My New Toy: iPhone 4 vs. HTC Aria

A few days have gone by, and I'm still not sure if I want to take a risk on the iPhone 4. I still think a lot of the complaining about the glitches are being blown out of proportion, but I also don't want to drop a ton of cash on a product with known issues. Plus, Apple's response of "it happens and just hold it another way or buy one of our bumpers" was kind of off-putting.

I went to a Sprint store to check out the HTC EVO 4G, and man is that an ugly phone. I'm sure all of the Android nuts are wetting themselves with excitement, but to me the phone is way too big. A lot of people online are calling the EVO a mini-iPad because of its size. Once I actually had the chance to see and play with one, I was convinced that the EVO was not for me.

Then I went to an AT&T store to play with the iPhone 4, and the model I used didn't have any issues that I could tell, but I still wasn't sold. I meandered around the store and I stumbled across the HTC Aria, which is a mid-level Android phone for AT&T. I was immediately smitten with its hardware, and the interface seemed good but I'm far from an expert. Of course I had to go home to do some research on the Aria, and what I've found hasn't been really good or bad.

The experts online seem to think that the Aria is a serviceable Android phone, and while it's not as powerful as an EVO, Droid Incredible, or Droid X, it's still a decent little device. The only real bad thing I've read about the Aria is that it's not able to side-load non-market applications, but I have no idea what the means so I doubt that will factor in my decision. If I decided to switch from Apple to Android, Aria would be my starter phone. The thing I still don't know enough about Android or the Aria to be confident enough to make that kind of change.

Like I mentioned before, I've been committed to Apple and its iPhone for too long, and I don't have the patience to learn how to work a brand new type of phone (which is funny because that's the same reason why I haven't switched from PC to Mac). Plus, I started to pay attention to how I hold my iPhone, and with some minor modifications the snafu on the new phone really shouldn't affect me. It was fun playing the field for a little bit, but I think my heart belongs to iPhone 4...although I never say never.

My Favorite Summer Memory

When I was a kid, my dad took me on a mini road trip around Texas. At the time, I wasn't really into it because I didn't want to waste my precious summer days in the car.

Now that I'm older, I realize what a great experience that trip was. We went to Sea World in San Antonio, had the chance to visit some of the great rivers in Central Texas, and we even camped out for a few days.

The activities themselves were fun, but not as important as the time I got to spend with my dad. Growing up I was always kind of scared of my dad because he was the disciplinarian of the family, but the time we spent together helped me realize how much he loves me.

My dad will do anything for me, and I can only hope that I'm half the man he is if I'm lucky enough to start a family of my own. I can't wait to take my kids on mini-road trips just like he did with me.

My New Toy: PS3 vs. Wii vs. XBox 360

I've never been much of a gamer, and I even donated my Playstation 2 and XBox to Goodwill when I moved from Portland because I just never used them. When I bought my HDTV, I toyed with the idea of getting a gaming console just to add to my home entertainment set-up.

I kept going back and forth between the three for various reasons. XBox 360 seems to be the cheapest for a bare-bones model which should be fine for what I would use it for (a few games here and there, but nothing hardcore). The Wii is probably still the "it" console to have, but part of me is waiting for the shine to come off of the apple. The PS 3 is a monster, but so is the price, so it's hard for me to justify spending that kind of money.

For the longest time, the tie-breaker for me was Netflix, so I ended up skipping the consoles altogether and went with an LG Blu-Ray player mostly because it could stream my Netflix Instant Queue without having to get an extra disc like on the PS 3 and Wii. Now, Hulu is what can sway my allegiances, and it looks like Sony's Playstation 3 will be the console to incorporate the standard of online video.

A few months ago, I blogged about how I'd be OK with paying a monthly fee for a premium version of Hulu if a suitable device could stream the video onto my HDTV. It looks like my wish is close to being granted, but I might have to shell out a pretty penny to take advantage of the service. Luckily, devices like the PS 3 are great multi-taskers.

So, as of right now PS 3 has taken the lead, but I won't be really looking at buying one until I get my new iPhone 4, and I don't know when that's going to be thanks to all of the glitches. I'm fine with waiting because Hulu on my laptop is still cool in my book.

My iPhone 4 Second Thoughts

So, today is the big day when the new iPhone 4 officially releases, and based on some feedback online, the honeymoon might already be over. Sites like mashable.com and engadget.com are exposing some pretty big problems that are plaguing Apple's shiny new toy. Apparently, just holding the phone will cause you to lose connectivity. Wow.

