New MacBooks and MacBook Pros Announced

The event today proved to be quite an exciting event for fans of Apple notebooks. The MacBooks and MacBook Pros got plenty of revamps and they look stunning. You should definitely check out the Apple webpage to get the nitty gritty specs, but here are a few of the things that were rumors and I love that they turned out the way they did:

- The trackpad is glass and doesn't have a button; instead it is a button itself and it is bigger and allows for much more multitouch support
- The NVIDIA graphics cards are confirmed so the graphics are going to be a lot better on the new MacBooks and especially the MacBook Pros which incorporate not only one graphics card, but two so that it can use one for lower power consumption and one for better performance.
- The screen are all LED and this means less power consumption and thinner brighter screens.
- The ports are all on one side and the disc drive is on one side so plugging cords in only mean manuevering the notebook to one side and the DVD will eject more easily if the notebook is in my lap



There are plenty of other great features that I have not mentioned here just because of course it will be better explained at Apple and with more pictures and videos; get it from the source if you really want to know everything there is to know. Now there is one great thing and one bad thing about the notebooks. The bad thing is that they appear to only include DVD drives and not blu-ray support; bummer, I was really looking for the blu-ray. The great news is that these puppies are available tomorrow, so check em out and order it now.

New MacBook and MacBook Pros Coming Soon

I always get excited about new Apple products coming out and new notebooks are long overdue in my opinion.  I love my MacBook Pro and I got it when they first came out (yes I am one of those crazy people).  Sometimes you just have to have it I guess.  That exciting time for new notebooks has finally come again though.  Apple will announce the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models on Tuesday the 14th and will likely explain all of the new exciting features.  I have been checking out the rumors and general rumors and photos indicate a few things about the new laptops:

 - There is going to be an aluminum version of the MacBook now and not just the Pro

 - The new notebooks will be using a dedicated NVIDIA graphics cards to provide higher quality graphics 

 - The larger trackpads that are included on the MacBook Air are going to be on the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros

There are other rumors surfacing about possible LCD HDTVs made by Apple that would include the Apple TV functionality right out of the box.  I am not so sure about the HDTVs, but most of the notebook stuff seems to be feasible.  the other thing is the possible inclusion of Blu-ray drives in the notebooks rather than the DVD drives included now.  We will have to see on Tuesday how it pans out.  In  the mean time take a look at these pictures at Mac Rumors; they should wet your appetite for the new all aluminum notebooks. 

iPhone 3G New 2.1 Software Update

After the "Let's Rock" special Apple announcement, we have found out that Apple is going to release a new software update for the iPhone 3G. This new software, 2.1, is supposed to be the answer to all of our 3G problems and battery life complaints. Although I find it hard to believe that Apple can really do much about AT&T's poor 3G network, it will be interesting to see if anything gets better. The other promise is the battery life being significantly improved. Well, that seems like a hard thing to do unless they are really getting those push updates and such working. Hopefully it will really work and end up improving the iPhone 3G's battery life. Only time will tell. Actually, we will know these answers shortly after Friday as that is when the new update is being released.

In light of this update, I will take a few days and see what improvements are in store before I continue the full review of the iPhone 3G.

iPhone 3G Review: A Rough Start

When I started writing out the review of the iPhone 3G I realized that I really had a lot to say about it. This made the simple task of writing a review seem like a much more daunting task. So instead of trying to write out the entire thing and post it all at the same time I have decided to go through the review in multiple posts. The first of which will be this one covering the initial attempt to get an iPhone 3G and the horrible AT&T experience.

The lines were of course quite expected for the launch of a previously $400 phone that was now only $200. Half the price was something that made it hard for a lot of people to pass up (even though we will pay more in the long run than we did for the original iPhone). With lines already formed outside of the most popular stores the night before the launch, I could not help myself from being excited. I wanted the new iPhone just like everyone else and I even had the original already. This got me excited about making a game plan. At this point I had already figured out that I could sell my iPhone on eBay for more than it would cost to buy a new one that was better, so it was a no brainer to make the upgrade.

This left me to figuring out how I was going to make it work this time since the AT&T stores were opening early just for the launch and they were supposedly not going to be doing the excellent buy the phone and then take it home and activate it deal like they had for the first iPhone. This time around it was all about the control that AT&T wanted to have and for them to make sure that people were not unlocking phones or getting phones and not activating them on AT&T. This was the first ingredient in their recipe or disaster.


The next problem the launch had was poor decision to launch in so many countries at the same time. The demand was simply to high for the product now that the price was right and this made the launch an absolute mad house everywhere it was being sold. So first thing is first, my wife, daughter, and I went to the AT&T store near my work so that we could hopefully score two iPhones. We were in it for the 16GB Black model and we wanted it right then (I seem to have a hard time with patience when it comes to the latest gadget). We got there early, but there was already a line of about 50 in front of us. I started to sweat a little knowing that there could surely not be enough iPhones for everyone, but just a few minutes after we arrived the manager of the store came out and assured everyone that there were plenty of iPhones for everyone and they were going to try and make it as quick as possible. *Note: we already knew that it was going to be a long process because AT&T is stupid and decided to make everyone activate in store upon purchase.


