IPHONE 5 ANTICIPATION GROWS – WHAT WILL WE SEE?

As winter drags along, iPhone 5 rumors are running stagnant. While we sit and wait for the next batch of credible rumors, there are a few things that I would like to see with the next overhauled design.

The concept picture shown on the right is something that I snipped from a designer by the name of Antonio De Rosa from ADR Studio in Italy. The sanctioned Apple version will not likely end up being exactly like this, but I think it will be close.

One thing that I would like to see is a return to a smoother “rounder” form factor. The current iPhone 4/4S is a little bit “edgy” for me. It just doesn’t fit well in my hand like my former beloved iPhone 3GS. But while I want to see them go with a more comfortable design, I still like the way that the iPhone 4/4S sits flat on a table surface.

My only complaint with the 3GS form factor was the curved bottom. I use my smartphone extensively for tapping out emails, and the 3GS would wobble on the table when touching virtual keys near the edges. The flatness of my former iPhone 4 was a great improvement in that regard.

If the designers could round off the edges again and bury the external antenna while providing the same flat bottom, I think it would be the perfect combination of the two form factors. That will probably become a reality, because the iPhone 5 will most definitely be thinner, as the trend of current smartphones is headed that way.

It goes without saying that Apple designers will stretch the display as close to the edges as humanly possible, all but eliminating the bezel. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the display size will be at least 4″ in diameter due to this alone. I don’t see Apple going for the “jumbo size” smartphone trend, so shrinking the bezel and front face will be necessary to free up room for a bigger screen.

I previously thought that we would see the next big jump in internal memory. But there’s really no reason to go beyond the current 32Gb/64Gb storage considering the move to iCloud. Why spend the extra bucks on internal storage when you can move everything to the cloud? To keep the cost of the device at the same level and to maximize profits, they could roll with the current scheme and do just fine.

I would love to see a quad core processor on the next model, and a bump up in RAM, however. Samsung and HTC are already rumored to have some quad core models coming to us in the first or second quarter of 2012, so this will probably be the standard by the time the iPhone 5 rolls out in late summer or early fall. This will give the iPhone 5 the quantum leap in processing performance that we would expect to see.

The jump from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S is not a noticeable improvement in my opinion. Sure, the extra horsepower they added helps to run Siri, the virtual assistant, but as far as download speeds, it’s not a factor. Running side-by-side tests with my iPhone 4 against an AT&T iPhone 4S and a Sprint iPhone 4S yielded some fairly interesting results. My AT&T iPhone 4 edged out the 4S version, but the Sprint 4S barely beat the AT&T versions. But I expect a huge difference with the iPhone 5.

By the time the iPhone 5 rolls out, I’m of the opinion that LTE 4G capability will be a must. With Verizon planning on dumping their 3G network infrastructure by the end of 2013, Apple will have to provide an LTE version or they may take their business elsewhere. AT&T should be a lot farther along with implementing their LTE 4G network by fall of 2012, so it would be perfect timing. Sprint may even make the switch from WiMax to LTE for this reason alone as iPhone sales have been strong.

I would really like to see a major overhaul of iOS. Being a big fan of the Android operating environment, I think iOS6 (if that’s what it will be called) should provide more flexibility with customization and a fresh new interface. The addition of folders for icons was a nice change, but it’s still not the way that I would organize the hundreds of apps that I keep on a smartphone.

The biggest thing that I would like to see Apple do is provide more than one version of the iPhone 5. Instead of “one-size-fits-all” with different levels of internal memory, why not hit the tablet-smartphone hybrid niche and bring a 5.3″ version similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note? I could possibly be swayed into revisiting the Apple orchard if this became a reality.

As you can tell, I must be bored out of my mind if I’m dreaming up things like this. But there’s nothing better to do while we wait. A gadget nerd can only dream. Right? Just thinking out loud…

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Man

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is available right now on Amazon.com for between $179 and $199 with a 2-year contract agreement with AT&T! Pricing depends whether you are getting a new account, adding a line, or upgrading an existing line.

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The Original Samsung Galaxy S II 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

The original Samsung Galaxy S II is available right now on Amazon.com for between $99 and $149 with a 2-year contract agreement with AT&T! Pricing depends whether you are getting a new account, adding a line, or upgrading an existing line.

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APPLE VS HTC, ANDROID, AND MORE HOT TOPICS TO GET YOU GOING!

Three months ago I promised to get the yapper going and start the weekly CZ Podcast again. So I’ve been busy! But today, I am so proud to bring you a fresh and exciting (more like raging) CZ Podcast to discuss some of our recent topics that we have been pecking on our keyboards about.

You’ll have to stay with me, because I quickly got off the main topic. I suffer from an extreme case of ADD/HD (actually tested and verified to be “significantly deviant from the norm”) and this is not conducive to staying on point. But all of the rambling you will here is very relevant.

