You know the first thing I thought of when I found out you can do panorama shots within the iPhone’s native camera app? Cartwheeling. I was curious how it’d turn out, so this weekend, Panda and I gave it a try and it turned out to be pretty hilarious. I guess next time I should go for burst mode with a 3rd party app instead. Click on images to enlarge!
I did a lot of research leading up to the pre-order of my iPhone 5 (I even wrote a full-on how-to about it). One of the things that I spent time looking into was whether I should stay with AT&T or move to another carrier. And you know what? For all the bad rap that AT&T gets, I really think they’re not that bad. In fact, they’ve got some great selling points that made it easy for me to decide to stick with them for the foreseeable future. So while a lot of people may have jumped ship, I’m going to remain a loyal customer… which I’ve been, ever since the Cingular days!
First of all, I got scared when I read that Verizon customers would be losing their grandfathered unlimited plans once they went from 3G to 4G LTE. It hadn’t occurred to me that this could be an issue, so I quickly set about looking up whether the same thing would happen to AT&T customers. Some online searches didn’t provide the answer, so I called up customer service and spoke to a very nice lady who assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem. Whew! AT&T: 1, other carriers: 0. (Oh, though she did note that I wouldn’t be able to use FaceTime over cellular since that’s only for people with shared data plans… and shared data plans meant forfeiting grandfathered unlimited data plans. That doesn’t matter to me since I wasn’t planning on using it anyway.)
Secondly, I’ve been so used to being able to talk and surf at the same time that it didn’t even occur to me that others can’t. I assumed it would just be something you can do across all devices and carriers, but for iPhones, the only US carrier that supports it is AT&T. I happen to be a huge multi-tasker so I definitely put this feature high on my list of “needs” for my phone service! After all, if I can’t look something up while talking to someone on the phone, I end up being very inefficient having to call them back or text them a reply. If nothing else, I love being efficient.
Also, I find that AT&T has a good balance between 3G and 4G LTE coverage areas and the types of plans offered. To the first point, Sprint I hear has limited coverage so getting a consistent signal on the move might be more challenging. I took a look at the AT&T 4G LTE coverage map and found great coverage in all the places I’d spend 99% of my time in. To the second point, Verizon forces new customers to sign up for a shared data plan, which makes no sense to me… explain to me again why I’d need to share data with myself? Oh, that’s right – I shouldn’t. Plus, there was the earlier point that you can keep the unlimited data plan if you have it already.
Granted, I don’t really use my phone for phone calls very often, so I don’t usually run into the issues that people complain about with AT&T calls dropping. As for poor customer service, I find that when you start off the call on the right note, you can almost always get what you were looking for (assuming you’re being reasonable, of course). In fact, I had a grand time chatting with my customer service rep the last time I was on a call! And so it is, AT&T is most definitely the best carrier for me.
Oh yeah – one last thing: bonus points for having their site up 12 minutes before midnight for pre-orders. If I was going to be at my normal billing address the day the phones were being delivered, I totally could have completed my order with them before the Apple Store was even ready.
Haha my first attempt was way different than I expected. That’s me getting up around 0:15, wheeeee.
first attempt surfing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
The longest run I had took me almost back to shore! So what do you do when you’ve stopped moving forward?
surfing waikiki from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Today I got an awesome delivery – part 2 of my PureWow & Pure Leaf Pin It to Win It winnings!
When this huge orange truck pulled up along our curb, I knew my delivery had arrived!
The Pepsi delivery guy isn’t used to delivering to residences, but he took it in stride.
I wasn’t expecting 25 cases (?!!) of Pure Leaf tea, so we put it all in the garage until I could figure out what to do.
Source: Apple.com
Holding out on upgrading your phone to see if any issues crop up? Or maybe you’re just waiting for your previous 2-year contract to expire before you upgrade. Well, if you decide you want to get the iPhone 5 and would like to make sure you’ve prepared everything needed to get through the online ordering process without a hitch, here is a step-by-step of what to expect*:
1. In the Apple Store’s iPhone section, choose your color (black or white), storage capacity (16, 32, or 64 GB), and carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or get an unlocked phone for a higher price point).
