Splash of Style...Macs, Photography, Design, and other Passions
Switched my iPhone 3GS from AT&T to PureTalkUSA
A few weeks ago, I never realized that there were other options for my older (out of contract) iPhone 3GS, but when the news broke that AT&T was now “unlocking” iPhones, I learned that there was money to be saved on my monthly bill!
So, after I completed the unlocking process for my iPhone 3GS, and a couple of weeks of online research, I decided to switch my monthly service from AT&T to PureTalkUSA.
Why did I choose Pure Talk?
Well, reason #1 was price. For $44, I would have unlimited talk and text and 300mb of data each month. AT&T only offered me 200mb; I had no trouble sticking to that allowance, so I knew 300mb would be plenty. PLUS, I’d be saving almost $20/month on my bill!
Another important reason was that PureTalk is an AT&T MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) which basically means they are an AT&T service reseller, buying the service in bulk and setting their own fees. I knew my network access/speed wouldn’t be compromised because it would still be AT&T.
I had considered trying T-Mobile’s prepaid service, but unfortunately at this time, TMo’s network runs on a different frequency, which would drop my service down to Edge/2G. Our home is in an area that doesn’t have good Edge service, so it would be really difficult to use my cellphone inside/around the house.
I did hear that TMo is in the process of upgrading, so eventually, they will be on par with AT&T as far as 3G access on the iPhone. I will definitely consider them in the future, but for now, Edge is just too spotty and slow for me.
For those curious to see my “notes”, here is a link to my cell provider comparison spreadsheet:
http://www.splashofstyle.com/images/uploads4/cellphone.pdf
Setting Up With the Pure Talk
I ordered my free PureTalk simcard online, and it shipped quickly, and I received it in a matter of only a couple of days.
The sim card arrived with an instructional letter, which included important info for activation, like account and sim numbers. I couldn’t complete activation online, because I was porting over my old cell number; I called PureTalk’s customer service, and the process was quick and easy. The rep informed me that I’d receive an email when AT&T released the cell number; worse case scenario was 48 hours, but it rarely ever took that long.
I was thrilled to receive the email in only about 90 minutes! Yay.
So I removed the AT&T sim card and popped in the Pure Talk sim, and rebooted. It was so cool to see the “Pure GSM” text on my iPhone screen.
Setting up for Mobile Data Access with Pure Talk
Setting up text/talk was very easy, but mobile data access was a different story.
In order to set up the iPhone for data, the APN settings need to be changed to PureTalk’s specific configuration.
iPhone: Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network
I was at a dead stop because on my iPhone, the Cellular Data Network menu was unavailable!
Thankfully, there was a safe, legal fix (doesn’t require a jailbreak).
Using a wifi connection on iPhone, browse to http://www.unlockit.co.nz – choose your cell provider, and save the new APN file to your iPhone. Keep that file there until you switch to another provider.
Happy With PureTalk
So, it’s only been a week or so, but I’m happy with PureTalk’s service so far. My cell/data access has been the same as with AT&T.
I’m on the fence about their customer service at this point. I have contacted them by email with two separate concerns, and received only one response in a timely manner. I did not receive a response to my second inquiry, even though a help ticket was opened.
Thankfully my question wasn’t incredibly important, but still, it would have been nice to receive an answer.
I will probably continue to use PureTalk, as I don’t think any other MVNO would be any better.
How to Edit MetaData Presets in Aperture 2
Every new year, I have to edit the year on my copyright for photos imported into Aperture 2, and every year, I search for the same web article online to figure out how to do it!
Well, for future reference (2013 and beyond…) here’s what I need to do to change my copyright date in the metadata preset:
In Finder, open the XML file and edit in Text Wrangler (or other plain text editor)
File is found at /Library/Application Support/Aperture/Metadata Presets.plist
Here is the original article:
and where I originally found it:
http://www.apertureexpert.com/tips/2010/2/5/updating-metadata-presetsthe-xml-way.html
Big Beautiful Photos on Craig’s List
I was posting an ad on Craig’s List today, and noticed how crappy the photos looked after uploading them to Craig’s List. Yuck! There had to be a better way. I tried compressing them further, and no luck, Craig’s List still compressed them further and they looked horrible!
