iphone 4

The advantages over the 3GS are in a few key areas: better video quality, better picture quality, sleeker look, better feel, and better screen navigation.

The disadvantages are of course price and the stupidity I would feel at just having bought the iPhone 3 only to go out and replace it right away with the iPhone 4.  Plus, the iPhone 3GS does it’s job and I have no complaints whatsoever.  In fact, the only real thing that bugs me is I’ve scratched the bottom of the silver part of the phone where I’ve taken off and put back on my rubberized cell phone case for the iPhone.  It gets scratches because the fit is so tight.

I’d also like a jail broken phone so I could do more stuff – like play MP3s (not layered iTunes only MP4s).  The iPhone4 doesn’t address that problem either though.  I’ve tried jail breaking my phone with the Cyndia problem but with no luck.

What are you guys opinions?

I think I’m going to continue to ride the 3GS iPhone for at least another year.  It still looks good and it still works.  I paid $200 for it and I really don’t need another phone.  As nice as the 4 looks and as many cool features as it has, I think I’m going to stick with the girl I brought to the prom, 3G.

http://www.cepost.com

Now I know what you’re thinking, this must be some ugly and/or flimsy cover.  It’s not.  It’s a hard rubber snap on case that is semi-soft and completely smooth to the touch.  Mine is dark black and fits seamlessly with my iPhone.  I’ve dropped my phone on asphalt, concrete, hard tile and nothing has happened to it.  Now that is what I call bang for your buck.  The entire outside of the face is covered except for ports, volume control, and camera.

I actually have several cases of varying colors still left over after I gave away two to my classmates.  The colors were stellar: pitch black, navy and white, white and black, tech red and black, tech orange and black, pink and black, and purple and black.  In fact, let me take a pic of what I have left with my vivacious iPhone so you can feel the real deal.

The moral of the story if you want to give an awesome Christmas gift to an iPhone user spending $1 or less while looking like a complete stud in the process, give a fellow iPhone owner one of these iPhone cases.  I mean I looked long and far for a phone case this good and came up empty at prices upward of $35.  When I got smart and set my eyes to the Far East, Hong Kong came through for me.  This is one of those times where price truly isn’t a reflection of what you get.  Value here is outstanding.

If you’re having trouble finding the best case for the iPhone, send me a comment or better yet an email and I’ll hook you up with a link.  (Hey, I’d have to dig through the auctions myself.)

Just as some whip cream on the pumpkin pie, my case is still fully functioning and almost seems impervious to pain.  It has no scratches on it and looks 99% of what it did when I bought it.  It’s easy to take off and put on.  The snap case delivers what it says it is.

1. The iPhone is sleeker.  The Droid is cool, but the iPhone just has a better feel and look to it.
2. The Droid has a pull-out keyboard that is harder to type on.  The buttons are that of a rigid calculator and they need to be pressed hard.  This does help prevent slipping and pressing the wrong button, but not worth the trade off.
3. Along with the sleeker comment, the iPhone is thinner.  The Droid is kind of like having a bulky Texas Instruments calculator – come to think of it that reminds me of it a lot.  The iPhone is thinner in depth.
4. The iPhone is cheaper.  I think my friend paid $199 and that was after some $200 rebate on the Droid.
5. I prefer ATT to T-Mobile service.
6. I couldn’t remove the Facebook App on the Droid.  My friend had asked me to take it off, but I could only figure out how to take off nondefault apps.
7. Not as cool phone cases.

That’s all I can think of on iPhone vs. Droid right now.  I had some more when I was initially holding it but I still wanted to let you guys in on it as most people haven’t come into contact with the Droid.  Just a quick mention, if you are thinking of using either of these phones as portable media players, you may want to first look at buying an ipod alternative and keeping your media and phone in seperate devices.

Some cool stuff about the Droid:

1. Really good screen resolution – on par or maybe a hair better than the iPhone.
2. It says DROID when you receive a text message in a very 1980s tech-robot way.  That sounds so simple, but it definitely makes getting a text message fun.
3. Cheap screen films.  My friend said she got 3 for $12.99 or something like that when she bought her Droid which is a really good deal from what I’ve researched.

Overall, I thought it was a quality device but it didn’t really 1-up the iPhone.  It’s more like Apple set the standard and they did a good job following the blueprint.  I’m sure there are more differences between the iPhone and Droid that I don’t know about yet but these are just my impressions from owning the iPhone and handling Droid for 15 minutes.

Final Score on an independent scale of 1-10 (no decimals):

iPhone 9

Droid 7

Hard iPhone Case

There you have a hard snap on case for the iPhone. It looks awesome and I love the durability factor of it. I haven’t got it yet, but I’m thinking it will be able to survive any spills, smashes, or falls I give it (I am very careful with my iPhone).

The Crystal Film from Power Support USA looks top notch and looks the easiest to apply to the iPhone. I hated the idea of putting an applicator liquid to my iPhone and then waiting 48 hours or however long to wait until the clarity improved. It looked like an entirely too long and messy process. It was highly rated, but I’m going with the Crystal Film for $15. I’m willing to pay extra for the obvious quality and reportedly speedy shipping.

