‘Technology’ Features

We were happy to be among the first people to receive the new Verizon iPhone yesterday.  After a few minutes of set up time, we were soon out testing our iPhone in a few of the Baraboo hill’s more notorious dead zones. So far so good.  While there is still spotty or no connection in some of worst areas we checked, reception was actually better than what we had experienced with Verizon phones in the past.  One good example is where Highway 113 descends off the bluffs to meet South Shore Road which then travels east to west on the south side of Devil’s Lake. (*See map below or click here.) In this whole area cellphone signals are spotty at best. Our 2 year old HTC can find no signal on this section of 113 or on most of South Shore Rd. near the bluffs.  The Iphone on the other hand, has a weak but usable connection for the most part.  We still experienced dropouts, but at least we could find spots where it was possible to get a call out.   That’s quite an improvement.  It will be nice to hear more folks experiences over the coming months, but at first glance it does seem like the Verizon iPhone will work  as well as can be expected here in the heart of the Baraboo range.

*One area known for poor cellphone reception.

View Cellphone in a larger map

Here in Baraboo, the news of the Verizon iPhone means that for the first time since it’s release local residents will have (legitimate) access to the iPhone.  It’s amazing to consider that the very first ad for the iPhone aired during the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007 and in all that time residents of the Baraboo hills never had access through AT&T who was until now was the only carrier.   While we were repeatedly told that AT&T was updating and expanding its network all the time, we greet this news still unable to get an iPhone through AT&T.  Now to be sure, service won’t be perfect regardless of carrier.  The Baraboo hills are notorious for dropout areas regardless of service.  Still it will be nice to at last have the choice between Android and the iPhone.  One cannot help but wonder how many other smaller communities and rural areas around the country that have been left on the fringe as far as AT&T was concerned, are now  full of folks celebrating the Verizon news. Nothing against Android phones mind you, it’s just good to finally have a choice.

Eligible Verizon customers will be able to reserve the iPhone beginning on or near February 3rd, new and other customers will be able to purchase the iPhone on February 10th, 2011.  Customers may check their upgrade eligibility at the Verizon website as well as sign up for the latest Verizon iPhone news.  Before you upgrade it’s worth reading the FAQ.  Not all of your current Verizon services will carry over to the iPhone.

More:

• Verizon iPhone Page

If you get booked by the Reedsburg, Wisconsin, police department you can expect to get your face on Facebook and the local police department is not nearly as concerned about privacy settings as you may wish! 

These days most folks know you don’t need to wait for tomorrow’s newspaper to find out what’s happening in your community today. You simply need to go online. In fact its getting easier than ever to bypass news organizations all together and go directly to the source. As local police departments realize this, they are learning to take advantage of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter not just to reach out to communities, but to send a message to would-be law breakers as well. The Reedsburg department is leading the way in our area. While some other local police departments are now on Facebook, the Reedsburg Police Department is the first we’ve seen posting arrest information including photos. Considering how universal Facebook has become in the last year or so, the risk of having your “face” on Facebook could just serve as a brand new high-tech deterrent.  What do you think?

More:

• Reedsburg Police Facebook Page
• Sauk Prairie Police Facebook Page
• Portage Police Facebook Page

Here in our little community we might be a bit behind the times. Still, you can’t help wonder when it comes to the mobile web, where the line these days between the reality and the hype?  It’s no surprise that many small business owners are either getting stressed out or simply rejecting social media outright.  It’s not hard to understand. Today we shop, plan our trips, get our entertainment, communicate and  interact in so many ways that it’s easy for small businesses to get overwhelmed when they think about reaching out to their potential customers.  Read the rest of this entry »

Has Google Street View been through your town yet?  If you live in a city of under 100,000 that’s a fair question.  While some guy in London may be worried that the world can see him tossing his cookies outside the pub, a city like Baraboo is lucky if Google’s Street View driver bothers to clean the lenses.

Honestly I’ve never quite understood privacy concerns with Street View.  Truth be told, anything captured by the Google camera can just as easily be seen by the nosy neighbor. I doubt sharing the image with some guy in Spokane is going to do any more harm.  One thing is sure, Street View certainly gives you an unvarnished view of a community.  There’s some real value in there for communities that pay attention.   There are a lot of ugly streets out there.  Now here in Baraboo, we only rate about 4 streets that made it on Street View.  And most of those, are lost in a fog.

Is your community on Street View?  What are your thoughts?