So after waiting about 90 minutes for the phones to go on sale, we finally were in a moving line. This whole time we had to feed our baby girl and even had to change her once. It was a lot of work and certainly not the funnest thing to do, but we felt ok knowing that we were definitely going to get an iPhone for our trouble. Then the worst thing that could have happened did; the manager came back out and told us that they were running out of product. The man is lucky to be alive today after he had already told everyone that there were plenty of iPhones and now went back on his word. I wanted to kill him and so did the others around me. I know exactly why he lied to us, but the fact that he lied to us will prevent me from ever shopping at his store again.

This manager had the bright idea of making everyone wait there long enough so that they would have no choice but to stick it out just to preorder the iPhone for when it came back into stock. He wanted his employees and his store to get the sale and not to risk loosing the sale to another store. Talk about the wrong way to go about it. If he had simply said that from the beginning we could have made informed decisions. What’s worse, we had to wait for about 5 hours in total to simply order a phone with no guarantee of when it would come. The least he could have done is actually count the phones and start to hand out numbers to people so that we could go do something more useful with our time. AT&T is still my least favorite company.


Three weeks later we finally received notification that our phones were in the store and ready for pick up. The excitement had long since worn off and I just wanted my phone so that I would have GPS and 3G. It turns out they are not the greatest things, but we will get to that later. In the end it simply reassured me of one thing: I hate AT&T and the first opportunity I have to have an iPhone on another network, I will jump ship. Down with AT&T.

iPhone 3G Full Review Coming Soon

I finally got my hands on an iPhone 3G and have had a month to really test it out and I can honestly say that it was worth the wait. I will have a full review up soon.

iPhone 3G Still Hard to Find

This is an obvious reality for those of us still looking for the new iPhone 3G, but I thought I would mention it anyway. My wife and I waited for 3 1/2 hours on Friday to try and get the iPhone only to find out that the manager had lied to us (saying that there were plenty of iPhones for everyone in line) and all we could do is purchase the phone so that we would get it as soon as it was available. In retrospect it would have been very beneficial to simply wait at an Apple store or just have gotten to the store a little earlier. I do not have to worry about getting an iPhone now, but I also have no idea when I will get it. The manager had also said a day or two and they would have more, but in fact it has been a week now and they have not called. AT&T and Apple have disappointed greatly this time around. Really, if AT&T had just been honest with us when we were waiting I would not have been upset. AT&T is now one of my least favorite companies, but yet I am still going to sign my life's savings away to them. Frustration.

As soon as I get the iPhone I will probably give a review and what not on it, but there are so many reviews out there already that it doesn't seem like there is much of a point. Possibly more of a day to day application of the iPhone in action would be more useful.

3G iPhone Days Are Upon Us

Ok, so the 3G iPhone has been announced and unveiled, but you can run the specs down yourself. The unveiling of the new phone raised a few more questions about what is going to happen on July 11th.

- If the iPhone is going to be released Worldwide on the 11th, then are there going to be enough for the demand?

- Will we see a huge line forming days before the release or just hours (notice that I have no doubt there will be a line)?

- Why is video recording not included or are they just not mentioning it yet? The hardware is there and there are actually already some programs on installer which allow you to take video, but I do not want to have to pay extra for something like that.

- Why did they not increase the megapixels on the camera? The chipset that the iPhone supposedly uses is supposed to be capable of 5 megapixels or more. If Apple wants to integrate the geotagging and Mobileme sharing of photos, then it would only have made sense to provide a better quality camera or at least a flash, focus, and zoom.

- What am I going to do with the iPhone I have right now? I think selling it on eBay is the best route to go, but I will stay open to other ideas since the $200 price of the new iPhone is a steal.

It is true that the iPhone does not have anything hardware wise that other smartphones can not compete with or even out due, but that is still not what the iPhone is all about. The iPhone is about a phone that looks good, feels good, and most importantly works great. No other phone has ever worked as well as my iPhone and I don't imagine any other company will ever be able to match Apple's ingenious mesh of hardware and software. The iPhone is made for functionality.

Today is the day the 3G iPhone is Unveiled!

There is live coverage of the WWDC event where Steve Jobs is expected to show the 3G iPhone for the first time. You can catch this right as it happens at Gizmodo. This is a great site with really up to date pictures and comments (or play by play). Go check it out.

I will post up all of the official details later, but of course they will be readily available everywhere you look.

3G iPhone Launch Date Confirmed?

Gizmodo posted an interesting post earlier today that claims Apple will not only announce the 3G iPhone on June 9th, but also start selling it shortly there after. This is only a rumor of course, but if it turns out to be true we will not have to wait long for a 3G iPhone.

Now the question is going to be whether or not we will have to wait in line to get one of these awesome phones. I still can't wait to see the Keynote on the 3G iPhone. Keep on the lookout for more news breaks as there are sure to be plenty leading up to the Keynote.

3G Could Mean A Lot More Soon

ATT’s 3G network although fairly good right now, is definitely not what I would even call 3G. They claim downloads as fast as 3.6 Mbps, but this is just not the case in normal real life tests. Verizon has traditionally been faster than ATT as far as data plans and networks, but ATT has plans for the future which could be very exciting news for the Apple iPhone or even ATT customers out there. ATT says it will have a 3G network with speeds of up to 20Mbps by 2009!

