This post is brought to you by the letter “H”.

“H” is for hiatus. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and for that, I apologize. My last couple weeks have been busy with about 42.4% of that time spent calling every Apple store in the Los Angeles area daily for iPhone 3G availability. I’ve just never seen a product like this so hard to keep on shelves. I know that tech product shortages are nothing new, but everything about the iPhone makes it an odd device to still have 3 hour lines two weeks after launch.
Continue reading You’re Welcome, Steve Jobs.

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 9:25 pm

I told you there’d be more about this thing and I do not lie. Except when it is convenient for me.

So the hysteria has died down and more details are coming out and its no surprise that Steve Jobs didn’t kick off the keynote with these golden nuggets of info. Far from my initial high at around 10:45am on Monday, three things have me kind of bummed about Apple’s new toy.

1. You cannot activate the new iPhone 3G at home, it must be done in store.
2. The data plan is now $30 as opposed to the $20 price point of the year past.
3. The $199 price announced with much fanfare and applause is with new two year contract. Which makes recent AT&T converts, like myself, most likely ineligible for crazy Steve’s new low prices.

The first point is a letdown because I really hate having AT&T employees putting their hands and fingerprints all over my new phone before I even get to make a call on it. The second point is a letdown because I hardly have any money as it is. The third point is a letdown because I (and a lot of other second generation iPhone holdouts) will end up having to pay some higher unsubsidized price. (reference the previous sentence for why this is an issue)

In the end, I’m a sucker and I’ll probably end up jumping through whatever hoops I need to in order to get this thing. I just wish it weren’t so much trouble. No one talks to me anyway.

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 9:46 pm

Sorry about the title, it’s been a good morning. Apple’s WWDC keynote was this morning and the news is cause for rejoicing. Right now, inside my heart, it’s like the end scene from Return of the Jedi. Only, instead of Ewoks celebrating a victory in a violent forest battle against a ruthless imperial force, I’m just really happy about the new iPhone. Or should I say, iPhone 3G. That’s right, Apple has finally brought 3G to the iPhone, along with GPS, longer battery life, some cool new apps and the new 2.0 firmware. Oh and best of all, it’s now only $199. Yeah, one hundred ninety-nine dollars. Just for a point of reference: the RAZR2 launched for more than that. The Blackberry Curve used to cost that much not so long ago. Really, once you remove the subsized mail-in rebate, almost every phone carried by one of the big four carriers cost more than $199. For God’s sake, the iPod Touch of the same 8GB capacity is $100 more and it is, most assuredly, not even a phone.

I’ve got more to say on the subject, but I’ll give everyone (myself included) some time to calm down. I keep trying to breathe slowly into a paper bag, but I’ve already tore through six hyperventilating.

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 12:52 pm

They get a lot of shit, but AT&T isn’t so bad in my book! For one thing, I’m happy they agreed to Steve’s terms and let him have control over the iPhone - something Verizon wouldn’t do (Steve went to them first!). For another, they’re now unlocking phones for free, all you need to do is ask. I have a Samsung Blackjack that my iPhone replaced; I just unlocked it with a bit of help from AT&T and it was super-easy.

Continue reading AT&T Unlocks Blackjacks for Free!

