iRetrophone for the iPhone Video Review

You know how sometimes older folks go on and on about the "good ol days"? And how in reality they had it much harder? It took days to do the laundry... You had to get water from a pump! Well, we're about to let you in on a little secret: sure all of that may have been true, but they also got a little break each time they made a phone call. Rotary dialing could eat up minutes a day for the gabbiest amongst us. Now you can see just how much of your productivity would go out the window if you had to use a rotary dial thanks to iRetrophone for the iPhone:

Got the 3G Blues? Don't blame Apple

Reports are starting to surface after the 2.0.2 software update to indicate the sluggish and spotty reception is not Apple's fault. But we must point a finger at someone, why not AT&T? Sounds good . . . yes, lets go with that. My iPhone hasn't been fixed by the software update, and Apple surely did everything to address the issue so the carrier must be at fault.

All joking aside, chances are good that the blame falls on the carrier as it's their network that enables the connection. Surely we don't blame Apple when we get a slow internet connection on our Macs. How is this then any different?

I've read some other reports that claim the 3G network is over taxed with all the new iPhones pining for bandwidth. If this were the case wouldn't all 3G users be experiencing this problem across all devices? Allow me to answer myself . . . no! iPhone users experience the network problems because it's the only handset with fully integrated internet features . . . remember, Steve said it's the internet in your pocket. Blackberry users get the mobile internet (basically the internet without any pictures or other media - it sucks) along with Palm users (cricket, cricket). That being said, Apple would benefit by putting the screws to AT&T to encourage them to get more towers in more places so I can get 'more service in more places - the new AT&T'. Where's James Earl Jones when you need him?

I say we blame AT&T, who's with me??

Scribble for iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Let's say there's a six year-old you need to entertain for a few minutes, and you trust this child with a $200-$500 phone.. Then Scribble is for you:

iPhone worse after 2.0.2

I don't know about you, but after doing the 2.0.2 update, my first generation iPhone has been receiving less signal and the OS has been slower. I now find myself unable to even make a call more often than the 1.o software or even the 2.0.1 software. Up until now software updates have been uneventful, as they should be. I think a good sign of a software update is not knowing that you did it, or in the case of major bug fixes, greater performance.

When I connected my phone after TDL Live two weeks ago (when the new software became available) iTunes didn't even recognize new software was available until I clicked to have it check. Ever since the update, tapping on the keyboard has resulted in delayed text input, Apple native applications "unexpectedly quit", and the phone more often downgrades connectivity to the slower GPRS network (indicated by the circle inside a square icon). Prior to the upgrade, my phone connected to the GPRS network only once.

This brings us back to a topic from TDL Live . . . Is Apple just too thinned out? We saw the hack job MobileMe release which by my accounts still isn't resolved. Apple has been expected to debut game changing products, and the street is continuing this expectation each quarter. If Apple hadn't released the 3G iPhone when they did, the stock would have taken a substantial tumble. I hope a corrective update is released to fix the 2.0.2 fix or I'll be reverting back to 2.0.1.

Restuarant Nutrition guide for iPhone and iPod Touch

Ok, so maybe Monday morning, after a gluttonous weekend isn't the best time to add this particular app review to the blog, but we've got to do it. Find out just how many calories you consumed on those fast food runs this weekend with Restaurant Nutrition: