So unless you are 100% out of the loop, today is the launch of the iPhone 3G, and version software 2.0. The #1 reason I am excited is because, it is an Apple product launch. Even when the Macbook Air was announced and launched, I was extatic. It does not mean I’m getting one though. My last article was one about the switch from the iPhone to the Nokia N95 8GB. One thing I was surely afraid of was selling my iPhone, purchasing the N95, iPhone 3G releasing, and me selling the N95 to aquire the newley designed iPhone. This is not the case.

I love you Apple, but here is the rundown of the new iPhone:

The Design:

3G, assisted GPS (not turn by turn), and black or white plastic backing.

The Software (Which ANY iPhone user can take advantage of)

This is the main selling point of finally getting the Jesus Phone.

MobileME support, and small kinks worked out with the OS.

The mere fact that they are pushing features of 2.0 does not support the reality that the iPhone 3G is still way behind when it comes to the advancement in the mobile market. The strong points: 3G, WiFi, GPS should all be standard these days. Not to mention, MMS, Video, and IM (just to name a few) have been a standard for quite a while. This is still missing. In the end what it comes down to is, if you feel you really need 3G upgrade, if not, just do a software upgrade.

Revolutionary Design= YES

Revolutionary Mobile Phone= NO

I’m sorry Apple. Maybe a revision or software update will change my mind. Until then I am still doing everything and much more on my N95 that I could do with the iPhone 3G.

-Jake

The N95 8GB (US version) has arrived.

The whole issue with getting this phone was getting the money for it. So i had to decide: To sell drugs, become a Gigolo, rob a bank, or sell my iPhone. Seeing as how I do not know anything about drugs, prostitution, or robbing, I packed up my Apple iPhone, sold it, and made the switch. Being a enormous Apple fanboy, it was tough. So for anyone thinking about leaving the iPhone this review is for you.

Throughout this post I will not, nor do i intend to put the iPhone in a negative aspect. After all, i never imagined myself giving it up. I just felt so limited with the iPhone. It is 100% revolutionary. But in comparison to all other devices, the N95 8GB seemed to be the only phone up-to-par, even though it was the complete opposite of what the iPhone is. I will not go into the deep technical attributes or basic review of the N95 (you can see video on YouTube or something) but these are my initial expectations/thoughts of my new toy.

The all black, sliding keypad,3.5G capable, 5.0 MP camera having phone was quite impressive from first glance. It is amazingly light, much more so than the iPhone. The phone comes with 8GB standard with NO expandable memory. I don’t see why you would need so much anyway. but here are the key points and comparisons from the iPhone to the N95 8GB:

The Camera

The brilliant Carl Zeiss Optics 5 megapixel camera is one big point on the N95. Unlike most phones, this camera takes just as long as iPhone camera to get rolling and snap photos. On the N95 you have the choices after you snap the photo to send, delete, and upload. The upload feature rocks!! You just configure your Flickr account during set-up, and simply click after taking the photo to send to Flickr in real time. You can also add ANY picture service you want to upload captured Photos and Video.

Video is amazing, at 30fps i have been utilizing video on my phone more than i ever have. I have the full version of video recorder for the iPhone, but with only 2 megapixels and only a max of 15 fps, it was almost a joke.  Not to mention i am now on QIK! Qik will work on edge, 3g, or wifi to stream live video to your page.I understand the iPhone will support this soon, and that is exciting, but I’m sure yo will only be able to use this over Wi-fi or 3G, and wont look all that great.

The Design

All Black (easy housing exchange for any color) looks great. The screen takes up most of the space on the front, which makes the screen look big for the device. as compared to the old N95 which has a small recessed screen. There is 2 way sliding keyboard which is quite durable and works out to an advantage for locking the phone or switching to landscape when using GPS (I’ll get to that in a bit). Its a fat phone (especially compared to the iPhone), but this only bothered me for about an hour.

GPS

Im using Garmin XT software wth the Built-in GPS for FULLY functional navigation. There is a GPS service you can use with Nokia maps (built in) but you have to pay. Garmin XT is 3rd party that rocks the N95 internal GPS antenna for turn by turn directions. I know that the new iPhone 3G will support GPS so this may be up to par.

