iPod Repair Blog

Apple made the huge announcement yesterday that the iPod Blog predicted,  the iPad 2! The iPad 2 will still be available in 16gb, 32gb, or 64gb but now you have your choice of white or black.

March 11, you can own the iPad 2. Less than a year after the original iPad was announced, Apple completely redesigned the original iPad, making it 1/3 thinner and even faster with an A5 dual core chip. One of the most well designed pieces of technology, has been improved upon with the addition of a front facing camera for FaceTime and a rear facing camera that shoots HD video.

The coolest thing about the iPad 2 has to be the choice of white or black. Will the white iPad be as popular as the white iPhone?  Check out all of the new innovations here

Before my iPhone , I had 4 BlackBerrys on the VZW CDMA network. No problems, no dropped calls. So I am a fan of the Verizon network. I made the switch to the AT&T GSM network for the iPhone 3Gs and have only experienced a few drops, nothing major.

Now that VZW is carrying the iPhone, I have thought about switching when my AT&T contract is up but have come to the conclusion that I will most likely stay with AT&T. But there is one feature that intrigues me with the Verizon iPhone, the Personal HotSpot.

I really think this is a really useful and practical feature that allows up to 5 wireless devices to connect to one hotspot. Your personal hub will allow you to set a security password and also allows you to connect via bluetooth or USB for a one-to-one connection. The interface is super easy like with all Apple products and the set-up menu gives you easy to follow instructions.

The Personal HotSpot comes with monthly pricing plans at an extra $20/month.This is feature is ideal for someone who travels and who currently uses their iPhone tethering feature. At an extra $20 a month, the price is reasonable and you gain another killer feature for your iPhone.

It has been reported by USA Today that the Stacked Restaurant chain will use iPads at each table to allow customers to order food, which will reduce the cost and need of wait staff. The new chain is set to open their first restaurant in the SoCal area in May.

Each table will be equipped with an iPad encased in a metal framed stand and will allow customers to customize what toppings will go on their burgers, pizzas and salads. For burgers, they will have their choice of type of buns, meats and toppings by dragging icons on the multi-touch interface. Their final choice will be viewable on the iPad screen when the order is complete. Guests can also pay for their food via the iPad when their meal is completed.

Co-founder Paul Motenko said, “We’re not going to market it as an iPad restaurant. The Stacked Restaurant concept was created with the idea that guests would create their own meals and order them on table top, the iPad didn’t exist yet but the iPad was a breakthrough.”

The iPad has so many practical applications, the possibilities are truly limitless.

Various Apple sites, including the iPod Blog, have reported that the iPod Classic, as supplies appear to be slim pickings at retailers. Amazon, which has the 160GB Classic on sale at $229.99, lists shipping times at “two to four weeks”. The last update from Apple’s iPod line was in September of 2010. So is Apple moving on?

Apple could be moving in the direction of retiring the Classic in favor of smaller, sleeker devices like the Nano and shuffle. The iPod Nano was recently updated to a smaller design and a clip was added to make the device even more portable. The iPod shuffle has gone from a flash drive sized stick to a small clip with a click-wheel that can hold hundreds of songs.

The first generation of iPod was a simple but revolutionary idea, 100 songs in your pocket. The first gen iPod was also like a brick in your pocket. Now the smallest device in the iPod line, the Shuffle, can hold over 100 songs. The iPod Classic is a dinosaur that needs to be put to rest, respectfully.

The iPhone and iPod Touch can handle the video as well as music capabilities and the Nano and Shuffle can hold more than enough music for the average person. The iPod Classic has been overtaken by it’s colleagues and inadvertently become obsolete.

Here are a few things to consider before making the jump from AT&T to Verizon Wireless.

Starting February 3, you will be able to pre-order your Verizon Wireless iPhone but before you make the change or even consider it, take a minute to review some of the points you should consider.

Because they are different types of networks, AT&T and Verizon have different pros and cons in the user interface. AT&T is on the GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communications) network which allows for simultaneous voice and data usage. If you talk on the phone while surfing the web or checking e-mails, you will have to stay with AT&T. The Verizon wireless network is CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) and does not allow for voice and data usage at the same time.

The biggest gripes I have heard about the AT&T network is low signal, dropped calls and a pokey network. Typically this is more of a concern for users in large metro areas like New York or San Francisco. However, it is expected that the Verizon iPhone will handle calls better and have better signal reception. Also, with some customers switching to the Verizon network the AT&T network should become less congested.

Another point to consider is that if you switch to the Verizon iPhone now you will have to wait 20 months until you can upgrade. AT&T lets you upgrade your phone to the newest iPhone at reduced cost, so if you want to get the iPhone 5 you may have to wait until you are eligible for an upgrade.

Last, we are still waiting to hear all of the final pricing details from Verizon. But it has been released that VZW will start with unlimited data plans at $30 a month to start but the unlimited plans will end after new sign ups. This is a ploy used to snag as many AT&T customers as possible.

It’s your dollar so why not make an educated decision?

This almost sounds too good to be true but the truth is while AT&T has been trying to keep the exclusive rights to the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has been seriously beefing up its network. The announcement became official this morning and the claims from VZW will be put to the test immediately when the largest wireless carrier in the United States signs up millions of new users.
In a quote from Forrester Research wireless analyst Charles Golvin says, “LTE is the future 4G technology path for both Verizon and AT&T … If Verizon can convince Apple to accelerate its incorporation of LTE, the carrier will be able to deliver a significantly accelerated iPhone experience to more customers than its competitor, and attract a significant number of the first wave of buyers, including the Apple acolytes.”
If you have been paying attention to the new VZW marketing campaign, the carrier has started to punch the LTE 4G movement into high gear. The iPhone was announced at 11am this morning by Verizon’s President and COO Lowell McAdam at its network event in New York City. The rumors of a Verizon iPhone have been fulfilled and I expect to see a BOOM in sales for the largest carrier in the United States.
The move has been a long time coming with users voicing their frustration of the reliability of the At&T network. Moving to the VZW network means that a 4G network will be must.

It’s 2011 and a new year means new segments on the iPod Repair Blog. This new segment is called “Gotta Have It” and it will introduce accessories that I just gotta have.
The first accessory on the list is the Ticker from Switcheasy. I have been a big fan of Switcheasy from the day I opened my first Rebel case for my iPhone and I haven’t look back since. The Ticker is designed to be used with the iPod Nano and gives you a completely new experience. I found that it is great for runners and is less cumbersome than an armband. The wristband is shock resistant and fits securely to your wrist and uses of polycarbonate push through buttons to control your musical journey. Also, with the Nano clock feature, the Ticker serves double duty as a wrist watch.

This may be a favorite iPhone news story in a while. Enjoy.


It was reported Wednesday morning, December 29, 2010 that Police in Boise, Idaho took a man into custody after he struck a teenager in the arm for refusing to shut off his iPhone during a flight leaving Las Vegas. Other passengers aboard the plane said that the altercation began as the flight attendants announced the final decent into Boise. Everyone knows the drill at that point you are required to turn off all electronic devices, stow your tray tables and return your seat to its upright position. Apparently this rebellious teen had a problem with the instructions continued to play games and listen to music on his iPhone and did not respond to flight attendents’ requests. Eye witness accounts say the man, Russel Miller, became aggressive and struck the teen in the arm leaving a mark. While still in the air, pilots alerted the Local Boise Police and officers were waiting for the man when the plane landed. Miller was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and was booked into the Ada County Jail.

I read this story and wanted to know…so…did he shut off the device or not? If he did not shut off his device how did the electronics in the plane not go crazy? That’s what I always imagined would happen if I didn’t shut my phone off. This kid is my hero, sticking it to “The Man“. He is the epitome of a rebellious youth, a true rebel without a cause. Not even a misdemeanor assault can bring this kid to shut off his iPhone. Bravo.

This was a very interesting year, to say the least, for Apple, Steve Jobs and the Cuppertino gang. 2010 was an ambitious year for Apple with highly anticipated new product launches of the iPad and a new installation of the iPhone. But the Year in Review also held some drama with an Apple test product making it out of the walls of the Cuppertino fortress and into civilian hands, as well as, a battle about Flash content on the iPad. Overall, Apple had a crazy year for sales and continue to exert their dominance over the rest of the gadget world year after year. With the holiday season “wrapping” up…(pun intended) I will not be surprised to see the inflated sales numbers after the year. The bottom line is, I know there will be millions of people opening up iPads, iPhones and iPods from under the tree.

The iPod Repair Blog Presents:

2010 Apple Year in Review Top Ten List:

10. Flash on Apple Devices

The uproar of not allowing Adobe Flash prompted Steve Jobs to post an open letter about Flash on the Apple website. It went something like this, “Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.” Said Jobs. He went on to also say, “New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.” I give Jobs credit here, he is moving forward and trying to encourage the creation of new platforms to challenge Adobe Flash which currently accounts for 75% of video and media on the internet.

9. iPad Frame with Hole for Front-Facing Camera

iPad repair specialists, Mission Repair, discovered that a replacement iPad Frame had a space for an iSight webcam/camera inside the device. Based on parts seemingly obtained through unofficial channels, the frame appears to have a very similar area to the MacBook’s existing iSight webcam enclosure. The second Gen iPad will be Face Time compatible but Apple decided to not implement the Face Time capability in the first generation.

