Three tech things today

1. Sorry, Linux... We won't be friends after all.
After extensive "playing around" with the new netbook, I've decided that Ubuntu (both 8.04 and 9.04) are not for me. Too many things didn't quite work, and too many things needed command line work (sudo judo) to function. It may be good for some, but not me.

2. Hello Hackintosh.
So once I decided that I didn't want Linux on the netbook, the question remained - what to install?
Rather than putting XP on the netbook, I decided to follow the 20 or so steps clearly documented on the web to install OSX 10.5.7 on the netbook. And yes, I stuck a small Apple sticker on it. I've gotten it working quite well, and faster than I'd ever imagined. I even got bluetooth working properly (took a little extra work), which leads me to...

3. BLUETOOTH INTERNET TETHERING

Now this is pretty damn cool. Basically, on either the "real" mac or the "hackintosh", I have gotten the iPhone 3GS's new "Internet Tethering" to work. This will allow me to "borrow" the phone's 3G connection via bluetooth and use it on either computer. And no, that's not a stock shot - that's my phone's home screen.

UPDATE - Apparently it also works on Windows machines connected via USB.

Just got my new iPhone 3GS!

It came in a day earlier than I expected. I had been tracking it via FedEx, and apparently it was shipped direct from China.

Just started syncing it.

Holy crap I'm excited.

WHOO HOO!!! iPhone 3GS!!!

I wanted to buy the new iPhone 3GS, but initially AT&T wanted me to either pay $700 now, or wait until November to pay $300. Obviously, this cooled my enthusiasm.

A lot of people were bothered by AT&T's upgrade pricing. There were around 2,000 people who joined a complaint group on Twitter, and many news outlets covered the public outcry.

Long story short, AT&T caved.

I was able to order the iPhone 3GS online, and pay only $300. Even better, I won't have to go to the store and wait in any lines. It'll be delivered to my door within a week.

WOW!

Went to the Apple Store today to get the iPhone fixed. They didn't even send it in.
THEY GAVE ME A NEW ONE!!! WHOO HOO!!

iPhone home button not working

My iPhone 3G's home button stopped working today.

Grrr... I was so pissed off, I actually bought a NEW ONE (this one just 8GB) to use while it's getting repaired. Impulsive, maybe - but I can't be without it. $399 before tax, plus a 2-year contract extension.

I set an appointment to bring it into the Apple Store tomorrow. Hopefully they can fix it quick.

On the bright side, I now have a spare.

Ford Sync from Microsoft

Microsoft Sync just rocks.

My iPod works GREAT with it.

My iPhone works GREAT with it.

Couldn't be happier!

A little surprise with iTunes 8

Recently installed the iTunes 8 update. The new Genius feature is pretty useless for me, as is the new visualizer. That being said, the new album view is kinda nice. Not much else changed/improved.

Except... I noticed that before updating, the icon Windows showed for my iPhone was a camera.

Now it's an iPhone. Nice.

I know it's minor, but a nice touch nonetheless.

MobileMe sucks

I just tried using MobileMe, and the first thing it did was create two calendars in my Outlook, labeled "Work" and "Home". There's just one problem. I use the default calendar and keep everything there. Lame. I cancelled it immediately, so I didn't have to pay $60 for such garbage.

iPhone 2.0.1 firmware update helps, but...

The 2.0.1 firmware update released last night seems to help a little:
- faster backups and sync
- most things on phone respond faster
- phone seems a bit more stable

My biggest gripe about the sync process is that it doesn't seem to confirm changes to Outlook data. That being said, it seems to be making those decisions correctly.

So far, I'm very happy.

iTunes 7.7.1 improves backup

I just installed iTunes 7.7.1. It seems to speed up the backup.

I don't know if it improves anything else...

Got an iPhone, but...

I just got an iPhone 3G!

Overall, I'm loving it!

But, I want to use it for my calendar and to replace my Pocket PC.

It's supposed to synchronize with Outlook 2003 out of the box.

Initially, it seemed to do just that. However, apparently there's at least a few hitches. It looks like there's a problem with recurring appointments (like birthdays).

I've already had to clear it out and restore it from scratch. I'll be watching very closely over the next few days.

Let's just say I'm not gonna be selling my Pocket PC just yet.