The iPhone is now able to send multiple photos at once! This is something that came too late for me at a critical time. Recently before the 3.0 upgrade, I had to email pics from my phone to a manager at my work, and it was embarassing to send them one… at… a… time! Now you can clutter your family’s inboxes with pictures much more efficiently. How cool is that?

The search feature, both on the phone itself and on its main apps, is a great addition. I typed in a few test words on the main search and I found stuff I didn’t know existed on my phone or on the mail servers! If you’re like me and have pages and pages of apps, the main search can also double as a app launcher, once you configure the search settings. Search in the iPod app is also awesome. I loved just typing in the first two letters of a song and playing it instantly. (pictured to the left is a search I did for the Wordpress app. Saved me quite a few swipes!)

Other improvements were either a hit or miss at times. YouTube’s app got an overhaul, and it was much needed. I can’t tell you all how many times I’ve wanted to log in with my username without having to navigate YouTube through MobileSafari. All of my favorites are saved in the app now, and I have easier access to my vids in case the need arises. However, the shake-to-shuffle feature is one that I quickly learned to turn off. The one day I used it, I forgot about it and started dancing to a tune, only to have my good time cut short by another track cutting in unexpectedly because of me shaking my admittedly skinny booty!

There’s one smaller feature that I like that wasn’t really talked about in the main 3.0 documentation. When playing music, you can hold the time scrub bar, and drag your finger down for finer scrubbing control in the song. This helps in not having to fight so hard to get to a particular timeframe within a long track.

There’s other improvements that I haven’t fully played with yet, but I know I’ll love when the time comes. Being able to rent a movie on the fly, without having to connect the phone to the home computer first, will be very interesting and cool. I don’t use the calendar app as often as I should, and there’s new stuff in there I haven’t gotten to use yet. However, I did get to use the Push Notification service, courtesy of AOL’s speedy update to their instant messenger. It worked like a charm, even when the phone’s display was off. I can’t wait to see how the other app developers will use the new features.

Now, we just have to sadly wait until AT&T gets off of their butts to enable MMS messaging! Cheers!

It really is… just a phone. That is, of course, its main function. Of that, I won’t kid myself. However, I’ve been exposed to the vaunted Blackberry phones and, knowing full well their capabilities, I have to say that my new phone really is a Blackberry on major steroids! In fact, I’m writing this entry on the phone itself using the Wordpress iPhone app. It’s true what others have said about typing on it; you have to get used to the on-screen touch keyboard and the auto correction feature. Once you get past that, typing on it is awesome!

In fact, it’s the apps for the phone that make the iPhone so special and a pleasure to use. It comes with the standard smartphone apps such as mail, contacts, calendar, notepad, camera with photo app, calculator, world clock and maps (yes, it has GPS, too!). From there, though, you can also add apps from Apple’s App Store, most of which are free! I now have enough productivity apps (and productivity-killing!) apps to let me do whatever I want when I’m not near a computer.

The sheer usability of this phone is amazing. Trying to do the same things with my old phone was either a headache (or impossible) compared to the iPhone. Typing out this much so far has taken 30 minutes, and that was with a few interruptions! The Mobile Safari browser looks and acts like a real desktop browser. I’ve tried the “push” email feature and it does work (my Cox email), but I put it back to hourly checks to conserve power.

All in all, that is the only disappointment about the iPhone, which is battery life. You simply have to be conservative about how you use the features. However, I estimated that, from full charge to 10% juice, I did about four hours of mixed 3G and Wi-fi internet browsing, and I still had power to play music! (Yes, the iPhone hasn’t forgotten its iPod roots!)

So, yes, I’m very happy with the iPhone. I will endeavor to post screen shots of some of the features, with explanations. My new phone, part two?

I’ll have to post this entry now to final draft and finesse it before publishing. Cheers!

A couple of years ago, my computer suffered a power supply meltdown. The subsequent repairs were covered by Apple through their iMac Logic Board/Power Supply recall and I didn’t have to pay anything, of course. Now, it appears that something similar has happened yesterday morning as I was cruising and perusing my favorite sites. Only this time, there was no warning whatsoever. One second, everything was fine… next split-second… poof! No power. Nothing. Repeated attempts at either the power switch or the internal switch were met with little whines of protest from the power supply, and nothing else.

