New Apple iPads Are in the Works

Credit: thewomensvirtualmarket.com

April could be the sweetest month for iPad zealots this year. Pundits are claiming that Apple plans to release the next iPad as soon as this April, which will presumably include both the fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad and perhaps the second-generation iPad mini. The rumors say that Apple will launch a redesigned version of the 9.7-inch iPad next month, and that Apple is not yet ready to take the wraps off a Retina-equipped version of the iPad mini.  I’m sure this news will rain on many Apple users’ parade.

One consumer electronics analyst said, “Apple is not going to release iPads that costs more or don’t get as good battery life as the current models. So, if the next iPad mini does end up getting slated for April, it could be a spec bump, or have something new other than Retina as a differentiator.”

Reliable sources also claim that Apple plans to release the iPhone 5S by this August at the latest. The newest iPhone will have the same basic design as the iPhone 5 and will feature “a more advanced processor and an improved camera.” As of this moment in time, we have no idea whether Apple also plans to release, either a cheaper version of the iPhone or a larger “iPhablet” at any point this year.  I guess we’ll have to start playing the waiting game.  Good Day.

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The Saga of Flawed Apple Maps App Continues

No matter how hard Apple is trying to iron out the wrinkles of its deficient Maps application, the problem doesn’t seem to fade away.  Instead it’s getting bad publicity in other parts of the world.  This time, the faulty software is hitting the headlines in Australia’s newspapers in a bad way.

The people from the “land down under” are fuming about the crippled software after being led to an arid land in the middle of nowhere infested with snakes.

Australian police have warned travelers from using Apple’s flawed iPhone Map software after several motorists became stuck in a snake-infested, desert corner of the country while using their phone for driving directions.

Instead of reaching the tourist town of Mildura, tourists were misled to the arid Murray Sunset National Park, a relatively dry region accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Apple’s CEO, Tim Book, apologized to customers last September for problems with the new mobile mapping application and suggested they use a rival product from Google until the bugs had been crushed  The application is built for the iPhone, but works just fine on an iPad too.  Google Maps is free and available even as we speak.  Google Maps is now available for iOS devices.

Apple also fired top executives behind the faulty software, and handed responsibility for software and hardware design to industrial design guru Jonathan Ive to fix the fiasco.

Credit: Apple Inc.

Steve Jobs in his time had to tackle the Antennagate fiasco and had to give away rubber covers for the faulty iPhone antenna; now Tim Cook is having a nightmare with a pesky Mapsgate.  When you’re number one, everyone is looking at you and your performance like a fish in a bowl.  Good Day.

Source:  Australian police warn against using Apple Maps due to stranded motorists – CBS News

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Is Amazon.com Following Apple’s Path?

Jeff Bezos, current CEO of Amazon.com. Credit: Fortune Magazine

After the sudden departure of Steve Jobs from the scene, Apple seems to continue the culture quality promoted by its legendary Guru.  Tim Cook has taken over the reins of the company and is following Steven’s pattern of continuous improvements by the book.  The only problem is that Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs.  Geniuses like Steve Jobs are not up for sale for a dime a dozen.

As you probably know, Steve Jobs was booted out of Apple by John Scully in a bitter managerial quarrel, and was called back to the company after acquiring NeXT in 1996.  The deal brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and provided Apple with the NeXTSTEP codebase, from which the Mac OX was developed. Jobs was named Apple advisor in 1996, interim CEO in 1997, and CEO from 2000 until his resignation. He oversaw the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad and the company Apple Retail Stores.  He also changed the business model of Apple.  Instead of being a computer company, it was now a global consumer electronics company.  It made Apple spin on the top of a pin and took the whole world by storm.

Will anybody step in and fill the vacuum left by Jobs?  Pundits are wondering and making all kinds of speculations.  The name that keeps coming back and back is Jeff Bezos, the smiling CEO of Amazon.com.  Out of the blue, he consolidated the largest and most productive online retailer the world has ever known.  Any imaginable product you can think of is only a click away at Amazon.com.  Its prices are outstanding and customer service is one of the best in the block.

