An Expensive Day...

All accounted for, I have spent about $1,000 on my iPhone 3G, not including the $160/month I spend for unlimited minutes, internet and text messages. Half of that happened yesterday and 70% within the last week. With any luck, this is out of my system and I won't spend much more on the damn thing, but I do know that I have at least one more peripheral that I need to purchase: a car cradle.

Okay, so let's summarize what I've spent so far and then tell you the ludicrous story from yesterday. The following prices are rounded out for ease of discussion.

• $300 - Apple iPhone 3G
• $30 - CapsuleRebel Protective case by SwitchEasy (I got the black and red "Devil" case)
• $100 - iTunes Music and AppStore purchases last week (hey, I was catching up from when I didn't have any money!)
• $300 - Pioneer DEH-P7000BT Car Stereo
• $200 - Part and labor for installation of said Pioneer Stereo

Okay, so here's the fun story from yesterday:

I have been driving around lately with my earbuds in my ears to listen to music and answer calls when they come in. I've also had to carry my home charger with me, plugged into an AC/DC inverter to avoid killing my iPhone battery halfway through the day (I am a power user and I sometimes zap my charge early on). I used to have a car charger, but sold it to my brother when I sold him my old iPhone.

Originally intending to buy the Kensington Car Charger Deluxe, which simply includes a cradle and charging apparatus, I became frustrated that none of the Apple stores had it in stock and I would have to wait one to two weeks for it to even ship from the Apple Store. So, out of desperation for something... anything better, I purchased a Motorola T505 speakersphone two nights ago on my way back from San Diego. This device connects to the stereo via FM transmission and the phone via Bluetooth. Works perfectly for calls, but the iPhone doesn't support the A2DP Bluetooth profile to stream music. Without that function, a cheaper model would have been better, but I was constantly having to change radio stations because of interference and I quickly grew disappointed in the product for my needs.

So, yesterday morning I drove down to my mailbox to pick up my CapsuleRebel case and stopped by BestBuy to return the T505. I looked at car stereos again, which I had done a week or two ago, but wasn't satisfied and left. Thinking that perhaps I could simply expand my existing factory stereo with a auxilliary cable to solve the music part of my problem (and use a Bluetooth handsfree for calls), I went looking for a Mazda dealer. Keyes Mazda wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I drove to Galpin Mazda near where I'm staying. They pointed me to Galpin Auto Sports just a block away and I spoke with the guy there, who told me that there wasn't anything I could do to expand my stupid factory stereo, so my option was to get a new stereo.

I wasn't quite ready to spend $400 to have the radio purchased and installed, so I asked for the model number of the unit he suggested so I could do some research. He suggested the Pioneer DEH-P7000BT, because it has bluetooth for the phone calls, but also iPod controls so I can charge AND control my iPhone music at the same time. This seemed like the best option, but I wasn't ready. So, I went to Panera Bread, to try and get some work done, and looked the stereo up on Crutchfield. Lo and behold, it was the same model that a worker at BestBuy had suggested to me last week! I hadn't cared for the external microphone of the unit, but as I really sat down and assessed my options, I was realizing that it was the best solutions.

So, I left Panera (without getting ANY work done) and drove across the street to the BestBuy that I had first looked at the stereo to get another look at it. I asked a few questions and made some inquiries and eventually decided that I would get the unit. Hell, it was only $286 and I figured that I could install it myself to save money! So, I purchased what I needed to make it work and it actually totaled just over $400 (there's the sales tax, a wiring harness, install kit, and USB-to-iPhone cable). I took it back to the Gypsy Camp and grabbed a screw driver and attempted to figure out how to get to the stereo, let alone figure out how to install it. When I realized that there was stripping and crimping of wires involved, I knew that I didn't have the tools or patience, so I packed everything up and drove back to BestBuy, where installation would cost me about $90.

You know, this is very similar to what happens with me and web design. I tell someone what my rate is and they say, "That's rediculous! I could have my second cousin do it for free, or I could whip something up in FrontPage." And I tell that that's true, but if they want it done right and coded properly, they will spend the money to have a professional do the job. It may seem like a lot of money, but there is a reason they are paid so much: they are worth it. That's what happened to me here.

So, I walked into BestBuy, found an associate that helped me earlier, and I told him, "My pride is wounded. I submit myself to the wisdom of your install tech."

Yes. That is exactly what I said. I even repeated the second part of that to the actual install tech when he walked up (and yes, he had a HUGE grin on his face when he saw me). An hour and almost a hundred dollars later, my new stereo was installed and I drove away with my music playing and the ability to answer calls easily. Total damage for the day: $500. Ouch.