Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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I don’t need another Mac, but I *want* one

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I currently have only one Mac, which is not out of the ordinary for me since I have almost always had a second computer (usually a PC) through work with my Mac at home for personal use. However, my MacBook Air has become my primary computer for work and home and I’ve been recently toying with the idea of getting an iMac to be my “main” computer and keeping my MacBook Air as my – you guessed it – mobile computer for when I work off-site and travel. No, my MacBook Air hasn’t let me down and does everything I need it to do. But have you seen the latest iMacs? Can you say pretty?

I already have a MobileMe account, which would make it easy to keep things in sync between both of them. I have a 20″ cinema display which I could sell to help raise funds to get one. My husband would have a conniption and ask me why I need two computers and I wouldn’t be able to have a good reason except to say that I just wanted one and that they’re pretty. Which, unfortunately, would not fly. Not one little bit. Though I suppose if I asked him why needs 3 complete sets of fairings for just one of his motorcycles (at about $1,000 per set), 2 portable generators of the same model (when he only uses one regularly), and a garage full of other mechanical goodies that have slowly assimilated every one of my own tools and mechanical gadgets, he might ease up a little. Maybe. Dorkface.
Of course, the more I keep thinking about this, the more I remind myself that I really should wait for this tablet that keeps popping up in the rumor mills. What if Apple really does put out one of those and it somehow makes sense for that to be my mobile computer over my MacBook Air? Then I could sell my MacBook Air and display and get an iMac and the tablet, which would make more sense for the use I have in mind.
If this tablet does come to fruition, I’ll be really interested to see how text entry on it works. I’m pretty speedy on a regular keyboard at around 90 WPM. I’m fast on my iPhone but it’s still far less comfortable to type on than a regular keyboard if I have the choice. Of course, Apple would probably not intend for it to be like a stand-alone computer that could cannibalize MacBook sales. I could see it as a large iPod touch-like device with the ability to connect to your home computer remotely to view media and files. However, if that puppy comes with a pop-out stand to keep it at a good viewing angle and can connect to a Bluetooth keyboard, I still might consider that a worthy purchase. Oh, who am I kidding? If Apple puts out a tablet, I’m getting one whether or not I really need it. I’ll get you my pretty! And your little dog, too.

Review of Sygic’s Mobile Maps navigation app for the iPhone

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If you read my blog, you know that I’ve been waiting and waiting for a true turn-by-turn navigation app for the iPhone for some time now. Sygic put out one of the first comprehensive turn-by-turn apps earlier this month, and I’ve just completed my review of their Mobile Maps North America app (link opens iTunes). It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn good in my book, with enough features to make me want to retire my stand-alone TomTom Go 720 GPS device. Read my full review here.

LosAngeles

The madness must stop. I think.

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The iPhone 3GS release frenzy is winding down a bit and I’ve had a little time to reflect. I have purchased each new iPhone model on release day and have even procured spare iPhones to use as back-ups along the way. Why do I need more than one iPhone? I don’t know. What I do know is that this is crazy. I can’t really keep this up if Apple is going to release a new iPhone every year, can I?

Of course, this train of thought prompted me to think of what could possible be changed hardware-wise in the next iPhone generation. An even better camera? Definitely. A slimmer or smaller design? Possibly. A high-res screen, perhaps with OLED technology? Faster internals to keep up with more demanding firmware and apps? Perhaps. But will these things be enough for me to upgrade yet again? Can’t I just be happy for more than 12 months with my shiny new iPhone 3GS?
To be clear, I haven’t been the kind of girl to keep a cell phone for very long, ever. I think that my first-generation and 3G iPhones have been the cell phones I’ve kept the longest, putting me at a maximum of 1 year of cell phone monogamy, so to speak. But, even while I had my iPhones, I was tempted by other phones. The Blackberry Storm called to me with its large screen and empty promises of stability and usability. The T-Mobile G1 flirted outrageously, flaunting its Android operating system while vaguely pretending to be slim and svelte. The Pre was probably the most tempting, slyly reminding me of fond memories of past Palm devices, but the 3GS easily drew my attention once it was released.
Regardless, I am happy with my new 32GB iPhone 3GS (the 16GB I started out with is being returned). I still look fondly at my factory-unlocked 3G, but its slowness compared to my 3GS is noticeable enough to make me think it’s going on eBay sooner rather than later. And I suspect that, despite my best intentions, Apple will again woo me with a new device next year.
In related news, Apple has posted a couple of helpful bits of information on their support site. They’ve published this chart showing Bluetooth profiles under 3.0 for all iPhone models here:
Note the incomplete implementation of the AVRCP profile that does not permit skip forward/backward and fast-forward/backward capability even if your accessory has controls for these functions.
And, they’ve also published a chart of 3.0 capabilities by iPhone model, which can also be called a “See what you’re missing by not buying the latest iPhone model” chart as well:
Sneaky boogerheads.
My iPhone 3GS vs. 3G vs. first-generation iPhone comparison review is coming along. I want to include some video samples and I’ve been waiting for some nicer weather to get some good video of my dog running around like a nut in the yard. According to the forecast, Saturday will probably be the day for that as it looks like we’ll get a brief reprieve from this endless cloudiness and rain.

