iThread

[JayC]

The 3 year contracts in Canada blow my mind. Surely you should be on mobilicity if you're lucky enough to live where they are. You have to buy the phone outright but you ain't stuck for 3 years.

 

Of course I'm an outsider and they might be sh*t but unlimited data, talk, and text for $35 a month is pretty great compared to the sh*t from the big operators.

[Kaj.]

That's the problem with the carriers that have the cheap unlimited plans in Canada, they've got horrible coverage for 95% of the population.

 

I've never had any problems with a contract since I'll always have/need my phone, but a lot of people feel uncomfortable signing them.

[Otter]

Mobilicity looks great on paper, but it's horrible in practice. Sometimes you lose service by simply walking into a building.

 

My brother's with them, and a text sent to him can take over an hour to be delivered. It's shameful.

 

Before Solo folded, I was with them for the longest time on a standard flipphone and it was the best plan I'd ever had. But now that I've had a smartphone for a year, I don't think I could ever go back.

 

 

[Benjimino234]

I've got some PC Steam Games working on my iMac - using Crossover and the PC client of Steam, pretty happy about that.

 

 

I just did a quick test of a PC demo - I think I'll have some trouble with more complex game probably but hopefully I can sort it out when it occurs. I plan to move my installed copy of Borderlands: GOTYE and Dota to the PC Steam application library files and see if they work - or I might have to reinstall them again while using the PC Steam Cilent.

[Mark]

Ha! No kidding. But who are we kidding - everything is expensive here.

 

Mark, the 4s is a great phone and looks like it's a lot cheaper now - maybe that's an option for you?

 

To be perfectly honest, LTE hasn't blown my skirt up. My wife has it and we get somewhere around the same speed - I'm on the 4s - so there's that.

I guess it could be but it's no real different from my 4 and being tied in for another 2 years doesn't sound like fun.

 

Ouch, ok you guys get charged an insane amount.

[Ryan]

So I'm due for an upgrade this month from my Blackberry knockoff. Not sure if I should go for the iPhone 4S for $79 upfront on a $50 a month plan or spend the $100 and go for the iPhone 5 for $179 upfront on a $50 a month plan. Both are with Telus. Any suggestions?

[Otter]

I say go for the iPhone 5. For no other reason than it's twice as fast internally, and if you live in an area with LTE coverage, you'll be able to tether your laptop and play minecraft on the go.

[Waddy]

Downloading IOS6 now. See what the fuss is about.

[Remix]

I pre-ordered the iPhone 5 a few days ago - a black 32gb one. I've owned a 3gs for almost three years, so it definitely warrants the upgrade! It's funny how the 3gs suddenly looks so outdated. I've been carrying around a heavy rounded brick, coated in plastic for three years!

 

My only concern is how scratch resistant the slate will be on the iPhone 5. Whilst I generally take care of my phone, taking anything with you for a few months usually results in unwanted scratches and marks. I think the scratches against slate might be noticeable, but time will tell I guess.

 

I'm not sure why there's so many iPhone (Apple?) haters, but I really do love the company and their products.

 

But yeah, I'm super excited.

[Kaj.]

It's anodized brushed aluminum so unless the scratches are fairly deep they won't be immediately noticeable.

[Remix]

Ah, thank you!

 

So shipping has a new estimation of 3-4 weeks. Even though I pre-ordered it a few days ago, will I be affected by the new shipping date?

 

 

[darthYENIK]

I guess now my iPhone 4 is truly left in the dirt. Oh well, my contract is up in April.

[Otter]

From what I've read so far, the new maps app leaves much to be desired... anyone have an experience with it yet? Good? Bad?

[darthYENIK]

I only have used it for my iPhone 4, and as far as I can tell it's almost identical to the way it's always been. But I can't see the "flyover" feature being that great.

[Barry Spock]

^ I never used to use it much since I don't drive. I can't tell if the new app is much worse.

 

I am a bit pissed though, that the one thing that they should've, could've easily fixed: they haven't. Makig the [back one track] [pause] [forward] buttons BIGGER and MORE SPACED apart. I'm talking when you double tap the home icon for quick use of the music/podcast function. Who, besides an 8 year old has thumbs the right size for those icons???

