Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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Temptation: Switching to Verizon’s iPhone 4

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If you don’t already know, Verizon announced today that it will begin selling a CMDA version of the iPhone 4 in February. This marks the end of AT&T’s exclusive contract to carry the iPhone in the U.S., a day many have been looking forward to given the GSM giant’s poor coverage and performance in several regions. While I haven’t been chomping at the bit for a Verizon iPhone I am tempted to switch to Verizon, though I need more information before making my final decision.

Most importantly, I need to know data plan pricing. Verizon did not cover this at the event today, which is a little surprising in my view since I’m certain they’ve already worked this out. My guess is that not revealing this information is a tactic to help draw people in to continue paying attention to Verizon until this information is available, and to not muddy the announcement itself with more mundane details. Verizon’s iPhone 4 splash page lets you submit your email address to get more information as it’s available, which will definitely help them ascertain the volume of interest out there.
My contract with AT&T ends in June and while I could certainly pay the early termination fee to get out of this earlier, I’m not making that decision until I know more about Verizon’s iPhone plans. Also, I’m a little disappointed that the Verizon iPhone will not be a global phone that’s still compatible with GSM networks. While I don’t travel out of the country often, I like having the option to use a local SIM card to get better rates (my AT&T iPhone is jailbroken and unlocked to allow this).
One feature that is quite appealing about the Verizon iPhone 4 is its ability to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices, essentially turning it into a Mi-Fi-like device. From the way it was worded at the event, it sounds like this feature will be included for free, though I’m not 100% positive of this without knowing the plan pricing details from Verizon. Technically, this is not something I need since I generally only need to tether one device at a time (my laptop) to my iPhone 4, which I can do easily already with the help of the TetherMe jailbreak app. Plus, I already have a MiFi (on AT&T) and my iPad has 3G capability built-in.
The most significant reason why the Verizon iPhone is tempting to me is when it comes to large events like CES where AT&Ts network is usually overwhelmed and nearly useless in such enormous crowds. However, I only attend these events once a year for a few days, so this is hardly reason to switch carriers and possibly increase my monthly expenses.
When it comes to coverage and service quality, AT&T has not been terrible for me in the Boston area. I do hesitate to make calls on my iPhone sometimes since I do experience dropped calls more often than I’d like though I rarely have trouble getting a decent data connection anywhere I go. My beef with AT&T has been about the dropped calls, the fact that they charge more for tethering without providing any additional data to go along with the $20 premium they charge for this privilege, and how much they charge for text messaging, which actually costs all carriers very little to offer.
However, I’m sure Verizon is not without its faults as well and I think I’ll be content to wait to see how the iPhone 4 works for those who switch before committing to making the jump from AT&T.
Will you be switching to the Verizon iPhone?

I jailbroke my iPhone. And it rocks.

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Just after Apple released the 4.0.2 update to address the iOS PDF security issue, I decided to skip updating my iPhone 4 and jailbreak it. I’m not new to jailbreaking – my back-up first-generation iPhone is jailbroken and unlocked though the last time a jailbroken device was my main phone was back when I had the iPhone 3G and I didn’t keep it jailbroken for long. While I haven’t been exactly satisfied with how tightly Apple locks down the iPhone and limits what apps can do, I’d found that jailbroken devices were buggy and slow and the performance hit wasn’t worth it to me.

I did check around to see if a jailbroken iPhone 4 was fast and reliable since it is imperative that my primary iPhone be as rock solid as possible so I can test apps for my day job. With some great feedback from people at EverythingiCafe, I bit the bullet and pointed mobile Safari to jailbreakme.com and flipped the virtual jailbreak switch.
I admit that I am not horribly adventurous these days when it comes to jailbroken apps. I’ve played with themes before (the Glasklart theme remains my favorite to this day) but I don’tneed themes nor much of anything else, really. I’ve used SBSettings before and know that it is a popular add-on for most jailbreakers but I really don’t have a need for it. So far, I’ve only downloaded and purchased one jailbreak app through Cydia: LockInfo.
LockInfo is a fantastic addition that can put a plethora of information on your lock screen so you don’t even need to go past it to see new emails, text messages, upcoming calendar events, and more. This is the type of function that I wish Apple would offer or allow a 3rd-party developer to provide and it has drastically changed how useful my iPhone is to me. Its developer, David Ashman, graciously offers a free 14-day trial so you can see how it works for you. If you like it, you can buy it for $4.99 and even transfer the license to another iPhone when you upgrade or get a replacement iPhone.
Here is a screenshot (not mine) of what LockInfo looks like:
The only other utility I’m tempted to buy is TetherMe that switches enables the iPhones native tethering option without adding on the $20 tethering plan technically required by AT&T. I already have NetShare and HandyLight but TetherMe would be much easier since I wouldn’t have to monkey around with IP settings and such each time I need tethering.
I know there’s a ton more out there in the jailbreaking world but my needs are simple, really. Plus, I don’t want to increase the chances of my iPhone 4 slowing down or getting buggy with more and more add-ons and apps. So far, my iPhone has been just about as stable as it was before the jailbreak. I’ve had one heart-stopping moment when my iPhone was showing the NO SIM error but this might not have been related to jailbreaking at all and a reboot fixed it.
Oh, I should also mention that I’ve unlocked my iPhone 4 as well, though I haven’t tested it with another SIM to confirm. I downloaded the UltraSn0w package more out of curiosity than anything, not realizing that installing it is all it takes to unlock an iPhone. I don’t need my iPhone unlocked but it’s nice to know that it probably is should I suddenly have the need to leave the U.S. and use another SIM card to avoid AT&T’s sky-high international roaming charges.

