first of course.

Mine has appeared to have negotiated this little hurdle successfully until the browsing issue, but it just seems to have reset the APN data and no harm done.

But in case you’re on a non-contract iPhone, now you know.

When our sister title Know Your Mobile plugged one of these guys on the desk near us, my curiosity was piqued. The pad enables you to wirelessly charge your iPhone, which in anyone’s book has to come under the category of ‘cool’.The only downside is that you have your phone in a skin, with contacts that transfer the power to your phone.

However, the cover does at least have cut out for the connectors so if you were so inclined you could keep the phone inside the case all day. Once in the case, just place the phone on the mat, and it starts to charge, which is pretty neat. You do get a message that, this accessory s not compatible with iPhon, but you can just ignore that - it seems to work.

The only downside that at 60 quid for both pad and skin it seems an expensive luxury not to have to plug a cable in. Still if your willing to splash the cash, it’s a cool little device.

With the hype surrounding the possible release of an Apple tablet, the invitation that many tech publications have received for an Apple event on 9 September, should knock the idea that one will be appearing very soon firmly on the head.

The event features the tagline ‘”It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,” and features one of Apple’s distinctive dancers, striking a pose while holding an iPod, or possibly iPhone. Either way, the rumours are that this is just an iPod refresh, with the expectation that cameras will be making their way into the back of the iPod touch, and maybe ever the Classic, though that does seem a bit weird.

It’s also being held on 9/9/09, which is also the date that the Beatles catalogue is coming out remastered on CD, and that Beatles Rock Band is being issued on all the gaming consoles. I wouldn’t be too surprised if this coincided with the announcement of the Beatles music finally becoming available on iTunes – special edition Yellow Submarine iPod, preloaded with every Beatles album anyone? That’s my bet.

Thing is, if you’ve got an iPhone, it’s hard to get excited about iPod’s anymore. The advantage of an iPod are that it’s cheaper, you don’t get interrupted automatically by phone calls when you’re doing something vital, (like almost nailing a race when playing Need for Speed on the train morning), and you also don’t get woken up when your wife’s iPhone alarm goes off at 6:30 at top volume just because you’d increased her ringer volume the day before so she’d hear her phone when out and about.

Apple – is it too much to ask to have a separate volume control for the ringer and the alarms on an iPhone. If they announce nothing me than that on 9 September, I’d be happy.

There’s been much coverage over O2 not once, not twice, but thrice, suffering from a network break down. And on the interwebs, and on Twitter there has been much virtual ‘wailing and nashing of teeth’. There was coverage when everyone on iPhone’s at Glastonbury had poor or no coverage, and equally I recall reading how no one could get online at a recent game at Lords due to the number of iPhones.

Was it in Apple’s brief when putting together the world’s most sophisticated phone to ensure that it was only available on networks that couldn’t cope with it? It’s frustrating  to know that you’re using a ‘breakthrough’ internet device’, only not be able to use it at all for its intended purpose - as in get online.

Still, it’s not as bad as in the US where it’s on AT&T, which has been a constant source of irritation to the elite digerati around San Francisco, who not only can’t get online, apparently can’t even make calls or texts when down-town due to network congestion. That is just rubbish

However, I had been wondering what all the fuss had been about, as I seemed to have been spared - until just last week, when I got the at the time mysterious and frustrating message, “Could not activate cellular data network: You are not subscribed to a cellular data service”. I thought this was rather odd, as I am.

A few minutes Googling solved my problem - it involved changing my APN settings (General>Network>Cellular Data Network) from ‘idata.o2.co.uk’ to - ‘mobile.o2.co.uk’ for both Cellular Data and MMS. Apparently these are the correct settings for any one using an iPhone on O2 not on an iPhone tariff. I have a SIM only tariff, which offers the same as the £35 per month- 600 minutes, 1,000 text and ‘unlimited’ web bolt-on. (There’s no visual voicemail, but then I’ve got Spinvox, and whether man or machine powered, it’s better).

Odd then that I’d been fine on the ‘idata’ settings for several months, even though I wasn’t on an iPhone tariff.  I then recalled that a  few days before when I’d plugged the old 3GS into iTunes I had been greeted with a message that iTunes wanted to install some “carrier specific settings.” - and now it wasn’t working. Co-incidence?

However, while making the changes gave me back 3G internet access, I noticed that the internet tethering option that was on the page had dissapeared. O2 will only rip you off for tethering if you’re on an actual iPhone tariff. By the way, if you have a phone such as a Nokia N95, you can use it for tethering for no extra cost, so why O2 feels it can charge  £14.68 for the privilege is just criminal.

I’m also concerned that  non iPhone tariff owners aren’t getting as much bandwidth a those on an iPhone contract. Coming out of the office I saw a ‘E’ for Edge, rather than 3G, which I’ve never seen before.