The Browser

The Nokia N95 shows full web pages unless you specify you want a mobile view. With full settings on Edge, It was WAAAYYYY faster than Mobile Safari. Mobile Safari is the best mobile browser hands down, with the rendering and all, but if I’m browsing from my phone, it doesn’t need to looks amazingly perfect. On the N95 i have full accessibility, fast downloading (especially if Wifi is around) … oh and embedded flash is supported.

Applications

Installing direct or 3rd party applications is simple. The Nokia Media Transfer application, for Macs, will easliy allow you to drop in applications or you can install from browser. Using the Browser i was able to download and configure QIK in about 5 minutes. A new feature Nokia has implemented on this version of the N95 is background apps. So you can run IM, the browser, media player, and GPS all at once, and never have to close anything. I felt most applications for iPhone were well done, but not really too useful. They were more toy and games than anything.

Plays amazingly well with my Macbook Pro thanks to an iSync Plug-in (found on Nokia site)

Messaging

SMS, MMS, video message, email (pop, IMAP)

need I say more.

The Verdict

Im just rambling now so here is the deal:

I do NOT regret the switch at all. The Nokia n95 8GB might be one of, if not, the BEST smartphone on the market.  I actually feel quite accomplished to be able to find a phone that is at the level my beloved iPhone was at. With things I miss on the iPhone make are made up to me on the N95. Also the potential of being able to run Google Android on it is quite exciting.

If you have any questions about the phone to help rear your decision on getting one feel free to ask.

-Jake

Below is a great review on the N95 8GB

After many weeks of consideration, I have made the plunge from being an avid iPhone user, to selling it, and getting a brand spankin’ new Nokia N95 8GB. It should be arriving tomorrow or the day after, where I will have an extensive review and comparison for anyone looking to follow in the Symbian footsteps. Stay tuned.

-Jake

As soon as the WWDC ended, eBay was flooded, and everyone I knew started planning on how to sell the “old” iPhone to earn money for the “newly priced” Jesus phone. Unfortunately, the 1st iPhone design is already viewed as futile. The fact is, anyone who has an unlocked/jailbroken iPhone should cherish their iPhone like a treasure.

The recent announcement for the July release was very expected, but also very exciting. Although, there is a ton of things to consider when it comes to the new 3G IPhone, Especially for people without AT&T service (which is most of us):

The Contract

- You CANNOT buy the iPhone without signing your life away for 2 years with AT&T. This has changed drastically since the first release. So to acquire that shiny new black or white iPhone get ready to have the crappiest service known to man.

- Signing the contract does not necessarily mean you will get it at the $199 price tag. You will have to qualify for the special price, so if you have crappy credit, get ready to spend a stupid amount of money for the upgrade.

- No go-Phone purchase… AT&T and Apple have surely done their homework on how to keep people from staying away from the AT&T chains.

The Phone

- Lets face it, the newest design has 0% change in the phones interface and workability. No upgraded camera, buttons….nothing except for the headphone jack.

- It might not even be worth the $200 price tag. Using the plastic backing makes it look fresh, new and Apple-like, but its merely a way to make phones on the CHEAP. It probably cost less than $100 to make each new iPhone.

Overall it is going to be an amazing device, with 3G and new color, but to me this does not kick out the prior iPhone model, but will actually make the PRICELESS! Think about it. There will not be unlocked 3G iPhones in the wild for quite a while (with new purchase procedures), and even with that, do you think these cats that acquire the phone and unlock it are going to sell it for $199?  The design is now out of production. This alone makes your matte aluminum backed iPhone that much better. Oh and you can use your “old” iPhone with ANY GSM service these days. The software, storage, and usability will be the same as the 3G iPhone minus the 3G of course. I Guarantee the iPhone 3G will be the new Moto Razr. Every dude-bro, half-wit and their moms will have the glossy plastic AT&T-only device…. Hang on to your old iPhone non AT&T people, you wont regret it. By the way, The price of the 1st gen iPhone will are and will continue to sky rocket in value, as oppose to drop dead.

