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iGirl just bought a new iPhone 3GS

June 8th, 2009, 2:17 pm by

I admit it. I just did it. I just pre-ordered the 32GB white iPhone 3GS. It is a lot of money, but it SHOOTS VIDEO! It’ll ship to my house. Woohoo for iGirl not standing, sleeping and eating in line for hours!

Yep, it’s me, the crazy iPhone-girl here with another new iPhone story. Apple announced today a line of new laptops, iPhone OS 3.0 available June 17, and oh yeah, a new iPhone.

My love affair began with the iPhone two years ago, when I waited 26 hours for the first iPhone and I wrote about the geeky affair for all of the O.C. Last year, I waited a short 11 hours for the second iPhone.

Now some of you out there may be wondering why, just why, I’d shell out a couple hundred more bucks ($499 to be exact) for the 32GB white iPhone 3GS. Yes, the double memory and faster processor will be quite nice. But the real reason I’m upgrading? It’s the camera. I just couldn’t help myself.

3299713406_54a256ba25I’ve always had fun playing as an amateur photographer. I have about seven lomography (toy) cameras, and I love shooting quick videos of my puppies and kitties with a Flip Ultra. And in this year, I decided to start a photo-a-day project on Flickr in which I take and post a photo every day — all taken with my iPhone 3G. I’ve even skipped toting a film camera on my recent outings and vacations, and taking along just the iPhone as a camera.

Imagine just how many more photos and videos I’ll be shooting now! And, the best part is I can geo-tag my content and post it straight away to the Web — from almost anywhere!

I’m not saying the iPhone 3GS is for everyone. I’d suggest that each of you take the time to research what phone is right for you before buying.

But, iPhone 3GS, here I come. Oh, and please post any ideas for my new iPhone’s name in the comments below. (If you remember, my first Gadgetress post described my tendency to name electronics after Superman characters — it’s a geeky reporter thing.)

UPDATE: While ordering my iPhone online, the Apple Web site said June 19 as delivery, a confirmation e-mail said it would be delivered on June 24. After talking with Apple customer service by phone (after waiting on hold for about half an hour) the company said the June 19 delivery online was a mistake. Apple’s now given me free next-day delivery so I’ll get my iPhone as early as June 20, and as late as June 22.

Photo above left was taken by iGirl with her iPhone 3G. Photo taken Feb. 21 of a tree in my back yard using the Toy Camera app on my iPhone.

Posted in: Apple mania • iPhone • • | 44 Comments »

iGirl’s iPhone verdict: No regrets but…

July 12th, 2008, 4:49 pm by

After camping out Thursday night in front of the Apple store in Irvine for 10 hours, Sonya “iGirl” Smith finally got her white, 16-GB iPhone, nicknamed “Perry White.” She’s been playing with Perry for more than 24 hours and the verdict is in: igirl3giphone

What’s new?

That’s the first thing most people ask me about my 3G iPhone. And, well, there’s not a whole lot that is new about the second-gen iPhone.

The new features are 3G, GPS, metal buttons and 16 GBs. Sure the metal buttons look cool. And the 16 GBs allow me to add more music. But neither is a reason to buy the new phone.

The 3G Internet and data access is noticeably faster than the EDGE network, but 3G is still not available everywhere in Orange County. And, that leaves GPS — which is very cool, but not necessary.

My favorite new feature — the software applications — is available not just for the new iPhone, but last year’s model, along with the iPod Touch. The iPhone app store offers more than 500 applications and I’m now hooked on the Associated Press, Scrabble, Pandora  and Twitterific apps.

Now that I’ve had a full night’s rest, my MobileMe account is up and running and my iPhone is working (it said no service for a short time today, remedied by an AT&T worker who took out and put back in my SIM card) — I’m happy with the new white-backed phone.

Verdict: For people who do not already have an iPhone, the 3G version is a great device, although the $70-plus monthly phone bill is hefty. I have no regrets, but of course, I camped out for 10 hours to buy the phone. But for people who already own the original, you should reconsider upgrading because of the extra monthly charges plus the $200 to $300 cost of the phone.

From earlier: iGirl’s iPhone 2.0 adventures

Posted in: iPhone • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

Closing in on the 3G iPhone, meet the iLine

July 11th, 2008, 6:10 am by

ilineAfter a full night’s dreaming of a 3G iPhone, certainly not sleeping, the iCrowd is ever so close to the 3G iPhone.