Amazon became the symbol of book retailing over the Web and a trillion other things as well.  Then Bezos made a brilliant move.  He introduced the Kindle e-book reader and shook the foundations of the publishing industry.  Then he surprised us with the Kindle Fire tablet and once more opened the door to a new niche within the tablet business.  He wasn’t trying to kill the Apple iPad, he was just creating a new subcategory in the tablet business and mainstream America bought the idea.  I understand Amazon.com is selling approximately one million Kindle Fires per week.  Not bad for a book peddler.

Amazon, of course, is much more than a retailer these days. It’s also a web hosting service, with Amazon Web Service powering such giants as Netflix, Reddit, and Foursquare.

Of course, the company has also led the eBook revolution, and with its launch of the popular Kindle Fire, has created a unique and impressive way to get us all to carry around little touch-screen cash registers.

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is almost certainly the best deal anywhere on the internet, giving customers free 2-day shipping, tons of streaming video, cloud storage, and numerous other perks for only $79/year.  Customers who subscribe to Prime spend more than double what other customers do, and it’s still an amazing deal.

Jeff Bezos is not content with what he has accomplished.  He wants more.  There are rumors out there, that Amazon.com is planning to launch a Kindle smart phone and enter the shark infested waters of the mobile phone arena.  The Web is buzzing about the intentions of Amazon working on a mobile phone which should be released sometime next year.  Now analysis of Amazon’s supply chain in the Far East has revealed that the 7″ tablet may just be the beginning of an assault on the touchscreen entertainment monopoly that Apple has built over the past decade. A smartphone—similar to Apple’s iPhone, but considerably cheaper—could be on sale by late next year.

Citigroup believes that it will cost Amazon between $150 to $170 to build the smartphone, and analysts say that the company could sell the device to carriers at or near cost. This is, in contrast, to other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), such as HTC, who would price the smartphone at $243, in order to make 30 percent gross margin. Meanwhile, carriers pay $600 and upwards for the iPhone.

It’s already rumored that the handset will feature a dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor, which promises such benefits as high performance and low power consumption, PC-like browsing, and 1,080 pixel HD video capture and playback.

A Kindle smartphone makes sense for Amazon, but it would also be a huge risk.  The tech landscape is as crazy and disruptive as ever.  As we all know, the future is shrouded in uncertainty. But I wouldn’t bet against Jeff Bezos any time soon making a big splash in the cellphone pool.  Good Day.

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A Cellphone Technician in the Making

The day before yesterday, something strange happened to my Chinese iPhone cloned cellphone.  While surfing the web with its Wi-Fi feature, it suddenly froze.  The screen indicated it was a Java problem.  I could receive calls, but that was it.

Yesterday I drove over to El Dorado where there are several small Chinese repair shops for cellphones.  I found one and a friendly technician opened the phone, pulled the battery out for a few seconds, put it back again and turned the mobile phone On.  Voila, everything was working again.  When I was going to pay him, he said, “No problem, no big deal.”  I decided to pay him $5.00 and that for me was cheap, since I like this phone a lot.  It’s been with me for almost two years and performing remarkably well.

Anyway, when I was exiting the shop, I saw a small Chinese baby in a plastic carriage which was tied up with a long string to a counter.  He could only roll his carriage so far, then he had to recoil and start again.  I could see he was not happy.  I asked his mother, who was nearby, if I could give him a candy I had in my pocket.  She assented and the baby acquired a happier face.  Then I asked if I could take a picture of the child.  Again, the proud mother consented.

I tried to get a smile from the child, but no joy.  Even the mother tried to help me in getting that elusive smile.  However, the picture came out quite nice.  Take a look at this future mobile phone expert.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a baby in a mobile phone repair shop at El Dorado in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Netflix is Now Available in Panama

Credit: Netflix Inc.

