Review – Kensington Mini Battery Pack.

Well here it is. One of the best accessories I’ve had the privilege of reviewing for my iPhone. This thing is so small, yet does so much for you and your iPhone. Sorry for the lack of a photo gallery, but my camera has died on me and I hope to get the pictures up on the 27th or 28th of June. I’m borrowing these images from iLounge for the mean time. Kensington says this mini battery extends play time up to 30 hours of music; 6 hours of video and 3 hours of talk time.

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iPhone 3G MMS in Route? Maybe not.

So the guys at Gizmodo just posted what was supposed to be an internal memo sent by AT&T on what the MMS function might look like on the iPhone. Someone should have actually reviewed the picture before they decided to release that information. This screen shot looks IDENTICAL to SwirlyMMS (a third party app for jailbroken iPhones). Not only that, the carrier isn’t even AT&T. What do you think? Here’s the picture taken from Gizmodo and a picture from SwirlyMMS.

SWIRLYMMS

July Contest Official Video

Click here to watch this video on your iPhone

Here is an ongoing list of the prizes thus far:
Kensington LiquidAUX Deluxe
Equinux TubeStick Hybrid
Proporta Universal Dock
Maximo iMetal Isolation Headset
MORE TO COME

Even Jack Bauer can’t get an iPhone 3G

Keifer Sutherland like all of us here is a big fan of Apple products, specifically the iPhone. But even Keifer, who stared in fine theatrical masterpieces such as Young Guns, The Lost Boys and Young Guns II, can’t get any love from Apple. Over the weekend, Mr. Sutherland and his girlfriend decided to take a trip to their local Apple store to flex some celebrity muscle. This is how it might have went:
Sutherland: “Hey, my name is Keifer Sutherland, I’m interested in getting the 3G iPhone early do you have any?”
Apple Employee: “Keifer Who?”
Sutherland: “I was the star of the 80s hit The Lost Boys!”
Apple Employee: “What?”
It probably went on for five more minutes. Needless to say, as of now, no one that has played in the movie Stand By Me has a 3G iPhone.

I’m Sure You Hate This Too….iPhone buzz

I absolutely hate when I’m at my computer and I receive a text, email, or phone call but before the call or message comes in, all I hear is static and crackling from my surround sound speakers (mainly my sub woofer). This also happens when my phone is near my alarm clock, my TV, and anything else that has any kind of audio. Most GSM cell phones have this problem. The biggest occurrences come from smart phones.

I struggle with this daily because I’m an audio/visual technician so I’m around speakers, mixers, and amps all day. I have four big amps in my office that connect to all of the meeting rooms in the building. If I have microphones or any other audio set up in a room and I receive a call or message, the static sound will come through not only in my office, but also in the meeting rooms during events. Yes, I’ve gotten into trouble several times because of this.

Sure I could tell you why all of this happens, and how the wires from the speakers probably aren’t shielded, and about radio waves, and it’s worse when it rains because of whatever reason…..But let’s just skip the boring stuff and get to the solution.
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AT&T Reps are stupid and uninformed

Yes I said it, you know you were thinking it. My statement is not targeted towards all AT&T reps, just the 7 reps that I’ve spoken with in the last 48 hours. They have all given me different answers in regards to purchasing the iPhone 3G in July. Let me explain my situation. I wanted to help my wife out so I used my upgrade that I had on my line to get her a new Palm Centro (she didn’t want my iPhone, go figure). So now I’m not due an upgrade until June of 2010. The big question that I’ve been trying to have answered is will I still be able to purchase an iPhone 3G for $199 or $299 and be able to activate it under my line. So far I’ve received answers like:

“No, you’ll have to pay a larger unsubsidized price (which currently is unavailable)”
“Yes, the iPhone is not discounted and doesn’t require you to have an upgrade due to you because you’re paying the full price for the phone and signing up for a new 2 year contract”
“Yes, you will be able to purchase the iPhone for $199 or $299, but you will not be able to have it activated in-store on your phone line because you used your upgrade.”
and the best one so far
“Yes you will be able to purchase the iPhone for $199 or $299 and you’ll be able to activate it at the AT&T store with no problem.”