Be sure to read my tweet updates here that I provided continuously (except when I was sleeping for a bit).

The iLine has now grown to about 100 people. With less than two hours to go, at the similar time last year the crowd was probably at 200 people.

Everyone last night chose one of two options: try to sleep in any way possible on the ground or play games, talk or watch movies to try to stay awake. Me? I stayed awake for a while by playing games on my Nintendo DS, by reading and by talking with others. But, then for a few hours I curled up on the ground and fell asleep for about three hours even sleeping through the loud sounds of workers power-washing the Spectrum’s floors.

This year’s wait is certainly less intense than last year. At this point last year the whole crowd was nervous and giddy and standing up to hold our places in line. Today? Not so much. We’re all still waking up, or sleeping, while 8 o’clock strokes near.

Photo taken by Sonya of the end of the line just before 6 a.m.

Posted in: iPhone • | 3 Comments »

Meet the iCrowd at the Irvine Spectrum Apple store

July 10th, 2008, 11:04 pm by

iGirl’s coverage of iPhone 2.0Here I am, No. 15. I’ve been in line at the Irvine Spectrum Apple store since just after 9 p.m.

Be sure to follow my minute-by-minute updates (well, that’ll depend on how bored I am)  on the Register’s Money page – I’ll be updating constantly about my iPhone wait on that page.

Now, let me introduce you to some of my line friends:

No. 1:

He’s been here since 1 p.m. and I remember him from last year. Cole Chleboun, a 22-year-old from Rancho Santa Margarita, works for a shipping supply warehouse company. And, just like last year, he’s waiting in line for his boss. And, just like last year, he’s getting full days of pay for his time plus perhaps a little extra money for his effort. “Hey, it’s good money” he said.

Cole Chleboun, 22, of Rancho Santa Margarita(That’s Cole in the photo on the right. See this image and more in tonight’s photo slide show by Register photographer Kevin Sullivan.)

Craigslist afficianado:

David Giordano from Mission Viejo is in line at about, oh spot No. 9. He’s here to buy a 16GB iPhone and he was smart about raising money for buying a new phone. His dad mentioned a news report that the first-generation iPhones were selling pretty well on Craigslist. Three days after Giordano listed his 16GB he sold it to someone from Santa Ana for $600 cash. The reason people are paying such good money for the old phones? The 3G iPhones require buyers activate them immediately in store and the phones are not being sold online. That means people with other cell carriers can buy those first-gen unattached iPhones, hack the phones and then use them with their cell carriers.

Line waiter extraordinaire:

That would be No. 11 in line (who is sitting in the same spot I did last year). Chris Cammack from Irvine is waiting to buy an 8GB iPhone. Last time I met him was not in iPhone line, but when I covered tech and wrote about people waiting for Black Friday deals. At that time, he was No. 1 in line at the Westminster Best Buy.

Soon-to-be-ex-Nokia-brick-owner:

Rounding out the iCrowd introductions for the night is Breanne Nagy. She’s from Anaheim Hills and can’t wait to get a new phone. A week and a half ago she bought a Palm Centro phone/PDA and she said it just will not hold a charge. So, she’s borrowing her dad’s old Nokia phone (as she describes it, “the one with Snake on it.”). Once she buys an iPhone tomorrow she’ll return the Centro and go home to play with her new Apple phone.

Posted in: iPhone • • • • • • | Comments Off

OC’s iNerds start lining up for 3G iPhones

July 10th, 2008, 5:21 pm by

A few people desperate to get their hands on Apple’s next iPhone have lined up around the county.

Only one person has lined up so far at an Apple store for the shiny 3G-toting-phone and that’s at my destination, the Irvine Spectrum store. An Irvine Spectrum spokesperson said that one person got in line by 11 a.m. today.

3gunboxingTips on lining up in OC

If you plan on making your iPhone quest an all-nighter I’d suggest the Irvine Spectrum store where it’s been OKd for people to stay overnight. The Fashion Island store will not allow a line until 5 a.m. and the South Coast Plaza store will let people stay outside the mall overnight – but a wait inside the mall cannot start until 6 a.m. The only update I have for the Brea and Mission Viejo stores is that there are no lines yet and no word  on whether sleeping overnight is OK.

