IPHONE 3G DISASTER - PART IV

I am feeling way better now that the iPhone is having major problems.

Most of you have been following my iPhone frustrations. I am the only one that has to pay $499 for my iPhone if I want one because I am an unloved AT&T customer that isn't due for a phone upgrade until January. So I have to pay the "hell will freeze" over price of $499, if I want one.

Well, it seems that the discount $299 price might not be worth it either from what I am hearing.

Let's look at the problems:

1. 3G speeds aren't true 3G speeds. They are somewhere between what they are right now (EDGE speed) and what they claimed they should be. It still takes a while to load an internet page.

2. Can't run any applications in the background of the iPhone. So basic software that notifies you of a stock market boom is not in the near future. This is probably not an iPhone feature due to problem #3.

3. HORRIBLE LIFE ON THE BATTERY. I would have to see for myself, but the guys over at TechCrunch keep complaining about battery life being very short and I tend to believe them. It doesn't take much to impress TechCrunch guys, but it takes a lot to irritate them.

4. White iPhones are cracking. That's right. There are many cases out there that are showing cracks as you can see from the image above. That's not good since they aren't even a month old. More stories are coming in. I am curious about how the black models are holding up.

5. Unable to capture video was a surprise on this iPhone. My toaster can capture video. Also, the camera is still 2 megapixel. Wow. What's up with that???

As I am impatiently waiting to buy my iPhone in January (SIX WHOLE MONTHS!!!), I am at least getting some relief by people having a miserable time with the iPhones they have.

as Nelson would say on the Simpsons: HA! Ha!

BOYCOTT EMPLOYMENTCROSSING.COM

For those of you who don't know, Randy Pausch sadly passed away on 7/25/08 at age 47.

He received major notoriety for his amazing "Last Lecture" he gave before he died.

It seems that Employmentcrossing.com decided to use his death as way to promote their site. They did a 3 minute video on Youtube. They spend 50 sec. talking about Randy and the other 2:10 talking about Employmentcrossing.com.

I am appalled that any one would be so heartless as to use the death of another for profit like this.

I am asking that you BOYCOTT EMPLOYMENTCROSSING.COM. Please call the company at 800-680-7345 to complain about their video.

BOYCOTT BEIJING!!!

There is a show on PBS called Frontline. I was watching an episode titled "Young and Restless In China".

It was a little shocking to find out that China built huge power towers in the middle of little towns to help with the coming Olympics. It was more shocking to know that over a million people were pushed out of their homes and their homes were demolished for the Olympics.

China is so worried that the look good in front of the world that they are destroying their own people by doing it. I don't believe China cares about anybody but themselves. The are monopolizing all our earthly resources like gas, steel, food products, etc.

They barely doing any importing of our products and yet they are making billions a year on exporting to the USA.

Now I do blame the USA for continuing to import from China. USA is mostly to blame on a lot of the problems in America. That doesn't mean we can't stand up for what we believe.

I can not support the Olympics in Beijing. I will not watch any of the Olympics. I will not use any products with the Olympic symbol on it, and I will tell everyone I know to Boycott Beijing. This country is still a communist country and yet we bring them the glory of broadcast all throughout America?

Watch this documentary "Young and Restless In China" online. Once your done watching it, then try to explain to me two things:

1. how can we support a country that fines you $95,000 for giving birth to a second child
2. how can we watch the Olympics when it became possible by destroying people's lives.

BOYCOTT BEIJING.

WHO ARE THESE GEEKS???

I have been a tech guy since the internet was only being used by companies like Prodigy and AOL. In the past 5 years, I have become a much heavier user of the internet.

I run 4 blogs, one company website, I have developed three other sites for other companies, I am on myspace, facebook, pandora, youtube, metacafe, twitter, friendfeed, loopt, twitterberry, and so much more that it makes my head hurts.

If there is one thing I have learned is that everyone on the net is fighting for attention saying "look at me. look at me". You have no idea of the different types of people there are.

