This blog is still active. We'll, it isn't but as long as I still have Macs, I'll keep the site up and running.
I've not been using the iMac all that much. I take that back. I use do use it, but mainly for crunching video and movies that I capture from my phone, my GoPro, and my Emerson Action Cam. iMovie does some things that Movie Maker doesn't. iMovie also tends to be more intuitive. Other than that, the only action the iMac sees is in playing Minecraft (my kids).
My MacBook is barely being used (I do occasionally use it for web browsing while in bed). My Macbook is no longer supported (it is a 1g). I suppose I could swap out the battery with the wife's (my wife's is a 2g and is still supported - but her battery stopped working) and use hers. Or I can throw Linux on it.
I don't think I'm every going to buy another Apple. I love the idea and the simplicity of basic operations, but when complicated issues arise, sometimes even the basic things are no longer simple. As well, I tire of trying to ensure the computers are supported.
But, I should document how to get my music from a backup of my iPad Mini to my Samsung Galaxy Note 2. I've been trying to do that for a very long time. Like a fool, when I installed Windows 8 on my Alienware, I forgot to back up my iTunes stuff (music and such). Now, I can get most of it back via iCloud and via wireless and iTunes, but I'm having a problem getting my music reinstalled that I *didn't* purchase via iTunes. It's a PITA (similar to the issue I had back in 2008 where I dropped and broke my iPhone...got a new iPhone but had a very difficult time getting my music onto the new phone).
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Monday, July 08, 2013
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Got a New Phone!
Bought a new phone yesterday.
Yeah. I went Verizon. This is the first time in years that I'm not using an iPhone. Since I've done a lot in the last 24 hours with the new phone, I've a bit to discuss.
The wife wouldn't let go of her vacation and stretched it to the limit yesterday. She took the kids to the water park and I was positively done with vacationing, so I opted out. I took the boy with me and decided to drive around Massanutten/Luray/Harrisburg in Virginia. Then I got to thinking that maybe I should go look at phones at the closest Verizon Wireless center. After driving around for a bit, I went to Harrisburg, looked around, and asked them if they had HTC Thunderbolts. They did and I began to ask questions. I looked at other 4G Verizon phones but had all issues with them. The Droid X2 had a BIG screen but wasn't 4G. The Revolution and Charge were OK but again, they weren't meeting my requirements, which I explained in my last post.
So, I ended up getting the Thunderbolt.
My 24-hour impressions are below.
1. This phone is HEAVY. When I say this, I'm comparing to my current iPhone 3GS. My wife's Samsung Infuse makes the T-bolt seem like a boulder. But I do like the solid feel. I do like the heft, though...it doesn't seem fragile and is probably more durable than my iPhone.
2. The screen is brighter than I thought. It was blinding my wife when I was in bed reading.
3. Voice clarity is incredible. I called my mom and could hear everything going on in the background.
4. Still getting used to the Android Market. There's a LOT of junk apps...seriously. I'm not used to that. I was trying to find a free and GOOD free screenshot app but couldn't find one (and all want you to have a hacked phone (for root access). I'm still looking for a good screenshot app, too.
5. I had to find some critical apps that matched what I was using on my iPhone, such as mSecure. They had mSecure for Android phones but it was a real pain to get a backed up copy imported onto my T-bolt. At first, I mailed a backup to myself, but the phone wouldn't let me copy the encrypted backup (it was several pages long and the phone wouldn't let me copy AND scroll down). So, I used mBackup and my Macbook to get a copy onto the T-bolt.
6. I had a difficult time figuring out how to get my iPhone pictures onto my T-bolt. Finally, I plugged my T-bolt into my Macbook with a USB cable, which mounted the phone as a drive. Then I just copied the pictures onto the micro-SD card.
7. I had to repurchase my highly desirable apps. Apps such as Tapatalk and Motorcycle.com (as well as mSecure). That was undesirable but unavoidable. I found that I'd invested a bit into the iPhone, enough to where it was a bit painful for me to repurchase these apps. I left alone such apps as Angry Bird, especially since I'd have to start all over with playing it (I don't believe Angry Bird saves game progress to the level that I can continue from the same place I'd left off on the iPhone).
