Whazzzzup?
So, a few people emailed me and wondered why I had been so silent over the past 22 hours. Here’s what happened:
1) At 6:00 PM after a countdown, the doors at the Apple Store flew open and we all walked (no running) into the place amid the applause of the employees. While we were standing in a short line, one of the employees entertained us with an iPhone.
2) At last, I was at the counter. I was asked if I wanted the 4 or 8 GB model, and upon replying 8 GB one was handed to me in a special black bag emblazoned with an iPhone picture. Niiiiice.
3) I was directed to an Apple employee with a handheld terminal who checked me out, ran my credit card through, and asked if I wanted to have my receipt emailed to me.
4) Next it was off to the display of cases. I really didn’t like any of them, but ended up grabbing an incase Leather Folio for iPhone. I still don’t think I like the case. More on that later.
5) Off to dinner with my wife (she wanted me to bring the box into the restaurant with me, so I did).
6) Off to see Ratatouille. Another great film from Disney / Pixar. Jobs is 2 for 2 on Friday, June 29th!
7) When we got home from the movie, I sat down and plugged the phone in to get a full charge, and let it sit overnight. I also updated iTunes to version 7.3, which came out yesterday and has support for iPhone. 
Upon waking up, showering, and eating breakfast, I plugged the dock into my iMac and began the activation process. Five minutes later, my phone was fully activated and ready to roll. By the way, I named the iPhone Ratatouille as a paean to the movie.
9) I moved my music to the iPhone but I’m waiting to do pictures.
10) What a GREAT device. Although I’m still not getting as many bars with AT&T service as I do with T-Mobile (one of my main concerns), it’s working very well so far.
11) Went to My T-Mobile and popped down to a lower plan so I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg on cell phone service. I’m keeping T-Mobile HotSpots for the time being, although I may drop that in the future.
12) Took my old T-Mobile phone and I now have it forwarded to the new phone. Sweeeeet!
13) Went to the grocery store, where I gave three impromptu demos.
Trust me, I will have a lot more posted here soon. For example, I have photos and video from the line experience and going into the store, as well as screenshots of the activation process. My initial feelings? I love this device as much as I thought I would. It’s a beautiful piece of equipment and functionally it is outstanding.
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone
I stood in line all day for an iPhone and all I got was a lousy t-shirt…
No, just kidding. At 2:45 PM MDT someone from FastMac Performance Upgrades passed out t-shirts. They went quickly, but I got one. Duuuuude. Now I’ve gotta wear it!
Technorati Tags: iPhone
iDay
I’ve been sitting in a comfy folding chair near the Apple Store at Aspen Grove in Littleton, Colorado for about six hours now. At this point I’m about number 40 in line, which (if rumors are true) means I’ll probably get an iPhone with no problems. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, especially now that the sun is no longer beating down on us (this is an outdoor “lifestyle mall”).
Apple’s WiFi is working well, particularly since their usual crowds seem to be staying away and the store machines aren’t getting hammered with people downloading iTunes updates. Unfortunately, yours truly forgot to bring his USB cable for his Canon camera, so there will be no high-res photos posted today - only some minor shots from my iSight.
This morning I joined an interview with several other iPhone wannabees that will be posted on MacVoices later today.
Here are some quick snaps of the line at Aspen Grove!
Technorati Tags: iPhone
Let’s Hear Your Story!
In about 10 hours, I’ll start my stint in line at the Aspen Grove (CO) Apple Store. I’m prepared - I’m bringing a comfy folding chair, my MacBook, sunblock (SPF15), a big hat, a camera, a camcorder, and lots of water. I’ll also have my soon-to-be-obsolete (or not) Treo 680 with me in case my relatives try to call and talk me out of standing in line.
I’d love to hear YOUR iPhone line stories, so be sure to send ‘em to movablebeastATmacDOTcom (replace the capitalized letters with the appropriate symbols) and I’ll get your info posted.
USA Today - Ed Baig and Jeff Graham Video (and box photo!)
Ed Baig from USA Today and Jefferson Graham of TalkingTech have put together a great review / video. And Ed even shows the box! Yeee-haaaaa!
And here’s that photo:
Technorati Tags: iPhone
Press Release: Astraware Fireworks (Free Application!) for Palm and Windows Mobile
Ahhh, the irony - a company based in Britain helping Americans to celebrate our independence from Britain…. 
Celebrate 4th July with Fireworks from Astraware!
KEELE, Staffordshire, UK - June 28th 2007 - Astraware is pleased to announce a brand new version of their fun application Fireworks which is available for a limited time.
Fireworks is a simple FREE application, showing sequences of fireworks flying and exploding into the air. As 4th July is traditionally a time for fireworks and celebrations in the USA, the features have been created to help our American friends highlight one of their major holidays - Independence Day! Fireworks features a selection of patriotic backgrounds including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore and the Stars and Stripes, and offers a choice of stirring tunes including the Star Spangled Banner and Stars and Stripes Forever!
