Gadget Geek

It is here - the day I have been waiting for a long, long time: the launch of the new iPhone 3Gs. My heart be still.

Getting the iPhone was quite a challenge. The Apple Store in Washington Square was set to open at 7 a.m. on Friday the 19th of June and I planned on being there with my nose pressed against the window prior to opening. So at about 6:15 that morning, the trusty lab and I headed that direction in a sleepy kind of daze. I figured it would be simple, considering I had already pre-ordered mine when the news first came out of the phone's release.

Walking through the mall you could hear the sound of a crowd. People were already gathered and I saw evidence of a sleeping bag on the floor. What the hell? The queue was set up and it was about four or five lines deep by the time I staggered in (with trusty lab in the car, waiting patiently). Nothing was moving all that quickly and I started to get nervous about the time it was going to take to get to the front of the line and then into the store to get the phone and get it working.

An hour later, one dog check (he was fine) and a new found Starbucks coffee that someone was kind enough to bring me, I found myself with Apple rep "Brandon." Looking like he had just rolled in after a Grateful Dead concert, he attempted to set me up with the new phone. Seriously, he looked like he needed a date with Irish Spring and a razor sooner rather than later. Getting through the process took about an hour, since I, of course, had problems switching my number over from my previous carrier. I was the 2nd case of that they had ever seen - which I just contribute to my bad karma. Since Kooper has a micro-chip with the old number in it - I battled my way through AT&T customer service (who were shockingly helpful) and got 'er done. Really, it's all about the dog, who was still waiting in the car.

Two and a half hours later, one bored Labrador and way more hassle than I needed that morning, I had the brand spankin' new iPhone 3GS in hand and was heading back to the office. I must say - this is quite possibly the coolest gadget I have ever had and am wondering how I lived so long without one. I have deemed it "my boyfriend."

I haven't quite had the chance to figure out all the features yet, other than setting up my bluetooth so I can still look uber-geeky when I'm out and about and I've dabbled a bit with the voice command option (very cool). There are a lot more functions I need to take the time to explore.

Yesterday I did manage to take a picture of Kooper at Laurelwood pub where we enjoyed a refreshing Organic Red after a nice hike up in Forest Park (where we got rained on). No one seemed to mind though. Camera works nicely, although I must figure out a way to disable the "current location" and/or "find me" options. Seriously, no one needs to know that.