[JayC]

Caved and got the 5 this afternoon. Pretty nifty.

 

Not sure it was worth upgrading from my 4S yet but it is very pretty.

 

Was lucky enough to just walk in 5 hours after they opened and get one without queuing.

[les]

I'm probably going to end up getting one this winter when my early upgrade becomes available. I might opt for an android based phone, though. My wife has a razr maxx and it's pretty badass, so I can only imagine what will be out by the time I upgrade. I guess you can't really go wrong either way, I just wish that the new iphone was waterproof like the razr maxx.

[Remix]

Just received the new iPhone 5. I absolutely love it!

 

It's an amazing leap from the 3gs I previously owned. The screen looks crystal clear and the colours are bright and vibrant. New camera is great, too.

 

Siri is also a welcomed feature. I love being able to say, "Play Bon Iver, Flume" and within 1-2 seconds, Flume by Bon Iver starts playing. I know this was a feature in the 4s, but I always heard from people that Siri responded relatively slow and wasn't usable. This clearly isn't the case for the iPhone 5!

 

I'm a very happy customer! Not sure why everyone (okay, maybe just the users of Gizmodo and other tech sites) seem to hate on Apple and the iPhone 5, but this is exactly what I wanted and expected with the iPhone 5.

[Iminicus]

 

 

I'm a very happy customer! Not sure why everyone (okay, maybe just the users of Gizmodo and other tech sites) seem to hate on Apple and the iPhone 5, but this is exactly what I wanted and expected with the iPhone 5.

You are sh*tting me, right? Every f*cking tech blog loves Apple and the iPhone, which is why they always receive the most attention. Looking now at Giz, TechnoBuffalo, The Verge I see between them 10 posts relating to the iPhone, 3 relating to Apple and 5 relating to iOS 6.

 

So, yeah those sites really hate the iPhone and Apple.

 

http://allthingsd.com/ - 12 articles and I stopped counting.

 

http://arstechnica.com/ 13 articles and I stopped counting

 

http://www.bgr.com/ All iPhone all the time ( 17 articles )

 

http://www.engadget.com/ 3 articles

 

http://www.technobuffalo.com/ 7 and I stopped counting

 

http://www.wired.com/ 2 articles

 

http://www.theverge.com/ 7 articles

 

44 articles relating to Apple, the iPhone and iOS 6. I think I saw a total of 5 articles for Windows Phone and 9 for Android. Sure looks like tech sites hate Apple.

 

And Gizmodo has 10 for a grand total of 54 articles over 7 tech sites plus every post on bgr.com.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Iminicus

[Remix]

 

I'm a very happy customer! Not sure why everyone (okay, maybe just the users of Gizmodo and other tech sites) seem to hate on Apple and the iPhone 5, but this is exactly what I wanted and expected with the iPhone 5.

You are sh*tting me, right? Every f*cking tech blog loves Apple and the iPhone, which is why they always receive the most attention. Looking now at Giz, TechnoBuffalo, The Verge I see between them 10 posts relating to the iPhone, 3 relating to Apple and 5 relating to iOS 6.

 

Sorry, I mustn't have been very clear in what I was trying to say. I was more or less referring to the members/users of Gizmodo and the tech sites you mentioned, rather than the actual content posted by the sites themselves.

 

I 100% agree with the unnecessary amount of publicity the iPhone 5 has got in comparison to other phones. Based on the legion of people who comment on these sites, apparently Samsung/HTC/Nokia phones are actually quite good (who woulda thunk it?)

 

However, I don't understand why everyone that owns a Samsung/HTC/Nokia feels the need to bash Apple. Of course, anything that is extremely popular attracts a ridiculous amount of vocal haters, but I really don't think it's warranted.

 

If there are any non iPhone owners reading this, I'd love to know why you prefer it over the iPhone. Despite reading hundreds of comments, none have actually outlined the positives of other phones, but usually stray towards bashing Apple/iPhone - which I don't understand at all.

