Comments on: Victor’s Mino Thoughts 7/21/2008

By: Christian

Christian — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:37:05 +0000

Well, I jumped on the iPhone 3G bandwagon here in Germany. For me, 3G was a must. We have it over here for several years now and I don't want to miss it. I am very happy with my iPhone 3G. I don't have battery issues, but I have to admit that I have Bluetooth and Wireless turned off, if I don't need it. It is an old custom of myself and I started it due to security reasons. I am fine with that to be honest.

T-Mobile is offering the possibility of having two SIM cards with the iPhone contract so that I am able to get online everywhere with my Macbook, too, even where no Wireless is available. And this is at no further cost. So, the iPhone contract is not only a phone contract, but also a "Internet everywhere" 5 GB "flatrate". Finally, they understand, what I want. And this is also thanks to Apple, I think.

But I can also understand that there is no real need to upgrade to 3G, if you have a 1st Gen iPhone. The 3G iPhone has issues with 3G. If there is weak 3G network coverage available and 3G is being turned on, I have no service at all although there are very good EDGE network access points all over the place. So, I do even turn off 3G, if I want a reliable coverage, when I am traveling... This is the bummer for me... I used the Nokia N95 before and no, I do not miss it, but it was able to switch between 3G and EDGE without any glitched even while talking to somebody on the phone.

Hopefully, Apple will be able to fix that in a future software upgrade.

By: typicalmacuser

typicalmacuser — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:50:06 +0000

I like OWC or Crucial for memory. I personally don't believe that “apple certified” memory is necessary, but many would disagree.

By: typicalmacuser

typicalmacuser — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:48:56 +0000

Deset, I sure do read all of these and the whole point is to start conversations, so disagreeing is great. I think that yes “slack” to a certain point it appropriate, however I sure respect you taking the time to let us know your thoughts. I'm NOT happy with Battery life but still what this phone can do is amazing if I compare it to anything before. So thanks.

By: DesertCelt

DesertCelt — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:43:09 +0000

Victor, you may not read this but I don't agree that Apple should be given some slack for the problems they've had with MobileMe and frankly the new iPhone. Both my wife and I bought new iPhones last week and I can tell you the battery life is abysmal! Yeah, you could turn off 3G, Bluetooth and WiFi to extend the battery life, but why should I? I can remember Steve Jobs saying at one point that Apple would not release a 3G model iPhone until they could solve the power consumption issues. Im my opinion, they didn't solve the problem but released the unit anyway. Bad show Apple. If MobileMe was a free service (like Gmail) I would not be so upset that it doesn't work properly, now what two weeks later? I'm willing to give a few days slack to work out the bugs (and to add more server space!) But if it wasn't ready, don't release! Granted, MobileMe is a much more robust service than Gmail, but if you're going to ask someone to pay for it, it better be pretty close to perfect right out of the chute! I'm certainly not a fair weather Mac fanboy and I've been with them through thick and thin, but I think they are moving into the realm of huge conglomerate mentality and maybe losing touch with their customers. No, a thirty day extension of .me does not appease me, thank you very much. Ninety would be about right.

By: Jerry Holt

Jerry Holt — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:30:14 +0000

Victor, I surely enjoyed your 7/15 show on Activity Monitor. I bought a new iMAC in March and have begun to do some extensive Aperture work. With one Gig or RAM, I think it's time to increase. I really appreciated your review of the Activity Monitor by which I can better determine if and how much additional RAM I should be buying.
One question: I see all sorts of RAM pricing from really solid vendors and their prices are considerable 50% less than buying from Apple direct. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks so much in advance.
Jerry Holt (* jcholt@gmail.com)

By: Steven11

Steven11 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:36:14 +0000

Nice thoughts. What a good idea. I'd like to try some of those captured moments. I'm not behind the wheel much but when I am I do find myself having some very profound thoughts. It'd be good to capture them to look at and reflect on at a later date. Good job and keep up the podcast.

The cigar sounds like a good idea but it's getting late…Mmmm maybe just a puff or two!

By: stephen

stephen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:18:01 +0000

Hi Victor -

Glasses are good! New glasses for me are a family affair. When selecting the last new pair, I ask my 12 year old daughter to help with the selection. If she approved, I knew Mom and the other girls in the family would approve. (Where would we be without them?!).

In regards to the iPhone, I am having problems with iPhone battery life as well. BUT, I wonder if it has much to do with my use of the apps. I am a OmniFocus user and love the iPhone App. I used to have the OmniFocus DB on a USB drive to use it in the office and on the road. The MobileMe sync has eliminated the USB drive. My Todo's are in sync with my Desktop, laptop and iPhone. Awesome.

I am interested to see my data usage this month over the previous months. I wonder if there is a correlation between data usage and battery life.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:07:31 +0000

Victor –

Glasses look good! I have also seen poor battery life on my new 3G. I love the apps and OmniFocus in particular. I used to carried my Omnifocus DB on a USB drive for access in the office or on the road. No need for that now! I'll be interested to see my data usage at the end of the month. I wonder how that will correlate to the battery usage…

-S

By: Ludwig

Ludwig — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:46:06 +0000

Hi Victor, thanks for doing these little informal videos; I do like them a lot! I wanted to chime in on the MobileMe struggle Apple & the users are going through these days. The push idea sounded nice to me, so I signed up for the free trial. Though there are some hickups, the overall service is great. And even if it's just a free trial, i also received a 30 day extension from Apple. Ain't that cool?
OK, keep it up, Victor, I like so much what you're doing! And yep, the glasses do look good on you.
Chau!

By: trucklover

trucklover — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:50:32 +0000

I haven't upgraded from my first gen iPhone. There is no 3G in my neck of the woods. I am not super excited about the increase in the monthly plan either. I don't think I will update till the phone has at 32GB. It may be a few years but I have survived this long with it. I feel fortunate enough to have one and there are more important things in life than having GPS on my phone. The Maps application does a pretty darn good job of telling me where I am when I am traveling on the road. It may be a block off sometimes but that is good enough for me. Between the 2.0 software and the syncing via the cloud for my devices I just haven't found a good enough reason to switch.

By: typicalmacuser

typicalmacuser — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:47:13 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment. When I do these I do enjoy them as I tend to talk from the heart and could give a about what folks think as long as they do. I think it's time for us Mac and Apple fans to use some constraint and to show how classy we really are. Another words we are not just “Fair weather Mac fans”

By: ScooterMac

ScooterMac — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:32:11 +0000

Hi Victor, the new glasses look cool, man !
I couldn't agree with you more about Apple and what's going on. I was just thinking the other day about how Apple is really “main stream” these days. I've been an Apple fan / consumer since around 1989 and remember when a lot of people I knew didn't really know anything about the company or what products they had. Now they're everywhere !! Like you said, with success, comes different problems or challenges. Hopefully this iPhone thing will level out in a month or two with more 2.0 stability and a better user experience with the apps …….and with MobileMe. I just wanted to tell you too that I like the Mino Thoughts you do. I almost felt like I was riding in the car with you. Take care.