I recorded the podcast an hour ago, and then I got busy. Now I can’t quite remember everything that I was talking about. But one topic that sort of got a little out of control was my rant about Apple products and the corporation itself. I’m not really an “Apple hater” by any means, because I am sitting here using an iPhone 3GS right alongside of my Samsung Galaxy S2 (cue heavenly choir sound). At any rate, this one is unplugged and unedited.

I made a special request for podcast topics, so feel free to post your ideas right here in the comments section after you listen to this edition. It is only 11 minutes in length. I like to stay around the 10-minute mark, that way I possibly have more stuff to yap about on the next podcast and don’t have to scrounge for topics.

Have fun listening to the blog, and I’ll have another fresh one for you soon!

Carlton Flowers
CZ Podcast Man

Play Now:

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FEEDING AN OLD ADDICTION WITH A 3GS TURNED IPOD TOUCH

I have a fun little experience I thought I’d share with the gang. Last week, a fiend of mine blessed me with a broken iPhone 3GS. I replaced a couple of parts and turned it into an iPod Touch. Now I have my Samsung Galaxy S II and an iPhone with all my old favorite apps! It’s been a strange experience, though…

Now that I have had my Galaxy S2  for a month, it has warped my perception of what I thought “normal” was with screen size. When I pick up the 3GS, which by the way I loved so much more than my horrible iPhone 4, it seems like it went through a “Honey I Shrank  The Kids” experiment.

Was this phone actually this tiny when I was using it? I could swear it wasn’t this small. Turning it on and reading emails and looking at websites with the 3GS is a definite strain on my eyes. I don’t know how I did it before. I think my eyesight has taken a turn for the worse in the past year, so that might add to the effect. But it sure seems like it shrank on me.

It is nice to have some of my old favorite applications available, however. I paid for a few apps that are not available on Android as of yet, so that’s a nice thing. It’s also kind of nice to hear the old sounds that the phone gives off that are burned so deeply into my brain. Sometimes I just pick it up and swipe to open the home page to hear the “unlock” sound.

When I scroll through the apps and play around on the 3GS, it’s like going home. It is comforting and familiar. I can still navigate around iOS5 with relative ease. I’ll probably use the 3GS at home when the Galaxy is charging, or while I’m on the phone at the same time. I liked it so much that at first, I feared it would ruin my Android experience and cause a relapse.

Well, it didn’t…

First of all, after toying with the 3GS for a couple of hours, I started stumbling upon all the familiar frustrating things that made me switch to Android in the first place. Things like no text reflow in the browser, not being able to read the tiny screen, no haptic response, the clunky GMail app, apps disappearing and reappearing when I sync, not being able to “understand” iTunes, etc.

But even with the frustrations, it was still a calming soothing experience to have that little iPhone 3GS back in my hands, and everything was just so familiar, functional, and flowing. Because of that, I was worried that using the 3GS at the same time would ruin my Android experience and make it seem like a “cheap copy”.

So story continues… when I picked up my Samsung Galaxy S2, to my surprise, it was like opening up a big huge present on Christmas morning as a kid. Playing with the 3GS didn’t “ruin” my Galaxy experience. It only made it better. Staring at that bright, rich display was a night-and-day difference from looking at the Retina display for the past couple of hours. And everything was easier in Android.

Navigation on my Galaxy S2 is so much better than on the iPhone with iOS5. I have modified my home screens to where I can get to everything with relative ease. With iOS, scrolling past dozens of app screens just doesn’t get it anymore. Sure, you can jam everything into folders, but it’s just not customizable enough to match Android 2.3.4.

Texting is a big thing that jumps right out at me also. I have always loved the “feel” and spacing of the iPhone keys, and the responsiveness is awesome. But with the bigger Galaxy display, and all of the myriads of keyboard styles that you can switch to on a whim, the Android device is much better. Plus, I can even use my iPhone clone keyboard when I’m in the mood.

Overall, I’m enjoying having the best of both worlds. iOS5 runs just fine on my 3GS, and I can text other Apple device owners using iMessage, so that’s nice. I don’t know how much I’ll really use the 3GS, but it certainly anesthetizes me whenever I get the urge to scratch my old Apple habit.

But the biggest benefit is that it reassures me that I made the right decision to switch to Android. There’s no doubt about that!

Truly mixed up and loving it,

Carlton Flowers
Smartphone Double Agent

PRICE DROP ACTION ON GALAXY S II SMARTPHONES AT AMAZON!

Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is available right now on Amazon.com for between $179 and $199 with a 2-year contract agreement with AT&T! Pricing depends whether you are getting a new account, adding a line, or upgrading an existing line.

This is the lowest price you will find the Skyrocket, the super capable LTE Android smartphone with the jumbo-sized 4.5″ display.