Let's review a few. I may get some of the details wrong on some of these people, but you'll get the jist. Also, Please remember that this is strictly my opinion.



Kevin Rose - Although Kevin is probably the least selfish of the bunch and most successful, I must say I feel opposite about his site. Kevin developed Digg.com. You may not know digg, but every liberal 19 year old male does. They have huge traffic and yet no one in the real world of business knows who they are. Kevin comes across as a nice guy, but his website is very anti-Microsoft, Walmart, Religion, Bush, and Macs. So trying to get an unbiased view of the world is pretty hard, since the lunatics run the assylum at Digg.



Robert Scoble - Not sure what this guy does. He is always writing on twitter and friendfeed and yet never has much to say. He's managing director for FastCompany.tv. I have subscribed to FastCompany for about 10 years and never heard of FastCompany.tv until I came across Robert. He has loads of time to text things 24 hours a day and he is always posting picks on Flikr, which means he can't have time to do any real work.



Michael Arrington - He is the creator of TechCrunch.com which is truly one of the few and best places to get the latest info on technology. I subscribe to his newsletter. In that newsletter Mike is always talking like he is the biggest man in the business. People throw products at him for free or even pay him to review their stuff. Sometimes it crosses the line and he starts pushing his own interests. He has many subscribers. He is his biggest fan.

I don't know what's more pathetic. People tracking down Mike Arrington (TechCrunch) and pitching their company's website or the fact that Mike shows it to the world and makes fun of the guy. The worst part is that Mike held the meeting with this guy in his kitchen.



Jason Calacanis - here is someone I don't even know. He supposedly is a successful blogger, whatever that means. He has since gone public about stopping his blogging profession and only write a newletter to a private few. He will only allow 750 people on his private newsletter. He claims it isn't a publicity stunt and yet over the past few days he has changed the subscriber limit twice. First it was 750, then 1000. Now anyone can sign up with his approval, which is fully automated. Wow. How elite do I feel being on that list. And to make things worse, I get his email hoping for some intellectual conversation and it's nothing but a bunch of plugs for him, his interview on the web after the Batman movie, and other things he is so wonderfully doing.



Andy Beal - I just read about this guy for the first time today. His tag line about himself is "co-author of Radically Transparent: monitoring and managing reputations online." I didn't know there was a market for this. I have never heard of this book, if it really is a book. They write it like everyone knows it. What does a co-author do, anyway? This guy also has his own workshop based on the book. Wow.

Andy was the last straw in this self serving imaginary celebrity cluster. These guys are their own biggest fans and it shows in their writing. They might not realize it, but their little bit of a fan base has gone to their heads.

It reminds me of the unsigned bands that were on MP3.com back in the day.

These bands were the hottest bands on MP3.com. They had over 300,000 fans. The only problem was no one IN THE REAL WORLD knew who they were. It was a make believe world at MP3.com and I am starting to believe the same fate will come to most of the above mentioned names.

I guess the reason for my post is this. It's easy to get a website, send a few twitter messages, post video on the net, and say your someone big. Let's not glorify these guys more than they are already doing to themselves. Take what they have to offer. Tell them thank you and move on. Don't be a follower.

SOCIAL MEDIA BLUES

I am the biggest loser in the social media arena. I have been hooked on three great applications.

1. Twitter
2. Loopt
3. Friendfeed

I have invited all the hundreds of people in my address book and not one of my friends, family, or associates are on these services. I am the only one in the social media arena.

How stupid do I feel when I look on my Loopt map and all I see is me in all of Southern California. Then to make things worse, I type in the Loopt message box what I am doing at that moment. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I AM TALKING TO MYSELF WHEN I DO THIS!!!

How about sending a Twitter to nobody. I just love talking to the wall. What a waste of time.

Then their is Friendfeed. It's a place that you can see all my activity from the Pandora radio station that I am listening to, to the posts I am doing here on my blog.

