Well, with all that has happen over the past year I for one have enjoyed experiencing the Iphone. Apple has proven to me that with the right idea you can reach millions. With the new Iphone coming out( which will be a LITTLE better than the first) and the eventual demise of the 1st iphone I bid you guys a farewell. There is really not much more than I can write about this great product, mostly because I would not be getting the 2nd one. My reason is mostly because I only buy things that are true jumps in technology. And with the baby version of a GPS( which really isn’t that impressive with it “follow the dot” routine), the push email that never worked the entire year and now will require $100 if you have a Mac just to have this service, and finally the 3g that will require 10$ more a month just to have it, I’m forced to look at other options or stay with what I have now( unless they try and force me to pay $10 more reguardless of the fact that I would stick with the iphone 1). It’s not a day I looked forward to and I hope all can forgive me. I hope at least some of you enjoyed the entries throughout the year. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!

     Drum roll please!  “Here comes the Iphone killer…the INSTINCT!”.  And there it goes out the door. Well the mighty phone, The Instinct didn’t make the same level of grade that the iphone did or does. Every review including Cnet’s review all agree that even though the phone is a good attempt it just doesn’t go past that. Cnet even goes on to talk about the buggy interface and software crashes that the phone has. And they even talked about how the internet browser doesn’t equal to the iphone experience and how small(just like I pointed out below) and cramped the screen is when looking at the net and this is in large part to the button and the lay out. The last thing they noted of concern on another site is that the phone’s background never shuts off when your talking on the phone. That in itself is very questionable to me because if it never turns off then you could accidentally hit keys with your face or finger while on the phone and not to mention the fact that the phone’s battery will drain even more. And speaking of battery, nobody really has had a chance to review the life of the battery but I’m telling you right now it’s going to be poor. Even though you have 2 batteries, nobody wants to change out batteries during the day just to make it through it. They should have made a battery powerful enough to last without the need of a 2nd battery. But I guess we will have to wait on the final review from someone that actually took time out to write a complete review of everything and not just the basic stuff. But hey not all is bad. All sites that have reviewed did say just as I did that this phone is the best attempt out right now, but an attempt doesn’t take the top spot. Good try Sprint and Samsung but if your newly released phone can’t be take the spot away for iphone 1 what is left to do when Iphone 2 comes out next week( as rumored)?

I was going to save this information until later but with so much to be going on Monday I thought I’d better get it out the way. It begins with all this talk about speed. You have Verizon with their evdo and Sprint puffing up about their new EVDo A( or something like that). They companies have all been taken their shots about how much slower the Iphone is on edge. I personally have never had to wait more than 20-25 sec for any webpage on edge and in most cases maybe 12-15 sec at the most as long as my single bars were at max. And thats because I turn off my java unless I’m using password protected sites like bank websites. But as the old saying goes ” he who laughs last laughs the hardest”. AT&T my friends, have just announced that they not only are integrating all new phones over to 3G but their 3g speeds are now the fastest on the market, better than Sprint rev a or any others!! This is huge and definitely a kick in the teeth to the soon to be a Instinct phone. So within this month all the commercials about having faster download times now are really going to be a joke because AT&T didn’t just match EVDO speeds, they beat it. And right on the verge of a NEW IPHONE!!! Pure geniuses! 

And the countdown begins again! Monday could be another very big day for Apple. All are holding their breath for the upcoming new conference from Apple for a confirmation on the new Apple Iphone. Customers are also wondering what new upgrades will be coming to the first iphone. And the other clone phone companies are wondering just how much money they have wasted in trying to keep up with the present iphone only to have their product come out or about to come out and possibly already be outdated. So in a nut shell the whole world almost will be watching. With everything from the solar powered screen cells that Apple filed a patient for, to GPS , to the the 3g speeds that AT&T confirmed will take place for all future released phones, and finally to the biggest…the video conferencing software added, one things for sure, Apple, it’s competition, and it’s fans won’t be the same after Monday. And even when you get through with the rumored add on’s we still have the confirmed add on for the business side of things with the add on of Microsoft’s Exchange software for all iphones. But, it still comes back to rather or not Apple can deliver on 3 of 4 rumors, all rumors, more than expected, or deliver on none of the rumors? Only time will tell. I would consider it a success just to bring out a 3g iphone with maybe a prettier interface, but thats just me. I’m easy to please. But then there will be those, as we all know it, that even if they deliver on all 4 or more rumors they will still find something that the phone doesn’t do(like babysit kids, or talk to you in german) and try and put it down for that one thing. Wait and see what I tell you. Anyway, until then.

