My Go To #top_5_iPhone Apps at the moment

#1: Facebook
Great on the go app. Does what its supposed to without many limitations compared to the computer version. The only thing you can't really do is play Facebook games from this app. But do you really expect to be able to play games from within an app? So no complaints about this app.

#2: Twitter
Twitter finally put out their own twitter application. Before, my go to twitter app was Eckofon Pro. The nice thing about the official twitter app is it does all the things you would expect from a pro version of a similar app but for free.

#3: eBay
If you like finding deals online, you like to shop on eBay like me. I never buy cellphone or computer accessories at retail price. If you need a USB cable or a new leather case for your new phone, go on eBay and pick it up for a third of the price.

#4: Words With Friends
Great free game that is very similar to scrabble. Challenge your friends. The only drawback of this game is the loading time of the ads but most people take a few minutes in between moves anyway so the ads aren't that bad making it not necessary to buy the ad free version.

#5: Angry Birds
At $0.99, you can't go wrong with this game. Hours of game play for only a dollar. There are 4 sections of puzzles with approximately 140 levels per section.

White #iPhone4 Pictures

The infamous white iPhone 4. For more info go to the iPhone blog. They have the details. 

- Joel

#iPhone4 Griffin Reveal Case Side by side #iPhone3GS Griffin Elan Form Cases

So I just got my new Griffin Reveal case in the mail and thought I would tell you a little about what I thought about it so far. I personally really like the product that Griffin puts out for the iPhone. As you can see there isn't a substantial size difference between the iPhone 4 on the left and the iPhone 3GS with a Griffin Elan form case on the right. In hand however, you can feel the size difference. I really like the squared flat surface that the new iPhone 4 has compared to the rounded back of the iPhone 3GS. The Griffin Reveal case is made out of a solid piece of clear plastic for the back so you can see all of the great awesomeness of Apple engineering. The outside edge is made out of a strong flexible rubber. You stretch the rubber slightly to let the iPhone slip in and then it locks into place. The rubber lip extends slightly above the screen giving it a slight buffer from contact on the ground if your iPhone were ever to sit face down.

Here is the side view of the two cases. The iPhone 3GS has the nice rounded edges. It grips will with the pleather like material on the back. Both iPhones have Zagg Invisible Shield Screen protectors on them. I've been sold on Zagg's product line. You can see both cases offer cut outs for the the mute function button. The Reveal case does cover up the volume up and volume down buttons as well as covers up the top button on the iPhone. Another nice thing about these cases is that they do seem to alleviate the "death grip" reception problem. It feels nice in your hand and it doesn't feel like its going to slip or fall out. Plus you have the security in knowing that if it does fall, your investment will have a barrier in place to protect it from scratches.

Here is the side view that I was talking about. You can see that the iPhone 4 only has the ring/vibrate button exposed while the iPhone 3GS has the volume rocker buttons completely available. This minor detail doesn't seem to affect the ability to change the volume as the case is soft enough to push the buttons with no problems. I do like the seamless look of the iPhone 4 case. The two piece case of the iPhone 3GS does make for easy cleaning of dust and lint.

Here is the rear view of the case. The wet looking streaks are the Zagg Invisible Shield rear cover sticking to the clear plastic in the back of the Griffin case. This clear case will probably look really good with a white iPhone 4 as well. I'm not sure how long its going to stay scratch free though so we'll just have to wait and see. Packaging on the right is simple enough. Shipping was fairly prompt. I did have to wait for UPS to deliver on a second attempt but that was due to requiring a signature and I wasn't home.

Well that pretty much sums it up with comparing my two primary cases for both my phones. Any questions, feel free to ask and I'll be more than happy to answer them.

$20,000 #iPhone4?

Are you baller enough? Saw this on www.tipb.com. Diamond encrusted white iPhone 4. Considering the white iPhone 4s aren't even out yet, this would be a very hot item. I'm not sure even the rich and famous will shell out the money for this ridiculous phone. I could buy a nice car for $20k. Several are joking that the diamonds give better reception. Wouldn't it be terrible if you had no reception while using this phone because you refuse to put a bumper on it? Will there be a clear bumper for this white diamond phone? I'm also surprised that there aren't diamonds on the front face of the iPhone as well. Until next time.

- Joel via iPhone

Having #iPhone4 reception issues?

So apparently apple released a statement that the mass reported signal reception problem was due to a reception strength display equation. They also went on the record to say all phones suffer from signal strength loss when users hold them but they're usually only 1 bar and not as dramatic that have been seen with the iPhone4. So basically what they're saying is that due to a faulty math equation, the iPhone4 is showing a higher signal then it actually has. So once the call is initiated the call loses more strength because the signal strength wasn't that strong to begin with. They also said that they will be releasing a new software update with AT&T's new signal strength equation. We'll see if it helps.

