I'm sorry, were you expecting an iPhone 5?

You mad, bro? So, yeah, that just happened. The fifth-generation iPhone is--tada--the iPhone 4S, an evolution of the iPhone 4. It doesn't slice bread, but you can probably ask it the meaning of life and it will tell you.

I saw a lot of hate spewed out across the live blogs, comments on Engadget and MacRumors etc., and the Twitter. A lot of people failed to manage their expectations. The iPhone 4 sells like hotcakes, and so do the cases and accessories that fit it, so why would Apple change that? I know yesterday I told them to do just that, but for them to do so amidst booming sales doesn't make sense. People who will upgrade to the iPhone 4S will get a nice speed bump, a hell of a camera, a world of goodies that already work with the iPhone 4 to choose from, and will live happily ever after. People who aren't impressed will pass on that, and will live happily ever after. It's the same story every year.

They managed to cram CDMA and GSM/HSPA, a faster processor, more capacity, a better camera, AND the same/better battery life into the same small enclosure. Of course, iTunes still needs to be thrown out like the garbage that it is, and that silly 3G 20mb download restriction needs to be stabbed thoroughly, among other things. They're not perfect. But ignore the brand hate for a moment and just admire it for what it is and what it has done. The iPhone changed communications and information access for the better. I now exclusively use mine as my instant messenger, quick "let me google that for you" lookup of just about anything, podcast collector & player, and time waster (Angry Birds anyone?). I still don't keep up on Facebook like a good honest Facebookian should. But in any case, I have it all everywhere I go with me now. Try to imagine what it would be like if we were still tethered to a keyboard that's wired to a tower that's sitting on our floor next to the cable modem in order to do computer-like things.

I don't care what logo is on the stuff I use (as much as you might think I'm an Apple fanboy), but no one can deny that Apple brought it on. Their devices and interfaces have yet to be matched in many ways. I'd happily switch to my Android if it stopped hanging & rebooting, missing calls, and failing to play my music and stuff. Palm/HP failed miserably, sadly. Windows Phone 7 looks promising, I think it'll be worth a try.

Bottom line, the iPhone 4S has new, faster innards. It has features the old one doesn't have. It still has good battery life. Marvel at the mind-boggling technology that allows you to have a supercomputer in your pocket. I certainly will.

"But...but..fury... I wanted them to give it a bigger screen! And--and a thin aluminum case design! And a keyboard. Oooh, ooh, and an SD card slot so I'm not limited in how much content I can put on there!"

I think they call that a MacBook Air.

Skype Does the Right Thing™ (and more)

So, my rant against Skype planning to charge for calls over 3G singlehandedly convinced the company to backtrack: Skype no longer to charge for Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G on iPhones. Unmitigated consumer rage wins again. I like when a company realizes their mistakes and corrects them. Especially when the end result is a better consumer experience overall. Just today while on the road back from a meeting, I made a Skype-to-Skype call over 3G on my iPhone 4 to help Brad out with Ruins of Chaos. The call quality was way better than I get from dialing a phone directly over AT&T's 3G network. Over the car speakers, connected via AUX jack, I could hear him crystal clear as he could hear me; could hardly tell it was a computer-to-mobile call. Thanks, Skype, you officially rock once again!

The iPhone 4 Redux

So, somebody took pity on me and I managed to get hooked up with another iPhone 4. Let's just say... I'm pretty fortunate. And hindsight is 20/20. This time around I'm protecting that bad boy. I've already invisibleShielded it up, and started looking at possible iPhone 4 cases.

I can't say I feel too comfortable about the minimalism of Apple's bumper. Maybe if it were included for free I'd go for it. Much like the Apple iPad case, overpriced for what it delivers, if you ask me.

The Otterbox Defender series is the incumbent invincibility cheat code for iPhones in the few circles of friends that have chipped in their few cents. Though, it is not waterproof, which is a bit of a problem if I'm ever to take it to a lake again. I suppose if I take the iPhone 4 edition of the Otterbox Defender and then wrap it in some sort of universal waterproofing bag such as the Aquapac Waterproof iPhone case, I'm probably OK, but that's a lot of bulk and may interfere with touchscreen operation at that point, defeating the purpose since I'd be taking it around water to take pictures of the trip.

I'm thinking once Magellan comes out with their ToughCase for the iPhone 4, that'll be the best option for me. The extended battery is handy (I used extended battery packs religiously with my 3GS, they're practically attached at the hip), the GPS accuracy is welcome (though I don't depend that much on GPS accuracy, personally), and the waterproofing is what I want. It's a bit pricy, but I figure once the time comes around to take this trip again, that price will be lower.

The iPhone 4 killer

We had some good times...

Then the worst happened...

and when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I dropped it in a lake in the middle of Nowhere, Canada. It sunk like a rock, as did my heart.

(I don't have an underwater camera, so I can't provide a visualization of its new dwelling. Sorry.)

