Escort app alerted me to a copper sneaky forker hiding in the median today.

HA HA HA

 

Here's the thing about buying an iPhone. (Or any product from Apple)
You're overpaying.
Now, I'll admit I'm a bit of an Android/Google/Windows freak. But I have never considered buying a phone or computer from Apple. The amount of money you dump into their products is outrageous for the components they put in them. My $20 "budget smartphone" is on par technologically with the iPhone 4S and the Note II. I bought it a year ago, and I only pay $20 for my data plan as well. (I never use more than 1GB) Just my 2 cents. I don't hate Apple, but I surely won't buy anything from them.

 

for years the printing press was deemed the most "important" invention to mankind, the smartphone has taken that spot as of a few years now... once you use it you will wonder how you got along without it

 

Android is better period. There system makes more sense and has way more free apps. The Samsung S3 or S4 are awesome phones. My 16 yo Daughter wouldn't even consider an Apple product, what does that tell you? I have the old HTC Desire with Android 4.0, it is nearly indestructable so I'm keeping it till it dies. That is something to consider if you drop your phone often.

 

"You're overpaying."

Well, dunno about that
Paid $200 for the phone, and I can sell it today for around $500 if I don't like it at all.
The only thing I have seen the family's droids do that's cooler is you drag across a series of letters and it gets the word you were after. Almost every time. I have spent a whopping $1 or $2 on apps so far. [I am cheap]

The Escort Radar Map was free I believe.
Bubble level
Can't find a handy kw to HP calculator, just some lame apps that calculate 1/4 mile ET based on weight and HP that you enter.

 

Well, 4 months into this I must say I am very disappointed in Apple. For a whopping 2 months I had the most advanced phone. Other family folks got Galaxy products with larger screens and WAY easier to use system/ features.

Part of the problem is my antique home PC computer. With Winders XP, I cannot even load and use the iCloud program that might possibly help.

I had quite a few photos on the phone a couple weeks ago when I happened to be near the REOlds Museum, and they were open. After oh 3 photos, the phone tells me it is full and all the gigs are used and I will not take any more photos. Oh, for $20 a year you can have 10 more gigs. Well, that sounded like a great idea at the time, so I entered PW and bought more storage.... and STILL it will not take a photo. Not exactly money well spent. So I ended up taking a few minutes to wipe out a couple dozen old work/ junk photos from way back.... so I could get SOME photos while at a rare museum visit. Yay.

Thursday or so I get the same crap, out of storage, at a kids' basketball game. Same thing, go delete some old stuff so I can take new photos.

Plus all the daily "stuff does not work right" of which the list is too long to even start.

It does play music for me OK- but not into the 2013 Ford truck at work- though it worked fine with a rental Chevy vehicle. Weird.

FF to day.
Leaving for a last chance in a lifetime road trip to Washington DC with school kids.
I must have photo space available.
Plug phone into computer, start transfer with Picasa, which has always worked for the digital camera at home and at work. Well, it transfers one or two groups of photos, then starts to lock up and misbehave and not allow me to move photos though they are shown

Then, I guess I pressed the wrong button or something and it started to transfer ALL photos, which I did NOT want to do, to the computer. No "stop" or "undo" available. I tried ESC and it seemed to stop the process, but.... now pretty much ALL photos are GONE from the phone, and also not on the computer.

After hours of stressful fiddling, the wife finds some/ most of the phone pics under "my photo stream" on the phone.... but no way to move them. I went and got iTunes which was great for adding a SONG to my phone... but useless for photos management. Went to get iCloud, which seemed to work on the photos via the wife's computer, and it goes halfway thru the loading process before bothering to tell me that it can't and won't because I don't have Winders 7 or 8. I have tried those and they suck so hard I would rather use DOS frankly. Too many options and automatic things that happen whether you asked for it or not.

Phone says I have 15G total storage, and 10.2g available now.
That seems fairly reasonable.
But it would be nice to have all them old photos on my computer. Not just viewable but inaccessible otherwise on "my whatever" on the phone ONLY.

Leaving Monday at 6am
Going to Verizon store when they open I guess, to see if they can help.

This incompatible over-enabled technology sucks bwana.

I guess I am a points and carb guy in a fuel injected and computer controlled world now.

 

Wow. Weird.

