AT&T upgrades account for iPad owner

Image via Wikipedia

AT. In the link it will explain how AT&T upgraded from a 250MB account to 2GB one. Still given the amount of data his device can use and the fact that it is an emergency situation, that might not be enough either. I wonder how much his overage charges will be?

Interesting way to charge and sync an iPod and iPhone simultaneously

Amazon.com: duaLink Dual Sync/Charge Cable for iPod/iPhone: Electronics. For only $26 this is a great time saver. Especially good for couples who have an iPhone and iPod.

Disabling location services won’t stop your iPhone from tracking your location – TNW Apple

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Disabling location services won’t stop your iPhone from tracking your location – TNW Apple. This shouldn’t be the case. Apple is crossing the line here on what is acceptable.

Nice chart of Windows Phone 7 vs. iOS vs. Android (via Tech things that I stumble upon)

The winner seems clear. WP7 is dead in the water. Android can’t beat iOS however simply due to its games. Games can justify the purchase even when you don’t have phone service.

This is just a comprehensive comparison between all the major smartphone OS’s in the world at the moment. Enjoy 🙂 … Read More

via Tech things that I stumble upon

Why Cydia the alternative Apple App Store exists

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Jailbreaks and black market apps bite Apple – StumbleUpon. The founder Mr. Freeman who makes $250,000 in profit each year says:

”The whole point is to fight against the corporate overlord,” Mr Freeman said. ”This is a grassroots movement and that’s what makes Cydia so interesting. Apple is this ivory tower, a controlled experience, and the thing that really brought people into jailbreaking is that it makes the experience theirs.”

iPad doesn’t allow tinkering-Is that sad?

Image by marcopako  via Flickr

Tinkerers Sunset dive into mark – StumbleUpon. This touches upon some thoughts that I had in an earlier post. I think it is sad that Apple is taking away choices instead of giving people choices. Mr. Jobs said that we would have “Freedom from porn.” I fear we also have freedom from freedom.

Reflections of ourselves – Groupthink and temptation

Image by alwyn_ladell via Flickr

When I was growing up certain comedians seemed very funny. Now I am watching those shows again and I am not laughing. I know that I have changed but then I wonder why I ever liked them at all?

I wonder if our desire for variety and new things is driven more by personality or by groupthink? For example, many people used to like MC Hammer and I was one of them. Looking back at it now I can’t listen to it. What seemed so new and interesting suddenly you can’t really understand why you did it. I wonder about that sometimes when the temptation to go along with the majority is present.

Right now the temptation is to get an iPad just like it was one to get an iPhone. I waited for years before I got an iPhone and only because I had to support them in my job. Now that I don’t have it, I don’t really miss it. Oh sure it is cool to surf the web when you are away from the computer but it’s not essential. I use that time to think or be present in the moment. I have to wonder if the benefits of things like the iPad have more disadvantages.

Certainly it isn’t the tool that is at fault. You can go overboard on a laptop, desktop or any kind of technology. It isn’t the iPad per se that is the problem. It just makes the use of technology even more tempting. I kind of view temptation as something like groupthink. You aren’t always aware of its influence until you live without it. I’m not saying these things are bad, but sometimes they are unhelpful.

The iPad/iPhone are probably the strongest examples of technology looking for a problem. Certainly there are business cases where those things save money or time. I have to wonder however if it is the right tool for the millions of people who have them. Isn’t it interesting that people hate the 50’s because of the perceived cookie-cutter approach to living? That one way or pattern is the best for society and it is your job to conform to society? Now we seem to accept that the iPhone/iPad is the way things should be, and that it is our job to conform to devices and structures that other people set.

So what if everyone has the iPad or everyone uses the iPhone? Isn’t that a small thing to be concerned about? After all there are bigger problems in the world. Yes that is true. It is true that computer viruses and hacking are successful because of the commonality of design and logic. It is my concern that our future security, creativity, and freedom are limited by over adopting any technology no matter how wonderful. To me, using one platform is as concerning as only having one language in the world. Maybe that would make things more efficient, but you also lose the diversity of thought and world-view that those languages represent.

Or maybe the world wants the US culture to dominate and no matter where we go in the world, we only see the reflections of ourselves. Sounds fun doesn’t it?

What iPhone Battery Case lasts the longest?

Showdown: iPhone 3G/3GS. No surprise that the heaviest and biggest lasts the the longest. Nice measurements. It is great when articles actually have facts.