While there is no iPhone 5 yet, the 4S is a pretty cool phone. Part of it also comes based on the new operating system, the iOS 5, which can be downloaded for the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS as well as for the iPads and some iPods. Not for the older 3G version though. You can find the direct download links here:
Here is a video from RedmondPie that sums up some of the new features:
The iPhone 5 rumor mill has been going strong the last few weeks, but it seems the expected dates around the new launch are taking shape. If have been following the guys over at Redmond Pie, and it seems by now that around early October there might be an Apple media event, on October 10th the new iOS 5 will be available in its final launch form, and on October 15th the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S will hit the shelves.
It also seems the new iPhone might be available on all 4 major carriers in the U.S., which would be quite nice as it might increase the competition around data plans and/or pricing overall.
Just got inspired at the annual WordCamp San Francisco to write the blog again, thus this post. First things I had to do was to figure out why I could not even login any longer, turns out there is a PHP version problem going on when using 1and1 hosting that at some point broke the blog and produced some internal server errors (500). The good news is I found the solution and fixed it and then even the automatic upgrade worked. Wish upgrading your life was as easy as with WordPress… 
Guess the next few days will be spend on catching up on new themes and plugins and figure out what has changed in between.
Happy new year to all of you. As you might have noticed, I haven’t really posted anything in a while. Not that there is a lack of topics or interesting material, but I simply did not find the time to post. This is due to some family emergencies, travel, job changes, and some other personal projects that need to be finished first.
Thus, I decided to officially give myself some time off now, and to let you know about it so you don’t wonder if this site has been abandoned completely or not. No, it hasn’t. I will be back.
But don’t expect anything before April.
Best, Daniel
In tough times like this, it’s important that you assess where your money is going and where you are spending it. And while you might think your money is save at the bank, the banks are trying to nickel and dime you with record fees. But it’s also important to make sure to let whatever dime you have work for you as strong as possible.
While I do not want to advocate changing your checking account every month to keep up with the latest rate changes, I am still amazed at the number of customers regular retail banks have that offer nothing or so little in interest rates on their checking accounts. Bank customers must be a very loyal (or lazy?) bunch, otherwise most of the (especially larger) banks could not sustain offering such lame terms. What should as decent checking account offer in 2008? I believe at a minimum the following:
Some of these features are often linked to fulfilling certain conditions, such as a certain number of transactions, debit card purchases, regular incoming wire deposit (salary etc.). If you don’t have any of these features you might want to check out some of these sites:
I am currently banking with EverBank, and am fairly happy with it, but I am considering a change given they are offering only half of the highest rate available right now. I value though that there are no strings attached to the account (no minimum anything). The ATM reimbursement is a bit cumbersome though, as you need to send them the ATM slips in via their bank by mail envelopes (provided). Also, incoming wire transfers are free. Outgoing ones are $50 and thus a rip-off, but very fast. I sent money to Germany in the past and it arrived within 72h.
In any case, paying for checking should be a thing of the past, and you should at least get a somewhat decent interest rate on your checking account, otherwise, you might consider looking around for something better.