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Rick

First iPhone setup

I helped setup an iPhone for the first time today. Here is a quick summary of my findings:

Pros

  • Amazingly easy setup on the Windows XP machine we installed it on. No disks or CD’s ship with the iPhone at all. The only requirement is that you have the latest version of iTunes installed. The activation and installation were SIMPLE…the way all installations should be.
  • Nice form factor. Felt like a large candy bar and had more heft (a good thing) that I anticipated. Curved edges allow for easy pocketability and feels good in your hand.
  • Amazing screen clarity and color.
  • Web looks good and the ability to switch from portrait to landscape and zoom in and out of a page all work to make it a good experience overall.
  • Synchronizes bookmarks and editing bookmarks is easy on the device.
  • Out of the box, the phone is very responsive. Very little waiting when switching between applications.
  • Large screen makes it easy for folks who use reading glasses to see and use a smart device.
  • Sound clarity seemed good on both ends of the call. Did not try a headset with it yet. 

Cons

  • Cut, copy, and paste not available. This is a huge omission, in my opinion.
  • Typing isn’t nearly as fast as on a keyboard smartphone like a Treo or Blackberry, but I have to admit that it was easier and more accurate than I anticipated.
  • No one should ever use a cell phone when the drive, and the iPhone will make for some awfully distracted drivers if their owners attempt to use this device while driving except for maybe answering calls.
  • Navigating contacts is really slow. With practice, perhaps an iPhone user can access their contacts at maybe 2-3 times that of a

Ubuntu – Day 6

I didn’t use the computer much today, but I need to write a quick blog while I’m working on my Compaq as I sit here and watch my DVR’d “Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” episodes from last week. So, that brings me to tonights word: battery life.

iPhone Research

I have a friend who I’m going to help setup his new iPhone next week. He will be syncing it with Microsoft Outlook and needs tasks and memos(notes). Out of the box, the iPhone will only sync contacts and calendar information, but I’ve discovered that enterprising souls are already finding solutions to overcome this oversight:

A nice little site is starting to form called iPhone Applications which is a must have bookmark for any iPhone user.

Ubuntu – Day 5

I haven’t ported much of my data to this computer from my Windows’ computer, but haven’t missed any of it yet either. I do have this system hooked into my home network so I can access shared folders on the Windows’ machine if I need those files. I mentioned on the show today that one of the huge reasons I like Mozilla Firefox is the availability of “extensions”. Extensions are little add-ons that allow anyone to customize and enhance their browser to do things that are important to them. One of my favorites is Google Sync.

Convert audio files

Sally called today and wondered how to get her iTunes to a micro-SD card that she can then listen to on her cell phone. I’m not sure of the legality of this program, but it appears to do the trick. It’s called Sound Taxi.

Backup in Ubuntu – Video Tip

Since I’m in Day 4 of my Ubuntu 14 day trial, I had to do this week’s tip as another Ubuntu tip. I’m learning much about the Ubuntu…some things I like, some I don’t, but overall it’s working pretty well. One visitor this week asked about backup in Ubuntu and since that is one of my favorite soap box topics, I researched it for Ubuntu. I found a program called “Simple Backup”. It works and the “how-to” can be found in this week’s video tip below:

Ubuntu – Day 4

I’m going to do a short written update to my Ubuntu trek, but record my first official “Shotgun Podcast” here shortly.

After only three days, I gave up on Evolution email as my email program. I like the program a lot, but unfortunately, I get way too much spam not to have a better anti-spam solution. So, I downloaded and installed Thunderbird today which while not perfect and far from my Cloudmark Desktop solution on my Windows machine, it is much better than the Evolution method.

The Royal Treatment

I pulled up to a customer’s house on Tuesday, and found this sign hanging on his garage. Anyone else who uses my service and hangs this sign on their garage will get a $5 discount. If you hang a 10′ banner on your house for the full day, I will give you a free hour.

Ubuntu – Day 3

One knock that I read about Ubuntu is the poor wireless support for laptops/wireless Internet. I took this laptop (a Compaq Presario 2100) on a short family vacation in June and had no problems connecting to wireless networks all along the way. I will say that the procedure wasn’t as smooth as the wireless utility built into Windows XP (which I also like better than Vista’s utility). It did work, however.