GadgetReview

Last week (I think it was last week - it’s all a blur now) I updated my iPhone firmware to 1.1.3. Although it didn’t commit any irreperable harm or damage to my phone unlike some, it sure did screw things up until I did a clean install - I actually made the Apple Genius bar do it so I could get a new one if that didn’t resolve my issues. Fortunately, and I may be speaking too soon, is has resolved my iPhone’s querky behavior.

Problems I experienced after 1.1.3 was installed (picture for melodrama affect only):

• 50% drop in battery life
• Couldn’t consistently make outgoing calls
• Folks couldn’t reach me and would get ‘dead air’ or my voicemail instantaneously
• The iPhone’s screen would randomly light up when sitting idly with no one touching it
• Occasionally, when recieving calls or text messages, it would flicker on and off but emit no locking noise
• Wouldn’t find the stored and password saved WiFi SSID

I was almost jumping for joy when I read that Netflix will begin to offer over 6,000 movies streaming (via your computer) if you pay $8.99 or more for their DVD rental service. The jumping never happened, though. Why? I use a Macbook and the harsh reality of NonApple friendly Netflix streaming sunk in. Finally Netflix posted this explanation (I would’ve posted the link but looks like you can only access it if you have an account):

Apple does not license their DRM solution to third parties, which has made this more difficult, but we are working with the studios and content owners to gain approval for other solutions. As soon as a studio-approved DRM for the Mac is available to us, whether from Apple or another source, we will move quickly to provide a movie viewer that enables you to watch movies from Netflix instantly on your Mac.

In the meantime, you can use your account to watch instantly on any compatible PC, and Intel-based Macintosh computers can watch movies instantly using Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion to run Windows.

The good news is that MacRumors is reporting that Netflix plans to resolve this issue sometime in ‘08. No actual hard date set yet. Too bad I deleted my copy of XP.

First and foremost, let me be honest and say the Macbook Air review isn’t available just yet. But what I can promise is that PCMag will have a review here very shortly. How soon I don’t know, but they’ve got their hands on the Macbook Air as the pictures you see here detail.

Other reviews:

WSJ MacBook Air Review

Gizmodo Macbook Air Review 

CNET Macbook Air Review

More pics of their unveiling here.

Apple’s got Valentine fever already.  Starting today you can pick up a pink iPod Nano (8GB Video/Gen3)  for $199.  As usual, graving is included.  Colorware released pink versions of ‘Gen1′ Nanos August 2006.

Sleek and sexy hardly begin to describe the new Apple Macbook Air. You won’t find an optical drive, and inputs are limited to one USB input, a mini DVI, and an audio out. To install new applications by CD/DVD Apple developed a ‘wireless optical drive’, which basically utilizes another computer’s drive on the network. It sports Apple’s standard ‘magsafe port’ for plug-in power. From the pics featured on Apple.com it appears some what recessed to better blend with the Macbook Air’s aesthetics. Keyboard is black and matches that of the regular Macbooks, as does the screen’s size, although this one rocks an LED screen, which should enable longer battery life. Also included, is an oversized trackpad which will enable iPhone like interaction: pinch, swipes or rotate or zoom in on text, etc. The real joy is in the size of the computer: 0.16 to 0.76 x 12.8 x 8.94 inches – that’s almost paper thin by computer standards – and a mere 3 lbs. Course there are sacrifices in chip set speed: 1.6GHz or 1.8GHZ Core 2 Duos respective to monetary investment. That’s up to .4 GHz slower then the fastest Macbook. If you do blow our wad (of cash) on the more expensive of the Macbook Airs, then you’ll end up with a 64GB solid-state drive (you can get one the lower model at an additional $1000). 2GB is standard memory and 802.11N is included. You can also order an external drive for $99. Ships in 2-3 weeks and starts at $1,799.

Available for preorder here.

Did you by the iPhone before the rumored Q1 ‘08 release of the iPhone with GPS and much more? Well, if you’re sick of holding your breath, or just need directions ASAP, then a quick drive down loco (as in crazy in Spanish) lane will assist you on your merry ole way. How so you ask? Well, Aving’s got the scoop and it’s the Loco GPS. It’ll launch February ‘08, cost $89 and expect the eagerly lost to knock down local Apple stores to nab one. I can already hear the toilet flushing on my iPhone’s battery life. Oh well, at least I’ll be able to find a place to stop and charge it.

 Note: You’ll need to hack (i.e. Jailbreak) your phone to get it to work.  WEAK!

