I'm posting this as a third party, but I was the one that recommended my friend check out the Hero, so I'm relaying the findings.
As you know, many AT&T users in major metros are having some pretty severe service issues - my friend is one of that group. As a gadget geek like many here, he left Verizon shortly after the iPhone was released since there was no light at the tunnel of disappointing handset releases with Verizon. He had been a happy iPhone user up until shortly after the 3GS launch. Prior to that, he'd had a few issues, but nothing like he's been experiencing as of late.
He tried a Pre for a week on Sprint and was impressed with the quality of service and the OS. WebOS is a really nice OS, but still young and lacking many apps (I have no doubt that this will improve.) The killer for him was battery life.
Today, he walked into the Sprint store, and after almost an hour of test driving the latched-down phone, bought one. Almost an hour later, he called and said he was taking it back. Surprised, I asked why. He said that once outside in direct sunlight, the phone was almost unusable since you could hardly see the screen, even at 100% brightness.
Gripe #2: OS lag. Not as noticeable when swiping through screens and launching apps/browsing, but once you use the dialer it becomes apparent. He said that using the dialer was so bad, that he input several digits twice because he had thought they didn't register. I'm not sure if this phone was running cupcake or donut, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it was cupcake (there are supposedly speed improvements in donut.)
Gripe #3: No proximity sensor or other mechanism for disabling the touchscreen while on a call. How can a company make a touchscreen phone and not include some kind of provision for this?! While on a call, he accidentally ended it with an accidental touch of his cheek. After ~30 seconds, the screen is shut off (and hopefully there's a way to do it manually). Still an inconvenience.
This was especially disappointing for me because I think Android is shaping up to be a very nice OS, but it's still waiting for the right hardware.
It's not like there's a shortage of well-trained IT-related folks around Boise. I don't see why you'd be happy that a company that was once Nampa's largest employer is now gone.
As the only remaining DRAM manufacturer in the US, what does this mean for Micron? How will they be able to compete if the overseas companies get bailed out?
...I'm sad to see this go. I went once at the urging of my friend, and if he didn't drag me to it, I wouldn't have went. I'm glad he dragged me because it was the coolest thing I experienced in Vegas. Yeah, the boobies at Zumanity are neat to look at and stars are certainly talented, but they (unfortunately) weren't interactive. Star Trek: The Experience was a lot of fun and I'm glad that I got to go.
I recently threw two SATA drives into an old Shuttle PC I had laying around and installed FreeNAS on a 128MB CompactFlash card. So far I'm quite impressed. And while I'm running it strictly as a JBOD right now, it has the capability for (software) RAID levels 0-5. I haven't delved into it too much, but it may support some hardware RAID cards. Can't beat it if you have an old PC laying about.
You don't have to use the mouse button, you can just tap with two fingers for a right click once you've enabled two finger scroll and tap in the trackpad settings.
...when I was in training for Apple Service with Kodak. I knew it was a prototype and was almost able to take it home. It was a very cool concept, almost reminded me of a Powerbook Duo strapped to a fax machine.
...used a similar strategy to beat the horde of rampaging killbots in the Octillian System (sending wave after wave of his own men at them in order to force the killbots to reach their preset kill limit).
...there's the FM radio remote. I want AM radio. I use an iPod to get away from the crap on the FM dial, the real content (traffic, news, talk) on radio is on the AM band.
Haha, you joke, but at the time, they were the fastest PCs that you could buy from a mainstream manufacturer. Thankfully, I bailed from the company before they got stupid.
So what do you think of MPC now that they're profitable? Mostly government contracts, but it's a good job.
I've had a K750i for 4 months now and I can tell you that it will not replace an iPod. Unless you upgrade the ROM to the W800 ROM, you won't have sorting capabilities (artist, album, etc), 1GB+ Duo sticks are expensive, and unless you get a dongle, you're stuck with the crap headphones included with the phone. The battery life on the K750i isn't the greatest, either. While mp3 listening uses less battery, you won't be using it much if you value having a low battery. There's a workaround for the kernel panic the K750i causes when you disconnect it via USB (I always use Bluetooth) that you'll need to read about.
The K750i is a great phone with a great camera, but it's not a good mp3 player. Oh, you'll use the FM radio even less than the mp3 player.
I'm not sure what thread of yours got modded troll, because I certainly don't see it above, but anyways I want to respond to a couple of your points.
