My iPhone 3GS Diary

On June 19, I paced the halls at work and had a constant eye on the front door as I waited for UPS to deliver my new iPhone 3GS. Around 10:00 AM, I saw that beautiful brown truck pull into in the parking lot, and I ran to greet the driver. When he handed me a single flat envelope, I said, "That's not my iPhone." The driver told me that he didn't have any more deliveries at my address, but someone at the business next door was getting one, and he was the only truck scheduled to stop there for the day. My beaming smile faded from my face.

The driver went outside to check the iPhone designated to go next door just to make sure, then he returned and handed the box to me after he saw it was addressed to my name. Apparently, when my job relocated to a new building a few months ago, everyone was given the wrong address, and no one thought to later inform all the employees of this oversight. But it didn't matter, I had my iPhone in hand.

I ran back to my office to unbox my new most prized gadget. I took the iPhone out of the box and carefully removed the screen protective cover. In awe, I held the phone in my hand, but what was this? I rubbed my finger along to narrow sides around the case. It was not smooth like my vintage 2G iPhone. Where the silver met the plastic back (in my case black), there was a raised, slightly sharp edge. This did not set right with me. In fact, the new iPhone felt cheap. This was supposed to be a day of joy, but I was starting to regret my $299 purchase. I LOVED my 2G iPhone. I was even a little teary-eyed about replacing the original iPhone with the 3GS. That thing was a tank and had been so good to me, and here was this cheaply put-together device mocking me.

I thought, maybe I was just being overly picky and tried to accept the new iPhone. I went home from work and plugged the iPhone into my iMac to activate it and set it up. However, I couldn't stop rubbing my fingers along the edge. I could feel it as I held the phone in my palm, and my disappointment had not diminished. When my husband got home, I asked him to take a look at my 3GS, and he agreed it didn't look or feel right.

Feeling justified in my complaint, I decided to call Apple support. After a ten minute hold time, I got on the line with an agent. I explained the problem and was quickly informed it was a factory defect and to take my iPhone 3GS to the nearest Apple Store for an exchange. The agent scheduled me an appointment at the Genius Bar for Sunday. I let out a sigh of relief knowing in a couple of days my iPhone woes would be woos.

On (Father's Day) Sunday, I went on a field trip to the Apple Store with high hopes of leaving with a perfect iPhone 3GS. I waited for over a half hour only to kindly be told that they can't swap out my iPhone because they do not have any replacement units in the stock yet for online orders, and I would need to call Apple support again to have a new unit mailed to me. My smile faded again. What a waste of time! Plus, I lost a valuable jump start on the shipping process.

On Monday, I called Apple support again and got another friendly agent who arranged my iPhone replacement by mail. The new phone would be shipped overnight priority and he waved the $29 fee. The only catch was I had to provide a credit card number so Apple could secure they would get an iPhone (or the cost of an iPhone) back, and a hold for the non-subsidized price of $699 was placed on my card. That was enough to make me gulp but not enough to keep me from getting a perfect iPhone.

The next day and a half was painful as a waited for my replacement iPhone. I never bonded with defective one and I couldn't wait to finally have my iPhone. Plus, I was tired of babying the thing because if anything happened to it, I would be stuck with it.

Then finally, my delivery showed up while I was at work on Wednesday, June 24. I immediately did the unboxing, and was thrilled to run my fingers along the silky smooth edges of my new iPhone 3GS. It was beautiful and love at first sight. As soon as I got home, I synced my new iPhone, put on my Mindbender Gelaskin, and prepared the defective phone to ship back to Apple.

As I played with my perfect 3GS, I knew this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I was loving it! That was until yesterday (July 2) when I discovered a scratch on the screen. A tiny millimeter hairline scratch at the bottom of the screen. I couldn't believe it! I was so careful with my iPhone. It stayed in my pocket all alone. I've never dropped it. I even lined its assigned cup holder in my car with tissues to make sure my iPhone stayed safe and secure.

Was the oleophobic coating on the screen to blame? I stuck by my decision to not degrade the picture quality by using a screen protectant film, as I discussed in my blog: Do iPhones Need Screen Protectors? The post included a link to a video of an iPhone endurance test that showed how scratch resistant the iPhone 3G screen was. Not to mention, I used my 2G iPhone for two years and never got a scratch on it. So how was it possible that I got a scratch on my iPhone 3GS screen in less than two weeks of ownership? The only physical difference was the addition of the oleophobic coating.

The scratch was extremely minor and was not even visible when using the phone, so eventually I will get over it. The first scratch on any new device is always the hardest. However, this minor imperfection made me wonder if I should buy a screen protector. I'm waiting for someone to do scratch test on the 3GS to confirm if it's more prone the scratches or not.

My first two weeks with the iPhone 3GS has been a roller coaster of emotion, but in the end, I'm happy with my new phone. I'm curious about other iPhone owners' experiences. Has it been painless or eventful? And has anyone else noticed any scratches already on their 3GS and would you recommend using a screen protective film?

New Curious Cloud polls:
1. Which iPhone(s) do you own?
2. Does your iPhone wear protection?

What About The Children?

The state of California is in a financial mess, and numerous cuts have to be made to save the state money. Sadly last month, Los Angeles Unified School District, and other school districts around the state, announced they were cutting summer programs. Many parents depend upon summer programs for child care while they are at work. My son is not old enough to attend public school yet, but he does go to daycare. I was told by the daycare owner that her phone is ringing non-stop with parents desperately searching for an alternative to the no longer active summer programs. Unfortunately, she is unable to take on the extra load of children.