Fireworks is available for devices running Palm OS
Web-based Newsreader for iPhone
I’ve been wondering when .Mac was going to get into the iPhone act, and now the first hint of what Apple is going to do to integrate iPhone and .Mac is available. Visiting http://reader.mac.com displays the following screen:
Who knows what other .Mac-based web apps Apple has lurking in the background for iPhone?
Technorati Tags: iPhone
A Song To Sing While You’re In Line Today…
Sung to the tune of “Tomorrow” from the Broadway musical “Annie”:
FIRST VERSE:
iPhone will be out tomorrow,
Count up all your dollars, it’s tomorrow,
you can buy…..
iPhone will be out tomorrow,
Camping out at Apple, it’s tomorrow,
you may fry….
You’ve listened to hype, and tripe, and CNET,
Cancelled your T-mo, and so, you’re set!!!
FIRST CHORUS:
Tomorrow, tomorrow,
Buy iPhones tomorrow,
This madness will go awayyyyyyy.
SECOND VERSE:
The wallets come out tomorrow,
Signing up for iPhone, it’s tomorrow,
they all say….
Sign up for a plan, tomorrow,
You want all that data, slow, tomorrow,
You will pay…
You’ve put up with your Q, and Curve, and Treo,
Now you want to have YouTube videoooooo!
SECOND CHORUS (BIG FINISH!):
Tomorrow, tomorrow,
You’re buying tomorrow,
Let’s hope the lines go awayyyy
Tomorrow, tomorrow,
Your iPhone tomorrow,
It’s only a dayyyyyyyy aaaaaaaaa-waaaaaaaaaay!!!!!
(With apologies to Martin Charnin, who wrote the original music!)
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone
Tomorrow!
Yep, it’s getting closer every minute. There’s been a little bit more news leaked every day from Apple and AT&T, but nothing that I’ve felt is worth posting. My biggest complaint has been the rash of “iPhone Sux” posts by various Windows Mobile bloggers, most of whom I know. They bemoan such things as “a weak vibrate mode”, “inability to use songs in your iTune library as ring tones”, and so on as reasons NOT to buy one. Sigh.
I’ll be spending plenty o’ time in line tomorrow, and I’m planning on parking my butt on the concrete in front of the Apple Store Aspen Grove (Denver area) quite early. One of the local news stations is dropping by to do an interview, which will be fun. And I plan on taking plenty of photos and video, all of which will be posted here soon along with my first impressions of the device.
Some new info for y’all -
Apple Stores WIll Be Closed Between 2 - 6 PM on 6/29
Don’t plan on visiting your local Apple Store at 3:30 PM on Friday to pick up a copy of your favorite app or buy a new Mac, ’cause they’re going to be closed, taking a little breather prior to D-Day, H-Hour.
Breathe… Just Breathe….
David Pogue: The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype
And a second big wheel is heard from - David Pogue, Mac geek and NY Times columnist, has checked in with a very balanced review. Some comments from his review:
As it turns out, much of the hype and some of the criticisms are justified. The iPhone is revolutionary; it
Walt Mossberg: The iPhone is a breakthrough handheld computer
With only about three days until iPhone release, I expected to start seeing official reviews from the big wheels in the industry. Today, the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret gave us their review of the most anticipated mobile device so far. Their review was overwhelmingly positive:
“Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.”
Technorati Tags: iPhone
Flurry of Hot iPhone Action!
Yep, the curtain has been pulled open just a little bit more. Today, AT&T and Apple announced what the voice/data plans for the iPhone will be like. All of the plans include unlimited data, which is logical considering that many of the functions of the device are dependent on an inexpensive GPRS/EDGE connection (no word on whether or not this also includes unlimited AT&T WiFi Hotspot access…).
The plans are as follows:
$59.99 / month 450 minutes
$79.99 / month 900 minutes
$99.99 / month 1350 minutes
$119.99 / month 2000 minutes
$169.99 / month 4000 minutes
$219.99 / month 6000 minutesFor each of these plans, you get Visual Voicemail, 200 text messages, roll-over minutes, unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling, and the aforementioned unlimited data. No word on whether you’ll be able to add WiFi, but you can add additional blocks of text messages. Family plans with more than one iPhone and plans for those who already have AT&T voice plans are also available.
Now here’s the fun part - you can just buy your iPhone and run home to activate it rather than having to activate at the store! Activation is done through iTunes! See how to do this with the following video:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation.html
Technorati Tags: iPhone
AT&T Store iPhone Display Video
Here’s a YouTube find of what the new displays at selected AT&T stores looks like, and what the video shows… Enjoy!
101 Recipes on your iPhone
101 Recipes is a blog dealing with…recipes! And I was thrilled to see that blogger Heidi Swanson cares enough to think about iPhoning foodies like me. Her wonderful Recipe Journal is now available in a format suitable for browsing in the kitchen when you’re lookin’ for a good nosh.
Visit here: http://www.101cookbooks.com/iphonerecipes/
Technorati Tags: iPhone
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