True to its word, Netflix became available in Panama and other countries in Latin America.  On mid morning yesterday, Monday, September 12, 2011, I received an e-mail from Netflix advising that I could open an account to use their services in Panama.

A month earlier I had already done that, and was only waiting for the launch date sometime in September.  All I needed was to include my credit card information and apply for a 30-day-free-trial period.  That process took less than 5 minutes.  I was ready to go with a database of hundreds if not thousands of movies at my disposal.

For $7.99 a month, you get unlimited movies and TV episodes instantly over the Internet either directly to your TV set or computer.  There are no ads, and you can pause, rewind, fast forward, or rewatch as often as you like.  You can watch as often as you want, anytime you want on a 24/7 basis.

You can also cancel your subscription at anytime online 24 hours a day.  There are no cancellation fees, caveat, there are no refunds for partial months.  Your account is charged each month on your anniversary date; meaning when you opened your account.

If you have an iPad or an iPhone, you will be able to download a Netflix application coming soon from the Apple Apps store and log into your Netflix account.  Wonder if something similar will be done with the expected Amazon tablet.

You can instantly watch your movies or videos with three different levels of broadband (e.g., Good ‘up to 0.3GB/hour’, Better ‘up to 0.7GB/hour’, and Best‘ up to 2.3GB/hour when streaming HD content—generally about 1.0 GB/hour’).  The default setting is Best and you can change the setting anytime you want—your price will remain the same—$7.99 per month.  Netflix recommends a minimum Internet speed of 500 kbps (0.5MB).

Oh…one more thing.  In order to start streaming you need to have the Microsoft Silverlight Plug In installed.  The link is readily available if you need it, and the installation process is a breeze.

Netflix in Panama offers two different categories, (e.g., Just for Kids and Genres).  Let me expand on this.  The Just for Kids category has the following options:

1. Adventures
2. Animated
3. Comedies
4. From Books
5. Talking Animals

The Genres category includes the following options:

1. Action & Adventure
2. Children & Family
3. Classics
4. Comedies
5. Documentaries
6. Dramas
7. Foreign
8. HD
9. Horror
10. Independent
11. Latin American Movies
12. Musicals
13. Romance
14. Sci-Fi & Fantasy
15. TV Shows
16. Thrillers

You can also set your account to reflect your taste and preferences like for example:  Rate shows & movies, taste preference, rating history and reviews.  When you open your Netflix site, you will see the selection of movies that reflect your inclinations.  Pretty cool.

The Search features is also very useful.  You can search for movies, TV shows, actors, directors and genres.  Finding a movie (if they have it) is extremely fast and easy to do.  I was looking for the movie “The Day of the Jackal” and found it in fractions of a second.  The speed is dazzling fast.

You can watch movies in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.  I prefer to listen to movies in English, because nothing in lost in the translation.  You know what they say; However something strange happened last night.  When I decided to watch “The Day of the Jackal”, even though my language of choice was English, the movie was streamed in Spanish.  (Confused)

Netflix doesn’t carry the latest movies coming out of Hollywood.  Most of them are least three years old, but that doesn’t mean their database is mediocre.  I found good thrillers which I would enjoy viewing.  The quality is nothing to brag about.  Blockbuster’s DVDs have a much higher quality—a lot more I might add.  At the optimum quality—Best—the picture lagged and slowed down almost to a halt, then it gathered speed and then slowed down again.  In order to calm my nerves I had to change the broadband speed to Better.  The lags diminished but now much.  Today I’ll downgrade to Good and see what happens.  I was let down at this problem.  High quality in audio and video is a must if I want to enjoy a movie.

In a nutshell, Netflix is pleasing, but nothing close to exceptional.  I have my doubts I will subscribe when the free trial period ends.  During the meantime, I’ll keep on using the service.  Maybe I could change my mind if the service is improved, which I doubt it will.  On a scale of ten points, I would give Netflix in Panama a humble seven.

