Random thought exchange

After a long debate with myself, I figured it was time to take the plunge and move my email to “the cloud”. So far I’ve been running it for a few days now, and I like it. I tried it a year or so ago, but I ended up reverting back.

My thoughts (in no particular order)

1. I tried to copy the emails from my computer over to GMail, but it was setting all the dates to the day that I I have all my previous email stored on my computer, so I can reference it whenever I want.
2. GMail supports my own personal domains – so I can send and receive without people noticing.
   1. I find it offensive when Internet professionals and businesses use @hotmail.com or @gmail.com email addresses when they have their own domain.
3. I can still send and receive how I want from my iPhone.
4. I have IMAP configured, so I can still do anything I want with my folders, or as GMail likes to call them… “labels”.
5. I can access my email any time from anywhere, Internet connection permitting.
6. The spam filters are MUCH better than what Microsoft has done in Entourage. So far it hasn’t filtered any legitimate email to my spam box, which is always nice.
   1. I have many server rules setup to wipe out a ton of spam before anything has a chance to make it to my inbox.
7. Google Docs! It’s awesome, and now I can save attachments to that.
8. Viewing online of documents. No more needing to open the document in the application. I can view it in a webpage and save time. Yes dad, that means that all of those “amazing photograph” emails with 20MB powerpoints won’t be AS annoying – but please try to refrain from sending them anyways!  
9. I will not tell anyone my GMail address. I do not want to get email to it. If you want to know why, read point 2.1.

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Apple launched their iPhone 4 in Canada on July 30, despite the apparent “antenna-gate” issue. I’ve been very excited and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one to try it out and use. I currently have an iPhone 3G 16GB, and I love it, now that I’ve been able to speed it up with the iOS 4.0.1 update – hint, disable some of the areas that spotlight searches in.

The problems

1. I was at work on launch day, so I was unable to be one of the people drawn in so much by the marketing that I was camping out at the Apple stores;
2. The local Rogers stores only received 3-5 units of the 32GB version;
3. Apple was (and still is) selling unlocked iPhone 4′s, as well as performing hardware upgrades for those folks who are on Rogers, Fido, Bell, and Telus;
4. Apple had technical issues with connecting to the Rogers/Fido systems to perform hardware upgrades (HUP). This delay lead to the Apple store taking up to 2 hours to activate a phone – this was only an issue if you were HUPing, unlocked iPhones were processed in minutes;
5. Rogers is not letting their customers HUP online or over the phone. They’re directing all customers to go in to a Rogers location or Apple store, despite their competition allowing the aforementioned methods; and
6. Apple seems to be hoarding the iPhones for their sale. Smart move from a financial standpoint, as they seemingly don’t have to give a cut to the carriers for their part in the sale. It also allows them to up-sell AppleCare warranty, and possibly get additional sales on peripherals, computers, etc, etc.

Is antenna-gate a real issue in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)?

From the few chosen ones whom I’ve spoken with that have obtained the holy grail of cell phones, is NO. They’re able to get the “bars” to go from 4 or 5 down to 2 by strangling the phone with a “death grip” without a case or “bumper” on the phone, so I’m not worried. Once I get my hands on my very own, I’ll be able to test and know for sure. I’ll provide an update at that time.

Rumor has it, that majority of the problems in the USA are due to the poor quality of the AT&T network.

Why do I want one, and why 32GB?

1. I’m getting awfully close to filling my 16GB. The only reason it’s not full, is that I haven’t loaded all my music, and yes, there’s some that I’d like to listen to that I don’t have on there;
2. With 720p HD video, I’d like to not be worried about not being able to record what I want when I want – HD video requires a lot more space than regular video – not that my 3G can do video natively, a 3rd party app is needed;
3. 5MP camera – ok, I have a high-end DSLR for real photos, but if I’m out somewhere and want to take a picture, it’s nice to know I have a bunch of space for it;
4. Apps! There are some apps that run as fast as molasses, even on OS 3.x.  The new processor is going to make them run amazingly; and
5. Retina display! Wow, once you see it in person…  that’s all I can say.