That was the bomb to be dropped, but that is not the entire story. Right now ATT offers 3G at speeds up to 3.6 Mbps it claims, which would be twice the speed of my ATT DSL. Hard to believe that it is true, and has been proven to be far slower in real life performances, but even if it is only ¼ the speed they claim imagine what 20Mbps 3G service to your phone would be like. That’s right, 5 Mbps which is almost the fastest DSL you can get from ATT. It would be good reason for ATT to switch to completely wireless offerings when the network is strong enough.

All this by 2009 is not very likely, but that is not the only claim they have; how about 100Mbps by 2010 on a 4G network. If we see 100Mbps by 2011 I will be an incredibly happen man even if it were not wireless. All of this I am sure has to do with the WiMax technology that is starting hit the news bin, but even ¼ these speeds would be great. This is all just rumor now, but it should be announce around the same time the 3G iPhone is announced so they can boost the sales even higher. This is all so exciting t is hard to take in.

Refurbished iPhones on AT&T Website

Some news I am sure a lot of people are interested in capitalizing on right now would be that AT&T is selling refurbished iPhones on their website. The 8GB version is $249 and the 16GB is $349.

Those prices are a steal compared to the $400 and $500 that they cost regularly. I think you are going to see a lot of iPhone swapping and selling on eBay and other place in the next few days which are leading to the imminent launch of the 3G iPhone.

GPS on the 3G iPhone

There are rumors and only rumors about the 3G iPhone that is almost definitely coming within the next two months, but they if most of the rumors are true the 3G iPhone will be amazing.

The first question is whether or not the 3G iPhone is going to be a complete rework or simply a mildly updated version of the best phone ever made. As with any technology though, there is really not much since in coming out with a mildly updated device a year after the original launch. There has been such growth in the industry that if the iPhone isn’t completely revamped t will be light years behind the other competitors as far as hardware is concerned.

The feature of most concern to me today is the inclusion of GPS on the 3G iPhone. Without the GPS, the iPhone will quickly be moving behind the pack with all of the other Blackberrys and PDA smartphones coming with it standard. With that in mind it would be hard to believe that Apple would let the others get ahead. They are always on the leading edge of technology and design so it only makes sense to include the GPS.

We will have to wait until June 9th most likely to know for sure what will be on the new 3G iPhone, but I am sure Apple will have plenty of exciting news for everyone on that day.

3G iPhone Release in Late June Almost Guaranteed

It seems pretty safe to assume now that the 3G iPhone we are all waiting patiently for will be launched in late June. AT&T has sent out an email to its retail sales staff indicating that they should not take vacation between June 15th and July 12th because there will be a product release that will result in large amounts of customer traffic in the retail stores. This is the best indication yet that Apple will indeed be releasing the 3G iPhone in June and what better day than on the 1 year anniversary of the iPhone release to release the next generation iPhone.

Now there are talks of the iPhone coming in three models as well. There is rumored to be a $399 8GB version, $499 16GB version, and a $599 32GB version available. We will just have to wait to see, but all of this is getting me really excited about the new iPhone coming out (I am such a sucker for cool gadgets!).

Bad Credit Makes it Hard to Get Apple Products

I have plenty of credit cards and debt of course which is probably mostly to do with my love for new gadgets and toys. It is hard these days to stay on top of the game and still have money. That is why it is important to think about getting back on the right track. The problem is if you already have bad credit it could be difficult to get that credit card you need to start paying down the debt and to get bad credit loans. These loans can help you to put all of your debt on a low interest card and make it easier to pay off all of the debt. BadCreditOffers is the place to go to get all of the bad credit credit cards and loans you need to get all of your different accounts consolidated to make them more manageable. Anyone can pay off their debt if they stick to a simple plan and have only one place to pay off. As you are paying off your debt this will get your credit score up and allow you to get lower interest loans and make it even easier to pay things off. It just takes a little bit of effort to get started and BadCreditOffers can help.

So when you are thinking about buying that new 3G iPhone makes sure you have the cash to pay for it and don’t go further into debt. I am making the sacrifice right now by selling my iPhone and cancelling the data plan for two months to save up for the 3G iPhone.

Could Apple Pull The Plug on the MacBook Air

I have heard grumblings that Apple may in fact pull the plug on the MacBook Air because of its lackluster performance and reviews.  This could make sense for a number of reasons.  All of the reasons point back to one observation of mine; the MacBook Air is ahead of its time.

The MacBook Air is Ahead of its time for a few reasons:

- The lack of a disc drive is difficult for people to take at this point in time

- The battery life is not long enough considering the things you sacrifice

- There are cheaper alternatives out there that seem enticing enough to avoid the high price tag of the MacBook Air.

There are plenty of reasons I do not have a MacBook Air, but the most obvious one is the price tag.  I could not afford one even if I wanted it.  The second problem I had was the lack of a disc drive, but I think I could get over that quickly.  Battery life would have been a clincher though.  I can not imagine a laptop of that size and with a lack of a disc drive having a poor battery life.  That would be the first thing that I wanted it to have.  We will have to see if Apple is going to redo the MacBook Air or just can it completely.  One thing is for sure though, battery technology has not caught up to where the manufacturers of these laptops want to take their devices.  

