Category Archives: iPhone

Summer’s Last Gasps Pt1

Dead Robot August 11, 2008 Celebs and Media, Distractions, iPhone

What would sexy Jesus do?

Put on a play! And not just any play, but Hamlet 2, a Homer Simpson-esque sequel to the great tragedy featuring time travel, music and Staying Alive fog machine dancing.

Look, summer is winding down. You’ve seen the Bat Man, you’ve shopped at Buy N Large, you’ve met your Waterloo, you’ve ignored that X file on your desk, you wept like a child at their mother’s death bed as Indy watched the UFO leave South America (Why!!? WHY???). The excitement is winding down. What’s to do now?

The trailer alone had me laughing more than any trailer (or movie…?) I’ve seen so far this year. No surprise, really: it has Catherine Keener finally getting work; a cameo from Amy Poehler; a title card that proudly announces it’s from the writers of South Park (songs, hopefully!); Steve Coogan, who is poised to be the next indy Brit break out, Ed Broadbent-style, on US soil; The Gay Men’s Chorus of Tuscon; and a “needle across the record screech” moment: “reintroducing Elizabeth Shue as Elizabeth Shue”, who has actually been working, you just haven’t seen anything she’s done since Hollow Man.

Hell, any excuse to see Jesus dance and hopefully get SharkBoy to stop singing Hairspray songs around the house, and I’m there.

How To make SharkBoy Laugh Part 4

Dead Robot July 29, 2008 iPhone

Je m’appelle poopy! My latest iPhone app

From my iPhone

Dead Robot July 22, 2008 Distractions, iPhone

Testing the free WordPress App from AppStore.

I’m suitably impressed! Yay you can post images new and photo library!

Birthday Comes Early

Dead Robot July 22, 2008 Distractions, iPhone, Personal Bits

Trends, my friends.

In the past SharkBoy has greeted the anniversary of the first day of existence with fun gadgets that fill up our empty relationship (holy crap I am so kidding…):

One year I got a PSP and a marriage proposal.

Last year was the iPhone (amen) and a Wii (bless me).

This year? A 50″ plasma TV. Okay I am paying for half but it’s a welcome purchase/gift none the less. Xbox will not be disappointing.

I guess next year will be our own satellite if we were to keep with/outdo the electronics theme.

Tonight, while going off to BestBuy to buy it bestly, we stopped in at Funland to check to see if they were really closing on Friday night, my actual birthday. Nope. They were closing this evening. Thankfully we took the time to check. We chatted with the change guy (He was actually smoking inside at the booth – what were they going to do? Shut him down?) and then pushed my way through the small crowd to the back where the ancient games were kept. SharkBoy was a bit skeeved at the lighting and a few sketchy patrons but was reverent with my memories.

VR Helmet Ted

Ghosts of my past. The arcade was full of hyper active Asian kids playing Dance Dance Revolution at speeds that made me physically frightened for the integrity of their ankles. I really wish the iPhone did video. Really not much different than when I use to go there – just using a different appendage to slap the buttons.

The one game we decided to play “stole” $2 from us.

Bye Funland! I’ll think of you often when I see dead technology.

Now we wait for the delivery truck. I am so going to get a catheter for Sunday!

Thank You, Average Joe On The Street

Dead Robot July 13, 2008 iPhone

Lesson learned: Don’t fuck with someone who’s been waiting in line for hours.

Rogers Giveth…

Dead Robot July 9, 2008 iPhone

I know I’m going on a bit but this is news: Rogers offers a 6G monthly plan for $30/mo.
(via Gizmodo, of course)

SharkBoy and I combined use about 6G between the two of us at home, so this sounds better.

But it’s still a “promotion”. You have to sign the three year contract before Aug 31. And don’t forget to “bundle” that with oh… call waiting or some such free-ish feature you take for granted.

Ctrl-Alt-Divert, or Bad Rogers, BAD!

Dead Robot July 7, 2008 iPhone

Rogers to only get 10-20 3G iPhones per store, due to their high prices (via blogTO and AppleInsider). Is Apple punishing them? Similar events happened in Europe… why not here?

Or this “leak” is to generate demand?

No Swag, No Posters

Dead Robot June 30, 2008 iPhone

Details have been leaked about Rogers retail store operations over on Gear Diary (via Engadget). Nothing surprises me in the list:

Absolute NO’s

o No Promotions/Contests
o No Countdowns
o No Posters out of the store
o No Flyers
o No Radio remotes
o No Mailers
o No Alteration of Store Hours
o No Swag
o No Tshirts with any reference to Apple or Iphone
o No advertising until 13 weeks post launch

Okay okay. Total Rogers behaviour (no swag?! Sheesh!). The document goes on to detail in-store activation and even advises associates on proper terminology:

Glossary:

Bricked: Default state of the iPhone, only emergency calls allowed.
Unbrick: Enabling the phone for services.
Tethering: Connecting an iPhone to a computer running iTunes.
Activation: Customer account setup and CTN provisioning which is completed in-store and is immediate. This is identical to today’s process for other wireless products.

Someone tell the Marketing department that a “bricked” iPhone is when it’s in a totally unusable state of operation (hence the name). iPhones come out of the box able to dial 911 at least. Not a brick. But of course we’re talking Rogerspeak here, not the terminology from Hackintosh that’s been around for a year now. You’d never do anything to your phone to void the warranty like that, no comrade. *See Update below

Tethering (according to Rogers themselves) is when you use a mobile device (likely a network card) as modem. According to the above, it’s just a USB hook up. From Rogers mobile pages:

Tethering is when you use your phone as a wireless modem to connect to the Internet. The phone can be connected via USB cable or Bluetooth. Once connected, you can access the Internet wirelessly on your laptop using the Rogers Wireless network. While accessing the Internet wirelessly on your computer, data charges are incurred at a rate of 5¢/KB.

Picky? Yes I am. But I’m passionate about this product. I’ve signed the petition, ok?

I am getting a feeling that the in-store activation process is going to be a clusterfuck. If anyone has experienced changing a plan or signing up in a Rogers Retail store before, you know it’s like getting a root canal while someone hard-sells you for white veneers. Painful, hard to follow and awkward.

Good luck consumers!

*Apparently all iPhones will be a hunk of uselessness if not activated in-store. That’s one way of tightening the noose.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Dead Robot June 27, 2008 iPhone

Unlimited data? On Rogers? Not a chance. A cool $40/mo on top of your existing plan as previously leaked? Nope.

Try topping off at $115/mo. for rates that equates to downloading whole movies onto your phone, which we’ll probably have to do if you that troublesome law goes through. But no mention of having to have a previous account, just a loooong three year contract. Really I’m not surprised they’re charging this. Pissed, yes, but not surprised.

Oh and for $15/mo extra, you get the crap you got nearly for free with a regular plan.

(via Engadgetmobile)

I Plan To Give These People My Money

Dead Robot June 11, 2008 iPhone

Do Rogers think we live in a bubble? Do they think that we don’t pay attention to the TV/Radio/Free Metro paper?

Cut the mysterious marketing crap haphazardly slapped together by some hack at One Mount Pleasant (here’s where I mention that the silhouette looks more like a Nokia than the iPhone). Tell us how much. Christ knows we’ve been waiting a full year for this.

To be fair, they’re probably bound by the whole Apple/iPhone/Comwave thing. But to circumnavigate the issue, they still could say “Apple iPhone”, that way the onus is back on Apple.