For the price of $4.99 you can now relive your torrid past of endless hours of Sonic The (adorable) Hedgehog  on your iPod.  It’s a port of the original Sega game and - I didn’t know this - you can even play it on the new Nanos (as if it weren’t hard enough to see what’s going on already).  I am sure it’s a horrible experience with no replay value.  At best you’ll get to show off to your friends…if you graduated high-school in the late 90s.

Sonic leads latest iTunes games wave [Gamespot]

The iPhone Otterbox is the most rugged iPhone case I’ve seen to date. Built of solid plastic and rubber, the iPhone Otterbox is easy to install and protects not only the body, but the screen of the oh-so precious (and fragile) iPhone. It’s water resistant NOT water proof so no toilet dunking allowed. Other iPhone cases, that I’ve seen, are either a thin layer of rubber or acrylic and don’t protect the screen or the entry of liquids. Furthermore, unlike most cases the Otterbox Defender protects the headphone jack, serial jack, speakers and mic, which all could fall victim to lint and other small debris.

The thin layer of plastic ‘defending’ the screen slightly decreases the iPhone screen’s sensitivity and is most notable in the corners. This is probably due to the sturdy plastic case surrounding the screen. I found it challenging to remove all air bubbles between the iPhone’s and the screen protector, but nothing that was large enough to impede upon viewing. Otterbox’s instructional video recommends you run your hand over the screen probably to decrease static electricity. Both the screen protector and port holes come packaged with a thin layer of ‘peal away’ plastic film to insure that they’re scratch free upon shipping. Otterbox even crafted a small window just large enough to reveal the Apple logo on the rear of the iPhone. Access to all the buttons is maintained through the Otterbox Defender’s rubber casing ACCEPT for the ring/vibrate switch. You’ll want to set this to ‘ring’ prior to install since you can manipulate the vibrate/ring option from the iPhone’s menu. The ‘home’ button takes a little bit of extra pressure, but nothing unmanageable. All said and done the biggest draw back of the Otterbox Defender iPhone case is the added size and weight, and the somewhat cumbersome process to remove the iPhone - it requires you to unhinge 5 plastic clips that take some fiddling. Fortunately, the ‘cumbersome process’ is merely a testimony to how well protected the iPhone is. Also included in the box (aside from the easy to read step-by-step picture instructions) is a belt clip. Please spare us the eye sore and only wear this if you’re a) with the Geek Squad or b) work for the cable company.

Available here for $50 in all black or black with yellow accents. Looks like they’re in demand so order sooner then later.

Wired has confirmed that Apple has increased the iPhone purchase cap this week from 2 phones to 5. Doesn’t sound like they’ve budged on the whole “credit cards only” stipulation, though. No one knows why they’ve increased the limit, but chances are it’s the whole ‘holiday shopping’ strategy.

Come mid 2008, Nokia will begin to rollout its unlimited music service dubbed “comes with it” to select countries. What is it? Purchase a select high end Nokia phone and it will include unlimited music downloads for 1 year. So far, Nokia has managed to sign up one label, Universal Music Group, and plans to add others. According to Nokia the deal will be profitable for both parties. That’s gotta be one expensive handset given the music label’s recent griping and complaining when it comes to ‘profits’. After one year, Nokia (and participating labels) hopes that users will be hooked on the service and renew - the fee has yet to be determined. Surprisingly, all music downloaded during the first year can be kept beyond the trial end date and played on a PC or Nokia. Of course there’s a much bigger scheme going on here. Nokia will soon launch their Ovi (means door in Finnish) website which will allow users to organize photos, music and more. Apparently, they’ve created some “neural network” that’ll display photos in a 3 dimensional like space and connect those to associated emails, contacts, locations shot, etc. Apparently, we should expect significantly upgraded handsets because the current and standard Nokia interface is beyond antiquated at this point. What’s my take? I’m surprised Nokia didn’t just scoop up Napster or Real, and leverage their already-in-place agreements with the music industry. Apple might be affected by this, but it’ll take years for Nokia to scratch their surface given their market penetration. After all, the ideal consumer (aside from one without any iPod) would be one with an old iPod and looking to upgrade to a handset that’s compatible with both future music services and their past music collection. If they have a small library of AAC encoded music (aka iTunes) they might just opt for the iPhone which will be in gen 2 by mid 2008.

Nokia Won’t Play iPhone’s Tune [Businessweek]