Last year, we talked about heat issues with the iPhone 3GS. That was before we got an iPhone 4, which may very well have better heat dissipation than the 3GS, but not by enough. One of the reasons we wanted a white iPhone 4 was because the surface would reflect more light and thus help, even if minimally, with internal heat buildup.

As far as motorcycling goes, the iPhone 4 isn’t much better in high-temperature environments than the 3GS was. We tend to use the iPhone 4 in a soft case attached to our motorcycle’s handlebars, where a silicone front allows us to control the phone even with our gloves on.¹ The problems remains, however, with heat building up in this case, even when the case is not fully zipped to allow some hot air to escape. We’re not convinced that even outside of a case, the iPhone wouldn’t overheat if it’s in direct view of the sun; even in the shade, the iPhone 4, in temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, gets quite hot under use, be that simply talking on the phone, or running an application making use of 3D graphics (like our GPS app).

Suffice to say, using the iPhone 4 as a year-round GPS device on a motorcycle still leaves much to be desired. We’ve explored several case alternatives, but as far as all-weather cases go, most have their issues:

• They don’t allow touch-screen access while the phone is inside.
• They have poor attachment points for use on a motorcycle.
• They tend to produce heat build-up.

A possible option is to forgo all-weather cases and use the iPhone 4 as a GPS device only when the weather is expected to be good, which means not going on trips requiring a GPS when even the slightest chance of rain is possible. We could then mount the iPhone 4 in a way that allows a good part of the iPhone 4 to be exposed to the environment, which should help with heat dissipation. Still, the iPhone 4 may still overheat when directly in the sun.

We’re considering the Mirage 2 windshield for our F800GS, which comes with a GPS-mounting panel. We could hack it up to mount the iPhone 4, and possibly even throw something together that would be water-resistant. The problem is putting something together that could be modified later for future iPhone models, so we don’t need to buy a whole new Mirage 2 platform when we upgrade our phone. Since the GPS panel on the Mirage 2 seems like it has some depth to it, we could potentially throw a cooling fan on the inside, to help cool the iPhone.

We’re still curious how others have mounted their iPhones to their motorcycles, and how well they worked in high-temperature (above 80 degrees fahrenheit).

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Apple is being asked by the U.S. Senate why they haven’t removed iOS apps from the AppStore that report on the location of sobriety checkpoints. That may be a reasonable question to ask if safety is on your mind, but the issue quickly gets muddled when you consider that what many of these apps are doing is re-reporting published information. Further, apps like Fuzz Alert, which TiPb specifically calls out do not limit reporting to DUI checkpoints, but on the location of speed traps, speed cameras, et al.

The obvious question is whether it is illegal to report the location of a DUI checkpoint. Apple can ultimately make a decision based on ethical grounds¹, but it appears that they’re relying on their lawyers for this one. So far as we can tell, an individual can freely publish information about a DUI checkpoint via other means², so reporting such information via an app is no different. Has the U.S. Senate asked similar questions to those operating web sites, or manufacturing GPS units, that offer similar information?

While you can argue that drunk drivers may use such information to avoid getting caught, thereby potentially injuring or killing someone, isn’t there a similar issue with other published information? Having access to information on how to build a bomb isn’t illegal, but actually building one with the intent to use it illegally is. Police officers organizing in public locations is not a secret³, so simply making this information easier to access shouldn’t be an issue. Should we next ban apps that report on where local playgrounds are, because child molesters could use them to more quickly identify where young children hang out?

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Catching up on weekend news reveals quite a number of blog posts concerning the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger, with arguments being made both for and against. But why does anyone care if the merger happens? We’re not saying that the merger would necessarily be good for the industry, but we’re far from saying it’d be bad, either.

We love T-Mobile. We were loyal customers for years, and when T-Mobile didn’t offer the iPhone in 2007, we stayed with them anyway. When jailbreak/unlocking tools were available, we picked up an iPhone and ran it on T-Mobile with much satisfaction. We held out this way playing the jailbreak cat-and-mouse game up until the iPhone 3GS was released, when we finally decided that EDGE was too slow for us and that a better camera and GPS were enough to sway the boat in AT&T’s favor. In all respects though, other than the speed improvements, our switch to AT&T meant more dropped calls and a slightly larger service area (noticeable to us on a practical level), but by far the greatest effect on us was that T-Mobile effectively became a non-factor in the wireless game.

They’re still a non-factor; they don’t offer the iPhone. Without going into a pro or anti bend regarding Android, let’s just come to terms with the fact that the iPhone is the pre-emptive mobile device and has been for almost four years; for those of you who love your Android devices, more power to you, but you have a second-fiddle device (and that’s not a bad thing: it’s just a fact that the iPhone offers more apps and is at least perceived as a friendlier device for mass-consumption).