UPDATE***********
6-9-08

Today was the worst nightmare that could have happen to all other cell phone companies not named at&t. And the death of some gadgets called the instinct. The iPhone had confirmed 3g speeds with gps and FINALLY push email, contacts, and calenders through .mac accounts support
all on a $199 iPhone. That’s right $199!!!! Talk about killing the comp. There is no reason that anybody in their right mind would pass that up. Play your commericals now sprint instinct!!!

Man June could not have come quick enough for me. The long awaited conference for apple is going to happen this month. This coming almost 1 year into the iphone release. And as it stands right now we have everyone from Blackberry to Sprint trying to push out their version of what they call Iphone Killers. Sprint with their Instinct which they are putting 100 million behind advertisement for it to take on the current Iphone. And Blackberry rumored to be getting ready to push out it’s touch screen blackberry( or maybe not, according to other people). Bottom line is the fact that all these companies have already lost. The reason why is that they believe the iphone as it is right now is the bar to shoot for and they are right but what they don’t know is that the bar they are trying to exceed apple has already exceeded and will be showing the fruit of it’s labor soon with the Iphone 2. I honestly feel so sorry for all these companies basing their strategies on a iphone that will no longer be the top of the pentacle of all cell phones. But yet all the stories and all the news are all focused on how or what to focus on to defeat the current iphone. This is typical for people every time something new hits. Case in point is the Instinct by Samsung. Most don’t know this but this phone has been out in a different format for a while and each time one version doesn’t get the 1st place metal they scrap it and create a new version. To date there is at least two different versions of the instinct that never really took form or did well. The same look, the same os system. But yet there will be people that have sworn to it being some kind of NEW phone that is truly revolutionary and never been seen before. My favorite is a video posted on youtube that showed someone taking the phone and starting a mp3 song while they surfed over different apps/main screen claiming that the iphone can’t do multi tasking like that???? And this guy even had a Iphone. That showed me that he was either a complete dumb ass or just wanted to see something that wasn’t there. But I guess I’m not surprised that people flock to new and forget old. The same thing will happen again when the Iphone 2 comes out, only this time everything will be old when compared to it.

PS= And if i know apple you can bet that they give the current Iphones a little loving with a upgrade or two.

I believe in the truth and responsibility and even though information I give to you was from other sources and not mine on this account I still stand by my pen, or keyboard strokes. I would first like to say that some of the information that is on the net about Sprint’s New Instinct is wrong at least to my knowledge. I myself have talked to some people that have some inside knowledge on the subject and this is what I have found out….

1st= The Instinct will have more than one plan. They will have a internet plan that is for 69.99 and not $100.

2nd= The plan WILL include the tv connection app, the Gps app and all that they have shown up to this point for no additional money( This is great news for the fans out there).

3rd=Sprint will be getting the free push email through Yahoo as well( big )

Now with that said does this make this a Iphone Killer, I still say no. Is it a good attempt, I say yes. However the biggest steps to overcome will be the Battery life and the Memory when compared to the iphone. And the biggest question will be what will they do with the commercials and ads when the iphone 2 comes out with better features? Only time will tell but I do say that this phone is the best runner up that Iphone has had to date. So there you go, not even I am safe from mistakes and having my ass handed to me by listening to others instead of looking it up for myself. I think I will go put my head in the sand now. Talk later!

