My IPhone 16 experience

Pre receipt Experience

To get an IPhone 16? That was the question on my mind for the last couple of weeks. I’ve got an IPhone 15, so I really, need a good reason, and as well good money back for my unlocked phone. I decided, that I would start by calling T-Mobile, my current carrier, to see what they would offer me.

It was about 9 PM Mountain last Friday, and I got a pretty cool guy on the phone. He researched deals, and said that, he could give me $330, back on the phone, and then, on top of that $200 in pirks. I looked at EBay and I could get around $600 for the phone unlocked, so, $530, not bad, with a smaller payment plan on the new IPhone 16 pro, 256 GB. He setup notes on my account and said that I could go into a store Saturday, have them take pictures of my phone, making sure the condission was good enough for the money back he had quoted. Ok, I’ll do it.

The next day, I booked a Lyft to my nearest T-Mobile store. The driver pulled up, noticed I was blind, canceled, and pulled away. The app auto booked me the next driver, 3 minutes away, then, 6 minutes away. Then, switch drivers. It should have been a sign.

I still ended up getting to the store before it opened, there was another customer waiting, he had two young kids, I said he could go first. He declined. I went in front of them into the store, and spoke with a rep. I gave her the back story, she went back to see if any phones were available. Now, I didn’t care, if they didn’t have the phone. Ship me the phone that’s fine, just take the pics you need to verify the estimate. She came back out and said, um, you don’t qualify for the deal. Even more, you don’t qualify for an upgrade. What? I had to keep calm, I’ve been in her shoes, before, I purchased my phone outright, like, no payment plan, and when I did it, none of the reps over the phone knew how to take the order for my IPhone 15 last year, several of them said, this is the first time, anyone, has, purchased, a phone, out right, no payment plan. I thanked her. and purchased another Lyft, home. Perfect.

I was no doubt frusterated. I called T-Mobile. Another rep looked into the deal. She agreed, Sir we can’t give you this deal with the current plan you’re on. Why does each different customer service rep give me, different information? Aren’t you all, working for the same company? I said forget it.

That night we were watching TV, a commercial for Verizon aired, new customers? Get the IPhone 16 Pro, on us? Really? I’m a new customer? The next day I looked at the web site, sure enough, they estimate giving me back $1000 for my IPhone 16. By By T-Mobile, hello, Verizon! I could have chosen same day shipping on the phone for, an extra $30, or, next day, free by 8 PM. This was, Sunday. I chose, Next day. It’s Now, Tuesday, and, I don’t have the phone.

You know what it’s like, looking at e-mail, waiting for a shipping conformation e-mail. My order finally was approved about 8 hours after the order. Ok, that’s cool. Next day, right?

Monday came, and I woke up with a shipping notification! sick! Where are you shipping from? California. hmmm. Red flags went off, but, next day! sick!

After work yesterday I looked at things again, and, realized, next day? May mean, the next day after the phone ships. Ok, that’s fine, I’ll have it tomorrow.

Tuesday this morning, I woke up with another notification, now, they didn’t just have my shipping label, they actually had the package, that’s, progress. Where was it? Memphis TN. Hmmm. I thought it was in, California? Ok. It’s over night, and they got the package late last night, and delivery said, it was today! before 12:00 PM. Fed Ex? Wow me!

12:00 came, and went. The phone? um, still not here. About 2:30 PM, I checked the tracking again. Delayed. Oh boy. Now, I’m expecting to have it tomorrow. Where is it now? after most of the day? Memphis Tn. Hmmmm. I’ll update you tomorrow.

Oh yeah, one more thing. T-Mobile has this same deal, for both, new, and existing customers, it’s just that, none of the 3 reps I worked with, told me about it. I had to open the app, when signing up for Verizon to get my T-Mobile account number, to find out. ha ha ha.

Voice Memos, iOS 18, now offers Stereo Recording with built-in mics!

Man, it’s been a long time coming! I am so excited. Head into your settings, Apps, Voice Memos, and enable Stereo recording for internal mics!! Sounds pretty legit by a guitar!!

I will be demoing the IPhone 16 pro mics in the coming days!!

a quick music test from my home stereo. 12 inch sub and two satellite speakers spread out a good distance in stereo. This is impressive! 

More easily share screen with Be My Ai via iOS shortcut!