Right now, Verizon is the bigger wireless beast between it and AT&T. With a T-Mobile merger behind it, AT&T swaps places with Verizon. Big deal. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change the fact that AT&T and Verizon are still the largest wireless monsters in the country, with lowly Sprint still sitting at the number three table wishing they could eat with the big boys. T-Mobile subscribers, meanwhile, get the iPhone. They get access to a larger network and the shining star of mobile devices. Let them have their cake without pissing about whether AT&T grabs another 10% market share or not.

Those of you crying that this is bad for innovation: T-Mobile lost that game when it had to rely on Windows Mobile and Android devices. These wireless providers aren’t creating devices themselves, anyway. They just make deals with manufacturers and occasionally throw their own branding on new gadgets. The innovation in this space is handled by Apple, Google, Microsoft, RIM, et al. All these telecoms are doing is providing a network for devices to run on. The innovation the telecoms control is in speed, availability, and pricing, and T-Mobile’s already fallen behind on the first two. If they can gain those and somehow influence AT&T in the third, it’s a win for everyone involved.

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Plenty of rumours about iPad 2.0 are hitting the blogosphere, complete with photos of “leaks” from case manufacturers. Maxator summarizes his expectations about the iPad 2, which should see release around March or April, and we’re keen on responding.

Front Facing Camera – FaceTime is becoming a staple for Apple products and this was the number one requested feature that they skipped on iPad 1. This is [a] virtual guarantee.

We’re torn about our feeling on this one, because on the one hand, we don’t feel the iPad needs a front-facing camera. A large percentage of iPad owners already use an iPhone or MacBook (or other iSight capable Mac), so they already have access to FaceTime. For iPhone owners, FaceTime on-the-go is already possible, so offering a front-facing camera on the iPad is only perfect for a small subset of iPad owners. Really, how many people are in the market for an iPad who don’t own any other Apple devices?

On the other hand, if Apple wants to seriously push FaceTime and make it the most ubiquitous video-chatting protocol out there, then offering a front-facing camera on the iPad may make sense. Effectively, this might help Apple do to FaceTime what they couldn’t with iChat.

Retina Display – Not sure about the cost issues of scaling the iPhone 4 screen up, but this seems very reasonable.

All rumours seem to point to “no” for this hardware upgrade. It’s an expensive one, and it doesn’t seem as though many people are calling for it.

Rear Facing Camera – Based on supposed leaked case designs it seems more than possible, but does a mini laptop replacement need one?

Who wants to use the iPad as a camera or video camera? The iPad is too bulky for this purpose. Just because Apple can doesn’t mean they should.

iPhone4-like Body – Unlikely given the issues with cracking under stress.

A form-factor more like the iPhone 4 would be nice, though having to get all new cases isn’t. That said, if Apple did want to make the next iPad more like the iPhone 4, they’d probably use a non-glass surface for the back of the device, as that’s where many of the issues seem to be with the iPhone 4.

World Wireless Card – Tough one. Verizon seems to be ready to move into bed with Apple, but will Apple sacrifice the space to accommodate both networks?

The big question is whether Apple will release a CDMA iPhone, or a dual-band CDMA/GSM iPhone. Or, will they release one after the other? We don’t see Apple releasing a CDMA-only iPad, as Verizon is already pushing the WiFi-only iPad along with their mobile hotspot. If anything, the next iPad will be CDMA/GSM, or stick with just GSM for another year. Once a unified iPhone 4 is available, the iPad will follow suit.

Mini USB Charging Port – Likely with Europe’s push to unify all wireless devices under one charging standard.

We can see resistance from Apple here, as they could have adopted a USB interface for iDevices a long time ago. The 30-pin dock connector is a standard feature of Apple’s iDevices now, and it’s unlikely that Apple will move to USB anytime soon. If the rest of the industry has made this universal, maybe Apple will move in this direction a year or two down the road, but why relegate all iDevice accessories moot when widespread USB adoption in Europe isn’t even getting a ton of traction in the US yet?

Side Charging Port – Unlikely. Doesn’t look pretty or match Jobs’ minimalist design style.

Maxator’s right, and the only way we can see something like this manifest is if Apple adopts a magsafe-like charging/synchronization port. Again, not USB, but Apple-sexy and not a huge aesthetics detractor by throwing two such connections on a single device.

Marginally Better Processor – Toss up. It all comes down to if they improve the display resolution. Improved resolution, improved processor likely. No, then no.

It’s not the processor that’s the issue, it’s the RAM. 512 MB of RAM is almost a given, bringing a new iPad in line with the iPhone 4. Processor-wise, there’s little need to move up, unless Apple wants to unveil a new processor that the next iPhone will also see, and that’s doubtful.

Bigger Storage – Despite the trends of ever increasing storage, I say no. 16, 32, and 64 are more than enough for at least another year.

We’d be surprised if the next iPhone were not made available with 64 GB of storage, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see 128 GB of storage for the next iPad, either.

Magnetic Compass – Very likely to improve GPS usefulness.

