"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

Twelve years ago today, when I made my very first post on Pocket PC Thoughts, I couldn't possibly predict the journey I was taking the first step on. What an amazing, fulfilling, character-defining dozen years it's been! I'm so deeply indebted to all the people along this journey I've befriended, talked with in our forums, and yes, even gotten into rip-roaring arguments with. It all brought me here. So where is "here" exactly?

Back in September of 2011, I shared that I had taken a job with HTC, was moving from Canada to the USA, and was selling the Thoughts Media Network. Over the past year, I've had a truly amazing time working at HTC. It's a wonderful job - it's really amazing the things you learn/realize working on "the other side" of the blogger/OEM equation - but it's also all-consuming. My multiple attempts to sell this network all failed, partially due to my lack of time to really follow through. I won't bore you with the details, but let me give some advice to any business owners: when someone offers you a nice chunk of money for your business, and you're ready to sell, don't drag your feet on the paperwork - you never know when that offer will vanish! Oh, and sell when your revenue and momentum are at their peak; don't hold on too long. Evidently these are lessons I needed to learn the hard way. Lessons to teach my son I guess. :-)

So where are things at now? This won't come as a surprise to anyone who has watched what has happened to most of the sites in our network over the past year: all six sites across the Thoughts Media Network will go into a permanent state of hibernation effective tonight. This is the final post you'll see on all of them. I care deeply about all of the amazing content the Thoughts Media Team collectively created over the past dozen years, so my plans are to keep the sites online for as long as possible. One week from now, I'll shut down the forums so no new posts can be made. Right now only comments can be posted if you already have an account that has posted in the past - we've had to lock things down in that way to prevent spamming. If you have a message to share with me but don't have a forum account, please send it to me directly.

I'd be remiss if I didn't give one final thank you to the amazing team of people I had the honour of working with over the past twelve years. I don't want to list names, because I'll doubtless forget someone. Suffice it to say though that I've been humbled and blessed by the generosity and effort people put into this community. From the words you've read, the videos you've watched, the spam-free forums you've read through, to the designs of the pages and the code and server loading them when you visit - none of that could have been done without the gifted volunteers who collectively helped me create everything that these sites were. I'm deeply indebted to literally hundreds of people who walked with me on this awesome journey over the past decade. THANK YOU!

Also, a big thank you to the community itself. All you who came back here, day after day to read and watch our news and reviews, rants and raves. Thank you for your comments, your clicks, your shares, your views. None of this would be possible without you. Remember too the part you play in the success of any Web site: you matter, so support the sites you love so they can keep doing what you want to see.

And so, this is the end. If you'd like to keep in touch with me, please reach out on Twitter (@jasondunn) or check in on my personal blog now and then. What an amazing journey this has been...thank you!

It has been a pleasure being able to be a part of the Thoughts Team and the Team here at Apple Thoughts. My thanks to all of you for visiting us and continuing to stop by over the years, and I hope we fulfilled our goal of providing you news, articles, reviews and anything Apple that we hoped you found usefulness and interesting. Thanks to Jason for all he has done, 12 years is a great run of success and am thankful to him for letting me be a part of it!

I am especially thankful to Vinny for giving me the opportunity and being a great friend, I only wish I could have added to his success with Apple Thoughts and been able to keep it going.

Good luck to all of you in whatever life throws your way, fight through the valleys to get to the mountains!

Jeff

Follow me on Twitter: @jeffcampbell

"It has only been a couple of days since Apple announced iPhone 5. Already the excitement for the release of this product is building up. Apple will begin shipping iPhone 5 to customers in select countries from September 21. If you prefer not having a carrier locked iPhone, you can always dish out more money and get an official factory unlocked iPhone. Today Apple has announced the factory unlocked iPhone 5 prices for USA."

As someone who hates "locked" phones, this is welcome news. New factory-unlocked phones will cost:

• $649 for 16GB

• $749 for 32GB

• $849 for 64GB

If you're buying one, remember that it uses the new nano-SIM, so be sure that your carrier of choice has them. T-Mobile has indicated that they plan to have them for unlocked iphones in mid-October 2012 ( link ). Anyone planning to use an iPhone 5 on T-Mo?

"Knowing the accuracy of the iPhone 5 leaks and the increased number of photos of the 7.8-inch iPad parts from the same sources, I have almost no doubt that this is a real, fully working Apple iPad mini. That means that the launch must be really close right now."

If these are fakes, they've done an excellent job, even down to the new power connector. Not many rumors floating around about launch dates (that I've heard), besides "soon." If it really -is- available soon, and priced to attract new buyers, it should be a hit, as one would expect. I've got a Google Nexus 7 that I'm using primarily as an e-reader, but lack of 3G or 4G (or even 2.5G) is a handicap to taking it everywhere, despite the great form factor, great performance, and great wi-fi connectivity. Time to start planning the holiday gift list!?

"Will the familiar warning for airline passengers to "discontinue the use of all portable electronic devices" become a relic of the past?

Perhaps."

Every so often the FAA reviews its policies limiting mobile device usage on airplanes. They're at it again, but it must be mentioned that this particular study does not include the use of mobile phones while in flight - that's the FCC's domain. The FAA claims (in a study performed "last year") that they have 75 documented cases of consumer (passenger) electronic devices interfering with on-board systems, and the new study group aims to either confirm or debunk the current conventional wisdom that mobile devices can interfere with instruments, specifically during takeoff and landing. Skeptics point to the fact that tablets and laptops may be used by the crew, during these critical times, but not used by passengers. The study goal is to determine the what, where, when and why for the existing rules and regulations. While I do think that the rules are a bit one-sided in favor of the airlines, I'm not really that inconvenienced by having to turn off my laptop/phone/tablet during takeoff and landing. Safety trumps convenience in my opinion. How about you?