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Communications

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Alexander Graham Bell pronounced the words, “Mr Watson—Come here—I want to see you”.   Watson, listening at the receiving end in an adjoining room, heard the words clearly.  The calendar marked March 10, 1876.  Ironically, Bell never thought much about his invention.  In fact it bothered him.  He thought the invention was an interruption to this scientific work and refused to have a telephone in his study.

More than 135 years later, we still have the telephone alive, albeit it has changed dramatically to Bell’s original phone.  Apple’s iPhone is light years ahead of the Bell’s primitive telephone.  Today’s phones are more than communications gadgets; in fact, they are diminutive computers, yet very powerful.

At Mi Pueblito, I found a room displaying telephones used at the turn of the century.  Some of them were exactly like the ones we had in our home in Changuinola.  They were large, bulky and black.  However the clarity of the communication was excellent.  It was nice to see that somebody had taken care of these historic relics.

Now let’s plunge into the history pond and splash ourselves with the technological inventions of yesterday.  Here we go.

Snapshot of an old desk with several telephones used during the forties and fifties. I recall we had a bulky black telephone set exactly like the one on the desk (right). Take notice of the antique telegraph set towards the left of the picture. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an old telephone switchboard and a wooden wall telephone set. I used these wooden telephones when I lived in Changuinola. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a telegraph accessory and a very old telephone set used at the turn of the century. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an old wall wooden telephone similar to the ones used by the United Fruit Company in Bocas del Toro. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a venerable wooden phone of yesteryear. It brought many memories of my youth in Changuinola. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

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Telephones in Panama

During my bloom of youth way back in the fifties, telephones were a lot different from what they are now.  Telephone lines were shared with others.  If you picked up your phone, and your neighbor was talking, you could hear the whole conversation.  The nascent telephone system used no numbers.  Audible codes were used instead of numbers.  Our telephone code was one long ring followed by a short ring and another long ring.  Simple.

You cranked a small lever on one side of the bulky black telephone set to communicate with a human telephone operator.  I remember his name was Kenneth.  When Kenneth answered, you would ask him to connect you to the interested party.  He plugged in some cables and you got through.  Kenneth was the most efficient and most courteous human being I’ve ever been across.  He was as polite and friendly as a person can be.

Telephones have come a long way.  Now we have smartphones which are really small computers full of features called apps or applications.  I consider myself a conservative person by nature, yet I have a Chinese Apple iPhone clone  with FM radio, TV, digital agenda, stop watch, camera, MP3, Web browser and what have you.  I wonder what would Kenneth say about this latest trend of mobile communication?

Communications pundits agree that there are 3.9 million cell phone subscribers in this small country with a meager population of 3,322,576 Panamanians.  This means there are more active cell phones in Panama than people.  This makes Panama, one of the hottest mobile phone markets in Latin America.  The market penetration percentage  is staggering.

The telecommunications sector grew 15.8 percent during the last two years and has not stopped its pace. It ‘s one of the most dynamic areas of the country in full expansion due to low prices, aggressive competition, and massive use. For example, there are 53.6 cellular phones for every 100 Panamanians.

Panama is at the vanguard in Latin America in matters regarding telecommunications. The country is well equipped with an infrastructure made up of technical state of the art installations, being one of the first to introduce the G technology as well as launching the BlackBerry and iPhone smartphones. These new advances create adequate conditions for the establishment of new multinational headquarters shopping around to invest in the sector.

Photograph of a BlackBerry ad in a busy bus stop at El Dorado about three miles from our house. Claro.com is a recent mobile phone carrier in Panama trying very hard to get a larger piece of the pie. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photograph of two public traditional telephone booths provided by Cable & Wireless. They are being used less and less by the Panamanian population. Almost everybody had a cellphone nowadays. Even the street vendors under the traffic lights own a mobile phone. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Now that the World Cup football matches are being streamed down the Web, I can follow the games through my cellphone when I hit the road.  I could never do that with Mr. Kenneth and his manual telephone central station in Changuinola. Yep, times are changing at blazing speed.  Good Day.