8. iPad Delayed Ship Date

The iPad release was one of the most anticipated events of the year but some of the dedicated Apple fans who pre-ordered their iPads experienced some frustration. Apple began taking pre-orders beginning March 12 to have the device shipped directly to your house and have it arrive on your door step by the store launch date of April 3. Apple then announced that customers who placed pre-orders after March 27 had to wait until April 12 for their iPad to ship due to the high demand. Bummer.

7. Nasdaq Stock Rose from $210 a share to Over $300 a share in 2010

Apple enjoyed another great year in the Nasdaq. Apple’s share price rose from $210 in January 2010 to over $300 in December. This is due in large part to the release of two major products this year with the iPad and iPhone 4. Apple also continues to push the envelope when it comes to innovative, user-friendly products.

6. Face Time

Face Time may have been one of the most anticipated upgrades to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The front facing camera allows you to video chat with other iPhone users over a wi-fi connection. Face Time is now available to iPod touch and iMac desktop and laptop users. The second generation of the iPad will also have Face Time capability.

5. iPhone Death Grip Antenna Issues

An issue with the iPhone 4s external Antenna caused dropped calls. This problem, deemed the “death grip”, had iPhone 4 users grumbling. The external antenna on the iPhone 4 had a tendency to drop calls when users held the phone a certain way but to remedy this problem Apple offered users a free bumper case to help alleviate the “death grip”.

4. Multi-Tasking!

The iPhone 4 release also coincided with a new iOS release from Apple. iOS 4 allowed for multi-tasking, something that iPhone users had long awaited. The multi-tasking allowed users to open an App from the SpringBoard and then double click the home button to pull up a menu at the bottom of the screen. You could then switch apps and run more than one app at a time. Prior to multi-tasking, once you switched apps the app you were just running would close. Now you can go back to right where you left off.

3. iPhone Release

The release of the iPhone 4 was similar to the release of the iPad with lines spanning around the block and people camping out for days to be one of the first people to get their hands on the new iPhone. The iPhone 4 featured several revamped features including a new Retina display and a squared off casing with a stainless steel band. The iPhone took some of it’s styling cues from the iPad. Also, the iPhone featured an upgraded A4 processor and a Gorilla Glass backing to make it more durable and scratch resistant.

2. iPad Release

The long awaited iPad release garnered the most hype in 2010 and is one of the hottest products of the year. With the release of the iPad came several imitators such as the Samsung Galaxy and BlackBerry PlayBook. The most impressive number for the iPad this year was 1 million units sold in less than 30 days on the market. 1 million of anything is impressive but 1 million iPads is crazy. For comparison, the iPhone took almost three months to reach the million sales mark. The iPad moved off the shelves so quickly in 2010 Apple had to delay the International release. 300,000 units were sold on the first day.

1. Gizmodo Lost iPhone 4 Scandal

This was by far my favorite Apple headline in 2010. It just got better each day with more information coming out and the lengths that Apple went to to make it known that you don’t mess with Steve Jobs. A quick recap goes something like this: Apple software engineer, Gray Powell was enjoying a few drinks at a local watering hole and left his iPhone 4 test phone at the bar. The iPhone 4 was disguised as a 3Gs. Powell left the phone on a bar stool and the phone was recovered by a patron at the bar. The phone was then sold to Gizmodo.com for a reported $5,000 and photos were leaked out on Gizmodo.com. Apple then contacted Gizmodo editor Jason Chen to get the phone back and they also obtained a search warrant to seize Chen’s computers. Bottom line, Gizmodo ruined the surprise of the iPhone 4 for me but also broke a huge, entertaining story that gave me a weeks worth of great reading material.

I hope you enjoyed the Year in Review and hope you will check back in with the iPod Repair Blog for more entertaining content in 2011!

Google released the iPhone Google Latitude app in the Apple App store on Monday morning. Google Latitude allows you to find your friends based on their location. This app was previously introduced in 2009 but due to the inability for the iPhone to run multi-tasking until around six months ago, Google Latitude was unable to continuously share position with your friends. Since the April 2010 iOS update, the iPhone can now run apps like Google Latitude in the background even when the app is closed.

Unfortunately, if you still own the original iPhone or the iPhone 3g, you can not run the Google Latitude app. According to Google Software engineer, Chris Lambert,

“Today’s Latitude app was built from the ground up using iOS 4’s new multitasking capability to support background updating…you wll need iOS 4 and above on an iPhone 3Gs or iPhone 4 to use the app.”

The great part about the new version of the app is that it is completely opt-in, so you must have friends accept requests or you must add friends to your buddy list to begin to share your location. You also have the ability to turn off background updating to control your privacy. You can also sign out at anytime.

The “checking-in” trend has seen other applications in Facebook Places and other apps such as foursquare or GoWalla. However, the practical side of this app is fairly evident. For instance, you could use it to keep an eye on employees to ensure productivity as well as, other logistical applications.