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Category Archives: Technology
It’s here!
My iPhone 4 from Verizon arrived Monday afternoon. My wife was gracious enough to let me get this, but she told me that night that I would not be able to get a new phone for not one, not two, but for three years! That means I’ll be missing out on the iPhone 5, iPhone 6, but should be good to go when iPhone 7 hits!
On a serious note. I liked my BlackBerry. It was nice being connected to the social world and having the Internet at my fingertips. Unfortunately, the browser for BlackBerry leaves a lot to be desired. I understand the web kit for BB OS6 is better, but I have been desiring an iPhone since it was announced 4 years ago! Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, all we have is Verizon, so an iPhone was never to be had…until now!
It’s a nice phone (and makes for a good toy too!). I decided not to load all the apps (read free games) on it like I had on my iPod Touch. Most of them I didn’t play and was just too lazy to remove them. Now, I only have a few games that I play, a handful of social apps and some productivity apps. And, I installed some of my ringtones that I had on my BlackBerry. Needless to say, I’m one happy geek!
The iPhone wait
I was pumped this morning when I woke up. Starting at 1am for me, I could preorder the iPhone 4 from Verizon. I logged into the existing customer site and was shown that I could preorder the phone…at full retain price. I figured as much since I had just upgraded my wife’s phone with my early upgrade and she isn’t eligible for an upgrade until 2/26. So what would the iPhone 4 cost me right now? Check out the picture!
For those who can’t see it well (or didn’t click on the picture), the iPhone 4 – 16GB is $649.99 (or $199.99 on new contract) and the iPhone 4 – 32GB (the one I’ll be getting) is $749.99 (or $299.99 on new contract). They don’t ship until 2/10. Hopefully they’ll still be in stock in 3 weeks.
Rough night
It was a rough night tonight. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say, I’ve had better Wednesday nights.
The redeeming grace: iPhone 4 comes out on Verizon to preorder tomorrow! Actually, just an hour and a half from now for me. I might be able to order it now. If not, I’ll be doing so on the 26th.
Issues with the LG Ally
I bought my wife the LG Ally last Wednesday (1/12). Today (1/18), she got a pop-up message saying that she could not receive text because the inbox is full. I’ve done a number of trouble-shooting things as listed on a Verizon forum by a Verizon employee. Nothing worked. Now calling Verizon Support to get this remedied.
UPDATE: (7:13 pm) On hold from a Tier-1 representative while being transferred to a Tier-2 representative.
(7:27 pm) After being on hold forever, back to a Tier-1 representative. She’s trying to figure it out.
(7:31pm) Had me reactivate the phone.
(7:34 pm) Received a test text. Phone rebooted itself.
(7:37pm) Had me send a text. Waiting for text to send.
(7:39 pm) After being on the phone for a total of 35:56, she will call me back to see if the text went through.
(7:49 pm) It’s been 10 minutes. Verizon has not called back yet. Test text not received on phone, yet she can text out.
(7:53 pm) Verizon called back. Texts still not being received. Being transferred to Tech Support. Wait time is “very long.” 
(7:56 pm) Agent comes back on to tell me she is transferring me now. What was the last 3 minutes of holding for?
(8:05 pm) Still on hold. The messages playing while on hold have started over again. Grr.
(8:17 pm) Finally on the phone with a Tier-2 representative. Had me reprogram the phone again (third time for those keeping track).
(8:30 pm) Text messages coming through after deleting apps, thus freeing up about 30 mb of memory.
(8:40 pm) Off the phone. This call time was 36:41. Total call time was 71:97, or 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 37 seconds. Final solution: free up memory.
Thank you to the Tier-2 representative who was actually able to do something.
Short post
- Bought my wife a new cell phone today. Call it our anniversary present.
- Medium to long day.
- Long evening.
It’s time for bed. Don’t even think I’ll be able to watch Conan tonight. Well, maybe the monologue.
The iPhone Cometh!
Available for an early upgrade. I might be hitting the local Verizon stores in town that day.
Tis the season of winning
This has been the season of winning. Since December, I’ve been lucky enough to win 3 different contests.
The first contest I won was on December 21 via Twitter. @FamilyGuyonFOX was giving away 25 copies of their new Star Wars spoof, “It’s a Trap!” That should be on its way, if it isn’t already.
The second contest I won was through “You Could Win a BlackBerry Torch” sweepstakes on December 22. They were giving two BlackBerry Torch 9800s away each day from Nov. 20 – Dec. 24, one via Twitter and the other via Facebook. I scored me a red Torch (approximate retail value of $499). Unfortunately, when I was entering the contest, I didn’t take into account that the Torch is only available for AT&T, which means I won’t be able to use it on Verizon. It arrived today. For now, it means it will sit in the closet.
My last contest that I won was another Twitter contest. This was by Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts. The contest, an AFC Division Champion hat, all for spelling the word “cheese” correctly. Seriously, that was it!
It was a good few weeks, I have to admit. The only thing that would have made it better is if the Torch would be available on Verizon.
Issues with Windows Live Writer
For some reason, Windows Live Writer seems to be crashing everytime I try to type text, insert a picture or pretty much anything other than do the post title. I’ve posted info about the problem on their official support board, but have had no replies to it. It’s been read 20-some times, but no one has solved my problem.
I hate using the WordPress dashboard, so I’ve found another desktop publishing program: Zoundry Raven. We’ll see how this works out. At least this doesn’t crash when I type or post.
My sin of covetousness
It’s not as bad as you think it is. When it was first announced, I was really looking forward to it. The “it” I’m referring to is the iPhone. It was disappointing to hear that the iPhone was only on the Cingular/ATT network. When I was in Orlando, I got to go to the mall to an Apple Store where I got to play with an iPhone, even it was very brief. It was what everyone said it was. Unfortunately, two things kept me from actually getting an iPhone. The first: the price. When it came out, I didn’t have the money to get either type of iPhone. The second: Cingular/ATT don’t make it out in Wyoming. So in the end, I was disappointed because I saw it, wanted it, couldn’t have it.
That meant that I had to stick with my recently upgraded phone, the Motorola KRZR. The next time I can upgrade will be December 2008, only a year from now.
Then I saw something else I coveted even more. It was the LG Voyager by Verizon. Why did I covet this? The answer is simple: this phone is actually available on MY network! The only problem: it’s pricey and I can’t upgrade free or cheap yet. So, until then, I will have to continue to covet the Voyager.
