UPDATE: Wait until you get the first multi-page Apple i phone Bill from A.T.T..

 Make sure you go over it carefully and contact them with any discrepancy! Don't let the flac catchers put you off even if they can't speak English very well.

All the Hype and long lines to get the Apple i phone and hand held did for me was bring back the negative feelings I never had resolved when I bought the highly marketed and hyped Apple Newton. It had a number of functions the most touted was the conversion of handwriting on the note pad to typed written words, At best, this feature never got any  better than a Ouija Board  the only thing I enjoyed about the Newton is that it was fun to see what unusual sentences turned up after the handwriting was scripted in.

I don't know how many times I went through the extensive Technical assistance phone number only to wait for technical advise that didn't improve anything. They would say you simply need this or that upgrade. The upgrades were 39.00 to 59.00 a pop and did very little to upgrade the device.  The $600, purchase price of the Newton quickly climbed to $1500. before I gave up.I tried to send the whole mess back to APPLE but the Flack Catchers there were good  at their jobs and they would not let my request get through the gate and it seemed like that  return menu was twice as long. Talk about waiting in line.

That was my first experience purchasing the latest thing and computer marketing. In reality that was as big a scam as big as any scam that can be conjure up in Third World Countries.It wasn't long before the Apple stock took a dive and CEO and top administrative heads art Apple rolled. It is going to be interesting how long before the actual value price of the new APPLE i PHONE shows up over there on the right side of this article in the eBay Bargain Basement as the buyers find out the Apple I phone is just another Newton in disguise with a few more gimmicks, bells and whistles.eBay among other things is the great the great price leveler. How long do you think it will take before the price drops from the introduction price of 600. or 700. to 300. 295. 195. etc. The Newton dropped so fast it was worth about $12.00 before I got it listed to resell.

ATT Service is another matter. ATT was the first cell phone system I purchased. I had a decent sized phone that felt a bit like a smaller house phone. I traveled all over the United States with it, It seldom dropped a call.The only place it didn't work was in Arizona and New Mexico in the beautiful mountains.  It worked in the whole State of Michigan even before ATT made the system available there. I bought my phone in Tucson Arizona and used it in Michigan. Thanks to Greg Reynolds who had a Tucson address and let me use it. Cingular bought ATT out. I hated it when that happened I  to change the service again and get new phones, but I did, Then was a couple of three or four more years ATT bought out Cingular again. When the customer breaks the cell phone contract early we have to pay $200. or $300. Dollars I think when the Cell Phone companies  change companies the old owners are breaking the contract and they owe us customers $350. No more no less before they can sell their company. Shortly after all this the Samsung Sim card burnt out or something. I went in to have it replaced free, Hmmm thought that was ok just another trip to town,  I called the Manager of the local Cingular shop said on the phone bring her on in!! He sounded friendly enough and it seemed like a simple matter.

I didn't know the phone was a Her. Maybe it was just because I was having trouble with Her, He reached over the counter giver her here all she needs is a new SIM card. I said wait a minute and quickly pulled her back. I said what will happen to all my phone numbers and addresses I have in her. He said nothing will happen. I slowly relinquished my grip on her. Sometimes you just know better in your gut but you don't listen. He popped her open and smoothly placed in the new SIM card. I thanked him and walked out to the car to make a call.

NO NUMBERS NO NAMES NO ADDRESSES It was exactly like a brand new phone, BLANK. I took her back in he called the super menu TA Man and waited 30 minutes and finally a uppity,uppity super TA Man  who was supposed to know everything started telling him what to do. He tried everything the TA Superman on the other end of his phone recommended, to no advail. Finally he returned her and said you will have to build a new number and address list because you never had a, back up for your numbers.So if you read this out there and are a friend or customer now you know what happened to me, contrary to popular belief, I did not die. I just had my SIM card replaced, and call me me I miss hearing from you. That list I had was over 6 years long. All my Fiends,all my customers,all my girlfriends.LOL

The new phone was a new tiny slippery Samsung that every time you used it it would shut the phone ringer off. It went flying out of my had one day and buried itself in a malt I was drinking. I fished it out wiped it all down and it still worked. It was also the first phone I had that would drop calls like crazy.The advertising said less drops and I was getting twice to three times as many dropped calls plus a list of missed call from the ringer that got turned off every time I touched the Samsung. Soon ATT came back into the picture and bought back Cingular. I though oh yes ATT that was a good company and service provider when I had the large Nokia. Thus far on the new ATT I still get more dropped calls than my friends with other systems and phones. No person working in the phone shops can explain it to me.I don't even want to bore you with all the reasons here.

Well I really wish you new owners who waited for hours for the Apple i Phone lots of luck. I wish you would have talked to me before jumping on the Apple Band Wagon,I am not jealous,and I sincerely hope it does everything they said it would do for you, I hope it is not a NEWTON. I am going to go now and get a real apple a red one from the fridge and eat it while I ponder this Newton-Apple i Phone,Apple i phone Newton.........Hmmmmmmmmm. I would like one if it works but I can wait awhile. Please let me know if yours meets your expectations and I will post the results here.

Thanks for readin my writin and ramblings.

Woody