Back in May 2007, I wrote a feature for Australian Macworld on batteries and power solution. You can read the entire yarn here [22MB PDF].

In that story I recommended that users should regularly cycle your notebook or mobile phone's battery. That means letting it run all the way down and then fully recharging it.

Today, I came past this story over at ZDNet. It seems that Apple has a nifty diagnostic app running on an iPod that can diagnose whether a failed battery's condition has come from neglect or from a defect.

One of the telling things about this particular visit to the Apple Store was something the tech told me. He said that he would replace the battery with a new one because it has be “used correctly.” When I asked him to elaborate on what that meant, he told me that Apple’s notebook batteries last longest when they’re routinely charged and discharged.

Apple's batteries are more sophisticated than a simple collection of single cells. There are "smarts" built into them that retain information like the number of charging cycles and let you check the remaining charge by pressing a small button either on the battery (for older Macbooks and MacBook Pros) or on the unibody for more recent models.

If you're a mere mortal and don't have a fancy iPod gizmo for testing your battery, you can achieve much the same with iStat Pro - a widget created by iSlayer. In addition to all the useful system information it provides it's able to access that interesting battery data.

As it turns out, battery life is very much a "use it or lose it" proposition. In order to get the most out of your battery, both in terms of longevity and capacity make it a habit to run the battery down regularly.

I typically connect my MacBook Pro to the web in two different ways; WiFi and a Huawei E160G 3G modem. One of the things I've found, that is really annoying, is that OS X is really dumb when it comes to dealing with multiple network connections.

What I find is that OS X tries to connect to a WiFi network while the 3G connection is active. The problem is that if the WiFi connection is poor OS X persists in trying to use it even if the 3G connection is better. I've encountered the same thing when I've connected an iMac to one router by Ethernet and another over WiFi (Idid this as part of some router testing). OS X was unable to aggregate the connections.

The cure is easy - turn off WiFi before initiating the 3G connection. But that's not very Apple-like.

For an OS that's generally very traveller-friendly this is a real PITA.

If you're anything like me, your music collection from ripped CDs and iTunes Store purchases has far outstripped your iPhone or iPod's storage capacity. While the iPod Classic delivers a massive 160GB, I suspect that that vast majority of people run with 32GB or less. Although that used to be a massive amount, 32GB is really quite a paltry amount. That means that, somehow, we need to find a way to carry the right music. Here's how I do it.

Step 1: Create a Random Playlist in iTunes
One of iTunes niftier features is the ability to create Smart Playlists. A Smart Playlist is a playlist that's assembled based on a set of criteria that can dynamically update.

As you can see from mine, I've simply set the content to include files smaller that 5MB (I'll need to bump that up to a higher number now that I think of it. 10MB might be better), exclude anything spoken (I have several audio books) or played in the last couple of days and randomly filled with 500 songs.

Step 2: Use the Recently Added Smart Playllst
When you install iTunes a Smart Playlist for recently added items is created automatically. You can fiddle with that by to ensure that you sync the content you want. For example, by limiting the file size, you can ensure you don't sync videos.

Step 3: Sync your new Playlists
Now, connect your iPod or iPhone and change the sync settings so that the Smart Playlists.

One of the reasons I love this approach is that it lets me rediscover music I'd even forgotten I had. For example, today I listened to The Alleluia Chorus from Handel's Messiah, Whitesnake, Michael Jackson and Eminem.

When Apple launched OS X 10.4 (aka Tiger) one of the heavily pushed features was integration of RSS into Safari. This was extended to add RSS integration into Apple's Mail.app. As I recently upgraded to a shiny new 13" MacBook Pro I've not yet reinstalled all my favourite apps. Partly this was through being too busy but another part of this was to see which I apps I really used and which I could live without.

I've been using NetNewsWire for ages and it's a great app - particularly as it now offers iPhone syncing via a free web service. However, I've never really put Apple's built-in RSS support to the test till now. In my view, the RSS support in Safari and Mail is only barely usable. I suspect that if you only look at 10 or fewer feeds it's OK but even my relatively slim collection of a hundred or so feeds is too many to be effectively managed.

