Updated my iPhone 4 to OS 4.0.1

I just updated my iPhone 4 to OS 4.0.1. Here is a comparison of signal strength in the left and right hand (using the Speedtest.net app).

I sat in the same exact spot before and after the update. As you can see there was absolutely no improvement. This was done without any case or bumpers.

It will be interesting to see what Apple has to say at the press release later today.

Robot Unicorn Attack! Meet your master! (My daughter)

Daddy, why is the unicorn crying? I'm sorry dear, because it's head got blown off and it has a booboo.

iPhone 4 problem resolved.

Apple Store-Derby Street in MA is by far the best Apple Store I've visited. Apple Genius Jocelyn took care of replacing the iPhone. (After seeing first hand the reset within 1 minute of activating it....and then again after restoring the firmware and system restore. Overall a pleasant experience.

16gb iPhone constantly reboots?!

My wife's 16gb iPhone 4 constantly crashes randomly when performing any random task. (opening up apps, receiving a Facetime invite, swiping through screens etc.).

I called Applecare support and they said this is NOT a known issue and maybe we can get it swapped out, just not today (because they're obviously sold out). MAYBE tomorrow but I'll have to call them back. If it's not a known problem then why are there tons of threads on various forums littered with iPhone 4 reboot issues? Anyways.....




My 32gb iPhone 4 is perfectly fine. Which is good for me, but not for her.

Iphone 4 bumpers and 1st gen leather folio

Not really into the look of the bumper. To me it takes away from the industrial/classy look of the phone, but others seem to like it.

I used to have the original 8gb iPhone 2g when it launched in 2007 and I still have the original Incase leather folio I purchased for it. Guess what? It fits the 4g perfect (without the bumper, with the bumper it's pretty tight but can imagine will stretch out.) This will hold me off until I can get something a little more modern. 

iPhone 4. GOT IT! (Actually I got 2!)

Got my iPhone 4 today at the Apple Store in the (not so) local mall.

Got to the mall at approximately 4am and parked on the 2nd level garage. (There were also 2 more levels above me with more people waiting to get in.)

I was greeted with a group of approximately 40 people. More people started to arrive and many tried to muscle their way in front of others.

Mall Security weren't letting anyone line up inside, and people were saying that others that tried were getting kicked out of the mall. 5:00am hit and the doors flew open and people rushed the escalators (which were turned off) and everyone hit the ground running like a scene from that Arnold movie 'Jingle All The Way' for a TurboMan Doll. You could hear mall security yelling "WALK! YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THERE ANY SOONER!" Guess what bucko,....uhhh YES YOU WILL.

The non-preorder line(s) were HUUUGE. Probably 200+ people already in line. Good thing I pre-ordered because I found a nice spot in line for me to park myself on the floor and play my PSP-Go for 2 hours with less than 50 people in front of me....and what looked like a thousand behind me after about an hour.

I got in at 7:10am and out by 7:30. My purchase was quick and painless, but the Apple rep ran into a problem with the activations for 10min, but no big deal. The store was packed with Apple Employees and an official AT&T representative just in case something wacky came about with the AT&T accounts. 

I got mine, got hers and got the hell out (with 2 bumpers, they only carried the black color).

These people were still waiting after I left, the line actually kept going farther what I could see.....ALOT farther. 

Running off an hour of sleep worth it? Yup. But next time I think I'll wait for Fed-ex.

Pre-owned potty sold as new!

Sooooo.....don't know where to start with this one so I'll do it bulletpoint style followed by images and I'm sure you can figure it out.

• We decide it's probably time to start potty training.
• I go to WalMart and look at the potties and then pick a cute one out. Beagle Buddy by Safety 1st. Fantastic. Got some Huggies Pull-Ups too.

• Think to myself...."I wonder if anyone would ever be disgusting enough to return one after it's used and then the store re-sells it inadvertently...NO Stop thinking like a crazy OCD germaphobe. 
• I go home, open the box.......SURPRISE! 

I then returned it for a full refund. 

Parent's of the year award goes to.....nevermind.

