Now that I have an iPhone and that the Wordpress app has been released, I thought I’d start to take advantage of the ability of taking pictures and posting them on my site where ever I happen to be. And so, I have a new category entitled “Daily Shots“.

I’ll probably keep it to one a day if possible, but I’ll try and take an interesting picture with my iPhone and post it with a blurb as to what I saw or where I was when it was taken. Known as “photo blogging“, this should be an interesting addition to my site… provided I keep it up, which I hope to.  

If you’re running a Wordpress site, and you have an iPhone, you’d be insane to not use the Wordpress iPhone app. It’s still v1.0 (as of this posting), and there are a few things missing (comment moderation, visual editor, etc), but for the most part it is a functional application that makes it easy and quick to draft together a post and get it up on your site.

Check out the following URL for more information:

http://iphone.wordpress.org/

I DUB THEE “PROTEUS”! (Yes, I am naming my iPhone… and I have to anyway)

Starting yesterday, I began checking out the Rogers store at the SkyDome to see if they had any iPhones in stock. The rumour was that they would be receiving a shipment, and so rather than call them, I intially rode my bike over to see if they had any. Hey, it was my lunch, and I planned on riding the bike anyway. 

As luck would have it, they didn’t have any in stock, but one of the dudes working there said for me to call in an hour, and gave me his card. I rode back, and called a few times throughout the afternoon, yet they didn’t have any. Bummer. Still, it was amusing how they answered the phone:

Thank you for calling the Rogers store, my name is so-and-so, we don’t have any iPhones in stock, but is there anything else I can help you with…?

I called this morning, and the guy who picked up didn’t say anything about not having any iPhones. Hmmmm. I asked, and they had ONE left. I asked if he could put it on the side for me as I would be biking over, but he said that he unfortunately couldn’t do that and that I should “peddle as fast as you can”. And so I did. I walked into the store with my bike, and he smiled and picked up the iPhone and put it on the counter. Awesome.

While it was being set up, this big dude came in and waited behind me. Turns out he wanted to get an iPhone as well, but the Rogers rep said that they didn’t have any more, and then he looked at me and said “This guy is bigger than you… I’d run, man!”, which we had a laugh over. However, there was this other girl who came in looking to get an iPhone as well, and she explained that he had one that was unlocked, it cost her $700, and she had it stolen last night at a club. That sucks.

Anyway, to Proteus, I make the following promises:

• I shall not drop thee into a pint of beer.
• I shall not drop thee at all.
• I shall treat thee with care.
• I shall not go over 6GB per month.
• I shall use Google Maps OFTEN.  

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Seems that all the negativity about their plans for the upcoming iPhone (mostly “ruinediphone.com“), and also all the rumours circulating about how Apple is “disgusted” with Rogers, has somewhat forced their hand:

Effective July 11, and as a limited time promotional offer for customers
who activate by August 31 on a three year contract, a data-only offering of
6GB of data for $30 per month is being made available that can be added to any
in-market voice plan. For example, with 6GB of data, iPhone 3G users can visit
35,952 web pages, or send and receive 157,286 emails, or watch 6,292 minutes
of YouTube videos each and every month.

New Canadian iPhone 3G customers will also have the choice to select from
Rogers Wireless’ existing voice and smartphone data plans and/or additional
features to best suit their needs, or from Rogers Wireless’ value bundled
plans specifically for iPhone 3G. Existing Rogers Wireless customers can keep
their current voice service plan and select a separate data plan to meet their
needs or choose from other plans after checking their individual upgrade
eligibility.

I have to say, a 6GB data plan for $30/month isn’t THAT bad. Honestly, 6GB is a lot of data, and when you think about how this is for downloading to a phone, it’s not like you’d be downloading movies or TV shows via bit torrent to the thing. While an unlimited plan is always best, just so we don’t have to worry about going over, 6GB is sufficient for the average user. Personally, I don’t think I’d use that much in a month over my phone; I’d have no interest in YouTube or anything else that would be bandwidth intensive, and if I did, I’d simply use wi-fi… since who doesn’t have that these days?

I still believe that Rogers is gouging the average customer, but at least they are being somewhat reasonable with this latest development. I say “somewhat”, as you only have until August 31st to sign up for this, and you still need to agree to a three year contract. Either way, I’m considering the iPhone again, but I’m going to wait about a month to see how these prices work out for the early adopters, and see what sort of headaches I can expect on a bill. As well, with any new piece of technology, it’s always best to wait to see how it fairs in the field before shelling out some cash for it.

Last night, Molly and I decided to go to the AMC at Yonge and Dundas to watch “WALL•E“. I had heard good things about the movie, and considering it was put together by Pixar, I had a feeling that it was going to be awesome. Sure enough, WALL•E didn’t disappoint, and I now consider it my favourite animated movie, with “The Incredibles” as a close second.

Pixar has made some great movies in the past, and WALL•E just takes the cake. The movie doesn’t have much dialogue at all, yet is quite entertaining as you watch the characters come to life through their actions. One of the parts that made me laugh was a chime that you’d hear when you turn on a Macintosh, most likely a nod towards Steve Jobs, seeing as how he used to own Pixar. Overall, the graphics were amazing, and the story was quite good. Personally, I can’t wait until this comes out on DVD.

If you were thinking about seeing WALL•E, I totally suggest you do. I loved every minute of it. I even stayed for the length of the end credits.   

Oh, and a word in about the AMC at Yonge and Dundas; this theatre kicks the crap out of the Paramount (sorry… “Scotiabank Theatre”). My co-worker Les is quick to point out that it is a digital theatre, which makes for crisper sound and sharper video. The popcorn isn’t as good, but the fact that the chairs recline is a HUGE bonus for my back. Also, the arm rests fold up, so its easier to cuddle with your movie date. 

Happy birthday Canada!

141 years old. Man, that’s a LOT of candles!