-Jake

On my daily excursion to Engadget this morning i could not have help but be intrigued at some findings on this weeks WWDC keynote. What was it? Screen shots of what looked to be a front-mounted camera on a demo 3G iPhone. I watched this video over and over and it was quite exciting to think of the possibility. Then I glanced at my iPhone. I noticed that i have the same “camera!” This being a clumsy mistake on putting on my screen protector. Photos are blurry but you can get the idea.

note: I have privacy film with my iSkin Revo, so there are just top and bottom pieces on the phone, thats why it looks like crap.

-Jake

My iPhone

Phil Schiller’s iPhone @ WWDC

There were a bunch of cool things announced in San Francisco today for the new iPhone:

-awesome SDK stuff including PUSH service for things like IM, gaming, the APP Store

-GPS

-Enterprise Support

-MobileME

Surely I do not need to get into any information about the acutal 3G iPhone that was released today. There are a ton of Blog posts about that. So we need to analyze a couple of things that took away from the excitement of the WWDC 2008. It pretty much boils down to one thing. iPhone software 2.0.

Lets take a look at what the new “features of this will be”

- Contact Search - this should have been implemented from day one

- iWork and Microsoft Office Doc support- This is a plus

- Bulk Delete mail, and save attachments- finally, overall good

- Scientific Calculator- Who cares

- Parental controls - If you are a parent in need of Parental controls, your kid probably does not deserve an iPhone.

-NEW LANGUAGES!!- OH MY GOSH, WHO GIVES A CRAP!

Free for iPhone users/ $9.99 for Touch users

I think the only we were really looking for was AppStore and GPS, but what about the others!? Here is what we expected and didn’t see with Firmware 2.0 and 3G iPhone:

-iChat (will probably show up later)

-VIDEO SUPPORT

-improved camera/front mounted camera/flash

-landscape text

-improved storage

-MMS

-COPY/PASTE

The list goes on and on. If I saw at least MMS, I would be a bit happier but at the moment I am a bit steamed. The new iPhone is gorgeous, which i hope to get in white, but new features will not have me going the extra mile to get it.

-Jake

Like most of you, I will have to say today was one I was anticipating more than ever. Unfortunately only half of what I expected was shown to me at Apples WWDC 2008. Now I am not saying it is all that bad, but it is agreed that we all expected tons more. Although the first half of the presentation was boring (dev/app announcements) it soon picked up and put the question in everyones mind, “will I get the new 3G iPhone?”

For most people its not a question. especially with the brand new price tag of $199 for the 8gb. But what about for te other 50% of users running off of unlocked iPhones!? Obviously this is not Apples problem, but come on. I have already read that 3G iPhones will ONLY be activated IN-STORE. WTF? This might take away from the 1st gen access ability not allowing T-Mobile users to even think about getting one. A lot of you will be saying “Well if you want it so bad, get AT&T.” The problem I have with that is, I have had AT&T and it sucks. Not to mention overpriced.

Overall I WILL get a 3G iPhone if it is a possibility. If not I suppose i will have to stick with my 1st gen baby. Hopefully I am over analyzing and the open source community will come through. Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

-Jake

Click for live coverage with Gizmodo 06/09/08

10am PST / 1pm EST

A good day for all.

-Jake

On my daily fix of twitter addiction, Cali lewis, of GeekBrief.tv, sent out her invite to the new social sensation, Plurk. Obviously trying to stay up on the latest and greatest, I flew to the site, signed up, and was Plurking in no time. Although there is not a Twitter friend import option yet, everyone is sending out their personal friend link to get people to their page.

Plurk is pretty much Twitter on steroids. But not that ugly, vantiy obsessed, addicted to steroids type. Just enough to make it that much better. Ok It’s like Twitter on Kreotine. There are just a few more subtle aspects about this site that make it more interesting, and ake you feel more involved. Unlike twitter, you have a few things you like to keep track of:

Friends- I like Twitter because you follow who you want and people who want to follow you do the same. Plurk allows for the same thing but also adds the “friend” option to add their avatars to your friends list.

Karma- This is an actual number that rates your activity on Plurk on a DAILY basis. Activity means how much you plurk, how many friends you invite, replies…etc. The more Karma points you have give you access to small perks to add to your page and such.

