Appleholes **RANTY**

[Gravekeeper]

The ironic thing is that most people who have an iPhone likely did not pay for it up front and are instead on some sort of 3-5 year contract with a service provider. Not exactly a position from which one can act smug. -.-

[Boozy]

Mr. Boozy paid for mine up front, but I ended up on a service plan with Big Red Canadian Communications Conglomerate anyway. I needed a data package, and they ended up talking me into a contract because they said it would save me money. It totally doesn't, as my husband explained to me later.

I'm a generally competent and intelligent person, but I really suck at these things.

[HYHYBT]

The data plan is one reason I wouldn't want one even were I in the market for a phone. Well, not much. I don't know how much I'd use that stuff, but I *do* know that either it would be hardly at all (in which case paying for data month after month is a waste of money) or I'd be on it all the time (in which case I'd likely go over the limit on a regular basis.)

The latter isn't very likely, though. I prefer a decent-sized screen, at least, for going online, and so would still want my laptop for that if nothing else.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

The latter isn't very likely, though. I prefer a decent-sized screen, at least, for going online, and so would still want my laptop for that if nothing else.

As do I. But there are times when having a mobile internet browser comes in real handy.

Case in point when I was on vacation last week we found out that Weird Al was playing in Allentown PA which was just a few towns over from where we were staying.

In the Walmart parking lot (we heard the announcement on the radio while in the store) we were able to see if there were any seats left (really good ones up on the mezzanine), get the contact information for the venue and the directions to it.

Large screens are nice and nothing beats the power of a full functioned laptop but many people have discovered that having a smartphone as a backup when the laptop is not available comes in damn handy at times.

[Andara Bledin]

I never thought I'd use my data plan nearly as often as I do, but having Internet access in your pocket is amazingly useful and convenient.

From getting directions, finding the nearest whatever, looking up that song that just played on the radio, learning about breaking news, checking on the traffic ahead, etc, etc, etc. And, just because I can, sometimes I use mine to play streaming music.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

We can't afford for both of us to have data plans, especially since my Dad still pays for my cell phone. But Fiance has a Windows Phone and a data plan and he uses it all the time. Since our car has Sync, he can play his music off Zune through the speakers. Very convenient.

(Yep, we're Zune users. I like my music DRM-free, tyvm.)

[linguist]

(Yep, we're Zune users. I like my music DRM-free, tyvm.)

All the music on my iPod is DRM-free

[AdminAssistant]

It's not the IPod so much as it's ITunes. I can also 'rent' lots of music through Zune, then if I want to buy it, I can go through Amazon or whatever. I honestly don't know why people hate on the Zune. There may not be as much selection, but the software's great and the player is fantastic.

[Andara Bledin]

I was originally planning to pick up a Zune (prior to getting a phone which made it essentially redundant), and all of the review sites suggested that it was at least as good as an iPod, and a better value for the price. It's a real shame that Microsoft abandoned it in favor of pushing their phones.

^-.-^

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

Mr. Boozy paid for mine up front, but I ended up on a service plan with Big Red Canadian Communications Conglomerate anyway. I needed a data package, and they ended up talking me into a contract because they said it would save me money. It totally doesn't, as my husband explained to me later.

I'm a generally competent and intelligent person, but I really suck at these things.

You must mean Rogers. I could never stand them either. Not that Bell is much better...

[HYHYBT]

I never thought I'd use my data plan nearly as often as I do, but having Internet access in your pocket is amazingly useful and convenient.

Right. Hence my concurrent fear that I'd like it too much, and go over the limit. If the data plan were still unlimited, as it was in the beginning...*

As for DRM... why do people still claim iTunes uses it? (For newly-purchased music, I mean. I don't know about video files, and content you bought back when their wares *were* protected still is.)

[smileyeagle1021]

Personally, I'm a fan of Sansa MP3 players and LG phones (even though I'm stuck with a Motorolla right now ) But, I don't care what other people buy... I think they'd be smarter to buy LG as a personal opinion, but what you do with your money is your business not mine (unless of course that money is being used on something to harm me, but I just can't get excited over people's phone choices).

On that note, I do hate the people who get all holier than thou (and I actually have met some, one used to be a roommate) about how I should be getting an iPhone and I just don't understand how awesome Apple products are and I'm nothing but a corporate sell out for preferring Windows computers (umm... excuse me, but what do you think Apple is...) and make bogus claims about how their Apple products have never frozen or crashed or caused even the slightest of problems... I've used Apple products before, they are in fact more reliable than their competitors, but they sure as hell still freeze and crash and otherwise have problems just like the rest.

[XCashier]

Sadly that's where I run into them the most. And it's not just iPod/Phone/Pad elitists. You'll find Mac vs. PC, Windows vs. Linux, Xbox vs. PS3 vs. Wii, PSP vs. DS...the list goes on.

You can say the above about anything: Nike vs Adidas, Coke vs Pepsi, Ford vs Chevy. This whole "mine is better than yours" nonsense probably goes back to the caveman days. And it's just as foolish now.

You like your Namebrand Whatever? Great! Glad you like it. You want to tell me what it does? Fine, I'll listen. You want to scold and mock me for having a Differentbrand Whatever? Flake off! I could probably tell you the same stuff about your Namebrand Whatever, but I have better things to do than get into some idiotic pissing contest.

[HYHYBT]

Wait, someone *likes* LG phones!?

I don't know, maybe it was just the couple I've tried to use that were so awful. But it was such a *simple* thing... every time I did anything at all, it threw me back to the main screen. So: I was sending a batch of pictures from Mom's phone to email. Dig in three or four layers of menus, select the first picture, send it, then... not delete it yet, because I'm back at the desktop and have to start over. Find that picture again, delete it, back to the desktop. Find the next picture... It also, despite the instructions claiming it could use files I provided as ring tones, flat-out refused to accept them no matter the format or size. A slightly newer one, even though it had a USB port as well as bluetooth, you couldn't just drag and drop files off it: you could only retrieve pictures taken with their own software, which is Windows-only. Or you pay to upload them to photo-sharing sites (but I wanted neither to pay nor to share them) or you could send very low-resolution copies (no matter that the copy in the phone was much better) via text message. Leaving ZERO useful methods available. I have never had any of those problems with my Nokias.

[linguist]

and make bogus claims about how their Apple products have never frozen or crashed or caused even the slightest of problems....

and you know the claims are bogus how, exactly?

just because you've used the products and had problems doesn't mean that's everyone's experience. i'll never tell anyone that freezes or crashes will never happen, but i will tell them with 100% honesty that it's never happened to me. the mac i'm typing this post on right now has been running more than 5 years with not a single crash or freeze.