It was working at the time, despite the cracked back, as I was taking pictures while on the boat up til the point where it slipped and fell into the water. I doubt it works well enough for MobileMe Find My iPhone anymore, so I couldn't tell you where in the lakebed it landed. I won't see it again, unless there's some serious divine intervention going on and the phone is recovered by the big man upstairs, all the water damage is erased, and the phone is carried by a gust of wind over to a person who has the means to contact me and send it back.

I've had more expensive things go wrong on me, so I'm not so bothered by the loss of the gadget itself. But losing those memories I was capturing on the camera roll--man, that stings a bit. I had captured photos and videos of family I don't see often, beautiful landscapes and lakescapes, a gorgeous sunrise over the lake (fog rising over the water and all)...all during a vacation at which I could not hook up the phone to my computer to back it up.

Time to laugh at the fat man for dropping his iPhone 4 into the lake. :D

Just don't leave this page without taking time to secure your gadgetry if you haven't already. There's more to it than resale value and shininess. It's where your memories are captured, and, for many of you, where your life is.

iPhone 4

So, the world saw the iPhone 4 unveiled today at WWDC, just as everybody expected. And it has the new design that we've seen since mid-April, the better camera we all knew was there, the front camera we've all been waiting for, and the 960x640 screen we've all been drooling over.

Here are my initial thoughts:

Video calls may not be quite the earth shattering kaboom they make it out to be, but for sure, YouTube video uploading will skyrocket (again) as the self-portrait video is the king of YouTube video blogs. (I hope YouTube video uploading actually works on the phone this time, as I still can't get it to work on my iPhone 3GS)

It's about time we got a new screen. We've had basically the same one since June 2007 if you don't count the minor color shifts. Next to the iPad and all of my other screens, the flickering and viewing angle on my 3GS is starting to bug me. I wonder how the response time and refresh rate is, because my 3GS has a distinguishable refresh pattern that is slightly distracting. If you're meticulously perfectionistic like me and you haven't noticed this yet, count yourself lucky and don't read the rest of this paragraph... To demonstrate this effect, first set your brightness up all the way then open your email or a scrollable web page with high contrast (basically black on white like most web pages). See how the scrolling looks fine in portrait. Now turn it to a side and then scroll up and down...watch how the scroll lags ever-so-slightly behind at the physical bottom of the display (home button) compared to the top (nearest the earpiece). Enjoy your newfound never-noticed-it-before-but-now-it-drives-me-nuts-thanks-asshole iPhone annoyance. When the 3GS came out, I kept thinking "come on, guys, we have had better LCDs out there for years! TN is so last century...even the Pre has a better screen" and now, at last, they have corrected that mistake.

On the AT&T side, incidentally, but slightly related: it's good to hear that they are grandfathering in those that are still on the "unlimited" (5gb) data plan. Jailbreak will be on the rise in those unlimited plans, since it's only officially supported by the new lower capped plan. I am in the strange place between, where 200mb is just barely not enough and 2gb is more than enough. However, I'd only be saving $5 for 3gb less data per month, and the privilege of paying extra to use more of my data from any device I might have (except an iPad). I see myself using way more data with an iPhone 4, so I'll stick with my unlimited plan.

It is also good to see that they are bumping back eligibility dates for people whose upgrade dates fit inside 2010, but I think they should have extended up to a 6 month eligibility date advance for everybody with current iPhone contracts. Those folks whose dates said "1/1/2011" are probably hopping mad considering they weren't that much later than the ones whose dates fell in December of 2010 like mine did.

I like the potential in adding the new gyroscope. Tilt games could use the added accuracy very well. Super Monkey Ball has never been quite as good as it could be because the accelerometer just isn't as accurate at tilt as a gyroscope is. Take it from Nintendo. Actually, that reminds me; since it will have a gyroscope now, much like the Wiimote, how will it compare in accuracy? Could one, perhaps, hook it up to a Wii as a controller?

I really do not like the thinness. The 3GS is thin as it is, just right inside the threshold of comfort when holding it with both my hands and typing with both thumbs. The iPod touch was absolutely uncomfortable to type on in this manner. This new phone is barely thicker than an iPod touch. I foresee myself keeping a battery case on it at all times to keep it thick, which is kind of a shame because the glass back just begs to be left naked. I have a feeling the hard edges will be ever-present in my mind and constantly eating away at my sanity as I hold it, much like the edges of the iPad or the iPad case.

I like the white, for a similar reason as I like the white 3GS--it is that classic iStuff color. The front of the iPod made it famous and the back of the 3GS made it a legacy. I can see why some people dislike the white front for clashing with the black-ish screen and the steel, but to me, I'd rather that than see a fingerprint-tinted black. Maybe I will go ahead with a black phone when the time comes for me, just for a change from my white 3GS, but I'm not counting out the white one. Only impulse will tell at this point.

Give me a few more days and I just might have some sort of divine epiphany that explains to me the meaning of life along with some more thoughts on the iPhone 4 and accompanying iOS 4.