Now, I wasn't one of those who just had to pre-order an iPhone 4 last week, and there's no way in hell I'd wait in a long-ass line for hours on end for a new phone, so I'm not really impacted as of right now, but I am starting to have second thoughts about buying one.

I've had my first-gen iPhone for close to three years now, but even then I bought mine a few months after the initial release. I was planning on doing the same with the iPhone 4 because new technologies like this are bound to have some bugs to work out, but these problems seem like biggies. I doubt Apple will be able to fix the glitches over the next couple of months, so I don't know when will be a good time to buy a new iPhone.

Unfortunately, I'm antsy and I've been planning on getting  new phone for sometime now. The iPhone 4 hiccups are making me rethink if it is the right phone for me. I don't know enough about Android phones, but the new HTC Evo 4G is a hot item, and most of the feedback has been positive (although most of those bragging about the Evo are bashing the iPhone 4). I don't know if I want to go back to Sprint (I never had issues with their service in the past), but I'm not too confident about the iPhone. The thing is, these problems might only be found on a few handsets, and my hesitance maybe unfounded, but I can't justify dropping a massive amount of cash on a product that has these kinds of issues.

On the other hand, I'm too pot-committed to Apple and the iPhone. I'm used to the phone's infrastructure and the way it works. I have too many songs, videos, apps, etc. that are iPhone specific and having to re-buy or convert them is a hassle I'd like to avoid, but so is having a phone that cannot make actual calls.

Really, I just need to be patient, let Apple fix the problems with the iPhone 4, and buy a new one once the major issues are ironed out. Until then, I might just check out some of the newer smartphones, so I can make an informed decisions. A little flirting never hurt anyone...

My Leap

Have you ever felt that your entire life could change for the better if you just closed your eyes and jumped? There was a time when I wasn't afraid to make leaps of fate, but over the last couple of years those leaps have become shorter and fewer and far between.

I've had my share of disappointment and failure, and now I've become more gun-shy to just go for something that would probably make me happy. Part of me hates it that I cannot just do it, but the other part of me is tired of the let down. It just sucks because this is no way to live, and I know this yet here I am.

I wouldn't mind my lack of balls so much if I didn't need something else to fill this void in my life. Something's missing, and it's up to me to change it, and if I don't then I can only blame myself. I'm tired of blaming myself for my current station, but I'm also tired of coming up short. Unfortunately, the latter is winning...

My Two-Cents on the iPhone 4

Today was the day many have been waiting for as Apple unveiled the new iPhone 4 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2010 in San Francisco, and this is the phone I've been waiting for because it pretty much has everything and then some.

The Design
From the two glass panels to the stainless steel band to the slimmer design, this has to be the sexiest looking phone ever created. Those who followed the initial leak a few months ago might not have been too surprised at the sleek new look since the model displayed today didn't change from the prototype, but up close it looks even more stunning.

The Bells & Whistles
Not only does the iPhone 4 look sexy, but it can do a ton of new tricks such as FaceTime (video calling), two cameras, the ability to record hi-def video with flash (and edit videos with iMovie for iPhone), and multitasking just to name a few. Add these cool new features to the the list of cool things the iPhone can already do, and you have the perfect smartphone (until iPhone 4.2 or iPhone 5 comes out). Even little things like changing your home screen's wallpaper is a nice added touch. Oh yeah, plus we'll be getting a Netflix app for free!

The Price
The only thing not slim and sexy about the iPhone 4 is the price. For those not changing plans to AT&T, we can expect to pay a nice chunk of change for our new toys (between $499 and $599). Of course new subscribers will get the discounted price, which has always bugged me. It makes sense to use a shiny new phone for bait, but throwing a bone to existing customers is a good idea too. I just hope the fact that my AT&T contract has expired means I can get the new iPhone for a cheaper price *fingers crossed*. In the end, it's not going to matter because I'm going to end up paying whatever Steve Jobs tells me to.

The Verdict
I want one! I've been biding my time, and passed up on the iPhone 3G and 3GS because this is the phone that I've wanted since day one. Is it nothing more than a flashy status symbol? Yes. Do I need it? No, but that hasn't stopped me before. Now, I just need to decide on the 16 or 32 gig version.