H.I.T.S.
Last Tuesday morning, Verizon and Apple finally brought an end to what have been seemingly endless rumors. For years, we have heard that Verizon was getting the iPhone and I have written on the very same subject in this column for quite some time. In the gadget world, the iPhone is the Rolls-Royce of gizmos.
Up to this point, AT&T has had exclusive rights to the iPhone, except in Europe, where, in a amazingly sensible move, they don’t allow cell phone carriers to “lock” various models of phones. I think we should also do away with that here, but I doubt it will ever happen.
The announcement on Tuesday was huge. Even if you have a six-year-old flip phone and never sent a text message in your life, didn’t know you could surf the internet on a cell phone and are wondering why we ramble on so much about this issue all the time, just consider that Verizon is projecting sales of anywhere between 10 to 15 iPhones this year.
Of course, the next big deal will be that there will be shortages due to so many Verizon users wanting to get their hands on iPhones. Verizon is the biggest carrier around, and as if all of this was not bad enough for AT &T, the Verizon iPhone 4 can supposedly serve as a “hotspot” for about five more devices, as well. The rate plans, while still seeming high to the average person, are a significant improvement overall from the current AT&T rates.
A trip to the Apple website shows that you can already register for the new phone, which is supposed to be available on Feb. 10 — check out http://www.apple.com/iphone/notify-me/ for more info.
Also last week, Apple users got a big update in the form of a program called “The App Store.” In the past, you had to use your browser or iTunes to visit the App Store, but now we have an actual program that lets you go and buy software directly from Apple.
Again, it’s another smart move on Apple’s part. I’ve already used it to buy a small application called Comic Life (at http://plasq.com/products/comiclife2), which is really fun to use with your photos.
In my latest high-tech experiment, I realized that, by using my iPhone, we can wirelessly watch Netflix movies upstairs. I connected to Netflix online via the iPhone and ran a video connector from the iPhone to the TV in our bedroom.
How cool is that?
Also, by the time you read this, I will have received my new camera, which I can’t wait to try out with some of our local scenery.
Digital cameras have literally zoomed (pardon the pun) ahead in technology. You can now buy a 14-megapixel camera with a 30x-optical zoom and all the goodies for just over $200.
What a far cry this is from the early Casio cameras that both Doren and I bought years back for more than $300. Those models had no flash and gave you a blurry picture — unless you took shots in sunlight.
Nowadays, most digital cameras shoot HD video and, thankfully, come with rechargeable batteries, as well. The Olympus that I’ve chosen boasts 200 shots per battery charge, so we’ll see. The last camera we got is about four years old — and I’m hoping for a noticeable improvement.
I’ve also been amazed at the quality of some of the video I see taken from cell phones and posted on YouTube.
This is mostly from concerts, and the quality of many of them is good. Stay warm, and happy surfing.