I thought I'd seen it all... until technology and furniture started running together

Having been introduced to one great idea after another (and by great, I mean the "made me take a second look and verify its existence in disbelief" kind of great), I have become somewhat desensitized to the impact of an awesome idea.

But this evening saw an exception to the rule. I was surfing the web (honestly, am I the only one who uses that term anymore?) on a tangent of home improvement, when I came across this desk.

It looked relatively new-age, somewhat Ikea-like. The clean lines, glossy-coated, consistently single color surface and metal accents were all in keeping with 21st-century design paradigms.

I wondered to myself, "What's different about this desk that made it deserve a unique mention?"

A brisk look at the pictures, and sure enough, my question was answered.

I would typically skirt the issue a little and give you hints of details to keep you guessing, but I was vague enough with the title, so I give you...

The Novanta Desk... with a built-in iPod dock!

If your jaw had dropped in shock, that's completely normal.

Anybody who has had an iPod can relate to its terrible battery life, and those times that you really need a little longevity seem to act as a catalyst for the battery to die down.

We also all know that ever since Apple stopped distributing power adapters with their iPods (I still have mine from 2004!) it's been a real PITA to charge your iPod, given that you have to plug it in to your computer in order to charge the thing (either that, or pay something to the tune of $29 extra to plug it into the wall... no thanks). So, needless to say... this saves you the trouble!

But it gets better...

It's one thing to charge your iPod... but it's another thing to listen to it (after all, isn't that what it's for?).

If you have an iPod Touch or Nano, the earphone plug is on the bottom, thus making it impossible to plug into while it would be in such a dock as this (even if it were accessible, it sure wouldn't be easy to listen when the iPod is on the other side of the desk).

So they added built in speakers!

This product just sells itself. Fits any decor, charges AND plays your iPod... and to top it all off, has a built-in power strip so as to save wire tangles.

No, I'm no affiliate trying to earn his commission here... I just thought I'd share my discovery here with my following, and hope they enjoyed learning about this just as much as I did!

Here's the finished product... it's really something. At first sight, I'd never have guessed it would boast such features as the ones I had mentioned;

Oh, and more information on the product can be found at the links below. No pricing found as of yet, but will keep all posted.

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/05/20/novanta-desk-revisited/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/02/13/better-than-your-desk/

http://www.lukeriggall.co.uk/novanta/

Why the iPhone won't multitask

(okay, it SELECTIVELY multitasks)

In a nutshell, Apple doesn't want you to multitask for a very good reason. A real life story ensues.

Being my procrastinating self, I was laying in my bed this morning on my iPhone, doing failure-type things such as listening to music and reading today's FMLs.

As I had not bought a particular song that I had been wanting to buy for some time now, and right then, I felt like hearing it, I decided to go on YouTube to hear it.

Now, music videos never contain any footage worth watching (I'll give the odd exception, particularly to Trace Adkins), so I decided that I wanted to hear the song, but finish up the FMLs while hearing it, and that's when I started thinking to myself that I should really be heading off to work.

Out of reflex, once the song was playing, I pressed the home button expecting to keep hearing the song while performing another task. Instead, it faded out.

That's when I remembered, the iPhone doesn't multitask.

But then it occured to me that just earlier, I was, indeed multitasking. I was listening to music already loaded to the iPhone, as well as doing other things, such as reading the FMLs.

This didn't add up. Maybe its my iPhone telling me to quit being idle, I don't need to hear that song, and to get up and go to work.

Smart as the iPhone is, I draw the line of its potential abilities at nagging me. Not like it hasn't nagged me before about charging its battery, but I have no sympathy for its terrible battery life. That's just not my problem.

Rather, its Apple telling me to buy the darned song! They don't need people like me mooching off the marginally-legal content on YouTube at the expense of their profit. If I want to hear a song and do something else such as browse the web or do emails, I must pay for the hearing privileges. Can't have it both ways.

And pay, I did! I went right to the iTunes app and bought the song, landing in my library 60 seconds later (don't you just love technology? Seems to me that it was only about ten years ago that people were excited to get up, go to the record store, and buy a whole album to play on their walkman, rather than just pay $0.99 for one song and hear it right away).

So, 99 cents later, I had my wish, and headed off to work, satisfied.

The bottom line... Apple doesn't let you multitask because they don't WANT you to multitask. They're only OK with music that you paid for to be playing in the background.

Expensive handset and high monthly costs aside, it sure isn't cheap owning an iPhone!

iPhone vs BlackBerry - my take

Having used both handsets as regular handsets in multiple forms (both the 2G and 3G iPhones, as well as the 7105t, 7290, 8700, 8320, Javelin, Storm, and Bold), I have developed a very good understanding of both.

As my use of the iPhone came to a halt in June of 2009, I had successfully switched back over to BlackBerry for good (after a few failed attempts).I think it’s safe to say that iPhone and BlackBerry are the top two mobile platforms in existence. In turn, the question will often be asked “Which of the two is better?” Established BlackBerry, or love-at-first-sight iPhone?

Only experience can truly tell. So I’ve taken the liberty of answering that question with an inspection of all the main features that both handsets share.

Email:

BlackBerry: As email was the sole feature BlackBerry was designed for (All models including and before the 957 didn’t even have voice), it would seem that this is no contest in comparison to any other handset. Having worked with other frustrating email interfaces in the past (including on Motorolas and Nokias… such a pain!), I can tell you that BlackBerry is done perfectly. It’s streamlined, it’s easy to use, and designed with efficiency in mind. You can manage multiple email inboxes, and from the web browser, change specific settings as you please (i.e. on my personal email, I prefer no signature, whereas work email requires it).

Once an email is received, your “unread emails” icon has an envelope with a star beside it, along with the quantity of unread emails. If you see the emails, but don’t read them, the envelope will stay there, but the star will go away, that way you know that the unread messages have already been attended to. If you see a star, you know that there is an unread message you haven’t read yet.

iPhone: It does well… don’t get me wrong. Particularly on the multiple inbox front. What I don’t like, is the inability to vary your signature from email to email, and the fact that you can’t differentiate between which emails have been seen (but not read) and which ones have not. One particular feature that I do like is that you can vary how many lines of text preview you want per message. I typically know whether a message is going to be important or not within the first two lines, so I only opt for two lines. Whereas if I needed to see more, I could choose 3, 4, or even 5 lines.

Another thing I don’t like is that you are unable to mass-select messages, you have to check them off individually. Yet another thing, the maximum amount of messages that can be shown at a given time is 200. Anything more than that, you have to scroll down to the bottom for, wait for the messages to load, and keep on scrolling.

Winner: BlackBerry, by a mile.

SMS:

BlackBerry: Functions in the exact same manner as emails do. Conversations are threaded, but only for a few messages.

iPhone: Uses an IM-type interface, is very friendly to multiple conversations going at the same time. What’s best, is that when you receive a text message, by default, you get to see a preview of the message while your phone is in lock mode. So, if it’s a credit card alert, I’ll see who sent it, and what the message contained, so I don’t need to bother taking any further action, as I know who it’s from, and the jist of what they said, so I can use discretion as to whether or not I wish to reply.