They charge too much... I can see how a lot of people could feel this way, but they're truly uninformed. If you've ever built your own PC, you know that quality components cost more. IE: ECS motherboard vs Asus, Vdata vs Crucial, or Archtek vs 3Com, etc. Apple use high quality components and often include things budget PC's don't come with (firewire, gigabit ethernet, etc), whether you use them or not is up to you. The point is that they come with this stuff as a minimum config.
I don't understand the fandom... If you haven't used an Apple product or had the pleasure of dealing with Apple Support, then I can understand why you don't get it. They make great products and their support is excellent, especially when compared to most PC manufacturers.
People wait with baited breath for their latest offerings and weep with glee when they are released... This goes hand-in-hand with what I said above. Apple really do make fantastic products. People that have experienced these fantastic products can't wait to see what Apple has done with their next product because they have such a great track record of outdoing themselves.
You don't have to like it, but I'm trying to get you to at least understand it. If Apple made shitty products you might have a point, but they don't. They may be more expensive, but you know the old saying: "You get what you pay for."
The same can be said for the PC industry. I can buy a Dell for $500. I can also make a PC using higher quality parts that may cost a bit more, have the peace of mind that the components are less likely to fail, and if they happen to fail, the company that I bought them from will still be in business to replace them.
I called yesterday after work and they handled it very professionally...I didn't even have to get upset. They credited me the $31.20 difference for the Airport/BT combo and said that no mini's actually shipped with the 4x Superdrives...they just corrected the description on the webpage. I'm not able to verify this since I'm away on business for the week, but I'll take his word for it for the time being. Can anyone with a mini verify the speed of the Superdrive?
This is part of the reason people love Apple so much, they really do take care of their customers.
I don't think anyone said it needed games, but they're sure a great time-waster. I'll get off your lawn, now.
I much prefer the look of the US Hero. I can't imagine putting that goofy UK version in a pocket.
Hey, is that an HTC in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?
I'm posting this as a third party, but I was the one that recommended my friend check out the Hero, so I'm relaying the findings.
As you know, many AT&T users in major metros are having some pretty severe service issues - my friend is one of that group. As a gadget geek like many here, he left Verizon shortly after the iPhone was released since there was no light at the tunnel of disappointing handset releases with Verizon. He had been a happy iPhone user up until shortly after the 3GS launch. Prior to that, he'd had a few issues, but nothing like he's been experiencing as of late.
He tried a Pre for a week on Sprint and was impressed with the quality of service and the OS. WebOS is a really nice OS, but still young and lacking many apps (I have no doubt that this will improve.) The killer for him was battery life.
Today, he walked into the Sprint store, and after almost an hour of test driving the latched-down phone, bought one. Almost an hour later, he called and said he was taking it back. Surprised, I asked why. He said that once outside in direct sunlight, the phone was almost unusable since you could hardly see the screen, even at 100% brightness.
Gripe #2: OS lag. Not as noticeable when swiping through screens and launching apps/browsing, but once you use the dialer it becomes apparent. He said that using the dialer was so bad, that he input several digits twice because he had thought they didn't register. I'm not sure if this phone was running cupcake or donut, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it was cupcake (there are supposedly speed improvements in donut.)
Gripe #3: No proximity sensor or other mechanism for disabling the touchscreen while on a call. How can a company make a touchscreen phone and not include some kind of provision for this?! While on a call, he accidentally ended it with an accidental touch of his cheek. After ~30 seconds, the screen is shut off (and hopefully there's a way to do it manually). Still an inconvenience.
This was especially disappointing for me because I think Android is shaping up to be a very nice OS, but it's still waiting for the right hardware.
http://www.moonviews.com/archives/2009/03/newly_restored_picture_of_the.html
And a little bit more background on the LOIRP here: http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111408a.html
I thought it was funny seeing all the tapes in the kitchen of an old McDonalds, with the tape drive in the lobby.
Did the elevator move?
It's not like there's a shortage of well-trained IT-related folks around Boise. I don't see why you'd be happy that a company that was once Nampa's largest employer is now gone.
As the only remaining DRAM manufacturer in the US, what does this mean for Micron? How will they be able to compete if the overseas companies get bailed out?
