DavidGervino.com

I spent the night with an iPhone

 
Let's take a look at some of the most overrated inventions of our time:

1. The Spork, along with its closely related cousin, the SpoonStraw.
2. Pretty much anything you find at The Sharper Image and/or Sky Mall Magazine.
3. The Apple iPhone 3G.

Don't let the shiny glass screen and chrome trim fool you.  Much like lipstick on a pig, the outward appearance may be pretty, but it is only masking an otherwise useless device.  Here is what I did not like about the iPhone 3G:

Separate mailboxes.  Unlike the Blackberry which allows me to have one inbox for all my mail and SMS text messages, the iPhone forces you to use separate mailboxes for each email address.

Push email.  The iPhone will only check for new Gmail messages every 15 minutes.  I receive Gmail messages instantly on my Blackberry device.

Instant messaging.  You can access Google Talk on the iPhone but only via the browser and if you aren't looking at the browser, you won't see that someone is sending you a message.  AOL has developed an AIM application for instant messaging but it doesn't alert you when you get a message, either.

Apple states that their phone is "ready for business." It's not.  Despite hours and hours in the Apple store and talking to tech support at AT&T and Apple, we were never able to get the phone to sync with my Microsoft Exchange Server.

The network.  No one can compete with Verizon's network.

I must admit that the browser and attachment viewing capabilities of the iPhone are superior to those of the Blackberry.  I hope that will change when RIM launches the Blackberry Thunder, the new touch-screen Blackberry that is coming to Verizon in a few months.  And the iPhone is good at other things, too:  it's good at pretty much everything that I don't need a phone to do. 

I should also mention that I had no problem using the touch-screen keyboard.  I had thought that I would not like the keyboard but it turned out to be fine.  Nevertheless, I wound up porting my phone number  back to Verizon after just a few days and I have gone back to using my Blackberry Pearl.  I look forward to switching to either the Blackberry Bold or Blackberry Thunder when they come to Verizon's network later this year.

I love this video

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Tech Review: Slingbox

 
After several months of deliberation, I finally purchased a Slingbox.  This device enables me to watch and control my Comcast HD DVR from any computer with an Internet connection.  So whether I want to watch live TV, remotely program my DVR to record something or watch something that I've recorded on my DVR at home, the Slingbox can make it happen.

There are several things I love about this device:

1. The initial set-up was surprisingly simple.
2. The Slingplayer software is very user-friendly.  I was able to choose the exact remote I have for my DVR and the software displays an image of the remote, enabling me to interact with it.
3. The video quality is very good, especially considering that I'm often using a cellular card and the speeds are not always too fast.  I'm in Florida right now and I'm viewing good quality video on my laptop.
4. The Slingbox enables me to see local news and coverage even when I'm away from home.

I'll post more regarding this device once I've had more time to use it.  For now though, I'm extremely pleased with my Slingbox Solo.

Poor Customer Service at Sears

So I went to Sears the other day.  I had ordered a battery for my Honda CBR.  An entire month had passed and the battery still hadn't arrived.  I had called the store several times and I was always told that the battery was going to arrive "very soon." After waiting 31 days I decided it was time to get my money back.  I went to the store and showed the clerk my paperwork, which showed that I had paid a 100% deposit (Almost $200) in cash.  I was told that I would have to pay a "re-stocking fee" in order to have my money refunded.  Restocking fee!? Were they serious??? How can I be charged a re-stocking fee for something that was never stocked in the first place!?

I politely explained how I had paid them a cash deposit based on the fact that they told me the battery would arrive within 5 days.  After waiting 6 times longer than their original promise date, I didn't think it was unreasonable to request a refund.  And in Chicago, it's always so cold that you only get about 3 months of good riding weather each year anyway.  I had spent 1/3 of this time waiting for my battery.  The store manager wound up being called and he told me that he didn't think there was any way to override the system and refund my deposit without withholding this ominous "restocking fee." Who was this guy kidding? Did he really expect me to believe that he is responsible for over a million dollars in inventory but he is not empowered to make a $20 decision? After much arguing, he finally gave in and gave me a full refund.  He acted as though he was doing me a favor by "bending the rules" this time.