4 Months Later

There I was sitting in my 'Advanced Sharepoint' training session, where we were being taught the blogging part of the software. The trainer said, well who reads blogs anyway? to which the wonderful Mrs Parker turned and said 'I read Damians'. - Cue an embarrassed Me.

Thanks Laura, and as promised, here is a blog dedicated to just you.
----------------Photo coming soon -----------------------
What is on my Blog? - 'gadgets and technology' she said

What's new in gadget land

As you may already know I ended up getting an iPhone despite being anti-apple and not wanting to jump on the apple bandwagon.

6 months on and am I happy with it?

I now have a HTC Desire....
Sitting in my windowsill at home, unused... and why?

Because it's not an iPhone, I agree it's improved loads since my HTC Magic (still the 2nd best phone I have ever owned), with its multi-touch screen and fantastic camera (with flash), but it's still not there. So yes I am still using my iPhone, I did have a while where I couldn't use it however due to an issue around it crashing

Which meant a restore
... Which meant an upgrade to the firmware (3.1.3)
..... Which meant I couldn't Jailbreak
......... Which meant I couldn't unlock
............Which meant I couldn't use it on Orange
................Which meant it was quite useless really.

Luckily those geeky people in unlock land came to my rescue in the form of the Spirit Jailbreak, and a bit of effort meant I was able to unlock it again, so my iPhone is back up and working again.

What Next

The iPhone 4

Although you can now Jailbreak the iPhone 4. It's apparently the easiest Jailbreak yet (you can do if from the iPhones web browser - www.jailbreakme.com), but you can keep your iPhone 4.

I can't believe apple could release a device that doesn't work properly (you have to hold it a certain way). How do they fix this - they telll you to hold it a certain way and give everyone a 'free' case.

Come on Jobsy - You're not Microsoft. Absorb the cost and recall them - ALL, fix them and send out working ones.

As it shows I'm in no hurry to get the iPhone 4. In fact after that shambolic release, I don't think I'd touch another apple device, certainly not something that's only just been released. I'm not the sort of person to jump-on-the-bandwag......

Oh wait - I have an iPad

Damn, I've done it again, 64Gb Wi-Fi,3G pleasure.
Jailbroken !!!!

There you go Laura !!!! an gadgety, techy, update.

...OK I'll go First then Shall I ?

My fellow bloggers out in blogworld appear to be as lazy as me and haven't bothered posting for a while so I'll get the ball (re) rolling.. (Cue Cookie, Tao et al)

Previously in Blog World

Remembering I was in love

... The Android / Magic / Google Phone.

What an amazing phone this was/is, take all previous smartphones, thrown them in a bag, add all the things missing from them, add a slighlty I-phoney marketplace interface and you have an Android phone.

Since my last post way back in June of last year, it seems the world has gone Android mad and a hell of a lot of phones have been release using this operating system, although I love mine loads, I am envious of the Nexus One, although wouldn't fork out silly (ANY) money for one.

One of the best applications to be released was Google Map Navigation, a FREE Sat Nav application/plugin to google map giving 3d, navigation using google streetmaps.

Perfect ...
So perfect it was only released in the USA, after a little bit of looking around, I managed to get mine working in good old blighty..... Until I updated google maps where they realised it was being used outside the US and plugged the hole (not much you can do when you need to connect to Google to get the map view).

More recently, an Archos (remember them) tablet has just been released, running Android too.

Go Google, take on the world

So after 6 months of having my Android, what do I think....

Brilliant, best phone I've ever had, get a 32Gb Micro SD Card for it and you almost have an iPhone...

ALMOST....

Sorry Androiders, I've turned to the dark side, iPoddy as ever, I now have an iPhone 32Gb 3GS.

The iPhone Well It had to happen didn't it, Over-Hyped, over subscribed, over here and over my dead body.

I now have an iPhone, I hate myself, I really do I said I would never jump on the bandwagon and get one and I've gone and got one. ( I also said I wouldn't get an iPod and it appears I have about 7).

Thoughts

Abso'kin'lutely brilliant.