Winner: iPhone notches a victory for IM-type interface and previewing a message while in lock mode, but I by no means discount BlackBerry for anything, as it does SMS just as well as it does email.

Battery life:

BlackBerry: I typically get three or so days out of my 8320, more with the 7290. The Bold and Javelin didn’t get as much, but that is a product of brighter, bigger screens.

iPhone: I’ll be lucky to get two days out of the iPhone. Plus, the battery isn’t removable, so you can’t replace it while on the go (I keep an extra fully charged battery for my BlackBerry in my wallet or briefcase at all times).

Winner: BlackBerry. Though if charging isn’t too much of a pain, it shouldn’t be a reason not to get the iPhone. Just make sure you’re extremely organized, to ensure a good routine of charging it.

Applications:

BlackBerry: Although I am opposed to the use of applications (complicates things), BlackBerry has a pretty decent App World, despite that applications were being built for the BlackBerry years before.

iPhone: The App store has been active for over a year now, with over a billion apps downloaded (not counting all the grey-market apps through Installer and Cydia in the hackers’ world… I’ll stay hushed in that regard). There is a great abundance of free apps, as well as paid apps. Many are very good quality, but I am yet to see one that gives me any reason to justify my taking the time to download it, or paying out of my pocket for it. I did pay for a few, including FakeCall (allows you to make it look like anybody is calling, even allows you to use custom pictures and names for caller ID), which got a few chuckles out of friends, and even got me out of a few jams (a call from “mom”, with her name and picture on the caller ID gives me a good reason to “pick up”), and “The Price Is Right” (was just like the real thing).

I’d better stop here before my opposition to using apps starts to sound hypocritical.

Winner: iPhone, hands down.

Navigation/typing:

BlackBerry: The trackball is a little limiting at worst. Nothing compared to the iPhone’s touchscreen, but a very useful, versatile way of navigating around information. It used to drive me crazy (hence why I only kept my first 8320 in 2008 for only a couple of days), but after a little use, I started to get used to it. The design also allows you to do things that touchscreen would not allow you to do, such as highlighting text, or quantities of emails (iPhone OS 3.0 fixed that… but you have to hold your finger on the screen, which is inconvenient, and can inadvertently happen at the wrong times).

iPhone: The touchscreen, particularly with multitouch, is extremely easy to use, and is easily Apple’s best selling point for the thing. Unfortunately, typing with it is a far cry from easy (you do get used to it, but there are just some subtleties that touchscreen cannot give you). Holding the iPhone normally gives you a very narrow keyboard, so they fixed that in 3.0 with a landscape keyboard feature. This became a problem, as the slightest horizontal motion will shift everything into landscape. Sure, typing is easier there, but it’s the transition that causes difficulty. Touchscreen with multitouch also aids web browsing (next topic) quite a bit, as well as photo viewing and iPod scanning (such as Cover Flow).

One disadvantage about touchscreen is that during the winter, when you’re wearing gloves, it’s not exactly easy to use a touchscreen.

Winner: Draw. You might think I’m crazy, given all the things the iPhone can do, but the things it lacks are quite essential to some users, particularly in the way of typing. So I’ll leave this one a toss-up.

Web browsing:

BlackBerry: Not a full HTML browser, so browsing experience is quite limited. Zooming is a pain to do, as is saving images. Also does not support multiple windows, and editing text put into a field is not easy either.

iPhone: Multiple windows. Seamless playing of embedded YouTube and Quicktime content. Gorgeous zooming, both by double tap and pinch. Saving images is holding down one finger, and browsing in landscape makes you feel as though you’re on a PC. Most websites think it’s a desktop browsing, so seldom will you be redirected to a “mobile” version of the site.

Winner: iPhone, hands down. I don’t happen to browse the internet much, so this doesn’t affect me, but I am aware of the heavy browsers and their needs.

Instant messaging:

BlackBerry: Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, and Google Talk are all natively usable on the BlackBerry, and done beautifully. They can be used simultaneously. There is even the BlackBerry exclusive BlackBerry Messenger.

iPhone: Limited functionality, especially with lack of multitasking to support the background use of an IM protocol.

Winner: BlackBerry

Music:

BlackBerry: It might offer a media player, that I often see people using as their primary music player, but this is no more than a formality.

iPhone: Built in storage, synchronization with iTunes library on your computer, instantly buying music from your iPhone using the iTunes store, cover flow, and the list goes on and on. The iPhone is the best iPod made yet.

Winner: iPhone, without a question.

Camera:

BlackBerry: The BlackBerry’s camera records video, zooms, has flash, and takes a very clear image.

iPhone: Lacks zoom and flash, however also takes a very clear image, but only the iPhone 3Gs takes video. Viewing images (flicking back and forth on them, zooming in and out) makes the iPhone the winner, despite not having zoom or flash.

Winner: iPhone

Notifications:

BlackBerry: Vibrate and ringtone, all variable for specific functions, during specific times, even during specific physical presence (the BlackBerry can magnetically recognize when it’s in the holster. So if you want it to vibrate in the holster, but ring while out of the holster, it will know the difference and behave accordingly). The key feature here is the LED light above the screen. This will flash whenever there is a calendar reminder, missed call, voicemail, unseen SMS, unseen email, or IM alert, so as to save you the trouble of having to check your phone to see if you’ve missed anything. Very useful if you leave your phone on your desk and walk away for a few minutes like I do.

iPhone: Limited selection and variation of ringing styles and post-ring alerts. Custom ringtones are easy to do (hear your favorite song while your phone is ringing… though that can be annoying to others, and it will certainly make you sick of the song fast enough). Changing profiles is very easy to do; just flick the switch into “ring” or “silent”. Unfortunately, those are your only two options. You can’t have an “indoors” profile where you can have it ring slightly more quietly.

Winner: BlackBerry

Security passcodes:

BlackBerry: You can unlock your handset by just typing your password, which can become reflex by muscle memory after a while. Up to 32 characters of space (which can be any character in ASCII, including special symbols) allow possibility for an unguessable password.

iPhone: Your passcode must be four numbers. Can’t be three numbers or six letters. It has to be any combination of the digits between 0 and 9.

Winner: BlackBerry

Odds and ends, without explanations:

Durability: BlackBerry

Physical appearance: iPhone

Accessory availability: iPhone

Best pocket-sized phone: BlackBerry

Best in-call features: BlackBerry (you can adjust the bass and treble!)

Maps: iPhone

Overall winner: BlackBerry

The battery life is better, the email is better, it’s easier to stay focused on it, and although owning an iPhone is viewed as more prestigious, there is nothing more prestigious, or essential in the business world than communicating via BlackBerry Messenger and PIN messages. I love the iPhone, but let’s face it… it’s a toy. Those who are truly serious use a BlackBerry as their primary handset.

Payphones are dead? Yeah, right!