For those of you that haven’t heard there is a lot of news about a possible solar powered features put on the iphone. A lot of people are stating that this will be on the iphone 2 . Now I’m just as happy as anyone about the iphone and iphone 2 however, unless I’m understanding this wrong this patent was filed recently, at least according to news. So if this is the case then either the iphone 2 is nowhere near completed or this technology that apple filed a patent on is not due for the iphone 2. But hey, maybe the reports have been wrong and apple filed these patents and got the approval a long time ago and it will be on the iphone 2. I will be really up and amazed at the first solar powered phone. However, my gut tells me that people shouldn’t hold their breath about this making it to the iphone 2 but lets all hope that it does, it would be cool!!!

Ok this just had to happen in my opinion. I had to bring up the newly clone to attempt to take on the iphone. If you have been watching TV or looking up the latest in cell phone news then you know that Sprint is following the footsteps of Verizon and coming out with a Iphone clone. The Site is especially funny because it tries so hard to point out anything that the Iphone doesn’t do and how they do it in this phone. It list 5 things it can do that either the iphone doesn’t do or doesn’t do as well as theirs. And the leading example is the Evdo speeds vs edge. Well I thought I do my own version of what the iPhone does that this Instinct doesn’t want you know it doesn’t do or have.

#1. The biggest is 5 hour talk time for instinct vs 8 hours, 200 standby time, 6 hours of internet use, and 24 hours audio playback for the iphone ( a huge win, because battery life is everything)

#2. The second biggest thing is the fact that this system doesn’t have the memory, in fact it has nothing close the the memory given to you by the iphone(8gbs and 16gbs phones).

#3. Iphone complete screen is used for the internet, The instinct only shows 1/3 of the screen(that is already smaller than the iphone physically as it is now) and the rest are all these buttons all over the place. And As Intro Mobile put it after reviewing the phone…”Network is fast, but the browser’s not there yet”. They also go on to say that there were websites they couldn’t even pull up( I wonder what good is the speed if you never get to the site, or can see very well).

#3. The instinct is handicap with a forced sideways keyboard as the only way you can type. So what does that mean for you when you looking up stuff on the internet and the keyboard is taken up most of the screen if not all (ex: Google when you typing in the search box), not very friendly or smooth.

#4. NO WIFI!!!

#5. Sprint didn’t tell you that to have all the features of the Instinct you have to pay extra, unlike the iphone where everything that the phone does comes with the internet package. So you could very well end up paying $100+ just to have a low talk plan and the option to use everything that you’re suppose to be able to use with the phone.

#6. Make no doubt about it, sprint will not be upgrading your phone features like apple has twice so far (for free might I add).

#7. No free Push email

#8. No itunes( the greatest and biggest music download store in the world )

#9. No connection points to internet and maps for phone # and dial outs( when you look up a location I can call right away without having to copy down the number or leave that screen)

#10. And INTERFACE. The instinct interface is so out dated when compared to the Iphone. You would think that the interfaces would be the exact opposite. In most screens, especially the internet and phone screens, they look like they had all these left over tabs that they just had to put somewhere and they did.

P.S= The phone comes with a stylus?? You know why!! Because the buttons on the screens,I just got through talking about, are going to be too small to push with your finger accurately !!!

NEW iNFO
**** Ok newly found info on the instinct shows that it does allow for vertical typing. But the keyboard form in vertical positioning isn’t very friendly and very weird shaped. Which explains why they never show it vertically. So I retrack my issue with it not having a vertical keyboard and will leave room for this product to show what it is all about when it is released since most people that have saw this device say that it had a lot of bugs that they are having to hope that samsung works out before the release of the phone. It will be very interesting to see what their angle will be when iPhone 2 comes out at 3g speeds and more. We will see just how good it it stacks up with the real world. If It handles itself better than the iPhone 1 or 2 as a whole I will be the first to congradulate them but if not I’m going to rip them a new one( they asked to fight with apple so they better be able to back it up).

****An interesting thought is that with a 5 hour talk time the time is based on you doing nothing but talking , so if you do more you won’t make the 5 hours. And with things like force feed back with a Evdo signals this doesn’t equal to a very long life. Mark my words the battery life will come back to hunt them like it did the 1st Moto Q.

