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just me. my current interests and stories for the interwebs.
I know that the last few posts have been Apple / iPhone 5 overload, but until mine arrives on Friday, here's a little more excitement coming your way! Check out the latest trailer from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey slated for a December 14, 2012 release!.
Do you have one of Apple's 30-pin Docks or perhaps a speaker docking system that has now become obsolete? Well, if you haven't heard, Apple just recently implemented their new proprietary 8-pin connector starting with the iPhone 5 and next generation iPod nano making your accessories defunct but don't worry. More or less, you have the chance to set that dock / speaker free with a new device named auris!
Change is good.
...the other big advantage of the Lightning connector is its size: It’s 80 percent smaller than the 30-pin connector...
via Macworld
If this Geekbench test holds true, we'll have a new reigning champ in the mobile arena. I'm sure we'll also be hearing from Apple's PR either tomorrow or sometime this week reporting record sales after Friday morning's sell out!
The numbers seem to validate Apple's claim that the A6 processor is twice as fast as the A5 and any previous iOS device. This one score also places the iPhone 5 ahead of the average scores of all Android phones on Geekbench.
Got my personal site on techmeme.com under Top News / more: yesterday with my Online iPhone 5 Pre-Order Fiasco story! That's always a positive way of looking at how crappy my experience was with Apple's website and AT&T servers.
According to Sprint's website, the winner is the 16GB iPhone 5 with shipping times posting two weeks out while the 32GB and 64GB show delivery dates of September 21st. The other two US carriers, Verizon and AT&T show dates of 9/26 and 2-3 weeks ago respectively. Maybe Verizon has a larger allotment of iPhone 5s Fives?
Of course, if you do chose Sprint, you won't be able to make calls and surf the web simultaneously so chose accordingly. If you're like me and live in San Diego, I don't even see a roll-out date for Sprint LTE so until then, I'll be sticking with AT&T.
The bottom line on why Verizon & Sprint won't do simultaneous calls and data:
The technology in 4G LTE networks does not currently handle voice transmissions.
For some reason, Apple thought that handing out online reservation tickets would be a great idea. It was a complete and utter disaster that prevented me from ordering any of my phones and now I might be stuck waiting in line if I want the new iPhone 5 on day 1, September 21. Yes, it could have been AT&T's fault due to carrier processing on subsidize costs and eligibility, but that's doesn't matter. I hated every minute of it. None of the "reservations" say that they phone will deliver by the 21st but instead say 2 week shipping. I logged into Verizon Wireless website where 2 hours after this whole ordeal took 3 minutes to go through and complete. I'm just waiting for my confirmation that I'm moving from one crappy company to the other "pompous, more expensive because we know we can be" carrier. Hopefully the grass is greener on the other side.
Here are some images that you'll enjoy that pretty much depicts what I went through.
Check out the amazing video that features none other than Sir Jony Ive showing you the amazing features of Apple's new iPhone 5! An even better camera with a sapphire crystal, unbelievable battery life even when coupled with LTE, a larger 4" screen, A6 processor and a new feel. Pre-order this Friday the 14th and it ships on the 21st of September!
With the release of this new phone, customers can now get the 2-year-old iPhone 4 for free, the iPhone 4S 16GB for $99 and the iPhone 5 starting at $199! (all under a two year contract of course) That's just simply awesome!
Over the last few years, many geeks, myself included, become glued to their computers & smartphones following a live blog of the Apple Event. It comes around twice a year, sometimes three and today is the day! The iPhone 5 is set to be announced in just under 15 minutes and here are the two blogs that I love!
Ryan Block for gdgt.com does an amazing job of coverage. He has become synonymous with live journaling and if this was the only feed you could pull, I'd recommend it.
You can also count on Joshua Topolsky from The Verge to do a wonderful job.
I follow these two streams for varying angles and pictures throughout the event. Text wise, they both have their moments of colorful commentary and are fun to follow. Hopefully I'll get to be at one of these events someday!
On the heels of Nokia & Microsoft's event, not the mention the Motorola event that followed the same afternoon, Jeff Bezos and his team unveiled an onslaught of brand new Kindle devices. Ranging from the updated $69 K5 to the high-end LTE 4G 8.9" Kindle FIre HD, Amazon has spread their net wide across the already Kindle dominated ecosystem. I have been an avid fan of the Kindle ecosystem starting with the 3G Kindle Keyboard then purchasing a $79 K4 for myself. Great devices all around with one thing lacking; a light. The $99 Kindle Touch was initially on my wish list but due to poor reviews which mention a raised border and a slow response, I found that the twenty dollars wasn't worth it. Since then, I've enjoyed the Kindle 4 since its introduction and have bought it for some friends!
With the introduction of four new Kindle platforms and two sub offerings, I am confident that the Paperwhite WiFi with ads will be the clear winner priced at an amazing $119. I'll have a review once it comes in as well as an unboxing.
For now, the Paperwhite is touting a higher resolution and contrast, an 8 week battery life and finally, a built-in patented backlight. I can't wait! Also, if you click on the image or my link for the Kindle Paperwhite, it will help support my site. Thanks!
Remember to pre-order one now before September 15 if you live in California because that's when the tax-free ride disappears!
During the last decade, Apple has led the way in optimizing the personal computer being the first to delete legacy equipment and replace them with new technologies or simply minimalize. On some occasions, their choice to adopt was either strategically delayed waiting for broad acceptance or in some cases never implemented e.g. Blu-ray. On the opposite extreme, they have also led the way in the proliferation of FireWire; Apple's own design and technology implemented in 1999 and found in Apple Computers since.
With the inclusion of the latest USB 3.0 ports, we can finally celebrate the new dawn of faster data transfers. Rumored to also be is a new Dock Connector that I'm guessing will take full advantage of these blazing new bus speeds. Introduced back in 2008 and the first consumer products released in 2009, it's been a long time coming with Intel releasing their first integrated chipsets earlier this year. I truly believe that we will look back and thank Apple for this as the adoption rate and proliferation of USB 3.0 peripherals will most likely sky rocket. This in part being that it costs less than the Thunderbolt equivalent and is backward compatible with USB 2.0. Consumers love the term "backwards" compatibility. Where the PC world has failed in the introduction of USB 3.0, Apple will be heralded as the usurpuer. From those million iOS users stuck syncing for hours, thank you and finally! Yes, we can say that wireless syncing is where it's at, but only because we don't have access to quick syncs and backups. The cloud is great nonetheless, but USB 3.0 will be where it's at.
The success of WWDC '12 and not to mention the intro of the MacBook Pro with Retina display, the yet-to-be-announced Fall '12 iPod / iPhone / iPad maybe iMac event couldn't come fast enough. I love Thunderbolt technology but how many hard drives and peripherals do you see out there support it compared to USB 3.0?
If you haven't watched this yet or have been just over burdened by all things Olympics, then you've been missing out how amazing we (the US, mankind, etc) really are. Watch this video from NASA JPL showing the sequence that took place just a couple of days ago. The pictures that the rover are returning are beyond beautiful too! America rocks!!! A freaking sky crane!!!
Here's a direct link to the photos from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) here. NASA Photos