We kind of like that Navigon and other GPS apps are offering iPad-optimized versions in order to plan routes and such, but who’s really using an iPad mounted in their car as a GPS? There may be a handful of people, but for most, the iPad is simply too large.

Magazine Store – Likely to be announced with it, but compatible with both the iPad 1 and 2.

Does Apple really need so many online stores? On iOS, we already have the iTunes store, the AppStore, and the iBookstore. Do we need an iMagazineStand?

More likely, Apple will offer a better model for offering subscriptions for iOS apps, so magazine publishers can continue offering interactive content via an existing digital distribution model. Maybe Apple will even offer such a model for the iBookStore, in addition to the AppStore, for more static publications. No need to add yet another iStore icon to our screens, though.

Mystery Feature – Unlikely. The original iPad pretty much hit expectations with few surprises and still sold like hot cakes. Expect an iterative process as opposed to revolutionary.

Based on the rumours, the next iPad shouldn’t be a revolutionary upgrade. If anything, it will offer marginally more features over the original iPad, similar to how the iPhone 3GS didn’t offer that much over the iPhone 3G. Indeed, if the aforementioned improvements see light, there’s still not enough substance to warrant an upgrade for most iPad owners today. The third-generation model, on the other hand, may warrant a deeper look.

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We didn’t give much thought to iPhones overheating last summer, when reports were going around about iPhones shutting down after a certain internal heat threshold was met. But that’s because we never encountered this behavior, since we evidently didn’t put our iPhone through these types of paces. Things took a turn when we began using our iPhone 3GS as a daily GPS device.

The problem.

In the car, while we’ve experienced exceptional heat emanating from our iPhone 3GS, we still haven’t witnessed the device overheating and shutting down the active program. We guess that’s because of where we mounted the iPhone; it sits right in front of a vent. During summer months on the east coast, we usually run with the air conditioner on, so the iPhone isn’t at the same temperature as the outside world. Since it sits so close to a vent, it’s also getting the benefit of air flow, which isn’t the situation in our second use case.

On a motorcycle, our iPhone is more exposed to the elements, or at least the heat. This is doubly-problematic because air flow is effectively neutralized since a motorcycle-mounted iPhone is generally enclosed for protection, so the iPhone doesn’t benefit from the motorcycle’s movement. On hot days, this means that whatever case the iPhone is in acts like a greenhouse. Eventually, east coast summers with temperatures in the 80s will shut down any iPhone mounted to a motorcycle, making navigation-by-iPhone impossible.

Possible solutions?

Moving the iPhone to an unenclosed case, snapped into some sort of mount, may be a part-time solution. Mounts like this exist, but their protection is questionable; do you really trust a mount where the iPhone “snaps in” and “snaps out” by pressing a plastic tab? With the vibrations common on motorcycles (not to mention bumps from off-road riding), it becomes a huge question as to whether such a mount won’t suddenly pop an attached iPhone off mid-ride.

A better mount system might still work here, but an off-the-shelf solution doesn’t seem to exist. Touratech makes decent aluminum mounts for other GPS devices, but not for the iPhone (probably because the iPhone isn’t water-tight).

Relocating the iPhone’s mounting location may be possible with the proper hardware. For example, if the iPhone could be mounted in a position that offers more shade, where it’s not always getting direct sun, perhaps it would last longer before shutting down. Still, this likely wouldn’t fix the problem entirely, and GPS coverage may be hit too.

Another solution may be to simply keep the iPhone in a vented pocket, so it’s not getting sun and benefits from airflow directed against the rider. Unfortunately, this means the rider only has access to audible cues, can’t see the map, and needs to pull the iPhone out whenever the navigation software needs to be accessed.

In the end, no obvious solution exists if one wants to use iPhone-based navigation year-round on a motorcycle (at least in areas where it gets hot).

The 4G iPhone.

The latest iPhone, releasing later this week, uses the A4 processor, which we know to be faster than previous iPhone processors. This new iPhone should also sport better power efficiency, which may imply cooler operation. However, we couldn’t find any claims as to how much cooler the 4G iPhone runs compared to the 3GS. For us, this becomes a major factor in whether or not we upgrade, because if this new iPhone can handle higher heat environments, then it immediately challenges other GPS units for motorcycle use; potentially, with an aluminum case, heat dissipation may be easier for this latest iPhone.

For those early adopters, drop us a line to let us know if the 4G iPhone seems to run cooler than the 3G or 3GS.

Update (06/23/2010): TiPb is proposing that [Apple may have down-clocked](http://www.tipb.com/2010/06/23/iphone-4-teardown-apple-a4-1ghz/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: TheIphoneBlog (TiPb: iPhone, iPad, iPod)&utm_content=Google Reader) the A4 processor in the 4G iPhone in order to get better battery life and “lower the thermal impact.” This would mean that the new iPhone has more RAM than the 3GS, but a slower processor, explaining why the iPad may still be faster than the 4G iPhone. This still begs the question as to how much cooler the 4G iPhone would run than the 3GS, however.

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