Andrew Hale: IT Talk & Other Topics

I've had a case on my phone for years. My Palm Centro and Pre were deemed tough enough to go caseless, but when my devices started coming with glass screens, on went a case. As the devices got more premium, the level of protection I wanted from my cases increased. For proof, at one point, I had the Otterbox Defender and then some Military-grade Pelican Voyager case on my iPhone 5. When I bought a new phone last year, I decided that I wanted to go for less case. The only protection I had on my iPhone 7 Plus was a tempered glass screen protector and Apple's leather case. The screen-protector + slim case combo has thus far served my phone well. However, some drops had taken their toll on the screen protector. I faced the decision to either buy another tempered glass protector or go with a TPU protector.

I've had a cell phone for nearly 8 years and a smartphone 5 years now. For all this time, I've never had a case on any of my phones. After years of working in a grocery store (usually night-stock) and working with a lot of glass jars, I've developed quick reflexes to stop most of the fall before a dropped object hits the ground. In fact, I even do the same thing when I drop food (which is not recommended to stop with your foot, BTW). Back to the point though, I decided to get a case for my iPhone 5 and I chose the Otterbox Commuter case. I've been living with the case for over a year now and it's seen it's fair share of drops. I've dropped it at least 4 times, once trying to catch it only to swat it down to the ground like a football player swatting down a pass. It hit the ground hard but the case took all of it, leaving my phone still looking brand new. When small talk turns to phone cases (which actually happens sometimes), I always talk up the Otte...

I've had a cell phone for nearly 8 years and a smartphone 5 years now. For all this time, I've never had a case on any of my phones. After years of working in a grocery store (usually night-stock) and working with a lot of glass jars, I've developed quick reflexes to stop most of the fall before a dropped object hits the ground. In fact, I even do the same thing when I drop food (which is not recommended to stop with your foot, BTW). Back to the point though, I decided to get a case for my iPhone 5 and I chose the Otterbox Commuter case. I've been living with the case for over a year now and it's seen it's fair share of drops. I've dropped it at least 4 times, once trying to catch it only to swat it down to the ground like a football player swatting down a pass. It hit the ground hard but the case took all of it, leaving my phone still looking brand new. When small talk turns to phone cases (which actually happens sometimes), I always talk up the Otte...

I know the title doesn't sound like that of an iPhone review but the iOS experience really is a walled garden of sorts. The reason for this is largely because Apple plays a large role in deciding how their devices should an shouldn't be used. This isn't a new concept. AOL did it in their hay-day. They started their business with revenue-sharing agreements with specific information providers in their subscriber-only space. Facebook does it too, requiring you to login to their site before you can view profiles, play games, etc. This isn't to say that a walled garden approach is particularly bad. In the case of Apple, it's actually pretty good. If you want to do something with your phone that Apple decides shouldn't be done with it, tough cookies. However, for most intents and purposes, the iPhone just works and works great.

Recently, a co-worker found my blog, read some bits, and gave me feedback on it. Mind you I don't do this for any kind of promotional reasons or because I have to. I have a gift for gab and I'm not the worst writer so I essentially do this for me. He mentioned that he liked the posts I've done but that I don't have a lot of pictures. He likes pictures. To be honest, I don't post a lot of pictures because my cell-phone sucks.