[Iminicus]

 

I'm a very happy customer! Not sure why everyone (okay, maybe just the users of Gizmodo and other tech sites) seem to hate on Apple and the iPhone 5, but this is exactly what I wanted and expected with the iPhone 5.

You are sh*tting me, right? Every f*cking tech blog loves Apple and the iPhone, which is why they always receive the most attention. Looking now at Giz, TechnoBuffalo, The Verge I see between them 10 posts relating to the iPhone, 3 relating to Apple and 5 relating to iOS 6.

 

Sorry, I mustn't have been very clear in what I was trying to say. I was more or less referring to the members/users of Gizmodo and the tech sites you mentioned, rather than the actual content posted by the sites themselves.

 

I 100% agree with the unnecessary amount of publicity the iPhone 5 has got in comparison to other phones. Based on the legion of people who comment on these sites, apparently Samsung/HTC/Nokia phones are actually quite good (who woulda thunk it?)

 

However, I don't understand why everyone that owns a Samsung/HTC/Nokia feels the need to bash Apple. Of course, anything that is extremely popular attracts a ridiculous amount of vocal haters, but I really don't think it's warranted.

 

If there are any non iPhone owners reading this, I'd love to know why you prefer it over the iPhone. Despite reading hundreds of comments, none have actually outlined the positives of other phones, but usually stray towards bashing Apple/iPhone - which I don't understand at all.

I use a HTC Trophy 7 running Windows Phone 7 build Mango.

 

I love this phone. The integration of my Windows Live account and Xbox Live account right into the OS is amazing. Plus, with OS integration of Twitter and Facebook, I don't actually need dedicated apps. I know the iPhone now has this. However, at the time Windows Phone 7 was the only OS offering it.

 

I like the fact that with the next version Windows Phone 8, I will have an even better integration of my life between my phone, laptop, desktop, tablet and Xbox. I'll be able to seamlessly move between each device. I won't even have to worry about adding anything to Skydrive because it will automatically save there by default on my phone and tablet. As such, when applicable it will share those with my other devices. This isn't like iCloud or G Drive. With those services you have to manually add items to sync. I won't have to worry about that.

 

I have Office on my phone built in and connected to my laptop and desktop. I am aware iCloud now offers similar features but Windows Phone 7 did it first.

 

I also can access my Xbox Live account and buy points, add Gold, message friends and control my console with my phone. Soon, I'll be able to watch a movie or TV show on the TV and just leave the house but take the movie with me. No one else is offering this.

 

Now, I understand I am talking about features coming in Windows Phone 8 but I am getting into the eco system now with Windows Phone 7 and loving it. The function of Live Tiles can't be underestimated. A glance at them tells me all I need to know. I don't have to open apps to find out anything, like who just tweeted me or emailed me.

 

My Hub is amazing. It consolidates all my accounts ( Twitter, Facebook, GMail, Outlook, Hotmail, LinkedIn, etc ) into one place. I can update everything from there. Change my profile picture and have it affect as many services as I like. Or post a status and have it sent out to all the services or just one.

 

Pinning friends to the Start Menu is brilliant. I can keep those I want constantly updated there and know what is happening. And thanks to the ability to link people with their accounts, I have all their information in one place.

 

For example, I have my girlfriend pinned on my home screen. At a glance, I can see her new Facebook posts, texts, missed calls and emails she has sent me. I then have all her contact details ( sourced from different services ) there to reply with.

 

Of course, there is a lack of apps and I don't mind. There are a few apps I'd like that Android and iOS have but it doesn't bother me that I don't have them, well, except an app for My Account with Vodafone NZ.

 

Now, I must add, before I got my Trophy 7, I was using an iPhone 3G. I enjoyed it but found it so limiting. I don't regret moving to Windows Phone 7 and am eagerly awaiting Windows Phone 8, I just don't know if I will get the 920 Lumia or the ATIV S from Samsung.

[Remix]

 

 

I use a HTC Trophy 7 running Windows Phone 7 build Mango.

 

I love this phone. The integration of my Windows Live account and Xbox Live account right into the OS is amazing. Plus, with OS integration of Twitter and Facebook, I don't actually need dedicated apps. I know the iPhone now has this. However, at the time Windows Phone 7 was the only OS offering it.

