Last night I finally got around to installing a dock for the Neocell into my Lexus’s center console. Here’s what and why I did it…

I have a stereo that has an LCD screen built in that can play DVD videos and can also play DVD’s of MP3 audio (as well as doin’ other things). But, I never use it for anything other than playing videos or for the radio. That’s because my GPS has a 20 gig hard drive (12 gigs free for media), so I use my GPS to play my entire MP3 collection. The audio out is connected into the stereo. In a nut shell, music plays from the GPS into the stereo and everything is controlled via the GPS’s touch screen (besides volume, muting, EQ, ect).

But there’s times when I’ll wanna’ listen to a pod cast I’ve got on the Neocell, or listen to net radio or whatever… I’d of course like to listen to it hooked up into the Lexus, but I have the audio dedicated to the GPS’s MP3′s and I don’t wanna’ have to unhook the audio from the GPS and plug it into my iPhone and then back when I’m done…

And then I don’t wanna’ run down the power even further when doin’ this, so I’ll wanna’ connect power also. Gotta’ go through the hassle of unhooking / hooking up audio and plugging in power… which is what I was doin’. Big *** pain.

The best thing to do is just to install a normal dock into the center console and hook up power and audio to the dock. That way, all you’ve gotta’ do is place the iPhone down and power and audio is connected. That way, you’ve got something that’ll hold your phone up and keep it from knockin’ around or sliding around getting scratched. It also allows you to connect and reconnect real simple.

Of course I had to create a custom switch to switch between audio from the GPS to the iPhone. And that’s exactly what I did last night. Took apart the interior to install the wiring so that everything is hidden. I simply open the center console and there’s a little switch box and dock sitting neatly there. And it works great. On a drive home, listening to a podcast, and I pull into a gas station to fill up or get a drink… I need to take the Neocell in with me so I can use the Balance app when I use my card. No prob, I just lift the Neocell up and walk into the store and do my thing… makes it all so much better.

Peace, J

Some’a y’all might remember, but I’ve been in a contract with T-mobile… when I finally decided to get an iPhone, I decided I didn’t have to break my contract and pay like $100 early to go with AT&T because I could jailbreak and unlock a 2G iPhone and use it with my existing T-mobile account.

And that’s exactly what I did. Now, I wasn’t sure if “jailbreaking” an iPhone would work. Sure, tons of people have done it from what I’d read online, but “online” and real life are two different things. If it didn’t work, I’d be forced to get AT&T and pay an early termination fee to get outta’ T-mobile.

Of course it worked and I’ve been a happy camper for the past 6 months or so. But my contract ends in two months… and I’m so ‘freakin’ happy ‘cuz I’m gonna’ switch to AT&T to get the iPhone 3GS. I ain’t got nothin’ against T-mobile, in fact, after gettin’ the Neocell and usin’ it on T-mobile, I might actually say I… love them. Well compared to the things I hear about AT&T.

I’ve hear all this stuff about AT&T so I’ve got low expectations for them, and I’m not looking forward to the price increase from $55 I pay with T-mobile to the $70 I’ll pay with AT&T a month. But I will be getting a lot more. So let’s break it down exactly what I’ll be getting a month…

Right now with T-mobile I pay $55 for 300 anytime minutes, unlimited weekend minutes (that does not nights) and unlimited 2G (Edge) Internet.

With AT&T, I’ll pay $70 for 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes, as well as roll over minutes, free calls go AT&T mobile and unlimited 3G Internet.

That’s a big jump from $55 to $70… but it’s ok, because if I were to try and get close to the same thing with T-mobile, they’d make me not only sign up for a new contract, but also pay close (or as much as) $70. So although it’s a much higher “C note” than I’m used to paying now, it’s fine…

One thing I’ve noticed is how horrible the reception is for me with T-mobile. When comparing my 2G iPhone to other 2G and 3G iPhones on AT&T in the same exact locations, the Neocell always has a much weaker signal on T-mobile compared to AT&T in Tampa Bay. Now when comparing my iPhone to any other T-mobile cell phones, they all have better reception. So… my thinking is, when I get a new iPhone 3GS with AT&T, signal quality will be another thing that’ll be a huge plus… in addition to more minutes, 3G internet and of course… a 16GB / 32GB iPhone 3GS.

Peace, J

There’s a difference between iPhone 2G’s and 3G/3GS’s with the speaker… The 2G, like the Neocell, has plastic with little holes for the speaker. The 3G and 3GS has a grill mesh over the speaker and is recessed. There’s a reason they changed up the design of the speaker.

2G iPhones have the speaker “ports” on the outside of the body, and you have to rub that against your palm when you use it (“That’s what she said.”). Sweat, dirt, grim and even dead skin cells will eventually get all up in that ***** and’ll clog your holes (“That’s what she said.”). Even if your hands are clean, it’ll eventually happen (mainly when using it in landscape mode).

What happens is this gunk muffles your sound up. It ******’ sucks. I had it so bad once the sound was as bad as if I had my finger blocking the speaker. When you look at your speaker, it can look like it’s clear and nothin’s blocking it, even if the ports are clogged (“That’s what she said.”). This will also happen to your mic ports. You gotta’ clean’em, and, depending on how often you use your 2G, it could be a monthly thing.

So, how do ya clean your speaker ports? It’s ‘freakin’ easy. Just take a needle or a thumb tack or something thin like that and push it a tiny bit into each holes and work it around gently (“That’s what she said”) until all the crud it out.

And there ya go… enjoy brand new soundin’ sound once again.

Peace, J

Relaxin’ in bed, figured it was time to bring back Adblock, Inspell and Backgrounder… If you remember my post about the naked jailbroken 3.0 speed… well this is an update for it. Turns out the system did slow down just a little with no jailbroken apps installed.

I guess that’s just part of the way the OS is designed. Once you install it and jailbreak it fresh, it runs real fast and snappy… but then slows down some after time. Once it’s been used some.

So I reinstalled Inspell, Adblock and next I’ll be installing Backgrounder back on. I haven’t noticed any speed change with Adblock or Inspell installed, which is good. And let me tell ya, I was missin’ Inspell like a mother…

Peace, J