iPhone 6 Plus: Crazy Big, Just Right!

By now you've probably read more news and reviews of the iPhone 6 a d 6 Plus than you need. So, my keen sense of understanding about what my readership wants tells me to add my two cents to the myriad drivel. What can I say? It's like a sixth sense.

So, why did I decide to buy this ridiculously large iPhone? Was it the extra screen real estate? Was it the exceptional keyboard extras when in landscape mode? Was it the very viewable movie experience? Was it the need to be blatantly obvious about owning the newest Apple flagship?  Well, yes to all, but the real clincher for me was the extra battery life afforded by the much larger size. With virtually identical innards as the iPhone 6, the 6 Plus has a lot more room for lithium. And boy can I tell the difference.

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Get Your Kid an iPhone as Soon as Possible

Think I've lost my marbles?  A couple of years ago I would have thought the same thing.  What's changed? I'll get to that in a minute.

First, let's get past the cost issue.  If you're not planning to get you child a cell phone at all, then there's not much argument to be made here.  If, on the other hand, a cell phone is in your kid's future, immediately writing off the iPhone due to cost might not be so straightforward.  I'll admit, the iPhone is a bit more expensive than the cheapest cell phones, but did you know you can get one for less than $50 with a two year AT&T contract?  No, it isn't the latest model, but it is an excellent phone and one any adolescent would be proud to carry.  The voice + data plan will cost about $15 per month more than AT&T's bargain service, but if you're an AT&T customer already, their family plans will ease that pain a bit.  Also, by providing an iPhone you'll spare the expense of buying them an iPod (if you ever plan to).  The same goes for...

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iOS4 Jailbreak!

There's an iOS4 jailbreak available and it's by far the easiest I've ever done.  Just point Mobile Safari on your iOS4 device to http://www.jailbreakme.com and follow the instructions.  My iPhone 4 took just a little over a minute to jailbreak and reboot.  Viola!  Cydia installed and all the non-Apple-approved goodies available.  Just one word of caution:  DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!  Apple has already stated that despite the recent DMCA ruling, jailbreaking voids your warranty.

AT&T Finally Does Something Right

A few days ago I received a letter from AT&T Wireless.  It looked like just another piece of junk mail.  I knew it wasn't a bill because I've used paperless billing for over a year, so it sat on the kitchen counter with the rest of the bulk mail.  Yesterday, I decided the pile had gotten big enough so I started going through it.  I went through my usual routine of open; confirm junk status then circular file.  When I opened the one from my beloved wireless provider I was pleased to learn they'd chosen me for a free MicroCell because of my status as a real sucker...ahem...“preferred customer”.  Months ago I tried to buy one of these devices to boost my terrible cell signal inside my home.  At that time, AT&T didn't offer the service in my area so I checked the obligatory “inform me when MicroCell service is available” checkbox, expecting to never hear from them (after two years, I'm still waiting on FIOS also).  I don't know if that checkbox had anything to do with them selecting me, but I really couldn't care less.  It probably has more to do with me forking over more than $200 every month for my family plan.  AT&T probably wants to keep us idiots “loyal customers” happy.

This morning I took the letter to my local AT&T Wireless store and five minutes later, walked out with my FREE MicroCell.  The dizzy bimbo courteous sales associate at the store couldn't tell me why I was selected but did say the devices were selling like nickel beer at $150 a throw and I was getting the last one they had in stock.  My luck is rarely that good.

Back at the ranch, setting up the oddly shaped device was a snap.  AT&T provides a friendly web site for registering the MicroCell's serial number and in a couple of minutes I was ready to plug in and hook up.  On the site, I logged in with my wireless credentials and it automatically listed the three wireless numbers in my family plan that would be allowed to connect to my MicroCell.  I added the numbers of my daughter and a couple of friends not on my plan and AT&T didn't seem to object.  The only stipulation I could find: only AT&T wireless customers allowed.  Makes sense.

Hooking up was a snap.  I plugged one end of the provided Cat5 patch cable into the MicroCell's ethernet port and the other into my office switch, hooked up the power and lights started blinking just like the “Getting Started” manual said they would.  The manual also said the device could take as much as 90 minutes to configure itself, but after about 10, I was up and running.  Now I have five bars of signal strength all throughout my three-story home and the signal is still good (3 or 4) at my next-door neighbors'.  I've only been up and running for a few hours, but the call quality is excellent and none have dropped so far.

My cable company provides a fairly good broadband connection, (6 Mb down, 700 Kb up) and my house is wired with Cat5e with two wireless access points.  I turned off wi-fi on my iPhone 4 and ran a few speed tests through the MicroCell.  Several test results with three different iPhone apps yielded a consistent 1.5 – 2 Mb down, but the upstream was a pathetic 50-70 Kb.  Latency was also a bit high at around 200 – 300 ms., but with my good wi-fi coverage, data through the MicroCell is a bit redundant.  I was just curious.

What I wanted from AT&T was a good cell signal for making calls and sending text messages.   As far as I can tell, the MicroCell delivers.

The "Jailbreak" Mentality

I’m a BIG fan of jailbreaking my iPhone and iPod Touch.  I mainly like monkeying around with the GUI on the devices but there are tons of apps available through Cydia, Rock and Icy that, for whatever reason, are not “blessed” by the overlords at Apple.  I’ve found most of these to be reliable and safe, but there’s always the exception and I install them at my own risk.  I’ve been jailbreaking since the first jailbreak was available for the first-gen iPod Touch and have successfully jailbroken every iDevice I’ve owned including first and second generation iPod Touches, the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.  Every device I own is now jailbroken running the latest OS, 3.1.2.

I find I can do so much more with a jailbroken device that it is always a quandary when Apple releases an OS update.  I have to decide if Apple’s new features outweigh the features I enjoy with a jailbroken device.  I usually wait until a jailbreak is available before upgrading, but it is still a pain in the ass.  Call me stubborn, but I have a big problem with Apple’s attitude.  After all, I paid for these devices (which are really computers) and I don’t like anybody telling me what I can and can’t do with them.

I love my Macs, but I can’t imagine a scenario where I would even consider buying one if Apple were as onerous with them as they are with the iPhone and iPod touch.  All you Mac owners out there:  Can you imagine a world where you couldn’t even change the wallpaper on your computer?  Or browse for files?  How f*%^ked-up is that?  Apple will void the warranty on my iPod Touch if I jailbreak it.  I get that.  They shouldn’t be responsible for things out of their control.  But what if my device is out of warranty or I choose to tell Apple to shove their warranty?  I paid for this damned thing.  Why can’t I install whatever I want on it?  ITS MY COMPUTER!

Obviously, I’m not alone.  The jailbreak community is alive and well with new, quality software released every day.  My iPhone has a cool theme complete with custom rotating wallpaper, a five-icon dock and a bunch of cool sounds to replace the tired offerings from Apple.  Oh yeah, they don’t let you change them either.  A^#holes.

The word from GeoHot is jailbreaking is getting tougher with each OS release.  It has gotten to the point that the latest devices require tethering to reboot after they’re jailbroken.  That sucks.  Thankfully, even my 3GS (purchased in early July) is not in that group or I’d seriously consider towing the Apple line like a good little sheep.  As much as I love jailbreaking my iPhone, an un-jailbroken iPhone is still better than any other smartphone available.  That won’t be the case for long.  These new Android devices are looking mighty tasty.  I admit to being somewhat of an Apple fanboy but I don’t live under anybody’s boot!  I strongly suspect there are many others who share my opinion.  It will be interesting to see if Apple can continue putting up phenomenal numbers when the iPhone isn’t the only smartphone game in town.