Ipod Touch / Iphone

[ingwe]

Originally Posted by Icarium

My buddy was pretty displeased the iphone doesn't support bluetooth tethering though sadly.

Agree with your buddy.

Originally Posted by tkam

most of the apps seem to suck anyways, at least the exchange support added w/ 2.0 is pretty good

I just setup my phone for work email/contacts/calendar. Easy and works like a charm.

No iTunes problem on OS X or XP.

[tyrion]

I am using the NY Times, AOL Radio, Pandora and Remote apps. While I can pull up the NYT in Safari, the app format is easier to read and use. The Remote is excellent. I need to change the setting on my mac mini. Everytime it goes to sleep, the remote has to reconnect to the library. AOL Radio really requires a wifi connection to get most of the stations. The Bop Jazz station is pretty good. Pandora works fine on the 3G network and is an app I like.

The tethering was one of my concerns as I used to tether my Blackjack to my notebook via bluetooth and my Blackjack II by usb. I find browsing with the iphone good enough to not care if I can tether.

[Dusty Chalk]

Originally Posted by blessingx

Fun link I came across today:

Why the Apple phone will fail, and fail badly | The Register

Oh, we have our own skeletons in our own closet.

[909]

i've been researching cases and these below are in the top running. does anyone have any experience or opinions on these cases especially with respect to protection and reception?

Vaja

YouTube - Vaja i-Volution Top Case for iPhone

[EdipisReks]

i had a vaja for a pocket PC, and it was a really nice case. that was back when you had to order them direct from Argentina, though.

[Icarium]

Looking on the vaja site it looks like its a 45 day lead time and its pretty pricey. I think I may get the otterbox when it comes out.

[thrice]

Looks like Apple has some great deals on refurb. iPod Touches:

Apple offers special pricing on refurb 8, 16GB iPod touch | iLounge News

[Dusty Chalk]

So with the free updates, wouldn't it be cheaper to get a used iPhone 1st gen.?

[Icarium]

Debatable. I looked quickly on ebay and I saw 8 gb first gen iphones going from 150-250 (with bids). This phone doesn't have 3g/gps and has an annoying to use headphone jack and reputedly an inferior dac. But you also pay a bit less a month for service...

I think whether or not it is a better value is dependent on the individual in question and it certainly isn't categorically cheaper to all.

[n_maher]

Question: are the plans still cheaper for first gen phones? I'm guessing that there's just one "plan" and that now both first and second gen phones cost more per month.

[Icarium]

I think you can still get edge only. Plus I'm reasonably sure that they didnt force people that can't even utilize the 3g network to pay an extra monthly fee for nothing...

I'm not pro apple in the least, but uh that would be a pretty short sighted move that would kill a big chunk of good will.

[Dusty Chalk]

I haven't seen anything that requires the old iPhone users to upgrade their plan. It's only when you buy the new iPhone...but now that you mention it, I have no idea what iTunes is going to do if you were to give it an uninitialized old gen iPhone when you go through the activation process...

[grawk]

costco has new ipod touch 8gb for $189. Better deal than the refurbs from apple.

[Dusty Chalk]

Any idea how much the 32G are?

[grawk]

They don't have the 32gb at costco. I don't know how much the 16gbs are, I only looked at the 8. i kinda lean in the "if it can't hold it all, it may as well be cheap" direction.

[n_maher]

Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk

I haven't seen anything that requires the old iPhone users to upgrade their plan. It's only when you buy the new iPhone...but now that you mention it, I have no idea what iTunes is going to do if you were to give it an uninitialized old gen iPhone when you go through the activation process...

My thought is for folks buying old 1st gen phones from people who upgraded. If they get stuck with a more expensive monthly plan they're really getting hosed.

[blessingx]

Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk

Oh, we have our own skeletons in our own closet.

[909]

Originally Posted by EdipisReks

i had a vaja for a pocket PC, and it was a really nice case. that was back when you had to order them direct from Argentina, though.

yes, those cases are very posh. i think my wife is set on ordering one. yet i don't know much that flap would bug me, though, i assume they'll update the 3G line with more products. did it seem to really offer good protection against asphalt drops?

Originally Posted by Icarium

Looking on the vaja site it looks like its a 45 day lead time and its pretty pricey. I think I may get the otterbox when it comes out.

i signed up for the otterbox 3G notification and called them today. 30 to 60 days is what they are tentatively quoting, but no guarantees. the otterbox looks tough -- probably the most likely to withstand drops on asphalt and from everything i've read the screen cover works fantastic, but bubbles would bug me. i guess my only other concern would be the bulk.

old iphone users, amazon is selling the otterbox defender for $30, which is ridiculously cheap.

[EdipisReks]

when i finally get my iphone (next week, probably), i'm going to get a speck see thru, when they come out. i have one on my iPod Touch, and i love it. it adds almost no bulk to the phone. i haven't drop tested my iPod Touch in it, but i imagine it would do a good job keeping the thing in one piece, as it adds rigidity.

[en480c4]

For what it's worth, I have a Vaja case for my 5G iPod. Even after all this time (2+ years, IIRC) it's in good physical condition. I am a little disappointed with the durability of the cosmetic aspect, though. While I used my iPod a lot, I doubt I'd use it as much as people use their iPhones. And after about 6 months it started to always looks dirty. Even after cleaning it, it ends up looking grimey and dirty again very quickly. Mine is two-tone... Orange front and dark grey back, and while a lighter color like orange could be expected to look dirty fairly easy, even the grey doesn't look great anymore. Just something to keep in mind considering the price of entry.