Now ordinarily such a image you would not have thought to be associated with a Iphone. However, in this case it is directly related to my iphone. It all started with a friend of mine that had a iphone that told me he had developed bubbles inside the screen. Now at the time I had not seen anything like this nor have read anything major on line with failures related to this. But maybe I should have knocked on wood because heading into my 12th month of having the iphone I too developed 2 bubbles in my screen. They weren’t very big and in fact could be looked over. But my friend informed me that apple stores are exchanging them no question asked because this has been found to be a defect in the screen and they don’t know why. And sure enough, apple gave me a brand new Iphone with no questions asked. Great service if you ask me. What other phone do you know of that will allow you to take it back to the store without a insurance policy 11 1/2 months later and they give you a new one?

Now, not sure I should tell apple this but I have a theory about why this is happening. I might be wrong but I think that these bubbles happen from drops over time. The reason I say this is because I never had bubbles in my screen prior to the week I dropped mine 2 times the day after I spoke to my friend about his. And when I asked my friend he also confirmed that he had been dropping his too just before the bubbles happen. Now if this is the case Apple really should be exchanging phones for bubbles if this is what is causing them, but hey what do I know? I’m just happy I got a new one.

Ok “Simon says be a phone”. Check. Ok,” Simon says respond to touches on screen”. Check. Ok, “Simon says hide your keyboard”. Check. Ok, now Simon says have a Mac OS operating system”. Umm, sorry I can’t copy that. Oh, well sorry you loose. This is how I look at the market nowadays. Everyones throwing their hat into the “Iphonekiller” box thinking they have the answer by simply putting a touch screen on the phone. It doesn’t work like that people. The iphone is so much more than a touch screen phone. And it all starts with the amazing OS. Case in point, this girl that use to work with me went out and got her a Verizon Iphone want-to-be. Not long after that she quickly realized that the touch screen really doesn’t work well at all and asked for me to allow her to play with my Iphone so she could feel what it really is suppose to be like. And within seconds she felt the difference and throw hers down on her desk in anger saying how pissed she was at the Verizon attempt at making the iphone and how unnecessarily the touch screen was just put into the phone and not really allowing for a more fluid experience but only a “I have a touch screen too” moment. And I thought that was so like every other phone out there that is copying off the Iphone. They don’t really understand the balance of technology. Everything has to work in sync with each other ,not just work for the sake of working. Thats why the Mac OS was so important to place into the phone. But I fear this will never be over, it’s just part of being the best.

       The long awaited time has passed guys. I am back from the dead. Feeling better being back from my trip around the world in 200 days. Saw nothing, missed everything, but at least I had my iphone! The bell rang and I was released from my classes for summer vacation and then I went out to eat after I graduated from college. OK, none of this happen and none of this really kept me from you guys:( I just have not had time to do anything but raise my son and be a husband to my wife. Go ahead and call me lazy, I am. I feel bad for all the visits and no updates but I really thank all of you for being more faithful to the blog than I was in these last couple of months. But the fun is back. Lots of Iphone stuff out there and lots of people to write about both good and bad. “King of the moment” to you all. 

Have you noticed lately? The pebble that was dropped in the pond has now started a wave effect that is hitting all over the world. That pebble being the iphone of course. More and more when I go to stores and watch people as they go by, the first thing I notice more and more is that iphones are becoming regularly see in most peoples hands. In fact it’s becoming to big that the once thought rival of the iphone, Google, is making more and more updates for the iphone and will include them in even more updates for there browser. I don’t know about you but this doesn’t sound like a company that is in these to exclude apple but rather include them in their plans for this new software for mobile phones. And you can’t blame them they are one of the most researched internet searches in the world and continue to spread it’s way through the internet as a the next “it” item. Something like the ipod was to mp3 players. You know, how people use Ipod in place of mp3 players instead of just saying mp3 player. Well this is starting to happen to cell phones. People now, only compare cell phones to a Iphone, not Blackberries, not a Treo’s or any other type of phones. And if Apple needed anymore proof of this wave, just last week their stock hit $190.00 a share( considering that fact that the night before the Iphone release their stock was at $67 a share). The highest it’s been during this time of the iphone. All, this and they aren’t even finished releasing it worldwide. Scary thought!