I went through the online Apple troubleshooting documents (with Christine’s computer, of course), and determined with about 90% certainty that the power supply is at fault. Here’s the kicker: it’s not covered under the recall anymore! Of course, I don’t blame Apple for not covering the recall anymore, since all the problems should have been resolved, and nothing really lasts forever. I don’t have AppleCare coverage but, even if I did, that coverage would have expired. So, that leaves me little choice but to cough up the near $200 for a new power supply.

One other caveat I have to offer myself is this: if my diagnosis is wrong, and a new power supply is inadequate to fix the problem, then the only other thing it could be is the logic board. Unfortunately, that costs over $500 to start with, not including shipping if I wanted to do it myself, or labor if I want someone else to do it. That’s over half of the cost of the computer’s worth by itself! At that point, I’ll have no choice but to save for a new computer.

Well, if that is the only thing going wrong in my life, then I really can’t complain. I can always use Christine’s computer if I’m in a pinch, or I can use my new phone to do some of my usual browsing and instant messaging and, yes, even blogging aaaaaand even my financial needs as well. OH!! The new phone … I’ll talk about that one in my next entry!

Cheers, and please wish me luck with the repairs!

As most of you know, I love Apple’s products. We have their computers and their iPod media players, of course. (I absolutely loooooove my iPod!!) However, I’ve seldom ever been a first-adopter of any new device or technology. Call me the cautious cat, but I was justified in my reasoning for that when I bought my current computer, the first-edition of the iMac G5. It works great, but it did have some issues which led to a recall notice that I did put into use when it started smoking one fine day. Which leads me to the reasons why I didn’t buy the first iPhone: One, I wanted to be as patient as possible to see what problems people had with the device. Two, my contract with Sprint hadn’t run its course yet. Three, the onboard memory was paltry for my needs when it first came out. Finally, number Four… the price was hard to swallow, even when they lowered it by $200 to $399.

Now that the iPhone has been put through its paces, with rave reviews by so many people (some lovingly called it the iOhMyGodPhone!), and given a performance overhaul, I think… no, I KNOW I will be getting the iPhone on July 11th, or sometime after that. I’ve done lots of thinking and research in making the decision, especially since it involves a contract with AT&T. I don’t enter contracts lightly; before Sprint, we shopped at several carriers and asked many questions. This leads me to the reasons for getting the new iPhone…

Price and Service – The new subsidized price of $299 for the 16GB ($199 for the 8GB) is great. The only downside behind the subsidizing is the forcing of an AT&T contract. You simply can’t just buy an iPhone anywhere and hope to unlock it for use on another carrier. You can only buy it at a Apple store or an AT&T store, with the condition that it’s activated right then and there. That being said, I looked at their pricing plans and weighed my options. Even though I’ll most likely be paying $25 more a month compared to my current service (Edit: hooray for corporate discounts!!), to me this is justified by the added services I’ll be getting, such as visual voicemail and 3G data speeds (there is more, of course!). For me, the down versus the upsides are pretty much on an even keel. The 3G service even extends out past my home’s community, which is surprising considering the techno-backwards nature of the Avondale, AZ area.

The Device and OS – The new iPhone has all the neato things most of you have read about, plus some new features. The GPS ability just might clear the subscription cost by itself! There are times I’ve wanted to read or write email from my work or when I’m out and about. The improved email features, including “push” email, will definitely be an asset for me, not to mention the fact that you can now add appointments to the device’s iCal app directly (a feature that was added in their first iPhone OS overhaul). Believe me, checking email and adding calendar events to my current phone (LG PM-325) is a royal pain and I don’t like doing these things often because of that. Also, developers are now invited to write third-party applications for the iPhone, which will be made available through Apple’s App Store. 70% of these apps are confirmed to be free of charge! I know I’ll be looking out for some killer apps to enhance my use of the device¹. I could go on and on about the rest of its feature set; you’ll just have to check out the rest for yourself.

Convenience Factor – Though I love my iPod, it will be nice to not have to carry two devices around anymore. Right now, I sometimes have three things on my belt: iPod, cell phone and a Leatherman multi-tool. I’m starting to look like a Batman-wannabe! I’m surprised that no one at my work has said as much. Even though I won’t carry my entire music library with me on the iPhone due to storage limits (I want to have at least a couple of vids or movies on it!), I only need my favorite and new albums with me and that will suffice. For lengthy trips, I’ll definitely pack the iPod for extended media play. I’ve wanted to have a phone that can also play music, but none of the other phones capable of doing so appealed to me. I guess the iPod’s ease-of-use spoiled me. One more thing that I almost forgot to mention is that the iPhone will be set to work with Apple’s newest service, MobileMe, which is replacing their .mac service. I looked at the new service and I’m seriously considering it as a replacement for my PowWeb subscription (more easier to use features for the same price I’m paying now).