Until next time,

- Joel via iPhone

iPhone case

This is my first case review. This one does not have a specific name brand but if you want it just search white hard case cover for iPhone 4 on eBay and it should come up. It comes in several covers but white was the only color I found appealing. I probably would have normally ordered black but they didn't have black at the time. This case set me back about $5 so pretty good bang for your buck. It comes in two pieces and snaps together very easily. Not sure how much drop protection it will provide but it's better than having no case at all.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there seems to be a antenna reception problem when held from the bottom of the phone. By having the case on the phone, the rubber provides a nice barrier between the phone antenna and your hand so the signal drop is a lot less noticeable. If you use your phone with very consistent 3G signal then you probably won't notice as much as a difference. The case does seem to help.

I'm ordering a few more cases so I'll review those when I get them. Until next time,

- Joel via iPhone

Unboxing of the iPhone 4 **UPDATED**

What's up everyone? Got done with all my chores of the day so I thought I would side down and give you guys a little peak of the new iPhone 4. I was lucky and was able to order on the pre-order release date. At&t shipped my phone early and its actually here a day earlier than the official release date.

Let's start with the new updates that are the big features on the apple.com website.

FaceTime - Haven't had a chance to test it out yet. None of my friends have their iPhones yet as far as I know. If you got your iPhone too, send me a message and we can try it out.  **Update: Tried out FaceTime with a friend of mine. It reminds me of a webcam chat on a computer but it doesn't have any lag which is really nice. Both participants need to have a WiFi connection to be able to use the FaceTime feature.**

Retina Display - Wow, the new resolution for this screen is great. The text is a lot more crisp. I noticed it right away when I'm sending text messages.  All other programs have an improved text clarity.

Multi-Tasking - A great new addition. Just double tab the home button and it will bring up all the recently used apps at the bottom of the phone. Great for switching between apps with ease.

HD Recording and 5 megapixel Camera - Played with the camera for a few minutes, haven't quite figured out the flash settings to take the best quality pictures.

Folders - I'm really glad that Apple put in this feature. I went from 5 pages worth of apps down to 2 pages. Being able to organize them into categories is great. The iPhone will even name the folder based off of the program types if you can't come up with a name by yourself.

Those were the main highlights from apple.  One thing I've noticed that I personally appreciate is the improved speaker phone capability. I always thought the speaker on the iPhone 3GS was good for the ipod and youtube features. But the speaker phone volume always seemed very weak when I would make calls. This time around on the iPhone 4, I think there have been some volume improvements. I'll know better when I try to use the speakerphone in a setting with more background noise.

And now the CONS...

Not too many things to complain about. The activation process was very simple and easy to do. However, the iPhone 4 does not use a regular sim card rather its own built-sim card, much like the earlier iPhone models. This wasn't that critical to make it a major con but it will make selling the iPhone down the line in the future a little more difficult. **Correction: I did find a sim-card slot. It does mention that the iPhone comes with its own pre-install sim-card.  Its located on the side of the iPhone rather than on the top like the 3GS.**

One thing that has been popping up on several other iPhone sources is that users have been complaining about reception strength drop when users are holding the phone by the antenna metal edge of the phone. This new antenna concept was supposed to help improve the signal strength of the phone and is a key structural part of the iPhone itself. Haven't made too many calls yet but I will keep my eye out for it and keep you updated. **Update: I had the reception problem when holding the phone with my left hand. I would have full bars on 3G coverage and then when holding the phone like normally and then the reception drops all the way down to no bars. I would still be able to call out but the reception was definitely not up to par. I ordered a hard rubber cheap $4.00 case on eBay and got it in the mail today. It significantly reduced the signal reception drop. If you're having problems, just get a case for it and it seems to do the trick so you're hand doesn't connect the two parts of the antenna of the phone.**

One last thing that I want to complain about is the lack of good cases available for the iPhone 4. With previous iPhones, there were a plethora of cases available on launch date. All of the big names in cell phone cases are either sold out or say coming soon for their iPhone 4 cases. I would like to be able protect my iPhone so having a case available to order would be nice. **Update: I found a few different websites you want to order a case. www.ideal-case.com, www.griffintechnology.com and www.case-mate.com are few websites with some good cases. I ordered the reveal case from the Griffin website. We'll see how it turns out when I get it.**

Until next time.

-Joel

No point in waiting in line for an iPhone 4 on the 24th if you didn't pre-order

According the to www.tipb.com (the iphone blog), at&t stores are out of stock for release date. all phones are spoken for with pre-orders. So if you were planning on camping out for the iphone 4, you might just be wasting your time.

Will the iPhone 4 drop a day early?

