Gadgerty: Apple Mac Book Pro 13"

It will be mine. Oh, yes .... it will be mine. I am thinking about getting it in the next month or so. I got my Apple iBook over four years ago is running really slow and I can barely watch YouTube videos on it. Also, I has the old IBM chipset so it will not be able to run Snow Leopard when it comes out in September.

I am still deciding, but more than likely I will get it soon.

[Apple Mac Book Pro]

Dual Screens

Since I got my iMac about 14 months ago, I lost my dual monitor view until now. I bought an DVI adapter and viola ... dual screens.

I had a PC with two monitors for years, but I finally decided to added on my spare LCD monitors to my iMac. I like having the ability to place messenging applications or music on one screen while I do something else (like browse the Internet) on the other. It just makes thing a bit easier to multitask. I would much rather have an Apple LED Cinema Display, but don't want to spend $600. Unless there is a secret admirer that wants to get me a late Xmas present? ... Anyone?


Nothing to see here. Just a picture of Roger Federer changing his shirt during a changeover. Move along, please.

Gadgetry: My iPhone 3G

This past Friday was the first day the Apple iPhone 3G went on sale. I thought I would go to the AT&T store a block away from my office around 7:45am to see the length of the line. The line was wrapped around the building with nearly 200 people. I wasn't going to wait so i headed to work.

While at work, I was reading some tech blogs saw some reports that people were waiting for hours because the iTunes server crashed and phones couldn't be activated. Some people were sent home with unactivated phones, and first generation phones were being disabled after upgrading to the 2.0 software. Needless to say, the first day was a mess.

After I finished with tennis I thought I would head to the Apple store on Knox Street in Highland Park, because I figured the line would have died down a bit. I got there around 9:30pm there were about 70 people in line. I was in line for about 10 minutes before a n employee at Apple store store announced to crowd that only the next 50 people were going to be served. He apologized to those waiting in line and those disappointed after waiting line for over two hours could come back tomorrow. I hadn't been there for too long so I didn't mind. I went to grab some food before heading home.

The next day I went to same Apple store around 6:45am and I was the 10th person in line. I brought my iBook and some other provisions to keep myself occupied while I waited for the doors to open at 8am. The people in line were really nice and we all talked about the all the issues that took place with the new iPhones the day before.

The doors opened and I was in the second wave of service. When I finally got in to get my phone I had to make a decision on which phone to get. I initially wanted the black 16gb version, but I changed my mind and got the white version of the same size. The white version didn't show smudges when touched and it looked more chic. I got my phone and was at the register ... and that's when I ran into problems.

I was one of many people at the store having issues with their existing AT&T account. I switched to AT&T 8 days prior and I an employee discount on my account and this cause problems. After talking to AT&T for nearly and hour they could not get my phone activated because of my employee discount. In order to get the iPhone at the $299 price, I would had to leave the store and head to an AT&T store and return my old phone and remove the discount. I was not leaving Apple store without an iPhone, so I asked the AT&T representative would I be able to get the phone if I added a new line to my account and canceled the old line at a later date. She said, "technically, that should work." I tried it out, and it worked and I got the phone for $299. I paid for the iPhone, and it was on to the next step ... activating it on iTunes. The process too about 2 minutes and I was out of there. I headed to AT&T store near my house to return my old phone but I was to forced to use the new number that was given to my iPhone instead of retained the number I received 8 days ago.

So, I got my iPhone and I am enjoying it. I already made a couple of ringtones for it just so I wouldn't have to use the default tones. I asked the Apple specialist if she is getting a free iPhone 3G for being an employee. I was told that she wasn't. I think all Apple employees and the AT&T reps deserve to get one for dealing with the needlessly complicated process.

Due to all of the restrictions, the Apple store I went to only sold about 400 iPhones on launch day. Last year, they probably sold that many iPhones in an hour. AT&T should allowed perspective iPhone owners to pre-register online, print out a receipt with a confirmation code or barcode, and bring it to store. You had to bring a Photo ID and give your Social Security Number, so the process would have seemed secured.

The process is flawed, but it worked out in the end. I will post my review of the phone next week.

Black Friday 2007: The Blackening

After a successfully Black Friday haul last year, I was looking forward to doing it again this year. There was a major problem -- nothing good on sale. That didn't initially deter me because I thought I could at least pick up some cheap DVDs to add to my collection.