All this means that the news that O2 may be losing its exclusivity to T-Mobile is good news. I’ve heard anecdotally from someone with an unlocked 3GS that 3G performance is much better on T-Mobile in London than on O2, and while I can’t confirm it myself, I wouldn’t be suprised.

Should I unlock my 3GS and leave O2 for T-Mobile? I’m tempted.

It rather went under my radar that Latitude has finally arrived on iPhone last week. However, it’s not quite what it is on Blackberry and Android.

I expected it would be rolled into an update to the superb Google Maps app but it seems not - it runs only as a web app apparently at the behest of Apple itself.

While on Blackberry and Android can run any application in the background - on the iPhone, Apple only lets a few, such as its own iPod and Mail apps, due to battery drain issues.

This means that to broadcast your location you have to have the web page open - do anything else, and move somewhere else, and it won’t track you.  Which makes it rather pointless in my book. And the app permanently things my office is in Paddington. Which it isn’t.

And the actual page doesn’t contain any useful contextual information about what the person is doing - it’s all rather bland.

I’m holding out hope, probably in vain, that this will be sorted in the next significant iPhone update. At the moment though, it’s a bit pants, basically.

So Apple’s iPhone 3GS has arrived and I must admit I’ve finally bitten the bullet and gone for one. But having seen the speed improvements first hand and web browsing is better than ever, which makes it all the more disappointing that Flash support is still missing from the iPhone.  Many web pages don’t work as intended and many sites now use Flash video, which won’t play on the iPhone.

This makes it all the more galling that the new HTC Hero, claims to have actual Flash support – not Flash Lite, but proper Flash. This is something of a one-up for HTC, and gives is a strong claim to be head of the pack for web browsing.

A video from Adobe, shows Flash working on the Hero, although we’d have to play with one ourselves to get a jusdgment on how smooth it is in reality. In the video the Adobe presenter says that 80 per cent of Flash content should work on the device out of the box, and that it is working on a Flash 10 client, presumably to take care of the rest of them.

Are we going to have to wait until next year’s iPhone with probably dual core processing to give us Flash? Come on Apple, give us what we want.

My favourite story of the week is the proof that the new Find My iPhone feature, a new addition to Apple’s Mobile Me service.

The story (from this entertaining blog post) in a nutshell – bloke in Chicago leaves his iPhone in a bar - remembers that he’s just activated Find My Phone feature on his phone, and the next day is sent an email saying that the service has located his phone.

He starts sending messages to the phone, warning the new owner that he knows where the phone his, and that he’s a comin’. He takes a 3G enabled laptop with him and literally chases down the would-be thief, and is soon reunited with his iPhone.

It’s a well written, nicely paced story – you can hear the theme music in the background as you read. Look out for the film version, coming to a screen near you. My favourite part - the description of how they felt once they’ve recovered it: “We laughed triumphantly, adrenaline racing, feeling like the Jack Bauer trio.”

Truth-be-told, as the comments on the blog indicate, it’s fortunate that he and his intrepid pals didn’t get seriously ass-whooped by whoever had ‘borrowed’ his device – and it turns out the guy was scared of the messages appearing by magic on the device.

So has Mobile Me finally got itself a killer app?

So it’s been a couple of days since Apple announced its latest updates, and we’ve had a bit of time to calm down. So, have we calmed down?

As everyone expected, the new iPhone was start of the show, and last week I put up my list of what I was hoping to see from the new device.

So how did I do?

Firstly, what I got right. Well much of the improvements were part of the iPhone 3.0 OS update, so cut-and paste, GPS, push notifications, and the landscape keyboard we pretty much knew would be coming. The improved winding (scrubbing) sensitivity, we’ll wait and see how it turns out when we actually get hold of one.

On the hardware side, I was pleased to see there’s a 32GB version, and video capability thanks to an overdue 3-megapixel camera.

So, what did I get wrong?

Well firstly, there’s no higher resolution screen – its remains where it is at 320 x 480 – so I now think that will come in next year’s version that we all now expect to be a major hardware update.I  was also disappointed not to see a 4GB version introduced with the entry level model now the 8GB iPhone 3G.

But ohmygod- the prices! Nicole has already let rip at those crying into their milk at the fact that they won’t be able to upgrade without paying through the nose to get out of the rest of their contract – but even for first time buyers, the iPhone 3Gs is a very expensive proposition. O2 wants £275 for a 32GB one, and that’s with a £35 a month tariff. Ouch.
I can’t decide whether it’s down to the recession or a little bit of greed on O2’s part – the reality is probably in between the two.

So why can O2 do so a thing? Well, it knows it can. After all, it’s not as if people can look the the iPhone prices, decide it’s too much, and decide to go for the new kid on the block, the Palm Pre on another network – because if rumours are to be believed in the UK, O2  has that baby wrapped up too.

