Search - appletalker forum [apple mac discussion and troubleshooting]

topic: Apple Live Streaming Event 01/09/2010 (Is it going to work?) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone Yesterday, 20:05 #1

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

Well, to be fair, if I were in charge of a digital download service that just initiated a social networking feature, I probably wouldn't think twice about not allowing one to list tunes/artists (as favorites) that couldn't be purchased through said service. Doing otherwise would setup a situation of frustration for your customers. By only allowing people to favorite tunes/artists available through iTunes they are guaranteeing that links to purchase songs are going to work through iTunes.
After all, Apple is a business so everything they do (at some level) is an attempt to boost sales.

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone Yesterday, 09:06 #2

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17686

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, madra. For myself, the selling point of the iPhone was the fact that I wouldn't be restricted to wifi only connections for data. If that wasn't so important to me, I probably would have stuck with my old PAYG phone / touch combo.

But, I figured "Why pay for texts (either PAYG or in some plan) if I'm already paying for data?" So, I'm saving some cash by telling my carrier to block all incoming and outgoing texts... I'll just use email for texting.

topic: Apple Live Streaming Event 01/09/2010 (Is it going to work?) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone Yesterday, 08:54 #3

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17682

iTunes 10 first impressions:
-I like the new look... Very clean and not overdone.
-Seems like the app itself launches faster.
-Syncing appears to take the same amount of time (the syncs I've done only added one song and a few apps).
-Apple rearranged the close/minimize/expand buttons vertically instead of the system-wide horizontal fashion. Not good for consistency, but it does separate those buttons from the main controls (play/pause, forward, backward).
-I fired up ping and the first thing it asks for is first and last name... Being one who isn't much of a social networking fan and one who tends to prefer a bit of (or at least the impression of) anonymity , that's as far as I got.

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone Yesterday, 08:16 #4

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17684

@ madra

So, service-wise, what exactly are you paying for? I caught that you're on PAYG for the phone and texting, but what about data?

topic: Apple Live Streaming Event 01/09/2010 (Is it going to work?) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone Yesterday, 03:37 #5

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17675

With all the stuff they keep adding to iTunes, I've got a feeling a complete rewrite is going to be needed soon. I hardly have any problems with iTunes myself, but I hear people complaining about it all the time. And, apparently, for what if does, it's a pretty big memory hog.

Refresh my memory... Has there been any major rewrite of iTunes or is Apple piling features on top of 10+ year-old software (SoundJam)?

topic: redmond. start your phone-o-copiers! in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone Yesterday, 03:25 #6

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17676

Quote by madra:
...as with all micro$oft junk- like a pisspoor copy of where apple [with iOS] and google [with android] were, about three years ago. i could almost feel sorry for them

I agree. With two (what's a good word to use?) premier (?) smartphone OSs on the market (iOS and Android) M$ has really got to keep those photocopiers moving quick to keep up with the competition now. In fact, it's probably more accurate to say three premier smartphone OSs because most people would consider RIM's OS in that category too.

Maybe they'll shoot for dominance in the non-smartphone market and settle for that? Although, I don't even know what the numbers are for that market... Do they still have a stranglehold, OS-wise, on the non-smartphone market?

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-31, 01:01 #7

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17656

@ euphras
Sure, I don't know about the aesthetics for something like that, but, if I'm riding I can just charge straight off of the bike.

This post was edited on 2010-08-31, 01:02 by Speckledstone.

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-30, 18:14 #8

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17650

A built-in transparent solar screen would be awesome. :thumbsup:

I've seen a few options for third party chargers, but like most "green" charging options, they're a bit pricey.
Here are a few reviews from Mac|Life that have piqued my interest in the past...
- Novothink Surge Review
- MiniWiz HYmini Review
- Powermonkey-eXplorer Review

Mac|Life's reviews are usually pretty spot on, but I haven't worked up the courage to be a guinea pig for any of those devices.

In my mind, the main problem with most solar chargers is that in order to get a decent charge, you usually have to leave them sitting in the sun for quite a while. Which in turn, could lead to your precious device suddenly becoming someone else's precious device.

This post was edited on 2010-08-30, 18:14 by Speckledstone.

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-30, 16:47 #9

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17633

Quote by madra:
@ speckledstone: this is probably a dumb question, but are there not any equivalents to car chargers for bikes? technically, i'd have thought it should be possible to run a wire to some kind of charging socket and charge up your gadgets while on the move.

Yeah, the bike's got a charging harness, so, I bought another one (harness), cut off the battery leads, and spliced a common car cigarette lighter to it. Now I just plug that contraption into the bike's charging harness, string it into my saddle bags, and I've got juice for my gadgets. But, where I run into a slight problem is when I'm camping and not moving from that particular site for a few days. I guess I could always fire up the bike and let it idle while I'm charging my devices, or I could go for a ride with them plugged in, but sometimes those options aren't so feasible. So, in those situations it might be a benefit to have a separate iPod that doesn't drain the phone.

topic: To Speckledstone (Political stuff, feel free not to reply if it isn't your cup of tea) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone 2010-08-30, 06:32 #10

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17598

I meant to reply to this thread a few days ago, but time kinda slipped away on me...

