tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-271727982024-03-18T02:17:57.539-07:00Laurent's BlogLaurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-9463821262847578372009-06-09T13:18:00.000-07:002009-06-09T13:18:42.474-07:00iPhone 3GS: upgrade or not?Just like every other Apple fan out there I was excited about the announcement of the new iPhone 3GS yesterday. I was considering upgrading but AT&T ruined it for me.<br />
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I currently have the original iPhone (Edge network) and paid the non-subsidized price of $399 for it. The plan costs $20/month, including 200 SMS. Upgrading to iPhone 3GS will cost $199, plus $30/month data plan + $5/month for 200 SMS. That's $15 more per month, so the total comes to $199 + (24 x $15) = $559. Wow.<br />
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All of that for the same lousy AT&T service? And you can pretty much count on AT&T to charge extra for MMS and Tethering... so... NO THANKS.<br />
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AT&T sucks.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-45102850441408089352008-10-25T20:17:00.000-07:002008-10-25T20:25:49.027-07:00iTunes Rent-A-FailureThe kids wanted to watch a movie tonight, so I decided that I was going to save myself a trip to the rental place and give iTunes movie rental a shot for the first time.<br />
I first made sure that I could connect the laptop to the TV, that the sound worked, and that I could find a movie they'd liked.<br />
We decided on the "102 Dalmatians", they kids were excited, we even watched the preview... but the iTunes Store let me down, with a bunch of dissappointed kids.<br />
I tried almost 10 times, and it failed every time... So I guess I'm done with iTunes movie rentals. Thanks Apple. :(<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-n5UL0yp06UNe0Cs9lQPWFrEhCnYtUHlm8szCBLkrdWkcEg0JY6Wcy4dN5nzx_c7isqRnNYo_LQAp4U9bllOXnCo0fykvAtJKFUE9FOj5lcMpyetQv2dhf2R4F8tYYtIHTeFI/s1600-h/itunes_failure.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimc1qcwyGOJ0-ZJcCIEGde1Hww9sKL_hEqB46MhBc4IfDlQkyg59xCoCDNMRNeWzUewJR8WojN7CMoKZVAlxUPZWafpvCg9e5ZH1L70AEasMox6Vp4v9Y778RvgH1sUduXgAvs/s320-r/itunes_failure.png" /></a></div>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-19976099337477735552008-09-27T16:09:00.000-07:002008-09-27T16:34:38.341-07:00Requiem for DRMIs the music industry finally realizing that DRM was the stupidest idea on earth, or are they being pushed by a few rebelling retailers? Either way this is good news for us the consumer. If we can buy CDs and legally rip them on our computers to listen on iPod, iPhone, Zune (etc...) then why can't we do the same thing when buying digital tracks online? So far Walmart, Amazon and now MySpace are offering 100% DRM-free tracks, so what are you waiting for Apple? <br /><br />Oh, and when you finally decide to offer ALL your tracks without DRM, don't forget to give us a tool to fix all the DRM infected tracks we've bought on iTunes so far. Thanks.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-41230498226345777672008-06-05T10:59:00.000-07:002008-06-05T11:02:42.311-07:00iTunes 8 coming out at WWDC 08?Instead of checking in another week, iTunes insists on re-checking for updates on 6/9/08 (WWDC) for both iPhone and iPod Classic firmwares... is iTunes 8 coming out?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLZ_nheQO0zf7dexkQlA1iQHUi9pIkmjEmgdMuZFD2kO__xrgJs9CG-_XSfqhudTDxkzAYBvl9EdQ7c7-ngPN5GI-VReYsSSuWKPSwwqkx_d2doZPFKzpskh9hn8q909oclrd/s1600-h/iphone_wwdc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLZ_nheQO0zf7dexkQlA1iQHUi9pIkmjEmgdMuZFD2kO__xrgJs9CG-_XSfqhudTDxkzAYBvl9EdQ7c7-ngPN5GI-VReYsSSuWKPSwwqkx_d2doZPFKzpskh9hn8q909oclrd/s320/iphone_wwdc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208458870814628658" /></a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-37294946877400311702008-05-21T23:07:00.000-07:002008-05-22T13:24:47.204-07:00Web Development Evolved just got betterFirebug 1.2b1 for Firefox 3 RC1 has just been released!<br />This is good news because I have been having so many problems with 1.1 that I ended up disabling my favorite Firefox plugin (and actually the only plugin I use). But from the Firebug announcement it sounds like the problem might have been coming from FF 3.0b5...<br /><br />I even tried an alpha version of Firebug 1.2 but couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, I couldn't disable it... turns out that they have redesign the interface and there is no 'disable' option anymore.