How out of style have payphones become ever since the mobile phone came out? You can't take them with you, you can't store contacts on them, you have to pay on the spot to use them, and as time goes on, they kept losing ground compared to the mobile phone as handsfree communication, MP3 playing, internet use, email, and photography all were incorporated into the standard of not-at-home telephony.

On top of that, they raised the prices to 50 cents per call, rather than the 25 cents it had been at for years.

A product of such alienation was the physical removal of payphones where they once were.

My dad took this photo at a hotel in Dallas back in November, of the remains of a set of payphones:


My question is, what did the hotel gain by removing them?


Just today, when cruising through my local mall, I glanced over at a payphone, and noticed that the sign above one of the phones that had a keyboard on it was mentioning text messaging.

So I read it over, and was able to conclude that for $0.10, I can send a text message to any phone number from a payphone.


I was shocked. I thought those keyboards were for the TTY system the entire time.

So, I decided I'd see just how well it works. I dialed the code, inserted a dime, and awaited instruction.





I was told to enter the number to send a text to. I entered my cell phone number.

I was then prompted to enter my message. I decided I'd say to myself, "Hi Maxwell" (at precisely one penny per keystroke)

Sent it off, and was given a confirmation that the message was sent.

Surely enough, a few minutes later, I get a message from (305)-00001, indicating that I have mail from noreply@bell.ca, and I should text back "read" to get my message.

I do so, and not too long after, I get the message on my phone.

Only reason it doesn't show the "you have mail" message is because I received it when my SIM was in another phone.

In conclusion: This is an excellent feature about payphones that you should know about... you can never tell when your mobile will die (or worse yet, get stolen), and if you have to send off a text in an emergency, this makes it a lot easier than asking to borrow a stranger's phone.

Not only that, but now that payphones have moved according to technology's evolution... what's the next step?

Think about why they're being disregarded by society... cell phones have replaced them. As such, they make less money, making them less worthwhile to keep in place.

So, finding users isn't the answer here. We'd all be users... we only have a better solution. But if the payphones could provide more services, then maybe we'd be a little more motivated to use them.

Please comment with some of your ideas that might make payphones a little more usable to you. Remember, it doesn't have to be just a phone. It can evolve the same way mobile phones went from just phones to cameras, music players, email devices, internet browsers and e-book readers.

"OMG" - text messaging for free from your Yahoo! email?

If I told you I was calm right now about this, I'd be lying to you. My heart rate is up, I'm typing so rapidly I make an error every five words, and can't wait to share this feature with everybody!
I just recently got Yahoo! email. I've had the account since late December of 2008... but mainly used it for Yahoo! Answers (where, by the way, I have attained a 42% best answer rating). I then decided that I like the Yahoo! email interface a lot better than Gmail's (although I still love Gmail), so I decided I'd get familiar with it.

I noticed that there was a split button beside the "New" button. For the few messages I had sent on Yahoo!, it was just reflex to press the main portion, as it would take me to my goal - which is to send an email message.

But curiosity got to me... and I succumbed to it by clicking on the untouched portion of the split button.

I discovered two peripheral functions to regular email - chat, and SMS. The concept of in-email chat was nothing new to me, having used Google Talk in the past. The concept of Internet-based SMS wasn't really new to me either, as I had tried sending free SMS messages from the Rogers and Fido sites. It didn't allow me to respond from my phone, nor did it allow me to track a conversation (let alone maintain it).

So, I decide I'll click on the button and give it a shot.


Yes, I'm just that new of a user with 16 new messages :)

I was presented with a place to enter a mobile number (or a contact, should I have a phone number stored to a contact in my Yahoo! Address book. After you've confirmed which number you wish to send it to, if that number is not in your contacts, it will ask you if you wish to add it to one of your contacts).

Upon entering my number, I was prompted to enter a message in the lower part of the screen.



So, I sent the message to my cell number, "Testing this cool function"

It immediately appeared in this iChat-esque interface, with the speech bubble, time, and even my Yahoo! Avatar image.



And subsequently, I get an SMS alert on my phone, reading as follows:

(my username): Testing this cool function

So, I reply with an SMS to the same number with "Cool indeed!"

Surely enough, I get an alert on Yahoo! mail that my number had sent me a message.



So, I proceeded to send a few messages back and forth until it got old talking to myself... but just thought to myself, "I have GOT to blog about this!"

The only drawback is incomplete compatability with messages excessive of 144 characters. It arrives in two parts, like this:



Now the question comes: where's the opportunity in this?

I was thinking that Yahoo! could become a quasi-MVNO, issuing ten digit phone numbers exclusively for text messaging, be it through the browser, or through phones. They could produce SIM cards (ones that could work on any GSM phone, despite any potential locks from carriers) for those who only text, and never do any calls. This could be done quite inexpensively, and be a very affordable solution for those who do not use voice for any reason.

Any FCC restrictions on mandatory 911 compatability (if existent) would be fulfilled, as all cell phones have built-in capability to make emergency calls, whether a number is active on it or not.
SMS could also be taken advantage of to provide inexpensive mobile email and chat.

Lots of opportunity here. I just think that this feature could be a lot more heavily tapped.

I only fear that as a result of a service like this, it will be used for spam.

That being said, on my luck, I just know that within days, I will receive a text message reading "spammingcompany: Cngrtltns! U have just won a trip 2 Hawaii!"

And they will subsequently be contacted with a very rude and belligerent reply :)

How to fix that volume switch on your BlackBerry WITHOUT soldering (yes, detailed pictures are shown)

WARNING: You perform any of my advised repairs at your own risk. I cannot be held liable for any potential damage caused.

Having dealt in phones for quite some time now, I've seen a very wide variety of problems. From phones randomly resetting, to networks not being able to send and receive, to batteries forced in the wrong way.

I've heard that the volume switch on some BlackBerry Pearls have a tendency to only go down, and never go up (if only the national debt could be a problematic BlackBerry Pearl volume switch ;) ). I'd seen it on cell phone listings before, and it scared me off right away.

Today, I received a BlackBerry Pearl from AT&T that I won on eBay for $49.99 USD. Excellent deal, right? It only lacked a charger, but I pay a superficial amount for them, so that didn't hold me off.

So, I got all excited when I got it, sending in for the unlock code, charging it up, making sure it works, etc.

When performing a test call, I accidentally hit the volume switch going down. Happens with all the BlackBerries I used. That's when it struck me, with no seriousness whatsoever, "Remember that ad where the guy said that the volume switch only goes down, and never up?"

Chuckling on the inside, I press away at the volume switch (which was only at half volume anyway, so it could use a good few presses). Nothing happens.

I figure the software is just frozen, so I hit the end button to try and clear the application. "Call ended". It wasn't frozen.

So I conduct another test call, and attempt to move the volume switch upward. No luck. I press away at the down switch, and the volume went down like it should have.

Obviously, there was a hardware problem, so I opened up the phone, and started to look at how I could solve the problem.