Video Review: Apple Bumper Case for iPhone 4

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Though I’d actually recorded this video earlier this week, I thought today would be the perfect day to publish it. If you haven’t already heard, Apple announced today at a special press conference that they will be offering a free Bumper case (other cases from 3rd-party manufacturers will also be available to choose from) to all iPhone 4 owners in an attempt to make up for the signal reception issues many have experienced with the device’s new exterior antenna design.

I’ve been using an official Apple Bumper case for the past couple of weeks and I wanted to share my opinion of it. Overall, it’s a very minimalist case that offers little drop protection though it is quite well-designed (which is exactly what I’d expect from Apple when it comes to an accessory for their flagship portable product). In particular, I think it poses a few issues for those who use 3rd-party accessories that connect to the dock connector or headphone jack and I demonstrate my findings in this video.
I don’t think the Bumper case is quite worth $29 given how little protection it provides but you iPhone 4 owners out there won’t have to worry about that since Apple will given you one on the house (or they’ll refund you if you’ve already purchased one). Look for the details on the offer later next week on Apple’s site (I’ll also post a link here when it’s available).
I can replicate the “death grip” on my naked iPhone 4 that causes the cellular data connection to be drastically reduced. The Bumper case does indeed prevent this for me since it prevents my hand from bridging the connection between the two separate antennas that constitute the iPhone 4’s exterior metal band. Though many of you might claim that I’m an Apple apologist/fangirl for saying this, this isn’t a big issue for me. I have read warnings about holding cell phones a certain way in order to avoid “blocking” the cellular antenna in the manuals for most, if not all, of the cell phones I’ve owned before the iPhone. It is a problem faced by all cell phones with internal antennas these days and the iPhone is no different. I’ve never dropped a call because of this issue and it hasn’t impeded my use of my iPhone 4 at all.
Without further ado, here’s my video overview of the Apple Bumper case:

To hell and back (or, buying an iPhone 4)

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On June 15 I, like many people in the U.S., was trying to reserve an iPhone 4 online. I was not sure at the time if I was actually going to buy one since I wasn’t eligible for any upgrade pricing from AT&T but I thought it would be wise to have one reserved just in case I cracked at the last minute and decided to buy one, which was highly likely. The new Apple Store app let me reserve one with little fuss, unlike Apple’s own website which crapped out on me numerous times or simply wouldn’t load at all. So, I had a sweet reservation confirmation email in my inbox at the end of the day and I probably looked at it at least once every few hours to make sure it was still there.

But then I lost that reservation.

First, I must say that I am deeply ashamed to admit how I lost that reservation. As a geek, I generally pride myself on not making such errors. Looking back at this, I’m still not quite sure what was going through my head when it happened. And I can’t believe I’m telling you about this.

So, getting back to that iPhone 4 reservation. At the bottom of the confirmation email was a link that said “Cancel Your Reservation.” You get where this is going now, don’t you? Well, I eyed that link in the email and thought that it might take me to a page where I could review my reservation and possibly change it (e.g., go from a 32GB iPhone 4 to a 16GB iPhone 4). Alas, that was not the case. As soon as I clicked on it, it took me to an Apple Online Store page stating, “You have cancelled your reservation.” And this is where I lost it. My monitor will forever bear scorch marks from the caustic word that issued forth from my mouth. A co-worker witnessed the terrible incident via instant messaging since I was chatting with him as I went through my email. I had to apologize to him since my IMs afterward were shocky, panicked and full of NON-STOP YELLING.