After googling, I found a forum post that helped! I never realized that you could upload your photo files elsewhere online, and then link to them using the html tag! Awesome!
So, I resized and optimized my photos again (larger) and uploaded them to my Google’s Picasa Web Album. From there, it’s easy to set up a link.
Here are the details:
Picasa Web Album
Note: this tutorial is specifically written for google’s Picasa online photo management, but you can use many other online photo management web sites like flickr or photobucket. But if you have a gmail account (and I strongly recommend that you do, especially if you’re regularly posting on Craig’s List), then you automatically have your own Picasa photo account.
In Gmail, click the “photos” link to go to Picasa Web Albums.
If you need help resizing and exporting your photos for the web using iPhoto, please read over my tutorial.
If you are using Picasa, I have a tutorial for that as well. Both tutorials are older from previous years.
Upload Photos to Picasa Web Albums
Once you are in Picasa Web Albums, click the “upload” link.
Type a name for a new photo album or “add to an existing album”
If you have the Mac Finder open, you can easily drag your files into the open space on Picasa, or if you prefer doing things the old fashioned way, click the “Select photos from your computer” link and choose them that way.
Once all your photos are uploaded, click the “ok” button on the bottom right.
Change Photo Album Privacy
You’ll notice that by default your album/photos are private, only viewable by you. To change that, click the “edit” button (from column on far right) and change the visibility to “public on the web”
Get the HTML to Embed Your Photo Into Craig’s List Ad
Once uploaded, your photos will be organized in the new album. Click on the first photo.
On the far right, you will see some photo information. Click the link to “Link to this Photo”
Select Size: Choose the appropriate size to display your photo on Craig’s List. 400 px is a good size, so choose “medium 400″ from the pull down menu. (see screen shot below)
Then check the box next to “hide album link” – this will only display the photo without the main album. (see screen shot below)
Lastly, click your mouse pointer in the little code/text box for “embed image” and the complete line of code will be highlighted. (see screen shot below)
Once the code is highlighted, click Edit>copy from your browser menu.
Launch your Craig’s List ad text in a new tab or window in your browser and when you are ready to insert the photo into the ad text, choose Edit>Paste and the code will be pasted into your ad.
The html code should look something like this:
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/###feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-###/filename.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a>
Now preview your Craig’s List ad to make sure the photo is displaying properly. If so, then repeat these steps for your additional photos; paste the codes after each other in your ad.
IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE: I’m super paranoid about Craig’s List, and you should be too (there’s a lot of scammers and nefarious browsers out there) so be aware that these ad photos are linked back to your Picasa Web Album (and gmail email address) – My advice is to set up a completely new gmail account that remains separate from your home/personal email account. That way you are not inviting strangers to view personal/family photos that you might have previously uploaded.
Keep your Craig’s List photos completely separate from your personal photos! Even if you set your other photos as “private”, you could be inviting a hacker!
Good luck and I hope this tutorial helped!
I Will Miss You Steve Jobs
I didn’t hear about his death until 11pm last night. I was watching TV in our bed and a local news update came on mentioning Jobs. I thought I misunderstood but then a 2nd update later mentioned the death again.
How sad. I got out if bed and logged on to twitter to see what happened. Yes, it was true. He was really gone.
What to say about it? It’s difficult. I knew it would happen eventually; the news of him resigning as CEO of Apple only a month and half ago was sad, but I didn’t think the end would come so quickly.
He’s gone, but never will be forgotten. He’s shaped the technology world with his vision and imagination. I will miss you Steve Jobs!
Facebook is Promoting Deleted Content – Facebook Doesn’t Delete User Data!
I’ve always understood and accepted that Facebook saves all your content, even the stuff you delete. What I didn’t realize was that it’s still 100% accessible to anyone that has the right link, and worse, Facebook is actively promoting and encouraging access to your deleted content!
