Dennis Cadorniga

I started my morning by plugging in my Verizon Wireless USB720 EVDO modem into my Cradlepoint WiFi/EVDO router.  Booted up my MacBook Pro, plugged in my first gen iPhone and checked for updates.   There it was.  2.0.  I selected Download Only to make sure that step was verified.  I downloaded the 213mb file in 27 minutes, averaging 45KB/sec and reaching 96 KB/sec.  

Once the download finished, I took the plunge and started my upgrade.  The main process of the upgrade finished in about 20 minutes which included backing up the iPhone data, verifying the backup, restoring the new firmware, verifying the firmware, and then restoring my data back to the iPhone.  Then the time came to reboot the phone.

The iPhone reconnected back to iTunes and now came the activation process.  This is were it all went down hill.  Apple was having issues with the iTunes Store activation process.  Apparently, too many people trying to do the same thing.  So then, I had to wait and see when the iTunes Store would be back up to finish the activation.

iTunes store back online, activation processed immediately, now I am done.  Upgraded and working well!  All my content is back.  Pretty smooth I would say.

written by Dennis \\ tags: 2.0 Firmware, activation, Apple, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iTunes

At today’s WWDC 2008 in San Francisco, Apple made it official. They announced the new iPhone 3G which will be available July 11th. It is now thinner, lighter, faster, and less expensive. It now has 3G for faster online access, GPS, much improved audio quality, version 2.0 of the operating system allowing 3rd party applications, half the price, and now available in black and white. For more details, check out the Apple iPhone 3G site.

written by Dennis \\ tags: 3G, Apple, iPhone

Griffin Technologies has a new polycarbonate case with built-in copper antenna called ClearBoost.  This boosts your signal for better reception.  Price is reasonable at about $29.99 considering you are getting a case as well.  For more details, check it out at the Griffin web site.

written by Dennis \\ tags: ClearBoost, Griffin, iPhone, Signal Boost

As usual, the rumor mill is hard at work with the release of the second-gen iPhone in July.  According to Engadget’s source:

• The first thing people will notice: the 2nd gen iPhone will be about the same size and shape as the first gen.
• It will, of course, have 3G. And proper GPS!
• The most noticeable physical difference is back of the phone is no longer metal — the whole thing is glossy black, from top to bottom. The volume buttons are now chrome.
• Because it’s got a little less metal to deal with, it doesn’t have quite as many angular edges. The battery is (still) not removable.
• The phone itself will be slightly thicker than the first gen device.
• The headphone jack will no longer be recessed, and will finally be flush with the body.
• The device itself uses roughly the same size and resolution screen as the first generation product.
• No solid word on battery life or storage capacity.

written by Dennis \\ tags: 3G, Apple, GPS, iPhone

Today I received the new Cradlepoint PHS-300 I ordered.  This is a phenominal device.  It is a personal WiFi router that allows you to plug in your EVDO or HDSPA (3G) broadband USB modem into it and then share that connection with up to 16 WiFi devices.  You can also use your cell phone as a tethered modem to provide the 3G connectivity.  You can connect to the WiFi with either 802.11b or 802.11g and includes a complete NAT with SPI firewall.  It features 64/128 bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption and supports all operating systems and PDAs with WiFi support.  It also includes a Lithium-Ion battery for up to 3 hours of use (ships with an AC adapter but you can also purchase a car-adapter to charge it as well).   I use it to connect my MacBook Pro and iPhone on the road allowing me to utilize the faster 3G network with the iPhone.  The best of all worlds.   

written by Dennis

Engadget is reporting that the iUnlock hack for the Apple iPhone has been very successful. It has been tried and true in 32 countries and with 69 carriers. Here is a link to Engadget’s post.

Update: Make that 42 countries and 90 carriers now. Its just spreading like wild fire!

written by Dennis

Apple may participate in FCC’s auction of wireless spectrum. This could give Apple the ability to provide wireless services without the use of AT&T. See the complete Businessweek article.

written by Dennis

As you all have heard by now, the iPhone 8gb price has dropped by $200 just 60 days since its release. Many Apple customers are upset including myself. I was just about to contact my store and demand a credit. If that didn’t work, then you still can return the iPhone for up to 90 days from the date of purchase and pay the 10% restocking fee. Then you could purchase a new iPhone at the lower cost and still be ahead. Only problem there is having to possibly be without a phone for a short while.