Click the link or the thumbnail pic to hop to the Amazon Wireless Store and get it now while the price is good!

The Original Samsung Galaxy S II 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

The original Samsung Galaxy S II is available right now on Amazon.com for between $99 and $149 with a 2-year contract agreement with AT&T! Pricing depends whether you are getting a new account, adding a line, or upgrading an existing line.

This is the lowest price you will find the Galaxy S2, the super capable HSPA+ Android smartphone with the optimal 4.3″ display.

Click the link or the thumbnail pic to hop to the Amazon Wireless Store and get it now while the price is still this low!

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AS FLASH BITES THE DUST, HERE’S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY:

So Adobe goes Hewlett Packard and makes a shocking and disappointing announcement that mobile Flash is dead. They are dropping any further mobile Flash development from this point on. Since the announcement, I have had countless Apple iPhone-ites in my face with smug grins and snarky comments.

Since lack of Flash support was one of my many complaints about my iPhone products that I have owned, I thought I would share my final thoughts about this crazy decision that Adobe has made, and whether or not I am still happy that I made the switch to Android.

First of all, let me set one thing straight… I can tell everyone that within the month that I have owned my Samsung Galaxy S2, which is running on the Android Gingerbread operating system, I have not had one single incident of malfunctioning or even the slightest security breach due to Flash. In fact, my experience has been quite the opposite.

I am able to use three websites (that are Flash-based) on my smartphone that I could not use with my iPhone 4, all of which have very high utility to me. It has made my smartphone ten times more useful, and I can’t tell you how happy I have been being able to perform certain functions on my Flash-enabled phone. And what really has me rubbing my head is that my Galaxy S2 doesn’t lock up or crash near as much as my Flashless iPhone 4. How do you explain that?

Now that we have that out of the way, we can talk about Flash biting the dust. I think one thing that people are not realizing is that this does not mean that Adobe Flash for mobile devices will disappear immediately. As far as I can tell, it just means that they are no longer going to continue development of mobile Flash as operating systems and phone hardware are updated. There will still be some time left that Flash will work on the mobile platform.

If you asked me the question of whether or not I should have stuck with Apple & the iOS platform since Flash is “no longer an issue”, my answer would be no. I am still glad I made the switch to Android, and I am still extremely happy that I will be able to enjoy Flash content on my Galaxy S2 for however long it lasts (while Apple iPhone users will get the ugly pair of dice where they can’t see the Flash content).

While everyone is touting HTML5 and how it will completely replace Flash to the point that nobody will know the difference, I would have to disagree. I could be wrong about this, but from what I have read, HTML5 is not yet something that has been developed to the point of performing the wide range of things that Adobe Flash can. There’s still a long road ahead before HTML5 can completely replace Flash.

As far as my iPhone experience, what rubbed met he wrong way was that Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs forced me to miss out on Flash content because he believed it was for my “best interest” (even though I know the decision was made based on what was best for their business model). I still want to make those types of decisions on my own. Now that I know that all of the issues that the Apple geniuses brought up were mostly crying “wolf”, I’m really glad I made the decision to jump off the Apple cart.

I’m really disappointed with Adobe and the way they went about this. I don’t understand how they think this move wouldn’t damage their overall credibility and viability as a company, especially since it became such a bone of contention with their chief competitor over in Cupertino. Many of the Flash-supporting experts like Joseph Labrecque were equally as miffed as I was when Adobe blurted out this decision (check out his blog post on the topic by clicking the link).

So to answer the five dollar question of whether or not this makes me doubt my decision to switch to Android, again, I can confidently say no. The thing is, there’s still a laundry list of other things that had me banging my head up against the wall regarding my iPhone 4 and my decision to abandon it.

The 3.5″ screen is still to tiny and boring for my aging eyes. It still lacks text reflow in the Safari browser, so I can’t read the microscopic crap I mean text no matter how great the resolution is. It’s still way too fragile, shattering from drops at 2′ or more. It’s still too tight of an operating system that won’t allow much modification. It still doesn’t have active wallpapers to make me say “ooh” and “ahh”. There’s still a non-standard plug on the bottom instead of a micro USB adapter. It still has no dadgone SD card slot. You still can’t take the back off and replace the battery. You’re still stuck with the un-intuitive iTunes to load stuff on the phone. You still can’t drag-and-drop items in folders like the Windows operating system. You still don’t have turn-by-turn GPS built into the phone. It’s still significantly slower on the 3G network and even over WiFi. And the iPhone 4 still drops signal strength when you touch the fat metal band that surrounds the phone.

Do I even need to continue???

Ok, so I’ve gotten off the beaten path a little, but you get the point. I digress. Flash is dying a slow death. Big deal. Am I disappointed? Yes. Does this make me think any higher of Apple? No. Am I still glad to be clutching a fantastic super-D-duper Android smartphone? You better believe it.