Rumors

There’s a rumor circulating the Internet that Apple is going to release a CDMA version (no, that won’t work on the Rogers network, as they’re GSM) that’s going to have a metal rear face to the phone, and the antenna is going to be linked in to that, instead of part of the ring around the edge of the iPhone 4.  For the sake of calling it something, I’m going to dub it iPhone 4.1.  According to the rumor, it’s due to be released in Q1 2011, that’s just 5-months away. But as I mentioned earlier, in the GTA the antenna “issue” seems to be null.

Perhaps this is why there’s a delay in the white iPhone 4. Maybe Apple is holding off for version 4.1.

In the press conference Steve Jobs hosted at the Apple HQ on July 16, Steve mentions that they will re-evaluate the antenna issue towards the end of September.  That might fall right in line with an announcement about an updated revision to the hardware.

Conclusion – for now

I’ve already renegotiated my plan with Rogers for the next 3-years. I’m getting an amazing deal and awesome features. I don’t mind locking in for 3-years, as it will save me about $500 on the phone just based on retail vs. HUP pricing. As long as Rogers keeps their existing coverage and quality of service (QOS) I’m more than happy.

Now all I need is to get my hands on a iPhone 4 32GB. Anyone have any leads?

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Back story: About 2-years ago I switched providers (from Bell to Rogers), so that I can get the iPhone 3G. I love it, but there are some downfalls to it. First would be the lack of video recording without any add-on apps. The second would be the basic capability that most phones have – voice recognition. My old Samsung A900 even had that.

So when iOS4 was released a few weeks back I did the upgrade right away. I enjoy testing out the latest hardware and software, so I figured what they heck… why not?

Within 2 hours I had it loaded, and all my music and apps synchronized back on to it.

I immediately set up folders for my apps.  For the past year I’ve had my “screens” setup so that all my apps were arranged logically. I had a screen for navigation/car items, a screen for utilities, a screen for social media, two screens for games, and a screen for web links. So setting up the folders was great for me, because now I don’t have to flick through all the screens to get to the last one. I have all my folders on one screen.

I then realized that my camera now has a zoom function.  Great!

That’s pretty much where the good ends.

Within 10-minutes of using the phone, I had at least 5 apps crash and quit on me. And yes, that even includes the Maps app and App store apps that Apple ships with the os and phone.

So I shut down the phone, boot it back up, and the same problems persist. So I load up iTunes, and make sure I have the latest version of the apps. Sure enough there are a few that have updates, and those say iOS4 tested. Wonderful.  I load those on, and they work well, but the App Store app still crashes intermittantly.

The following days and weeks – up until now – have had many app updates. I would imagine that nearly all the apps loaded on my phone are now updated. There are a few that aren’t, like iFuel Lite, but I would imagine the developers are working on that – at least I’m hoping they are.

So what’s my real gripe?

I’m annoyed at how slow and laggy the phone seems now. It’s just chugging along.

This past weekend, I was at the Toronto Eaton Centre, and I figured why not go in to the Apple Store and chat with a “genius”.

I make an appointment on their computer system, and wait about an hour.

They hook my phone up to their computer, and within a minute or two he tells me that the problem is with some of the apps. He says there are 8 apps that have “bad data” on the phone. I ask him if he can write them down for me so I can uninstall the apps and reload them. He tells me that what I need to do is restore the phone software, and set it up as a new phone. Then go in to the app store on the phone, and download all the apps again through the phone – not through iTunes.

He said that just wiping the app doesn’t remove the data files and preference files. For all I know, the problem lies in the apps that I don’t even have on the phone any more.

I thought that once you deleted an app from the phone, all the prefs would get wiped out with it. I’ve had experience where I decided to delete an app, and then a few days later load it back on, and I needed to setup all the preferences and settings again.

Anyways, I’m wondering if anyone knows what app Apple uses to diagnose iPhones? All I could find is the “secret” iPhone Configuration Utility on the Apple site. I have yet to run it, but I doubt that’s what they used.

I’m wondering if I should even bother restoring, since the rumor is that the iPhone 4 will be hitting the Canadian market on July 23, 2010, and I just so happen to have that day booked off work… so I think I might attempt to get one on launch day.

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Is this perhaps the worst leak out there? There’s a video on YouTube with what appears to be an Apple Tablet, despite the name on the top of it as TimeInc.