Examining the "Up" volume switch, I noticed immediately that it was slightly separated from the board. See below photo:

I tried jabbing my guitar pick underneath (if you don't have one of these... every cell phone take-aparter should have one. It's plastic, so it doesn't conduct, and can't scratch metal), and surely enough, I saw some motion. It definitely wasn't attached to the board as it should have been. Tried doing the same thing with the down switch... and no motion at all.

As I have no experience at soldering whatsoever, this was not a job I was about to attempt doing at the board level. After all, it can still make contact with the board, it just needs assistance to do so. That switch needed to be forced to make contact with the board.

So, I glanced to my left, and saw a pack of gum. The thickness of the material seemed just right. Thick enough to take up volume without many folds, but thin enough to be precise about how much material to put in.

And now... here begins the how-to

This how-to assumes that you've already taken apart the BlackBerry and stripped off the sides. A comprehensive take apart video such as this one should help you out in doing so.

What you'll need material-wise is a pack of gum, packaged in cardboard. Most gums have the same thickness of cardboard. The one I used was Ice Breakers Ice Cubes.

The dimensions for the cut should be as follows:

70 MM long and 4mm wide. Each fold should be no greater than 5cm each.

Your result should be something like this:

I didn't estimate the right amount the first time... so I had to cut a second small piece. Despite that it shows about 65mm, I say 70mm because this was already pre-folded, and some distance was lost as a result.

Included a photo of the pack of gum, just in case you didn't know off the top of your head which kind it was :)

Once you've cut and folded your cardboard, stick it in the hole of the housing that looks like this

Assuming this portion of the housing is lying flat on your working surface, the battery contacts that touch the board should be facing upward to access this portion of the housing.

If it looks something like this, you're on the right path

Moving the board downward towards the housing, see that the top volume switch makes contact with the top flap of your cardboard like in the picture, and begin to crumple it.

Don't be afraid to use a little force in moving it downward.

Ensure that all four of the clips (two on each side) are clicked into place.

Proceed to re-assemble the phone. Boot it up with a SIM card inside so you can do a test call.

And the moment of truth... pressing the volume switch...

Success!

Any questions, please comment, and I'd be glad to advise.

The Razr takes a slice at my iPhone addiction

Anyone who has met me knows within 5 minutes of initial conversation, that aside from being very arrogant, obnoxious, and technically inclined, I am also a major iPhone connoisseur.

The user interface, the visual appeal, the built-in iPod, and the associated prestige are all something yet to be paralleled. For nearly a year, I ensured not to make the same mistake I made last April in getting rid of the iPhone (going from the iPhone to the e61i, to the BlackBerry Curve, to the BlackJack 2, and then back to the iPhone once again is not a process I want to repeat).

But I began to realize something... putting the normal cell phone features of calling and text messaging aside, the ubiquitous presence of the iPod, YouTube, a web browser, the iTunes store, and a myriad of applications all at my fingertips are all counter-productive, and go through my time faster than mobile data roaming goes through your funds.

So, a few weeks ago, I picked up a Motorola Razr with no battery for $40 (I had an extra battery for it anyway), and later discovered it was unlocked, to make things even better.

I thought I'd make a quick flip out of it at first - but then thought to myself... "why not see how life without the iPhone treats you?"

So I did just that. Putting my iPhone in my desk drawer, turned off. I missed it quite a bit. Ended up going over 100 hours without it.

It eventually got to the point that I couldn't take it anymore and started using the iPhone again for a couple of days.

I didn't have enough battery power to be using the iPhone a few days into the iPhone's return, so I decided to put my SIM in my Razr for that time. It's stayed that way ever since.

But only on Thursday was it that I took it out again, as I needed to use it while at the gym. Throughout my usage, I realized how much I missed it. Down the slippery slope I slid once again.

On the weekend, I had stayed in bed for a matter of hours oafter I had woken up because of my now-regular use of the iPhone. No matter how hard I try, it just can't stay off and in my desk drawer.

This concludes that I am, indeed, addicted to the iPhone.

Am attempting to stay with the Razr... more recounts of my experience with it to come.

My rant about being a seller on Craigslist

I have made a lot of money selling on craigslist. If I ever planned to have kids, I’d name my first boy “Craig”. Seriously. It really launched me on a path of entrepreneurship.

But like with anything, there are strings attached. And such strings sometimes make me want to quit Craigslist.

Decided I'd put together a set of profiles of people you commonly come into on Craigslist.

The person who always asks “Is it in good condition?” – Much like being functional, good condition is typically implied when you list something and don’t state otherwise. Then, when you mention the littlest nick or scratch they want a discount from the price. When you’re on Craigslist, you’re typically buying used. Unless I wore kid gloves while using it and never let it go anywhere but a climate-controlled, dust-free environment, you’re going to find an imperfection of some sort on anything you buy used. It goes without exception.

The person who always asks “Is it working?” – A counterpart to “is it in good condition?” – it’s quite implied when an item is listed. I wouldn’t list it for the same price as other working ones if it wasn’t working.

The person who is miles upon miles away – If you happen to be situated in the middle of a large city, you will always get people from suburbs that are a million miles away from where you are, asking you to bring it to them. It states quite clearly in my ad where I’m at, if you think it’s an inconvenience to come down to where I am, how do you think I feel when you expect me to take pity on you for being far away from me? It’s not my problem that you live on the moon, and I really don’t appreciate your making it my problem by turning down the deal because I won’t bring it to you. It’s your choice to live out there – and you have to accept the associated realities, such as the fact that only a very small percentage of the craigslist community will even know where your area is, and even a smaller percentage will be willing to come anywhere near you.

The person who always asks “How old is it?” – whether it’s a week or a year old, the general product profile does not change at all. If you like it, you like it. It shouldn’t matter how old it is. You’re not trying to see if it’s the right age to date one of your children, you’re not trying to figure out your compatabilility with the item based on its zodiac sign, and you’re especially not going to throw it a surprise party when it turns x years old. When I say an iPod touch – you know it’s an iPod touch. You know that it plays music, it holds 8, 16, or 32 gigabytes, whichever one I had stated in the ad, you know that when you turn it sideways, it will display the album covers so you can flow through them, and you know that you can install games on it that can function based on the movement of the iPod. This isn’t rocket science. Things like iPods are a commodity. We all know that the iPod touch has been out about a year and a half now, so it really can’t be much older than that, can it?

The person who negotiates the price down on you, and then pulls out a pocket full of cash to pay you – these people are positively sadistic. They want to see you groan and reluctantly accept their offer that they made just for the heck of it. Then, they take out a pocket full of cash, a nice wad of several dozen notes, topped off by a nice pink or brown one. It’s quite clear that they have money – they just get a kick out of getting the best of someone and coming out a winner with a better price.

I actually had one guy while I was running a garage sale I had advertised on craigslist, who went up to me and asked about these speakers I had and what I wanted for them. I said I wanted $5.00. Then he asks me if I'd take $3.00, and I accepted. He paid me with a $5.00 bill! It provokes thought. When you clearly have the ability to pay me my full asking price (which was quite reasonable and well below what I had paid for them not too long ago in the same condition, never having been used) don't insult me by showing me that you had no good reason to negotiate with me on price.