CONS

• It doesn't have the 'cool factor' of the Android phones everyone and their children have an iPhone.
• It doesn't have the widget style interface that the Android phones have
• You need iTunes.... before you can even use the iPhone you have to connect it to a PC running iTunes. - who doesn't hate iTunes
• Apple own you - You are given the 'chance' to register your phone with Apple.
• Apple own you (2) - Apple decide what goes in their store and have just removed a lot of adult content from their store.
• Apple own you (3) - iTunes checks the software version of your iPhone and encourages you to download the lateste version (every flipping time you connect), the latest update (3.1.3) ruins the party for a lot of people as it prevents -Jailbreaking and unlocking (More on this later).
• The camera doesn't have a flash
• Battery life isn't brilliant
• The price or the tariff - £455 to buy outright or a daft tarriff if you go down that route

PROS

• Its an iPhone, a phone and an iPod in one
• The apps store is huge
• 32 GIGABYTES MAN, that's more than ANYONE will EVER need......isn't it? (No)
• Email - Yahoo mail, Gmail, Exchange mail - set up in less than 30 seconds and nothing to pay
• Safari - half decent web browser
• The first keyboardless device with an onscreen keyboard I can actually use.

PRO PROs

• Jailbreaking - Jailbreaking allows you to

• a) Use 2rd party apps that you wouldn't in the iTunes store
• b) use not so legal applications that you WOULD find in the iTunes store, however without the associated cost !!!!
• c) unlock your phone to other networks

The above all depend on the firmware and baseband of your device - Don't upgrade to firmware 3.1.3 if you intend on doing any of the PRO PROs.

There you go, a 5 minute review of my iPhone....

Lucky Apple aren't thinking of bringing a new device out in the near future...

(What do you mean iPad, iPhone 4 - I'm not listening..... Bother !!)

My Car :-(

As most people know, I loved my car, obviously I wasn't the only person who loved my car.....
Someone must have loved it a whole lot more as they decided they wanted it (a lot) and so, had it. Taken from outside my house overnight, and doesn't look like it will be seen again, the really helpful policeman who came to take the details said cars are now being stolen to order and has been heppening a lot during the snowy weather. He was very honest and said I will probably never see it again (Cheers PC Man)

Needless to say, after several grillings from my insurance company, they have paid out - looks like that is confirmation I 'will' never see it again.

It appears there is also a lot of fraud going on, what was wierd though, is the police were really really helpful keeping me updated as often as possible whereas the insurance company started by treating me like a criminal before being helpful.

The Seat Leon Cupra R - A gas guzzling Monster (This is not mine)

Now my car is 'elsewhere' I have to replace it, with what though, a Golf GTi/R32, a Civic Type R, a Porsche, the newer Seat Leon.....

Nope. I have gone and bought...

A FORD....


MONDEO...............


DIESEL.

A 'Sensible, boring, family car', Old age is hitting me hard,

(Why don't Nissan do a GTR that has 4 doors, big boot space, and does 50MPG for £6k, they're really missing a huge market there).

My last topic of discussion for now, My last holiday...

I managed to break my head on holiday in Tenerife (September).

While bouncing along in the sea (Only up to my chest mind), the waves became choppy, very quickly, I noticed a couple of slightly larger waves comin towards me and decided it was time to get back to beach, unfortunately, water travels faster than Damo and before I knew it, one wave had lifted my up and turned me upside-down while the second wave had threw me to the bottom of the sea (only a metre of so).

I picked my location with pinpoint accuracy and smacked my head on a rock which kinda hurt, someone up there was clearly looking out for me as I managed to get out f the sea and collapse on the beach. The Baywatch people came along and did a fantastic job of helping, and scaring the bejesus out of me before I was carted off in an ambulance to hospital.

A few hours, a few stitches, a number of taxi rides (for my good lady) and a bill of £250 later, I was back in the hotel.... the best thing about it all, realising SWMBO does 'really' love me, despite what she sometimes says, the worse thing, I couldn't drink for 2 days afterwards.

I love you Stella SWMBO.