More Hype Builds For New 3G iPhone

As the inevitable release of the 3G iPhone approaches more and more speculation and rumors comes out talking about what the 3G iPhone will include in the update. I am hoping for modest improvements, but of course there are sites even claiming things like video and 5 megapixel cameras, free internet in more places, $200 AT&T subsidy on the purchase with a contract (this one makes a lot of sense actually), and even WiMax. WiMax would be the most interesting of all of these features for sure. Although I see no real need for that technology on this next iPhone model, in the future that could be an awesome thing to have. Possibly they are trying to push the technology out there early on so that WiMax becomes more common. Newer versions of WiMax are capable of faster speeds than WiFi and ranges of up to 30 miles. I am not sure about the 30 miles (I would have to see it to believe it), but the potential for metropolitan areas being in a bubble of wireless internet is something that I have always wanted. Internet should be free and that is the way to do it.

As for the actual looks of the 3G iPhone there are tons of speculations along with likely fake pictures. Below are the dimensions that are posted everywhere on the internet.

No More iPhone

Some may think I have gone mad by selling my iPhone (WHAT!?!), but hear me out. When I found out the new 3G iPhone was likely coming out soon I suddenly had this feeling that I had to have it, but I didn't have the money. The only way I could think of to get the money I needed was to sell my iPhone on eBay. I went ahead and unlocked the iPhone and posted it on eBay and it sold faster than I thought it would. Now I have $350 for the new one when it comes out hopefully in June.

The only problem is that for the next two months or so I will be without iPhone unless I find one refurbished for $300 or less. It is going to be rough, but I will live and I will get that iPhone I really wanted too.

3G iPhone to be Released in June

Exciting news came out the other day that the next iPhone was likely to come out in the summer of 2008. This next generation iPhone is likely to have all of the gadgets and gizmos we were looking for on the first one:

- GPS
- 3G
- Third party applications
- More customizable features
- Smaller Screen?
- Lighter

All this will be exciting to see and I am sure that Apple will announce to 3G iPhone release soon. Word is that the iPhone will look very similar to the one now except for a shiny black back to the iPhone and no more recessed headphone jack. Hopefully this also means they are looking into having Bluetooth headphones available and more Bluetooth functionality which the first iPhone lacked.

Where Are the Third Party iPhone Apps We Were Promised

It looks like every time we turn the corner a date has been pushed back and the things that we wanted we are going to have to wait for even longer than we originally thought. The third party applications officially offered through Apple’s online store will not be available until June of this year now. 3G iPhone is supposed to be coming out in June and if it does in fact come out in June, then Apple may want to release both at the same time and hopefully create some more buzz around the new 3G iPhone and the applications available for both iPhones.

Since the third party applications have been delayed and I just decided I wanted to use my iPhone for connecting my MacBook Pro to the internet on the go I think I will check out ZiPhone Jailbreaking and give Jailbreaking another try. I am not too concerned about my iPhone anymore since the new ones are going to be coming out and it will not be worth much once the new ones are out.

Build Your Apple Product Store

Now is the time to get your ecommerce site up and running. With all of the Apple products picking up in sales it would be a great time to get started with a store. The first thing you need to get is some web hosting. Next, you need to make a website which will look presentable and have all of the things on it that you want to sell. Then, you need the shopping cart software to make it all work. Ashop (click here for a free trial) is a great place to start with its complete ecommerce software. Not only will they set you up with the shopping cart software, they will offer the whole site for you. This makes everything a lot easier and quicker. There are plenty of opportunities out there for you to try, but this is completely within your control. Be your own boss and make a store selling the products you love. So get out there today and make your site to start making money selling the best products out there.

Parallels and the Annoying Microsoft

I tried Parallels out the other day, or I tried to try it out. I installed Parallels (a software that allows you to run Windows on a Mac if you did not know) and it seemed like the newest version was going to be great. Then I found my old copy of Windows which I had used earlier with the Boot Camp software on my MacBook Pro and started to install it. After about a half hour it asked me for the product key.

I was mad then cause I realized I could not find the product key and I had already spent a couple hours on the phone last time to get it to work and get a new product key. So for now I am going to just love my Mac and forget about any small programs that only run on Windows because most of the time it something unimportant.

Why does Microsoft still guard Windows XP so stringently though. I mean Vista is out and that is what everybody wants if they want Windows right? And they still charge $100 for a home edition of XP; ridiculous. Anyway, I will be ok, but I still hate Microsoft. I am so glad I switched to Apple products.

Impressions of Apple’s Time Capsule

Although I do not have the Time Capsule, it has been something that has been on my wish list since I heard about it. Everything looks and sounds good about it, but it is getting mixed reviews. I think there are a few reasons for this mixed reception in the Mac crowd.


