Apple iPhone 4 Has It's Share of Problems

It's the end of June, shortly going to be the beginning of July and we all know what that means! A new iPhone model is about to become available to consumers today, the 24th of June.

Already the iPhone has its share drama surrounding it, some of it started as early as April of 2010. In early April, Gizmodo editor Jason Chen acquired a then secret iPhone 4 prototype model from an unnamed source for a sum of $5,000. Gizmodo.com held extensive coverage of the iPhone 4 and even was mentioned on large news networks like FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC. His house was later raided by the California Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team and had his computers seized. The reason for the raid on his home was something to do with industrial espionage; but how could you be guilty of that if all you are doing is buying something? You're not stealing it so what's the problem.

Then when the iPhone was available for pre-order online, the system crashed after over 600,000 preorders had been registered. Not only that, AT&T's systems were suffering from security breaches and people were accessing other people's accounts accidentally, and being able to view and edit other customer's information. There were reports of AT&T stores being closed over the amount of people trying to preorder and the stress of AT&T's system being overloaded. Finally, after hours of confusion and errors, AT&T and shut down the pre order system.

Mashable reporter Sam Axon reported being mugged while standing in line for the iPhone 4 earlier today in Chicago. His tweet on Twitter was as follows "I was just mugged while waiting in line for the iPhone 4. Not kidding." What is this world coming to?

And finally, there are reports abound of the iPhone 4 having issues with its hardware. Gizmodo.com is reporting the iPhone 4 will drop all service if the case of the phone is squeezed near the antenna mount on the side of the case. It turns out that you can bridge two antenna with your finger and that will cause the phone to drop calls. The solution is as simple as a tiny piece of scotch tape, or put the phone in a case. It's an easy fix, but for $500 should this really be an issue?

There is also verifiable evidence that the screen of the iPhone 4 has issues with yellow pixels, bands and splotches on the screen from normal use. Most likely Apple will not repair the problem for free and will claim that the user damaged the LCD themselves. Again, should this be an issue at release or should it have been fixed before the extremely expensive device was sold to the public?

Apple has a history of releasing cutting edge products, but with the knowledge that the iPhone 4 was going to be as popular as it is they should have put more thought and time into testing and development. It's far easier to deal with design problems before you put item into mass production than it is to deal with them after the consumer has purchased the item. Maybe Apple will learn a valuable lesson from this release.

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Five Ways to Save Money For College With Your iPhone 3G, Laptop and Other Electronics

Every dollar counts for college students who must pay tuition and various other college-related expenses. College success requires access to computers in a technologically-oriented world, but you can save money by weighing how you use the electronics you already have.

1. Sell old electronics. If you have a broken iPhone 3G, cell phone, computer or any other electronic device, get rid of it by selling your electronic gadgets online for some cash. Online companies will take your electronics whether they work or not, mail you a check or transmit funds via your PayPal account and then recycle your electronics.

2. Hold off on the iPhone 3G or Blackberry. Between my freshman year in college to graduation day, I went through four different cell phones. I dropped two cell phones one too many times and the other two simply broke. I know friends and family to damaged their pricey iPhone in a moment of carelessness. With a disheartening crack, the iPhone met the floor or cement and the advanced iPhone 3G becomes a worthless bit of plastic. If you're salivating over the new iPhone 3G or Blackberry Bold, think about acquiring a basic cell phone until you have more funds. Getting the cheapest (sometimes free) phone instead of an iPhone or Blackberry with a two-year contract can save you up to $199 in upfront costs. Consider getting a phone with only a local coverage area or a pre-paid phone that you use only for emergencies or for finding your classmates to get that group project done.

3. Limit your text message usage. It's easy to get carried away when text messaging. Almost 80 percent of college students use text messages with the average student sending and receiving 115 messages each month, according to Campus Media Group. If you're obligated to a cell phone service contract, then save a chunk of money by limiting your text messages or eliminating your text message package altogether. Assume you pay $10 per month for sending and receiving 75 messages. Slashing that expense could save you $120.00. The alternative to "texting" brings us to our next tip.

4. Communicate with your friends by using social networks more often. What do you do if you want to save money on text messages? Get on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook or the social media network of your choice whenever you pass by the school library or computer lab. Students can still keep in touch in real time through these sites without having to pay 20 cents per text message.

5. Ditch the cable TV. In the last 13 years, cable rates have increased 122 percent to a current average of $49.65 per month. Cancel your cable services and legally watch cable TV shows, such as South Park, on the Internet for free on sites like hulu.com. Stop paying those monthly cable fees by watching your must-watch shows on your computer and save an average of $560 per year.

Be creative with trimming your expenses. Your iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, game consoles can help you with your finances. Sell what you don't need and save the money you don't need to spend to pay for college expenses.

Katy Marie is a freelance writer from Reno, NV. For more information visit Cash for iPhones