So, that’s how I lost my iPhone 4 reservation. I think it’s safe to say I’m never going to click on a link in an email that looks even remotely dangerous in the future. Lesson learned. Pride completely obliterated.

I did try calling Apple to get my reservation back. Both corporate customer service and the staff at the Rockingham Park mall store were unable to help me, stating that once it was cancelled, the reservation was gone for good. I’m not sure I buy that but there wasn’t anything I could really do to refute that.

In the end, I did decide to get an iPhone 4 despite my ineligibility for upgrade pricing. AT&T had told me (twice by phone and multiple times via SMS) that I was not eligible for upgrade pricing since the amount I pay monthly (I’m on the least expensive voice and text messaging plans) was not sufficient to allow me upgrade pricing every 18 months and my upgrade eligibility date is in February 2011 (a 20-month upgrade schedule instead). Since I missed AT&T’s eligibility change specifically for the iPhone 4 that bumps the date for everyone eligible for an upgrade in 2010 up 6 months, only commitment-free pricing was available to me.

Conclusion: Calling *639# every day does not change the response.

(To give a complete history, I received early upgrade pricing to get my iPhone 3GS last June for $499 and I received full upgrade pricing to get my 16GB iPhone 3G for $299 in 2008. Of course, I paid the full unsubsidized price for the original iPhone in 2007.)

On June 24, I woke up bright and early after just 2 short hours of sleep (I was up late writing this article for work – Essential Apps: Getting Started with iPhone 4), I arrived at the Rockingham Park Mall to stand in line with others who did not have a reservation just after 6:00 a.m.

The mall doors open at 7:00 a.m. to let the mall walkers in and I expected they’d let us in at that time to queue up in front of the Apple Store as they had at the iPad launch. Unfortunately, I was wrong. For some reason, mall management made us wait outside for about 4 hours before letting us in to stand in line outside the Apple store. They also managed to handle the line so badly that people already in the mall just got in line ahead of us at the Apple store before we were even let in. To say that I was pissed at the Rockingham mall management would have been an understatement of epic proportions. I don’t plan on going there again on launch day for any product in the future.

Once inside, it was another 4 hours of waiting to get my iPhone 4. By this time, all of us in the same part of the line were good buddies and we saved each other’s spots in line so we could take bathroom breaks and grab some lunch without losing our places. When there were about 15 people in front of me still and I was a most thoroughly cranky and unhappy camper, I took a break from the line and went to see some of the iPhone 4’s on display. Seeing them renewed my excitement to get one. They were so sleek! And so shiny! And the Retina Display was so crisp!

I finally got my iPhone at around 2:30 p.m. Since it was a no-commitment purchase, they did not activate the iPhone for me in the store and sent me on my merry way to do that at home. I tried to buy a Bumper case but they were out of stock by the time I got into the store (and I kicked myself for not trying to buy one earlier in the day).

I rushed home to sync my 3GS one last time and then sync my iPhone 4. It took about an hour for my iPhone 4 to activate on AT&T’s network, the process slowed down by the large number of activations they were seeing on that day. After that, I proceeded to ooh and ahh over my shiny new iPhone 4 about every 2.5 minutes.

I do think I want a Bumper case for it still but I am loathe to pay $29 for one so I’m also checking out knock-off cases (i-Luv and Scosche are making some). In the meantime, I am using my Proporta Maya pouch case around the house and when I put my iPhone in my purse to prevent it from getting any scratches. I’ve got a Wrapsol protector on the way as well as a free BoxWave case (which cost me $4.50 in shipping only due to a temporary special BoxWave offered the other day) so my iPhone won’t be without more complete protection for long.

Fortunately, my iPhone 4 works perfectly with my car set-up, connecting to its Bluetooth system and playing audio through the iPod kit I have, and it even fits into the ProClip mount for my iPhone 3G and 3GS with just a little room to spare.
I am really enjoying my iPhone 4 so far. I do experience the signal loss issue that’s been documented ad nauseum since its release but I haven’t dropped a call because of it (I’m right-handed) and the proximity sensor works just as it should to turn off the screen when I’m on a call. I’ve even been neglecting my much-loved iPad since I got the iPhone 4, though this has also been due to visiting family over the weekend and my desire to keep my iPad away from the sticky-fingered, juice-spilling, not-so-careful children staying at our house.
Did you get an iPhone 4? What was your purchase experience like?

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