The iPhone loometh

Finally, a version of the iPhone worth the hype? In spite of my aversion to all things Apple, I have succumbed to the iPhone 3Gs.

The first version of the iPhone did not tempt me at all. It was over-priced and under-featured. But the latest version has finally left my Chocolate and Blackberry in the the dust. Two days with the iPhone and I was hooked.

What I love about the iPhone is the interaction with the Internet, and the ability to carry less devices. Ihe browser and screen are actually functional enough


Now if they would only improve the camera (flash and zoom, please!), the audio player (fast-forward, anyone?), and the phone speaker (Can you hear now? Of course, not) then this device would rule the world. Oh yes, and battery life would be nice, though I carry my Juice Pack with me all the time.

The iPhone cometh

My family can't believe it, but I bought an iPhone. My college-age daughter spotted the signature line on an email "sent from my iPhone" and immediately sent her condolences. I assured her I had not been brainwashed, or turned into an Apple zombie.

You see, I have carried a Blackberry for over four years. I loved being able to get my email, and to connect to servers at work to do urgent problem solving. There was, and is a browser available on the Blackberry. Somehow, it didn't quite put the Internet in my pocket.

Enter the iPhone. I checked out the first generation, and promptly flunked it on price and functionality. Instead I went with the LG Chocolate, as I mentioned in this post. I was very happy with my Chocolate, considering I still had to carry the Blackberry for work, and could occastionally venture out with just the Chocolate.

Then circumstances changed. I could now choose what phone I wanted to carry for both personal cals and email. I decided to check out the iPhone. (Not that there hasn't been sufficient press on the features) Looking at the 3G, I was impressed by the screen response, and the browser. I was horrified at the thought of losing a quick video camera, cut and paste, and multi-media messages. Yes, as inferior as my Chocolate was to the mighty iPhone, those features were all standard.

Enter the 3Gs. While I still had my phone on the trial period, the 3Gs with its GPS features, improved response, and video was announced. I traded my 3G for the 3Gs. Finally an iPhone with enough features to make me keep it.

At least until Droid hits.

Music for the holiday. See Santa take a swim.

Holiday sites that make me laugh

Last year I was all about elf yourself. This year large corporations (including the one I work for) have deemed this an inappropriate use of Internet resources and added it to the block list. Apparently humor is bad for business. Or morale. Or something.

Here is another I found entertaining.



And this called make-a-flake. Of course I failed at my first two tries to cut. (must connect the cuts to the outside.)

And if you want to watch Christmas videos - there is this site I couldn't believe how many classics were available, including Rudolph.

USB or not USB - that is my question

Now that I do podcasting, using Skype, I needed to upgrade my microphone. One of my soundcards can be really unreliable when using the microphone port, so I thought I would try USB.

USB is handy - but it is easier to manipulate two separate ports. Fortunately, I don't have to choose. I got the Logitech folding earphones that have a converter from USB to standard microphone/earphone jacks.

My new phone is not an iPHone - Chocolate 3

In all the excitement about the iPhone, there were several other phones that came out this week. One is my new phone, the LG Chocolate 3, aka LG VX8650.

My venerable LG VX8100, one of the best phones ever, was started to fade. Text messages did not work. Imagine the frustration of your phone beeping to say "You have a text message" and not be able to read it. Grrr! The camera took pictures occasionally, but made it look like it was bright sun on a cloudy day. (Not a good look)

I went into Verizon thinking I would buy the LG Dare, the Verizon latest version of a touch phone. I hated the touch screen. You have to look at the screen to use, and screen, like the iPhone, was not nearly sensitve enough to meet my standards. (My standard - work the first time I touch the screen, not the 2nd or 3rd) So I thought I would consider the Voyager. It did not have the cool advanced camera of the Dare, but the keys worked well, and there were keys to move the cursor around the screen instead of fat-fingered pointing. And it was big and only came in ugly black.

So on decision day, coincidentally the same weekend the iPhone dropped, I went into my Verizon store and found LG Chocolate 3. It was a gorgeous aqua, it was slimmer than my current phone with a bigger screen. The salesperson assured me it was feature rich, and she was right.

• 
  a better camera (3 levels of resoltution, 2 MP instead of 1.3)
• 
  ability to do video capture for as long as I had storage for (instead of 15 sec)
• 
  click wheel to control the music player on the front
• 
  support for external micro-SD with storage up to 8 gig
• 
  3.5 mm jack instead of that 2.5 that only works on phone headsets. This means I can use any set of earphones to listen to my music. This is HUGE!
• 
  a faster camera (instead of waiting 5 sec for a picture)
• 
  an FM transmitter so you can hear radio
• 
  Bluetooth stereo
• 
  USB charging (one LESS adapter to pack)
• 
  Crop images in the phone
• 
  flip phone instead of an annoying slider - which kept me away from Chocolate before
  

So when it came down to it, I opted for the sleek design of the
Chocolate cubed over a bloated Voyager or expensive iPhone. My phone has to be small enough to go everywhere, and serve as my backup camera and Internet connection. And I love a pretty phone. Funny, the male geeks on Gizmodo were not rocking the color.

Why I will not buy an iPod - part 2

There is a new gadget coming called Castgrabber that might be my replacement for the annoyance of iTunes.

Apparently, you hook it up to your computer once, and use the software to tell it which podcasts you want. From then on, you put your MP3 player in the dock and it will have your podcasts downloaded automatically, and charges your MP3 player. It has to stay plugged into your router with an Ethernet cable.

It looks handy. And it does NOT work on Mac.