iPhone 3G S happiness despite FedEx epic failage

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I’m beginning to think that I am somewhat cursed when it comes to getting an iPhone on launch day. Last year, I stood in line at an Apple store for hours and then was told to go to AT&T since I had a FAN discount on my account, which Apple could not work with. AT&T ran out of iPhones just before I made it into the store, but I asked them to cancel my FAN discount so I could at least go back to the Apple store to get one. I was able to get one at the Apple store and the whole adventure took from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. I was not happy.
This year, FedEx became the bane of my existence. Everything looked good as I tracked the progress of my iPhone 3G S online, until 9:00 am passed and it still wasn’t on a truck for delivery. I called FedEx then, asking if it was going to make it on a truck and throwing out the idea of picking it up at the facility if not. The CSR I spoke to said that it probably would make it onto a truck for delivery, but it probably wouldn’t arrive by the 3:00 pm deadline. Great. She encouraged me to track it again in a couple of hours, and said that it if it was still at the sorting facility, I could just go and pick it up there. Lo and behold, it made it onto a truck at 11:01 am.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Merely 49 minutes later, the following error showed in the tracking status:

I shall not repeat here the foul words that issued forth from my mouth upon seeing this loathsome error, though they were vile indeed. Suffice it to say that, had the FedEx driver heard me, I would surely have been challenged to a duel of some sort so that he could defend his own honor, as well as that of his mother and any farm animals with which he had crossed paths in the past.
Of course, this prompted another call to FedEx, in which I painstakingly provided directions to my house, as well as wondering aloud why FedEx could not find my house after several successful attempts to get packages to me in the past year. WTF, BBQ? The CSR confirmed that my house was in their database and promised to send the directions to the driver immediately.
A short while later, I saw a FedEx truck drive down the main street outside of our neighborhood. Alas, it did not turn and continued away from me. At 1:29 pm, FedEx tracking showed that my package was back at the local sorting facility. Bastards.
At this point, I called FedEx yet again and asked them to hold the package for me to pick it up. I ate a hasty lunch and then made my way to FedEx. I picked it up with no problems and opened it up in the car to ensure all was well. In the box, my new iPhone 3G S sat happily, unaware of the angst I had suffered all day in waiting to see it.
After I got home and immediately started the process to switch to the new iPhone, I called FedEx to file a complaint. How on earth could they have found me at least 20 times in the past year but failed to do so on the one day that I was anxiously awaiting an on-time delivery? The CSR I spoke to was nice and apologized, but the damage was done. FedEx, you have failed me. In the words of Jean-Baptiste Emmanual Zorg, “I am very disappointed.”
FedEx failure aside, I am quite enamored of my iPhone 3G S. It is indeed wicked fast compared to my iPhone 3G, and I am quite enjoying the video recording and voice command capability. I’ve already recorded videos of my dog doing nothing in particular and have used the voice command feature with great success to control playback during lawn mowing. And, I am thrilled that the volume controls on the Apple In-ear Headphones with Remote & Mic, which I had purchased to replace my broken V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones, work with the 3G S, as expected.
I’m working on my comparison review between the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, and first-generation iPhone now. One reader has already suggested covering the speed differences between the devices, and I welcome any other suggestions of things you’d like to see in the review – feel free to comment on this post, send an email to me at marianne at macgirl dot net, or use my contact page here.

Geeky girl strikes out at Genius Bar

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I wrote about my experience getting a Rev. B (the second update to the model, for those of you uninitiated in Apple geek speak) MacBook Air last November. I promptly declared it perfect, and frankly, overlooked an issue that has become more glaring the more I use it: gray lines on the display. MacNN wrote about this issue in December and there has been much discussion on the MacRumors.com forum dedicated to the MacBook Air about it. So, I finally decided to take it into an Apple store to see if anything could be done about it. I’ll be honest – the only viable solution in my head was a replacement, and if a screen replacement was going to be offered, I was going to decline. I have horrible luck with these sorts of things and I envisioned it coming back to me with multiple dings and scratches and even more prominent gray lines on the screen. No, thank you.

A bit tricky to see here, but the damn things are there! Grrr!
(Photo courtesy of Macrumors.com)
I traipse happily into my local Apple store Friday afternoon just in time for my appointment. Unfortunately, the Genius I get is absolutely unsympathetic to my plight, claiming to barely seen the lines, thinking that they could actually be part of the screen’s anti-glare coating, though he retracted this when I pointed out it has a glossy screen and they’re not visible when the screen is off. He was completely immune to my geek girl charm, even though I was wearing my Nerds 4 Ever shirt and my stylish-yet-serious glasses (they’re Versace, biotch!). I must be losing my touch.
He offered to replace the screen, which would take 3 to 5 days. I begged off since, a.) I can’t do with my Mac for that long at this time (or for any amount of time, as sad as that sounds), and b.) as I mentioned, I’m not letting anyone manhandle my beloved MacBook Air. So, I’ll live with the lines. They don’t bother me too much unless I’m thinking about it and they’re not an issue at all when I have it connected to my 20″ Cinema Display, which I use as my main display, of course.
At any rate, it does appear to be a widespread issue – it’s noted in a couple of discussion threads at the Apple Support forums here and here, on a ZDNet review of the MacBook Air here, and in the aforementioned MacRumors forums here. Now, I’m not the kind of girl who goes to start petitions and picket lines when I’m riled up about something, but I have half a mind to add my support to others experiencing this issue to get Apple to address it. I’ve never seen these lines on any of the previous Mac portables I’ve used (multiple MacBooks and PowerBooks over the years) and I don’t think they’re normal. What bothers me most is that I paid $2,500 for this computer, and while I don’t expect perfection in every unit that comes off of a production line, I don’t expect to see a widespread issue like this manifest itself. I’ve read of some folks who open up their new Macs while they’re still at the store to check it over before they leave with it. I think I’m going to start doing that the next time I get a new Mac…

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