"When Verizon Wireless announced its new shared-data plans in June, it should have enjoyed a big advantage over its arch-rival, AT&T."

Pooling data is a great idea, and one that many wanted, but they didn't want to be forced into it as Verizon was planning to do. AT&T at least is making their pooling plans optional. Choice is always better, but only if it is truly your choice! What are your thoughts on this misstep on Verizon's part and the resulting plans from AT&T?

"If you are planning on purchasing a used MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, then it is recommended you thoroughly test it to ensure it works properly."

Some great ideas in this article, should you be looking for a used (not refurbished from Apple) Apple laptop. It also gives you a list of equipment and programs to take along with you to test it and make sure it is working properly.

"A U.K. judge ordered Apple to publish a notice on its UK website and in British newspapers informing the public that Samsung did not copy the iPad's design, Bloomberg reported today."

This is equivalent to the kid that steals and has to wear the sandwich board stating as much. Seems pretty silly to me that the judge is doing this. If the judge is so concerned about the image of Samsung, perhaps he should carry around a sign that says "I'm sorry Samsung, you are cool too" since he said their product was not as cool as Apple's. What are your thoughts?

"Apple has released a software update for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models introduced in June 2012."

You can find out more about this release here at Apple.

"The latest version, Scanner Pro 4.1, brings a completely new interface to the iPhone, focusing on the most important things to make it more streamlined and intuitive."

And now with iCloud syncing, you can see the same items on your iPhone or iPad. Great update to this handy application. I find myself using this at least once a day to contribute to my goal of going paperless. Check it out in the iTunes store.

"Anytime you use your phone to make a call or send an e-mail or text message, there's a chance it will be intercepted by someone who has access-legal or otherwise-to your providers' servers."

An upcoming app from the guy that created PGP will get you a secure line so your security fears won't exacerbate your paranoia. I'm not paranoid much myself, but it would be nice to have the ability to have a secure line. You can find out more at Silent Circle. But only if no one is watching...

"About a year ago, I wrote about the best way to set up wireless audio - how to get the music that lives on your computer onto speakers scattered throughout your home."

A lot of what he wrote about last time was mostly involving Apple products, but now there are more players in the market that might pique your interest. I've toyed with getting a Jawbone Jambox that is mentioned, since it seems so easy to use with any of my portable devices. And that is still a possibility, but for now I do pretty well with my Apple TV and my Bose system. How do you stream your audio?

"Remember Lloyd Dobler's classic line, "I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen"? Poor Lloyd. Maybe if Diane Court's lame parting gift was a pen with integrated iPad stylus, some of that heartbreak would have been ameliorated. But they got back together by the end of the movie, so I guess it's OK."

It seems like the argument is never settled when it comes to which stylus to use, kind of like the to-do list battle I suppose. I have opted for the Alumapen Pro, mainly because I think it looks better. What are your thoughts?

"This is the R* Case, and it might just be my new favorite iPad skin, based only on this video. And not just because the case itself, with two old 80s-skateboard-style rails on the back, looks very useful. It's also because the video itself is an engaging mix of hard work and high-cheese."

Well the video wasn't that bad, rather funny actually. And this really is an innovative case. The rails don't seem to deter from the functionality either, although at first they do appear a little odd. You can find out more at TouchNS.

"If you're like us, you return from vacations and special events having filmed loads of video, with grand ambitions of one day compiling all your clips into brilliant home movies."

I love these step by step, quickie instructional articles, especially when it comes to programs that I've been meaning to use but haven't, such as iMovie on the iPad. It usually reinforces the credo "it's easier than it looks," every time I read one of these.

"We've all been there: Awaiting a loved one's arrival at the airport, only to discover that his/her flight is delayed. Never again fear such predicaments, because Just Landed has been cleared for landing on your iPhone."

Solid review from MacLife about this handy app.

"For about a year, Macs have been shipping with a fancy new port on the side called Thunderbolt. We're just on the cusp of seeing this new port on Windows-based PCs, too. What exactly is Thunderbolt, and should you make sure your next computer has it?"

Got about 3 minutes to spare? Then read this article and get the down and dirty about Thunderbolt.

"There are several iPad cases which have straps to let you fasten them to the headrests of your car seats so people in the back can watch movies. The trouble is, they're almost all bulky and ugly, as they try to cram too much into one case."

And this one is no different in the design arena. But hey, unless the screen is built into the headrest, you are going to run into the same problem with every holder. $39.99 USD will get you a set of your own, so they aren't too expensive.

"Bronson Watermarker fills a small-but vital-niche for those who need to create watermarked PDFs and images."

Simple tool for OS X, and certainly easy to use with a variety of handy features if you need to watermark your documents. It's available now in the Mac App store for $9.99 USD.

"It's been my experience, working with photographers all over the world at my workshops and seminars, that the vast majority use Mac laptops."

So it only makes sense that a pro review this right? Very thorough, and I especially like that he also provides information on the Thunderbolt drives that go with this wonderful machine. Well worth the read if you are thinking of picking one of these up. And even if you aren't, it's interesting reading.