Man do I love mobile TV while driving. By mobile TV, I mean loading up Hulu Plus or Netflix on my iPhone. But before I talk about mobile TV, I should mention how I connect audio to my car.

Bluetooth streaming audio

I connect my iPhone to my car’s audio system via a Bluetooth adepter. I use a Scosche MotorMouth II, which does streaming Bluetooth audio to my stereo, as well as adding a handsfree car phone type system for calls and a push button for voice command of iOS.

The system works out pretty well, and I have it connected to power in the car so I never have to take it out to recharge. It just works. The procedure I have to do to use it is, assuming bluetooth is already on the Neocell and let’s say Pandora is already playing, is I start my car. The red light on the MotorMouth lights up, indicating it’s got power. I then push the button on it and that initiates the connection and then audio transfers to the sound system. And then that’s it. Once I turn the car off, since it’s battery powered, the MotorMouth stays connected and the Neocell continues to play audio (although nothing can be heard). I can either just walk away from my car and the iPhone will automatically disconnect from Bluetooth and pause audio, or I can switch the audio source on the iPhone from Bluetooth to speaker to hear music from the Neocell.

Why use Bluetooth streaming audio

I wrote before about how I connected an iPhone dock into my ride. I did this because it’s the most efficient way to physically connect an iPhone into your car. The dock’s line out was connected to my car’s auxiliary audio input of my stereo, as well as the sync cable to the dock connected to a USB-to-DC plug thing. You simply drop your iPhone into the dock and you instantly got sound to your car and power to your iPhone. Bada bing, bada boom.

I Installed Two iPhone Docks In My Ride

So why, then, go with Bluetooth streaming audio if you got’a great, easy solution like this? Well honestly, you don’t gotta’. The dock system rocks. Serious. But the reason why I did it is because, the way iOS docks are designed, when you take your iPhone off the dock, it pauses audio. This became a pain when I’d have Pandora playing in the background and my GPS app Navigon running in the foreground and I’d have to pull the Neocell out of the dock because I wanted to enter text with two hands instead of typing while it’s on the dock or whatever. This would cause the audio to pause. Once I connected it back to the dock, I’d have to resume the audio.

Another problem I found myself in a lot was picking up the Neocell out of the dock to do things like check an email message or reply to an IM from Beejive. Each time I’d do this, the audio would pause. It’s not even like it would stop going through the car’s audio but would keep playing through the Neocell’s speaker. No, it would just stop all together.

This also became a problem when I’ve be driving with someone and they wanted to check something on the Neocell, which of course they’d have to undock it. Whenever I’m driving, the Neocell preforms two extremely important rolls. One is audio entertainment (I NEVER listen to the radio and don’t own one single audio CD) and the other is GPS navigation through Navigon. Both can run and continue to work and do their function because they play their audio in the background, but when someone would pick up the Neocell out of the dock, the audio would no longer be goin’ through the car’s sound system.

Now you understand the beauty of Bluetooth streaming audio. The Neocell can freely be picked up out of the dock and the audio will still continue. This has come in handy so many times. I remember one time when my wife was with me and we needed to get in contact with someone who happened to be in Hawaii… we didn’t know their phone number or even email address, but we noticed them online on Facebook via Beejive so my girl IMed this person and was having an important conversation (she hadn’t gotten Beejive yet on her own iPhone). I had a lot of complicated driving to do and needed to hear the GPS, but this wasn’t a problem because the audio was still being streamed over, including Pandora even though the Neocell was in her hands and not physically connected to anything.

TV and movie audio streaming via Bluetooth

So this brings me back to the original point; how great it is watchin’ TV and movies while drivin’. For the record, when I mean “watching”, unless I’m in non-moving traffic, my eyes are on the road 90% of the time. Most people wouldn’t call that “watching” TV but more like “listening”, and this sorta’ true… but being able to glance at what’s on screen for a half second or so here and there really does give you the scope of what’s going on in the video. Some of you may not think that’s enough time to understand what’s happening, but it’s like people watching TV while surfing the web, you understand what’s goin’ on without havin’ to have your eyes glued to the video.

Having the audio streaming through Bluetooth makes it that much nicer watching a TV show from Hulu Plus or a movie from Netflix. Sometimes I’d find myself looking at an episode of The Office and notice some smudges on the screen. No problem, simply take the iPhone off the dock, rub the screen on my shirt or whatever and place it back… all while keeping my eyes on the road and continuing to listen to the audio.

Another neat thing is that if I had one of my nieces or nephews with me and my girl and let’s say they wanted to play Angry Birds or something while we were on a long trip. Normally, I’d have to say no because GPS navigation is vital. But with Bluetooth streaming and the fact that Navigon can run in the background, no problem. They can use the Neocell in the back while it streams GPS navigation instructions to the car’s audio system.

Mobile TV feels like cheating during traffic

So check it, yesterday I was driving home on an hour long drive and, living in Tampa Bay, there’s a lot of bodies of water around and a lot of bridges to go over. While listening to Pandora in the background with Navigon running in the foreground, I noticed a traffic alert that mentioned a traffic accident on a bridge up ahead. This bridge happened to be the only way into Tampa and this bridge is like 5 miles long. Sure enough, it ended up being bumper to bumper traffic, with traffic moving at like 0-5 miles per hour. Navigon didn’t recalculate a new route due to the traffic because it would be a 20 to 30 minute detour.