Non-existent OPML Support
Why didn't Apple support migrating feeds into Safari and Mail by OPML? By ignoring the lingua franca of the RSS world they have effectively stopped potential users from migrating to their software from third party applications.

Last night I searched for a way to migrate my RSS feeds into Safari. I had an OPML file that I'd created by using Google Reader's export function. However, I had to visit the Google Fairy to find a way to import this into Safari.

Safari can only import feeds from a HTML file. That means that I needed to find a way to convert the OPML file to HTML. After some searching I found this article. Basically, you need to copy the script on that page into a text editor (I use TextWrangler). Then save it to your desktop as convert.php.

To make life easy, I saved the OPML (actually XML) file from Google Reader to the desktop and renamed it to "subscriptions.xml". I then opened a Terminal (it's in the Applications | Utilities folder on your Mac) and ran the following:

cd Desktop

This line makes the current directory for executing commands the OS X desktop. If you don;t do this you'll need to ener the full file paths for the various files referred to in the next command.

I then ran this:

php convert.php subscriptions.xml > MySubscriptions.html

If all goes well, you should end up with a HTML file that will open in Safari and display a nicely arranged list of all your feeds.

You can then import that file into Safari (File | Import Bookmarks...). I then dragged the imported feeds into a folder called Feeds that's on my Bookmarks Bar.

Broken and Missing Functionality
Once I had all my feeds imported I was mightily annoyed that none of my carefully arranged folders, for logically grouping feeds were retained. There's another half an hour of my life I'll never get back! On the upside, this did get me to clean up dead and unwanted feeds - a task I'd been putting off for some time.

Apple's approach is then to use their bookmark folders for managing feeds. If I open the highest level folder I see all of my feeds. Open a lower level folder and I see the appropriate subset. It'd be nice if I could set that up as a sidebar. However, I can see how many unread items I have.

RSS in Mail.app
I don't know how many people use RSS in Mail.app but I imagine that the number would be small. You'd expect that all those carefully arranged folders could be brought across to Mail nicely. Well, you'd be disappointed. You can bring the feeds across but only one at a time. Which fool thought that would be a good idea?

Pop over to the File | Add RSS Feeds... command and you'll see what I mean.

The Better Way
Clearly, Apple's implementation of RSS leaves a bit to be desired. Perhaps it'll be one of the hundreds of enhancements we'll see in Snow Leopard although I'm not holding my breath given that Safari has only just been updated.

As I mentioned before, NetNewsWire is a great alternative.

However, if you're a Firefox user then there are several plug-ins that work nicely. Wizz RSS Lite isn't too bad and works with Firefox 3.5. High on people's favourite list is Sage although when i looked last night it wasn't FF3.5 ready so I couldn't test it out.

As I penned this story over at Hydrapinion today on how you shouldn't believe everything you read on Twitter, the following video came my way.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2009/07/jeff-goldblum-watche-todays-obituary.html

Ahhh... there are days when I wish The Colbert Report was on TV here (on one of the 15 free to air channels we are supposed to have in Australia).

It's clear that tools like YouTube, Twitter and other Web 2.0 apps are changing the news cycle and how we are informed about global events.

I ponder these matters in my latest post over at Hydrapinion - Twitter and Social Media in Iran

Well, as the owner of a shiny, new 13" MacBook Pro I was a little surprised to read that Apple had dropped the hard drive spec from what they had on the previous, MacBook. Rather than the faster 3Gbps eSATA drives they previously used, they introduced 1.5Gbps drives.

In response to some comments by customers, they've released a firmware update to support the faster eSATA specification.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7 addresses an issue reported by a small number of customers using drives based on the SATA 3Gbps specification with the June 2009 MacBook Pro.  While this update allows drives to use transfer rates greater than 1.5Gbps, Apple has not qualified or offered these drives for Mac notebooks and their use is unsupported.