8. I love the speaker phone. It is loud. I love the fact that the speaker is big (it is behind the side stand).
9. My bill should be the same as what I had with the iPhone, with the exception of the activation fee, which is $35 and will only show on the first bill.
10. Data plan usage is NOT unlimited, but the salesperson swears that most people don't bump into the limit. He insisted that 2GB is fine for most people. We will see, as I do sometimes use data (at work when I can't reach the wifi hotspots).
11. The voice plan I selected was the 450 plan. Lately, with AT&T, I'd been bumping into my limit but what was saving me was the rollover minutes (I have a TON of them). I'll have to watch my usage very closely. No more speaking with mom for 1+ hours in the middle of the day!
12. The seven (7) virtual screentops may not be enough for me. Or, maybe I need to reconsider what I place on those screentops. I'm used to the IOS's way of grouping screentop icons.
13. The FriendStream app is NICE! The wife also has it on her phone (but she doesn't use it...I'm going to push her to try it, as it is VERY cool.
14. The front-facing camera on this phone is wicked. It rivals my wife's Infuse (that statement would be scandalous to some). The flash is bright, also. The clarity is good. The rear-facing camera is decent, also, but I would like to test it with apps such as Skype. Sadly, Skype isn't ready for this phone yet. Yahoo might work, though.
15. I love the way I can kill running apps and have an app manage battery consumption.
16. The micro-USB cable is a life-saver. No more proprietary cabling. I HATED the iPhone's cable and the fact that I couldn't do crap with it without iTunes.
17. The 32-gb micro-SD card is a lifesaver...and it is rather large in storage capacity. Too bad that you can only access it by removing the battery.
18. This phone pretty much flies when asked to do something. I rarely see it running slowly.
19. I had a few large software updates waiting for me. It's nice to have these loaded directly to the phone instead of relying on iTunes. Word of advice, though, some updates can be large...it would be wise to use a wifi connection when updating. Also, I preprogramed the phone to get the updates while I was sleeping (so it wouldn't interfere with me doing other things...plus, the phone gets hot when downloading large files).
It's going to take me awhile to get used to this phone, especially since I'm coming from an iPhone. I'm ready for a change, but I'm not going to lie when I say that the iPhone is the phone to have if you just want crap to work.
Loving it so far!
EDIT:
Still need to import my iPhone contacts and music to my Thunderbolt. I'm currently in the process of importing my contacts. What I had to do was save all of my contacts in my address book on my Macbook into a vcard formated file. I then placed this file on the micro-SD card, then I imported the file into my People app. It looks like it worked fine. The real test may be my music, especially my iTunes-purchased music. :(
EDIT 2:
Tried using ITMW (itunemywalkman) to get my music into my Android but it was cumbersome, but I remember a phone salseman mentioning Doubletwist. I installed that and my music appears to be synching. It will be awhile, as I've 29GB of stuff to transfer. I suppose I can do this a few hours every day for a few days. Most of it is podcasts, I think, so I could maybe remove all the podcasts (I don't listen to them anymore anyways). We'll see how it turns out.
Yeah. I went Verizon. This is the first time in years that I'm not using an iPhone. Since I've done a lot in the last 24 hours with the new phone, I've a bit to discuss.
The wife wouldn't let go of her vacation and stretched it to the limit yesterday. She took the kids to the water park and I was positively done with vacationing, so I opted out. I took the boy with me and decided to drive around Massanutten/Luray/Harrisburg in Virginia. Then I got to thinking that maybe I should go look at phones at the closest Verizon Wireless center. After driving around for a bit, I went to Harrisburg, looked around, and asked them if they had HTC Thunderbolts. They did and I began to ask questions. I looked at other 4G Verizon phones but had all issues with them. The Droid X2 had a BIG screen but wasn't 4G. The Revolution and Charge were OK but again, they weren't meeting my requirements, which I explained in my last post.
So, I ended up getting the Thunderbolt.
My 24-hour impressions are below.