Crystal Film is CEPost.com‘s choice for best iPhone screen protector.

Edit: You can buy the Crystal Film or the Anti-Glare by PowerSupportUSA at PowerSupport or the AppleStore.  The AppleStore charges less ($4.00) per shipping but adds tax.  PowerSupport charges more per shipping ($4.95) but it ships faster.  The key difference is the AppleStore’s order gives you 2 films whereas PowerSupport only gives you one.

I’m going to make my iPhone purchases from Ebay instead and go by the user feedback rating system.  Last thing I want is some cheap, used stuff from a place that doesn’t accommodate its customers.  Be careful when you buy your cell phone stuff online.

I went with the black iPhone.  I wanted to go with the white iPhone just to be different, but it didn’t look as good – the white color didn’t really mesh with the silver.  I was going to buy the iPhone online from the Apple website, but it was going to take 3-5 days I think.  So instead, I just called the Apple Store at my local mall and bought it lock, stock, and barrel there.

They were pretty busy, but once I got a hold of a rep, the purchase was easy and my phone was ready to go as soon as I bought it – no sim card transfer necessary to start using my ATT service.  Of course, I still have to add my contacts, but not really a big deal.

Ok on to the review of the iPhone features.  First text messaging.  I choose the 200 text message plan for a month for $5.  Your only other option is 1500 for $15 I think.  I wouldn’t use 1500 but I’ve realized that I can easily use 200 especially if the texts count coming and going or inbound and outbound.  If you think about 200 text messages, that’s about 6-7 per day and it’s pretty easy to rack those up, especially if you like friends that like to text.

The texting itself is super easy and the keypad allows me to text message about 4x faster than my old phone.  If you make a mistake, it’s easy to identify because the letter highlights when you press it.  The text messages also show on a back and forth little blurb message board so you can get an idea of the chronological orders and replies.

The iPhone also has video and camera capabilities.  The resolution is pretty darn good but not great, but hey I didn’t buy a digital camera right?  The coolest part about the  photo taking abilities is that you can email the photos right to your email address or someone else’s immediately (using your own default email by the way).  You can also record a video of anything and then upload it right to YouTube in probably less than a minute!  Wow talk about cool.  This could also help you out if you’re getting pulled over or in a wreck to show proof of what really happened.

There is also a voice memo which allows you to take dictation any time, any where.  For example, if I need to remember a great idea for later that I know I’ll forget if I don’t record it now, I can touch the VoiceMemo and record away.  This is especially helpful if you have a longer or more detailed message and don’t want to type it all out finger by finger.

Of course, the iPhone also has a cool little yellow notepad app for taking down quick written notes.  This is a good alternative to voice memo because you don’t have to relisten to everything you recorded and you can do it if you’re in a place where you need to be quiet like at the office, classroom, or library.

The Internet access provided by the iPhone has proved invaluable.  Of course, you’re not going to use it for extensive browsing or as a primary ISP but it has come in handy already on a few purchases.  For example, I was at Office Depot and wanted to check to see if their lexor 8gb flash disk memory jump drive marked down from $44 to $17 was really a great deal (I’m not up on the current prices for memory sticks).  Turns out it was a great price even by Internet standards so I bought the last two.

My next stop was Academy Outdoor Sports store to buy running shoes.  I’m not generally a big spender, but I had needed something things for a long time and a phone and running shoes were on the top of my lists as I’d worn my previous cell phone and shoes to the point of no longer serving their purpose.  The cool thing about having mobile web with the iPhone was I was able to look up reviews on certain shoes right there in the store without taking down model and product numbers and going home and doing research shopping and price comparisons.  The iPhone saved me time and gas money because I could do all this right in the store.  I ended up buying Nike Lunar Glides which are awesome.

The iPhone also has a calendar, great voice mail set up, compass, weather, clock, stop watch, and alarm clock all built right in.  I’m pretty sure the iPhone has GPS too.  And this isn’t even with me adding any new free apps.  I haven’t even had the chance.  I will probably get a fantasy football app for my iPhone when I can to get live scores.

You can adjust the volume on the iPhone with a side toggle to hear the person on the other end louder.  I called my dad and he said my voice was crystal clear on his end.  At first, I couldn’t hear the other person but then I realized how to turn the volume up and then I could hear the other person fine.

How much did my iPhone data plan cost?

I actually only paid $30 for my data plan.  You’ll have two options when you’re signing up.  The corporate business email option (or something corporate) costs $45 and the alternative which is personal use costs $30.  As I said my text message plan was $5.  This totaled $35 on top of my $40 a month phone plan and I got away with only paying $75 total a month for the iPhone which is among the cheapest prices I’ve seen for monthly plans.

I’ll tell you right now that if you’re on email a lot or need to be abreast of updates, the Internet data plan is well worth it.  I have saved a great deal of travel and time with the web at my finger tips.  Plus you can look up store hours and phone numbers without having to guess and go to the store or go back home and looking it up.

