Archives by Tag: iPod
Geek Force Utterz #001 - Managing Expecations (Cut Off)
I’m going to making (hopefully) daily calls to Utterz to discuss things that I’m geeking out about. The first of these calls, about geeks managing expectations, is embedded above. If you can’t see/hear it, click here to listen to it on Utterz.
Not familiar with Utterz? No problem. The gist of it is that it’s a phone call recording service. You call in, it records what you say, and then it spits it out onto the Internet.
Why have I decided to do this? Well, it’s fun, first of all. Second of all, it’s easy. And third of all, it’s something I have time for. I drive fifteen minutes from my house to the bus station every morning and, seeing as I’m usually not up for the radio that early (at around 5:30 a.m.), I might as well do something productive with my time. Fourth, and lastly, it doesn’t cost me anything. Because my drive takes place before “nighttime” is technically over (at least according to my cell phone plan), the call is free.
This first call was my reaction to the Internet reaction to yesterday’s Apple “Let’s Rock” event. Still with me? Good! Basically, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about managing expectations if you’re a geek, and why that’s so important in this over-hyped, media-saturated culture we live in. The call gets cut off (I guess I should manage my expectations of AT&T’s calling area, huh?) but it’s worth a listen.
“Let’s Rock” - Apple Special Event on September 9
Ars Technica writes that Apple has confirmed a September 9 Special Event, which will probably focus on iPods and their music business, and even though I am not in the market for a new iPod (my iPhone rules as an iPod), I am still really excited to see what they have up their sleeves. Is that the measure of a true Apple geek? That you geek out about extended commercials (that’s what the Special Events are, aren’t they?) even when you have no stake in what comes out of them?
Worth Your Consideration 015 - A GF5 Linkdump
- Kevin Rose has the scoop on a linewide iPod refresh in September. Apparently, we’ll be seeing widescreen iPod Nanos, a cosmetic refresh to the iPod Touch, and a price drop across the line to differentiate between iPod and iPhone (which is now priced at $199 with a new two-year contract). Thanks to Mac Rumors for linking up Kevin’s post.
- Marvel Comics is ramping up for something big in 2009 featuring one of my favorite X-Men characters of all time, the won’t-stay-dead redhead herself: Ms. Jean Grey (a.k.a. Phoenix). Check out Newsarama’s article on the “teaser trifecta” that Marvel has released for a glimpse at some absolutely killer noirish images.
- Lastly, some Lost news. According to a scooper at DarkUFO’s spoilers blog, the Powers That Be are shooting a scene with Hurley and Sayid that takes place just after Sayid rescues Hurley from the mental institution at the end of season four. It sounds like next season is starting off as fast and furious as last season did. Awesome, says I.
Wanted: A Good Pair of Headphones
Yesterday, aside from getting drenched in an afternoon rainstorm that washed through Boston completely unannounced, I managed to break the fifth or sixth set of headphones I’ve had since buying my iPod four years ago. It isn’t enough that my iPod only works when it feels like working. (Is it July 11 yet?) No, no, no. Now, I have to deal with replacing yet another set of broken cans. Sure, I have a spare pair sitting at home, but they’re old, and they’re quiet, and they sound like I’m listening to my music through a pair of literal tin cans. And it’s not like I can afford to plunk down $10 to $20 on a new set when I’m saving every penny I can in order to afford an iPhone.
But, hey, eventually I will have some dough, and I’m wondering if any of you out there have any recommendations on relatively affordable but relatively high quality headphones. Also, how do you keep these things from breaking so frequently? Maybe I just don’t know how to take care of them. I’m not sure. It’s always the wiring by the headphone jack that seems to crap out on me. I’ve tried a bunch of different brands (all earbuds, because they’re more comfortable for me than the behind-the-ear kind, and because the really big over-the-head kind always seem excessive for walking around) but none has lasted longer than six months since the original pair that came with the iPod. Is it just that I’ve been buying cheap, or is it that the cables are prone to failure no matter what? Let me know.
3G iPhone Arrives June 9?!?
Maybe it’s a good thing that I haven’t yet found the money for an iPhone. Mac Rumors, Electronista, and The Unofficial Apple Weblog are all reporting on a rumor originally posted by Gizmodo that says Apple’s new 3G iPhone will be available on or soon after the WWDC Keynote on June 9. The first-generation iPhone is no longer available via Apple’s Website and is in short supply at retail outlets across the country. Many other signs in recent weeks have pointed to the imminent release of a new model, but Gizmodo is the first to claim that at June 9 launch has been “confirmed”.
I’ve been living with a third-generation iPod for four years now, and the thing is doing its best not to give up the ghost, but its time may be almost up. It regularly forgets that it has battery power nowadays, resetting itself at random intervals, and it refuses to play podcasts or high-quality audio files at all. If I had the money a couple of weeks ago, I would have bought an iPhone straight away. But now I’m glad that things have worked out the way that they have. I might be positioned just right to be one of the first to get his hands on the new device, instead of one of the last to pick up the old and out-of-date one. That would be a new experience for me—I bought my iMac last year two months or so before the newer, slicker version came out—and a most welcome one, to boot.