Well, I think I’ve detailed my reasons enough for acquiring the iPhone. It was also good to put it down in writing here so I can justify my reasonings to myself. I’m glad I waited this long for the good stuff and I think the investment will be worth it in the long run.

Cheers!

¹ Notice I stopped calling the iPhone a “phone”, but rather a “device”. Many publications are actually calling the iPhone the first successful handheld computer with a desktop-class OS.

Second, I need to vent my frustration with one aspect of cubing. Ready? Here goes…

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things like this are really aggravating. This is the third time that my 5×5x5 Rubik’s Professor cube went completely discombobulated on me. None of the pieces themselves are broken, like with what happened to my first 4×4x4 Rubik’s Revenge, but it’s extremely time-consuming to put it back together. In the picture you can see everything grouped: outer edge, outer center, inner center, corner and inner edge pieces and the core in the middle. After the picture was taken for this entry, I boxed up the pieces and put it underneath the bed. Before I did that, though, I placed an order on this eBay page for a 4×4x4 and 5×5x5 Eastsheen cube set. Eastsheen is a “chinese knock-off” variant of the Rubik’s brand that is purported to be much more stable and durable than the Rubik’s brand. I wonder why the company that makes Rubik’s brand simply didn’t adopt the manufacturing specs for these; they seem better constructed, from what I’ve seen.

I only ordered the 4×4x4 cube because I know that what happened to my last Rubik’s 4×4 will certainly happen to my current one in due time.

Well, wish me luck with these when they come in. I’ll post pics and reviews when I get the chance!

One more thing: Christine and I are shopping around for a new cellular contract, because our Sprint contracts are up in May. In light of a recent windfall, and Apple’s SDK announcement, you might see an awesome cellphone review in a couple of months! Stay tuned, and cheers!!

Click on the thumbnail to embiggen the image of my new desktop (wallpaper, for you Windows sufferers users!). I created that while using this awesome fractal-generating app called Oxidizer. It’s an open source project on Sourceforge.com and, so far, it’s only available for OS X. Be warned, though; you will definitely need some muscular processing speed to render any thumbnail samples generated by Oxidizer to full size images within a decent timeframe.

Case in point: Chris Pirillo demonstrated this app on his quad-dual-core Mac Pro machine. That’s 8 processor cores, compared to my lone PPC 1.8 Ghz G5 processor. It took him all of 37 seconds to generate an over-2000px wide image. It took me seven freakin’ hours to generate this image you see in the post to 1680×1050px resolution!! Oh, by the way, this thing does fractal morphing animations as well. So, yup, definitely think twice before doing any serious stuff with this app if you have a underpowered (read: over 2 years old) computer.

If you want to use this image for your own (legal) purposes, click here to download it in 1680×1050 widescreen goodness. (567 Kb download)

Cheers!

I highly recommend this article for any Windows user who wonders why more people are switching to the Mac OS. Or is wondering why they themselves should make the switch.

This, by far, is one of the best “switcher” articles I have read lately. The piece is even more grounded than other PC-to-Mac articles for a couple of reasons. One, Chris Pirillo is a noted tech writer and reviewer who has done more than his fair share of working with and troubleshooting the Windows OS. Two, because of this, he has written the article with a completely unbiased standpoint. He’s had the opportunity to slowly slide into the world of the Mac OS over the past year or so and, just recently, he took the plunge and got himself a Mac Pro (the roaring beast of all Macs!).

Enjoy!

My iPhone After Semi Ran Over It on Flickr – Photo Sharing

I posted this on my Tumblelog, but afterwards, I felt this was noteworthy enough to post here as well. Click the link and read the whole explanation (in the comments) and the person’s thoughts on the experience. This shows me yet ANOTHER reason to get an iPhone! I know my beloved LG PM-325 has taken a few tumbles, but I sure wouldn’t bet against a vehicle squishing it like a juicy techno-bug.

Cheers and happy reading!