Get on the iPhone Waiting List!

Just imagine...if the iPhone turns out to be as cool, as user-friendly, as reliable, and down-right revolutionary as the iPod...then my 60GB video iPod will one day soon be as relevant to my life as the hundreds of CDs that I've digitized to get rid of them.

A little convoluted, perhaps, but my point is simple: Before the iPod, it was CDs, and CD players (I had a friend with something like a 12-disc changer and he was like a god to us audiophiles), and making sure your car had a CD player, and portable CD players.

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Then came the iPod, and it was like, "Hold on, now! I can store all those CDs I've been so careful not to scratch (and remember how awful it was when you were dumb enough to let someone borrow one of your CDs and it was returned blemished??) on this little thing?" As soon as I was able to listen to it without the pesky earbuds, man, it was heaven. Still is.

Every day as I get ready for work, there are 3 things I don't leave home without: my coffee mug, my Palm Treo, and my 60GB video iPod. I'm like a modern-day cowboy walking into the office with both of my six-shooters on my sides (one in each pocket making my pants sag a bit).

Steve Jobs and the wizards as Apple must've been reading my mind: Can't it be simpler? Why can't I talk into my iPod?

Very shortly, we'll all be able to.

Here's the low-down on what will likely be the product that coasts Apple into the next decade:

* 4-8GB storage makes it a solid little mp3 and video player;

* 2.0 megapixel camera -- I'm no Amsel Adams, but I'm guessing you can take a great pic of your best friend snarfing nachos on game day with this thing;

* As a cell phone it will have all the standard bells and whistles: calling (duh), voice mail, SMS, which allows you to text, email, and surf the Web;

* Bluetooth, for you wireless freaks out there

* And best of all, in my opinion, it's going to work on the Apple OS X platform. What this means for the uninitiated, for those of you who are still using PCs (I have one myself, so I get it), is that for *free* you'll get the coolest, more seamless, full-of-fun operating system on the planet.

On that note, my guess is this: If Apple can sell an iPhone to half of the iPod users on the planet, and they get used to Apple OS X, it will create a sea change in the computer market. Apple will sell more computers, regardless of price, because people who've never handled a Mac -- and aren't brave enough to enter the totally remarkable, awe-inspiring, yet daunting Apple retail stores -- will finally get to see what the other 13% know: that Apple is the future.

Get on the iPhone Waiting List!

Can You Use T Mobile With the Mini iPhone? I'll Tell You

The other day, I received an email from someone who said that she was interested in the "new pink mini iPhone clone" but she was a T Mobile customer and did not want to have to switch carriers. She wanted to know if she could stay with the same network should she decide to purchase this phone. First, I had to clarify that she was discussing CECT KA08 which is often dubbed the mini iPhone. She didn't know the name of the phone, but I determined what she meant. I'll tell you what I told her in the following article.

All GSM Sim Carriers (Including T Mobile) Will Work Fine With The Mini KA08: One very cool thing about these clones is that they don't require any long term commitment or contract. In today's economy, this can be very appealing. If you get tired of the phone or see a new model that you'd rather have, then you can simply just switch out your GSM sim cards. You don't have to wait for the contract to be up and you don't have to pay for features that you aren't using. In other words, there is no need to have the same bill each month. It can vary based on what services you buy for that month (if you are opting for pay as you go.)

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With that said, this is limited to companies that go with GSM sim cards. So, CDMA carriers like virgin mobile, sprint, metro pcs, and verizon won't work with these phones. But if you're using a GSM carrier, this phone gives you a lot of options. It's tiny, yet powerful with dual sim slots, web browsing, shake and tilt, email, MMS, SMS, bluetooth, FM radio, camera and web cam, and MP3 / MP4.

A Monthly Plan, Prepaid, Or Pay As You Go With T Mobile And The Mini iPhone: As of this writing, you have a lot of options with T Mobile. Many people who are attracted to the mini iPhone clones really like the pre paid option. You really have two choices here. You can "pay by the day" or "pay as you go." If you go with the daily option, you pay per day (which you are only charged on the days you use the phone) and then 10 cents per minute. You can talk for free to other T Mobile customers from 7pm to 7am.

With the "pay as you go," you basically buy refill cards that contain minutes. When you use the phone, you're charged the minutes and must refill them when they run out or expire. There are several options for cards. Examples are 30 minutes for , for 130 minutes, for 500 minutes and 1000 minutes for 0. The 0 card lasts for an entire year. This puts your bill at less than per month if you don't use all of those minutes.

There is also a monthly "flex plan" with T Mobile which doesn't require a credit check, deposits, overages, or fees. And this plan is where "my faves" comes in. Basically you can chose any five numbers on any network to get unlimited calling to. You don't use your minutes for these five people. Plus you get unlimited nights and weekends. 300 additional minutes on this plan is per month and the prices go up from there. If you want to omit the "my faves" option, then the price goes down to .

As you can see, there are many options here. The person who sent the email may well have liked her current plan and would only need to switch out the sim card, but there are many other options available to her.

Can You Use T Mobile With the Mini iPhone? I'll Tell You

Treo Smartphone vs IPhone - The Winner Will Surprise You

The iPhone 3G vs. Palm's Treo Smartphone. How Do The Screen and Application Download Stack Up?

I've been a Palm Treo Smartphone fan ever since the Treo 600 was introduced about 5 years ago. Who could have imagined the power in one's hands of a device that could do email, show photos, and add cool applications just by synching to your PC.

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I primarily used productivity apps, like mortgage calculators, Powerpoint, Excel viewers and security software. But, I was also so enamored with the utility of the device that I added things like SplashPhoto to view photos of my family and friends ... all on that gorgeous 240 x 240 screen!

I upgraded to each new release of the Treo ... from the 600 to the 650 and then the 700p. I even got my friends to buy a Treo. When Apple released its first iPhone, I scoffed at my buddies who bought it. I told them that it was a mere toy and not a real productivity device, even though it was also a bluetooth smartphone, like my Treo.

I was determined to stick by my Treo, not just because it was a great productivity device, but also because I had spent so much money on Palm applications ... viewers, presentation software, and utilities.

Then the fateful day, July 11, 2008 arrived ... a day that will live in infamy in my life. Apple launched the iPhone 3G. What was sorely lacking in the 2G version was now available in abundance on the 3G ... 3G connectivity for fast Internet access when not using WIFI and an application download store to make any geek happy.

I stood in line that day to get one of the first 3G phones. I got the white one, mind you. After playing with it for the last 3 months, I must say it is an incredibly fun device. Did I say gorgeous 240 x 240 screen on my Treo 700p? Try 320 x 480 for the iPhone. Photos are stunning and video is engaging to say the least.

There are so many cool things that you can do with your iPhone ... things that you could only drool over in anticipation on the Treo. Consider again, the screen size. I had subscribed to the "all you can eat Internet" on Sprint. I was a proud Treo Internet surfer. But surfing on a 240 x 240 screen is nowhere near as exciting as it is on a 320 x 480 screen.

In fact, the one of the nicest features of the iPhone is its ability to zoon in on the website and / or photo and keep the "text crispness" of the original site. So "what you see is what you get" on the Treo pales in comparison to the iPhone's "what you want is what you see."

This is just the beginning of the battle of "PDA" devices. Clearly, Apple did its homework to hit a sweet spot for users like me who want a device that's part way and ALL play.

There are so many other comparisons both pros and cons between the two devices. For this article, one point goes to Apple.

Treo Smartphone vs IPhone - The Winner Will Surprise You