Internet browsing features include multiple browsers, favorites, bookmarks, a .com default button, screen scroll and enlarging.  One note is I was unable to download an Adobe plug-in to my Safari browser.  YouTube has its own seperate button.  Surprisingly, the Internet streams so well I was able to run while listening to Taylor Swift on YouTube through the net – I did not have the YouTube video saved to my iPhone.  Now, that is a pretty good Internet connection.

For my phone I bought the 16gb capacity.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever need this as I don’t plan on using it as a storage device, but it could come in handy if I end up accruing a lot of photos and video that I don’t want to erase.  The 16gb is $199.  The 8gb is $99 and the 32 is $299.

Should I get the 8gb or 16gb iPhone?

If you’re just an average iPhone user, all you will need is 8gb.  8gb should be more than enough and it will save you at least $100.  If you plan on storing a lot of music, video, and pictures on it, you may want to get the 16gb.  I’d only recommend getting a 32gb phone if you plan on downloading a lot of apps, music, and video to your iphone.  For example, big gaming apps could take a lot of space.

Last, I recommend you get a rubber holder and scratch resistant cover for your iPhone screen.  Mine hasn’t scratched yet but I’ve heard it will scratch easy.  A rubber holder will help absorb any shock should your iPhone take a fall.  You definitely don’t want to buy an iPhone and then end up breaking it two weeks later or getting a major scratch.

You can also get a car charger for your iPhone for under $10 on the net.  Skip the retail stores like Target, Wal-Mart, Apple, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and others for these iPhone accessories.  It’s much cheaper to buy online.  The iPhone does come with a charger for regular wall outlets and does have a USB cable to connect to your computer and download songs or whatever else from your PC.

That’s my complete iPhone review.  Overall, I recommend it to any one.

4.8 stars out of 5.

The cost of the actual phone isn’t the problem.  The phone plan for the iPhone comes out to about $85/month for a fairly standard plan which is quite pricey.  The Internet data plan and regular phone plan comprise most of it.  You’ll also probably get the SMS which is $5 for 200 text messages per month.

So in total, if you get a $200 phone and the regular standard features plan, you’re looking at $1,020 for the month to month costs for a year on top of the $200 upfront price.  So the total cost for an Iphone for a year is $1,220.

Don’t get me wrong, having Internet access anywhere, GPS, and Voice Memo features among a handful of others would be really cool but I’m having trouble justifying the $1,000 price tag for the monthly plan over a year.

This is the cheapest plan for an iPhone I’ve seen outside of refurbished phones and I’m against getting a refurbished phone.  I want to start anew.

Key Questions: How much does an iPhone really cost?  What is the cheapest price for an iPhone?  How much does an iPhone plan cost?

The regular price on a BlackBerry Curve is$499.99!  Wow, what a savings here.  But… you got to always worry about that dataplan.  Dataplans are so expensive.

Price & Plan Info

• BlackBerry Curve 8900 Silver
• Free Cell Phone
• Free Shipping
• 900 minutes with rollover
• $59.99 month
• 2 year contract
• $36 activation fee

What does a BlackBerry curve come with?

Specs and Details

• Backlit QWERTY Keyboard
• Video and Photos
• Text Messages w/ multimedia
• Instant messenger (IM)
• MP3 Player
• Polyphonic Ringtons, MP3 ringtons
• Free Games Pre-Installed
• Customizable graphics for download

Questions answered: How much does a BlackBerry cost?  What colors does the blackberry come in?  How much are activation fees and data plans?

For more info on the best cell phones and best data plans, read this cell phone blog.

One cool feature is this is a tap camera meaning you can tap the camera underwater and work the options. Has a large LCD display on the back. Easy control with quick click button – no need to hold down to take a photo. My camera is a sleek looking steel blue. Some of the features include: Anti-shudder, 10 mega pixel max, in camera photo-editing, can take digital video/movies. The Olympus 6000 camera also comes with a 1GB XD memory card and has a self closing lense cover. You do need to make sure your finger doesn’t cover the flash as it is easy to accidentally slide your finger in the way.

The phone itself is very smooth and lightweight, yet dense and solid. The Olympus underwater DC will easily fit in a shirt pocket. Display comes with a HyperCrystalView but the unenhanced visual isn’t clear. Anti-shudder feature is impressive, I purposely shaked my arm while taking a picture and it came out perfectly still.

We’re about to use this camera in the Virgin Islands and try to take some beautiful waters using the 10 foot (10ft) or 3 meter (3m) water depth ability and post some of those pictures on here.

Specs:

Stylus Tough-6000
Olympus Lens 3.6x Optical Wide Zoom
5.0-18.2mm 1:3.5-5.1

Purchase Price $250 at Costco
Olympus 6000 Reviews

Here is a complete LG Xenon review from YouTube:

I believe the AIM or instant messaging is part of the Internet plan and not the texting plan. Att customers get a bonus family plan discount with the free activation. Colors come in red, blue, and black. Current and new customers can get the cell phone.