On the most important (in most minds) charge, attempting to sell Obama's Senate seat, the jury was hung due to one sole juror. That's right 11-1. So, due to one lone ~~moron~~ person who is claiming to have not been convinced, this wonderful little fiasco gets to see it's day in court, again, sometime early next year.

I guess my initial frustration with the job that the prosecution did in this case may have been a little unwarranted. They convinced 11 out of the 12 jurors of the most serious charge. However, due to the widespread coverage of this trial, I don't see how they are ever going to find 12 truly impartial jurors for the next time around. I don't know whether that helps the prosecution or the defense more in this case, but I sure hope they end up with a conviction.

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-30, 04:01 #11

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17627

Quote by Oisín:
The iPod in the iPhone barely drains the battery at all. Playing Scrabble or 2-Across for fifteen minutes drains more battery than listening to music non-stop for three hours.

True, but when you're camping, and thus, being away from a charging source for days at a time, that drain on battery life can present a problem. I've rigged up a charging system for my bike, but, as alluded to in the previous sentence, if I'm camping in an area where I don't intend on moving for several days, that brings up a bit of a problem with keeping a phone/camera/iPod charged enough to satisfy my needs. This type of situation makes me lean towards keeping the touch as a media library unit and keeping my phone as a communications/camera device. Now, if I were to spend most of my vacations in the luxury of a hotel room, that would be a different story. But, that's not the case... Thus the dilemma... "Should I it stay or should I it go?"

topic: well, i couldnae hold out any longer... (... got myself an iphone!) in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-29, 16:03 #12

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17621

Imagine that…
I just recently found out that being a member of Harley Owners Group (HOG) gets me a 17% discount with AT&T (the only US iPhone carrier), so needless to say, I'm the proud owner of a new iPhone myself.

Similarly, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with my touch. It would be nice to keep it… The extra memory is a real plus for holding a mobile media library and having an iPod that doesn't drain your phone battery is pretty good too. But, the lure of getting some money for it to offset the cost of the iPhone is pretty strong.

Anybody interested in a special edition, "brushed-metal" iPod touch? :laugh:

topic: iOS4 battery life in the forum: technical discussion › hardware

Speckledstone 2010-08-21, 22:35 #13

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17602

Quote by madra:
...or maybe there was something about the wifi at my mammy's house that cuased the ipod to drain to the dregs overnight. she says that the signal is a bit flaky sometimes, so i'm wondering if iOS4 uses a lot of battery juice rescanning and trying to reconnect if a wifi signal drops or becomes weak or unstable?

Sounds pretty plausible to me. My phone battery drains like a paper bag trying to hold a gallon of water when I'm in an area where the service cuts in and out.

BTW, Welcome back... Hope to see some cool pics soon.

topic: I'm going to the US (And need advice on places to visit) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone 2010-08-18, 06:41 #14

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17596

Quote by Speckledstone:
As for the Tremont, I'm sure that's a pretty upscale hotel. It's a block west of Michigan Avenue, 2 blocks west of The John Hancock Center and just a few blocks north of the Chicago Water Tower (Hey... Good chance to plug my own photos). I think you'd be more than happy with the Tremont if you can get a decent rate.

Actually, looking at some of its reviews, maybe the Tremont isn't as upscale as I thought it was... Surprising for a hotel in that particular location.

topic: I'm going to the US (And need advice on places to visit) in the forum: community › appletalker lounge

Speckledstone 2010-08-18, 06:16 #15

since Feb 2006 · 954 posts · Location: Chicago
Group memberships: co-owner, happy snapper, hardcore appletalker, scrapbook monkey

Show profile ·

Link to this post

In reply to post ID 17595

I've never been in The Congress, but since it's right on Michigan Avenue (and just south of The Mag Mile) I can't imagine you'd be upset with the service or its amenities. As for the Tremont, I'm sure that's a pretty upscale hotel. It's a block west of Michigan Avenue, 2 blocks west of The John Hancock Center and just a few blocks north of the Chicago Water Tower (Hey... Good chance to plug my own photos). :grin:

I think you'd be more than happy with the Tremont if you can get a decent rate.
Most of the hotels in the downtown area (aka : The Loop) and near the lake (Lake Michigan, of course) are going to be more upscale hotels that will provide a very pleasant stay . Although, I'm guessing hotel prices in that general area are going to be at least $150 and up/night. If you can find a hotel in that area for around $100/night, you're probably doing a pretty good job at price hunting.
If you find something at $100 or less/night, let me know and I'll have a look at the map and make sure it isn't in a dumpy area.

Other than downtown, you might have luck finding more reasonably priced hotels in Lincoln Park, or most neighborhoods on the northside. Areas you want to avoid staying in are the westside and southside of the city.

But before you look into those more expensive hotels, take a look at this page on Booking.com and see if you find anything appealing and within your price range. The Chicago Getaway Hostel might be a good option. I can't personally recommend the place since I've never been there, but it's in a decent neighborhood with easy access to public transit, and the reviews looked pretty good (at least to someone who doesn't have any hostel experience). Chicago Getaway Hostel (official website).

Also, it may be a good idea to have a look at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) website to get a little familiar with bus and 'L' routes in the city.

BTW, how are you getting to Chicago from New York?

All posts by Speckledstone (882)

Special queries