2. If you chose one of the three carriers with contract requirements, you’ll then need to indicate if you are creating a new account with the carrier or already have one. If you have one, you can either replace a current phone on your account or add a line. (Sprint options vary slightly.)
3a. If you create a new account: you’ll go through and pick out the details, including minutes, data, and text messaging options. Then you can choose to get a new number or transfer your current one.
– If you get a new number, you’ll enter your billing info, birthday, and SSN. The carrier will do a credit check on you, you will have to pay an activation fee, and you’ll be signing up for a 2-year contract. Here Sprint also asks for you to create a PIN.
– If you transfer your current number, they will ask for your current phone number, account number, and password for the carrier (if applicable).
3b. If you have an existing account (either replacing a current number or adding a new one): you will then be prompted to enter your wireless number, billing zip code, last 4 digits of SSN, and billing password, if you have one. At that point, see 3a if you’re adding a line, otherwise Apple will check your eligibility for an upgrade, which will determine how much the iPhone will cost you. You’ll then want to confirm the monthly plan you want, either keeping what you have already or changing it.
Note: With Verizon, upgrading to the iPhone 5 means changing to LTE service, which voids any grandfathered plan you may be on (i.e. an unlimited one). Therefore, you will automatically have to choose a different plan if you currently have unlimited data with them. With AT&T, you get to keep your grandfathered plan, but you will not be allowed to use the FaceTime on cell service feature. If you want to FaceTime while on the go, you will have to get a shared data plan, which means you forfeit your grandfathered plans.
4. Then you will be directed to sign in with your Apple ID. If you’re a new customer, you’ll need to create one.
5. You will now be able to review your order, including the phone model and phone plan that you chose. Confirm the shipping address and shipping method are the ones you want. During pre-orders, you will not be allowed to edit the shipping address at this stage, but you can do so once the order is placed. The shipping method for pre-orders defaults to standard free shipping and cannot be changed.
6. If you want to edit your cart, you can do so here. Otherwise, go ahead to checkout to complete your order!
*Note that some instructions may not be complete since I didn’t have the appropriate information to go forward. I will update if I do get access.
Not too long ago, I discovered Crack Caramel, thanks to the PureWow newsletterI got. Being a sucker for all things caramel, I just had to get my hands on some! Since they do overnight shipping to ensure the product comes to you fresh, it can get pretty pricey. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with them and arrange to pick mine up since they’re located in LA. I’ve gone through and devoured about a quarter of my Crack Batch in the first day. As promised, their caramel is amazing! Not only is it fresh, it’s made from such simple, awesome ingredients. None of that odd stuff you’d find in mass-produced candy. And boy does it make Crack Caramel divine. 🙂
They’ve got some really cool packaging that meshes well together!
I ordered the Crack Batch and Crack Bar. They threw in two lollipops as a bonus!
The Crack Batch comes with a tag that tells you about their ingredients on the back. Inside the pouch, the caramels come sealed in a plastic bag for freshness. There are over 40 individually-wrapped pieces!
The Crack Bar also comes wrapped in plastic for freshness. Then there’s this waxy paper so the caramel doesn’t melt into the wrapping! I went ahead and took a big bite.
Adorable little Crack Pop on a nice wooden stick, wrapped in wax paper and tied off with a bit of string.
Source: Apple.com
Is it just me or is there not enough information out there about exactly everything you should prepare when you want to upgrade to the latest iPhone? Since I’ve been stuck with a 3GS for a few months (and constantly find it way too slow for my liking), I’m extremely eager to pre-order the iPhone 5 as soon as possible. I’ve scoured the web and found tons of sites talking about what it will be called, what hardware and software features it will include, how much it will cost, and when it will be available. (This was in the pre-announcement days.)
That’s great and all, but what about the nitty gritty details? When I pre-order the phone, what’s the difference between doing it online and going to a store? Will they be available to pre-order only at Apple.com or will other vendors offer them too? What information should I have ready to make sure my order goes smoothly? What can I expect when I get the phone? How do I make sure the setup process goes smoothly?