We live in a society where, in most cases, both parents have to work. Daycares and nannies are expensive. My husband and I shell out well over $10,000 a year on child care for our son. Not unlike many other parents, we have no family members close enough to help watch our son when needed. These cutbacks on summer programs will cause a major strain on many parents, as well as, set back students who use summer school to get ahead.

To me, education cuts do not seem like the answer. Even if slashing the summer programs saves California hundreds of thousands of dollars, how much will we be sacrificing in our future? A good education is the key to ensuring better, higher paying jobs for our children which in turn means more money collected by the state in the form of taxes. I am deeply concerned about what shape the education program will be like in the next couple of years once my son is attending public school.

I'm curious, what your thoughts are on cuts in education in California or where you live? Do you feel it is a mistake or can compromises be made?

UPDATE: Poll Results 6/9/09 - 6/16/09

Should summer programs be cut to save your state money?
85% No, education is important
14% No, childcare is expensive
00% Yes, if the state is in debt
00% Summer school sucks anyway
00% Meh

Places I Would Not Want To Be During An Earthquake.

Since two minor earthquakes have rattled Los Angeles so far this week, it's made me think more about earthquake safety and preparedness. It's also reminded me of all the places I would not want to be during a major earthquake. I put together my list of top 10 places I would not want to be in an earthquake:

10. The little-bitty bathroom stall at work - Guaranteed concussion from hitting my head on the walls of this small space.

9. The tattoo shop - This could leave a permanent reminder of the big quake.

8. At the dentist - Dental work and earthquakes don't mix.

7. At The Aquarium Of The Pacific - I don't know how strong that glass really is.

6. The Lamps Plus store - A place that sells nothing but lighting fixtures is no place to be during an earthquake.

5. Walking on or standing under a glass stair case - They have these in some Apple Stores and as much as I love being in the Apple Store, I would not want to be on or under the glass stair case.

4. Costco - At first I thought Costco would be the ideal place to be after a natural disaster because of all the supplies you would have at my disposal, but a place with high shelves full of heavy items is not where I want to be if the ground is shaking.

3. In the shower - Besides slipping and falling, there's the problem of not being clothed which could be potentially embarrassing.

2. Elevator - Aside from the fear of being trapped in a small enclosed space for an unknown amount of time, I always contemplate what would happen if you had to go to the bathroom.

1. The BART Transbay Tube - Riding the train through an underwater tube during a major earthquake? No thanks.

I'm curious, what is the top places you would not want to be during an earthquake?

UPDATE: Poll Results 5/20/09 - 5/27/09

What natural hazard are you scared of most?
00% Earthquake
20% Volcanic eruption
00% Flood
00% Tsunami
00% Blizzard
00% Drought
00% Tornado
20% Hurricane
00% Fire
20% Disease Epidemic
20% Supernova
00% Other
20% Meh

Is Facebook A Place For Tweets?

It was brought to my attention that Facebook friends might not appreciate you allowing Twitter to update your Facebook status if you are a heavy tweeter. This news concerned me because I would never want to annoy my friends and be thought of as a post whore.

I'm not sure if I'm really a heavy tweeter, but on average I update my status about 18 times a day, not including any extra links or photos I may post on Facebook. My thought were, I like being able to update my status in one place instead or two (or three if you count Brightkite). I don't say anything on Twitter that I wouldn't also say on Facebook, and if I do, I delete that post on Facebook. Also, I figured if a Facebook friend didn't like what I had to say or how much I post, they have the option to hide my updates from their news feed. I posed a question on Facebook to get my friends' opponions on this matter and only got one response saying he didn't mind, so maybe all my friends have blocked my updates. LOL! Anyway, Facebook is trying their hardest to be like Twitter, so isn't it fitting to link your updates between the two sites?

One drawback could be seeing the same updates if you're friends with someone on Twitter and Facebook and they link their updates. I have a handful of friends that fall into this catagory. An easy solution I use to get around this is creating group lists in Facebook that exclude anyone whose updates I already see on Twitter. With some quick and easy tweaks in Facebook, I can't understand why anyone would have to be irritated because of a friend's quantity or quality of updates. Besides, I have plenty of friends who update their Facebook status as much as I do that don't even use Twitter.

So I'm curious, how do you feel about Facebook/Twitter linking? Does it bother you if someone posts a lot whether from Facebook or Twitter?

UPDATE: Poll Results 5/3/09 - 5/10/09

Do you allow Twitter to update your Facebook status?
30% Yes
38% No
15% It's annoying
15% Meh

Is The Workplace A Place For Friends?

I am a very social person and love making new friends. I highly value my friendships and want friends who return the sediment. After becoming a mom, my social activities reduced greatly making it harder to hang out with old friends or meet new cool people. The easiest solution seemed to be making friends with coworkers since that's where I spend the majority of my time these days. But, is the workplace the best place to be making friends? Are coworkers trustworthy enough to be considered friends when you're working in a competitive environment? Or, should work and personal relationships be kept separate?

Personally, I tend to get too comfortable around my coworkers and I say things I probably shouldn't. I think I'm talking to people who are my friends but who actually might be just looking out for their own best interest.

I'm curious, have you ever run into a scenario where workmate friendships turned ugly? Would you recommend making friends at work? Are you friends with coworkers and is it same as the friendships who have outside the company?

UPDATE: Poll Result 4/30/09 - 5/7/09

Do you make friends with coworkers?
28% Close friends
72% Acquaintances
00% No
00% Meh