iPhone 3GS: Once Again Dead Rooster Reviews Stale Technology
The iPhone 3GS has been out now for several months, maybe even more than a year, I don’t really know, but with a laziness factor that goes to 11, I am certainly not going to take the time to look it up.
Anyway, the iPhone 3GS is new to me—I just got one last Thursday—so, for me, this is cutting-edge technology.
Right away I noticed the brilliant marketing scheme involved with this phone. Sure, I saved $400 on the purchase by upgrading my existing phone plan, but the first thing you are required to do once you get it home, is whip out your credit card and set up an iTunes account.
This is not optional. You need an iTunes account in order to get updates to you phone’s software.
The phone is equipped with several “apps” which enable you to do things like check the current temperature, find where you are on a map, etc., but I can’t for the life of me find anything that tells me how much battery life I’ve got left.
Luckily, there’s an app that takes you to the “app store” in order to find an app that you can download which will tell you how much battery life you have left. In fact, there are several apps that do this—many you can download free of charge. But, while you’re there getting your free battery app, it’s irresistible to to avoid checking out the thousands of other apps they have which do AMAZING things. Of course, these apps are not always free.
For instance, while I was at the app store, I got:
- AppBox Pro (a collection of apps including a really cool battery-life app) $1.99
- Snapture (a photography app enabling you to extend the phone’s camera features) $1.99
- Simply Tweet (a Twitter app that is TOTALLY worth the price) $4.99
- Fresh Feed (a Friendfeed app. I NEED THIS!) $2.99
- Red Laser (scans barcodes with your phone and searches the web for the best deals) $1.99
- Battery Magic Pro (an even BETTER battery app I found after I bought AppBox Pro) $1.99
- Best Camera (yet another app to enhance photos) $2.99
After adding a few MP3’s at $.99 – $1.29 each my total coming out of there was about $27.
And, I thought Microsoft was evil.
Dead Rooster is the online home of 
Rooster, you’ve just begun. Next, you’ll purchase a few albums to listen to on the built-in iPod, then you’ll discover the 3GS’s video capability and you’ll be back in the App Store looking for more. All the major news networks have iPhone apps too, and now, more and more local ones do too. So, set aside some play money and sink your teeth in!
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William McCamment
reply on October 7th, 2009 4:17 am:
I did actually download some music, but learned a valuable lesson: when you download photos off your camera and tell the software to erase the photos off your phone, make sure you’re not erasing your music files along with them.
I now have no music in the built-in iPod. D’oh!
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I would spend $400 just on the music and apps alone. Do they have an app showing you how to *avoid* buying more apps? I’ve been wanting one, but I have the perfect excuse not to get one. I couldn’t see to work the thing without my glasses and I don’t wear my glasses. Even my blind laziness in complimentary.
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William McCamment
reply on October 7th, 2009 4:19 am:
See, this is just the reason why I DID get this phone; I can SEE THE KEYPAD! When you turn it sideways, it goes the whole length of the phone!
You better get one!
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WOW! I’m impressed but then again I don’t own either a cell phoe or an ipod let, alone one of these babies.
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William McCamment
reply on October 7th, 2009 4:26 am:
TT! It’s time you wake up and smell the 21st century! Get rid of your land line and get a cell phone!
With this phone it will be about $95 a month (not counting my addiction to paid apps which, eventually, will subside—I hope). Cheaper than my old land line that I canceled.
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Now you just need the “Stop Playing with Your Phone and Call your Girlfriend APP”
(only $4.99!)
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William McCamment
reply on October 7th, 2009 4:39 am:
I would think that app would be cheaper than $4.99.
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So the money you save with the Red Scan barcode price comparison app, you can use to buy other apps…
Um, yeah. Bargain.
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William McCamment
reply on October 7th, 2009 12:10 pm:
That’s what I was thinking too, Jenn.
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I had no idea people actually bought apps. I used to read about ringtones and then read a study that people that spent the most on ringtones were strongly connected to people that were likely to get evicted. Maybe apps are the opposite?
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William McCamment
reply on October 13th, 2009 8:37 am:
If I don’t stop buying apps, I’ll get evicted myself!
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I had an iPhone, the one before the 3G version. I loved all that it could do , though of course I had no real need for any of the apps. I truly enjoyed knowing the temperature in St. Paul, Balsam Lake, WI and London. I didn’t have a whole of memory so couldn’t keep much music on it but enough to get by for a weekend. It was great to surf the web too. But it SUCKED AS A PHONE! I could never answer it when I was driving and it was useless while wearing gloves, which we do up here 6 months out of the year. I sold it on eBay for twice what I paid for it new. I now have a CrackBerry.
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William McCamment
reply on October 13th, 2009 8:41 am:
Wow! I never thought of that. I used to live in Wisconsin and I could see how it would suck as a phone; not only that, but slipping on the ice and breaking it would suck even more!
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To show your battery percentage
Go to settings
general
usage
then show percentage.
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William McCamment
reply on November 2nd, 2009 7:41 pm:
Very cool! Thanks!
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i had one and i loved it! it was a white 32gb 3gs and then the battery died on me the other day!!! i am waiting 4 a replacemnet battery and doing it myself which is costing £7.99! cuz if u send it to apple they wipe everything off ur iphone and the battery isnt covered by the warrenty!! i dont like being iphoneless i loved my iphone!!!!
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