But, a few people have started out on the iPhone wait at AT&T stores, according to an e-mail from an AT&T spokesperson. It said lines have started at the Seal Beach, Santa Barbara and Lake Forest locations. Still, the e-mail does not state how many people are waiting yet — and that still leaves quite a few line-less stores around the county and the Southland.

AT&T did, though, attach a link to some photos of the new boxes arriving at retail stores. (The image at left is one of those AT&T-provided photos). Still, I would like to see a photo of the white iPhone boxes – yep, the white iPhones even come in matching white iBoxes.

As for me, I’m playing it by iEar as to when I head out to the Spectrum store. It’s a tough decision. I lined up last year because the first iPhone was an event to me and this year’s model is just another iPhone. Still, if I line up too late chances are against me getting the 16GB white model.

I’ll be documenting the rest of the night via Twitter. You can find my Tweets on the Register Money page by clicking HERE. Stay tuned!

Related:

Posted in: iPhone • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

10 reasons why camping out for iPhone is better this year

July 10th, 2008, 9:45 am by

3giphoneigirl**Dude! If you’re reading this now, you’ve missed half the new stuff I’ve posted. Check out what’s happening right now in line at the Apple store in Irvine by going to ocregister.com/money **

From Thursday night:

Now back to the post…

New year, new iPhone. Same nerd and same plan to wait all night outside the Apple store at the Irvine Spectrum to be one of the first to get my Mac-fanatic hands on the 3G iPhone.

Yep, its iGirl and right now I’m waiting for MobileMe, the 2.0 iPhone operating software, the iPhone App store and the 3G iPhone. While I wait, here’s my top 10 list of reasons why my wait this year will be better than last year. Feel free to add your own ideas in comments.

10. I can browse through the more than 500 soon-to-be-available iPhone apps while waiting in line.

9. I’m a big nerd and everybody knows it. Last year, I was just a reporter who covered Irvine news laying my nerdy side out on the blog for everyone. By now, everyone knows I’m a tech geek and that’s ok.

8. I will be pain free. Last year, I put off having my wisdom teeth taken out to save up for the $600 iPhone on a reporter budget (I finally had them removed a few months later).

7. No embarrassing videos. Because the 3G iPhone release is less of a media event compared to last year, and because my buddy Matt Degen is now full-time behind a copy desk, he will not be videotaping my nerdy side like he did last year.

Apple stores open at 8 a.m. on July 11 for new iPhone6. Less waiting! The phone goes on sale in the morning at 8 a.m. instead of last year’s 6 p.m.

5. No funky tan lines. Having to wait all day in the sweltering heat last year, I ended up with bad tan lines and sun burns.

4. I get to mesh my love of Superman, journalism and electronics once again. My first iPhone is named Jimmy (for Jimmy Olson, the photographer sidekick to Lois Lane and Clark Kent). I have a new name for my 3G iPhone: Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet newspaper. Register reporter and Superman fan, Eugene Fields, helped me come up with the new name. (Thanks for the help, Eugene.)

3. I can appreciate my current iPhone — and its longer battery life — a few hours more.

2. No sleeping outside on the ground this year. Last year, I waited 26 hours and even slept on the ground to get an iPhone. This year I plan to go out at some point during the night and a simple chair will be all I will need. No way will I wait longer for the 3G iPhone than I did for the first iPhone.

1. I’ll have my current iPhone to keep me company. Last year, I sat in line without Internet, videos, e-mail, music or other fun apps as I only had a pink Motorola Razr. And if by some horrific chance the Apple store should run out of 16GB iPhones before I can buy one, I’ll still have my old iPhone plus the new 2.0 operating system and new iPhone apps to play with all day — writing reviews for all of you!

I head to the store tonight. Feel free to join me in line. Or just stick with me all day and night as I blog about anticipation for the iPhone 2.0.

Related iPhone 2.0 news:

Posted in: iPhone • • • • • | 18 Comments »

iPhone countdown: All you need to know

July 9th, 2008, 11:22 am by

Apple’s new iPhone 2.0Friday is launch day for the next-generation Apple iPhone. If you’re planning to buy one, here’s what you need to know:

What’s new?