Wireless Sucks

Let’s face it, there has almost never been a solid wireless router made and it always ends up not working at some point. I have had many wireless routers and although the technology sounds great on paper, it has always been a hassle in reality. This is until I got the Airport Express draft n wireless router from Apple. This was the first time that I have not had a problem with wireless connectivity in over a year. The only problems I have had with it are when the power had gone out I had to reset it, but there was no problem with the router and once it rebooted it worked like a charm. Possibly this is because I have very little interference with other wireless routers on the 5GHz network in my neighborhood, or maybe Apple just got it right this time. What ever the reason may be, I have a router that I love for the first time. This is the main reason for my faith in the Time Capsule. I need external storage and it would be great if it was integrated into my network so the Time Capsule is an obvious choice especially for the price.

Not Everyone Has a Mac

Obvious statement I know, but it is true and it has a point. When people buy Apple products for the first time they are often confused because it is too simple. Huh? Well, I know that I was shocked when I got my Mac and started using it for the first time. Everything was so intuitive and easy to use yet still very effective. This was the complete opposite of anything I had ever had with a PC. Apple brought this to the Airport Extreme base station as well with its ease of use and fast set up, but maybe it is not as easy when you have a PC. It took me five minutes to set up with my MacBook Pro, but it took me hours to setup networks in my PC days. They never worked with each other and everything was always different with each piece of hardware. How well did Apple make the Time Capsule work with PCs?

In conclusion it is something that one day I hope to have, but for now the Time Capsule will have to be something that I simply dream about and question. The reviews are mixed as with any product, but I am not surprised being that it is a wireless product. I can only hope that some day everything will be wireless and will just work.

iPhone Made Easy Blog is a Fake?

I have had this blog since well before the iPhone came out and it was intended to keep myself and others informed about what was going on with the iPhone. Since the release of the iPhone the news about the iPhone has slowed to a crawl and that is why I decided to add more topics to the mix to keep it fresher and have more opportunity for posts. Although I have not updated as much as I would like, I found it odd yesterday when I was notified that a site called my blog a “suspected fake.” What is that supposed to mean anyway; does it seem like I am not really writing or that I have fake content. I would like to go on the record and just say that I have never copied anything and always try to send my readers to the source where I found the information I put on my site. I apologize if anyone feels that my site is fake.

Implications of a Driveless Laptop

So driveless is not a word you say? Well Apple has decided with its MacBook Air that driveless is the way to go. What does this mean for all of those people out there that want to take a DVD on the plan ride and watch it on their computer? Or what if you have a game that you really want to load on the computer? Do I really have to have an external drive to get those things working on the MacBook Air?

It would seem the answer is Apple is pushing for a driveless line of notebook computers. At first I thought that this was an incredibly bad idea because watching movies is something that I love to do and do frequently on my MacBook Pro. But the more I thought about it the more this reminds me of how Apple got rid of the floppy drive before everyone else. Everyone thought that was a terrible idea because you may need it some time, but in retrospect it was never really missed. How does the lack of a disc drive relate you ask? Well this is Apple's push for you to use high speed internet to download what you need rather than rely on a disc drive and tangible media to use on the laptop. Can you say "forcing you to download movies from say iTunes?" This is a great way to get people to use Apple's already exsiting services to gain more profits for them and make people less cluttered.

I already have an external DVD burner so I can rip my movies onto my laptop as I frequently doanyway and then I would not have to worry about the battery draining drive spinning. In the case of the MacBook Air though, the decision has already been made for you and you get a great portable notebook computer that is thinner than it looks on TV.

Aliph Jawbone Noise Cancelling Headset Review

After purchasing the Aliph Jawbone wireless Bluetooth noise cancelling headset for my Apple iPhone I have been nothing short of amazed with it’s nearly flawless functionality. I have had it for a few months now and feel confident it will continue to serve me well for years to come. Let me start off by stating I have had three or four Bluetooth headsets in the past; all of which left a lot to be desired and I always had a hard time hearing people when I was driving. This was the main reason for my search for the perfect Bluetooth noise cancelling headset. Every time I called someone in the car they had a hard time hearing me and I had a hard time hearing them. What is the point of a Bluetooth headset if you can not use it when you need to be able to use it the most? Enter the solution to my problem; the Aliph Jawbone noise cancelling headset.

At first I was skeptical because they stated it was noise canceling and it only detected your voice when you were talking. It seemed pretty far fetched to think the Jawbone could actually know when I was talking and not the person next to me at Starbucks. The way the Jawbone achieves this however is quite amazing. There is a small sensor that comes in contact with your face right around your jaw line (hence the Jawbone name) which senses vibrations from your jaw moving which would indicate you are talking. In addition to this, the acoustics and directional microphones adjust to find your voice in conjunction with the vibrations. This works flawlessly from my experience. I have had plenty of conversations in the car and every time I can hear the other person and others say they can hear me very clearly. This is something that has never happened with any other headset I have purchased.