Now, Steve Jobs released this statement on the Apple web site about offering a $100 credit to early adopters of the iPhone. I think its fair:

To all iPhone customers:

I have received hundreds of emails from iPhone customers who are upset about Apple dropping the price of iPhone by $200 two months after it went on sale. After reading every one of these emails, I have some observations and conclusions.

First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to ‘go for it’ this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone ‘tent’. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.

Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.

Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.

Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Stay tuned.

We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.

Steve Jobs
Apple CEO

written by Dennis

Today, Apple upgraded it’s entire iPod line from top to bottom. You now get many more features for much less than before along with new design points. The entry line of iPods, the shuffle, now comes in 5 new colors. The iPod nano now is smaller and a bit wider but supports video and games. The original iPod is now the iPod classic and is thinner along with capacities up to 160gb. That’s up to 40,000 songs in your pocket.

The hot new announcement today is the iPod touch. Its basically an iPhone in every way but without the phone functionality. And with capacities up to 16gb. It also supports WiFi access now and sports the Safari web browser, YouTube access, syncs with yout contacts and calendar, and more.

The iPhone, along with the iPod touch, now have a new feature, WiFi iTunes Store. You can now browse the iTunes Store, preview music, purchase, and download songs directly to your iPod touch and/or iPhone. The iPhone, via an upgraded version of iTunes software (being released tonight), now supports Ringtones and you can create your own ringtones as well from the purchased music downloads.

Apple is now partnering with Starbucks Coffee to offer free WiFi access to the iTunes Store from the Starbucks coffee shops. Now, when you enter a Starbucks, your iPod touch or iPhone will sense the Starbucks WiFi network, automatically login, and present you with a Starbucks icon on your iPod function. It will display the current playing song in the store and the previous 10 songs played. You can preview those songs and if you like it, you can purchase and download it directly from within Starbucks. Apple also surprised everyone by dropping the 4gb version of the iPhone and reducing the price of the 8gb iPhone from $599 to $399!

You can see all the lateset iPods and iPhone at the Apple iPod+iTunes site.

written by Dennis

Today I purchased my two Apple iPhones and could not wait to get it up and running. With all the horror stories about activation with AT&T, I did my homework and with tips found at The Apple Phone Show website, my experience was flawless. Now my setup was a bit complicated considering I am activating two iPhones, on an AT&T Family Plan, and porting two of my four Verizon Wireless phones over to AT&T.

1) two iPhones to activate
2) utilizing an AT&T Family Plan
3) porting two of my four Verizon Wireless phones
4) maintain my BlackBerry and EVDO card on Verizon Wireless

The first thing I did was find the iPhones so I called around and found them locally here in Portland, OR so I also saved the sales tax (cool!). I purchased the last two 8gb iPhones they had in stock. I then went over to the AT&T store just around the corner and explained my situation and concerns about porting from Verizon Wireless. Mike, the AT&T sales consultant hooked me up. We first created two new AT&T accounts on a family plan. He assigned them to two temporary SIMs. Then while he was doing that, I called Verizon Wireless and informed them what I wanted to do about keeping my BlackBerry and EVDO card. The Verizon rep noted my account about porting the two main cell numbers and kept the other two devices on their data plans. Then Mike called his activation center and started the porting process to move my Verizon numbers to the two new temporary SIMs. Then he gave me the breakdown on the AT&T family plan and told me the phones would be ported at a specific time (about 2 hours from when he started).

So then we shook hands and were on our way home. When we arrived at home, it was time to prepare for the iPhone activations. I made sure both MacBook Pros had the latest iTunes (v7.3) and latest software updates. I then unboxed the first iPhone. It was minutes away from the porting process. I turned off the two old Motorola Razrs. Then I connected the first iPhone to my first MacBook Pro and started the setup. I selected that I had an existing AT&T account and wanted to activate this phone on the account. Three minutes later, DONE. I then unboxed the second iPhone, connected it to the MacBook Pro and did the same process. Three minutes later, DONE!

That was it! No issues. No hassles. Everything worked, EDGE, phone calls, etc. I then setup the items to sync and I was all setup. I love these iPhones and the best part is that all my contacts, calendars, bookmarks, mail accounts, and music syncs beautifully.

written by Dennis