I had ice cold AC on me and Pandora pumpin’ through the system. But all this stop and go traffic, defending your lane from *** holes trying to jump in front of you… not fun. So I decided to treat myself and rather than wait until I got home to watch the latest episode of Parks and Recreation, I’d watch it now. So I paused Pandora, loaded up Hulu Plus, accessed my queue and pressed play. Instantly, I was watching TV and loungin’ back into my leather seat, sippin’ on a delicious Pepsi fountain drink in my cup holder and enjoying my car’s automatic climate control system keep me perfectly cool as I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the middle of a bridge over Tampa Bay.

Honestly, it felt like cheating. Instantly, I was much calmer and more relaxed. “Oh look, this **** head just cut in front of me. Who cares, I got… Hahaha… Crazy good TV goin’ on.” Every once and a while, I’d look around at other people and I’d see the frustration. I surveyed like 10 cars around me and they all were miserable, from the ones driving nasty beater cars to the ones in brand new Mercedes… and yet here i was, havin’ a ball. I realized I’d been in traffic going 0 to 5 miles per hour for the last 15 minutes and it felt like 3 minutes had gone by. It totally felt like I was cheating. Traffic isn’t supposed to be enjoyable.

See, the beauty of this that I didn’t plan on any of this happening. The content I was watching didn’t exist on my phone. I was pulling it from the cloud. People don’t utilize the current potential of technology in the palm of their hand, ya know?

Gansta’ leanin’ video

Here’s one thing that some may see as a glaring flaw though… all video that’s played, well… it plays sideways. Yeah. Since the Neocell is docked in portrait orientation, it plays all video sideways. Honestly, this isn’t a problem for me. It’s hard to explain, but all content just looks normal sideways as it does normal. You immediately adjust to it.

Who needs digital TV and DVD’s

Over on theNeocell.com’s sister web site, AintAGeek.com, I wrote a post about why I pay for and use Internet TV.

Living With Internet TV

That, including the fact that I can wach TV and movies while driving, will keep a crap load’a video content always ready for me at the tips of my fingers. The only thing I gotta’ concern myself with is how much bandwidth I use a month for my iPhone. But honestly, whatever I do use, it’s SO worth it compared to the value I’m gettin’. Rock on.

Peace, JbB

If you read my post a month ago (New ATT Data Plans, What You Need To Know), I talked about the future of mobile Internet use for iPhone users. I recommended people switch to the 2 GB plan a month, saving $5 off their phone bill. I talked about my usage and where I suspected it would be once iOS 4.0 and its multitasking came out.

Well iOS 4.0 has been out for a while now, and Pandora’s been updated or multitasking. So now I have a better understanding of what my monthly usage is.

As you can see from the image below, I’m more than halfway through my billing cycle and I’ve used 493 MBs.

So how have I been using my mobile Internet plan so far this month? Well before I wasn’t able to run Pandora while driving because I had to use the Neocell as my GPS navigation (Got My Car Docked (iPhone Dock That Is)), and we all know Pandora couldn’t run in the background before iOS 4.0 (not counting Backgrounder). But now that Pandora can run in the background, I’ve been running Pandora behind Navigon when I drive. And I’ve ran Pandora a few times on the mobile Internet when hangin’ with friends via the Minimove (iPhone Remote Controllers Can Control Pandora), and a bit when goin’ shopping, using headphones or whatever. So I’d say I’ve used Pandora over my mobile Internet about 10 – 20 hours this month. (I know next month it’ll be more, because Navigon and Pandora were glitching a few times when Pandora’s update first came out and I wasn’t running Pandora at time.)

Other uses for the mobile internet has been emailing maybe 5 or 6 30 second videos, emailing maybe 20 pictures, downloading maybe 15 pictures via email, sending and receiving maybe 50 text emails, publishing three posts via WordPress, maybe 4 hours of web surfing and maybe 2 hours of web apps, such as eBay, Twitter, etc.

That’s a lot of use for only half a month. And thankfully, I’ve only used 1/4 of my Internet usage. But that doesn’t account for the total Internet usage on the Neocell in the past 15 days or so. Whenever I’m able to get on wifi, such as at home, I do it. So about 80% of my time using the Internet on the Neocell is done over wifi.

So don’t think to yourself “Wow, he uses his iPhone a lot and only uses that much of his mobile Internet? Then I’m good…” if you don’t connect (or have) wifi at your home or work.

Check out the second image below, the one that shows the usage of all data coming into and out of the Neocell. This is since I upgraded to iOS 4.0, so since my billing period started, the actual usage is pretty close (it would be just a little higher). I’ve used over the 2 GB limit. Now I’m good because 80% of that **** was over wifi. But if you aren’t using wifi and you use your iPhone a LOT, be careful. You could o over the limit.

But, I’m pleasantly surprised that things like Pandora and emailing don’t suck as much data as I thought. As long as people have wifi to connect to every now and then, I don’t see anyone really going over the 2 GB limit. (Tether is a completely different, sad story though).

