Dammit. Just when I thought it was safe to go in the water, Amazon is about to release the third-generation Kindle. Smaller, lighter, with better screen contrast than the previous generations, this piece of tech and gadget-porn has my attention. Truth be told, I didn’t think too much of the Kindle … until I bought my wife one for Mother’s Day this year. Man, that device has been a hit in this house. Everyone is trying to get a book and be the current reader… claiming the e-ink display as theirs while they knock out a book or two. I’ve been so thoroughly impressed with the...

This afternoon I returned my day-one iPhone 4 to the Apple Store. I’ve just had enough. You see, I’m a fan of the iPhone. I love the intuitive interface, the clean lines, and the system. I’m not a fan of calls going directly to voicemail, hit and miss reception on 3G, and the numerous dropped calls. I assumed this issues would be resolved with the iPhone 4. I was decidedly wrong. If anything, the frequency of problems has increased to an annoying degree. My bottom line: The iPhone 4 isn’t worth getting married to AT&T for another two years. No chance. So, I’m currently...

In an effort to stop the slow downward spiral of both Apple’s stock and the iPhone 4’s reputation, today, Apple announced it will offer free bumpers to iPhone 4 owners. The bumper is supposed to alleviate the now infamous antenna issue plaguing the new device. However, this particular tactical counter-measure isn’t what caught my attention — it is the return. Apple has also said it will accept returns from iPhone 4 owners who don’t want their phone any longer. This situation and that offer represent a unique confluence in the smart phone market — something that...

Rumor has it, many people are running into problems with their new iPhone 4 showing “No Service” in the upper, left-hand corner. I worked through some issues and found a solution that worked for me so I thought I would pass it along. I purchased my iPhone 4 around 3pm local time. The sales rep “activated” the phone using a Mac in the store, then told me there were some issues with phone activation but it shouldn’t be much of an issue. I left the store with my old iPhone 3G still working and my new iPhone 4 without service. About 20 minutes after leaving the store, my old...

My PC is getting a touch long in the tooth. Sure, I’ve upgraded the system to include a high-end graphics card (the GTX295) and included enough memory and an operating system that takes advantage of said memory, but the system is … was pokey. I recently had troubles with my main hard drive and decided to do some research into finding a replacement. I’ve read about SSDs and how quickly they read and write information but was hesitant. I’ve read some reports indicating SSD setup is a hassle, non-intuitive, and one had better know what they are doing before jumping in. I decided to...