And that’s all I have to say about that. Apple folks???

Carlton Flowers
Still Loving Android

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FLASH PERFORMANCE ON A SAMSUNG GALAXY S2 – DOES IT CUT THE MUSTARD?

As I am getting more into the depths of running my new Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone, I am finally able to report my experience on one hot topic… Adobe Flash and browsing the Internet.

As you know, I previously owned an iPhone 3GS and also an iPhone 4, and I took every opportunity to whine and complain about the lack of Adobe Flash support within the Safari browser.

The reason that I complained so much was that I frequently use two particular websites that require Flash support, and I wanted to be able to use these sites with my  smartphone instead of a laptop computer.

During the two years that I owned Apple iPhone products, the corporation hinted at making deals with Adobe on allowing Flash on their devices, but when it came down to it, Steve Jobs put the kibosh on it and never turned back for even the slightest consideration.

The “warnings” about allowing Flash on Apple’s portable devices were battery drain, system instability, and vulnerability. All the while, my theory was that it would threaten Apple’s walled garden business model because Flash would allow their devices to run web apps that do not come from Apple’s App Store.

While I moaned and groaned about the lack of Flash, many of my iPhone and iPad toting friends claimed that they never missed it on their browser. I couldn’t quite understand how a person couldn’t miss Flash content on the web, but I supposed that once you get used to avoiding certain sites you would not seem to have a problem with it.

To me, restricting Flash support from a mobile device is like removing much of its basic functionality and usefulness. It prompted me to write this silly spoof post that a few people apparently took as serious news (I had to chuckle about that!). But again, apparently there are a lot of people who don’t see it as a fundamental component of their web surfing experience on their mobile devices.

Enough about Apple and their Flashless devices. The purpose of this post is to report my findings on the functionality and usefulness of the Flash-enabled browser on my Android device, the Samsung Galaxy S2. Have I had any serious issues or complications with my smartphone due to its allowance of Flash content?

No.

Maybe I haven’t used my Galaxy S2 enough as of yet, but thus far I can’t tell you one single negative story that has resulted from enjoying sites that have Flash content while using my mobile device. I don’t see the supposed enormous battery drain, because I just don’t go far without a charger. I haven’t had a single crash. Running Flash-enabled sites has not shaken up my device’s operating system. Neither have I had any security issues or virus problems.

I’m not saying that there aren’t people who own Android devices that have had these issues due to surfing Flash-rich sites, but I just can’t confirm any of the negative things that the Apple experts have always gone on about when it comes to justifying barring Flash from their devices.

But my biggest surprise with using my Flash-enabled Samsung Galaxy S2 was realizing just how much rich content I was missing out on previously with my iPhone and the Flashless Safari browser. The “we-don’t-really-need-Flash” argument from the Apple loyalists does not stack up one single bit with me any more.

I have not only been enjoying Flash video content with my device, but I now get to listen in to audio content like never before, plus I can use sites that have high utility to me that include Flash programming like Google Analytics, the Amazon Affiliate site, and my Quansite blogging engine. I’m getting more use out of my smartphone than ever before.

Until I see some seriously negative side effects from its use, I will be recommending the purchase of Flash-enabled Android devices to all of my friends and family members. Sure, HTML5 will be the wave of the future, but right now, Flash isn’t going anywhere. If you want the best overall utility from your mobile device, you’ve got to have it. Period.

Do you have any Flash-related stories or experiences with your Android device? Are you for or against enabling Flash in your browser? Id’ sure like to hear your opinion. I’m open to all viewpoints!

Carlton Flowers
Flash Fan I Am

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RAD RETRO YELLOW IPHONE MOD TESTS MY SKILL LEVEL

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by an old high school friend who heard that I could fix cracked iPhones. I’ve done a bucket-full of iPhone 3G and 3GS screen repairs, but my friend Lisa put me to the test. She wanted me to fix her son’s iPhone 4.

Fixing the iPhone 4 is quite a bit different that repairing its predecessors, but I was up for the challenge and ready to learn something new. Plus, her son had purchased the pimped-out retro yellow mod kit instead of the plain ole boring black bezel replacement. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pimp out an iPhone 4!

The kit included a replacement front digitizer/bezel/LCD, a replacement back panel, and a color-matched home button. As you might know, you can’t simply replace the front bezel and glass on an iPhone 4 because the glass is glued to the LCD.

I met with Lisa and she handed off the broken iPhone 4 along with the retro yellow replacement kit, and the stupid Pentalobe screwdriver that Apple created to keep people like me out of repairing iPhone 4’s (nice try, Apple). I took it all home and did not take out a single screw until 48 hours later.