Thankfully I know that I have readers subscribed to this blog or posting this would probably make me the biggest loner geek around.

I've got to get a new family and new friends. I need a Red Bull Cola. :-( I bet my friends don't even know what that is?

iPHONE 3G DISASTER - PART III

Once again, I may have a blessing in disguise with regards to me not getting an iPhone 3G.

I have always believed that things happen for a reason. Not that I like it all the time, but for most of the time it turns out well.

I blogged awhile back on the Gphone and that it was coming. That story died down and I thought I had spoke a little too soon. Well, that story has resurfaced. Here is a link to one of my favorite sites TechCrunch. It's a story that has given new life to my hope of a Gphone. Here is the story. Take what you can from it.

If you didn't get an iPhone 3G then maybe you should wait a few weeks as Google gives us a little more info and the bugs on the iPhone 3G work themselves out.

IPHONE 3G DISASTER - PART II

Oh, how sweet this post shall be!!!!

I am still the only one on my block without an iPhone 3G, but I come to find out that is a good thing.

It seems that in the greediness of Apple and AT&T, most of the iPhones that were sold today were still unable to be used due to server crashes. It seems that they could not activate most of the phones due to high traffic to the servers. So they sent people home with something called an iBrick and they must try all day to see if it will be activated.

Even the old iPhone users are now the proud owner of an iBrick, since they went to update their software and it blanked out the phones and made them inoperable.

I feel sorry for the iPhone users that waited days camped out in line. I want to do something to help. So if anyone wants to make a call from my Crackberry, please let me know and I will be more than happy to........ Whoops. Hold on, I have a text message. it's my wife. She says to stop gloating and say goodbye.

For more on this story read the TUAW link: Click Here

Goodbye!

IPHONE 3G DISASTER

As I am typing this, AT&T is burning me.

I am on hold with AT&T right now waiting to inform them how totally screwed they are.

Let me tell you my story:

Two weeks ago, I was told by AT&T that ANYONE could by the iPhone 3G for the $199 (8 gig) or the $299 (16 gig) price. No matter what. I was told you didn't need to be eligible for an upgrade.

One week ago, I was told sorry, Apple changed the rules. (yeah, right!). Now I am told the only people who can get the iPhone for this price are:

1. old iPhone users
2. people due for a phone upgrade
3. or non AT&T customers

Everyone else will have to pay $499 (8 gig) and $599 (16 gig).

So I called last week and complained. A supervisor told me that she would give me a complimentary upgrade so I could get the iPhone at a normal price. Thank God. Finally someone who cares about me.

NOW I AM ON THE PHONE FINDING OUT THAT THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE IS GETTING A COMPLIMETARY UPGRADE FOR THE IPHONE.

I am a long paying customer and AT&T is not taking care of me. The cell phone industry has reached it's lowest point. There is no more customer service or loyalty to your customers.

I am not angry because I can't get an iPhone tomorrow. I am angry on being lied to, misinformed, and not treated like a customer should be.

I have just hung up the phone and I am waiting for the escalations department to call me within 24 hours. I will keep you posted on my progress.

LINE STARTED FOR IPHONE 3G - ONE WEEK EARLY

I have to give credit to Engadget website. They were as shocked as I was to find out that a line has already started in New York at the Apple Store for the new iPhone 3G.

Don't get me wrong. The IP3G will be a great phone, but I want someone to interview these people who will spend a week in line waiting for the phone. They are probably the same people who have a life long dream of being on the Howard Stern Show.

Take a moment and think. These people must have personal problems, self esteem problems, no life, and are very competitive. Did I forget anything. Oh yeah, and no brains.

You couldn't pay me $1000 to stand in line for a week. So why do it for a $299 cell phone.

The good news is that stupid people breed and have more stupid people. So there are plenty of family members that will take shifts.

To read the Engadget report on this topic, please CLICK HERE