Say more- Twitter asks that age old question, “what are you doing?”  With each Plurk you update you can choose from a ton of statements to send to everyone. For instance each Plurk starts with your name, i.e. Jake___,  and with that you choose from: loves, likes, shares, gives, hates, wants, wishes, has, will, asks, was, feels, thinks, says, is, or you can freestyle and write your own.

Embedded photo, or video- by placing in a Youtube, Flickr, Picassa, Photobucket, imageshack, or tinyURL link.

Now this is not to say I have given up on Twitter. After all Plurk, you can tell, is still in its baby stages, and has a bit of growing to do. From dead time, to the eyesore of a timeline that they have.  From what I see right now, this is my second most frequented social site next to Twitter. Thumbs up.

Click this icon and friend me up on Plurk!

-Jake

I think there is a litte bit of “designer” in all of us. It would just be cool to say, “oh yeah, I’m a graphic/video designer.” Thanks to the majesty of Twitter, I was able to run across a great user recommended website that will enable you to say just that, kind of. Behold, Animoto.com. This is an amazing web-based application that will allow you to build a customized video, which is automatically generated, using yourown photos and music. Here is how it works:

- Upload a plethora of your favorite images (here you can choose which are you favorite and the order in which you would like for them to appear.

- Upload your favorite song (note: they encourage ONLY original music, so unless you want to get sued don’t use any Top 40’s crap

- Generate the movie! (The process takes about 5 minutes or so for the 30 second version, and you will be notified via email when it is complete)

From there you can go to your videos and do what you will with them. There is a YouTube upload option, which will send the video straight to yor account, embedd from their site, and even *download and sync to iPod options (Paid version only)

To make a 30 second movie of whatever your heart desires is absolutely free

The All Access pass allows you to make unlimited length videos for $30… completely worth it. Visit them at Animoto, and check out the video I made to get an idea.

-Jake

I have to admit, I was definitely a late bloomer when it came to mass, social network usage. I don’t need to explain why that was a mistake on my part. One thing i feel I do need to share is all of the native and web applications I missed out on my iPhone.. until now, of course.

Twitter- everyone told me that one i started i would become addicted… They were dumb.. and I am addicted, and if you do not know what Twitter is…. Well if you have to ask, you don’t wanna know. As far as Twit is concerned, the iPhone has been the BEST mobile solution for being on Twitter 100% of the Day.

-Obviously there is the mobile site (direct mobile Safari to http://twitter.com), and this works fine but there are much more efficient, ways to tweet.

-The best web app, to use twitter on the iPhone, is Hahlo (direct mobile Safari to http://hahlo.com). The great interface, iPhone web application works GREAT. The only thing is, I would say it works about 80% of the time, but there is absolutely no install needed for this.

-One of the two native applications I will mention (which you can download via Installer App) is Twinkle. Twinkle was the first Twitter application i downloaded for my iPhone, and it is awesome. within 1 tweet you will be able to geotag your location, send a picture, and update. It has a great interface with avatars and all, alowing you to do everything you can on the Twitter site. In my eyes the only flaw with this application is it is not all that reliable. Although very intuitive with great UI, 50% percent of the time that i open it, i get that message “we are having some technical difficulties”. I always want to blame it on Twitter, but when i check, Twitter is not down and it is just the poor API app. Great idea, and it is worth a try.

-The last application which I will stand by and say is the absolute best is Mobile Twitter. I actually stumbled upon in it in the list of Installer Apps and decided to try it out. I’m so glad i did. Its fast, has photo support, using camera or photos in your photo album, and lets you do EVERYTHING you need to Twitter-wise, straight on your iPhone. Works amazing with EDGE or Wi-Fi. Not to mention, it has a great UI.

For all other social network sites i would just use the direct site web applications. I have tested them all and they do the job, so for any of the following just go to the URL on mobile Safari (these will also make awesome home screen icons for you if you bookmark):

-Twitter

-Pownce

-SocialThing!

-BrightKite

-Myspace and Facebook (bleh)

-Jake

(New 3G iPhone Dimensions)

The first question I get asked when i comes to the new iPhone is: “are you going to get it right away or wait it out to see if its worth it?”  We all know the newly hyped iPhone will not come cheap, and jumping into the new wave of Apple’s iPhone is something in which I have to personally think about, long and hard (thats what she said). Not because I don’t think its going to be amazing, but because I’m just not rich and cant be spending money on technology the way I would like to.

