Fixing loud fans on your Xbox360
It was bound to happen at some point, my Xbox360 Premium bit the dust. Well, not exactly... It has an error E 74, which is apparently fixable with some voodoo overheating, but I'm reluctant to try it out just yet.
So, on to the point of this post. I got a used Xbox360 Elite from a buddy (thanks Ry!), swapped the HD, and was ready to go! Whoa, wait a sec, what is that horrible noise that sounds like a vacuum cleaner under the TV? No it wasn't the DVD drive spinning, it was the fans. After a bit of research I determined that the amount of noise was not normal. I took apart the Xbox and found A LOT of dust/bunnies. Cleaned it out with some compressed air and voila! quiet(er) Xbox!
There are a few aftermarket fans that you can swap in, but I have not seen conclusive details on whether or not they're quieter or as efficient. Luckily the sound system takes care of the fan noise. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!
iPhone, why did I wait so long?
I finally got an iPhone! When the first generation iPhone came out I was skeptical. My thoughts were justified when a friend got it and months later Apple took $200 off the price. Then shortly thereafter the phone started slowing down. Besides all that the iPhone only supported AT&T. Being a 10+ year subscriber to Verizon and their network, I was really reluctant to change.
Two weeks after owning the phone, I've only hit a few hiccups. The first day I didn't turn off my Verizon Blackberry Pearl and text messages only went to the Blackberry and calls went to the iPhone. After a quick call to AT&T Support they told me I'd have to finally turn off the Blackberry and the iPhone should take over. Sure enough, within 10-15 minutes things started working perfectly! The other problem was with my waived activation fee. I purchased the phone from a local AT&T store and was assured the $36 activation fee would be waived because I was switching mid-contract from Verizon. I got my first bill and of course the activation fee is on there. I'm hoping I can get this cleared up without too much of a hassle.
If you're a techie, if you like having everything in a central place, get the iPhone. The 3G version is worth it without a doubt. Between the apps and ability to navigate pretty much anything, the iPhone is indispensible.