I've never had a problem managing photos on my iPhone 3 or 5 on my XP work computer (and iTunes worked fine for it, too, before the &%#$ IT department reset all computers so you couldn't use outside software).
Plug the phone in, an XP window pops up saying "Camera Discovered" or some such thing, asking if I want to mess with the photos, I can click Yes and download all or some or whatever.

Personally, I think your computer has a problem, not the phone, and I would be cautious with the new phone, as it may do the same thing.

Good luck with it, though, and let us know how it all works (and how much you get for the phone on eBay ).

- Eric

 

iPhone is the way to go. I had galaxy before and I like the iPhone better. Apple gots this smart phone thing down. Galaxy has more flexibility but most of us never really have the need to use that. I also like how it syncs with my MacBook and my iPad. I was a PC/windows guy until i started my new job last year. My work uses apple products for everything. I will never look back. Microsoft is at least 10 years behind. Everything is so easy and simple with apple, it syncs, it works, it never crashes. They make difficult stuff so easy where you don't have to be computer genius to set up a server or a network.
Sorry galaxy guys iPhone is still unbeatable.

 

My .02 for anyone researching phones....Full disclosure : I am MS/linux centric (20+ yrs as coder/sys analyst/architech) and have never been comfortable with Apple products/OSs as Apple's way and my way don't seem to mix...

Apple = No, except for kids & elderly. Got a cheap used 4s for my teen kid as all her friends have 'em. Simple to use (think Fisher-Price), but maddening if you want to do anything beyond Apple world or what Apple wants/allows you to do. iTunes = the devil. Had it for years for kid's iPods. Other than simple iPod/Pad/Ph tunes management, it's frustratingly restrictive, a complete resource pig on any MS machine its on, & riddled with little info gathering Apple spyware sub-apps/services that install on your machine. I've had numerous PCs (from XP on up) that at some point had issues with iTunes or one/some of it's 'secret services'..from simple 'failure to connect' to BSODs... requiring fixing/reinstalling. It's relagated to one old Win7 box in our house.

Android = OK....IF you value privacy & are OK learning a little tech to maximize privacy & capabilities. Apps are available for just about anything & there are many that don't gather info. While out-of-the-box, Google Android is just as offensive as Apple, it can be tamed. PC sync/integration just as easy as iStuff & can be done outside of Google world.

BlackBerry = Fantastic w/ a BES ....a decade ago, but my gawd....why won't they die...?!

Windows = Meh. Never had it or had experience with it....

IMO, there are 2 types of smartphone users.

One wants all of the apps, social media junk, & advertised convenience... and is oblivious (or apathetic) toward the personal info/data gathering/privacy/security aspects. This is Apple's core market, but Google has the same business model.

The other wants all types mobile communication, basic pic handling, some convenience apps, occasional navigation, & other capabilities, but values privacy/security.

I am the 2nd type, so I run a rooted 2 yr old RAZR MAXX w/ a slightly older cutom ROMd Android version with a variety of tweaks/tunes. Nothing spectacular & all info/tutorials available on the 'Net. It's very stable & durable. By avoiding Google's updates & eliminating all of the Verizon (& other) bloat, my ph is not a personal data dump for Google/Verizon, does everything I need/want, and it performs much better than it should (ex: My 2 y/o batt life is astounding compared to others I know with the same ph but un-modded)

Hope this helps...

 

I like the 'droid HD. Does more than I'll ever figure out.
The negative of any smart phone is that you can internet up at pretty much any time. The wife insisted I move up to a smart phone. Now she complains because I have it. Doesn't matter what we're doing if there is a term I don't know the meaning of I look it up. After I get the info I was looking for I usually decide to check E-mail or one or two select sites. I'm getting told all the time to put the phone down.

 

I have the same thing from wally world. I-5 still having the kids teach me how to use it. Its covienent to have these phones as you can surf anywhere you have service. you can speak to the phone and it does what youre telling it to look up ,phone etc. kinda cool...