No dout, Be My Eyes, Be My AI, has changed our lives raticly! The AI descriptions make me feel like I can see, or at least, paint a very accurate picture in my mind. I have shared descriptions with sighted folks, and they have confirmed that descriptions are, in fact, wildly accurate!

With the coming IPHONE 16, and 16 pro, we all are holding our breath, on, what on device AI will do with Voiceover, I believe my biggest question is, can we have Be My AI descriptions, super quick, on device, without sending an image via network to a server, and then, awaiting the response. Can we just, be in photos, and have that description, without thinking? Only time will tell.

Now, I have to, click the image to make it full screen, find share, find Be My AI, and wait. Though the results are incredible, the actions to get to the description, are a bit cumbersome.

I have created an iOS shortcut, while not perfect, saves taps and swipes, and dare I say, may give us a bit more realistate of how we may see. This shortcut below, will take a screenshot, and pop you to the Share sheet. Move Describe With Be My AI to your favorites, and, you must look at the middle of your screen with your finger, and you will land on Be My AI, and have almost instant accesss. The screenshot doesn’t save to your photos, so, you don’t have to delete it. The only issue with it is, the shortcut doesn’t complete, so, on the IPhones with the Island at the top, you must double tap, and swipe left, to cancel the shortcut, after you get the AI response from Be My Eyes. This, is because the Be My Eyes app, doesn’t yet communicate with Shortcuts, that the action has, in fact, completed.

As we are using a screenshot, we can double tap an image to maximise it, and get the description we are used to, we can also take a screenshot of an app, and gane screen placement of items, as well as, how much realistate, is, actually displayed on the screen.

Again, how it works.

Install the shortcut. Go into Voiceover, commands, and set the shortcut to a jesture. Perform the jesture, then find Be My AI on the share sheet. Double Tap, get your description.

Access the shortcut below.

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/67b2af9c308a4ec3a39e1d56e9cab7c6

oooo! so cool!! Able to get both dry guitar signal, and, signal from JHS Pedals 3 Series Octave Reverb…

I have shown off the JHS Pedals 3 Series Octave Reverb, as well as the Mr. Crybaby in volume mode, but what I haven’t been able to do, is get both, the guitars dry signal, as well as the signal from the JHS Pedals 3 Series Octave Reverb.

The reason this is important, is that when I’m playing just through the Octive Verb petal, I am not able to hear what I’m playing, before I send it through the petal. This petal offers at least a 6 second reverb tale, that’s huge and oh so beautiful, in less you make a mistake, then it’s over. It reminds me of a sustain petal on an acoustic piano. Now that I have two signals, I can play the guitar dry, and bring in the petal exactly when I want.

Yes, the Octive verb petal does have an on/off switch, but, in my opinion it’s not wired correctly, for how I would want to use it. When you switch it off, the entire signal is bypassed. So, you have this beautiful tale, you engage the switch, putting it in off mode, and, it’s all gone. What I feel should happen, is that the input is wired to the switch, so when you click it off, your guitar is bypassed, and you still hear the tale that’s left over. You kick it on again and the signal is going through the verb, but this, is harsh even so. Here in comes the cry baby super wa petal,which doubles as a volume petal. Now, you can bring the signal up, with a fade so it’s not harsh, and, you’re not using the hand volume control on your guitar, which causes you to switch focus off of playing which is just awkward.

I purchased a male quareter, into dewl quarter y cable. It’s mono. Into the females, I plug two guitar cables. So, now my guitar has two outputs. Lets not get fixed on resistance, and how this can cause signal loss from the guitar, lets, however focus, on how I can run one output into the cry baby, which goes into the octive verb, and the other, dry signal into another channel of the board, so now, we can split both onto, two tracks, and get it sounding however we want.

The octive Verb petal was like $150, I would have easily after playing this setup, paid $300 to have a built-in volume expression petal, and it wired correctly like this. I’m so so in love!!

I test with two guitars below. A lucero Classical, and a Taylor Grand Theater. It is, in my opinion quite amazing. I feel like I could easily book playing massages.

let’s look at Blu-ray optical media, will even burn one!

Lets first listen to what CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs sound like as you flap them from the central hole and drop them onto a counter. Binaural recording. 

now will put each different kind of media into a CD burner without the computer on just to hear the laser and reading sounds. iPhone laying on top of the burner to catch some contact. 

finally, let’s burn a Blu-ray disc. 40 GB onto a double layer Blu-ray that can hold about 47, quoted at 50 GB. Burned disc at 6X. Again the phone is laying on top of the drive.