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Apple’s Guru Does it Again

Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, proudly shows a brand new iPad in San Francisco on January 27, 2010. (Credit: ©Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

Wednesday, February 27th was scheduled to be a special day for gadget geeks and politicians.  Before both events took place, there was a tremendous amount of overexposure and bloated expectations in the media.  On this day, President Barack Obama was going to deliver his first speech on the State of the Union in Washington D.C. and far away on the West Coast, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was preparing to address his fans at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.

This story is about Apple Inc. and its charismatic technology Guru, Stephen Jobs.

At exactly 1:00 p.m. New York’s time, Apple’s legendary leader Steve Jobs took to the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco to disrupt the tech industry once again.    He looked disturbingly thin, much as he did when he took the same stage in September to introduce new iPods. But there was a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face as he got a big standing ovation from the crowd.

You probably know by now, that Apple Inc.  is no longer a computer company.  Its spokesmen have been trumpeting for several months  that Apple Inc. is now  a “mobile device company.” “Apple makes protable media-centric devices. ” Apple is considered the number one mobile devices company in the world.

Apple zealots were expecting an electronic tablet  last Wednesday which would fit in a new product category squeezed in between a notebook and a smartphone.  They got what they expected and a lot more.

Apple on Wednesday finally unveiled its tablet computer, called the iPad, at an invite-only event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco. The device, which looks like a larger version of Apple’s iPod Touch will be available in two to three months, and starts at $499.  The name is controversial.  Many women associate the word pad with feminine hygiene, if you know what I mean.  But I’m sure as the dust settles,  Apple will keep the name intact and the women of this world will calm their nerves and accept the gadget and its gorgeous features.

The iPad comes in models ranging from 16GB to 64GB. All versions will have Wi-Fi, but there will be options with 3G as well. Pricing for the Wi-Fi-only models is $499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, respectively. 3G versions will be $130 more.

Experts feel the iPad is going to change the way we think about mobile technology beyond the smartphone.  Some fanatics are even saying the iPad will save the publishing industry from certain death.  They are screaming  at the top of their lungs that this is a gadget capable of introducing a disruptive technology in the publishing domain.  I’m sure Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com disagrees as well as Sony and Barnes and Noble who also manufacture e-book readers.

In advance of today’s announcements, there was rampant speculation that the iPad would be a Kindle-killer. The iBook app and iBook Store present a challenge for Amazon, as does the multi-touch color screen of the iPad. Jobs gave kudos to Kindle and said Apple planned to “stand on Amazon’s shoulders and go a little further.” Initially, Apple has made deals with the five largest publishers in the world to make books available on the iPad. Extending the iTunes and App Store models, the iBook Store allows consumers to purchase books directly from the iPad and enjoy them immediately.  The iPad is  just infinitely better-looking and more responsive than the Kindle, not to mention it has color and doesn’t require external illumination.

Are Apple zealots exaggerating?  Not quite.  Not only has Apple sold tens of millions of iPhones, it has pulled off a stunningly successful exercise in design democracy whereby thousands of D.I.Y. designers have developed applications, or programs, for them. Some 140,000 apps have been programmed, and more than two billion downloaded from Apple’s App Store. What’s almost more impressive is that Apple has achieved this despite its own history—and instincts—as the consummate corporate control freak.

Can you buy the iPad now?  Hold your horses; the baby has not reached the store shelves yet.  Jobs explained the Wi-Fi models will start shipping in February, and the 3G models are set to come out a month after that.

Apple is selling a number of first-party accessories, including a dock with a full-sized keyboard with a price tag of $69, a camera connection kit that lets users import images from their SD cards, and a case that doubles as a stand. Apple has not announced pricing for any of these items.