Did you catch the last sentence - this is a firmware update to support hard drives that they won't support.

I sense confusion in The Force.

Even the most ardent Apple supporter would consider this ridiculous. When the iPhone, running Version 3.0, is connected to a Bluetooth speaker, like the neat little Sony Ericsson MBS-100 I'm playing with, there is no way to control the volume. The speaker lacks a volume control and Apple has chosen to not support controlling the volume with the A2DP Bluetooth Profile.

I guess that in one respect there is a volume control - the on and off switch - but to not be able to change the volume from the iPhone is a royal pain in the butt. Apple is working, as far as I can tell, within the A2DP specification (you can read it here) but are offering little other than the bare minimum.

Roll on iPhone 3.0.1

I've been using Three's Mobile Broadband service for several years now. I think I'm on my fifth different modem now having upgraded my service and hardware several times. I've been using a Huawei E160G USB modem for a year or so and it's been pretty good.

Yesterday I noticed on their website that the other modem that have on offer, the E180, was available with its claim to fame being a pivoting USB connector and a performance rating of 7.2Mbps, rather than the 3.6Mbps that the E160 offers. Three is usually pretty good at upgrading their customers (provided you extend your contract) so I gave them a call.

It only took a few moments to get through to a salesperson (funny how the sales lines are better manned than the help desks of many telcos isn't it?) and asked about the E180. It turns out that the E180 isn't actually any faster as Three's network limits the speed.

Bummer.

Now that iPhone 3.0 has been released I thought it would be pertinent to look at what's happening in carrier land and to play with a couple of the new features.

Carriers

In Australia we effectively have three major carriers; Telstra, Optus and the newly created VHA that's being formed through the merger of Three and Vodafone.

VHA
VHA has announced that the new iPhone 3G S will be sold through Three stores in Australia. This is significant locally as Three was never an official carrier for the iPhone 3G although they did offer a $300 rebate for any customers bringing a unlocked iPhone 3G to their network.

Vodafone has also announced that you can register interest in the iPhone 3G S here.

At this stage there's no announcement on whether tethering will cost extra but given that Three has actively encouraged the use of phones as modems I don't expect them to charge customers for the privilege.

Optus
Optus hasn't officially released pricing on their site but have sent a press release that states that tethering ("iPhone as a Modem" in Optus-speak) will cost extra. We're looking at $9.95 per month.

In my view, this is ridiculous. Many iPhone users on the Optus network don't use their entire data allowance now. Why they can't use this for tethering is a matter of some conjecture with managing their network capability through charging structures probably the most likely explanation. However, this is very easily overcome by downloading the appropriate profile from this site. The easiest thing to do is visit that address with Safari on your iPhone.

If you're interested in an iPhone 3G S through Optus you can register your interest here.

Telstra
Telstra has been conspicuously quiet on the iPhone 3.0 front. A look at their iPhone website reveals no new information - not even an acknowledgment that there's a new iPhone or an operating system update.

I wouldn't expect to offer different pricing for tethered traffic as they already charge an arm and leg for their service compared to the other local carriers.

Find My iPhone and MobileMe
The value of Apple's MobileMe service has been questionable - until now. The introduction of the "Find my iPhone" services adds significant value to MobileMe.

Firstly, if you lose your iPhone you can use MobileMe to locate the handset. Enabling the service on the iPhone is a little tricky to find (Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts and Calendars > MobileMe >Find my iPhone).

Then. visit www.me.com and go to Settings. Form there, it's an easy thing to locate your phone. If the phone isn't precisely locatable via its GPS receiver then it position relative to carrier transmission towers is provided.

You can also get the iPhone to display a message or make a sound - even when the phone is on silent.

If your phone is truly lost then you can remotely wipe its contents.

When Snow Leopard Server is released later this year, I'm hoping to see a corporatised version of this service for businesses that have deployed a fleet of iPhones.