Cellphones and Other Wireless

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

But, Apple does seem to use a strategy of holding back some features in the 1st gen. model so that it can "add value" to the next release. So the main question is whether you're willing to trade off 6-9 months of use for the strong possibility that come early next year you'll be want to buy the next generation model because of some new feature.

It seems pretty obvious from the iPhone 4 that the 2nd gen iPad feature is a forward-facing camera so you can have iPhone-iPhone or iPad-iPhone conversations in FaceTime and the iPad will be a Magic Mirror picture frame. Be guided by this as something to wait for only after considering that people will probably use FaceTime about as often as they use video in iChat, which is to say rarely. Maybe road warriors' MMV, but I dread the day my wife calls and says "Hey, turn on FaceTime" and I'm all "No" not because there's anything untoward going on, but because I told her I was walking to my car and would be home in 15 minutes when the reality is I'm still in my office.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch

Maybe road warriors' MMV, but I dread the day my wife calls and says "Hey, turn on FaceTime" and I'm all "No" not because there's anything untoward going on, but because I told her I was walking to my car and would be home in 15 minutes when the reality is I'm still in my office.

Easy: "Not near a wi-fi network, honey."

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

Easy: "Not near a wi-fi network, honey."

Great tip, but what if she thinks I'm at the office but I'm really at In-n-Out for the third time that week? TIA.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch

Great tip, but what if she thinks I'm at the office but I'm really at In-n-Out for the third time that week? TIA.

"office network is down. the government doesn't save it's best services for itself"

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

"office network is down. the government doesn't save it's best services for itself"

Whatever I'm paying you and Burger, it isn't enough. My gratitude will have to suffice.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch

Whatever I'm paying you and Burger, it isn't enough. My gratitude will have to suffice.

Option 3: Mumble something about firewalls.

[Replaced_Texan]

So my cell phone is almost dead. It works in that it functions perfectly when it's charged, but the port is fucked and it no longer charges nor can it connect via port to any other system. I'm waiting for an external battery charger to arrive so I can recharge and send all the crap on it over to Verizon's website.

Then I have a few choices.

I'm out of contract with Verizon, and I'm kinda happy that way. I generally use my phone for talk and text, but I'm not adverse to advancing with the rest of the human race to a smart phone.

Until the "no longer charges the battery" issue came up with my phone, my plan was to limp along on with the talk and text until Apple announced its deal with Verizon and then jump on the Verizon iphone. I figured this was probably going to happen in late 2010/early 2011 based off of reading wild internet conjecture. Everyone I know with an AT&T iphone is impossible to get in touch with via telephone because of the crappy coverage around here. OTOH, they all love all the other crap that comes with the iPhone, so maybe telephone part is irrelevant. Work compatibility doesn't really factor into this as I refuse to sync my phone with work e-mail.

Important note: RT is stubbornly cheap about these sorts of things.

My options, as I see them now, are

1. Grab the (relatively new at the time) Verizon phone my dad dumped the second the iphone came out, plug in my SIM card, and continue with original plan of stubbornly waiting for the Verizon iPhone.

2. Get a free LG Ally Droid with another 2 year contract with Verizon and suck up the full replacement cost whenever the Verizon iphone comes out, and hell, that might actually be two years and I may be out of contract again by that point.

3. Join the rest of civilized society, pay the $99 and get an iPhone through AT&T, enduring dropped calls and crappy customer service.

Anyone have any sources of wisdom to help inform this indecision?

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

"office network is down. the government doesn't save it's best services for itself"

Isn't the next generation supposed to have built-in broadband wireless?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Isn't the next generation supposed to have built-in broadband wireless?

At present, FaceTime only works when an iPhone 4 is connected via wi-fi. This is probably contractual with AT&T for bandwidth reasons. No reason to think the hypothetical FaceTime for iPad 2 would be different. Three million people running two-way streaming video would fark their network.