At Q'doba restaurant today, a couple walks in with a baby in a carrier and a toddler. They put the baby on the table and stand in line to order while the baby is left unattended and the toddler runs amuck.

Parent's of the year? No.

Iphone 4 Pre-Order

MINE!

Zagg Invisishield

I've been using the Zagg Invisishield products for a couple of years now. I've installed one on my 16gb iPod Nano, iPhone 3gs, iPad Wifi, HTC Incredible, Blackberry 8320, and now my HTC Sprint EVO.

I had ordered my EVO Zagg Invisishield (front only) on 3/29/10 and received it well before the release of the EVO on 06/06/10. As soon as I had brought my EVO home the Invisishield was applied (I'm pretty much a pro at this now, especially after installing one on the iPad and iPhone.

With my experience, the Zagg Invisishields coverage area are pretty spot on....except with this one. I made sure it was aligned properly and it is flush with one side of the screen, but there seems to be some screen real estate still bare.

I completed a ticket online at Zagg.com's support area and added these comments and images:

Image 1

Image 2

Hi, I had received my Zagg front shield for my EVO but it doesn't seem to cover the whole front screen. The Zagg's I have applied for my other devices seem to fit perfect and cover the entire surface area. Thank you very much.

They quickly replied the next morning with (modified to protect identities):

Reference number: LTK999999999
Subject: IC9999999 Not Cut correctly?
Hello,

Thank you for contacting ZAGG, where we are Zealous About Great Gadgets! My name is Stephanie and I appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

I'm sorry you're having problems with your order# IC999999 for the HTC EVO 4G (Screen). Before I can help you further with this problem I need to know the screen dimensions of the invisibleSHIELD screen you received and the dimensions of the screen on your device.

Also, please provide the exact make and model of your device as well as the exact name of the invisibleSHIELD you received. After I receive that information I will be able to assist you better.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for choosing ZAGG. We appreciate your business!

All the best,

Customer Service Representative

So the screenshots aren't proof enough, Zagg wants me to measure it? COME ON!

Hi,
I have the Sprint EVO. You sent me the Zagg Invisishield for the Sprint EVO (I ordered and received it weeks prior to phone launch so maybe Zagg didn't get the exact dimensions properly). There is only one Sprint EVO, mine doesnt have any other special dimensions than anyone else's EVO. As shown in the original message attached screen shots, I applied it correctly and it is flush with the left side and does have an un protected gap on the right.

Thank you very much

Here was their reply:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting ZAGG, where we are Zealous About Great Gadgets! My name is Cameron L and I appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

With regard to your email, I have had a chance to review your email, as well as the attached photographs. Your invisibleSHIELD is within the parameters of our design; we do design the invisibleSHIELD slightly smaller than the screen of the device. There are several reasons for this, most notable is that if we did not do this, installation would be extremely difficult. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Thank you for choosing ZAGG. We appreciate your business!

All the best,

Cameron L
Customer Service Representative

I find that reply hilarious because all my other Invisishield installations I've done covered every surface flawlessly and without any gaps. But whatever....I just won't buy them anymore.

iPhone4 vs EVO (the stuff that matters to me)

IPhone4 vs EVO

I currently have an EVO. In fact this post is drafted and sent from it. While it is the best Android phone I've used, I miss my old iPhone 2g (the first iPhone) terribly and Apple's keynote was enticing while they showed off that sexy piece of glass and steel.

This comparison is for my own needs and personal circumstances. You may care more about some features that I don't, but in general I'm sure this will help someone decide as well.

Part 1: Synergy and less headaches

Gear I'm using either in conjunction with or alongside my phone: iPad (WiFi), Macbook Pro (Snow Leopard) w/ XP via VMWARE Fusion, ipod nano, Griffin itrip, MOTO Bluetooth stereo headphones, Canon S90, NDSi XL, PSP Go.

With that being said, ideally I want to have some type of synergy between my laptop, iPad and nano so obviously the iPhone would be the preferred choice. The photos from my digital camera, music ripped from cds, and the movies/music purchased from iTunes all reside on my MacBook Pro.  Having to use less applications to modify, convert and upload multimedia between and to devices is always a good thing. Sure there are applications and ways to do it for Android (ie: Doubletwist), but it's just cleaner otherwise, and just plain......works.