The person who agrees with you on a price and then tries to whittle you down in person – When you’re talking on the phone, you have a verbal contract for whatever price they agreed to pay you. If they make no comment on the price, or no attempt to haggle, it is implied they are willing to pay the full asking price. When they meet up with you in person, they’ll look it over for any possible reason to negotiate in price. “Oh, there’s a scratch here”. “Oh, I thought it would come with a zillion different accessories”. Then they go knocking some bucks off the price. You seemed to be fine with our original price over the phone – what in the heck were you expecting to get that I’m not delivering on now? Then, some of them actually back out of the deal over a $10 or $20 difference. That’s right – they came over from the other side of the city and are actually willing to lose all that time and gas money over absolutely nothing. Not only that, but they wasted your time as well, and they seem to think it’s your fault for not delivering on what you had “promised” them.

The person who offers you an insanely low price – I’m not saying that I don’t negotiate in prices. I’ll negotiate $200 from $250. I’ll negotiate $40 from $50. But I will never negotiate $15 from $60. It actually happened to me! This guy sends me an email, saying he’ll pick it up right away. He didn’t get a response. He doesn’t even deserve the respect of being recognized as a human being for actually thinking he can get away with such a price.

The person who is absolutely clueless about the product that you’re selling them – I had a guy buying a blackberry from me once, and the first question he asked me is, “how do you type?”. There are THIRTY FIVE KEYS IN FRONT OF YOU! God forbid that one of them might actually input information upon being stricken?

The person who asks about accessories they’ll never even use – “do you have a case for this?” “do you have a car charger?” “do you have headphones for this?” – all of said lines are negotiating tools. For some reason it’s protocol to include a case with each and every phone or iPod you might sell somebody. If you don’t have it, then it’s no deal, or you’re going to have to lower the price. You know what they’ll use the money they saved on it for? They’ll spend it on food. They’ll spend it on gas. They’ll put it in their pocket so they can spend it otherwise. They have no intention for using a case – they just want to make it seem as though they need one, and the lack of one seems to justify a price reduction.

The person who claims they can get a better price elsewhere – if you can get a better price elsewhere, then why are you coming to me? If I’m selling you a phone for $60, and you can get the same phone for $30, why the heck would you pay double for it? I once received two emails in a row from the same person regarding two different phones. One said for the first ad (a pair of phones for $120) “I can get these phones for $75. Can you give me a better price?” – the subsequent email for a $100 phone said “I can get this phone for $60. Can you give me a better price?” – I sent an email back to them and said “I got both your emails, and it seems as though you can get some really good prices on phones. Why don’t I buy them from you?” Do you think I heard back from them? Of course not. Because I might have offended them by not taking their absurdly low offer? No. Because that source does not exist? You catch on quickly. They’re just trying to get you to “compete” for their business. Something I’ve learned in business is that there will always be someone selling something cheaper than you are selling it for. My price is my price, and that’s how it is. If you’re contacting me, you obviously have some intention to purchase my product – so don’t go backing out over nothing.

The person who says they’ll call you back, and never do, and then when you try to call them, they don’t pick up – I know it’s a formality to say you’ll call someone back, whether or not you have an intention to do so. But when you’re trying to take something off someone’s hands, your leaving them hanging just isn’t nice. If the product is “too old”, “doesn’t come with the right things”, “isn’t in good condition” or “costs too much” – just say that’s the case. If you tell me you’ll call me back – that means that I will be receiving a telephone call from you, regarding the item in question, within a reasonable period of time. If you say that you are not interested, all obligations, and assumed potential sales are called off. When you say you’ll call me back, and I never hear back from you, it’s only natural that I’m going to call you back. Everybody has caller ID. It’s not like I don’t know your number. Then, when you get all offended that I called you back (or kept trying since you weren’t picking up), don’t tell me that you’re going to call me back, when you have no intention of speaking with me again! If you want me to stop calling, just tell me you’re not interested. Then I have no reason to call you, right?

The person who emails or text messages you a habitual message of theirs with no actual interest in the item being sold - *I receive a text message* “Hi, I’m interested in your BlackBerry. Is it in good condition?” I call them up – no answer. Text them back, “Yes it is in good condition” – that’s EXACTLY what they want to hear. They don’t want to hear anything else. Why? They didn’t ASK for anything else. I answered their question in the best way possible, and you can’t even text me back to say if you’re interested or not? What do you expect of me? What will it take for you just to buy the damned BlackBerry off of me? You saw the ad, you’re interested, you ask if it’s in good condition, and I tell you it is. What more do you want? I’m even taking the liberty of dialing you up for you. And you can’t even pick up the phone when you texted me 2 minutes ago? That means your phone is obviously on, and you’re beside it. Nothing is being hidden.

Person who calls on blocked to ask redundant questions – much like the person fitting the above profile (and the one above that) – they’ll call you and ask if it’s in good condition, if it works, if the price is negotiable, etc. Then, they say they’ll call you back NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ANSWER IS. Well, I can’t call you back because you’re on blocked. So, you’re obviously calling just to waste my time.

Person who calls about a lot of items, wanting only one, and for that one to be at the same price as the unit price in the whole lot – “Hi, I’m calling about your BlackBerries.” It’s a lot of 10 of them for $85 each, so $850 for the lot “I’m interested in just one… it’s $85.00, right?” how lame can you be to price an item in increments of $5.00 when talking individually? When I buy and sell in bulk, it goes down to every dime in the way of precision. Because a $0.25 difference may seem miniscule normally, but when talking about 50 units, that’s $12.50. That can buy you lunch at a sit down restaurant. We’re going to have to reconsider something here. It’s not just the precision in price – it’s the fact that she actually thought that what I sell 10 of them for, each, I’ll sell her one of them for. Then when I told her it’s $100.00 for an individual phone, she got all insulted as though the $85.00 per unit on a lot of 10 was somewhat a gag price, or a bait and switch price. It’s like walking into a grocery store, seeing a 12 pack of juice boxes for $2.99 (that’s $0.25 each) and offering the clerk $0.25 for the juice box because you only need one. They’d tell you to take a hike. So why’s it any different for a phone?

The person who calls you asking if it’s brand new, and if it’s not, comparing how much a brand new one would cost them in stores – “Hi, there, are you selling the iPod?” “It’s $150.00, right?” “Would you take $100.00? Because it costs only $179.99 in the stores, so for $30.00 more than your asking price, I could get a brand new one” – they have NO intention whatsoever in buying a new one. Anybody who haggles like that doesn’t buy brand new. Ever. That also shows ignorance, because there are taxes on that $179.99. Here in Ontario, it’s 13%. $179.99 x 1.13 = $203.39. In reality, it costs them $53.39 more. But as they have likely never bought anything of substance in a store, they haven’t factored those costs in – only what they see on websites and in flyers.