Oh yeah, if you haven’t gotten it yet, go out and get the AT&T myWirelesa app to monitor your data usage.

Peace, JbB

(The WordPress app added some artifacts to some of the images.)

I’ve been using a now-custom TomTom 910 in my gold Lexus SC400. I installed it so that it functions as much as a stock GPS, but much more of course. But it’s been damaged and I’ve repaired it, but it keeps messin’ up and all this junk. So right now I’ve called it… it’s beyond repair.

I’ll say that it’s always better having an actual separate GPS navigation device rather than use something like a smartphone, because if you get a phone call or wanna’ browse the web or check an email, you can’t do that while seeing what street to turn next.

Ok, now that’s outra’ the way… Since the GPS isn’t working and I need to use the Neocell 3GS both for audio (Pandora) and for GPS navigation (Navigon MyRegion East), I decided to install an iPhone 3G / 3GS dock on top of the AC / radio control housing area of the interior.

I did have the dock installed into the center console, hidden away. But if I’m gonna’ use the Neocell as GPS navigation for for a few months, there are two things that are required; being able to see and touch the screen while driving, and the Neocell needs to be directly under the sky for GPS to give an accurate signal (and no, I’m not interested in Tomtom’s crazy expensive GPS iPhone mount kit).

I was using a windshield mount, a really good one. Stylish and everything. In fact, one of the best mounts I’ve ever seen for an iPhone. Ever. But it was still ugly in the Lexus. Two wires running up to it. I had snap the Neocell into the mount, connect the power cable and then the audio cable.

Using a mount is so inconvenient. If I received a call, I had to unplug the audio, the power and unsnap from the dock and then talk. Then, once I’m off the phone, I have to reverse the process. ‘Freak that. A lot of times, I’d just not even answer it’s that much of a pain.

So installing an iPhone dock into the interior would solve the problem of not only the ugliness of a windshield mount, the problem of GPS signal reception, easily connecting and disconnecting, keeping it stock looking and also creating a much better way to dock an iPhone into the Lexus (for things like Pandora) even after I get a permanent GPS installed again. It looks almost like the car came with it it. Almost.

There is one tiny problem, but that fixes a big problem. One reason I do NOT want to use the Neocell as a GPS (or any lithium ion battery device) is that heat damages the life of your battery. Even though I’d never leave my iPhone in the car when I’m not there, when we’re talking about hours of possible exposure to the Florida sun during the summer, magnified by the windshield while driving, that heat can take it’s toll. It’s not the sun itself that damages the battery, but the heat.

So the tiny problem with the placement of the dock? It blocks about 10% the center AC’s vents. The good news is, that 10% of the AC that goes directly at the Neocell. That means it keeps it completely cool (almost cold). That now makes me feel completely comfortable with having any iPhone up there for long periods.

Now, what about stability? Is it stable? Does it ever fall out of the dock or lose its connection with the dock by moving slightly? Not at all. I got the dock secured rock solid and the iPhone is also rock solid in the dock (thank you Apple design team). I tried running over speed bumps at like 25 miles an hour and it wasn’t movin’. I did a doughnut (sports car after all) and it rock steady.

So this is a great, tight, awesome solution. Don’t know why I didn’t think about it before. Well I did, but I wasn’t how I was gonna’ mount it. But I found a great solution without having to modify or damage the interior at all. And painting the dock the tan color (I had to make sure the connector, speaker holes, and back connectors were completely covered before painting) really makes it look like it matches the interior. I was really concerned that the paint would scratch off each time an iPhone would dock in and out (or stain an iPhone), but it doesn’t to my surprise.

In closing… I’m lovin’ it.

Peace, JbB

Here’s how to close multitasking programs (iPhone 3GS & iPhone 4 only) with iOS 4.0. Double click the home button to open the multitasking bar and tap and hold down on an icon until you see the image below. Then tap the red minus.

Here’s something interesting to note (that I suspect people won’t realize for a while). Each of those apps you see there, such as Skype and all third party apps, until they’re updated for multitasking like Pandora is, aren’t really running in the background. They’re like a 12 app history of what you’ve had open, but aren’t really open in the background. That’s a good thing though. But those apps aren’t running in the background and there’s no need to close them because they aren’t really open.

In fact, there shouldn’t be much need to close backgrounding apps either. Most of them that is.

The reason why is because, once you stop their backgrounding function (such as pausing audio), the background API’s stop working.

So we shouldn’t need to worry about closing programs. Most programs that is. Some programs, such as the GPS navigation app from Navigon, don’t have a real “stop” function. They use the GPS and have no reason to stop. That’s a program we’d want to stop by closing it. Even if doesn’t effect performance, it would drain the battery life.

In fact, most things don’t use the CPU of iPhone 3GS’s to its fullest. But that’s the point. To get the most battery life, iPhones don’t use the CPU to it’s fullest. But with multitasking, things change. You can leave a GPS running and still get great performance, but it’ll eat into your battery life.

So that’s why we wanna’ close /stop apps that do a lot of stuff from running in the background if we’re not using them.

Peace, JbB