7.30.2010

Blackberry App World 2.0

I'll let you know how it goes...

I'm upgrading now, I'll add to the post some screen shots if anything seems better or more fluid about it.  Look at the version differences...from 1.1.0.35 to 2.0.0.26...wow! Thats a huge upgrade (supposedly).


If you want to upgrade as well, click here to join the Blackberry Beta Program

You can get the newest versions of App World, BBM, AIM, Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and not mention an app called Feedback which allows you to tell RIM what you think about any and everything on your Blackberry directly from that particular app (even if it's a 3rd Party application).


Ok I got a few screen shots and a bit of info for you, post install.  The looks is slightly different. The screenshots and images for the applications seem to load faster and everything has a side scroll to it to give it the "new age" smart phone feel, you know like a iPhone or Android, not the old school side scroll that gave people sore thumbs on the fat Blackberry's.  We'll here's some screenshots and comments where needed. 

The buttons changed a little bit..

I think this remained the same, but then again I never opened up Categories before.

When you Click on the Trophy from the main screen this is what you get, and you can scroll sideways to get to the other categories of the Top 25.




This section had a good feel to it, I think this is where the update is most noticeable.  Honestly if I'm looking for an app, I look for the Top Downloaded and Top Rated apps anyway, unless I know a specific app I'm looking for based off of a review I read somewhere.  I like how they added a "Recently Updated" section.


This screen seems the same, I didn't try an actual Search though.

Now this part I like.  You now sign into you App World and it creates an account that can save your PayPal info and it keeps track of the Apps that you have downloaded to your phone.  All the apps that I had from before showed up in my list with out a problem.  The other times that I've done updates to AppWorld it wiped out my list of applications and I would have to redownload them from AppWorld if I wanted a notification about upgrades for the app.  So this is a great convenience improvement from AppWorld v.1.
 


Guess what else!? It immediately told me I had an update to my BBM too! Oh boy!
  





7.27.2010

iPod Resurrection

Ok, well here's how the story goes...

I bought a refurbished 30GB iPod Classic Video from www.woot.com for $89.99 + $5 shipping for the sole purpose of connecting it to the back of my Pioneer radio that allows me to control the iPod using the Pioneer interface.  I sync'd only my newest music and a few favorite artist to it.  I have another iPod thats 160GB that holds all of my music that I have in iTunes.

This refurb iPod started acting up on me about 2 years after I purchased it, and from my diagnosis it seemed to be that they battery wasn't holding a charge.  I took it to the Apple store, of course it was out of warranty, but they did a free diagnosis in hope that I would purchase service from them.  Well they basically said the battery was dead and they don't fix iPod's they just replace them a discounted price.  So for me to get another 30GB iPod to replace the dead one it was going to cost me $160.  So I started looking on amazon & ebay for another reburb $30 for cheap.  I place a few bids on some, but eventually they past the amount I was willing to spend for a device that essentially stays in my truck (with no alarm system).  In other words a device that I didn't really care about.

But then I found this eBay listing, Battery for Apple iPod Video 5th Gen 30GB Generation 5G, and I read the information and decided, why not... the iPod is already dead, if I can't make it worse, plus its $6 plus shipping...  Lets GO!



The battery came and included two plastic devices that I would use to pry my iPod open.  It also came with step by step instructions and a warning the let me know that if I'm concerned the cosmetic look of my iPod that I should probably avoid this because often times pry marks are left on the iPod or the device doesn't close as snuggly as it was before.  Ehhh.... Who cares! Its time to be a geek and take this bad boy apart!




The black battery is the OEM.  It wasn't easy to get this sucker open, but when I did get it open it looked as simple as I thought it would on the inside.




Below is a picture of how it looked when I got the two side separated from one another.  The Battery and sound port were plugged to the motherboard on the top side of the iPod.  The motherboard is hidden by the hard drive in the is picture.



Old one out, new one in! Easy as pie! Now to reconnect everything to the motherboad.



BOOOM! It works like a charm! 




Here's what it looks like and you can see in the last picture that the top left doesn't seem to close all the way anymore.  But hey I keep it in a snug case that will keep it closed anyway.  Not to mention the fact that it stays in my glove compartment unless I'm taking it out to add more music.  


All in All, I'm happy I went this cheaper and more fun route instead of wasting money on another device that might die on me in a year or two.








Thanks for READING! Feel free to comment and pass this on to other that might be interested in doing the same thing.




-LAEC