1. This phone is HEAVY. When I say this, I'm comparing to my current iPhone 3GS. My wife's Samsung Infuse makes the T-bolt seem like a boulder. But I do like the solid feel. I do like the heft, though...it doesn't seem fragile and is probably more durable than my iPhone.
2. The screen is brighter than I thought. It was blinding my wife when I was in bed reading.
3. Voice clarity is incredible. I called my mom and could hear everything going on in the background.
4. Still getting used to the Android Market. There's a LOT of junk apps...seriously. I'm not used to that. I was trying to find a free and GOOD free screenshot app but couldn't find one (and all want you to have a hacked phone (for root access). I'm still looking for a good screenshot app, too.
5. I had to find some critical apps that matched what I was using on my iPhone, such as mSecure. They had mSecure for Android phones but it was a real pain to get a backed up copy imported onto my T-bolt. At first, I mailed a backup to myself, but the phone wouldn't let me copy the encrypted backup (it was several pages long and the phone wouldn't let me copy AND scroll down). So, I used mBackup and my Macbook to get a copy onto the T-bolt.
6. I had a difficult time figuring out how to get my iPhone pictures onto my T-bolt. Finally, I plugged my T-bolt into my Macbook with a USB cable, which mounted the phone as a drive. Then I just copied the pictures onto the micro-SD card.
7. I had to repurchase my highly desirable apps. Apps such as Tapatalk and Motorcycle.com (as well as mSecure). That was undesirable but unavoidable. I found that I'd invested a bit into the iPhone, enough to where it was a bit painful for me to repurchase these apps. I left alone such apps as Angry Bird, especially since I'd have to start all over with playing it (I don't believe Angry Bird saves game progress to the level that I can continue from the same place I'd left off on the iPhone).
8. I love the speaker phone. It is loud. I love the fact that the speaker is big (it is behind the side stand).
9. My bill should be the same as what I had with the iPhone, with the exception of the activation fee, which is $35 and will only show on the first bill.
10. Data plan usage is NOT unlimited, but the salesperson swears that most people don't bump into the limit. He insisted that 2GB is fine for most people. We will see, as I do sometimes use data (at work when I can't reach the wifi hotspots).
11. The voice plan I selected was the 450 plan. Lately, with AT&T, I'd been bumping into my limit but what was saving me was the rollover minutes (I have a TON of them). I'll have to watch my usage very closely. No more speaking with mom for 1+ hours in the middle of the day!
12. The seven (7) virtual screentops may not be enough for me. Or, maybe I need to reconsider what I place on those screentops. I'm used to the IOS's way of grouping screentop icons.
13. The FriendStream app is NICE! The wife also has it on her phone (but she doesn't use it...I'm going to push her to try it, as it is VERY cool.
14. The front-facing camera on this phone is wicked. It rivals my wife's Infuse (that statement would be scandalous to some). The flash is bright, also. The clarity is good. The rear-facing camera is decent, also, but I would like to test it with apps such as Skype. Sadly, Skype isn't ready for this phone yet. Yahoo might work, though.
15. I love the way I can kill running apps and have an app manage battery consumption.
16. The micro-USB cable is a life-saver. No more proprietary cabling. I HATED the iPhone's cable and the fact that I couldn't do crap with it without iTunes.
17. The 32-gb micro-SD card is a lifesaver...and it is rather large in storage capacity. Too bad that you can only access it by removing the battery.
18. This phone pretty much flies when asked to do something. I rarely see it running slowly.
19. I had a few large software updates waiting for me. It's nice to have these loaded directly to the phone instead of relying on iTunes. Word of advice, though, some updates can be large...it would be wise to use a wifi connection when updating. Also, I preprogramed the phone to get the updates while I was sleeping (so it wouldn't interfere with me doing other things...plus, the phone gets hot when downloading large files).
It's going to take me awhile to get used to this phone, especially since I'm coming from an iPhone. I'm ready for a change, but I'm not going to lie when I say that the iPhone is the phone to have if you just want crap to work.
Loving it so far!