Here is the breakdown of some pros and cons:

Pros:

- Excellent noise cancelling headset (it really does work)
- Headset easily stays securely positioned on ear
- Multiple earpieces and left and right ear adapters
- Stylish design
- Easy paring and good consistent connections

Cons:

- Cost is around $100 making this noise cancelling headset a little on the expensive side
- The size is large as compared to most headsets and this makes proper initial fitting key to comfortable use of the headset (some people have complained there were not enough options for adapters to find the correct fit for their ear and this caused the large headset to be uncomfortable)
- There is not any caller ID LCD or any way to use voice dialing – it is a barebones headset that only focuses on truly high quality sound and not bells and whistles

Summary

In conclusion it seems that the Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth wireless noise cancelling headset is not perfect, but very close. It depends on what you are looking for in a headset which will likely sway your decision on the Jawbone. If you are looking for a headset that will definitely reproduce great voice quality for both sides of the conversation then the Jawbone is a safe bet as long as it fits your ear well. With the multiple adjustment pieces I had no trouble finding a combination that fit my ear comfortably even with the large size and weight of the Jawbone. If you are looking for a headset with an LCD, caller ID, and other bells and whistles then the Jawbone is probably not going to live up to your expectations. This review has been based on pairing the Aliph Jawbone only with an Apple iPhone. There may be other phones that do not receive the pairing as well as the iPhone did, but I have had no troubles with the iPhone and Jawbone connection. One last note, if you are looking for a headset on a budget it is hard to find this one under $75 so be prepared to drop a decent amount of cash for this one. After using the Aliph Jawbone for a few months I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone as I have been quite pleased with its performance.

Score: 9.5/10

Complete iPhone 1.1.4 Jailbreak and Unlock

iNdependence is a a program that truly unlocks your iPhone so that you can do with it as you please. The new version 1.4 beta 5 has been released and there are reports that it works perfectly.


This is great news for those that are looking for a way to unlock their firmware version 1.1.4 iPhone and want the assurance that it will work and well. iNdependence is software that you can download and run only on Mac OSX. iNdependence offers a GUI based interface that will allow you to jailbreak, unlock, and then activate your iPhone. Then once you get all of this taken care of you will be able to load programs onto it and make it how you want using the simple software. Go check it out and enjoy!

iPhone SDK and Firmware 1.1.4

Apple released the new firmware for the Apple iPhone and there is still no sign of the SDK. It may be that Apple will still release the SDK in the next couple of days since there has not been any indication that they will not. The previous post talked about the possibility of an Apple press release and the SDK with the firmware 1.1.4. As we were hoping that the SDK would be released as scheduled and with 1.1.4, it looks unlikely that this is the case. Although, Apple does have the ability to unlock new features on the iPhone with the flip of a switch. It is possible that the SDK is already on my unsuspecting iPhone just waiting to be activated by its master. Hopefully all of this Apple iPhone SDK and third party application talk will clear up soon.

iPhone SDK Release Pushed Back

It has been rumored that the release of the 1.1.4 firmware and the SDK for the iPhone has been pushed back. This seems likely as there has not been any mention of it yet and there is no word about an Apple media event. There was also the rumor that Apple would be having an event in late February, but since it has not been announced yet and it is actually getting late in February it is probably not going to happen. However, if the release of the 1.1.4 firmware and SDK are pushed back, then maybe the media event is too. Be on the lookout for news.

Shopping Cart Software For Your Mac Online Selling Needs

Recently I came across an interesting site that seems like a good choice for people that are looking for shopping cart software for their online store. I had an eBay business for a while and one of the things that I considered getting into was an ecommerce website where I could sell products. The only problem was that I would need ecommerce software to take care of the items that were purchased and software like that is hard to find. The software that I did find out there was second rate and often was attached to a completely overused website that would simply make everything look less professional.

That is where Ashop Commerce comes into play. I have found their website to be very well made and have good presentation. If you are looking for a good place to find different packages for shopping cart software, then Ashop is a great place to start your search.

More Apple Product Announcements

There are rumors that Apple is going to be releasing more information about future products to be released in 2008 some time in late February. It is hard to say for sure what will be talked about, but it is speculated that Steve Jobs is going to announce the long awaited 3G iPhone. This would make plenty of sense for a couple of reasons. Lately, Apple's stock has not been doing so well because of the poor iPod sale and even the large January announcement and then release of the MacBook Air could not raise the stock prices back. Also, a new version of the iPhone is expected to come out later this year and there are already talks about the 3G iPhone coming out in other countries.

All of this leads to more and more Apple excitement. The SDK and details about Apple's partners will likely be announced along with possibly a few new Apple products. We will just have to wait to see what is in store for us in the Apple world this year.

iPhone Update

It turns out that the iPhone may be getting the new 1.1.4 firmware update soon. This means that the jailbreak process for the 1.1.3 version is no longer going to work. The word is however, that the new firmware 1.1.4 will include the SDK so the iPhone will be well on its way to getting third party software that is going to be made with Apple's approval. This is great news for the consumer even if we may have to pay for apps now because the quality and quantity of the applications available is only going to get better.

A lot of the iPhone software developers out there right now in fact will have a great head start on making great applications for the iPhone. I can't wait to see what we are going to get.

I am personally hoping for an affordable true GPS add on to the iPhone. This would be one of my prayers answered as that is one thing that the iPhone has truly lacked from day one. What is your wish list for great iPhone apps?

Videos For iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak Explanation

Here are a couple of videos that would certainly be useful if you want to jailbreak your 1.1.3 iPhone.