The iPad measures 7.47 inches wide by 9.56 inches tall by 0.5 inch thick, and weighs 1.5 pounds. Held in your hands, the dimensions and heft have a natural, magazine-like feel.

Unlike the polished chrome of the iPod or glossy plastic of the iPhone, the back of the iPad seems less likely to show fingerprints and wear. Like any Apple product, though, expect to see a boatload of cases and screen protectors for the iPad by the time it launches in April. With no mouse and no physical keys to feel, writing and editing will be more effort than on a laptop.

The iPad isn’t all play, and no work. Apple will have a special iWork package for the tablet. The pack is priced at $99.  The iPad marks the first time Apple has released mobile versions of its iWork suite of productivity applications, including Numbers, Keynote, and Pages. Each app sells separately at $10 each, and will be compatible with the desktop version of the Mac application suite (sold separately for $79).

Basically Apple’s new gadget provides excellent photo management, casual Web browsing, e-books, calendar, and e-mail.    The iPad isn’t a pocket device, and holding it for extended periods becomes tiresome.  Some experts are saying it’s more like a living room computer.  It’s important to highlight that a camera is notably absent, and Flash, the ubiquitous software that handles video and animation on the Web, does not work on the device.

Will the iPad be a hit like the iPod, iMac or the iPhone.? I don’t know.  It’s hard to  say no when you have the magic name of Apple behind a product.  As far as I’m concerned, the price is not an attraction.  For $500 I can get more bang from a decent notebook with a comparable screen and a web cam included to communicate with my friends via Skype or Yahoo Messenger.  Let’s wait and see.  I’m sure the iPad will be a subject of interest for many months to come.  Good Day.

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A Visit to Dunkin’ Donuts

In order to rake in a few extra bucks to ease my perennial pocket pains, I provide transportation from Tocumen International Airport to Panama City and vice versa.  It’s no big deal, but extra pocket money is always welcomed.

Recently, I provided transportation to a tourist from Canada coming to see Panama City for the first time.  He was visiting a friend he had met in Oshawa.  After dropping him at his friend’s home, he requested my transportation services for a city tour and a visit to the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal.

When I picked him up to start the city tour, he said he wanted to have breakfast at  Dunkin’ Donuts. I said, “No problem.” I was wrong.  I knew there were several Dunkin’ Donuts in Panama, but I couldn’t find them at the moment.  My customer settled for a well-known Greek restaurant known as Nikos Café. After breakfast, we went ahead with the city tour and the Miraflores Visit as scheduled.

I returned home uncomfortable for not being able to take Raaid Batarfi—the name of my client—to Dunkin’ Donuts. I went to the Yellow Pages and found exactly where their sites were.  I found three, more or less near where Raaid was staying.  Several days later, I called and invited him to have breakfast at DD.  He accepted.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2009 we headed to DD approximately at 10:00 a.m.  The traffic was light and we had no problems finding a parking space nearby.  I had a croissant sandwich with eggs and sausage, a large donut and  a Cappuccino.  Raaid ordered an egg-and-cheese sandwich, a chocolate donut and coffee with milk.  It was a delicious meal.  It was the first time I had visited a DD site in my life.  I’m not much of a donut eater and neither is my wife.  However, I plan to return with my wife.  I enjoyed the food and the excellent customer service provided by Catalina.  You will see her later on this post.

Another benefit that I liked about DD, was the availability of WiFi. Many young people flock to this place  in order to take advantage of this service.  So did we.  Raaid immediately installed his jazzy Sony Vaio laptop on a nearby table and tinkered with his ubiquitous Apple iPhone.  As you know, I gave myself a Chinese iPhone clone for my birthday and asked Raaid to help me getting around using it, since it has many features similar to his authentic iPhone.