 

this is a good review and summary

 

I was able to save most of my photos
and have room for 1000's of photos during the US Capital trip.
kind of fun

One of the chaperone ladies bought a hat to keep warm in the rain, the hat said "FBI" so I told her you need a badge now. They don't sell 'em. Well, I says, you got a smart phone, right? Get a pic off the internet. She does. Too small. Now MY turn to teach others... no worries, do a screen capture like this, then crop and resize it, and voila' your phone looks like an FBI badge in a holder. You only need to flash it for a sec as you push your way thru anyhow, right?

today I was able to search the interwebs for the casting number of an intake at the boneyard in order to find out if it was worth snatching. Posted epay ad for Pontiac parts right when I took the photos. Search CL anytime you have a spare minute.

I can't wait to start snatchchapping.

 

And here I thought you were worried about getting caught speeding.

 

Well, I don't want to be accused of ANY wrongdoing.

Mind you, I don't mind DOING the wrong-
I just don't want to be ACCUSED of it!
:-)

 

Today I saw a late model Camaro flashing his headlights

1/2 mile ahead is mr sneaky copper in the median taking advantage of the lower 60 mph limit to generate revenue. I reported him via the Escort app.

Flashing to warn others is good practice and protected by our free speech rights.

Plus, it makes for safer driving, as folks slow down, which is what the cops REALLY wanted, right? Yeah, sure. Not the $$$$.


As for the smart phone, How come their ads show folks LAUNCHING ROCKETS by way of the cell phone? Where's that app? I can't make mine do anything nearly that cool.

 

Yeah, I got my iPhone 4s for 99 cents from Verizon with a 2-yr contract renewal (of a contract I've had for 15 yrs, lol).

Seemed like a no-brainer at the time and like others here, I was advised by friends that the iPhone would be easier for a newbie to master.

 

Right
Came with no instructions whatsoever
Thankfully I have a 13 yr old niece who showed me how to work some of the features.
:-)

That, and a visit to the Verizon store where they showed me how it can be talked at and it does stuff... I do like that. '
'
Where's my rocket launching app?

 

Reached down to pet the dog yesterday
phone flies out of shirt pocket
right into dog's water dish!

@#$@#%!#%

snatched out in a fraction of a second, it appears to have no ill effects.

 

I hate when that happens.

 

My wife once went to use the toilet in an old place where they had the high wooden tank and the pull chain.
She reached up over her head to put the phone on top of the tank where it would be safe.
What she didn't know is that the old high tanks didn't have covers.

Ruh Roh!

Hey, it's only money, right?

- Eric

 

I dropped my wife's iPhone in a cup of lemonade it was in only a second, we put it in a bag of rice overnite, the next day in wouldn't work. Youtube dhow to take it apart and it was soaking wet inside. Dried it all out w help from a dehumidifier and now it works again....this happened about a year who and it's still fine.

 

I heard Facebook is closing down and users will be wandering the streets with pictures............. Walking up to strangers and saying, " Do you "like" this"?

 

An update- phone still has no "full" gage for photos, so there comes a day when your photo or video is more than it can store, and it just announces that you can't save that, then LOCKS UP... won't do anything at all until restarted.

Lately a bunch of apps failed to work, turned dark, cannot be deleted or used, and will not upate. Lovely.

So, yesterday I used the weather app to see how the snow is doing, what the temp is, etc. I have a few cities on its list- Lansing, Cupertino CA they won't let you delete, Traverse City MI, Phoenix AZ for exmple. Let me take a look right now, Sunday night. The iPhone 5-*** Weather app says:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lansing 61F = Bullshirt
weather.com says 28F and based on the frozen snow I would say that is correct.
Wednesday today = Bullsnort

Cupertino 48F = maybe, who knows?
Thursday = wow that's one hell of a time zone jump from Actual Sunday to Apple Wednesday here to Apple Thursday in CA all at the same time.

Phoenix 55F = sure maybe
Wednesday = caca del Toro

Anchorage 19F maybe OK
Thursday = more ridiculous crap

Traverse city 30F maybe ok
Sunday = wow, wait, they got the day correct for TC but not Lansing?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Utterly ridiculous uttery useless information.

Luckily people are still paying for these pcs of crap.

I would have to say NEVER GET AN APPLE PHONE. What a load of crap.

 

Well I need to update my status in the phone world. I actually got into the 21st century with an Apple I4 I got for free and a small data plan 1.5 years ago for work. Then I went back into retirement and cancelled my plan and opted for a minimum shared data plan with the family. Don't use data other than wifi. I don't really use the phone much except for emergencies and the occasional calls and texts. I may cancel it in the near future and return to the 20th century with my cable, indoor plumbing, and my laptop. I still don't see what the big deal is...