How To Replace A Cracked iPhone Screen

Recently my wife's iPhone screen cracked and we have been looking into ways to get it replaced. I found this video on YouTube that is very helpful in describing how to replace a cracked iPhone screen, but it shows me that it would be a better idea to take it back to Apple since this looks very difficult and would void the warranty.  Here is the video for your reference though if you think you can do a repair like this:

iPhone Screen Replacement



iPhone 3GS Screen Replacement



Update:  If you are looking for parts to fix your iPhone screen then a good site to check out is iFixit.  This site has a lot of parts for the iPhone as well as other Apple products.  Sometimes it is cheaper to get the parts elsewhere, but iFixit has great tutorials for completing these DIY projects so it is worth checking out even if you decide the part could be found cheaper somewhere else.

Dawn of the Dead Review on DMR

This is a clip from my other website Dave's Movie Reviews. Follow the link to check out the full review of Dawn of the Dead and all the rest of my reviews. Enjoy!

Dawn of The Dead (2004)

Brief Detail

Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: George A. Romero for the 1978 original and James Gunn for this one
Release Date: 19 March 2004
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Drama

The Short Version

Raw Score: 792,093
Sharon Movie? No

Hats Off To iPhone Software Developers

I have often been harsh on the people out there making third party software for the iPhone because the programs are not perfect, but they deserve much more credit than that. The developers out there have been working so hard to bring us software that Apple has not provided us and Apple continues to block it out. It is a shame, but soon they will be able to make the software without Apple interfering.

I would just like to take a moment and say thank you to those that have been hard at work making these third party software applications for the iPhone. They have been great a lot of times and have actually been good enough to have Apple copy them. There are two things in particular that Apple has copied with this latest update.

Google Maps have copied Navizon with their pseudo GPS. The work that Navizon did to develop that software gave Google and Apple the idea to add that feature to Google Maps on the iPhone. It is rough to see the efforts of third party software developers being copied with the knowledge that the copy is actually the one that will win. Just because Google Maps is native on the iPhone Navizon will not have a chance. I would like to congratulate Navizon for their efforts though as they obviously have made the iPhone better.

Customization of the iPhone home screen is now possible with the new update 1.1.3 and it works a lot like the others that were out there. All of the jailbreaks that I got allowed me to download a program that would allow me to move icons on the iPhone home screen and that is exactly what Apple decided to copy. They can be moved around and then you can add pages to put more icons. This is essential if you have more icons to put on there with the third party apps. Thank you to those that developed the original software that allowed multiple pages on the iPhone home screen and the smooth way of seeing the other pages. Apple copied this almost exactly, but that should be the best type of flattery.

Thank you to those out there working hard to make third party software for the iPhone as it has made the iPhone better in every way.

iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak is Released

Now you can make your 1.1.3 iPhone do everything that your 1.1.2 iPhone could do.  The Jailbreak for the iPhone version 1.1.3 has been released and it has been confirmed to work.  

The only thing that you have to remember is that it is risky as with any jailbreak, but this time they are saying that it is more risky.  If the risk is worth the reward then check it out here.

Good luck to all iPhone wielders out there!  

For Those Who Want To Make Money Blogging

Some of you may have noticed the new ad on the right. Smorty is something that I have been curious about for a while since I started seeing it on other blogs around the blogosphere. I have a quest to get paid for blogging so I thought I would check it out and see what all of the fuss was about. There are many people who are successful at this, but it has only been something that I wondered how others would do. Smorty helps with the goal of getting paid for blogging. They help you by allowing you to get paid for advertising other blogs. On the flip side of things they also are a great place to go if you are looking to get some real links back to your blog or website. You can have Smorty blog advertising of your website and you will get more valuable links to your site. It is a win for everyone. Go check out the site for yourself and start making more money from your website!

iPhone 1.1.3 Downgrade to 1.1.2

iPhone FAQ has posted the instructions to downgrade your iPhone from software version 1.1.3 to 1.1.2 or earlier which is great news for those that want a jailbroken iPhone, but already upgraded the software.

It was originally thought that there was not going to be a way to downgrade the new iPhone software because of the new underlying firmware that was put in place, but iPhone development community has pulled through once again.

If you are looking to downgrade the iPhone from version 1.1.3 to an earlier version then you should head on over there so that you can once again modify your iPhone.

In case you are wondering about the picture on the right, it is from my movie review blog; Dave's Movie Reviews.

iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak

It turns out that the jailbreaking community has another jailbreak process in the works and have gotten it to work. The only problem is that it takes a lot more effort than most will be willing to take. Read the full story here.

The only problem with the whole jailbreaking effort now is that if you have the latest software upgrade 1.1.3 then there is not a way for you to jailbreak it yet. This is not a problem if you kept the iPhone on the old version 1.1.2, but now there is no going back. Good news though, Apple is releasing the dev kit to all of the software developers soon. This means third party software that will not be booted by Apple constantly.

I am excited to see what all of the developers can come up with if they have the tools and access they need to tap into the power of the iPhone. Stay tuned for updates on the third party software coming out.

Can You Prune A Fern?

It seemed like a time for a little pruning...