Today was a real eye-opener.
My Facebook friend and I were posting on a conversation on her wall about biking and walking to work. I happened to notice one of the “Memorable Status Updates” on the sidebar of her wall. There was an interesting conversation about exercise from about 18 months ago, so I clicked, and posted a new comment on the old thread.
My friend questioned me as to how I found the old discussion, since she regularly cleans her wall of older posts, deleting them. She informed me she deleted it months ago!
Now, as I previously mentioned, the fact that Facebook retained deleted content didn’t really surprise me. What DID surprise, stun and scare me was that Facebook was actually promoting and encouraging access to said deleted content!
So, that means that if you posted something terrible about your boss or inlaw, change your mind, and delete it a few days later, if you become Facebook friends with that person, they might actually find that post on the side bar listing “Memorable Status Updates”.
LESSON LEARNED! Don’t post anything on Facebook that you don’t want to last forever! NOTHING is every truly deleted on Facebook and Facebook can promote access to it any way they want…
Other Links:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/facebook-does-not-erase-user-deleted-content/4808
http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/10/facebook-may-be-making-strides.ars
EDIT 2011-04-10: It’s funny, since I wrote this, I haven’t seen any instances of the problem. Thankfully, maybe Facebook came to their senses! But this proves that they CAN pretty much do whatever they want with your content, and the cat could be out of the bag before you realize there’s a problem! Don’t put anything on Facebook that you don’t want to be public – JUST IN CASE they decide to mess up again!
Changed My iPhone Data Plan With AT&T
Well, I finally did it. I lowered my iPhone data plan to the $15/month basic 200mb “Data Plus”
I was hesitant to leave my “unlimited” data plan, but looking back at my usage, I barely hit 150mb most months. There were occasional months that were over 200mb, and one month when I was a heavy Pandora Radio user, I hit 300+mb.
Most usage is on my own wireless network at home. And since my contract is up at the end of June, I don’t foresee staying with AT&T very much longer after that.
So, for now, I am saving $15 per month, and that’s good! I should have done it months ago!
UPDATE January 20, 2011: wouldn’t you know it. I was watching maybe 10 minutes of streaming video on my QVC app, and shut it off. I guess I didn’t shut it off properly, or there is a major bandwidth leak in the app, but a couple of hours later, I receive a text message (and email) from AT&T telling me that I’ve used 65% of my allotted data. Oh no! I check the QVC app, and it was still “running” in the background, so I quit…and then about an hour later, I receive two texts in a row telling me I’m at 75% then 100% of my data plan maximum.
Crap! So I call up AT&T, and long story short, I upgraded to the 2GB plan. sigh. I’ll sign in again at the beginning of the month to revert back down to the 200mb plan.
I was over the plan by 200mb, and duh, why did it take AT&T so long to inform me? Both text and email messages came too late! They were useless!
How to Change Verizon Fios Router from WEP to WPA2, Plus Other Security Adjustments
It’s a good thing that Verizon FIOS , by default, offers its customers at least a little security on their wireless routers, instead of leaving them with a 100% open wireless network. I suppose it’s in Verizon’s best interest, since an open wifi network would allow neighbors and passersby to jump on to their internet service for free.
But truthfully, the default security WEP is extremely weak, and is very easy to hack. Just google "WEP hack" and you’ll find pages of article and tutorials!
So what does that really mean to you? It means that anyone in range of your home can easily gain access to your network. Why is that a problem? Well, if they are sharing your network, then they can easily achieve access to your computers, stealing private info, snooping on your activity, gaining access to your email accounts, installing malware, etc.
The good news is, you can easily change the router security from WEP to WPA2 with just a few clicks. And you can even keep the same numerical password / key if you’d like, but I highly suggest to change it, but that would be up to you.
So, there is no excuse anymore! Lock down your router! It only takes a couple of minutes!