(normal iPhone dimensions)

New photos were discovered today by way of MacRumors.com of a prototype of a rubberized skin, Made by XSKN, for the new 3G iPhone. Now the only reason i can get remotely excited for this is because before the iPhone came out, over a year ago, the same thing happened. I believe Macally or iSkin released photos of their prototype, with dimensions, and it was 99% accurate. This new “leak” gives the iPhone a Blackberry-like ‘girth’ to it with a rounded back. I am quite positive the screen will be a bit bigger, and not like the original “1st Gen” shown in the photo. One of the only things that intrigues me very much is that the camera on the rear seems to be much bigger (hinting at a higher quality shot), thus leading to the much needed Video capability. Also, looking at the front, it seems as though there is space left on the front for non other than a Front-mounted VGA camera, possibly incorporating, video in a newly released iChat application? I’m just throwing it out there.

Via MacRumors

-Jake

UPDATE: The site currently holding the 3G iPhone case is down. Maybe they f-ed up

Everyday, there are a bunch of Apple stories that hit the web, bu  tI only like to cover what I feel is the most intriguing. I think i have tried all of the 3rd party applications known to man, and what it comes down to when choosing the ones that will stay on your springboard, is “which one will provide the most swift and efficient satisfaction?” Today the 2nd beta for IntelliScreen was released for the iPhone. IntelliScreen, pretty much takes out the only good thing about Windows Mobile, and gives you a “Today Screen” which displays:

-SMS

-Email

-iCal

-News Feeds

-Weather

-Sports

You choose the ones you want to show up (I only use, SMS, Mail, and Weather) but its a great way to summarize all of your “need to know” info in an instant. Whats great about this application is that you can also LAUNCH from the mini feed menu! so lets say you see and SMS or email you dont really need to rush to, you can view it on IntelliScreen and just shrug it off. But if you see an email or SMS come in that you want to get to immediately, just “swipe” and click “launch ***” (see photo). This will also auto-refresh your email.

Hopefully in final release we can see some additions like:

-RSS

-opacity settings

-iTunes controller

Installation instructions and video after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

This article is completely non-Apple related but i feel like I have to write it for certain people who want a new phone but do not really want to head into the iPhone direction. Before the my beloved iPhone entered my life, I was an avid Blackberry user. I do have to say, without any regret, is that it was probably one of the most reliable mobile devices i had ever used. Many people think “Business” when it comes to the Blackberry name, but it is mainly because of the reliability.

I strongly believe in your mobile device being able to keep you connected in every aspect possible from the phone, text and MMS client to 3rd party apps (QIK, social network clients, etc) and of course reliable e-mail. This Phone definitely has

Introducing the new Blackberry Bold. If i did not have an iPhone this would be my next purchase. This AT&T first exclusive (followed by a T-Mobile release, then Verizon I’m sure) release phone will hit stores any day now. With the 3G revolution stirring about this 3G Blackberry will fit right in. This revamped phone has all of the normal (but advanced) BB features, plus a crap-ton more including: Read the rest of this entry »

During my latest Twitter post I noticed the one and only Cali Lewis requesting an invitation to a beta site called Evernote. To tell you the truth I have never heard of this so decided to check it out. I had to wait about a day for an invitation, but since then my internet life has become more organized and interesting than ever.

Evernote is a superbly innovative site, which combined with a desktop client (for Mac or Windows), and mobile support, makes it a great way to keep all of your internet happenings readily available for use anytime. Here is how it works:

-Sign up at Evernote.com

-Install the desktop client for your Mac or PC (not necessary but very useful)

-Drag the web clipper to your bookmark toolbar for easy clipping

-Rock it.

I wont go into explaining much, but in a nutshell, Evernote will allow you to highlight, any section of any website for future reference, with all links in tact. You can view them offline (with the desktop client). You can upload photos (via email using a special Evernote email) that will save in your notes online, which again, you ca view online or with your desktop client. Evernote also has an amazing integration with the a search bar on the desktop client, which can detect words in pictures you so happen to be searching for. Just take my word for it, check out the video (Below) and get registered with Evernote.

-Jake