The iPhone 4 Antenna Song

Apple showed this video from YouTube today at the iPhone 4 Antenna Q&A. Classic.

Free Amazon Prime for Students

Amazon is giving away (affiliate link) a free year of Amazon Prime unlimited, no extra charge two day shipping to students at a college or grad school. If you are taking at least one class for credit, you qualify.

I signed up and Amazon was nice enough to offer a prorated refund for the remaining months in my regular Amazon Prime subscription.

hdBaseT

OSNews comments on an interesting new audio/visual cable standard being proposed as an alternative to HDMI.

It's really more than an HDMI competitor, it's a cable specification that “converges full uncompressed HD video, audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, high power over cable and various control signals through a single 100m/328ft CAT5e/6 LAN cable.” That's an idea that I can really get behind. No new proprietary connectors, no expensive cables needed, consolidation of all necessary signals into one cable. The founding companies include LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

This sounds like something that could really simplify wiring one's TV and related equipment cost effectively. And just think about larger scale setups.

Bwahahaha

I almost have my problem solved. Maybe. I hope.

Symbian OS and the Linux Desktop

A frequent counter argument against the iPhone comes from folks touting Nokia's various flagship phones. No one using an iPhone points to a Nokia phone as a better or more capable device, mind you. (That should be telling.)

So, this is interesting. From The Symbian Guru:

If you recall, when the Nokia N97 was announced, we all drooled over it endlessly. We marveled at its features, its monstrous internal storage, sliding hinge assembly, 1500mAh battery, and more. We waited a disturbing 6 months for it to actually be available…only to actually get it. The launch firmware on the Nokia N97 was so bad, I sincerely hope that whoever gave it the A-OK to be released has been fired from Nokia. It took them another 6 months just to release a firmware that wasn’t rubbish, and now, the ‘flagship’ languishes behind other devices, frustrating owners like myself more and more each day.

Their sentiments remind me of when I gave up on the Linux desktop. While Vista a few months later was a major stumble for Microsoft (to put it mildly), Apple has continued to charge along and Microsoft has regrouped with Windows 7. Meanwhile GNOME remains relatively stagnant (though superior to KDE) and KDE managed to out-Vista Vista.

That Terrible iPhone Reception Problem

John Gruber notes the folks at Consumer Reports looked into the iPhone 4 reception issues and made the (shocking, I tell you, shocking!) discovery that such reception issues are “the case with all cell phones” and that it wasn't a big deal. Gruber responds,

Who am I supposed to believe, the sensationalist hacks at Consumer Reports, or the straight-shooters at Gizmodo?

It's not as if Gizmodo is the sort of place that would buy a stolen iPhone and then have an axe to grind for being prosecuted for it.

(For an added chuckle, Gruber's English translation of Apple's latest comments on the matter are worth a read if you'll excuse some of his coarse language choices.)

Giving Up for the Night

I've been working on a coding project and it was going so well until about an hour ago. Since then, I've been hitting my head against the wall. I guess it is time to give up for the night. Oh well.

App Stores

“DVD Jon” writes:

While this is technically true, one should not need a PhD in Computer Science to use a smartphone. How is a consumer supposed to know exactly what the permission “act as an account authenticator” means? The CNET opinion piece “Is Google far too much in love with engineering?” is quite relevant here.

The piece is a very clear indictment of the Google model of app store. The so-called “curated” model of the iTunes App Store may be deeply flawed, but the Android Market has yet to offer something better or even as good.

A Little Less than KIN

If you are curious about the Microsoft KIN phones, my review of them is now available on Open for Business.

The iPhone as a Camera

Derek Powazek demonstrates the impressive camera capabilities of the new iPhone 4's camera. I think Apple might be on to something with this.

HT: John Gruber