Why I'm Selling my iPhone 5

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When it comes down to having the best of the best, some people have asked me why it's worth it.  Bottom line... over the course of a year or two, I'm shelling out $1.5 a day or $0.07 an hour for something that I'm on ALL THE TIME!  Does that make it worth it... yes!  The fact of the matter is that I might end up paying another $400 once I sell my iPhone 5 64GB in White for AT&T, but as the number one tool in your pocket?  It's dumb to have a "free" iPhone 4S which is two years old and keep it for another two years.  Also, if the iPhone 5c is nothing more that a .1 update to the iPhone 5, it's not worth it.  The camera, and Touch ID alone along with the A7 64-bit processor, I'm expecting nothing but awesome with the new iPhone 5s. This also puts me in line with Brian Lam of The Wirecutter on the new iPhone 5s.  I asked him a while back on the iPhone 5 and he responded to me via twitter with good points.  He also recently wrote this on his website too.

I’m just saying you should upgrade because a few hundred bucks is not really a lot of money for something if you use it all the time, every day, and are already paying a hundred bucks and change a month in service fees over several years.

I'm going to find out what I can fetch for my iPhone 5.  Any offers?  Gazelle is up to $360 $340 buy I wonder if I could get $450 on Craigslist? It's still jailbroken too by the way running iOS 6.0.2.

update: Lifehacker also talks about future proofing for only $100.

Considering the price difference between the two models is only $100, your best bet if you have the cash is the iPhone 5s for future proofing, which is worth it considering since you'll have to sign a new two year contract to get the discounted pricing.

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Apple's new iPhone 5s & iPhone 5c

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If you haven't been following the news of my twitter stream today, around 10AM Apple started its annual iPhone event.  You can read all about it on Apple's website but here are a few details.  The iPhone 5c is a colorful addition to the lineup with white, pink, yellow, blue and green while the 5s will be offered in silver, space gray and the new gold. The biggest highlights come from the iPhone 5s debuting a new camera, dual LED flash, slow motion video at 120fps, and the new biometric Touch ID home button that can be used to purchase apps on the App Store and primarily  unlock your phone.  For the techies out there, it's also the first smartphone in the industry to have a 64-bit A7 processor making it 2x faster than the now defunct iPhone 5.  The 5c starts at $99 available for pre-order this Friday while the 5s can be ordered starting on the 20th.  At $199, you'll have to chose between a 16GB iPhone 5s with all those new features of the 32GB iPhone 5c.  Which one will you go with?

If you want a thorough update on what's new on the iPhones, check out 9to5mac.  You can also find both iPhone 5s videos on Apple's website here.

iPhone 5s and 5c

Olympus' New Flagship

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I love the Micro 4/3 platform but more importantly, the fact that my wife can easily handle the camera makes for a HUGE plus.  I've also thoroughly enjoyed using my Olympus OM-D E-M5 for the past year.  With that in mind, Olympus just unleashed their second OM-D body raising the bar yet again. OM D E M1

Continuing with the confusing naming scheme, the OM-D E-M1 is debuting along two amazing M.ZUIKO Digital ED "Pro" lenses both with constant f2.8 maximum aperture.  Upgrades include the newly redesigned 16.3-megapixel micro four thirds sensor utilizing the latest TruPic VII image processing engine which allows for FAST (Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology) Autofocusing.  (sorry for that long sentence)

The technology is getting good enough that inexpensive DSLRs no longer really make sense. Once upon a time, "real" photographers would have cringed at the thought of using an electronic viewfinder, but that's just not the case any more.

via Gizmodo

update: Steve Huff just posted his first impressions.  Definitely a great read!

Why didn't Everyone Adapt Lightning?

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20130907-195849.jpgIf you thought the more durable, reversible, minimal size but extra cost Apple Lightning Connector was to swallow or adapt to, check out the new definition of ugly and awkward.  Yea it's backwards compatible and can draw up to 900 milliamps, but this micro USB isn't pretty.  Mind that you also don't plug it in wrong or you might damage the entire port.  You can take one home soon when purchasing Samsung's latest Galaxy Note 3. /s

via Android Beat

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Version 2

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Looks like Amazon's own leak led to the early unveiling of the next generation Paperwhite.  Being dubbed as version 2, Amazon's best e-reader & in my opinion, the best way to consume ebooks is out for preorder today!  Click on the picture or use my link below to get yours shipped on or by September 30th! Here's the quick run down:

  • higher contrast
  • next generation built-in light
  • 25% faster processor
  • 19% tighter touch grid enhancing accuracy

Is it worth the upgrade?  I'll be honest that these features alone won't cause me to sell my version 1 on craigslist just yet but if the light is indeed that much better, you can count on it!

