Equally, I’ve worked my way up the heap in a predominantly Windows-world.  Beginning with Windows 3.1, 3.11 for workgroups, then on to 95, 98, the worst idea ever – Millenium, then on to XP, Vista (a.k.a. Windows 7 beta), and finally to Windows 7, I’ve become intimately familiar with the inner workings of each of these operating systems.  During that time I also became pretty familiar with Apple systems:   Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, and today’s Snow Leopard.

Last but not least, my phones started with the LG Flip Phone, before I migrated to a Blackberry, then an  HTC.  On the heels of that, I’ve also used the Samsung, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid 2, and last but not least, the Motorola Droid X.  This past weekend, I finally caved…

I now am the owner of an Apple iPhone 4s.  The circle has been completed – working from home primarily on an Apple Macbook Pro, an iPad 2, and now an iPhone 4s – this Windows certified technology geek is now pretty much an Apple fanboy!  I gotta admit – it is pretty cool gear!  I do still work with Windows systems, primarily XP and 7 (along with the server equivalents), and am still pretty well-versed on the Android systems as well (I did a roll-out of over 250 phones on my last contract job including Windows Mobile, Android, Blackberry, and Apple devices.)

I’ve resisted the single-source ownership of computing devices for as long as I could – but the deal was just too good to pass up (psst…thanks Verizon for being out of the iPhone 4….the 4s is a great device at the discounted rate I got!)  Why did I switch?  Touch screen more than anything else.  Every smart phone I’ve had (primarily the Motorolas), the touch screen has lost sensitivity to the point where I have found it difficult to even unlock the phone or answer a call.  My upgrade window at Verizon kicked in Jan 1st.  I debated long and hard about it as the iPhone 4 was a $100 upgrade cost, and the iPhone 4s was a $200 upgrade.

After trading in my Droid X and an old iPod Touch, I had about $94 in credit due…so figured for $6, I could try it once.  A visit to the store and I was told that the iPhone 4 was out of stock – would I be interested in the 4s?  Well sure, but I had not intended to pay more than my original upgrade cost.  Well, Mr. Anderson, since you’ve been a faithful Verizon customer for so long, let’s see what we can do.  I walked out of the store with the 4s for $6!  Sort of a no-brainer…

Are you resisting the trend?  What are your platforms?  Am I joining your fold or have I betrayed the open sourced cause?

Goodbye.

There are those among you that are wondering where I am going, and what is going to happen next.  There is good news and bad news in this.  The good news is that I actually am not going anywhere.  The bad news?  I’m not going anywhere!   So, why the heartfelt goodbye?  Because my Macbook battery has finally bitten the bullet and died on me.  It’s not all the way gone, but I can barely hold a charge for more than 30 minutes before needing to plug in.  I am going with the replacement option from Apple direct, though the $129 price has me cringing.  Thank goodness for NAPP discounts!  It also has me looking at other options though for external power that is also portable.  A friend in the NAPP forums linked me to a product called the Hyperdrive, and it looks like a pretty cool option.  Here’s the link for it in case you are interested:  Hyperdrive Website

So, why is this in the hardware review section?  It’s not for lack of products to review, rather because of the timeliness of it.  As I encounter roadblocks or problems, I like to share them with you – so that we can learn and develop and grow from the shared experiences.  My lesson this time?  To always use an AC source when available.  Just because your laptop is capable of being cord-free doesn’t mean you simply must be cord-free.  If you have an AC source, use it!  As I learned, replacement batteries are expensive, and having to get a new one in under 3 years is not an easy pill to swallow. Since batteries are finite in the number of recharge cycles they can take, you don’t want to deplete your battery when not necessary, so plug in when you can!  Make sure you charge!

Here’s a couple resources from the Apple website on batteries, their conditioning, and maintenance (yes, batteries need maintenance too – perhaps I should write a maintenance schedule for batteries! ):

• Battery Information
• Laptop Battery Information
  
• Maintenance and Calibration
  

So, make sure you charge, discharge, and calibrate your batteries.  I’ve done so with batteries in other devices, like my camera, flash batteries and all, but had never thought to do so for the laptop.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

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