Winner: iPhone4

Part 2: Price plans

Of course there are different plans and ability to work around certain data usage (ie: root & wireless tether apps) but again, this is for me.

iPhone4/AT&T

450min w/rollover, 5000 weekend min: $39.99
2gb datapro $25
Tethering (shared 2gb Or its own? Idk) $20
Data overage $10/gb
Total $84.99/mo if I don't go over the primitive 2gb limit.


EVO/Sprint

450min Everything (unlimited data): $69.99
"Required" even though I can't get 4g Premium Data $10
Tethering (5gb) $29.99
Total $109.98

Winner: iPhone/AT&T (savings of $24.99/mo) and even if I exceed the 2gb limit to 4gb in a month I still save $5!

Part 3: Virtual keyboard

I'll tell you right now its the EVO hands down. I'm typing this now in landscape mode and the size of the screen makes it a pleasure to type on. Text/word correction is better on the iPhone (compared to the 3gs) but I admit it has improved on Android 2.1 since the OS on the G1.

Winner: EVO

Part 4: Screen

iPhone4:
3.5 display
960x640
326ppi (I don't care, I have an iPad.)

EVO:
4.3 display
800x480

Again, the EVO screen is amazing. Keep in mind the screen isn't just to look at, you type and touch on it as well. A good tradeoff to iPhone4's boasted 326ppi. I already wear glasses but don't have carpel tunnel (yet) so I'm fine with this.

Winner: EVO

Part 5: Apps

Each platform has it's own version of apps for daily use (ie: Twitter, Facebook, Web Browser (don't want to get into the Flash issue), instant messengers etc.). Each platform has their own signature apps as well. In terms of (new really) new technology, taking advantage of the front facing camera, iPhone has FaceTime and EVO has QIK (when it doesn't force close on me....).

In all honesty the iPhone has more apps (and higher quality apps, and more 'paid' apps), but because I own an iPad I had already purchased tons of apps that are also backwards compatible with iPhone I need to award the iPhone this one. Obviously I have some favorites in the Android market, as I use Astro to backup and restore approximately 30 after each data-wipe or when I swap between phones.

Winner: iPhone4

Part 6: Carriers

I hear people crying about how Sprint sucks or AT&T is horrible, but honestly I have no complaints with Sprint or AT&T (not getting into customer service...).  I live in an area that has adequate coverage for both carriers with few dropped calls and the same with the data connection, same where I work an hour away. The only problem I have is not having Sprint 4g in my area (and won't until next year most likely), and having to pay the $10 premium data charge.

Winner: Doesn't matter really.

Part 6: Multi-tasking

Proven on Android. Still needs to be proven on iPhone (without having to jailbreak).

Winner: EVO

I'm done with this post as I've decided I'll be getting the white iPhone 4, 32gb model. I already even got the day off from work. :P

Top 30 bands that always end up on a playlist.

1: Foo Fighters
2: Nirvana
3: The Crystal Method
4: The Chemical Brothers
5: Nine Inch Nails
6: The Smashing Pumpkins
7: Gorillaz
8: The Cure
9: No Doubt
10: Everclear
11: Garbage
12: The Clash
13: Alice in Chains
14: Teddybears
15: Offspring
16: Rage against the Machine
17: Smashmouth
18: Red Hot Chilli Peppers
19: Stone Temple Pilots
20: Lincoln Park
21: Coldplay
22: Radiohead
23: Jimmy Eat World
24: Bjork
25: Tool
26: Coldplay
27: Frente
28: Paramore
29: Fatboy Slim
30: Dave Matthews Band


-Rocketcarrot

Top 100 movies of all time that I can watch a hundred times without getting sick of:

Iron Giant
Disney's Aladdin
The Incredibles
Akira
Beauty and the Beast
Princess Mononoke
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Monsters Inc.
The Lion King
Toy Story
The Nightmare before Christmas
Grave of the Fireflies
Spirited Away
Jurassic Park
Spiderman 2
Final Fantasy Advent Children
Once upon a time in Mexico
Pulp Fiction
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Spaceballs
Clerks
Bill and Teds Bogus Journey
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Batman (1989)
Fight Club
Field of Dreams
Superman (1978)
Hellboy
The Ring
The Matrix
The Green Mile
Seven Samurai
Battle Royale
The Mexican
Ghost Busters
Lost in Translation
The Princess Bride
The Three Amigos
Billy Madison
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Star Wars (Return of the Jedi)
Big Trouble in Little China
American Psycho
Blade Runner
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Leon (The Professional)
Saving Private Ryan
Back to the Future
Back to the Future 2
Die Hard
Transformers
Hackers
Signs
Shaun of the Dead
Tron
Sukiyaki Western Django
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Saw
Dark City
Goldeneye
The Wizard
Grandmas Boy
Lady in the Water
The Wedding Singer
Superbad
Green Mile
A Christmas Story
Enter the Dragon
Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl)
28 Days Later
High Fidelity
Dumb and Dumber
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Tropic Thunder
Big Daddy
The Lost Boys
Men in Black
French Kiss
The Goonies
Army of Darkness
Dogma
Wanted
Rush Hour
Kung Pow!
300
From Dusk Till Dawn
Gremlins
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Liar Liar
Underworld
The City of Lost Children (1985)
The Fifth Element
X-Men (2000)
The Rock
Hard Boiled
The Shining
The Mask (1994)
Dogma

-Rocketcarrot

Testing 123

Test post from my iPad. Nothing important.

-Rocketcarrot (posted from ipad)

16gb Apple iPad is delicious

I have it. It's awesome. I can't stop touching it.

Picked up my 16gb iPad at the Providence Place Apple Store in RI. I had mine reserved so when I got there, one of the Apple girls looked up my name on her iPod Touch and showed me to the accessories and got my iPad. In regards to accessories, they only had a variety of cases, the dock and VGA adapter (I got the original Apple case). They just didn't have any screen protectors or the USB/SD card adapter thing.

Everything about it is AWESOME. There's even a Marvel comics app!

It's not just an iPod Touch, so shut up and stop being jealous.

iPad

I'm excited about the iPad. It's true, I'm one of THOSE PEOPLE. I have mine on reserve at the local Apple Store and I'll have it in my hands by 3pm (or else).

That being said, I found this week's episode of 'Modern Family' (Game Changer) rather amusing. The iPad comes out on Phil's birthday and he's just as (ok a lot more) excited than I am. Hopefully ABC will put the new episode up soon because it's funny as hell.

CELL PHONES are the Devil.

So now I'm Returning the iPhone. AGAIN. $175+ a month for a family plan is bullshit. Plus having an iPhone and NOT BEING ABLE TO USE IT because the AT&T Network is crippled because so many people have it is crap.

At least I can maybe get the iPad this Saturday....maybe. I have my reserve but who knows what tricks Apple has up their sleeves.

Also.....I'm a cellular whore. I'm sorry but I am. You shiny plastic and metal ladies and your curvy buttons. Didn't see me coming did you? Sliding my SIM card in and out of you and into the next. I feel filthy.

I have 14 notches in my belt and these are their names:

Apple iPhone 2g (unlocked on T-Mobile)

Blackberry Curve 8320

Blackberry Curve 8900

HTC G1 Black

HTC G1 White

Samsung Memoir

Motorola Cliq

Sidekick 2

HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)

Blackberry Curve 8330

Apple iPhone 3gs White (AT&T)  <----I sexed up 2x now. My favorite b!tch. 

Samsung T349

HTC HD2

PAX East

PAX East 2010 was awesome. I got to play Skate 3, Deca Sports, APB (All Points Bulletin), Pokemon Soul Silver, Diner Dash for 360, Rooms, and Price of Persia Forgotten Sands. I also got to play with the new NDSi XL at the Nintendo booth (then bought one today LMAO), saw Grant from Ghost Hunters (I was too starstruck to say anything) and Jerry Holkins from Penny-Arcade signed my Mach Rider t-shirt that I got at Nintendo World NY. The best part of the trip was the Mega64 Panel IMO.