My fern has seen better days for sure.

iPhone Gets the 1.1.3 Update

As you all know the iPhone got its new update and it is a big one. If you want to still use the jailbreaking and third party software you need to wait until the iPhone unlocking community comes up with a way to unlock it.

The new update looks like it is a god one with a lot of additions to the Google Maps which we wanted from the start. It is still hard to understand why Apple did not include GPS on the original iPhone, but this cell tower/wifi triangulation thing will have to suffice for now. I will have to do further testing to see how accurate it actually is.

Does anyone think that $4 for a movie rental is a fair price. It is a great function that Apple is adding to iTunes, Apple TV, and the iPhone, but it seems a bit much for a movie rental that you have to watch on such a small screen unless you have Apple TV or your computer is hooked up to the TV. If anyone can charge that much leave it to Apple. I still download music from them sometimes even though it is a lot more expensive than other places. They just provide you with peace of mind when it comes to quality I guess.

iGoogle on iPhone

This is something that I have wanted for a while; iGoogle on the iPhone. I use iGoogle often to keep track of all of the RSS feeds that I am subscribed to. Now it is going to be even easier to check all of those RSS feeds from my iPhone.

Google has recently been working on making things work better on the iPhone. This is definitely where Google needs to be headed. It is hard to understand why it has taken them so long to make their sites and features available to iPhone users since there are so many of us, but at least they are addressing the issue. There is so much potential for Google and Apple to join forces to bring the best to the iPhone. I can not wait to see what they come out with next.

Two Pictures Of The Day

Here are a couple pictures that I took with my iPhone today:



I don't know why I thought it looked cool, but it really did to me. It was so foggy and yet the sun was trying to shine through.

Apple iPod Firewire Cable For iPhone

I ran into this post today at iPhone FAQ looking for some iPhone news. I thought it would be interesting if you could use the old iPod firewire cables for the iPhone, but are they really any faster. I have heard arguments about it being faster, but unless it was firewire 800 it wouldn't really have an edge over USB 2. Interesting that it actually works to charge the iPhone though even if it doesn't actually work to sync it up.

Apple Wins Awards For Excellence

I just read an interesting post at tuaw about our favorite company. I love Apple and it is great to hear that they are getting praise for their efforts. The only question I have is why the iPhone was not on the list, but maybe it just doesn't fit what they are considering for the awards. You still have to hand it to Apple for making the list twice. If you have a MacBook Pro then you know exactly why it is on the list.

10 Things I Love To Do With My iPhone

I have had the iPhone for about half a year now and I have compiled a list of ten things that I find myself doing the most. Here are the ten things in no particular order:

1. Surf the web at a snails pace; sometimes I click on a page to load and then go to the bathroom so that by the time I get back it will load the page

2. Watch tons of movies; tons of movies

3. Listen to some music when I am on a plane or something

4. Take a random picture here and there and show it off to my friends and family

5. Check my email every 3 minutes even though it is always junk

6. Check the time in between the times I check the email

7. Check the weather every fifteen minutes even though it is not accurate until about 5 minutes before it actually happens

8. Write a post for one of my blogs very carefully; it is guaranteed that there will not be a picture if I post from the iPhone, but it is nice to post whenever I want

9. Use the calculator to figure out how much I could have saved if I had not bought an iPhone

10. Use the iPhone's ability to set multiple alarms to wake me up in the morning; this makes snoozing for a hour or more very easy

I love my iPhone, but when it comes down to it I think it might be possible to survive without it. I would have to learn to live without the internet at my fingertips, email, weather, and very small movies, but it could be done. Thankfully I have an iPhone and do not have to worry about roughing it.

Is iPhone Jailbreaking or Unlocking Worth It?

It is a lot of work to make sure that everything keeps working when you use a product in a way that it was not intended to be used. I have unlocked my iPhone a couple of times, but it is now completely locked and jailed. Before you chastise me for selling out, here me out:

The first reason I restored my iPhone is simple; it was glitchy when it had third party software on it. I never had my iPhone crash or glitch at all until I unlocked and put third party software on it. I thought some of the things that I could put on it were cool, but it would often make the iPhone lock up and I would have to restart it. This never happened before I unlocked it and has never happened since I restored the iPhone and left it standard.

The second reason is that there are really no third party programs that compare to the user friendliness of the standard Apple software. I love the way that the operating system works on the iPhone and the interaction is amazing even still. However, I have to hand it to those out there that are working on their own and are able to make programs that can even work on the iPhone; it is very impressive to me.

The third reason is that you have to work hard to keep up with all of the changing software and updates. This may be more of a time issue for me, but it seems like a very difficult task just to keep it working with all of the iPhone firmware updates. This also cripples the third party software though; because it is constantly changing the third party software is constantly trying to keep up with the changes rather than actually being free to truly grow in its robustness. This leads to software that has a lot of potential, but is constantly being struck down by Apple.

Overall, unlocking or jailbreaking your iPhone can have a lot of great advantages, but I have found that it is too time consuming for me. I liked some of the options that the third party software added, but I truly enjoy my iPhone much more overall without the hacks. Once the actual third party software that natively works on the iPhone comes out it will be a lot better because all of those that are creating programs right now will have more freedom to make truly great programs that work flawlessly on the iPhone.