Well, in an effort to help streamline things for anyone else as eager to upgrade as I am, I’ll put together what I know and update it as we go along, until I have phone in hand, with the same phone number, same phone plan, new contract, and all my apps in place. Hopefully this can serve useful for anyone searching in the future for the next next iPhone, the next next next iPhone, etc.
Let’s start from the beginning: Apple will always announce an event to the media and a simple search for that will clue you in as to when to expect the next iPhone. In this recent example, the purported iPhone 5 was unveiled Sept 12th! From there, they will officially announce when pre-orders will begin and when the first wave of devices will arrive in stores or at your doorstep. Of course, there has been plenty of speculation about this and you can expect a certain amount of accuracy with reports leading up to the actual dates as given my Apple. As it turns out, iPhone 5 pre-orders will go on sale online this Friday, the 14th (no time given initially, but we knew it would probably in the wee hours of the morning to help alleviate congestion on their site… by Thursday the 13th you could find information online confirming that it would be 12:01 AM PST). Those pre-orders will ship to consumers the following Friday, the 21st.
Ok, so if you’ve decided you want to order this new phone, what’s the difference between doing it online and going to a store? Well, actually, if you want to be one of the first to order, then you have to do it online. Online pre-orders started Friday the 14th a bit past midnight PST while in-store orders won’t be available until Friday the 21st at 8 AM (same day that the online orders arrive at people’s doorsteps). As for other differences, if you decide to do it online you might encounter pages not loading and might even have to restart the ordering process a few times before finally getting through. Meanwhile, if you decide to go to a store, you’ll hit huge lines, no doubt. And in the store, they might also have the same issues with technology keeping up with incoming orders, though so far the online experience seemed to work fine. If you’re into the hype, going to the store might be a good option. You can also ask questions while you’re there and get a better understanding of what exactly you’re getting into. If you just want the new device pronto, then you probably want to stay home and battle it out online. See here for a separate post on the online ordering process.
Now will they be available to pre-order only at Apple.com, or will other vendors offer them too? AT&T and Verizon also started offering pre-orders through their sites at the same time as the Apple Store. In fact, AT&T even started a little before 12:01 and the site was live as early as 11:48. As far as I know, Sprint was lagging and didn’t seem to have the capability as of 1:00 AM PST. Just to safe, you’ll probably want to have more than one browser open and try your carrier’s site if Apple’s store is lagging. Also, for those who already own some sort of iDevice, don’t forget that the Apple Store app on your phone takes orders too! In fact, it was up and ready before the Apple Store loaded this time around.
What information should I have ready to make sure my order goes smoothly? Now this is something I actually was able to find. A few key things to note: you have to have the device shipped to you, and Apple will only send it to the billing address on file for your credit card. Either update the billing address for your credit card or find someone who has the appropriate address for billing already and convince them to help you order.* 😛 Also, sales tax in CA and RI is charged on the unbundled price of the phone (so they base it off of $650 vs. $200), so if you happen to be able to get your phone in any other state, you can save some money! As for the information you’ll need: color of device, storage space, carrier (these are things I’m assuming you’ve figured out). If you have an existing account with the carrier you want, you’ll need the wireless number, billing zip code, last 4 digits of the primary account holder’s SSN, and password for your carrier. If you are new to the carrier, you’ll go through and pick out the details of your phone plan so it’s wise to decide on that ahead of time. After all the phone plan stuff is settled, you’ll be asked to log in with your Apple ID. Then of course you’ll need the credit card info, including CC number, expiration date, security code, billing address, phone number, and email. That should cover it!
*As a friend pointed out, you can actually update the shipping address after your order goes through. Do this as soon as possible since you can no longer make changes once your order is in the “preparing for shipment” phase, which occurred as early as the night of Saturday the 15th for iPhone 5 orders.
What can I expect when I get the phone? I went into the AT&T store the other day and was told that when you get the phone, there will be instructions on how to activate it. You basically turn it on and go through the on-screen directions. Silly me, only when I was leaving the store did I realize that in the checkout process you already told Apple which carrier, what plan, and what phone number you’re going to have on the new device. Of course they’d be prepared! So if you like doing things over the phone, you can activate it right at home. But if you don’t feel secure in doing that or just prefer face-to-face contact, you can always stop by the carrier’s store and they can do it there for you.