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Amazon Paperwhite (next gen)

What's in Your Pockets?

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Now this is an amazing jacket. I've been seriously considering a Scottevest for quite sometime and this might be the winner. Watch the video below. http://youtu.be/oY7elyTHWMk

You can hide both an iPad and a MacBook Air 13" and not have to bring cases makes this the ultimate coffee shop tech vest. Co-designed with #1 New York Times Best Selling author Brad Thor, it's set to debut next month in September. I was on a Mitch Rapp kick for a while but I'll have to start-up his series too when I'm finally done with Game of Thrones!

Hours without a Socket

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13 hours and 29 minutes. That’s all you really need to know 

If you are looking for a back-to-school laptop, there's a clear winner throughout the ENTIRE industry.  From The Wirecutter and other reviews, particularly Nilay Patel's on The Verge, it's a no brainer unless you're naturally stubborn. For all the Wintel lovers out there, this might not be easy to swallow, but we all know which laptop runs Windows better.  If you still can't tell which laptop it is, it's the Apple's new Macbook Air.  

September is Confirmed for the new iPhone

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Once again, it's that time of year for Apple to unveil it's latest offerings in the crowded smartphone market.  On September 10th, we can expect Tim Cook and the gang to take the wraps off the rumored iPhone 5S and maybe introduce a lower costing iPhone 5C.  This would mark the first time in six years that Apple debuts a new lower tier model rather than moving the previous generation a step down.  

As the timeline goes, Tuesday the 10th falls in line with the usual Apple event followed by ten days of hype until the official release on September 20th.  We can expect reviews three days earlier.  

IPhone5 3up Pyramid iOS7 PRINT

Get your wallets and plastics ready.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that along with the new iPhones, we can expect the overhaul operating system, iOS7, to make it's final release.  Are you going to be upgrading?  

The Nexus 7.2

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Since the debut of Google's Nexus 7-2 / 7.b / Nexus 7 (2013) or whatever, the reviews have all mentioned the stunning screen.  At $229, Google has placed it at $100 under the dated iPad mini and $30 over the Amazon Kindle Fire.  You could also opt for the Nook HD being liquidated for $129, but we all know where Barnes and Nobles technology is heading. Here's Marco Arment's take.

I’d be tempted to get the new Nexus 7 “to play around with”, but last year’s model sitting in my closet reminding me I’ll never use it is a very effective deterrent.

I'm enamored by the pixel density of the screen and a good friend tweeted to me that he's in love, but is it worth upgrading my Nexus 7 (2012)?  Being that it's been sitting idle in my bag for just under a year with an occasional here and there "wake" I'm much more along the lines of I don't care.  Every time I hold my 2012 Nexus 7, there's complete apathy but with my 2012 iPad mini, I'm overcome with warmth.

I also love his second footnote with an emphasis on the last sentence.

I offered to give my Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire to Betaworks in the Instapaper acquisition, but they had so many of both sitting around already that they declined. Tech companies with mobile apps can practically tile walls with outdated Android devices. They’re the new AOL CDs.

An E-Reader That I Use

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I get a lot of questions on what tablet I use / prefer (iPad Mini) and if I still carry an e-reader when I travel.  I do and I'll tell you why. To put it simply, my daughter has taken over my Mini.  Some other quick thoughts are that the Kindle Paperwhite is lighter than the Mini 95 grams, the front light is amazing, the resolution is crisp, and lets not forget about the amazing ecosystem than Amazon has established.

I've never enjoyed reading on the iPad unless it's a news article or a magazine through Flipboard.  I also end up getting distracted by all the applications that are on the iOS ecosystem.  When I want to read a book and dive into it, I'm still in enamored by my Kindle.  In fact, my wife prefers it too!

SD Memory Cards for my Olympus OM-D 5E

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If there is one memory card to get, it's the SanDisk Extreme 16GB 45MB/s SDHC Class 10 card.  It's touted on many other blogs out there and I love my cards.  Personally, I opted for two 32GB cards but I'm leaning towards picking up another pair of 16s due to the speed and time it takes to dump them onto my networked drive.  Right now, both the 16GB and 32GB are around $1.00 a GB on Amazon.  Check them out and always remember to use my links!  Thanks!

Free Apps on iTunes Store today!

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A bunch of apps on the iTunes store have gone free! Both The Verge and 9to5mac have listed them all but here are my favorites.  

Day One - a beautiful journaling app for iOS also available for $9.99 on Mac.  

Over - add text with a beautiful selection of fonts and artwork to your pictures then and only then do they become Facebook worthy =) 

Barefoot World Atlas - a great map with animations and world facts just like what we could have used in 7th grade geography joust! 

and of course the $19.99 app Traktor DJ either the iPhone or iPad for free!