Palm Pre exhibiting attenuation once put in the “Death grip.” Note that I say DEATH GRIP. Meaning intentionally bad grip. Attenuation to the point that service is no longer usable whatsoever, just like iPhone 4 when put into Death grip in a low service area. You guys need to keep in mind that this phone is TINY. My hands wrapping around it is not very far fetched. Yes, its exaggerated, however my normal grip is not far from this. Attenuation has NEVER impacted my performance on iPhone 4, even when reception reduces to 1 bar. I’ve never dropped a single call (even in areas where 3GS used to) and my data speeds seem almost exactly the same. Quality is actually hugely improved over my old 3GS, especially data speeds EVEN after attenuation. The difference with iPhone 4 is that the “weak spot” is a smaller target that is easier to find and easier to trigger. However, reception overall is a vast improvement over every other phone I’ve tested on ATT. I think Steve Jobs should have stressed this more during the press conference, that this is a TRADEOFF of the design. You get a thinner, more robust phone with huge improvements in reception, the tradeoff being that it has a weaker weak spot. Steve Jobs really should have used the word tradeoff to explain it.

Got someone you can’t stand? There’s an app for that! www.deathpad.com A Daniel Bean Film / Written, Directed, Animated, & Edited by: Daniel Bean Voice Actors: Ryan Grassley (halfthrottle youtube) Daniel Bean Tyler Langford Mark Pulham Music By: Tyler Langford Sound Mix: Tim Beacham Special Thanks to Priddis, Inc. for letting us record in their studio.

Famed TV pitchman, Billy Mays, has been found dead in his Tampa, FL home early Sunday morning, June 28th.  Mays was found unresponsive by his wife and was pronounced dead by Tampa Fire and Rescue at 7.45 a.m. local time. “There are no signs of forced entry to the residence and no foul play is suspected,” Lt. Brian Dugan of the Tampa Police Department said. The Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to complete the autopsy on Mays’s body by Monday afternoon.

“Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days,” Billy Mays’s wife, Deborah, said. “Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times,” she added.

UPDATE: On Saturday, Mays was on board the U.S. Airways passenger plane which made a hard landing at Tampa International Airport. No one was injured in the accident, according to airport officials, but Mays told a local television station that an item fell on his head. “All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head,” Mays joked. Lt. Brian Dugan called it “pure speculation” to say his death could be related to the plane incident.

Billy Mays pitched OxiClean, Orange Glo,Kaboom, Engrave It, Handy Switch, iCan, Mighty Mendit, Mighty Putty (regular) & Mighty Putty Wood, Hercules Hook, AwesomeAuger, Steam Buddy, Zorbeez, Big City Slider Station, The Ding King, ESPN 360, Energize, Impact Gel Insoles, Omni DualSaw, Jupiter Jack, What Odor?, Tool Bandit, SIMONIZ Instant Shine, SIMONIZ fix it! (regular) & fix it! PRO, Gopher, Samurai Shark, Grater Plater, Ragazzi’s Pizza, and Green Now!

Today is a sad day whether you liked Billy Mays or the sound of his voice sent shivers up your spine.  Billy, along with his friend and business partner Anthony “Sully” Sullivan, have been pitching gadgets and gizmos for the last couple decades.  I think it would be quite hard to find anybody in the US that hasn’t heard Billy shout his line, “Hi, Billy Mays here!”

RIP Billy Mays, you will be missed.

It seems as though the entire world is mourning the death of “The King of Pop”, Michael Jackson, by listening to his music, as evident by the surge in music downloads in iTunes. As of this posting, Michael Jackson holds the top 9 album downloads as well as 7 of the top 10 singles with “Man in the Mirror” on top. “Man in the Mirror” with its ballad style and good hearted message seems to be soothing mourners in their time of loss.

Many forms of Media are paying tribute to the pop star’s passing. MTV has put their normal programming of reality tv to the back-burner and is airing non stop videos, documentary, and live coverage from street parties in NYC celebrating Michael Jackson’s death. Many Sirius XM stations will be devoting their programming to Jackson. VH1 Classic will reportedly dedicate the entire weekend to nothing but Michael Jackson.

Climbing to the top of the iTunes charts is no easy task, let alone taking the top 10 in both singles and albums. Michael Jackson also has taken top spots in ringtone and video downloads. This spike to the top of iTunes comes at no surprise with millions of people looking for ways to comfort themselves, but brings to mind the old adage, “You are always worth more in death than in life.” How long will this surge last? Will it possibly help pay his reported $400 million debt, we will have to see.