Random 60: TXT or call?

Which would you prefer? Do you like getting text messages or would you rather someone give you a call and have a conversation about what they want? Are you like me and you’d like phone calls from family and friends for conversation but would rather a simple TXT message or email for business communications?

Let me know in the comments!

My friend Matt, a fan of all things Apple and future switcher, owns a laptop. Actually it is a tablet-PC and has all of the latest hardware and software including a 64bit processor and gobs of RAM. Though my blood runs thick with Mac-cells, I know a good piece of hardware when I see it, and Matt’s laptop is top-of-the-line. There is only one problem; it came pre-installed with Windows Vista.

I’ve only got limited experience with Vista but from that limited experience I have drawn the opinion that if I were forced to use the Operating System full time I’d likely jump off of a bridge. This isn’t to say that I’m not willing to admit that in many ways Vista is vastly superior to its predecessors (like, say, in the security department) but I don’t even like the way that it does these few things better. You know what? We’ll get into this at a whole different time, b’okay?

So Matt has a great laptop that runs Vista. Fast forward to ‘the other day’ and Matt picked himself up a brand-new shiny iPhone. If you know Matt, and some of you reading this do, you’ll know that at this point Matt’s blood is practically boiling with excitement. He probably can’t shut his mouth for even a second and his hair has gone straight. This kid wanted an iPhone pretty badly.

Matt Dottle approves

Matt calls me: “Dude, I got an iPhone! Now what do I need to do? Just go home and plug it in right?” My reply: “Yeah. Everything should work man you just bought an Apple product. Go home. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes and you should be all good.”

I think by now you realize where this is going. Matt installed the latest version of iTunes, plugged in his iPhone and received the following message: “iPhone not recognized in this version of iTunes.” This message is a bit of a misnomer but I’ll skip right to the part where I explain what is going on here.

During the iTunes installation Vista blocked the iPhone’s USB driver from being installed.

It is pretty much as simple as that. I don’t care if there are good or bad reasons for why this happens. And I don’t care whose fault it is because I’m blaming both Apple and Microsoft for not displaying an error message about how to fix the issue. But I think this sucks.

Oh, you know what sucks worse: If you are running Windows Vista 64bit you can not use iPhone. You will get this same error message mention above only you won’t be able to solve the issue like we did. It is merely a footnote on Apple’s Web site under minimum system requirements for iPhone. I am not sure if this is Apple dragging its feet on a 64bit driver for Windows or if this is something on Microsoft’s end.

So here is how you fix it in the 32bit version of Windows Vista; You need to turn off UAC, User Access Control, before you begin the iTunes installation. So if you’ve already installed iTunes, uninstall it using the same installer that you used to install iTunes, then turn off UAC by opening your Control Panel and searching for User Access Control in the top right hand search box. Install iTunes again, and voila!

I’m happy that there is a solution, and I’m not that bitter, it just took way too long to find the answer to this problem and I would love to see Apple or Microsoft handle this issue a little better. Having a better error message would go a long way I think.

Combine this UAC headache and the fact that we couldn’t activate iPhone for him until the next day and you see why we were frustrated.

My next story will be about Epson’s printers. Have you had any crappy tech experiences lately? Pingback this post if you have.

Recently though I’ve seen some people saying that they don’t know why I am getting an iPhone, why I’m willing to pay so much money, why I’m getting the first version, and some don’t even “understand the fuss over the iPhone”. So I thought I’d take a moment and explain why I am getting an iPhone and why I think there is so much fuss about it.

My reasons for getting an iPhone

Late last year rumors had been flying that Apple was going to be creating a mobile phone. Being a fan of every Apple product that I currently own, this piqued my interest. If my iPods, Macbook, and even my keyboard and mouse have left me a completely satisfied customer – why wouldn’t I expect a mobile phone from Apple to do the same? So I suppose the very first reason for me getting an iPhone is because it is from Apple. Call this being a fanboy if you want, but I’d like to classify this as being a happy, loyal customer of a company who builds great products.