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.getfirebug.com/blog/2008/05/22/firebug-12b1/trackback/">Firebug - Web Development Evolved » Blog Archive » Firebug 1.2b1</a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-9140283008318812032008-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:002008-05-19T22:45:54.581-07:00iPhone Webapp ButtonsWhile toying around with the idea of building a webapp for the iPhone I came across the need to build the equivalent of a checkbox. The problem is that checkboxes are a bit too small to be used accurately with fingertips and Apple has already come up with the perfect solution, the cool sliding ON/OFF switches that you find on the iPhone native apps.<br />So I tried to duplicate the switch in a browser, just using HTML, CSS3 and a bit of javascript.<br />I'm pretty happy with the results, I even managed to animate the switch. Until iPhone 2.0 gets released in June (with safari 3.1 for iPhone) you will only be able to see the animation on the desktop version of Safari 3.1 (unless, of course, you are already running the iPhone 2.0 beta)<br />The switch could still use better colors and gradients, but it will do for now.<br /><br /><a href="http://bluga.net/%7Elyaish/iphone/button.html">Link</a><br /><br />I'd love your feedback if you come up with a better idea.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-74276108609986340322008-05-13T10:05:00.001-07:002008-05-13T10:12:20.584-07:00Brand new Google Reader for iPhoneThe new Google Reader interface for iPhone is out!<br />It is a LOT faster than the previous version, it loads the posts inline when you open them so there is no page reloads.<br />It only has the "Share" and "Mark as read" options so far, but like the post says, it's the first public beta.<br />And it even comes with a neat icon when you save the bookmark to your home screen.<br />Point your iPhone to http://www.google.com/reader/i/Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-9254312859920110092008-05-06T15:25:00.000-07:002008-05-06T15:35:43.340-07:00The perfect iPhone webappI've been hearing about Twitter for a while, and couldn't figure out what the big deal was. I mean who is around a computer often enough to update their status?<br />Wouldn't most of the Twitter worthy updates happen right when you're not around your computer anyway?<br />Well, I just came across the coolest webapp... www.hahlo.com<br />I might just start using Twitter myself.Now, if only I had anything interesting to say...<br /><br />Here's my Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/laurenty">feed</a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-32502965239891531042008-05-01T20:08:00.000-07:002008-05-01T23:50:45.730-07:00AT&T Wireless website on the iPhoneI finally got an iPhone (yeah, yeah I know the 3G one is coming out soon...)<br />Anyway, as I was browsing through all the settings when I clicked on the button that links to the AT&T Wireless Account site (under Setting > Phone > AT&T Services > AT&T My Account...<br />How could AT&T, being the only iPhone wireless carrier in the US, not have a site that is designed (or that would at least work) for the iPhone?<br />First of all the page is way too big for the small iPhone screen, you can barely see the login box. So anyway, you zoom in and try to enter your phone number. Oops, looks like the poorly written javascript code that is supposed to take you to the password box when you've typed 10 digits isn't working on the iPhone... You get stucked and can't do anything.<br />I reloaded the page several time and finally got 'unstuck'. But oh wait, the last digit of my phone number was a typo, gotta go and correct it before I try to login, right? Nope, the same javascript code seems to be preventing me from using the backspace button!<br /><br />Way to go AT&T! Great job on that crappy website!Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-8336571947018522592007-11-06T15:52:00.000-08:002007-11-06T15:58:02.694-08:00Gmail and FirebugI finally had access to the "new" Gmail interface today.<br />The new Contacts piece is nice, although I would have liked to see a way of easily merging contacts.<br />Anyway, this caught my attention:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGitA4MzVDG392NRdTzU-65F9Vp4BwALhtjKRQPW-jLE8b3OtfhnY-N1Yb6scG8HgdpUgXdXEjUbT1hugIoyntK_2-9M8tlH2Nf4CqFdOtbrInlNy4m9JuI_btNYxqx2n-i2Bx/s1600-h/gmail_firebug.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGitA4MzVDG392NRdTzU-65F9Vp4BwALhtjKRQPW-jLE8b3OtfhnY-N1Yb6scG8HgdpUgXdXEjUbT1hugIoyntK_2-9M8tlH2Nf4CqFdOtbrInlNy4m9JuI_btNYxqx2n-i2Bx/s320/gmail_firebug.