I was very nervous about this repair job, because it was hideously obvious that I would not complete the process in the 30 minutes that it takes me to tear down and replace the digitizer on a 3G or 3GS unit. So I spent 2 days watching the instructional videos, making sure to pick up on all of the warnings and special tips for taking the phone apart and reassembling it.

I had to take a deep breath before finally removing the 2 Pentalobe screws at the bottom of the phone, but I got over my fear and dug into the project. I had to follow along with an online repair guide, and I didn’t miss a single step along the way.

As I disassembled the phone, I taped the screws and parts down on a piece of paper where I drew pictures showing where those screws and parts actually went. This would keep me from losing anything, and also help me not to mix up any of the five different screw sizes that come with the phone.

Over 25 screws and several removed components later, I had the phone completely disassembled. It’s interesting that Apple designed the iPhone 4 to where you have to remove everything in order to replace the screen components, but oh well. Since when have we ever tried to understand the the minds of the Apple geniuses?

Before installing the new yellow-bezel/LCD component, I had the daunting task of changing out the home button. I thought the replacement would come with the ribbon and pop button attached, but it didn’t. The yellow replacement home button was just the plastic part alone. What you have to do is to carefully peel off the pop button pad from the bottom of the original black button, without breaking the fragile ribbon cable, and re-stick that to the new colored button. That made me very nervous, but I made it through without damaging the ribbon.

With the yellow button in place, it was time to put all of the pieces back together. It didn’t seem near as difficult or intimidating putting it back as compared to tearing it down as what I thought it would be. But I ran into a few snags. A couple of the screws in the corners were not wanting to easily go in, and it took a little bit of patience to get the threads started.

But the hardest part of the reassembly was putting the IC board back into the case. I fumbled with the IC board for almost 45 minutes, almost giving up on it entirely. It was very hard to get it matched up with the screw hole mounts and the edges of the phone. The worst part was making sure that the top part of the L-shaped IC board was correctly butted against the top of the phone.

There were 5 ribbons that had to go in between the board and the case, leaving enough slack to plug the connectors into the board. Plus, the tiny metal brush (what I am assuming to be the antenna connector) had to be exactly pushed up against the outer metal band. I must have put the board in and taken it out a dozen times before I felt that it was close enough to install the screws.

What made me nervous were the many warnings along the way. I saw statements such as…

“If you don’t properly replace this clip, you will lose WiFi capability.”

“If you replace these screws out of order, you will render the LCD useless.”

“If you damage this microscopic inductor, you will lose all call reception.”

That didn’t make me feel very confident going in, but I managed to stay clear of all the warnings. When I got the phone all put back together, I was pleasantly shocked to find that it booted right up on the first try. I wasn’t expecting it to go quite that well, even though it took 5 hours from the time that I removed the Pentalobe screws.

So my first iPhone mod was a resounding success. It was a stressful process, and I was very nervous handling all of the small parts. The iPhone 4 is so much different than the 3G and 3GS, and it takes real patience to get through the tear down. But it was worth it. I am confident I could do this again and again.

I must admit, once it was done I really liked the yellow color. This is the first time I have seen an iPhone in a color other than factory black or white, and it looked great! I’d love to do a blue or red mod in the future, and if I do, I’ll most definitely be sharing the pictures with you.

Have you ever disassembled an iPhone 4? What was the most tedious part of the process in your opinion? And would you go for a color modification like this, you iPhone lovers out there? Let me know!

If you have a broken iPhone and need to replace a cracked screen, don’t forget to check out my iPhone Cracked Screen Guide where you’ll find links to the lowest cost replacement parts through Amazon, and all of my tips and advice on repairing your phone. I hope it is helpful, and hit me up with your questions!

Carlton Flowers
iPhone Mechanic

GET IT NOW –> $149 Samsung Galaxy S II 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

Help support the CZ Blog and join and Android Army at the same time by purchasing your Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone through our proud partner Amazon Wireless!

Click the link above (or the picture to the left) to make the jump to Amazon where you can purchase your very own Galaxy S2 for only $149.

That’s $50 off from the current selling price at most retail outlets! Grab one while it’s hot, and congratulations on your choice to snag an amazing cutting edge smartphone! Click the link and go get it!

You wind out why 10 million people from around the world are joining the frenzy and jumping aboard the Galaxy S2 phone craze!

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POSTAL JIM ON THE EVOLUTION & FUTURE OF APPLE

I’ve written about Apple and its long journey from the “little guy” to its current status of “gigantic Walmart-esque tech beast”. But Postal Jim really put it down on the comment he made referencing the original “Pre-Release Rumors & The iPhone 4S Wall Street Flop” blog post back on October 7th, 2011.

I’ve got to follow up Jim’s thoughts with the comments made by fellow CZ Blogger Matt M, who equally had some great stuff to share. Matt threw down with his techno-comments equally as well! With that, here’s what the gang had to say… enjoy!