Person who asks "does it have a camera, manual, mp3 player, software cds, over-ear Bose headphones, a professional quality massage pad, a pilates instructor, a high-definition screen, a place to hold your drink with a nice, metallic pretzel bowl, and front row seats to the Raptors game?" -
Hmm… let me think… we’re talking about a $100.00 phone here, that’s off-lease from a large corporation, and is a few years old, and despite what the ad says about what’s included, I’m going to have to give you a big, fat NO. Even though everything after “software CDs” is facetious and exaggerated – it’s not quite far off what these people expect of you.

BlackBerry Javelin 8900 Review

I picked one up on March 26th for $340.00 CAD plus one of my BlackBerry 8700s.
A very sexy looking phone. In my opinion, it’s the Bold’s younger sibling. Same generation, only smaller.

It is quite comparable to the Bold in terms of appearance (i.e. dominantly black color scheme), but with a few exceptions. Such included a thicker metal lip around the bottom, and the back has a brushed black metal appearance, rather than the simulated leather feel of the Bold. This seems as though it would scratch quite easily. When I first saw the Bold, I thought it to be the sexiest phone possible because of its back, but the vertical lines on the back of the Javelin, along with a camera in a matching color that does not protrude from the surface give it a much cleaner, streamlined appearance.

The #1 thing I noticed when looking over the phone was the camera. Not just in how well it blends in with the body, nor the fact that it has flash, but the fact that it is 3.2 megapixels – 37.5% better resolution than the Bold’s camera.

Looking up and down the sides, I came into something that broke the norm of all BlackBerries for me. I’ve used pretty much every model in recent existence. I’ve sold hundreds of older BlackBerries. Every single one of them used a mini USB plug for charging and syncing. This phone used a USB interface that I have only ever seen on one other phone (Nokia N81) – the Micro USB. Internet rumors indicate that the Micro USB port will take over the cell phone market gradually. From my experience using it, it’s a much better port than mini USB. The performance rate does not differ, but it is also much slimmer, allowing for more compact adapters, and it holds its place a lot better physically. To remove it, you really need to give it a good tug – much like the difference between the charging ports on the PowerBooks and iBooks, as opposed to the new MagSafe adapters that hold the port in magnetically on the MacBook line.

Something I found interesting about this phone is that it has dedicated keyboard lock and silence keys. The silence key is nothing new, but I find the lock one to be the most interesting. It leaves the left and right convenience keys to be programmed – whereas on any other BlackBerry I have used, I have had to sacrifice a convenience key in order to have a keyboard lock on the fly. Disadvantage: The lock key can also be used to UNLOCK the phone, which, in essence, kind of defeats the purpose (to prevent it from being operated while in your pocket). After having used it for a few hours, I found that it’s almost impossible to press the lock button inadvertently – and is quite possibly my favorite feature of the phone. It’s designed so that the lock key is right near where your finger is depending on where you hold it. Think they picked that up from the iPhone?

The software is the same as any other BlackBerry of this generation, a much sexier version of its predecessor, with a few more features for efficiency. Such include the general layout, more comprehensive setup wizards, and a more versatile camera function with lots of options.

Surprisingly, this phone does NOT support 3G. I made the blunder of indicating so in my unrevised review of the product - but after having confirmed on CrackBerry and GSMarena - it's true that there is NO 3G support on this phone. Although I have never felt any inclination to have 3G speeds on my handset (EDGE seems to work fine for me), all the hype about the Bold was 3G, so it's kind of misleading when you think about it, that the 8900 does not have it.

For experienced Blackberry users, I think that the only reason that is valid to upgrade to this phone is either the appearance or the better camera. If you’re all about glamour when it comes to phones – regardless of whether or not you’re an enterprise user – this is probably the sexiest, easiest to use BlackBerry available. Reason I’m not saying it about the Bold is the size difference.

Reason I’m not saying it about the Pearl Flip is because of the more difficult to use keyboard (unless you’re into that sort of thing. It can serve a dual purpose of easier typing and space saving – but that keyboard takes a long time to get used to).

I really do believe that the lock button at the top of the phone is what I like most about it. It’s a really sexy phone, exact same width as the iPhone, and overall, scores a 4.25/5 stars, or an 85% with me.

Wired: Sexiest BlackBerry out there. Keyboard is pretty easy to type on, camera takes excellent photos, dedicated lock button takes away the need for a lost convenience key (now I have two to program to whatever I want), has WiFi, so I don’t have to murder my data plan. Smaller than the Bold. A real winner.

Tired: As I say with all newer BlackBerries – the little ball in the middle is incredibly difficult to use. Vibration is quite weak. Found that the battery isn’t easy to take out. YouTube does NOT run natively. No 3G.

OK, so I can’t think up many reasons as to why one wouldn’t like the Javelin – I can’t tell you how tempted I was to just keep it, as it’s such a great phone. But nothing will ever beat the iPhone. I have found that BlackBerry requires a lot of expertise to fully master, so for basic things such as determining which applications go on the front page, us seasoned users all know to hold down the Alt button and click on the selected application you want something done about and move it to the top row of the main screen of applications and it’s the first thing you see on the homepage – but on the iPhone… you just hold your finger on an application and drag it down to the silver dock on the bottom. This is what I think is in the way of more sales for RIM. Lack of comprehensibility.

Next steps: Look at what the iPhone is doing right. I know you can’t steal too many ideas – but there are a few elements of simplicity that I feel are missing.

Bottom line: If you’re a BlackBerry kind of person – this is a phone for you. I would recommend it over the Bold. Want to turn heads? This is the right phone for you.

Unfortunately, on account of my short period of ownership, I am unable to comment on the battery life. I will tell you, though, that it only went down one bar after 4 or so hours of constant use, including about 30 minutes of talk time, 3 YouTube videos, about 10 web pages and a few dozen text messages.

Also might show a photo of my pen holder taken with the Javelin's camera. Decided to take this AFTER I took my SIM card out. Then I tried to email it to myself. No email set up. Great. Now I have to Facebook it to myself. Have to set that up. Not happening. So, I finally go downstairs and get a Bluetooth Dongle - and it synced successfully.

Reason that I did the pen holder was that it has an engraved surface to it, and I wanted to show off just how good the focus is on the camera. It's not every day you can get such a good quality picture from a phone, let alone a BlackBerry - which I'm yet to see a great picture come off of.

iPod Shuffle? Try calling it the iPod Pico! The 1,000 song tie clip is born!

It's not actually called the iPod Pico... I said that as it is a unit of prefix multipliers below the Nano (which is one billionth - Pico is one trillionth). It still bears the name of iPod shuffle.

It has a capacity of 4GB, or approximately 1,000 songs.



Check this baby out

But something I noticed... Is it really that much of a "baby"?


Look at the comparison between the old iPod shuffle and the quarter (below). Compared to the picture above - not much of a size difference is there.




Image is from http://www.sigonlegacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/ipod1.jpg

Upon researching the dimensions of the two, here is what I discovered:

2nd/3rd generation iPod shuffle: 1.07 inches tall x 1.62 inches wide = 1.7334 square inches

4th generation iPod shuffle: 1.8 inches tall x 0.7 inches wide = 1.26 square inches

This is a difference of a little over 27% - pretty significant - but comparing them head to head, why is it that the new one seems so much smaller?