Here it is folks the answer to the iphone. All you iphone owners out there should run for cover. Oh, did I mention all you sidekick owners should too. Because this is exactly what this phone is. A very poor excuse of a attempt from two companies which ones of them swears that it’s not worried about the Iphone. And the reason why I mentioned the sidekick is because they bit more than the apple tree in the garden they ate from another tree too, the sidekick. Look closely, this phone is a melting pot of the iphone and the sidekick( and their flip out phones), although it really never copies either well. This phone is a direct attempt to copy what the iphone created in it’s interface. In fact if you look over the internet this same interface can be found at least a hundred times in china. Where they put out cheap replicas of the iphone hoping to trick their customers. Congrads Verizon you are the very first US company to put out a swap meat version of the iphone software in the states. “You Momma would be damn proud of you, boy”! In the real world I just look at you and see a pathetic excuse of two companies that thought little of the people and a pretty desperate shot in the dark.

Ok we have another phone coming out soon. Its maker, google. Now google as you all know is a web browser. It has made a lot of money thanks to this. It is one of the more respected companies out there. In fact they are even uses as a search tool on just about every pda or smart phone out there including the iPhone. But even with this people should still be more respectful when it comes down to declaring that the google phone will be the end of the iPhone. I’ll say it again as I said it before. The iPhone is a once and ever blue moon product that has the potential to change everything that you know about the mobile phones. It is the best invention in the last 10-15 years in my opinion. And 4 months of this type of product doesn’t produce a killer this quick( it takes time to cone up with something different). In fact the iPhone killer will be the iPhone 2. I don’t care if google makes a phone, I promise you it will not do what the iPhone did upon coming out. It wont make the sales that the iPhone has. It won’t shock the world and cause a mass crazy effect on people. And people will not be waiting outside a week in advance for it. In fact it will not shock me if the google phone really doesnt look all that different from all the other smart phones out there. It will have a keyboard, probably a slide out keyboard of some sort and hopefully they wont make the biggest mistake and run windows, which all ready makes it a trouble product. Bottom line it will be something new but it won’t be a killer of the iPhone. Trust me.

***Follow up****

Well the news has hit and now maybe all the people that want so bad for apple to loose their hold on the cell phone world can look for another dream. All the talk about google making the best phone is now over. Google, people aren’t making a phone! They are going to make a software package for cell phones. So guess what. They won’t be creating the next iPhone killer in fact if the software is really all that it is possible to add it to the iPhone. So if anything the google software will help all not just the wantabe iPhone killers. But keep dreaming folks it may happen one day:)

In recent news verizon the 2nd place leader in cell phones have made their tough guy speech. Mr comack of verizon came out with a statement that the iPhone is hype. Not that it is a great product. This always makes me scratch my head. How can anyone say its hype. Hype isn’t real. Hype is what it was before its created and still in paper. In fact the hype ended the day Jobs showed it actually working in real time. He said it could do this and that and showed that it could. End of hype. Its now a reality. The second statement that made me laugh was the statement that the iphone was not effecting them in sales. Last time I checked the iphone was destroying treo business and motorola’s line up. And these are two of the major sales portions of verizon sales in phones. So don’t tell me its not effecting you. Then he turns right back around and states that he isn’t concerned about the iPhone but yet they are working on a answer to it. Umm, if something isn’t a threat why are you creating a phone with this item in mind. Sounds to me that they are more concern with the iphone than they are stating.

I was sitting here at lunch just accross from the table of a treo user. Him and his girl was sitting there talking about the problems he was having with his phone, how he always has to reboot and always has errors no matter how many times they gave exchanged it. I felt bad for him as I surfed the web with my iPhone. And then it hit me. That is one of many things that I don’t miss about windows and palm. Even though palm was better than windows it was still a problem with its launch of programs. Another thing I don’t miss is the physical keyboard. I know that there was so many people complaining about the lack of a physical keyboard and how it would stop the iPhone from being a great product but those people are pretty quiet now aren’t they? Another item of hate would be the sizes of all those smart phones. Man was it just me or was all those phones reminders of a big garage door opener remote. And putting them in your pocket wasn’t even a option. And last but not less is the fact that without the iPhone I would have to carry around a iPod or some sort of mp3 player and switch back and forth. No more people, those days are over. Welcome to the new world.