——————————–

Does Apple care about what anyone thinks anymore? This release, and the record setting response to it, should drive home that point emphatically.

If they can delay a launch only to come out with changes that barely bring them up to where technology was six months ago, and still set records for units sold, what can we say?

Granted, the camera on this phone is head and shoulders above anything out there now, or maybe ever. But, exactly how much of a camera do we really need on a phone? Once we hit 5 MP and HD, is there a need to go further. I mean, there are 5 MP cameras that blow away 8 MP. The more pixels do not necessarily mean a better picture. The use of the pixels is where the difference lies.

Apple can rest on its laurels and continue to just merely keep up with the Jones’s and remain a superpower due to the cult following they have created. These people, for the most part, would buy a Lego phone with the Apple logo, just because it’s an Apple. That may be a SLIGHT exaggeration, but you get my point.

One commercial, with one glimpse of the new product, a catchy ditty, and the high and mighty logo is all that is needed to open the flood gates of the Apple Nation.

I still believe Apple will be cutting edge in regards to some things in the future. They allegedly have hundreds of engineers delving into what lies ahead for Apple. But even if the lag behind HTC, Samsung, and the like, the customer base has been established and the sales will still be there.

What else is left to dominate? They reinvented the mobile phone. Took it to a level of science fiction, when looking back at my first grey brick of a cellular phone. Then music site such as Rhapsody, Napster and the like were brought to their knees. iTunes, despite the outcry from the recording industry, reinvented the way we buy and listen to music. When was the last time you went to a music store (do they still have those) and purchased a CD, cassette, album, or 8-track (did I just date myself?)

Apple TV seems to be the next target for this group. Phones are doing about as much as they can without becoming more massive and even bigger power hogs. The mobile TV market seems to be the wave on the horizon. Yes, there are several outlets to watch TV and movies on your mobile device. There were as many for music before iTunes, and some still remain. But Apple has shown their ability to tweak something into a innovative, must-have avenue of entertainment. And once it has the Apple name behind it, it will be the standard by which all other outlets will be measured.

So the way I see it, Apple can put a logo on a square wheel and it will sell. They wouldn’t surprise me if the reinvented the wheel either. Sad but true. You can compare Apples to Androids upside down and backwards but Apple will remain the trend setter for years to come for their loyalist, and many others.

Status quo also was reinvented by the late Steve Jobs.

Postal Jim

——————————–

The Matt M Response

This is certainly true, and it saddens me. I’ve grown up with apple. My dad’s been an Apple guy ever since the 80’s, and he’s shared that passion with me over the years. I can remember sitting down with him and watching Steve Jobs give his keynote addresses, announcing the iPod, the flatscreen iMac, the PowerMac G5, the Intel Macs, and of course the iPhone.

During all those formative years there was always a certain paradigm with Apple and the rest of the electronics industry: Apple was the underdog, the good guy, the company with superior technology unjustly overlooked by the mass of blind consumers consuming their Micro$oft products. Only in the last couple of years, my junior and senior years of college, did I take a step back from my Apple mania. This was mostly because I had bigger things to worry about, and I simply lost touch with the lastest and greatest from Apple.

Then I started researching what kind of phone I wanted to get with my September upgrade, and I started to dig, to research, and I started to wonder if these iPhones were really the best of the best. I finally decided I liked the Android platform better, and decided to get the Galaxy S II.

All that to say, all the reading and research I’ve done has brought me to a frightening realization: Apple is becoming Microsoft. They’re king of the industry at last, and they know it. They no longer have to innovate; people buy iPhones because iPhones are the thing to buy. It’s the end of an era.

Matt M

——————————–

Boys & girls, that’s what I call some dadburn good writing. I couldn’t agree more with both Postal Jim and Matt M. Big thanks to both of them for for sharing their thoughts and insight. This is what makes the CZ Blog awesome!

Carlton Flowers
CZ Blog Commentor Fan

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APPLE RAISES QUALITY OF NEXT IPHONE WITH NEW BREAKTHROUGH

Today Tim Cook announced that the iPhone 5, which will be coming out in the summer of 2012, will block all use of the color BLUE on its next generation Super Retina Display. All hues of blue will not appear on the screen of the flagship device.

According to Apple scientists and engineers, the color blue and all of its variations have a tendency to not only drain the battery faster than any other color, but it also lowers the mood and overall user experience of iPhone owners.

“We want the best for our customers, and battery longevity is what we feel they need. We know what is best for them, and we’ve got to do our best in protecting their best interests” said Tim Cook in an interview with a national news agency.

