@gebinsk: My intention with this post wasn't to bash technology. I wouldn't be here if I didn't like gadgets, and I wouldn't have laid down a grand for my Nikon if I didn't see some value to it. My D80 lets me do some different things, just like buying a pickup truck would let me do some different things. But if I…

@brobar: We're in complete agreement. I have no issue with people who take the time to learn the craft, as I have. It's people who buy the best camera and expect to automatically become a great photographer that bug me.

@Bluecold: That might be useful if you are trying to capture action shots, or covering a news event as it unfolds, but if you have the time to compose your photos, why not do it properly? Besides, a camera's light meter only gives you "average" exposure. Maybe you should look up what "Zone System" means.

@Henry Leirvoll: My point was that your equipment doesn't know how to take good photos, it merely serves the photographer, and a skilled photographer only needs three things to take a good photo: light, film, and a light-tight box. I'm not a snob, but when my rich brother-in-law shows me his expensive new camera, and…

@Bluecold: It makes you think about the finished product, how you want it to look and how you're going to get there.

They're sold out. :(

The secret to good photography is not the camera you use, it's how you use it. I always have to chuckle to people show my their new latest-and-greatest camera with lenses that clean themselves and resist vibrations. I use a Minolta SLR made in the '70's. I also have a Nikon D80, but for artistic shots I pick up the…

Whew, I'm glad it's not just me.

@cynegetic: Sorry, what? I am aware of all the options IP4 owners are presented with. My comment was directed specifically at the people advising them to return the phone or to stop complaining. IP4 owners have every right to complain, and they deserve to have their phone fixed. They shouldn't have to return it.

@cynegetic: I don't buy from Apple, but I do sympathize with IP4 owners in this case. What happened to their previous phones is irrelevant, they deserve a fix for the phone they have now.

Vroom! Vroom!

@lostarchitect: I don't have a case on my Droid, either. I've thought about it, but I've only dropped a phone once in my life, so I'm not really concerned about it. Plus the Droid is built so tough, it could probably take a light fall with only a few scratches. I don't think the same could be said of the IP4,…

For the folks saying that people should either return their phones or stop complaining, that really isn't an option when one is hundreds or thousands of dollars invested in the iTunes/App Store ecosystem, so please knock it off. It just makes you look like stupid assholes.

Why is it the only solutions Apple is capable of coming up with lately all involve throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

@92BuickLeSabre: I've never had a problem with them, privacy-wise. I know they've made some mistakes in that area, but I haven't read anything that suggests it was deliberate.

What I love about Google is that successful or not, they always genuinely try to do the right thing. Sure, they make some mistakes, but at least with them I'm confident they were actual mistakes, and not a calculated move that the PR department has put some spin on.

@Congrats! you win the interweb.: Because you're a normal, healthy young lad.

@dragon:ONE: I can't think of any reason why they would need a physical keyboard, so they could switch to any smartphone. Then it's just up to the carriers to accommodate them.

May flights of Androids sing thee to thy rest.

@Mactopia: And of course "Mactopia" will claim any legitimate criticism of Apple or its products is all just part of a vendetta.