OldBooth is hours of family fun.

If I looked like this, would we still be friends?

#1"This scarf goes with anything, including this awesome ring"

So, in a first time ever "App" Review, I'm going to give you my thoughts on an application for the iPhone. If you don't own an iPhone then this article will simply be a reminder of how inferior your phone is. If you do own an iPhone then you're gonna want to download this App.

OldBooth is nothing groundbreaking but it is lots of fun. Sure there have been websites around for a while that would allow you to put your face into silly pictures, but have you been able to do it while in line for a movie, or at dinner with friends? Probably not, unless you carry your computer around with you. OldBooth has all the functionality of those sites in an easy to use application. My friend took one picture of me and made these 5 photos in about 2 minutes. I enjoyed the "what if" of this application.

I give this a strong buy reccomendation as the laugh is worth the 99 cents. Check out a few of my 'looks' all from one photo and tell me which is your favorite.

#2

"I'm excited to celebrate Pioneer Day with my friends and family"

#3

"This white denim jacket was on sale at Miller's Outpost and worth every penny"

#4

"I'm not just a member of the debate team, I'm the captain."
(side note, this one is eerily similar to my actual senior portrait."

#5

"Take a sip of that rich chocalate Ovaltine morning, noon and night and you'll grow up healthy, wealthy and wise"

Random Thoughts: Intro

New Feature at Thoughts of Trent

So, many of you have been writing and emailing that you check my blog every day and are often disappointed to find that I don't have a new post. Then you'd reference another mutual friend's blog and their consistency in posting. After looking at my friends blogs I realized that theirs take about 2 minutes to post, while mine can take a little longer.

I don't want to change the style of my posts because I like writing a detailed opinion, so instead of changing formats to appease those of you that check daily, I decided to add a type of post. Random Thoughts will be just that, a random thought opinion or experience. I will write most of these from my iPhone so they will be brief and in the moment. They won't have the fancy pictures or polls, instead it may or may not have an image from the phone.

It will be something fresh and updated frequently. If you like this new idea then yippee! If not, then just scroll past the posts labeled "Random" for the old Thoughts of Trent experience. I'd love to hear what you think so post a comment. Comments let me know people are reading and digging on it.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

-trent

1 month later; iPhone thoughts

She doesn’t just look good, she’s can actually have a conversaton.


“Isn’t it ridiculous, people were sleeping outside to get this phone, who does that for a phone.” I chuckle at my friend, knowing that I spent most of the day standing outside of the Apple store in Simi Valley. “I mean, give me a break, I have an iPod, I have a phone, they work fine.” I didn’t say a word. It wasn’t because I’m afraid of going toe to toe if I think I’m right, but at that point, I wasn’t sure. I had stood in line for 8 hours that day based on a theory. I believed that Apple knew what they were doing and so on that trust I bought their product.

The next day I spent loading my old contacts into my new “mobile me” account. This is a new service Apple is providing that will sync pictures, music, contacts and calendar with all your computers and iPhone. I can take a picture on my phone and with a single click it is loaded to my computer at home and on a database that can be accessed from anywhere at me.com. Setting up my email was a breeze, and all my accounts were set up in minutes.

That night, I took my phone out for the first time. I walked to my car and with my earbuds in, I listened to some music. As I got in the car, I just kept my iPod going. Driving down the freeway, I got my first call. The music simply faded out, and the person calling’s name appeared. How great is that! This one single device now has the best of my music, and just fades right back up when I end the call. The way it functions is just like an Apple, super intuitive, clean menus, just the way it should.

The next day, as if I wasn’t happy enough, I discovered the App Store. This is different companies making applications specifically for the iPhone and may be the greatest strength of the phone. Facebook, movie times, and great games. They’re currently selling apps at an amazing rate and this is sure to be the strength of this new mobile platform. While at work, sitting in front of a computer with 4 gigs of RAM and a T1 line, I will use my iPhone apps for movie times and other features because its easier.

Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve LOVED about the phone…
(in no particular order)
- Visual voicemail, see the messages and delete them with a single touch.
- There’s an iPod in your pocket all the time, with a great new user interface.
- The real internet in your pocket, not just a mobile imposter.
- Fun games and other apps that make a waiting room a pleasure.
- GPS syncing with Google maps, and traffic. Search for a business and click the map, and it’s got point by point directions.
- Text messages look like an iChat conversation. It’s easy to see what was said.
- Take pictures with the camera, and it adds a tag that has your exact location to tell you where you were and when you took the photo.
- Automatically uses open WiFi connections to download things even faster than the already fast 3G network.
- YouTube on your phone, don’t describe the funny video you saw, just show it.

There are a few things that they need to address, like becoming flash compatible, adding a cut & paste feature, and making it easier to see and send pictures via text messaging. The great things about those flaws are that they can be fixed with a software update. I just plain love this phone, I say a prayer of thanks every morning when I put on the headphones and head out for the day. It really is just so good.

The iPhone isn’t for everyone but I’m not sure who it isn’t for. If you are a tech-savy person with a mobile lifestyle, then you need one tomorrow. I had a Blackberry for two years and loved having email and web on my phone, but this is totally different. It’s like remembering your love for driving when you got your first car; a 10-year-old Ford Taurus. Then comparing that with the joy you experience behind the wheel of your brand new convertible Ferrari.

Just the other day my friend that inadvertently mocked me for the iPhone saw that I had one. He laughed and asked how long I’d had it. I told him that I had it that day we talked but hadn’t used it so couldn’t argue for it. After letting him hold it and showing him the features for 20 minutes he asked me how long the lines are now. His conclusion was simple, “I have to get one of these.”


By the way, if you switch over to AT&T because this article was the tipping point, well then tell them Trent sent you. I get a credit! I didn’t write this article trying to sell phones, but if I did…hook a brother up!

Looks like it’s worth the wait.

This is Steve Jobs. He brought you Pixar, the Mac, the iPod, and now a new iPhone.
Stay tuned, he’s going to fix the whole poverty thing next year.


Refresh, refresh, refresh. I’ve hit the button at least 60 times in the last 20 minutes. Usually it’s up by noon and it’s 1:00pm. I hope nothing is wrong… refresh, refresh, refresh… sure enough the icon changes and its there. Steve Job’s keynote is a semi annual speech from the CEO of Apple. It is an unveiling of new products and new features. It is a mac geek’s Christmas morning. Sure I could log on to the sight I check daily (MacRumors.com) and get a rundown of all the details in bullet form, but I’d rather watch how it unfolds moment by moment.

It’s like watching a state of the union address for technophiles who know they’re choice of Mac makes them far superior to the rest of the world. These speeches run over an hour and often use language that I don’t fully understand. But they all address the needs of the consumer. Macs core value is creating intuitive products. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops and learn another language, the machine should work for me. Now that Apple has moved into fields of music players and phones it is great to have this ingenuity in these aspects of every day life.

This speech seemed a little off. Steve Jobs looked skinny and ill. He also gave the floor to others more than usual. The announcements were not as shocking as they have been in the past, except for one thing. $199 for an iPhone. Even a less than best speech is still captivating, and had me reeling. They have dropped the price on the invention of the year dramatically, again. I love the way they’ve structured this price change to. Essentially it’s a basic rebate, similar to other companies. What is different is the experience for the consumer. This discount doesn’t require you to mail 20 forms; for the person walking in the store the price is basic and low. I think its hilarious that it is more expensive to purchase an iPod touch, which is identical to the iPhone, but without the phone.

The other big announcement was the new “MobileMe” service. Companies spend thousands of dollars to set up Microsoft Exchange, which pushes email, calendars and contacts to multiple computers. Apple is now offering this service and some great bells and whistles to the everyman. You log on to me.com and use web-based programs, or have them sync with your software. So, you can now take a picture on your iPhone and within seconds have it sync to your galleries within seconds, over which friends and family can view with your permission.

Do you see what this company has me doing? I’m selling their product, explaining it in detail, after watching a 2-hour commercial. Mac has forced me to do some soul searching in the past. I’ve asked myself if I’m just into these computers because it makes me feel a sense of belonging to an elitist sub-culture. (Think about how many products sell an identity or feeling more than a simple item on the shelf.) That soul searching left me slow to purchase new items at a rate matching my impulse but still committed to buying Mac. I’d rather spend more for a virus free reliable product. Now I don’t have to incessantly click refresh, I know that July 11th is the day.