[snippet]

 

 

Awesome, cheers for the reply! There's a lot of unique features I didn't know about. The My Hub feature and pinning your friends to the start bar feature you mentioned seems to be the thing that mostly caught my attention. I'd love to be able to keep up to date with everything my girlfriend does, even if it is bordering on the slightly intrusive side

 

The features you mentioned that end with "Windows did it first" don't do much for me, especially because that can be said about any feature that other smartphones have copied from Apple - but they're obviously welcomed additions.

 

You're pretty similar to me in that you want to be integrated with all your devices, it's just that my devices are all apple and sync seamlessly through iCloud. It's awesome how technology just works.

 

There's also this nifty Xbox app that does the things you mention on your phone:

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/my-xbox-live/id480914036?mt=8

 

The size of your phone isn't much different from an iPhone, but some of the HTC's I've seen are extremely difficult for me to hold and use (and I have a big hand!). Anyway, cheers mate.

[Rhoda]

Upgraded to a MacBook Pro, took the plunge after my previous laptop (some Samsung number) weren't meeting my expectations and needs. I've had it just under a fortnight now and I'm not looking back. My only grievance is the lack of a photo manipulation program - I used Paint.NET on my previous laptop and it worked great with Windows 7, but now it won't work and I don't really want to be using that program that tricks your Mac into thinking it's an app (I forget the name). I'm downloading the trial of Photoshop CS6 for now but I'm not sure what I'm going to use. I've heard good things about GIMP so I may go for that unless I can get full Photoshop.

[Otter]

I've read that a lot of folks love this.

 

http://www.downloadcrew.com/article/22997-pinta

[Rhoda]

I went for that originally but I can't get the download for MonoDevelop to work. I've downloaded it, but now it's telling me I need MonoFramework.

[matthew1g]

Just a heads up for any of you who purchased an iMac in recent years:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/14/apple-i...cement-program/

Luckily my 27"er hasn't been affected. No need to spend a week without my imac.

 

Anywho. I'm currently deciding whether or not to go into "economy mode" and save every penny I have for a macbook pro retina. I'm eyeing the 2.6ghz/512GB SSD combo. I need a laptop that's for sure but the lack up easy upgradeability to the SSD and RAM is making me think long and hard about putting down the cash for one. I use a lot of Virtual Machines and both storage space and ram are always an issue for me. Currently my iMac with 1TB HDD has 200GB free and has access to 6TB of data through external Hard disks. Granted, I obviously won't need to carry or access that amount of data on a laptop. Still, the other issue is RAM. the iMac came with 4GB and that was a big issue for me. I currently use 12GB of RAM and at times even that gets eaten up by the apps. Not sure whether 8GB hits the sweet spot. And if it does, what guarantee will I have that will be up to date in 3-4 years time? I sure as hell won't drop over €2000 for it to be outdated by the next OS or two.

 

Another issue I have is that I'll have the money by end of December or January. I know when ipad/ipod/iphones get released but I have no clue about iMacs and Macbooks. Would that be too far down the lifecycle to warrant waiting for the 2nd generation retina laptops?

 

Still, with all these issues in mind.. DAT RETINA DISPLAY!

 

[aquateen87]

So, have you guys heard about Apple having another conference on the 23rd of October? (This Tuesday)

It's said they're going to reveal the iPad mini (iPad Air), updated iMacs, Mac Mini, 13-inch Macbook Pro Retina, and a rumour about an updated 3rd gen iPad with the 'lightning' connector?

 

http://gizmodo.com/5953184/ipad-mini-event...ek?popular=true

[matthew1g]

watching the keynote as we speak. The new imac is nice, but my 27" has a 1GB 6970m which ranks higher in benchmarks than the 660m on the new one. DAFUQ APPLE?

[matthew1g]

-doublepost-

[kudoboi]

haha who ever bought ipad 3 are now suckers. from what i understand ipad 4 aka the new new ipad is out just 6 months after ipad 3 with little changes. apple also took ipad 3 off their site. and

 

ipad mini has the same specs as ipad 2 and is even slower than iphone 5

Edited October 23, 2012 by kudoboi