I have not had a mobile phone since 2001-2002. Since then Eliza and I have both shared a prepaid phone that we only use sparingly, in emergencies, or Eliza has it in her purse when she’s out and about by herself. When I tell people that I haven’t had a phone for five or six years I usually get a reaction that borders on astonishment. Then, after only a few minutes, people tell me how lucky I am for not having a phone and being “connected” all the time. I concur. And my new iPhone’s number will probably only be given to a very short list of people that need to be in touch with me – and I will have strict rules as to when I answer business / personal calls. Anyone that knows my strict “social site friending rules” can probably tell you that I’ll end up living by those rules too. So I suppose not having a mobile phone for so long, and wanting to have a hand-held device that does even a fraction of what the iPhone is featuring – is my second reason for getting an iPhone.

My home phone is powered by VOIP through my local cable company. If you’ve ever called me at home, you needn’t continue reading this paragraph. Suffice to say – it is horrible. Constant cut-outs, dropped calls, “I can hear you, but you can’t hear me” moments, etc. This has been extremely frustrating since I’ve gotten this phone and I plan to get rid of it shortly after securing my iPhone. So “because my current phone sucks” could be considered my third reason for getting an iPhone.

To sum up, I could just say: “Because I need a mobile phone!” And, looking at the current market of mobile phones at the moment – there really isn’t any phones out there that come close to the iPhone. Yes, other phones have similar sets of features and some have much more to offer than the iPhone. However, I think we can all agree on the iPhone’s user-interface being vastly superior to anything out there currently and probably anything to come for quite some time.

About the price of the iPhone

So it costs like $600 USD for one of these things, right? I can understand why some would be put off by the price. To put it simply: the iPhone is an expensive gadget. Over the last several years I’ve purchased a brand new computer roughly every nine months. I do not purchase my computers on credit – so I typically save enough to buy these computers. However, as I’ve recently written, I’ve owned my current Macbook for over one year already. Sure I’d like to upgrade to the latest Macbook, but the budget doesn’t currently allow it. And being that the iPhone is almost like purchasing a mini-laptop with a phone attached – I can more than justify for the cost. Can’t I? Combine that with the fact that Apple let us know the prices for the iPhone six months ago, this made it a little easier to plan for the purchase.

Nice things cost money. Everything that I own I bought because I wanted or needed it. Some of these things might indeed cost more than their competitors and usually there is a reason for that. They’re better. I believe the iPhone is no different. In many ways, for me personally, the iPhone is better than its competitors and I am willing to pay for that.

What about the fuss? Why all the fuss?

I can see people not wanting an iPhone. I can understand why some would think the iPhone is too expensive for them. I can see being satisfied with one’s current mobile phone and carrier and not wanting to make the jump. I can also see not wanting to buy a first version gadget. What I can not fathom though, is looking at the iPhone and not “understanding what all the fuss is about”.

The iPhone’s interface alone is a huge step forward for mobile phones. The multi-touch capabilities, especially on a phone, is a giant leap forward for human / input interfaces. (Some seem to think this interface is a big deal on a table, imagine a phone!) The combining of an iPod (which is far better than the current lineup of iPods sans hard drive space), a mobile phone that seemingly is easier to use than any other phone in the industry, and a device that allows you to surf the Web using a “real” Web browser – is something that has never even been attempted. So how would there not be fuss? How can you look at the iPhone and not know that it is a device that will change the industry for the better? If the iPhone failed miserably, (perhaps because Apple can’t keep up with demand, the network sucks, who knows), it would still be good for the industry because other manufacturers are now scrambling to create similar if not better user experiences and features on their phones. This type of competition is good for everyone and especially us consumers.

I’m not a mobile phone expert. I don’t know how the iPhone stacks up against all of its competitors in terms of features and affordability. But I can say that the iPhone is already killing the competition with regards to ease-of-use, design, and attention.

I can’t wait until Friday.

Update, Tuesday: Now that AT&T and Apple have shown the rate plans and demonstrated the new way to handle mobile phone activation, I’m wondering if people will “get it” now. That is truly awesome.