Several blogs and forums are posting that several iPhone 4 pre-order customers have received notification or tracking number updates saying their orders will arrive on June 23rd rather than June 24th. I also received the update on my tracking number but I have a gut feeling that we will still see a June 24th release date.. Anyone else get the same delivery date for their iPhone 4?

iOS 4 First Impressions on 3GS

So I downloaded the new iOS 4 onto my 3GS and so far I love it. Thought I would play around with the new operating system before I get my iPhone 4.  I'm sure on the iPhone 4, the new features will stand out even more. I'll give you a list of the Pros and Cons I've found so far. (In no particular order)

PROS:

-- Folders - moving all my similar apps into folders is great. Shrunk my apps pages from 5 to 2. Just hold down on an app to make it move, move it on top of another app that you want to put into a folder with, name the folder and you're good to go.

-- Multi-tasking - sweet feature, nicely switches between apps. Double tap the home button and it brings up recently used apps. It doesn't appear that multi-tasking affects battery life but time will tell. I think it has something to do with apple using a "pseudo" multi-tasking ability. I don't think the program runs fully in the background if you're not using it. More like a "pause" feature so you can switch back and forth without losing what you were doing. If you want to take the apps out of the multi-tasking bar, just hold down the app and it brings up a minus sign.

-- Wallpaper - you can now choose your wallpaper that shows up while surfing through your apps. Nice feature, not a major update but still nice nonetheless.

CONS

-- None so far. I'll let you know what I find. Only been using the new system for a short while.

That's all for now.

- Joel

To Jailbreak Or Not to Jailbreak

My personal opinion is a big fat NO. For those who don't know, jailbreaking is a process to which you hack your iPhone so you can download apps not approved by the apple store to customize your iPhone in ways not normally seen on a standard iPhone.

Granted that jailbreaking your iPhone gets you access to a large marketplace of apps that are not approved by the apple store for free. I almost considered jailbreaking my iPhone purely for the ability to tether my iPhone's Internet connection to my laptop. That would be a nice feature when you're not near a wifi hotspot. I think the deal breaker for me was when I heard jailbreaking leaves your iPhone about as secure as a windows pc with no virus protection software. What does everyone else think?

- Joel via iPhone

New iPhone?

Not sure if anyone cares but I'm a real gadget nerd. This blog will consist of current news on apple products and gadgets. I've had two regular iPods, an iPod touch, a MacBook, an iPhone 3GS and soon an iPhone 4 in my lifetime so I've had a little experience with Apple products.

Just wanted to take a stroll down cellphone memory lane. So when the 1st iPhone came out, I was very anti-iPhone. My first cellphone that I paid for myself was a Sidekick II. At the time I really liked the fact that I had a phone that no one else had. After about a year, the Sidekick II had gone too mainstream and everyone, even celebrities had them. Next phone was a Palm Treo 650. That was a very good phone for keeping everything from appointments to email very organized. The main problem with phone was trying to keep everything up to date between the phone and my laptop. I then moved over to a windows mobile smartphone. That phone was great but like most windows based products, the phone began to run slowly and was always becoming glitchy. I finally made the leap to the iPhone 3GS after using an iPod touch for several months. The iPhone interface is so easy to use and I rarely run into any problems with the phone freezing up and crashing.

So who's getting the new iPhone? I spent about 2 hours on June 15th trying to order my iPhone through apple with no success. Finally tried ordering through the AT&T website and was able to finish placing my order at about 3:45 in the morning. As frustrating as it was trying to deal with all the processing pages from a non-responsive apple website, I'm glad that I ordered that first night as Apple.com has sold out 3 pre-order release dates.

Coming from the iPhone 3GS, I'm really looking forward to the multi-tasking ability. And lucky for me I still get to keep my unlimited data plan. For those who are going to be new to the iPhone service, I looked into the new data plans so you can make an educated decision for yourself if you want to get an iPhone for yourself. And if you're thinking you don't want a data plan, there's no way around it.

This is taken directly from AT&T's website.

"DataPlus – 200 MB of data for $15 per month

Designed for people who primarily surf the Web, send email, and use social networking apps.

On average, 65% of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 200 MB per month

If you use more than 200 MB, you'll receive an additional 200 MB of data usage for $15, replenished as often as necessary during the billing cycle.

DataPro – 2 GB of data for $25 per month

Designed for people who regularly download or stream music and video, or use other high bandwidth applications
98% of AT&T smartphone customers use less than 2 GB in a month on average

If you exceed 2 GB, you'll get an additional 1 GB of data for only $10. Each time an additional 1 GB is used up during a cycle, you will automatically receive another 1 GB at the same low price.

Current smartphone customers are not required to switch to the new plans, but can choose to do so without a contract extension."

I personally rarely go over the 2 gb cap but I've become a much heavier data user over the past few weeks so I'm very thankful that I have an unlimited data plan.

Well I think that's all for tonight. My next post will probably be regarding whether or not to jailbreak an iPhone.

- Joel via iPhone