Vlad Hrybok's Tech Notes

By default iPhone 3G is configured to check emails only manually. To make it check email regularly the change in the settings needs to be made. Since I spent more time than I expected finding out how to make iPhone 3G check email periodically, I decided that it's worth a blog post. I was looking all over Settings | Email, Calendar and Contacts, where I thought the setting would be, and could not find it. Instead it turned out to be Settings | Fetch New Data. That what drives frequency of email checking.

It used to be this way: you commit to a two-year contract with a wireless service and get locked, but deeply discounted or even free phone. With iPhone situation is beyond pale:

• You get what seems to be a full-price, but locked phone (from $300 to $600 depending on the model and the time you bought it);
• You get locked into two-year contract;
• And Apples feels free to brick your iPhone if you have installed 3rd party software or unlocked it.

While all this might be legal, this looks like one big mass-screwing of Apple/AT&T customers. I feel lucky iTunes refused to sync my iPhone with 64 bit Windows and I could return iPhone for the full refund. I was planning on unlocking the phone, but after I learned about modified iPhones turned into "iBricks" after the latest firmware upgrade, iPhone deal looks like one big sucker.

Update: This issue may have been fixed as of April 2008: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1426.

I spent approximately a week researching iPhone and everything related to it. Not a single time did I see anything that would suggest that iPhone does not sync with 64 bit version of Windows - not even on the back of the iPhone box, where system requirements are spelled out. So all the anticipation of playing with iPhone came down crashing when I put it in the cradle and got "Please connect iPhone to a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows XP (SP2) or Windows Vista." message:


This was the first Apple product I ever bought, and what a wonderful F-U I got. Apple is indeed not an engineering company, but a designer shop making cool-looking accessories - a Luis Vuitton of IT. The only thing remaining for Apple is to figure out that technology thing.

Quick Internet search established without a doubt that iPhone won't sync with x64 Windows systems and tech support rep confirmed that there is absolutely nothing they can do other that suggesting to install 32 bit operating system.

Anyway, the iPhone is going back. To be fair, Apple customer support was fast and helpful, and the rep who processed my return request waived restocking fee on the unit (I bought it from Apple online) and they promised to send prepaid FedEx shipping label.