So yup, if you’re a gadget freak – it’s got you by the short and curlies…

Also galling is the fact that if you do go for the 3Gs plunge now, the only options are an 18-month or 24-month, meaning that next year’s, possibly heavily revamped model will be out-of-immediate reach.

But when you want something new and shiny, the words ‘possibly’ and ‘next year’ are not likely to register too much. I’m not sure if I can hold out. Now, I’m sure I can find a grandmother down the back of the sofa I can sell… or something.

There’s no guarantee that Apple will announce a new iPhone at WWDC 2009 this evening, but if it doesn’t it’s going to make everyone look a bit silly as the internet tubes are naturally full of iPhone buzz.

That said if you’ve got iTunes on your computer you many have noticed Apple update pushing out version 8.2 of iTunes – supporting the new iPhone 3.0 software, of which we already know plenty, so the timing is apt.

Some analysts have suggested that Apple should hold off on the new iPhone to take it what the Palm Pre is doing, and then counter it, but I don’t think that Apple will take that approach – I’m sure it had a good idea of what the Pre would be capable of before the phone’s release last Saturday.

Here then is a list of some of the things I would like to see in the new iPhone, though I’m sure I’m going to be disappointed in my regards.

•    Higher resolution screen – Likehood - medium

The 3.8in 800 x 480 screen on the HTC Touch HD is fantastic (it’s best feature by far) and I’d love to see Apple match that. I doubt it’s going to increase the size of the 3.5in display, but more pixels to up that dot pitch would be great.

•    32GB capacity model –likelihood – high

When I was using an iPhone it was fantastic for music and video but as I owned an 80GB iPod (5th gen) I really missed having all my stuff available – a 32GB model is really needed, especially with all the app that are out there.

•    4GB capacity model – likelihood – medium

However, not everyone really needs all that space. A 4GB model would bring the price down and make it more affordable for more casual users

•    MMS - likelihood – likelihood  - high

This feature may be ‘old skool’, but it’s still a quick and easy way of sending snaps to other users – especially for those who don’t have email on their phone. Rumours are strong Apple has finally succumbed – let’s hope so.

•    Front video camera  - likelihood - low

I think I was one of the only people who actually used to make video calls – back when my wife and I both had Sony Ericsson V800s. However, the concept that the network 3 has actually launched itself on has died a death – for a number of reasons but if there’s any company that can improve the experience surely it’s Apple.

•    Video recording – likelihood - very high

Rumours suggest the new phone will be dubbed the iPhone video (although other rumours also go with iPhone 3Gs), so this one’s pretty likely. The quality is likely to be very average, and why we should get excited about a feature that most phones have had for years it anybody’s guess.

•    Cut and paste – likelihood – very high

This was a much bemoaned missing feature – and it’s announced as part of iPhone 3.0 OS. Good.

•    Turn by-turn-GPS – likelihood - very high

Google Maps is great on the iPhone, but why it’s taken so long to offer turn by turn direction support I’m not sure. Hopefully now we can see fully fledged navigation packages from the likes of Co-Pilot and TomTom

•    Bluetooth data - likelihood  - low

Bluetooth support has always been poor – but in iPhone 3.0 we’re promised support for the Ad2P profile so users can now use iPhone wireless headphones. But what about data support. I can’t use the iPhone with my TomTom as it won’t accept data connections – frustrating.

•    Flash – likelihood – very low

Will Flash support still not becoming to the iPhone it could get left behind, especially if it arrives firs on the Palm Pre.

•    Push notifications - likelihood - high

The iPhone famously can’t do multi tasking, something that WinMo phones do – even if they don’t do a great job of it. Push notifications would enable developers to get info out about their app without if having to be fully running – e.g. Messenger type apps, or Twitter. At the moment, if you get a phone call, your messenger app would show you as offline. It’s promised though for iPhone 3.0 software- htis could be mega.

•    More sensitive scrubbing – likelihood- medium

I’ve always found winding forward or back though video (scrubbing) a lot harder on the iPhone than on the classic wheel on the iPod. Apple has apparently improved the sensitivity for iPhone 3.0 – let’s hope its true. Well I do, anyway.

•    Landscape keyboard – likelihood – very high

Why oh why oh why, was the landscape keyboard not available on all apps. We’re told that it is now in iPhone 3.0.

•    Document viewing – likelihood – low

Though you can view attachment on the iPhone, you can only do it by accessing the email they are sent with – there’s no way of saving them to the phone for access later. I don’t believe this behaviour is changing for iPhone 3.0 OS. So we’re going to end of this list on a downer.

Why is it that transferring your contacts from one device to another is so complicated? The problems came as I have decided to finally move on from my venerable K800i mobile phone.

I have to say that while it