Three Decent Improvements in iPhone 3.1

The headline features (Genius, ringtones, app organization via iTunes), don’t excite me that much. I use Spotlight to find apps, rarely use any special ringtone (let alone one I have paid for), and I used the Genius once in iTunes and forgot about it. I’m somewhat disappointed at the lack of an Energy Saver settings page, but at least the following features seem useful.

Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe

I guess this means that you don’t need to put a passcode on your phone before you lose it. Maybe you can push a passcode to the phone after you lose it, so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of unlocking the phone all the time. We’ll have to see what this is like in practice.

Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets

It’s not clear how Voice Control would be invoked in this situation. If you have to hold the home button on the iPhone, then you still need to fish it out of your pocket or purse. If, on the other hand, you can push a button on the headset, this could be great.

Paste phone numbers into the keypad

I just tried doing this the other day and was surprised it didn’t work. Now it will.

Full details on the update at Apple.

Pain is Good for Athletes, and NSAIDs Can be Bad

Taking ibuprofen before intense exercise generally does not help, and may actually hurt you in the long run, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine. NSAIDs interfere with the body’s ability to repair itself and may ultimately make you more prone to injury.

The New York Times cites a study that found that athletes were not even getting pain relief out of the deal. Athletes in an ultramarathon who did not use ibuprofen reported that they were no more sore than the ones who had.

Wait until you hurt so much you can’t stand it. Then take the drugs.

Personally, I like a little soreness. Let’s me know my body is responding to my exercise. If I don’t get sore, I didn’t work hard enough.