Damn, I’m behind on my blogging..my bad. So there’s probably no bigger Apple fanboy then me. Well, except for a certain fake CEO, but you get me. If the title hasn’t already clued you in, I finally got an iPhone. 6 months late. I’ve watched every unboxing video on YouTube. Seen every pic on Flickr. Read every blog on every topic from jailbreaking to SSH-ing.
Needless to say I’m experienced in iPhone-ness. So how was the experience for me the first time I opened it? Friggin’ awesome. You would think that after seeing so much of it that the thrill of actually having one would be somewhat diminished. Nope. This thing kicks ass. Like, uncharted amounts of ass.
Already being familiar with the device, I flew through the packaging and immediately began the downgrade/jailbreak process. It took alil less then an hour to have a full activated phone running Cingular, with a shiny new Installer.app winking at me. Sweet.
Installing the now common BSD-SSH-Community sources combo was cake. Summerboard is one of the cooler hacks I’ve seen for sure. The third party developers alone have truly made this phone worthy of being called Invention of the Year.
My favorite app by far is definitely Safari. I don’t know why browsing the web is so much fun on the iPhone. I mean, it’s Safari. The same browser that’s on my MacBook. The net is the net. But for some reason, it’s more fun to sit in bed watching CSI while “flicking” through Facebook rather then using a mouse.
Come to think of it, alot of things seem more fun on the iPhone then they should be. Ringtones are nothing new. I made my own like 2 years ago for my Nextel. But making ringtones for Apple’s device is, well, fun. A quick chop-up in Garage Band and I have a perfect, stereo ringtone for any contact (my family’s tone is “Family Business” by Kanye). I installed the NES emulator today, too. I had a PSP a few years back, and my Memory Stick was loaded with so much homebrew I don’t think it could possibly be any more illegal. But, stolen emulated games is more fun on iPhone. Typing? Yep, more fun. (Why can’t every keyboard have auto-correct?) Hell, I even answer calls I normally ignored now, just to talk on the thing. (*cough, Sallie Mae*.)
I’ve had all kinds of iPods before, but this one is the best by a long shot. Having music fade out when a call comes in..genius. I know it’s not the first music phone to do that, but again, iPhone makes it better.
The only thing I haven’t got to experience is the unlocking process. Since it has the new bootloader, I won’t be doing that until AnySIM gets updated. Maybe that’ll go more smoothly once the official SDK comes out. That’s the one thing that has me nervous. Apple breaks everything with new firmware updates. So far, there hasn’t really been an update that was a “must have”. That could change, and all the hard work that’s going into this stuff could be broken forever when “legit” developers start making apps. Only time will time.
So. I think it’s safe to say I think the iPhone is one of the coolest devices ever made. The only thing I’m confused about now is what case to buy..
-tfb
So by now everyone has heard. New iPods. Price drops. iTunes WIFI. You know it’s a Apple event when the internets explode. I’m know I’m not the only one who refreshed their browser furiously to see the latest live blog update on Steve’s keynote. Why is Apple always commanding so much attention? Nobody cared when the Zune launched (sorry Bill).Apple is just one of those companies you have to love. Everybody wanted iPhone’s without the phone…done. Nano’s that can play video..here ya go. New shuffles..well nobody really asked for that but we got em anyway. And for those that already have iPhones..a redesigned iPod with coverflow and massive amounts of storage.Even after screwing all the early adopters by dropping the iPhone to $399, the Jobster writes a letter and now all owners of original phones get $100 bucks off anything in the Apple Store. Only Steve could make that happen.How can you not love a company like that? When’s the last time Microsoft 
One game I got to play was Bioshock. I must say the graphics are insane. All the textures, the lighting, the water..everything just popped at 720p. Not to ruin anything for those that haven’t tried the demo, but the intro sequence was pretty tight. Drew me right in to the story..even though the demo really doesn’t go into any detail about the story whatsoever. You’re just beating the crap out of whoever..or whatever walks in front of you, dumbstruck by the beauty of the game. Fine by me.
This was a total surprise. If you haven’t heard already, the main character’s name is Tequila. Yep. His “Matrix like” moves are dubbed “Tequila Time” as well. I won’t even make fun of “Tequila Bombs”. This game is freakin’ fun. It’s so silly and flashy. Everything is destructible. Bullets rip the environment and people to shreds. Tequila can slide, run, walk or dive on just about everything. It was a blast to play. What’s really cool is after you beat it you can play again on a harder difficulty with newer special moves. Can’t remember the last time a demo had unlockables. I don’t even remember what the story was about, even though it had like 5 cut scenes. Doesn’t matter. Your name is Tequila. Go kick ass.
Finally. The “Final Fantasy” for the 360. Because I’m a Gundam fan, that almost requires that I’m a DragonBall fan as well. The art style brings me back to an earlier time when wishing you were a Super Saiyan was considered cool at the lunch table. It took me alittle bit to get use to the battle system since there isn’t really an explanation of how to fight until you’ve already killed most of the hapless creatures, but as with most RPG’s, 5-10 minutes was all it took for it to become second nature. The music, while not a big deal to some gamers, was actually a big reason why I liked it so much. The demo lasts for 60 minutes, and I found myself humming the background track the whole time. When this comes out I’m definitely setting aside a good month or two to dive in. I haven’t been this excited for an RPG since Final Fantasy 7. That and an FF7 remake.
