By now everyone has probably heard about the Verizon iPhone allegedly coming in January (if you haven’t then you’re not a real geek).

Many of my friends are planning on ditching Ma Bell for the red V after suffering many years of horrible signal (at least the urban warriors).

Not even the ETF (aka Early Termination Fee) is enough to scare them away (despite the expense).

So why is this iGeek refusing to leave despite the fact that my ETF is much lower?

Because if I switch to Verizon I will:

• Lose the ability to simultaneously place a call while reading an email attachment, Google Maps, etc.
• Lose roll over minuets which allow me to use the basic call plan without having to pay for unlimited minuets every month
• A faster 3G speed. Verizon’s is much more stable, however it’s very slow when compared to AT&T’s (it reminds me of EDGE sometimes).
• A global phone. Verizon uses CDMA which is as useful as an Old English yard stick in Europe, Asia, etc. (GSM is the “metric” system of the world

While I would love to see a Verizon iPhone (mainly so my siblings & cousins would finally join), I will refrain from joining the masses and defecting towards the red V (the other V for you scifi freaks!).

Oh, and there is one more reason why I wouldn’t leave AT&T:

Once the masses crash Verizon’s network, AT&T will be the party scene as their network will no longer be clogged by data hungry users.

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As much as I love my iPhone 3GS (which I bought last year), I’m going to do something completely insane: I’m going to give away my iPhone 3GS instead of selling it.

I actually did ponder selling the iPhone 3GS, along with a battery extender from FastMac (which includes a built in flash light) which together are probably valued at $200 (I paid $300 plus for both items).

Apple is currently selling 8 gig iPhone 3GS’s for $100, although the one I have is 16 gig (double the storage baby!).

So why am I giving it away? Because I can, and (more importantly) I think it will be a great opportunity to introduce someone to the iCult.

So who am I giving the iPhone 3GS away to? Lets just say that their is a short list, but everyone on it has NEVER owned a smart phone before, so this will be a great opportunity for them to experience iBliss.

Since I won’t reveal who is receiving this gift until my iPhone 4 is activated (which I have to purchase near full price since I do not qualify for AT&T’s subsidy), it will be a few weeks until the person is revealed.

Either way, I hope they enjoy using the iPhone as much as I did (especially since they could REALLY use some of  the apps to help organize and improve their life), although hopefully they’ll keep it out of the hands of kids (as its fragile!!).

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So after watching WWDC (repeatedly), I’m now torn on whether to purchase an iPhone 4 (32 GB) or an iPad 3G (64 GB).

Due to my inability to make the AT&T December cutoff, I can only choose one (as iPhone 4 will cost me $500 instead of $300, unless I add a 2nd line).

However if I choose the iPad, it will set me back $1,000 total (as I plan to purchase the keyboard charger plus a case to go with it).

So what is the hold up? The iPhone 4 is my dream phone. Let me explain.

When I purchased the original iPhone (refurbished of course), I loved everything about it. It was sturdy, tough (I know because I dropped it quite a few times), it was my beastly smartphone.

Unfortunately it lacked a video camera, and even if you jailbroke it, the 2 mpx camera wasn’t anything to boast about.

It also lacked 3G too, making Internet browsing over EDGE (aka 2G) “almost decent.”

Then came the iPhone 3G, which also lacked video but came with the 3G speed. I opted to skip this phone and wait for the iPhone 3GS which had 3G and video support (albeit 3.1 mpx).

My biggest issue with the iPhone 3GS was its fragility, which made it too delicate to leave in the hands of clumbsy people.

So I had to sacrifice a quality design for awesome features–until now.

The iPhone 4 has HD video, LED flash, is built like a beast (metal and “glass,” or rather a very hard plastic) and gyro to boot!

So the question remains, should I skip the iPhone 4 and just get an iPad 3G? Or should I hold off on Steve Jobs greatest creation and embrace my iDream?

I guess well find out at the end of June!

–Posted from my iPhone

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(Image Credit: Engadget)

Okay, I don’t have any spies inside Apple HQ (you’ll have to contact Michael Arrington for success in that department) but looking at last year’s clues I have the feeling that the next iPhone HD (aka iPhone 4G) is going to be classified as a medical device. Yes seriously.

Before I delve into the latest iRumor, here is a video from last year debuting iPhone 3.0 OS.

This idea apparently was inspired by a diabetic who pleaded Steve Jobs to make managing diabetes much easier.