It's the proportions, combined with the visual changes of taking away the hard controls, which left breathing room in the 2nd and 3rd generations' appearance.

A specific example to prove this theory: I have sold over 150 BlackBerry 7290 cell phones. At $60.00 each, one would think it's being sold at a bargain price. Of those 150 sold - I have had to deal with dozens of rejections that could have turned into potential sales.

Why?

Because I kept getting remarks like this

"It's such an old phone..."

"Too big for me"

"I don't think my wife will want to deal with the bulk of the phone. I'll have to pass."

These were said just by looking at the phone, and never actually touching it.

Some of them had asked me about my iPhone and how I liked it, as they were considering getting one instead when it comes out (this was during a time when the iPhone was not yet officially released in Canada, so everyone was envious).

Rather than to be snide to the customer, I kept it to myself that the 7290 was, indeed, the same size as the iPhone. Seriously. Look at this.

The BlackBerry looks a lot larger right? See below image to compare widths...

The difference: 1.7mm, or 22%. But note how the BlackBerry's height is less than the iPhone's, therefore exaggerating the width.

Much like the hard controls on the shuffle, the buttons on the BlackBerry give it a cluttered, less streamlined appearance, and as such, makes it look larger.

In reality, statistically, they had nothing to complain about in the way of size. Mind you, the BlackBerry is significantly thicker than the iPhone - but if they never even bothered to look the BlackBerry over, they'd never be able to notice the thickness.

Now, enough about the sizing and appearance, let's talk about the functionality.

As I had mentioned, the hard controls have been removed. The instantaneous question would be, "then, how do you change the song being played?".

The smart answer would be "You don't. If you've got a song on your iPod, that means you like it, right? What would your reason for changing it be?"

I've got to adopt that mentality myself. I have 141 songs and listen to 20, maybe 30 of them.

The real answer is that it's all done through headphone-based controls. The standard stuff such as play/pause and skip/previous are there - even volume control. But I believe that the feature that they added to this generation is the one that is going to sell it best, whether they changed the appearance or not.

It talks to you. At the press of a button, you can request that it announces which song is playing, which playlists are available to you, and even the battery life!

Not only that, but it can be done in English - as well as 13 other languages. Check out the

voiceover samples on the Apple website.

The USA Today review of it can be seen here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/video/player.htm?maven_playerId=immersiveproduction&maven_referralPlaylistId=2099847ae09d7376bc77375c17a6e7bead6b6816&maven_referralObject=1059126019#mainviewer

My take:

Pros: Sexiest iPod yet. Can't wait to see the rest of the new lineup. Voiceover feature is a real breakthrough. The price is right at $79 - for 2x the storage of the old shuffle at the same price.

Cons: Battery life was reduced by 2 hours. So small that you might lose it. Must use Apple earbuds.

Next steps: There's an opportunity here to charge an extra x amount for special voiceovers.

I.e. if somebody really likes Katy Perry's voice, and they want that voice to do the talking when requesting a song name, for $0.29 on top of the cost of the song, Katy Perry's announcement of the song's name can be had as well. All it is on Perry's part is a simple matter of saying "I kissed a girl and I liked it" once - and 10,000 purchases of the add-on = $2,900.00 in extra revenue.

Just thought I'd add as a final comment... the sizing of this iPod looks something like what was featured on David Letterman in June of 2007 when he was talking about the iPhone. Size-wise, I do believe he predicted correctly a year and a half later! Here is the video to which I am referring:

Asus AiGuru SV1 Videophone - great concept - could use some revision

When I saw this, many thoughts rushed through my head...

"THIS is what VoIP has been waiting for! Something simple and sexy that can operate wirelessly"
"Did Cisco Telepresence have a baby?"
"Polycom will make their verison of this. Just you wait."

But having watched the demo, I felt somewhat... shortchanged. As though the hype that its primary characteristics created wasn't done justice by its performance.

The idea of being able to create a Skype ID on the spot I liked - as the consumer market this reaches out to may not necessarily use Skype - and this takes away a lot of friction, making the concept of Skype seem a lot friendlier to this device's users.

The problem here, though, is that typing is strictly directional pad-based. WPM rates will be slashed to minscule percentages of what they are on a regular keyboard. This replaces the friction of having to go onto a computer to create a Skype account.

How could this have been avoided?

Evidently, an alternative input method is the solution here. Its layout doesn't look as though it would permit a full, hard, built in keyboard.

The modern solution would be to accept speech-to-text technology. After all - this is a phone, isn't it? So, the microphone is right up there with the sound output as the most important functions.

I've got a feeling, though, that names could be misinterpreted quite easily, causing frustration, and thus, replacing friction we're trying to remove here.

It's no secret that touchscreen technology is space saving, sexy, and practical. It's also no secret that it's a winner with consumers. I do believe that the iPhone speaks for itself, accompanied by the Nintendo DS, tablet PCs, the BlackBerry Storm, and Palm Pre.

As such, one would think that a touchscreen on a device like this would be highly beneficial. As touchscreen typing involves mostly thumb movement, from what I can see, it has a form factor that would allow you to put your other fingers on the back, to give you a better grip (one you're used to, if you're a frequent touchscreen typist like myself).

Aside from allowing easier input, having a touchscreen would open up a myriad of possibilities. The array of options that can be scrolled through with the directional pad looks just like Cover Flow. Last time I checked, that was a main selling feature of the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also looks right out of PictureFlow on Windows Mobile.

So, you can type more easily, AND navigate more easily. It also adds to its primary characteristics, making it irresistible and an easier sell.

Regardless of whether or not touchscreen was to be there or not, I have one final suggestion for input, and that is an external keyboard.

I know what you're thinking - that just adds bulk and is the last thing anybody is going to want to carry around.

The fact is, though, not everybody wants to type touchscreen (hence all the people who buy BlackBerries off of me), so an external keyboard may be necessary.

Solutions might include having a fold-out one from the base, or half keyboards that fold out on the sides. But I think it should be an accessory.

An external keyboard is an excellent upsell - very high margin. The frustration of d-pad typing could be used to Asus and Skype's advantage - "Want a full keyboard? Only $29.99 extra!"

As for portability - it could be designed so that it can attach to the device smoothly.

Overall, I am quite impressed with the concept - but a V2 should be on the way if they want to make it even more consumer friendly.

Marketing-wise: A demonstration stand at Wal Mart would draw "ooh"s and "ahh"s - even more so than the iPhone.

Why?

a) Video calling hasn't quite been tapped as a consumer solution just yet
b) It wouldn't cost as much, nor require a service agreement as the iPhone does.

Here's a link to the product's page on the Skype website, for reference: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/allfeatures/videophones/

Wal Mart $99 iPhone - who's the big winner?

The latest big rumor with respect to the iPhone is the $99 4GB version from Wal Mart.