 

I just hope I own the same phone I have now when I chuck it into the ocean when I move to Florida and am done in business.

 

I just got my first smart phone and im 26.

 

I don't know what's wrong with your phone, Chris, but I've had my iPhone 5 for something like 3 years, and I've never had a single problem with it. I had an iPhone 3 before that, for at least 4 years, and never had a problem with that either.

Have you tried a hard reset? How about a full Restore? Everything that's going on sounds like it could be fixed by restoring it.
What OS are you using? Have you upgraded it past IOS 7? I've stuck with 7.1.1, since, in my opinion, OSs that come out more than about a year or two after the phone was made can overload the phone.

- Eric

 

You know, it it was actually "smart"... it would be be great.

Here's how retarded it is.

In my Contacts is a nephew, Chris H.
IN MY CONTACTS. Name, address, city just N of Lansing. A 20m drive perhaps.

"Siri, navigate to Chris H's house" I says one day. She directs me onto the highway nowhere near his house, leaving town. WTH? When I finally figured out how to make it show me the map and route... which was NOT AT ALL INTUITIVE and God forbid they use words in addition to cryptic icons so you don't have to guess what "an arrow" means... I find that Siri is directing me to an address 12 hours' drive away, in Arkansas. Not 20m North, where my Contacts listing says he lives. With zip code and everything.

Utterly useless.
NEVER GET AN APPLE phone.

 

You're doing something wrong.

- Eric

 

Evidently- buying an iPhone. At least I can help prevent others from suffering this ridiculous phone.

I just went to make screen shots to show the city vs date idiocy, and suddenly ALL the cities think it is Monday, which it is at this time. Weird.

One clue:
If I go to contacts and press the screen in the right place and get the map to the nephew's house, it works... but if I ask Siriously Stooopid to navigate there, she sends me to AK, without fail.

Here is the result of 11/23/15 Siri Inquiry for this info:

 

Not a nice trip this time of year, you ought to wait till spring to visit him.

 

That picture has me stumped. All I can guess is that there is some other piece of information in that address book listing that is making the phone think the address is somewhere else when you say it out loud. The town, Zip code, and state all add up to just north of Lansing.

As for "PS WTH is this?" those are symbols that are used universally throughout your phone (and in other phone brands as well).
The pointy arrow is a compass needle, and makes the map show your current location.
The horizontal lines with bullet points takes you to a turn-by-turn list of directions.
The square box with the up-arrow lets you send the information to someone else, or print it.
The i with the circle around it means "information" and takes you to a settings screen.

Back to my questions, though: Have you done either a hard reset or a full restore on this phone?

- Eric

 

I don't have a horse in this race. I repair the damn things for a living now, and I refuse to ever own one. The company has a fleet of some 7000 phones. I've filed any number of complains about phones that have a urine smell to them, without a warning on the repair paperwork. Bad enough I have to try and fix the damn thing ... at least give me warning to get the latex gloves on. Beer, chocolate milk, ... my respect for the human race has hit bottom and broken out a shovel. 50% of the repair tickets are solved by just doing a factory reset to get rid of the crap the morons download. Last time I check Dora the eff'n explorer isn't a required software for a phone company cable puller.

I can report that the Samsung Note 2 is one tough bastich of a phone. The glass may break, but the lcd is well cushioned and supported. I'd say the ratio of broken glass to broken LCD underneath is about 5-1. I've had one unlucky phone that I've put 6 new glasses on, the lcd is still going strong. Unbelievable. The Note 3 on the other hand ... I've twice as many broken LCDs as working lcd with broken glass. And repairing those is easily twice the work of working on the Note 2. Haven't gotten my hands on a note 4 yet ... but Samsung definitely seems to be working hard to ensure their newer phones are less serviceable.

 

Well if I would have seen this I would have tried to steer you away from Apple.

I was going to say to download Advance mobile care, But they don't have it for IOS users. Just another reason to avoid Apple products.

EDIT...two things come to mind. Check to see if your phone has the latest update, and/or maybe you might have to do a complete factory reset. You'll probably lose all your pics and videos and contacts.

I use the dropbox App as a backup for my pics and vids.

Talk to the place where you bought it from, They might/should be able to save your contact info and reload it for you.