Elliott C. Back: Internet & Technology

Pocket Lint has an article today, Nokia: Youths are fed up with iPhone, baffled by Android. I’d like to say that it’s not true. Perhaps, at twenty-seven years old, I am no longer a youth, but my iPhone, iPhone 3GS, and now iPhone 4S have left me completely satisfied. Ever since the first iPhone that combined an mp3 player (iPod) and a phone (i thew away my Motorola Razr), I’ve been delighted to find such a wide range of functionality in a single device.

I’m well known to be a cranky Apple fan, begrudging them of praise, but the Pocket Lint article steps too far over the line:

“What we see is that youth are pretty much fed up with iPhones. Everyone has the iPhone,” he said. “So we do increasingly see that the youth that wants to be on the cutting edge and try something new are turning to the Windows phone platform.”

Yes, it is pure PR, coming from Nokia.

It’s also pure BS.

Every iPhone user I know, universally, love their phone. Apple, in producing a single phone productline, has ensured a consistent end-user experience that blows any other handset manufacturer or OS provider out of the water.

Now that the iPhone 4 is offered on both AT&T and Verizon platforms, you might be wondering:

• Should I switch from AT&T to Verizon?
• I have an older AT&T iPhone, should I just upgrade?
• Is Verizon or AT&T more expensive over the life of the contract?

To answer these questions, I’ve gathered the following data:

Major cost differences between providers

New Subscriber Costs

If you are not an existing AT&T or Verizon customer, or you are signing up with either network for the first time, or upgrading after closing a two year contract, your costs are similar and easy to calculate. You buy the phone, and you pay the activation fee, which differs by a dollar. However, with a more expensive voice plan, the future liability of the Verizon plan is slightly higher:

Over two years, you pay $114 more if you open a Verizon contract.

Should I upgrade or switch?

Assume that the CDMA Verizon iPhone just doesn’t do it for you–you are going to stick with AT&T. When is the best time to upgrade? What if you’re stuck in a contract already? This chart will show the cost of switching from AT&T to Verizon compared with the cost of upgrading:

It’s very simple. If you’re an existing subscriber, you can save up to $80 by switching to Verizon between your 13th and 21st months of service. However, once you become eligible for an AT&T upgrade, it becomes $100 cheaper to stick with AT&T.

This post has been updated to correct an error in plan pricing: Verizon offers a $39.99 no-text plan with 450 minutes to perfectly match AT&T’s offering.

This will work to make conductive gloves that you can use to control your iPod, iTouch, iPhone, or iPad in the winter! Normally wearing gloves means no Apple product love, but when you follow this DIY tutorial, for $5 and a bit of elbow grease, you can make yourself a pair of angel’s gloves!

Materials needed:

• One (or more) gloves
• Conductive thread ($5 sample on SparkFun or Soft Circuit)
• A heavy needle

Here’s what you do. [Step 1] put your index finger in the glove and mark with a marker, pen, or pencil, where your finger pad lies (so that you know where to sew). [Step 2] measure off a good length of thread and thread your needle. Make a knot at the other end, like this:

[Step 3] Begin to sew a small vertical square through the pad all the way through the glove and into the inside. The thread bridges your finger to the outside world:

[Step 4] Finish up your square, and it should look like this. If you sew well and use a heavier needle than me, yours should look far better than this!

[Step 5] Sew another horizontal square overtop the previous one. When done, tie off the thread and cut the excess! You are done!

I just tried it out on my wife’s iPad and it works! My index finger has magical properties! To get better results, practice on a softer glove first–sewing into leather with a regular needle (like I did here) is not just hard, it’s stupid.