Perhaps this is one of the video demos from today’s Apple release?

You be the judge!

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That’s right, I just sold my 2006 15″ Macbook Pro, and now I’ve picked up a brand new 13″ Macbook Aluminum uni-body design.

I was a bit skeptical of the black keys and black around the screen, but I must say that I’m quite pleased with it, and the design has grown on me.

I was able to use TimeMachine to restore all my data, applications, settings, etc. I did have to reinstall my printers, but that’s not such a big deal.

I get about 5 hours out of a full charge, compared to the 2-2.5 on my former one. To get this amount of time I set the screen brightness all the way down, turn off the back-lit keyboard, and that’s about it. I leave the wifi still enabled.

I’m quite impressed.

Next stop, upgrading to 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD. I might wait a bit on the HDD, until they come out with affordable 750GB or 1TB drives.

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So, the phone came, I’ve put a few apps on it. One of them is for wordpress so I can blog super-easy and upload photos right from my phone.

I’ve also got this addictive bowling game. It uses the motion sensing within the phone… If you have an iPhone checkout ibowl.

Attached is the first photo I’ve taken with the phone.

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Well, so far I don’t have my iPhone yet. I spoke with a CSR at Rogers, and there’s no tracking details, which means the order hasn’t been processed.

Anyone want to place their bets on when I’ll get it?

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I’ve been debating switching over to Rogers for about 3 years. I’ve called in several times to see what they could offer me, and nothing has been able to beat my Bell plan.

Over the last week or so, I decided to start calling in to sign up and port my number from Bell to Rogers, so that I can take advantage of the 6GB data plan for $30 before it expired on October 6th.

After calling about 15 times to different reps, and about seven-hours on the phone I finally got a CSR that was able to come pretty close to the Bell plan that I’m on with my HTC Touch. This was yesterday evening – I was getting anxious as it was getting pretty close to October 6th!I had to leave to meet up with some friends, so the CSR said that he would call me today around 5 p.m. to go over the plan details that he was going to work out for me. He said that he was going to spend about an hour trying to come up with the best plan that he could for me. Since I didn’t already have a mobile phone with Rogers, he was having a difficult time, because apparently he needed to create a mobile phone on my account to play around with all the pricing and plan details. That’s where we parted, and I was a bit concerned that he wasn’t going to call me. He was really nice and seemed quite knowledgeable. I was pleased that I finally got a CSR that was willing to help me get something as close to the plan that I have now.

5:45 p.m. came and I hadn’t heard anything from him. So I called Rogers, and after about 20-minutes of listening to bad music I got to speak with a rep. I let her know that I was looking for the person that I spoke with yesterday. I was told that he was in meetings or something, and that they would pass a note on to him to let him know to give me a call.

At 7:14 p.m. I got a call from a really friendly rep saying that the person I spoke with yesterday wasn’t at work today, but that he left the notes that he wrote down for her to follow-up with me. 104-minutes later all of the documentation and plan details were worked out.

So, despite the early termination fee I need to pay Bell, I’ve taken the plunge and have started the process to port my mobile number to Rogers.

Now it’s just a waiting game. The iPhone’s are out of stock, and when they get their next shipment they’re going to ship one to me.

I’m hoping that my Bell cell doesn’t get disabled before I get the new phone – I’m not too sure how the whole porting actually works when a phone is OOS.

I’m also a bit skeptical of the billing – I’m somewhat concerned that all the discounts and bonuses that were applied to the new activation aren’t going to actually be on the account. Having said that, the CSR that I just dealt with said that she’s going to be following-up on my account in a few days to make sure that everything is going ok with the porting, and that if I don’t have the new phone within a week she’ll be calling me to let me know what the status is.

Kudos to the CSR’s for stepping up, and offering me an outstanding plan. The closest plan that I was able to get up until this point was about $30/mo more, once you factor in taxes.

Once everything is settled, and the billing is all proper, I’ll post the full plan details. For now, I’ll leave you with this… the plan has more features that I have with Bell, and is only going to run me $5 to $9 more a month – that is… if everything goes according to plan and the billing isn’t messed up!

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