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belkin-iphone5-2

Picked Belkin Grip Candy Sheer Case

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It’s only a matter of time before more and more cases for the iPhone 5 hit the market. To provide basic protection in the meantime, I picked up the Belkin Grip Candy Sheer Case in the Gravel/Reflection (Teal/Silver) color scheme. Best Buy has some iPhone 5 cases in stock from a variety of vendors: Belkin, Speck, In Case, Griffin Technology, Incipio, Otterbox, and a few more. But I like the simplicity of this basic Belkin case.

I would have preferred the black/green color combo, but that’s currently unavailable. The case I bought doesn’t have the Belkin logo dots on the back, bottom right corner.

Here are pictures of this case on a black iPhone 5. Yes, the case looks more dramatic on a white iPhone, but it don’t look bad on the black.

ios-mail-oddity

iOS 6 Mail Oddity

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So I’ve been having a weird issue or two with my new iPhone 5. Here’s an oddity with the Mail app in iOS 6. Check out the screen shot. How do I compose a new email?

That’s correct. The “compose email” button in the bottom right corner is missing! Odd… A quick screen rotation brings the button back, but it shouldn’t be missing in the first place. This oddity isn’t consistent either. It comes and goes.

iPhone 5 Screen Flicker Problem

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After iOS 6 crashed twice on my iPhone 5, I powered it off to settle things down. Then when powered back on, I got this weird screen flicker with an image of an iPhone reset superimposed. Oddly, the iPhone is working albeit with that extreme flicker.

Going to see if a software restore fixes this problem. Hope it’s not hardware related. Probably bachi for this.

More info. When I initially setup the iPhone 5, the restore from iCloud was a partial restore with only some of my apps installed. The phone said it was still restoring from iCloud hours after too. I’m not sure if I was hitting a limit for the number of app screens that was causing glitches.

iPhone 5 Shipped Early?!?

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What?! Is that right? Is my pre-ordered iPhone 5 out for delivery today? Looks like I’m going to have to change some plans. This has to be a mistake… or a trick?

Roll it Rick!

Ease up people, it’s a joke. Don’t worry, we’ll all get our iPhones soon enough. 🙂

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Track Your iPhone 5 via UPS “Tracking by Reference”

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Thanks to @foojish for pointing out another way of tracking shipments, specifically via UPS. Instead of waiting for a UPS tracking number to be provided, you can search for shipments knowing a few key elements. At the UPS site, click on the Tracking tab in the top navigation menu.

Then in the left sidebar, change to Track by Reference.

Enter the expected delivery date range, country, and zip code. The trickiest part is the Shipping Reference. Typically, Apple uses your phone number associated with your Apple ID as the Shipping Reference. Do not include dashes or spaces with your phone number, and this number isn’t necessarily your iPhone number either.

Knowing this, you could have tracked your pre-ordered iPhone 5 making its journey from China to Alaska and so on. You would have seen this days ago while you were trying to make sense of your Apple order status that said “Processing Items” or “Preparing for Shipment.”

So when the next iPhone iteration comes out, you can use this tip to track your order before Apple provides a tracking number.

iOS 6 Install Frozen?

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Is your iPhone seemingly stuck while upgrading to iOS 6? Just be patient, very patient. My iPhone 4 updated relatively quick then at the final restart of the phone, it was stuck and frozen with an empty progress bar.

After about 20-30 minutes, the bar finally moved then finished quickly. At that point iOS 6 was ready to be configured.

starbucks-reward-faster

Starbucks Rewards Are Getting Faster

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Starbucks is adjusting its Rewards program, making it “faster.” What’s that mean? Starting on October 16, Gold level members get free drinks after earning 12 stars instead of 15 currently. Instead of waiting for your freebie via a postcard in the mail, you’ll get faster access with your physical card or smartphone app. The freebie is no longer limited to beverages with food items now eligible. Here’s the official announcement.

Subtracted from the program is the free additions of flavored syrups and soy milk. And did you know you were entitled to a free tall coffee when you purchased a bag of coffee beans? I never used that promotion, and now it’s gone. There are more nuances to the updated Rewards program, and Starbucks has a comprehensive FAQ.

Some commentary…

12 Stars

I’m liking the change to 12 stars for a free drink. I’m not sure if the recent 12 Star Dash was a final test case. I doubt it, but looking at my Starbucks habit, I did learn that getting 12 stars in 2 weeks wasn’t that easy. During the Dash, I spent about $57 in 13 transactions (stars). Using that as a baseline, with the update to the Rewards program, I’ll also get a free drink which could roughly be 10% ($5) of what I spent.

The Postcard

I have mixed feelings about this. While it did feel archaic to get a postcard via snail mail, it was a treat when opening the mailbox. Getting an electronic delivery feels more cold and detached. Will I remember to redeem my free drink before it expires? This is a tricky one. At least the postcard was a physical reminder. Sure, I could have forgotten to bring the postcard or worse, have lost it. At the same time, I think about all the electronic Groupon and Living Social vouchers that I forget about until the expiration date is upon me.

Food Stuff

The addition of getting free food is a good move. I don’t pay much attention to the food, but now I might. On Starbucks’ side, giving away a free pastry is more economical since these cost less than $3 vice a $4-5 coffee drink.

Bonus Star

Did you catch the new Bonus Star? Here’s the description:

Periodically, the My Starbucks Rewardsâ„¢ program will offer Bonus Stars as a promotion to our members. During the promotional period, when you purchase one of the featured products, you will receive a Star for the transaction (as normal) and an extra Star for the specified product. This is another way we are helping you earn Stars and free drinks and food faster!

All in all, these are welcomed changes to the Starbucks Rewards program.

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