Now I understand if these AT&T reps don’t have all the information from corporate, but if that is the case, then I’d rather have them tell me that they don’t know, than to give me all sorts of reasons and explanations. In their defense, all the AT&T reps that I spoke with were all courteous and trying to be helpful, but you can imagine my frustration. Needless to say, I’ll be shipping back my wife’s Centro and  browsing Craigslist for a used one. So the bottom line is, AT&T does not quite have all the details together in regards to getting an iPhone 3G, but it is safe to say that if your account says your due an upgrade on your phone, that you will have no problems at all. If there are any AT&T employees that can shed some light on this mystery, or if you’ve had some experience with AT&T please post a comment.

UK release time.

Well, after a really long, hard day, I decided to give O2 a call and see if I could get anything from them. So I called my local store, and luckily the manager answered. Here’s basically what we said:

Me:Hi

Manager: how may i help you?

Me: I just wondered if you knew what time the iPhone 3G will launch?

Manager: Its definitely 7 AM, but it’s a bit up in the air.

Me: What Do You Mean?

Manager: Well, the centre usually opens at 10AM, so we are working with the managers to get it to open early for us. If not then it will be 10AM.

Me: SO it’s the same time nationwide. 7AM

Manager: Yes. Although some centre stores may be affected.

He seems pretty well in the know about what he’s talking about. Of course, in the UK, Apple stores still don’t know if they’ll be able to sell the iPhone 3G. My local store seems to think so, but the London store says nothing has been confirmed. Both of the stores couldn’t confirm a time for me. So thanks, Mr O2 store manager.

Side by Side Photo iPhones 2G & 3G

To me it was enough to warrant a post over anyway. I thought that people would like to see what the iPhones look like next to one another. So the first picture of that surfaced over at iLounge. Its not much to look at, but tell us what you think of the visual differences you’ve noticed so far. I personally want to see how rounded the back is, and how tapered the edges are. All I know for certain is the 3G isn’t going to like tables.

Not Upgrading to 3g Just Yet? Here’s a Deal for You

For those of you current generation iPhone owners who don’t plan on upgrading to the 3g model there are numerous deals out there for you. Many third party companies are trying to offload their “old” iPhone equipment in order to make room for the new stuff. All you have to do is search for it. Now is the time to snatch and grab all of those sweet cases you thought were too expensive just a few months ago. Griffin Technology is one of those companies. They have a special offer going right now where you can buy 6 of their best selling cases for only $50!! Although these cases are only for current gen iPhone holders, I almost want to buy them and try to squeeze my 3g in these cases when I get it. This bundle includes: Reflect, Elan Form (black leather), Elan Form (cork), iClear, Elan Sleeve, and Elan Convertible.

Again, if you aren’t giving up on ol’ faithful for the iPhone 3g, this is a great offer. That averages out to less than $9 a case!!

Countdown to iDay: Preview 10 of 30

If you are like me, you can’t workout without listening to music and you also can’t workout and leave your phone behind. Many of us have jobs that require us to be on call for the majority of the day, which leaves you to be permanently attached to your phone. The armbands that were ever so popular with the first generation of the iPhone allowed us to exercise without leaving these items behind. They will be making a return appearance for the iPhone 3g. Griffin’s claims that their new Streamline is the their slimmest armband ever.

One of the most notable features of this armband is the reflective trim around the edges. This makes you more obvious to passing motorists while you are biking or walking after dark. The cord wrap is another noteworthy feature for me. I liked to use my iPhone as I warmed up at the gym before playing basketball and I would try and wire my earphones under my shirt and it never worked out the way I wanted it to.

This case is protects your iPhone from dust, scratches, and smudges while resting comfortably on your arm. It is washable and it also fits on either arm. The Griffin Streamline is available now for $29.99 here. Don’t forget to check out the rest of its features.