...I'm sad to see this go. I went once at the urging of my friend, and if he didn't drag me to it, I wouldn't have went. I'm glad he dragged me because it was the coolest thing I experienced in Vegas. Yeah, the boobies at Zumanity are neat to look at and stars are certainly talented, but they (unfortunately) weren't interactive. Star Trek: The Experience was a lot of fun and I'm glad that I got to go.
Does the Netgear run on fairy dust?
I recently threw two SATA drives into an old Shuttle PC I had laying around and installed FreeNAS on a 128MB CompactFlash card. So far I'm quite impressed. And while I'm running it strictly as a JBOD right now, it has the capability for (software) RAID levels 0-5. I haven't delved into it too much, but it may support some hardware RAID cards. Can't beat it if you have an old PC laying about.
You don't have to use the mouse button, you can just tap with two fingers for a right click once you've enabled two finger scroll and tap in the trackpad settings.
...when I was in training for Apple Service with Kodak. I knew it was a prototype and was almost able to take it home. It was a very cool concept, almost reminded me of a Powerbook Duo strapped to a fax machine.
...used a similar strategy to beat the horde of rampaging killbots in the Octillian System (sending wave after wave of his own men at them in order to force the killbots to reach their preset kill limit).
A Family Guy reference to Robo Cop. You're probably too young to know what Robo Cop is. Get off my lawn!
...there's the FM radio remote. I want AM radio. I use an iPod to get away from the crap on the FM dial, the real content (traffic, news, talk) on radio is on the AM band.
Sorry, I think I'll go with the monster, here.
I see why you posted anonymously.
Haha, you joke, but at the time, they were the fastest PCs that you could buy from a mainstream manufacturer. Thankfully, I bailed from the company before they got stupid.
So what do you think of MPC now that they're profitable? Mostly government contracts, but it's a good job.
You won't be playing your emulation games after you're forced to update your PSP to 2.0+ to play GTA. Nice try though.
I've had a K750i for 4 months now and I can tell you that it will not replace an iPod. Unless you upgrade the ROM to the W800 ROM, you won't have sorting capabilities (artist, album, etc), 1GB+ Duo sticks are expensive, and unless you get a dongle, you're stuck with the crap headphones included with the phone. The battery life on the K750i isn't the greatest, either. While mp3 listening uses less battery, you won't be using it much if you value having a low battery. There's a workaround for the kernel panic the K750i causes when you disconnect it via USB (I always use Bluetooth) that you'll need to read about.
The K750i is a great phone with a great camera, but it's not a good mp3 player. Oh, you'll use the FM radio even less than the mp3 player.
And stop calling my house!
My Mac mini next to my Shuttle SB61G2 V3.
And a side shot.
Hey, I had nothing to do with this!
I'm not sure what thread of yours got modded troll, because I certainly don't see it above, but anyways I want to respond to a couple of your points.
They charge too much...
I can see how a lot of people could feel this way, but they're truly uninformed. If you've ever built your own PC, you know that quality components cost more. IE: ECS motherboard vs Asus, Vdata vs Crucial, or Archtek vs 3Com, etc. Apple use high quality components and often include things budget PC's don't come with (firewire, gigabit ethernet, etc), whether you use them or not is up to you. The point is that they come with this stuff as a minimum config.
I don't understand the fandom...
If you haven't used an Apple product or had the pleasure of dealing with Apple Support, then I can understand why you don't get it. They make great products and their support is excellent, especially when compared to most PC manufacturers.
People wait with baited breath for their latest offerings and weep with glee when they are released...
This goes hand-in-hand with what I said above. Apple really do make fantastic products. People that have experienced these fantastic products can't wait to see what Apple has done with their next product because they have such a great track record of outdoing themselves.
You don't have to like it, but I'm trying to get you to at least understand it. If Apple made shitty products you might have a point, but they don't. They may be more expensive, but you know the old saying: "You get what you pay for."
The same can be said for the PC industry. I can buy a Dell for $500. I can also make a PC using higher quality parts that may cost a bit more, have the peace of mind that the components are less likely to fail, and if they happen to fail, the company that I bought them from will still be in business to replace them.
I called yesterday after work and they handled it very professionally...I didn't even have to get upset. They credited me the $31.20 difference for the Airport/BT combo and said that no mini's actually shipped with the 4x Superdrives...they just corrected the description on the webpage. I'm not able to verify this since I'm away on business for the week, but I'll take his word for it for the time being. Can anyone with a mini verify the speed of the Superdrive?
This is part of the reason people love Apple so much, they really do take care of their customers.