I think that this will take place for two reasons:

1. The slowed-down economy needs money somehow. By selling at more accommodating prices, people will spend money.

2. Reducing the iPhone's price from $399 to $199 made the iPhone available to more users, who couldn't afford something at double the price, so by reducing it further, it opens things up to more customers. Especially as a sub-$100 solution.

In such a scenario, Wal Mart, Apple, and AT&T would be the ones benefiting. But who's the real big winner in this case?

Apple wins because their units get pre-sold to Wal Mart, and they get more than $99, because of the carrier subsidy.

AT&T wins, but not right away. They have to pay out the money for the carrier subsidy first, and any revenue they make off of this (as it would in any case) is residual, and therefore, not guaranteed, as there can always be the deadbeat client who signs on just to get the iPhone, but never pays their bills.

However, in my opinion, Wal Mart is the biggest winner of them all.

Why?

Of course, they are the only thing that stands between the customer and the iPhone, so they get the money, and sign anybody who buys one on for the necessary plan or plan upgrade, and earn the associated commission with that, as well as the profit for the handset itself.

Like with any electronic device, the bucks aren't made on the device itself - they're all made on the accessories, such as the cases, screen protectors, speakers, car chargers, etc. - all of which cost pennies to make, and can be sold anywhere from $9.99-$29.99 each.

Looking around on the WalMart site - I see cases for as high as $48.60. Given the fact that I see iPhone cases in lots at around $0.99 per case on eBay (not as good quality, but not the point) - I've got a feeling that even that high end Griffin case, didn't even cost $1.00 to make.

Packaging, shipping, profit, etc. all factored in - at the absolute minimum, Wal Mart is likely tripling on this - which would mean that their cost is $16.20.

Let's say this does take place - and Wal Mart successfully sells one million iPhones, and half the buyers purchase cases. Even if they made only $10.00 per case - their gross profit would be $5,000,000.00 on cases alone. Then there are car chargers, extended battery packs, charging docks, extra chargers, headphones, and speaker systems. All of which are accessories to the iPhone, and would increase in sales as a result of the $99 iPhone's release.

Additionally - customers who may not necessarily frequent Wal Mart, might just come in there to get their iPhone that they thought they'd never have at such a price. Then they might notice a sweater that they like. That ottoman would look great in the living room too. Check out that price on that LCD tv! You know, I've always thought about getting a new one...

A full shopping cart and an empty wallet later, they're heading out to the car.

Wal Mart has a tendency to do that to people. By getting more people in there to do it to, it only makes them more money.

What's my point in writing this post? Invest in Wal Mart. Should this $99 iPhone deal go through, they will experience immediate, substantial gains.

Talk about a sneaky hidden market!

As a Canadian, if I was paid for a deal in US cash, I would find it to be somewhat exciting. Not just because of the fact that the US dollar is worth about 125% of our dollar, but because it's a real change of pace - and I happen to love it down in the US and it reminds me of there. Also, we work on a basis of dollars that are of comparable value - so the currencies are somewhat interchangable.

What about other forms of currency?

Some forms that we have no idea as to the value of, such as the Malaysian Ringgit, the Japanese Yen, the Ghananian Cedi, or the Guyanese Dollar, would be completely foreign to us - and although they might carry value that can be converted into Canadian dollars - you have to watch out. That 100 on a Japanese note you see is about $1.08 US - so it should not be thought to be anything like a dollar.

So, where am I going with this?

Having bought a small set of Mongolian currency from a flea market a few years back for $5.00 - I thought I'd look up what the total value of the notes inside was.

There was a 10, 20, 50, and 100, totalling 180 units.

Compare that to Canadian Dollars - 180 Mongolian Tugriks = $0.154593 Canadian Dollars

At the $5.00 that I paid for it - this guy made $4.85 off of me - multiplied his investment 32.3 times!

At only five of our dollars, it's an amount one would not really think twice about. But if this guy sold 50 of them in a day - he'd have himself close to $250.00 in profit.

This is a very doable business, too. Nothing is that difficult about ordering foreign currency from the bank, having it arrive a few days later, and you packaging it up, and selling it at a flea market, on eBay, or wherever.

Think aobut the possibilities for customers - there could be the little kid who wants to get started in currency collecting, and his mom sees a $1,000.00 bill from Guyana (which is only about $6.00 Canadian - and less than $5.00 US), and a couple of cents' worth of other notes, in a package for $15.00 - just imagine the look on her son's face once he gets a $1,000.00 bill!

There could also be the upcoming birthday. Someone is looking around in the mall for a birthday gift for his brother. His brother loves to travel the world. Why not grab him some foreign currency? Gives him the foreign experience from home. You spent $2.00 on the notes - and charge him $10.00 - and you made $8.00.

On small amounts like these, where it's the idea of having the foreign currency, as opposed to the amount being in question, people will buy on impulse. They won't go on Google to check the value/exchange rate.

It's perfectly legal - and it exploits something very subtle that people might not pay attention to.

Even if you get exposed for it - for small amounts of money, it's not worth someone's while to have to go to the bank, order currency, wait for it, and pay them a premium anyway. I guess you, as the business operator, save them that hassle.

That's my two Canadian cents' worth.

Take screenshots on your iPhone! No third party apps necessary!

I am bursting with excitement to write this article.

About 15 minutes ago, I was putting a reminder into my iPhone, using the calendar feature.

Once I had written the reminder, I hit the home button to close the calendar, and subsequently hit the sleep/wake button to lock the phone.

With every intention to put it back into my pocket, locked, knowing that I'd remember just what I'd have to do, when I needed to do it - I hear a camera shutter sound.

I think to myself - "what's going on?"

At first - I thought it was a shortcut to the camera feature (which I would LOVE to have - since that camera feature is SO slow to access) - but I saw no on-screen captured image, which would have been visible by the lens - maybe it did that so it could stealthily take a picture without interfering with the task at hand?

I decided to investigate. Clearly, something to do with a camera, or photography would have the finished result in the "Photos" app.

I immediately see under "Camera Roll" - the thumbnail of the most recently taken picture. It wasn't of the doorframe in front of me - or anything that resembled it - but rather - the grid and numbers of the calendar.

At first, I thought, "no... this can't be."

I go in, enlarge it to full size - and indeed - oh, yes - it can!

Like I had said about the iPhone originally - not only does it astonish at first sight - but it keeps on astonishing as you use it.

Let's just say - I'm astonished once more.

You can take screenshots doing anything - I did a few samples to show their clarity:



It doesn't even need to be unlocked to take a screenshot!



That's me speaking at eComm 2008 in March, via the YouTube feature



That's my blog



Cover flow



And finally - the home screen

This whole screenshot thing may not be an extremely useful feature - but a very cool one nonetheless!

Apparently this is only available on the 2.0 firmware. But seriously - what will they think of next?

That being said - I thought I might add that Sling plans to release an iPhone client by March - so you can watch TV via your SlingBox on your iPhone.

This is not only an indicator of progress - but one of the fact that we're going to need some much better battery life - Sling will be pretty data intensive - and doesn't help the short battery life of the iPhone any.