Life Scan announced this app at the WWDC last year, but unlike the various other apps (ranging from multi-player games to enterprise apps) Life Scan never appeared in the app store–and Steve Jobs never breathed a hint about this app again.

I suspect that as soon as this app was revealed, Uncle Sam (or the US Government for you non-yanks) got involved, and that Apple and Life Scan had to go through some medical approval process before being allowed to mention this app again.

I also suspect that this feature (or app) will ONLY be available upon the upcoming iPhone (which could be called iPhone HD or iPhone MD).

Again, I have no hard evidence on whether or not this is true (so you’ll have to tap your own sources as Apple is as secretive as the Kremlin), but I have a feeling that Steve Jobs is going to unveil iPhone MD in a few days.

And when that happens, we will hear a loud, rusty, breaking sound, as Android devices everywhere are seen as “green junk.”

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(Image Credit: Mobile Computing)

Ever since Opera was able to put Opera Mini upon the iPhone, bloggers, journalists and tweetaholics have been experiencing “geek shock” that El Jobso would approve another browser outside of Safari.

Opera mini has been downloaded over 1 million times in the app store over the past 3 days and many iLovers have made Opera their default iBrowser (well, unless you click on a link within an email in which case Safari still takes over).

But enough of the Opera stats, I’m here to write about Firefox!

Last year Firefox announced plans to create an iPhone app which would allow users to surf the net outside of Apple’s native Safari.

With Opera’s approval, I was hoping that the company would seriously consider building an iPhone app, as that would give users 3 1/2 choices when it comes to iBrowsing (currently iFans only have Safari and Opera, plus “remixes” of Safari on the iPhone).

Unfortunately it looks like Firefox isn’t interested in building an app upon Steve Jobs playground, despite the fact that users are asking for a Firefox browser for their iDevice.

(Fierce Mobile Content) Mozilla, maker of the popular Firefox browser, said it does not plan to build an iPhone version of its Firefox Mobile product, and Bolt browser maker Bitstream and NetFront browser maker Access have similar positions.

“Our understanding of browsers in the iPhone App Store is that a ‘full’ Web browser like Firefox that incorporates its own Web rendering and JavaScript engines would be prohibited,” said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla’s vice president of product. “We have no insight into any arrangement between Apple and Opera.”

So it looks like Firefox is not going to invest in an iPhone browser after all, despite Opera’s success with the device.

Currently the only browser business interested in the iPhone who has a chance of getting approved is Skyfire, who is really popular on mobile phones powered by Windows 6.x (which will become extinct thanks to Windows 7 Mobile).

While I think Firefox is making a HUGE mistake by ignoring the iPhone, hopefully the company has more success with Android devices (which are starting to become really popular amongst my extended family).

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Ghetto!!!

It seems my brothers, sisters, cousins, neices and nephews have one thing in common: they all want smart phones for Christmas!!

Being the chief geek in the tribe I decided to pick up an iPhone when they first came out, then purchased the iPhone 3GS later on (although I do miss my iMetal friend–I hope ___ _____ is enjoying it).

Most of them are on Verizon (which I left) so I don’t have to worry about picking up an iPhone for them (even though they want one really bad).

Unfortunately many of them want the next best thing, and since most of Verizon’s phones are ugly (Moterola Droid included–at least that is what my sister said) they are all looking for the next best thing.

Since I don’t feel like paying $200/person per phone (and will not either by the way), I am going to have to hunt for some awesome deals at WalMart, Bestbuy, eBay and Amazon.

Thus far I’m heavily looking at the Droid Eris, which has a nice user interface that actually rivals the iPhone (a first in my honest opinion).

The phone is decent, and inexpensive (at least at WalMart).

I missed the $30 Eris Droid sale on Black Friday (Grrrrrrr!!!!) but hopefully it’s still cheap enough for me to purchase a few for the extended family (although they’ll have to pay for Verizon’s draconian service plan themselves). I might also consider a Blackberry Storm 2–depending on the deals they have. (hint, hint!)

What I really want to do is send them all an I.O.U. for Christmas and wait until they mysterious Google Phone appears (which according to rumors is similar to the HTC Passion).

The phone is coming out next year, and I know they will enjoy it tremendously (not to mention save me some cash!!).

So I can either get them an inexpensive gift this year (say a DVD) until the killer phone launches (just in time for birthdays) or attempt to buy them a smart phone which will become obsolete next year.

Either way, I need to make a decision–soon!! (as Christmas is next week!)

– Posted from my iPhone

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