  

This is the newest promised rival to the iphone, the Seranata.   Now don’t let the good looks fool ya(lol!!), this fat baby not only make calls but look great on your tv remote stand. Hell, in fact that what it is, a remote! At least that what it looks like to me. Is it just me or is everyone gone crazy lately with all this rival this rival that stuff ? Frankly I’m sick of it. When is everyone going to learn that the next rival to the Iphone will be the Iphone 2. But as far as this piece of junk, rival it is not.  I really do think Samsung needs their head examined if this is best thing they can come up with to dispute the Iphone surge.

I know a lot of people saw my review and counter about the invisible shield. The damage it did to my iPhone really pissed me off for a minute. What I should have done was gotten the cover sold at the apple store. Its by power support. It comes in a green sleeve package. I picked mine up 2 days ago, along with some other stuff thanks to my rebate I got(thanks apple). This was the same screen cover I passed up to get the invisible shield( which isn’t that invisible if you look at it at a angle). Now appple sales two kinds. One is a crystal clear protector and the second is a anti glare, anti smudge, and anti finger print cover. Needless to say I went with the anti glare. I wasn’t sure if the crystal clear one would have made sense to get if I was going to still have finger print issues. Once i got it home and opened it up I was really happy to see that the screen was solid like the ones boxwave makes and just like them it was washable and renewable. Also there was two in the package. It goes on perfectly and seems to really become one with the iphone after a day or so. And just like the package says, no finger print, smudges and not even bubble stay. And the texture of the cover and how it feels to your fingers is just wonderful. In fact its the best feeling texture for a screen cover that I have ever felt. It just fits people! I only wish that i had chosen this earlier instead of wasting my money on the invisible shield.

Here we go again. Its been a on going story about how Many of the hacker pushed iphones have locked up after downloading the new update. I for one have never understood why people have to hack everything. Just because you buy the product doesnt make it ok to do whatever you want with it. Yes i know that may come to many as a shock but this is true. In the iphone case such things are called product lic agreement. And when you break the rules people this is what happens. Crap! I’m for one am glad that apple is trying to make hacking a headache it helps to control the purity of the product. But if you give them a day or two the hackers will find a way around this too. But at least they know apple is not just going to let people damage what they worked so hard to put together. Keep fighting apple!

Its been a while since my last post. Most thought I was done posting, but I’m not. I have really been busy with life in general. I know everyone has heard about the new products and pricing. And I’m sure you have also heard about how upset that made some. Well I’m hear to confirm that yes the idea of the price cut made me upset at first. Until I stopped to think about the fact that they happen all the time and the people that get the short end of the stick are those that buy first. Its one of those negative issues you face when you are the first to buy a new product(ie playstation 3 at $600 and now at $499). Now grated that the price drop happen faster than normal but regardless if happen sooner or later you weren’t going to get you money back anyway unless you were the few that were within that 14 day period because apple knew that those people ,if upset enough could just return it because they were in their return period. So really the money back issues were to take care of themselves and not the customer. If it was really for the customer thry would have given that money back to all people from launch throughout. Now with that said, is my opinion changed abiut apple or the iphone? No! But this doesn’t mean that apple didnt make a mistake with the launch of the new products. I think by releasing a ipod iphone look alike with the same features, you hurt your investors like at&t because people will now just buy the iphone touch or ipod touch instead of leaving their cell conpany to come to at&t for the iphone. And in light of this its no wonder the other companies like verizon didnt feel right about the iphone and apples control over it. And per the latest news reports at&t are growing less and less excited about the iphone. They are no longer pushing it to be the very best smartphone to buy. In some ways I believe the new iPod touch is apple’s way of being prepared for any failures of the iPhone. I just don’t think it should have been pushes now while you are leading sales. You do this when you are losses your advantage. But hey, what do I know!