Ray, I would go with a laptop as well if we're looking at taking it on the WC. You can always buy a Mac laptop now and upgrade the OS later (very simple usually for Macs) though you will have to pay for it so if you want to get Leopard with your new Mac, you might wait until October.

The best cases for PDAs and phones are made by Vaja, I think. Made by craftsmen in Argentina, they're gorgeous with some amazing color choices and they have price tags that go along with that. But they're incredibly made. And yes, they do have cases for iPhones. Check them out here:
http://www.vajacases.com/

Masaki

Ray....let met hop in with my mac experience....I purchased the laptop and a video display with wireless keyboard and mouse - sort of the best of both worlds - the display was a little pricey but I'm happy to work at my desk with the large screen - the laptop is discreetly tucked underneath hooked up to the screen and printer but ready to travel at a moments notice - this way I don't need to sync between more than one computer (although apple makes that pretty simple too).

I've been very happy with my mac - still learning some programs - Pages from ilife is a challenge for me - I used MS Publisher alot and really miss the ability to bring those documents over to apple. But otherwise I love the mac and my iphone - I'm back in the mac world 100%!

That sounds like an ideal solution, M.

Masaki, those iphone cases are beautiful, but very costly! I think they are going to make great gifts this holiday season....I hope my family likes them :) I sure do.

Masaki, Margo, Robert, DnA3, Gatowoman, Eugene:

I was talking to my young Apple guru fan this a.m. and we will be going to Legacy Village to look around. If I wind up buying a laptop, it would be a reconditioned one. In the meantime, I'm going to try some new software from Sony (Vegas) and see if it is easier to use than that I'm currently using.


My SIL will be going to Argentina soon and I have asked him to be on the alert should he see one of those Vaja cases. I doubt I'll be that lucky as he's on a short biz. trip and won't have much time on his hands. But it's worth a try.

Thanks!

Cheers! Ray

Doris - yes, they ARE pricey. But I have to say that I LOVED the case that I had for my Treo from Vaja.

Ray - you can also check the Apple Store online for refurbished models. Some nice bargains there!

Masaki

Our iphone cases arrived in the mail yesterday and we think that this design is great and easy to use. Here is the link www.senacases.com They are less expensive than the other company, Vaja, and I think just as nice. We bought the MagnetFlipper case. Love all the colors available. Let me know what you all think.

P and I have Sena cases and love them.

Woo Hoo! Rich and I were just in the AT&T store; the store manager got an email on his cell phone that Apple had just dropped the price by $200. I bought an Iphone 8g for $399. Now I have to look at the links for the cases.

Pam, you will just love your phone. We are so glad that we took the plunge and splurged on ours. Look at the Sena cases, you don't have to worry if you drop your phone, it has just enough padding to protect it.

Doris, I've been trying to order a Sena case, but all the MagnetFlipper ones are coming up 'out of stock'. I'll call them tomorrow, I haven't activated the phone yet.

Congrats on the purchase and getting in on the $200 price drop. I wonder if Apple is going to offer us early adopters any kind of refund after only 2 months on the market.

Thoughts anyone?

Doubt it though we can always hope.

Oh, did I mention that I pulled the trigger myself 2 wks ago? So now I'm using my old phone to run my software and my iPhone for calls. (sigh) A very imperfect world. Still, a very nice phone - they have some nice hacks available that allow you to customize the phone further.

Masaki

How do you keep the smudges off the front screen?

There's a message from Steve Jobs on the Apple website, apologizing to everybody who bought their iPhone before yesterday. He says they are giving everybody $100 instore credit towards a purchase.

Congrats, M!! Glad you like.

Yes, P, I noticed that. Hey, I'm a mac-head so I'll take the hundie, gladly.

Here is a link to the letter from Steve.

Smudges? Do you carry the cloth it came with around? That's the best remedy. You can hand wash it with a mild soap and let it air dry. Hand wash the cloth, not the iphone, that is! LOL

Hey all you travel techies,
Did you know that there are free travel related pod casts? You search for "travel" in the I-Tunes Store and then scroll down to the free podcast subscriptions. There are so many options that sometimes you have to select the "More Results" at the bottom.
lh3.google.com/seeusdothis/RuBjt2iLhtI/AAAAAAAABTs/Y2D4L6w5nG8/itunes1.JPG?imgmax=512

You can even get even more specific and put in a particular destination like "travel asia".
lh5.google.com/seeusdothis/RuBiDWiLhsI/AAAAAAAABTM/8IgQJaU1Ex8/itunes2.JPG?

Guess I don't have the posting pictures thing down yet. It was just a screen shot of the I-Tunes store anyway. If you can not find the podcasts, then just let me know.

R. oooopsie! That little cloth fell out of the box and got buried by the box itself. Now I have it. Thanks!

On the Apple Support Discussion Forums, there are reports that American Express is refunding that $200 to at least some people who paid for their iPhones with Amex. Might be worth a phone call, especially Masaki.

Hmmmm! Good thought, Pam! Except I didn't pay for the iPod with my AMEX ... the first time I've really regretted not making a purchase with my AMEX. :)

Masaki

I'm so glad I finally got back to check in on the latest - I purchased my phone from the Apple Store with AMEX - some kind of refund seems appropriate - Pam, I'll check out the support forum.

It's nice to see our own little support group here!

I checked with AMEX Platinum and they advised that if I went to ATT and they refused to take phone back I could send it to AMEX and they would pay me $300 for each phone. AMEX eliminated the "price guarantee" policy about a year ago. Ah, hes, "to better serve the customer" reduce benefits, charge more.