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129880275427992834" /></a><br /><br />Clicking on the fix link will take you to https://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=77355<br /><br />I guess monitoring the XMLHttpRequests must slow down Firefox.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-47465757112296375102007-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:002007-10-01T20:56:42.736-07:00A Classic Kinda GuyI must be boring. I'm sitting in front of my computer drinking a Coke Classic, eating Lay's Classic and listening to old music on my iPod Classic...Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-24800104177295157632007-08-03T08:55:00.001-07:002007-08-03T09:00:54.661-07:00Inland Empire Google Map of Bridges<blockquote>"In the wake of the recent disaster in Minneapolis, many Americans are asking themselves how safe their local bridges are. And, for the mountain communities, bridges provide a vital link to the valleys and surrounding area.<br /><br />RIMOFTHEWORLD.net obtained a copy of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) 2006 National Bridge Inspection Program Report on 1,738 bridges in the mountain communities and surrounding valley and high desert areas. Of these bridges, 127 were found to be structurally deficient" by officials. </blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.rimoftheworld.net/columns/news/bridge_ratings">View the map</a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-75904237003923055202007-06-22T00:10:00.000-07:002011-04-10T10:03:23.268-07:00Point 'n Click Google Maps DirectionsI recently started playing with the Google Maps API, and thought it would be a cool idea to be able to get directions between 2 points without having to enter any address or location, just by clicking on the map. This is a really rough version, but I'll probably add some more features in the next few days. Let me know if you have any ideas..<br />
<a href="http://laurenty.googlepages.com/gmap.html">[link]</a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-1156915083383371482006-08-29T22:06:00.000-07:002008-05-02T00:12:02.425-07:00HTML_AJAX goes Beta!Today we released the first beta version (0.5.0) of HTML_AJAX. This is a pretty big milestone as it means that future versions of the API will be backward compatible.<br />The next big thing to do is to improve the documentation, so if anyone feels like helping, please do so (<a href="http://www.htmlajax.org">http://www.htmlajax.org</a>). You can install the latest version by using "pear install -f HTML_AJAX"Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-1156281002030241822006-08-22T14:10:00.000-07:002006-08-22T14:16:05.743-07:00Hands On: Understanding AJAX<a href="http://www.phptr.com/content/images/0132216353/samplechapter/0132216353_ch02.pdf">ComputerWorld.com</a> has an excerpt from <a href="http://www.bluga.net">Joshua Eichorn</a>'s new AJAX book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0132216353/104-2864175-2847108?SubscriptionId=0EMV44A9A5YT1RVDGZ82&siteID=AWSSubscriptionID%7C1156280898%7C0EMV44A9A5YT1RVDGZ82&tag=megansbookblo-20&n=283155">Understanding AJAX: Using Javascript to Create Rich Internet Applications</a>".<br />It looks like Amazon.com already has the book in stock, I'll be ordering myself a copy this week.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-1150492314758770832006-06-16T14:11:00.000-07:002006-06-16T14:18:51.586-07:00HTML_AJAX 0.4.1 ReleasedThis new version of HTML_AJAX was released on 06/13/2006. It is mostly a maintenance release with a few bug fixes. If you're still using 0.4.0 you might want to upgrade.<br />The library seems to have stabilized a lot in the last few months, so we will now concentrate our efforts towards the first beta release.<br /><br />Release notes are available here: <a href="http://htmlajax.org/HTML_AJAX/release-0.4.1?">http://htmlajax.org/HTML_AJAX/release-0.4.1</a>Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27172798.post-1146199363430755302006-04-27T21:35:00.000-07:002006-06-16T14:20:04.533-07:00FinallyI finally decided to get my own blog. I doubt that I'll be editing it very often but it can come in handy sometimes. So here it is...<br />I also made some good use of my Google Page Creator account today, I posted pictures of us and Natalie (<a href="http://laurenty.googlepages.com/nataliefaith">http://laurenty.googlepages.com/nataliefaith</a>)<br />I spend some of my free time working on AJAX stuff. I've been using HTML_AJAX (<a href="http://www.htmlajax.org">http://www.htmlajax.org</a>) and I've also been helping with the project.Laurenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412662141323092670noreply@blogger.com0