I upgraded my iPhone 4 to iOS 6 today.I am not particularly known for being patient, so when I found the upgrade package I downloaded it and upgraded as soon as I could.

First attempt was a complete failure, necessitating a restore of the phone, but second time around everything went just smooth. Why it didn’t succeed the first time, I don’t know since I did exactly the same steps both times, but anyway.

What is new on an iPhone 4? First of all, the YouTube app is gone, and so is the Google powered Map application, the latter having been replaced by an Apple-provided in-house developed map application.

Several apps have gotten a face-lift, primarily the iTunes app and the App Store app. Facebook integration is present in most apps, and there are a lot of small features built in here and there. For a more complete listing of the new features in iOS 6, check out Apples’ site.

In the gallery below I show some of the new apps and redesigns, and give my comments on each picture.

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So what is missing on the iPhone 4? Siri is still not here, neither the ability to make FaceTime calls over cellular data networks. Made for iPhone hearing aids is not available, and neither is the panorama feature of the Photo app. In the new Map app, flyover and turn by turn navigation is not available for the iPhone 4.

So what then is my conclusion? For a totally free upgrade this is a no-brainer, even with all the missing features from iOS 6. I recommend you get the update as soon as it becomes available. Apple touts this as the most modern mobile OS there is. I do not agree, but iOS has been improved upon, and version 6 is really something to get. That said, some of the things missing from the iPhone 4 is a mystery to me. Why no FaceTime over cellular? Unfathomable! Another point of contention for me is the fact that this update is not available for my first generation iPad. They do provide some of the features of iOS 6 for the iPhone 3GS, so why not the iPad 1? Don’t ask me, it does not make any sense.

What do you think? Is iOS 6 something you want, or like? What is your opinion on the missing features? Let me know in the comments below.

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I have a problem! Today Apple introduced the new iPhone 5, and last week Nokia introduced its Lumia 920. Both their respective companies flagship phones, both good looking in their respective ways, but the question is : which one do I get?

Of course todays announcement was filled with the usual Apple rhetoric; “Amazing”, “Revolutionary”, “Best ever” and so forth. That was to be expected. But how good is it? I was skeptical to it before the launch. Based on the rumors it only looked like a slightly stretched out iPhone 4S. So was there enough awe in there to justify the hype? To be honest, I am not quite sure. I was drawn in by the presentation – Apple really knows how to foster my Technolust, but it is still the same old Operating System, although with some new bells and whistles. When it comes to for example sharing photos, Apple seems to have taken a cue from the Windows Phone operating system, although the integration is no where near the way Windows Phone is. The camera has some new features, a new cover glass for the lens (!), the processor is upgraded to the A6 chip and the phone has gotten longer, thinner and lighter. And there is LTE (4G) support. The connector has been replaced with the Lightning-connector and battery life is supposed to have improved.

So what about the Lumia 920 compared to this then. Well, I find the Lumias looking better – way better, although I like how the iPhone 5 looks. Nokia really knows how to make hardware. How it will compare in battery life remains to be seen, but it definitely gives the iPhone its runs for the money when it comes to the camera and picture quality. I really like Windows Phone 7 and thus presume I will like the improvements coming in Windows Phone 8. It is a fresh take on what a mobile OS is, and with the integration with Windows 8 and the Xbox I think and hope Microsoft has a winner on their hands. But then again, iOS 6 has several years head start on Windows Phone 8, which is very obvious when it comes to the availability of apps.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the 3G up until now. I’ve skipped the 3GS and the 4S, but are still heavily invested in iOS through several years of purchasing apps, music and video. Am I ready to switch mobile platform? I am not sure. The fact that it is only a couple of weeks until the iPhone 5 becomes available speaks in its favor. But then again, those Lumias really look great.

To help in comparing the phones I have made this chart with the help of my talented son Kevin who made the background picture.

I will write up a post later on when I have decided and purchased my next phone. until then tell me what you think in the comments section below. iPhone 5 or Lumia 920? Why?

Last night I set my laptop to sleep, packed it into my computer backpack and went to bed. Today I brought it with me to work (as usual) and set it up on the desk, hit the power button and went to fetch a cup of coffee. When I returned to my office I was dismayed to find that the screen was black – pitch black. I moved the mouse… nothing happened, hmmm.. I used the touchpad… nothing happened… What the… I hit CTRL-ALT-DEL… still nothing… Okay, probably Bill Gates at work, so I held down the power button for 4 seconds and the machine powered down. I hit it again and waited for the usual HP logo screen… NOTHING!? and then… a long beep, and then two short ones. NOOOOOO… The videocard has died, and since this is embedded on the motherboard the whole thing needs to be replaced.

I contacted HP customer support, but since the warranty expired a long time ago, I mean – I bought this machine October 2006 – no immediate luck there. But, Norwegian consumer laws to the rescue. Under law I have 5 years in which I can complain and have the machine fixed. So I submitted my claim to HP and are now waiting their response, which I should have sometime tomorrow. (Wish me luck)

Being impatient I went to some online stores to see if there were any laptops I could think of purchasing if it comes to that. Microsoft has been running a lot of ads centering on the fact that Apple machines are way to expensive compared to PCs that are available. Well, are they?

Living in Norway, I went to Apples online store and was shocked to see the prices there:

For a 13 inch MacBook with and 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive they wanted a whooping kr 11.000,- (approximately 1500 US dollars). No way…

Then I went to komplett.no, one of Norway’s largest online computer shops and found this beauty;

A HP (yes, again) Pavilion dv5-1190 15,4 inch laptop, with a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB RAM and  a 320 GB Hard drive for kr 7500 (approximately 1100 US dollars).

So, in other words a much larger screen, double the amount of RAM and double the amount of storage for kr 3500 less? Maybe my taste is awful, but I do think that the HP is every bit as appealing to the eye as the MacBook, so why the difference in price? It must be the silhouette of that one bite Golden Delicious on the front…

Conclusion;

None so far, other than the fact that a snowball would survive in hell before I buy a Mac (or their prices have to drop significantly).

For now I am waiting for HPs response, and hopefully a repair of my laptop. You know, I really like my HP dv9074ea. It was purchased 2 1/2 years ago, which is a long time when it comes to computers, but it’s specs can still hold up, and it ran (hopefully runs) Windows 7 beautifully!

Wish me and my laptop luck! 🙂