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a paid security expert, so please be warned that things can go wrong. The worst that can probably happen is you somehow lock yourself out of your wireless network. In that case, you can click the "reset" button on the router and all settings will revert back to factory defaults. Keep in mind, you should NOT attempt to make any adjustments when you are in a rush, just in case something goes wrong. In other words, don’t start messing with your settings right before an important online meeting that requires online access!
See instructions on how to reset your Verizon FIOS router if you need it.
Before You Begin
This tutorial is based on the Actiontec MI424-WR Verizon FIOS wireless router. If your router is a different model or brand, then your settings might differ.
If your computer normally accesses the Internet via a wireless connection, then I suggest using a wired Ethernet cable to attach your computer to the FIOS router. (Ethernet looks like a big telephone cable.) Since you are editing the wireless settings, it will probably bounce you out of the wireless network once any password changes are made. If you are bounced out of wifi, then you will need to log into the network again using the new passkey.
At first glance, these instructions might look very confusing and overwhelming, but don’t let it stop you from trying. Print out the instructions and carefully follow each step. Take your time, and don’t rush. BREATHE and relax!
#1 Find the WEP Key (Access Password)
First off, locate the Verizon FIOS wireless modem/router and turn it over to reveal the label with your model information. The tech that installed your service should have informed you that this is where your WEP password/key is located just in case you need to find it again. That "WEP key" is is what you’ve been using to log into your wireless network.
While you are at the bottom of your router, make note of the serial number located under the bar code. You might possibly need it if your installation tech changed your admin password from the default password to something more secure. More on that in the next part.
#2 Log Into Router As Admin
In order to access the settings of your Verizon FIOS router, launch your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari.)
Moved to New Server
My hosting account moved me to a new server today. Fingers crossed that it’s all smooth. I know I have had problems in the past with server moves, something always goes hinky on me. And I can’t find any of my older notes/emails on the problems I was having in prior moves. sigh.
It was nice to move anyway, the old server was getting busy, so I was noticing there was a lot of down time lately. I love my host (hosting matters) – they rock! They’ve just celebrated their 10th year anniversary in May, and I have been with them since Sept of 2000! Their customer service is right on!
If anyone notices anything hinky on my site, please let me know! Thanks!
Using Handbrake to Copy DVD to Hard Drive, iPod & iPad
Disclaimer: I do not advocate illegal copying any DVDs that you do not rightfully own. Please respect the copyright of all DVDs.
This tutorial was written on a Mac, so the screenshots will be Mac, but it should be fairly easy for Windows users to follow along as well. It would be very helpful if you understand how to save files to your computer and other basic computer tasks.
Please don’t be afraid to try this. It might look very confusing and difficult with so many steps; but I tried to add as many details as possible, so it might look more overwhelming than it really is. Once you get started, it will hopefully be easy to follow along. Print out the tutorial for better comprehension.
Encoding is the process of transforming information from one format into another. So, we’re going to "encode" the files from a DVD into a format that can be played on your on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod. This is also a great process to make a backup copy of your favorite DVDs.
The program Handbrake does all the encoding work for you! Easy!
Download & Install Handbrake
First, download Handbrake from http://handbrake.fr/ – it’s free!
There are versions for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. Make sure you are downloading the correct file for your operating system.
Install Handbrake to your computer.
If you need further help with Handbrake (beyond this tutorial), then please check out their Guide.
Once Handbrake is installed, insert a DVD movie into your computer’s DVD drive, and start up Handbrake. If your computer’s DVD Player also launches automatically when you insert the DVD, just close the player for now.
TextExpander for iPhone
I am still using TextPander (old old old version that was originally free) on my Mac, and I find myself missing the functionality when typing on my iPhone.
Good news, I found out that TextExpander is available for the iPhone! I just downloaded for only $2, BARGAIN!
For those that are not familiar with the app, it uses keystroke abbreviations to add snippets of text to your content. On my Mac, I use it a lot for signatures and even html coding. I find a lot of uses for it!
I will probably use it for signatures on the iPhone.
I haven’t installed on my iPhone yet, but I will post again after I have used it for a little while.
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