iPhone SE Takes Some Getting Used To

Going from an iPhone 6Plus to an iPhone SE is not easy task.  I can't type straight, I squint a bit more to see stuff, but it fits easily in my pockets, runs my apps with fantastic speed, and the battery life is longer.

A photo posted by Mike Mu (@mikemuonline) on Jul 28, 2016 at 8:00am PDT

So far, day two - its not as bad as I thought going back to a smaller iPhone.  I love that the bulge in my pocket is much smaller and that the whole phone fits easily in my hand, making it easier to hold the phone and talk without fear of losing my grip.

What bugs me so far is the same as several years ago front facing camera.  That alone might make me switch back to a 6S or 6S Plus because I do intend to record some video blogs while traveling.  Does that outweight the extra portability and smaller size?  I have less than 2 weeks before the return date.

Update on 2016-08-09 16:47 by Mike Mu

iPhone 5SE Quick Review - What mattered to me.

A video posted by Mike Mu (@mikemuonline) on Aug 5, 2016 at 12:34pm PDT

Stolen S6 Edge Phone - 64GB AT&T

This was stolen on January 17th, 2016, in Milpitas, CA in a Korean Restaurant.

IMEI: 359706060296638
Reward offered.

Gold S6 Edge. SAMSUNG SM-G925A

Google's New Cell Phone Service is Coming!

Request an invite here.  It'll be a mix of T-mobile and Sprint and a Nexus 6 phone. Some FAQs here.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 is Photographer's EDC

You know the saying?  The best camera is the one you have with you... Well, this may just be the best camera!

This was announced at Photokina recently and it looks to be positioned as the photographer's Every Day Carry camera.  A smartphone but with an awesome camera behind it with a truly enormous (by pocket camera standards) 1" sensor!

It does lack an optical zoom, but it is a smartphone after all.  Full Android smartphone!

No word on if it will be released in the US, but we can all wish can't we?

Lock in Your iPhone 5/5s Prices Now for iPhone 6 Upgrade

I saw some pretty decent trade-in prices for iPhones as credit from Amazon.com.  The quoted prices you get lock in even after the anticipated iPhone 6 announcment in less than a week from now.  

So if you think there is a chance you will want to upgrade, its best you lock in the trade-in price now and decide later.  No obligation to trade-in / sell if you change your mind.  

Update on 2014-09-13 19:57 by Mike Mu

Amazon is offering up to a $400 Amazon credit when you trade in a qualifying Apple product. Includes iPhones, iPads, iPods and more. Click the "Trade in" button under the item you have to select condition and see what kind of credit you can get for it.

They are offering up to $276 for the iPhone 5s (16GB), up to $400 for the iPhone 5s (64GB), up to $104 for the iPhone 4s (16GB) and up to $250 for the iPhone 5 (16GB).

Amazon Fire Phone, Will You Get One?

It comes out in less than a week.  Amazon's first ad focuses mostly on the free Amazon prime you get (so that you buy more) from them, and not so much the phone itself.

For a limited time, you get Amazon Prime (One Year Membership) with each phone.  If you are already a member, you get an additional year added at no extra charge.  For me, this puts the basic Amazon Fire Phone, 32GB (AT&T) at $99 (since I will be keeping Prime), plus the 2 year agreement.

Forget the NEXT option - it simply doesn't make sense to pay for the full price of the phone over the course of 12 / 18 months, and then not get to keep it when you want to upgrade.

I'm particularly interested in the camera quality, features and the unlimited online storage that comes with it.  Its too early to tell the benefits of the other gimicky features I may or may not use.  

Know that the Fire phone runs a tweaked version of Android and so does not have access to all the apps on Google Play store, just the ones on Amazon's app store.  Personally, I just want access to a few key apps anyway so this isn't a big issue for me (as a secondary phone).

Finally it comes down to AT&T vs Verizon.  I have coverage in 4G most places, just not LTE.  I can live with that since I will definitely be keeping the iPhone on Verizon for another year and its blazing fast on Verizon.  

It'll have to be a second device.  What about you?  Will you get a Fire phone?

Dangers of Cell Phone Exposure

One Day Left to Back Galileo

AT&T Microcell is driving me nuts!! Its up... no its down. It's up again!

One of the most frequently occurring things is someone calling me, and getting voicemail.  (Thank you AT&T!  No really, you screen my phone calls for me.  I have an iPhone but really wanted an iTouch with GPS capabilities).  

It seems to go down at random times during the day, but more so after 10 PM PST.  There is simply no warning or schedule to it - it simply goes down and then comes back up when it decides to.  Resetting it / rebooting it seems to have no effect what-so-ever on it.

Right now its up!  Yay!

I should mention that the Microcell was purchased used - hey!  maybe that's why the jerk sold it to me.  j/k.  I'm sure all craigslist sellers have the best of intentions but end up looking shady anyway.

Lately I've been getting "thank you for activating your MicroCell 3G" emails from AT&T.  What's that about?  Maybe it's AT&T's fault?  (Wait wasn't it always AT&T's fault?)

I'm sooo ready to adopt Verizon and Apples upcoming iPhone baby.  Too bad I'm still stuck in contract with AT&T for 2 years...

So that's my experience with the MicroCell so far.  I try to be the glass is half full type of guy, so I like to think of it as a bonus when I DO get reception and 50 angry text messages / voicemails at a time...

Update on 2011-03-22 06:55 by Mike Mu

I am happy to report that generally for the past two months, the MicroCell has been working as intended without issue.  

Well, except when too much bandwidth is being used and TimeWarner throttles my internet connection because I'm uploading so many YouTube videos and photos...  But that's TimeWarner's fault.  May be time to switch to Verizon FIOS.

Bees getting killed by cell phone radiation

Old news, but more studies have come to light that mobile cell phone radiation may be reducing population of bees.  A recent study in India showed that when exposed to 900 Mhz GSM cell phone radiation, bee colonies population declined when compared to a dummy cell phone placed at a bee colony.

Google this.

Maybe it's time we consider low radiation alternatives to sticking that cell phone next to your brain on that next lengthy cell phone call.

Radiation Poisoning from your Cell phone: Is yours in the top 20?

ZDnet reports the top 20 highest radiation cellphones in their photo gallery.

The worst is a 3 way tie:

1. T-Mobile Dash
2. Pixi Plus
3. Nokia 2320 Go Phone

 

And here's a 10 lowest list.

You are being tracked by the government through your cellphone

You've seen it in the movies.  You've heard about it from others.  Newsweek has covered it.  Heck, they sell software that you can install on cell phones that will track and report all activity for under $40.00.

The only way to prevent from being tracked through your cell phone, is to make sure there isn't any transmission going out.  Best way to do this is to cut the power completely by physically taking the battery out.