EDIT:
Still need to import my iPhone contacts and music to my Thunderbolt. I'm currently in the process of importing my contacts. What I had to do was save all of my contacts in my address book on my Macbook into a vcard formated file. I then placed this file on the micro-SD card, then I imported the file into my People app. It looks like it worked fine. The real test may be my music, especially my iTunes-purchased music. :(
EDIT 2:
Tried using ITMW (itunemywalkman) to get my music into my Android but it was cumbersome, but I remember a phone salseman mentioning Doubletwist. I installed that and my music appears to be synching. It will be awhile, as I've 29GB of stuff to transfer. I suppose I can do this a few hours every day for a few days. Most of it is podcasts, I think, so I could maybe remove all the podcasts (I don't listen to them anymore anyways). We'll see how it turns out.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
iPhone firmware v3.1.2 is available
See "Apple iPhone Software now v3.1.2" article at PCWorld
I've no idea when v3.1.2 was released but I've never needed an update so badly.
My phone has been going comatose since I installed v3.1. During this time, I've also had cellular network issues. I'd have to restart the phone every couple of days. I'd miss calls because I couldn't tell when the phone was comatose until maybe 6 hrs with no e-mails and/or texts.
So, today, I decided to check for an update and v3.1.2 was queued up. I've installed it, along with an iWorks and iTunes update.
We'll see how things go.
I've no idea when v3.1.2 was released but I've never needed an update so badly.
My phone has been going comatose since I installed v3.1. During this time, I've also had cellular network issues. I'd have to restart the phone every couple of days. I'd miss calls because I couldn't tell when the phone was comatose until maybe 6 hrs with no e-mails and/or texts.
So, today, I decided to check for an update and v3.1.2 was queued up. I've installed it, along with an iWorks and iTunes update.
We'll see how things go.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
iTunes Issues
I'd forgotten about my iPod being synced to the iTunes install that was on the hard disk that crashed.
I had a new problem: getting the content that's on the iPod to my new iTunes installation. The problem is that you can't normally transfer songs themselves from iPods to whatever has your iTunes software (laptop, desktop).
I went here and followed the instructions. Although the instructions are straight-forward, I did issues with two of the recommended 3rd-party packages before I actually had success in backing up the data that resides on the iPod.
The software I had issues with were iPodRip and YamiPod. With the former, the software started fine but would choke on file transfers that involved more than one file. The software would lock up and I'd have to force-kill it. With the latter, the software never loaded, locking up without the GUI showing. I'd also had to force-kill the process (this one locked the software up in a way that the system fans would kick in after 10 sec of the software trying to load).
I was successful with Senuti.
I installed Senuti, then had it back up the iPod's data to the default iTunes library location. From there, I backed up this location's files to another place (just in case). I then synced iTunes with my iPod successfully!
The only issue I actually have (had) is that my playlists didn't sync. :( That was expected, though.
So, my music is good now. I just have to remember to back up my music to something other than the MacBook's hard disk (maybe an external drive, which I've several).
I had a new problem: getting the content that's on the iPod to my new iTunes installation. The problem is that you can't normally transfer songs themselves from iPods to whatever has your iTunes software (laptop, desktop).
I went here and followed the instructions. Although the instructions are straight-forward, I did issues with two of the recommended 3rd-party packages before I actually had success in backing up the data that resides on the iPod.
The software I had issues with were iPodRip and YamiPod. With the former, the software started fine but would choke on file transfers that involved more than one file. The software would lock up and I'd have to force-kill it. With the latter, the software never loaded, locking up without the GUI showing. I'd also had to force-kill the process (this one locked the software up in a way that the system fans would kick in after 10 sec of the software trying to load).
I was successful with Senuti.
I installed Senuti, then had it back up the iPod's data to the default iTunes library location. From there, I backed up this location's files to another place (just in case). I then synced iTunes with my iPod successfully!
The only issue I actually have (had) is that my playlists didn't sync. :( That was expected, though.
So, my music is good now. I just have to remember to back up my music to something other than the MacBook's hard disk (maybe an external drive, which I've several).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)