Raaid patiently taught me how to use the FM radio, the TV and to surf the Web with Opera Web browser amongst many other things.  The WiFi feature worked flawlessly.  It was a wonderful experience.  I told Raaid, that, that morning I had jumped from the Middle Ages to the XXth Century.  I still needed a little more help to get to the XXIst  Century.  (Smile).

After a thorough iPhone class, we finished our breakfast and headed towards the Mercado de Artesanías located at Plaza Cinco de Mayo where Raaid planned to buy small gifts for his friends back in Canada.  I provided  you with pictures of a mola painting yesterday at this original handicrafts market.

Our visit to DD was frozen in time with a couple of pictures, as you probably would have guessed.   Seldom do I leave home without my Birthday camera.  This is what I saw through the lens of my small Canon PowerShot A720 IS. Here we go.

Photograph of Raaid at Dunkin' Donuts enjoying his sophisticated gadgets. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

A warm and friendly smile of Catalina. When she smiles, the whole room brightens up. Her customer service was superlative. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

This was a most enjoyable experience.  Raaid is a bright young man with deep knowledge of technology and provided great assisstance with my new phone.  If you ever come to this part of the world, remember that Dunkin’ Donuts is here with WiFi communication service.  Oh…and you can’t beat Catalina’s bright smile.  Good Day.

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My Birthday Gifts

Since my retirement, I have decided to give myself something for my birthday.  A month before the celebration day, I purchase something that I really like and wrap it up in a bright-color paper with a small tag that reads, “To:  Omar, From:  Omar”. Last year I gave myself a digital camera.  This year, I included three items; all of them related to technology.  Even though I’m aging at a pretty fast rate, I still love to play around with gadgets.  I don’t believe that “old dogs can’t learn new tricks.” It isn’t true at all.

These are my three birthday technological presents.  I plan to use them intensely starting today.  Here we go.

A Chinese clone of the ubiquitous 3G Apple iPhone - 16 GB (Model A1241):

After unwrapping the cellphone, I found out it was a perfect clone of the Apple iPhone. On the back, in very small letters, is a legend that reads, “Designed by Apple” and the model number. Using this number I searched the Web and found it was the real thing.  Since the box didn’t include a manual, I downloaded three Apple manuals in PDF format from the Internet:

• iPhone User Guide
• iPhone Finger Tip Guide
• iPhone 3 G Important Product Information Guide

Yesterday afternoon I charged the phone and today should start understanding how it works.  I have a lot of reading to do, before I start making or taking calls.  It’s such a cute darling.  Let’s take a look at this stimulating gadget.

Photograph of my three birthday presents neatly wrapped in bright red paper. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the front side of the phone's black carton box. Notice how much it resembles the authentic Apple box. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

View of one of the sides of the cell phone box. It shows the different features of the gadget. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Some of the main features of this Chinese clone are:

• WiFi wireless Internet
• Imitating digital TV
• Bluetooth version 2.0
• Super large display screen size 2.8″ QVGA
• FM Radio
• Flat PDA screen & handwriting input
• Dual camera with flash
• Network frequency GSM850/GSM900/DCS1800/PCS1900/850
• Dual Sim Dual Standby
• Media MP3/MP4 video player

A sideways view of the slim consumer electronic appliance. The resemblance with the iPhone is amazing. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the Apple iPhone Chinese clone. You can see the reflection of my camera on the screen. Sorry about that. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the reverse of the cell phone. Notice that it looks exactly like the original Apple iPhone. It's amazing how Chinese technology has advanced over the years. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the Kingston DataTraveler 4GB flash drive. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Picture of the new Web-Cam to enhance my Skype's conversations. I've dreamed of having something like this for a long time. I plan to install it this afternoon. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the Cable & Wireless communication chip. My cell phone number is 6667-4990, as you can see from the picture. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

These are my new technological babies.  Technology is moving so fast, it’s exciting to be alive in this new Millennium.  It was a very rewarding Birthday.  Thank you for the many encouraging messages received.  Good Day.

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