  • GPS that pinpoints the phone’s exact location. This lets users find more precise directions and geo-tags photos (automatically showing where photos were taken on a map)
  • A 3G connection for faster loading of web pages, sending photos and downloading e-mails. (The image below is Apple’s estimated difference in speed between the old iPhone running EDGE and the new iPhone using a 3G connection.)

iPhone uses 3G wireless speeds

  • New iPhone comes in black and white
  • Improved audio: Some people complained the phone’s speakers were not loud enough. The spot for plugging in headphones is flush (the old phone’s plug-in was different than iPods and such — requiring an adapter to use most headphones).
  • Two versions of the iPhone will be sold: an 8GB version in black for $199 and a 16GB version in white or black for $299. The phone looks much like the current iPhone, but the buttons are all metal. It’s also a little bit thinner and the back is all black or white plastic rather than brushed metal.
  • A new two year AT&T rate plan is required when buying the new iPhone, sold separately.

What about purchasing the new iPhone?

  • The iPhones will go on sale at 8 a.m. Friday at Apple and AT&T stores. Here’s a link to find your closest stores. Apple won’t say how many iPhones will be at each store. Last year, Apple stores generally had more iPhones in stock than AT&T stores. But, some AT&T stores had plenty leftover because they were overlooked by iPhone buyers heading straight to O.C.’s five Apple stores. One tip: The 16GB iPhones will probably sell out first, just as the 8GB iPhones sold out before the 4GB versions last year.
  • iPhone buyers must activate the iPhones at time of purchase. Buyers must bring a credit card, Social Security number, valid government-issued photo ID and current wireless account number and password or PIN (if new to AT&T). Apple says current iPhone owners buying the new phone should remember to sync it one last time before getting the new 3G iPhone.
  • AT&T says pricing on the new phone will be $30 a month for 3G data plans plus voice plans starting at $39.99 a month. Unlimited 3G data plans for business users will be $45 a month, plus a voice plan.
  • There are no discounts for current owners. But if you purchased an iPhone on or after May 27, you’ll be able to exchange it for the new iPhone “without incurring an additional handset charge,” says AT&T. For owners of iPhone prior to May 27, you’ll have to fork over the $199 or more for the new phone and extend your contract for 2 more years.

Related:

Posted in: iPhone • • • • | 2 Comments »

New iPhone leaves iGirl wanting more

June 10th, 2008, 7:10 am by

iPhone 3G promo

Whew! Monday was a big day for this blog’s resident Mac addict. Now that she’s had an evening to digest the new iPhone, Sonya ‘iGirl’ Smith offers her expert analysis on the new phone.

The 3G iPhone announced by Apple’s Steve Jobs Monday takes the mobile device a much needed step further in offering GPS and 3G, but some phone features seem ignored in the upcoming device.

The lack of an improved camera, the lack of color options beyond black and white and the lack of memory beyond 16GB in the 3G iPhone make it look like Apple is intentionally holding out so folks keep upgrading and upgrading their phones each year and possibly twice a year. Sure, continuous upgrades to products make companies big money and keep investors happy, but I’d like to know that there won’t be a red iPhone with a 5-megapixel camera released in two months.

Alas, my geekiness won’t let me pass up the new iPhone. I plan to wait in line again at the Irvine Spectrum Apple store (hopefully not needing to stay overnight) to buy yet another shiny, perfectly-wrapped Apple mobile phone. Steve got me at GPS — I just really believe some great new apps will result from GPS – and I can’t wait to try them all (see No. 4 on list below).

mobilemeStill, MobileMe (I already use .Mac, that MobileMe replaces) is the best announcement from Monday. I have spent many a nights hunched over my computer trying to sync all my data between work as a journalist, teaching dance, my personal life and position at a national journalism organization.

Yes, MobileMe costs money — but so far Google’s Calendar (at least for me) has been the only option for “syncing” data between Mac and PC (you can’t edit all the information and have it automatically update flawlessly, though it’s improved). While the 3G iPhone will get the most limelight, I believe that MobileMe if well constructed may be the biggest game-changer out of the Monday Apple announcements.

Now, on to my list of features I wanted in the 2nd-gen iPhone.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: iPhone • • • | 19 Comments »

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