100 test subjects were given iPhone 5’s for a period of 30 days in the safe confines of the decommissioned prison Alcatraz off the coast of California. The test subjects were kept in jail cells to guard and protect the secrecy of the iPhone 5. After using the phone with the new color blocking scheme for 30 days, the responses were overwhelmingly positive.

“I felt really happy using the phone. I’ve never been so upbeat after looking at this screen for 16 straight hours per day for 30 days. After the first few days, I really didn’t even miss the color blue at all. It’s like it’s not even needed anymore” said test subject number 9017723.

Most of those who participated in the study reported the same results. They really didn’t need to see the color blue, and their overall smartphone experience was really enhanced. Plus, the battery life of their smartphone was extended by a whopping 0.7%. You can’t beat that with a stick.

Once the iPhone 5 is released next summer, the new iOS6 operating system will upgrade all previous iPhone models and eliminate the color blue also. That way, all iPhone users will have the enhanced experience, not just the ones who can afford the newest device.

Word has it that this move will all but destroy competitor Samsung and its puny overly-colorized battery-munching monster that they call the Galaxy S2.

Apple Geniuses are already hatching plans for the next-next generation screen, the Super-D-Duper Retina With Eyelids display, which will possibly block the color yellow and red in addition to blue. This could take battery life up another 1% notch over the blue-less Super Retina Display, and it could make customers even more happy and satisfied than ever before.

Post your thoughts if you are as excited about these new Apple developments as I am.

Carlton Flowers
iPhone Futurist

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AFTER MARKET IPHONE DIGITIZER REPLACEMENTS CAUSE COMMON PROBLEMS

A couple of weeks ago, iFixed my fifth cracked iPhone screen and I ran into a problem that seems to trip up gadget hacks all too often. The screen had the dreaded “dead strip of death” on the bottom row. It is one of the strangest screen replacement issues you’ll ever run into. But before I get into the details, you can check out my step-by-step replacement video of my good friend Postal Jim’s iPhone 3GS below. Then we’ll get into the details of what went wrong, and why.

This video has the appearance of a successful iPhone fix. But it was not. When I sent the phone back to its unlucky owner, he noticed that after swiping the unlock, none of the icons on the bottom row of the screen would respond to touch.

This was the strangest most perplexing thing to discover, because the same exact area of the screen that you swipe to unlock suddenly does not work once you get into the operating system environment.

At first, I thought this was due to a software issue, because there couldn’t possibly be any way that it could be a hardware issue because the same portion of the screen would work fine before entering into the home page. So I did a reset of the phone, and nothing happened.

The same problem still existed.

Next, I thought that there was a possible issue with how the screen was seated into the frame of the phone. I had forgotten to put in the two bottom screws when I gave the phone back to Postal Jim, so I figured that it was not firmly seated against the two metal brushes that touch the two receptors on the digitizer. I replaced the screws after firmly re-seating the digitizer, and it was another dud fix.

I did some research and found many discussions in forums for what is called “the dead strip” problem with iPhones. But none of them had to do with digitizer replacement. Even though nobody was reporting this problem after installing a new screen, I figured this had to do with a faulty digitizer.

Thinking back to over a year ago, I had done my first iFix on my very own iPhone 3GS after shattering the screen. When I got the new digitizer installed, the touch sensing was off sync. When you would touch one of the icons on the screen, it would activate another icon that was 2 over and one row up. It was so frustrating that I replaced my original cracked screen, which strangely solved that problem, and I sold the phone for dirt cheap on eBay.

That led me to believe after doing much research that the digitizer I had purchased was the actual problem. Some people claimed to have done a hard reset that magically fixed the out-of-sync problem. I really don’t think that would have worked for me. Others reported trying that solution only to find that they were still having the same syncing problem.

Keeping that in mind, I figured that the “dead strip” issue must have been something to do with a faulty digitizer. I took a chance and ordered a new digitizer screen from a different source on Amazon, and enjoyed a nice long week of worrying what would happen when I would eventually take the phone apart and put the new digitizer on.

The digitizer finally arrived in the mail, and due to a busy schedule and frazzled nerves, I finally gave Postal Jim the word to bring the phone for a second try. But what added to the excitement was Jim’s request to join in the fun and actually watch me put the new digitizer in place!

Well, I fumbled through disassembly while my good old buddy watched, and pretended to be calm, and fully in control of the situation. I got everything put back together and booted the phone, swiped to enter the home page, and tried a home row icon, and BAM! The darned thing worked!

I let out a YEAAAAHHHH!!! in the middle of what Jim was saying at the moment, and I did a couple of fist pumps in the air in complete jubilation. I was so glad to know that my diagnosis was correct. It was such a relief, and the iVictory was mine all mine!

Something that both of us noticed was that the thickness of the replacement glass was more than the original screen, because the home button was slightly sunken inside of the rim of the circular cutout. The same was true on the faulty digitizer. I have purchased digitizers that were perfectly flush, and have had one other that was not.