Filed under: Gadgets | Technology, Phones, Reviews | Guides — Max @ 8:49 pm

So I saw Iron Man last weekend and it’s awesome, but that is not the focus of this text. The segway, however, will be elegant and subtle, like Samuel L. Jackson. There’s a commercial out there for Verizon where clips from Iron Man are mixed in with some terrible acting and the end result is Iron Man dropping his cell phone after getting hit by a missile at 30,000 feet with two teens picking it up on the ground below. “It” being an LG Voyager. My problems with this are twofold. First, my experience with Verizon tells me none of their phones are that durable nor is their customer service equipped to handle such a claim. Second, if I were a billionaire-industrialist-turned-superhero. Sorry, scratch that. When I am a billionaire-industrialist-turned-superhero, I will sure as hell not get caught with a LG Voyager. No, no, no. This is the phone a billionaire industrialist talks on. The Blackberry Bold. Now, I’ve never liked cellphones with names; model numbers do just fine for me (I will be correctly referring to this phone as the 9000 henceforth). But something about this one sticks with me. Maybe it’s that the name is a good match for the phone’s design. Maybe the marketing student in me appreciates that most mere mortals can’t remember model numbers. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s that this phone has every piece of kit in it you could imagine, expect or want from RIM. There’s no price or release date yet, but with 3G HSDPA, GPS, WiFi, 1GB internal flash and microSD all in a svelte 0.55 inch package, the wise have already begun cracking other peoples piggy banks and raiding neighbors’ couch cushions.

Oh and best of all, it’s on AT&T, so that’s one fewer ETF I have to pay.

Source & Image Engadget

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 8:24 am

I am green with envy when it comes to the Japanese and their cellular devices. One of these days I’m going to flip on the news and see them zooming to work on hoverboards all nonchalantly, like they’ve had it for years. This time they’re not breaking any data speed records or showing off any TV equipped phones. No, that’s old hat for the land of the rising sun. This time, their phones are making smells.

Continue reading What’s That Smell? Oh, someone’s calling me.

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 8:32 am

You’d think people with really cool news would just wait until the 2nd to make announcements or start rumors they want believed, but I guess rumor mill knows no time. This time, it’s Mortal Kombat series creator Ed Boon with a coded message and some other videos floating around the net that point to a iPhone and iPod Touch port of Mortal Kombat II. The video shows player control through specific touches and tilt sensing. I’d take this with a huge grain of salt, given the date, but with the SDK out, it’s certainly a possibility. An awesome possibility.

Source TMRK

Filed under: Phones, Video Games — Roy @ 7:17 am

Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Roy, the iPhone is almost a year old and you just now want one? False. I’ve wanted an iPhone since it was released, but I just didn’t want the iPhone that Apple had released. Sure, it’s sexy and you can touch it with 20% of your fingers (compared to a measly 10% with competing products). Unfortunately, there are tons of things wrong with the device that other phones get right and have gotten right for years. These glaring omissions (copy and paste being a prime example) have forestalled my purchase. In the meantime, since the iPhone’s launch, I’m on my third cellphone. Today’s announcements move me to finally take the plunge.

Continue reading I Want One IV: Apple iPhone

Filed under: Phones — Roy @ 10:00 pm

This monday, the FCC allows cellular carriers to shut down their analog networks for good. Apparently the carriers have been waiting to do just that, as most have announced the end of analog service come monday. If you know anyone who still has an analog handset, the look on their face should be priceless.

This isn’t only going to affect technical troglodytes, however. Owners of GM vehicles equipped with OnStar *may* be affected, as some OnStar systems use strictly analog equipment (though digital and combination systems also exist, and will continue to function) - you can check what kind of equipment is in a vehicle using it’s VIN and this page.

Another, potentially more problematic effect involves home alarm systems. Many systems use cellular networks to alert emergency personnel, often in as a backup to a land line. While the vast majority are digital, some older equipment is analog. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a handy web site to check that - you’ll have to talk to the manufacturer.

Source: Infoworld via Ars Technica
Image: Oak Tree Enterprises

Filed under: Gadgets | Technology, Phones — Max @ 5:45 pm

More from the MWC, Nokia’s got a new concept phone that is literally a piece of trash. Nokia’s Remade is a concept designed and made from all recycled components. Recycled cans, old tires and plastic bottles all go to make this phone that contains no new parts. As it’s a concept, there’s no specs and it doesn’t even make call as of yet, but still, a pretty cool idea, even if it’s nothing revolutionary. It’s not too bad looking, either.

Source Treehugger
Image from Engadget

Filed under: Green | Sustainable, Phones — Roy @ 10:43 am