If I understand the program, I will get $100 credit at an Apple store for my phone and I'm cool with that. Since Penny's 4G phone was purchased less than 14 days ago, she will get a refund of $200 from ATT.
Sound right, cruise fans? Or do I get $100 store credit for hers too?

I really didn't have a "Mac attack" over the situation and will be happy to apply funds towards an Apple computer prior to the World Cruise so I can edit footage from camcorder and burn DVDs. Following the WC, I'll sure know who my best friends are when I offer to have them over to see my home movies of the WC :>)

Cheers! Ray
P.S. Ordered cases from Sena for I-Phone and I-Pod. Still WAITING and WAITING.
P.P.S. I love the I-Phone. Whenever I'm alone and out in public I can check on L.C.T., Nebraska football, email, etc. Under photos, I have inserted about six albums. One is of L.C.T. visits and gatherings, another one on vacations...ROAR, Baltics and Norway, etc. and of course family. Life is good!

My understanding is that if you bought an 8G iPhone less than 14 days ago, you receive $200 back. I'm not sure what the situation is if you bought a 4G iPhone during that period.

---------------

Eugene

I bought a 4g phone and my understanding is that I will get NOTHING back. I'm not a happy camper about this situation. I am debating on whether to by a new PC or a Mac, so a credit at the apple store would certainly be a plus in the mac direction.

Ray, we waited about 5 weeks for our cases, and I ordered another for a gift about 3 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.

Doris:

It appears us 4g people will get $100 Apple In- Store credit. I'm still somewhat unsure about the $200 refund since I purchased Penny's 4g I-Phone within 14 days of price reduction but I'm going to give it a try.

Cheers! Ray
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/

Ray, thanks for the great news :banana: :banana: :banana:

Here was a posting on PC World about the refund.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005364.html

Actually that was me. Ngaire's computer automatically logs her into LCT.

Julie, that's hilarious! I thought "Ngaire is on a cruise and reading off-topic??? She NEVER reads off-topic!"

I had a little bit of a scare today. I've been carrying my cell phone in a Vera Bradley quilted fabric case that has a strap; I thread the strap through a part of my purse strap. I've been letting the phone dangle outside my purse, because the Motorola was a tight fit so I wanted to be able to find it when it rang. For some reason today, in one of mine and Rich's various stops, I flipped the carrier to the inside of my purse; when we got home, one end of the strap had let go from its fastener and dropped (MY NEW PHONE) down into my purse. Gads! If it had been on the outside, my spacy self might not have noticed.

Yes, I literally morph into Ngaire when she is traveling. Ha!
I learned a hard lesson in losing my cell phone one time in that I did not have a back-up of all my phone numbers etc. Now I have a PDA so I link it to my computer and it synchs up all my data.
That Vera Bradley stuff is very popular. I think Debbie's daughter-in-law collects the various handbags and luggage pieces.

The devil will be in the details. If this works out regarding the $100 Apple Store credit, this will be very nice since we're planning on picking up a new iPod Nano as a gift for some of the relatives we'll be visiting in Shanghai.

Masaki

Went to the ATT store today with receipt for Penny's 4g I-Phone that was purchased for $499 within the 14-day window of reduced price on the 8g phone and was given $200 credit to my card plus tax. No questions, no hassle.

I will get a $100 Apple in-store credit for my phone that was purchased outside the 14-day restriction.

Not bad. Better than a kick in the shins :>)

Cheers! Ray

Great news, Ray! I've got a store credit coming my way too. Apple has really done good by me on this one.

The link to the $100 refund is now available - early reports indicate that the credit is sent within seconds.

Click here to request your refund.

I bought "The Missing Manual" this week, and am wading through it. I love gadgets, but this one is complicated!

Thanks R - claimed and I'm sure I'll find something to spend that $100 on. :)

Masaki

We have our refunds, thanks for the heads up :banana: I got a $100.00 refund for the 4g. :)

Hey Robert:

I got my text message today from ATT so I am free to shop at the Apple Store. Thanks!

What do you think of Airport Extreme? Would it do justice on the Voyager during the World Cruise?

I think I'll purchase a car charger and perhaps an adaptor so I don't have to use those lousy earbuds.

Pam: I feel your pain. Fortunately our young computer fixer-upper is a Mac fan and he couldn't wait to get his hands on the I-Phone and get everything up and running. We didn't do a thing.
Hopefully you can find someone like him should you continue to have problems.

Cheers! Ray
Go Big Red #14 vs #1 USC tonight in Lincoln! I know my Nebraska fans will treat the USC visitors as good or better as I was treated when attending the game in Los Angeles last year. What a ball that was.......except for the final score.

Ray, I'm not in pain; I figured out the basics on the iPhone. I just want to go farther afield, and that book has the twisted sense of humor that I wanted to find.

I carry the small Airport with me when I travel. I can plug it into the ethernet port of the hotel room/cruise ship suite and "boost" the signal to my laptop quite nicely. The big Airport that I use at home is the older, bulkier version, so it doesn't get to travel.

The long awaited iPhone software update has arrived. It includes the following:

Firmware upgrades/fixes:

• iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
• Louder speakerphone and receiver volume
• Home Button double-click shortcut to phone favorites or music controls
• Space bar double-tap shortcut to intelligently insert period and space
• Mail attachments are viewable in portrait and landscape
• Stocks and cities in Stocks and Weather can be re-ordered
• Apple Bluetooth Headset battery status in the Status Bar
• Support for TV Out
• Preference to turn off EDGE/GPRS when roaming internationally
• New Pass code lock time intervals
• Adjustable alert volume

You can watch the video here.

Nice additions and fixes.