Originally I thought that you could opt to have it shipped to you or sent to an Apple Store for pickup (which you usually can do). As it turns out, pre-orders ONLY ship to your billing address. Figure out where you’ll be the day it arrives and make sure it ships there, since it’ll need a signature. Shipping it to you means you can go ahead and do everything from home/work, or wherever you ship it to. In the future, you can go pick it up in an Apple Store or one of the carriers’ stores, but be ready for long lines and low quantities of stock in any given store. The associates there will be able to get everything set up for you and help troubleshoot any issues.
How do I make sure the setup process goes smoothly? This should be relatively easy, assuming there are no glitches associated with your carrier getting set up. The one thing you’ll likely want to do is backup your current phone if it is an iPhone, so you can easily load all your apps and data to the new device. You can do this via iCloud or iTunes, whatever your preference is.
Oh, and one last thing – when you create a new account, add a new line, or upgrade your current line, you are agreeing to a new 2-year contract with your carrier. They will also charge you a upgrade/activation fee around $35. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into!
So what do you think? Are there any other burning questions you have about the process/preparation? I’d be happy to try to figure it out with you.
Yay, I got one!
A little while ago, PureWow held a “pin it to win it” contest on Pinterest, where a random follower who pinned his/her favorite picture of the 10 finalists in the “Ultimate Summer Day” competition would also get to win a set of tea party-ready gear! I, being the eager gal I am, pinned one that I enjoyed, crossed my fingers, and went on my merry way. Then one day, I got an email saying that I had won!! How thrilling. 🙂
I got a wonderful (and huge) surprise at my door! I quickly set about peeling away the layers of packaging inside…
What a great set of items to host an iced tea party with!
Included in the set were 8 goblets (or stemless glasses to be more accurate), a pack of 25 orange striped paper straws, a jumbo ice tray (makes 2-oz cubes!), a tray with handles, two stir rods/muddlers (hehe what a funny name), and my personal favorite – a gorgeous pitcher! I’m just waiting for the Pure Leaf tea to ship to me and then I can have the ultimate (iced) tea party! I can hardly wait – I feel like this is straight out of a Home & Garden magazine picture or something. 😛
A few days ago, I decided to try to sell my iPhone cases (currently listed at DeckMyPhone) on eBay. After all, the new iPhone is supposed to be coming out in a few weeks and before we know it, the iPhone 4/4S model will become obsolete. Granted, there should be a nice secondary market of people purchasing iPhone 4/4S’s once the price of those drop in light of the newer model coming out. Still, I’d like to be able to move my product as much as possible so I can then focus on getting some iPhone 5 cases to sell.
To my delight, I got a bid on the very first day AND have since sold three at the “Buy It Now” price! Who knew that people were so eager to get a case that they’d pay over twice as much to get it ASAP. I happily obliged and sent out their covers the day they were ordered. I was even more pleased when I discovered how easy it is to ship with eBay, printing labels at home for packages that I can arrange for pickup if I want. It’s like the entire Stamps.com service, but integrated so I don’t need to pay for the membership.
So far it’s been a great experience selling on eBay and I think I might start listing other random items that I have for sale. Who knows what people might want to buy. 🙂 As for the iPhone 4 cases, I hope that this streak continues! You can check out my listings in my personal account and my business account. Feel free to start bidding! 😛
What do they have in common? Find out for yourself at the California Academy of Sciences Earthquake Exhibit!
I totally went to the CA Academy of Sciences just to see these baby ostriches. So cute!!
A lady walked around and fed the chicks. (Are baby ostriches called chicks?)
One of the babies was a klutz and kept knocking over the food bowl!
This is what I call “parallel eating” – maybe “parallel parked eating” is more appropriate?
For some reason it seemed they had to run from one end to the other – walking was not an option!
They got up so close to the fence but I couldn’t touch them! Sad. 🙁