That just underscores the fact that the replacement digitizers that come from these aftermarket providers are not made to exact factory specifications. I think the quality control on the manufacturing of these parts isn’t very precise. That also tells me that the work in making these things is equally as sloppy as with the cable plugs and the digitizer interface.

I decided to write this post to document my findings, because there doesn’t seem to be many others reporting this, if not at all. If you run across this problem, know that your replacement digitizer is the culprit.

Good advice for the many iFixers out there… once you find a good supplier that makes quality replacements, stick with that provider. To save you some time, you can go to my Cracked iPhone Repair Guide post and use the suppliers that I have found to make fairly good parts. There’s no guarantee, but at least I have had the best luck when ordering from these particular vendors.

I hope you found this useful. And if you have any good tips, advice, or solutions so similar problems, please post them in the comments below and help someone else from ending up banging their head up against the wall when they run into these common iFix problems.

Carlton Flowers
iFix Expert

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SURPRISING SUCCESS OF IPHONE 4S AND IOS5 RELEASE

The Apple iPhone 4S is busting out of the blocks in record numbers. This is the best opening run for any of the iPhones to date. But the reaction on launch day compared to the sales response has me rubbing my head.

I’m really surprised at the supernatural sales figures for the 4S. Listening to CNET’s Buzz Out Loud live coverage of the launch event, I never would have figured this would happen. Lots of loyal Apple fans were really upset, grumbling, and making statements that reflected complete frustration and disappointment when the event wrapped up with no iPhone 5 announcement.

So what we ended up with is a bit different than what we had between the 3G and 3GS transition. The 4 to 4S transition is much more significant on the inside, but identical on the outside, as with the 3G to 3GS transition.

Personally, I thought it would make more sense for Apple to do the incremental upgrade to maximize the satisfaction with their current model before moving forward with an overhauled form factor. Of course this is keeping all things equal, considering that Apple doesn’t crank out new phone models like the other manufacturers.

It makes sense for Apple to keep people happy that way. All of those that own an iPhone 4 really don’t have a strong enough reason to do an early upgrade to the 4S, even though the extra features are nice. It would make sense for them to hold out and upgrade next year, when the iPhone 5 comes out.

If I were one to stick with Apple, that would be my strategy. The 4S has some rockin’ specs, but I would not be greedy enough to upgrade one year early for the third time in a row for something that is so similar to the current model. This would help me to actually hold off and use my phone that I am paying way too much for, for the entire 2-year contract period.

I think the explosive sales are coming from people who have never owned an iPhone, along with people that still hold an iPhone 3G or 3GS. But I also think the majority of the people who are moaning and groaning in complete disappointment are still going to stick with the game plan.

iOS5 is looking like an exciting upgrade, and those that own iPhone 4’s can update their devices and still have something fresh and new enough to satisfy the upgrade urge. I may not update my iPhone 4 to iOS5, though. My device was jailbroken at the 4.3.3 stage.

My main reason for jailbreaking keeps me from undoing the jailbreak and going for iOS5. The problem is, my home button does not work. Now that I have jailbroken the device, I can depress the volume buttons on the side of the phone at the same time and it will serve the same function as the home button. I can also swipe across the top of the screen where the signal indicator, time, and battery charge indicator is, and that will return me to the home screen when I am in the operating system.

Another reason that I won’t be upgrading to iOS5 is that I am weaning myself off of the applications and features of my iPhone. I haven’t downloaded many new apps in the past 3 months, and I don’t use the majority of the hundreds of free and paid apps on my phone. This will help me transition to Android a lot easier, and it will lessen the chances of me severely missing some of the particular apps that are not available from the Android Marketplace.

I am sticking to my game plan and will be purchasing my Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone this weekend from AT&T. Instead of selling my iPhone 4 beforehand and using the proceeds to pay for the Galaxy S2, I’m going to get the Galaxy first and keep the iPhone 4 until I know I have all of my contacts and information backed up safely.

Once I am 100% certain that I have everything backed up to iTunes and all of my contacts are showing up on the Galaxy S2, I will then reset the iPhone 4, restore the operating system, updagte it to iOS5, and list it on eBay.

The goal is to sell the iPhone 4 for around $300. If I had done this a month ago, it would have fetched over $400. But I’d like to make enough to possibly purchase an iPod Touch to continue using some of the applications and games that I purchased from the Apple App Store. I’d also like to make enough to cover upgrade costs for my 2 college aged kids’ phones.

I have 1 day to finalize my decision, and hopefully I will have the courage to pull this off. I’m ready to explore the Android world, and have a bigger display that my poor eyes can handle. We’ll see how much I miss my iPhone 4 after I make the switch. I will give a full report!

Carlton Flowers
Smartphone Switch-hitter

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