Pictures over at my Flickr account

PAX East 2010

I got a 3 day pass to PAX East 2010 in Boston.  I'm so excited about this event and it's going to go down in approximately 12 hours.

So I already got my gear packed for day one:

Nintendo DS Lite (picto-chat rooms, Tetris and Mario Kart is going to be a blast while waiting in lines)
Canon S90 with 2 spare batteries
LuckyPack I-UP 5400 mah USB external battery pack & misc cables
Sharpies (maybe someone cool will sign somethin for me)
i-Phone 3gs
A little container of hand sanitizer (The guy in front of you that touched that controller didn't wash his hands after wiping his ass. Remember that.)

I'll be posting updates to my Flickr and maybe even YouTube as the day progresses.

I lied.

So on 3/24/10 I stood in line for an hour to get the HD2 on launch day. Used it for a whole day. Returned the HD2 the very next day. Too many OS freezes (Black screen, lit buttons, have to pull battery every time), the screen was GORGEOUS don't get me wrong....but it was kind of overhyped. Horrid virtual keyboard, but the swype feature is kind of neat. But regardless of HTC's sweet Touch-Flo interface,  it's still Windows Mobile 6.5 underneath it all. Just because she's pretty doesn't mean she's not a b#tch. Right?

Went back to AT&T (Back to the iPhone and the Otterbox Defender case). I love the iPhone and will manage with the inter-carrier texting problems as they come. Elmo's Monster Maker (app), here I come!

Chubby cheese doodle fingers point South for stupid.

I Want NEED the HTC HD2. It comes out tomorrow 3/24/2010 and is on the T-Mobile Network. I saw that Walmart broke the street date so I stopped by my local Walmart to see if I could do the same and get one 2 days earlier. This is how it went down:

Me: Parks car.  Walks into Walmart. Goes to the electronics/cell department.....I don't see the phone on display.

Employee: Stands there. Eats chips. Texts somebody on her cell. Looks really miserable and bored.

Me: Looks at employee. Gives a nod with raised eyebrows acknowledging her that I probably need help.

Employee: "Can I help you?"

Me: "Yes, I have a question." Walks closer to her.

Employee: "Ok, you're gonna have to wait cuz I gotta go help someone else."

Employee: ::Walks away::

Me: (Thinks-WTF? she was just standing there eating chips....texting...doing nothing and I don't see anyone else.) "OK thanks."

Employee: Comes back....almost walks by me, bag of chips in hand.

Me: "Excuse me I had a question, do you have the HD2 in stock?"

Employee: "The Tv's are over there." ::Points with her chubby cheese doodle fingers to the HD Tv's::

Me: No. The HTC HD2 for T-Mobile. It's not a TV.

Employee: "I never heard of it so we probably don't have it." As she continues to walk away. 

Me: "OK Thanks a lot." (Thinks-You also never heard of customer service, and definitely do not have that in stock either.) ::Looks behind the counter for a box of LIES. Did not find any.::

So I wait until it officially comes out. Fine.

I need to stay with ONE phone and THIS IS IT. The holy grail of phones. Here is a list of the 12 (TWELVE) phone's I've had, or have had and returned in the last 4 years. The madness stops Wednesday. (No really. I swear.)

Apple iPhone 2g (unlocked on T-Mobile)

Blackberry Curve 8320

Blackberry Curve 8900

HTC G1 Black

HTC G1 White

Samsung Memoir

Motorola Cliq

Sidekick 2

HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)

Blackberry Curve 8330

Apple iPhone 3gs (AT&T)

Samsung T349

My favorite by far was the iPhone 3gs,  but I had countless of unforgivable dropped MMS and Text messages (inter and intra-carrier). That really didn't work out and is really just bullshit, and after a week of troubleshooting with AT&T I gave up. So I'm going to stay on the T-Mobile network for now. Second favorite was the G1, but I got sick of the Android OS as it kinda wore off like a novelty. Finally the Blackberry Curves because the keypad ruled and I'm a push-email whore.

So that's it. Wednesday is the day I pop my Simcard out of my Samsung T349 and slide it into the delicious glass, metal and plastic glory of the HD2.