Instead of sleeping and waking up early, I decided to stay up the entire night. I made it until 4:15am and then had second thoughts about going to Circuit City, which opened at 5am. For what they were offering it wasn't worth the hassle, and I went to bed.

Around 11am, I decided to head out to Target to see what they had to offer. I picked up some 25 pack of DVD-Rs for $4.99, along with some other household items. I looked for the Transformer Bumblebee action figure for my nephew, but they were all sold-out. I paid for the items in my cart and then headed to the next store on my list ... the Apple Store.

I went the Apple Store in the Knox-Henderson area instead of the North Park Mall location because I wanted to stay clear of all malls. The only draw back was limited parking. After circling the block I finally found spot close to the store.

The store was packed, but it was manageable. I wanted to get the new Aluminum (5th Generation) iMac, but I was waiting until Mac OS X Leopard was release. I know I wanted the 20" model, but I don't think I could handle the 24", but I wasn't sure which video card I wanted. I opted for the relatively lower quality 128MB video card. I waited, and waited for one of the Apple "Geniuses" to help me but no one was willing to help me. I guess they thought I was just a person browsing so went off to help people who looked like buyers (i.e. white older couples with or without children). Oh, did I mention that I was one of two black people in this store? The other black guy was the security guard. I finally grabbed a "genius" and asked him a series of questions, to which he had no answer. While annoyed I knew what I wanted but needed some validation in my choice. I got a sales person, a lovely woman who was very helpful, who answered my questions and rung up my sale all within 5 minutes. That's what I call service.


I've been playing around with it for a couple of days, and I really like it. I now have two LCD monitors left over from my old Windows machine. I may keep one and send the other to my mom because she wanted a LCD monitor. Since I can remotely operate my Windows machine from the iMac so there is no need for the LCDs.

Sidenote: I am really turning into a Apple person, aren't I. I never thought I would be this person, but they make great products.

All I have to do is get some more RAM (2 or 3 Gigabytes) and I will be all set.

Sadly, in order to help fund the purchase of my Apple iMac I had to part with something that took a lot of will power and stamina to get ...



... my Nintendo Wii.

I put in ad on Craigslist last Monday and within an hour I had 5 offers. One guy made an offer and backed out the last minute, so I ended up selling it to the woman in Arlington. It was my first experience with Craigslist, and it was a very pleasant one. The woman paid me via Paypal and I shipped the Wii and its accessories to her. Based on this transactions, I will thinking about selling more things on Craigslist.

I've been thinking about selling my Wii for a while now because I've only played it a couple of times. I am not the gaming I used to be. I remember the good old days of NES/SNES/Genesis when I didn't have a job and was able to play as long as I wanted to.

I guess we all have to grow up ... eventually.

iPhone: I Caved

After my post about not getting an iPhone, I ended up getting one this morning.

I saw that the iPhone was still available at my local Apple Store and they opened at 9 am today. I walked over at 8:50 and was the 8th person in line at 8:57. I got the phone in about 10 minutes.

I have to say that I am quite impressed with the iPhone thus far. I will test it out for 14 days and see whether I should keep it. I have 30 days to cancel the AT&T contract without penalty.I will do a full review when I get home later...maybe.

Sent from my iPhone

Apple iPhone: I Think I Will Wait

Until today, there was no information regarding the rate plans or the activation fees for the iPhone. Below are said fees:


I was really considering getting an iPhone this Friday when the product launches. My plan was to get the phone and test it out for a couple of weeks, and then return it if I didn't like it. I recently found out that there is a $175 termination fee to do this, so it's not cost effective to do this.

I really don't to switch from Sprint to AT&T because I've been hearing that their network (EDGE) is inferior to Sprint's network. Also, my Sprint bill roughly $35 per month and it took a call to sprint last year to get this deal, so I really don't want to lose it. AT&T called me a couple of months ago trying to get me to switch, but the new iPlan is firm and has not room for wiggle room.

Hopefully the Apple Store a couple of blocks from my apartment will get an iPhone that a potential buyer could actually touch and then determine whether or not it is the right device for them. Then, who knows? But more than likely I will wait for a year and let me Sprint contract run out and then see if the iPhone is for me.

I will save my money for the new iMac I'll buy when Mac OS X: Leopard comes out in October. I will probably get more use out of the iMac then the iPhone ... and the in the long run, the iMac is cheaper.

Who's getting an iPhone? Leave a comment.

Sources: Gizmondo.com, Apple.com