Be Prepared!

I like to be prepared, and I thought I was. After hurricane Irma, I realized that while I had a generator, food, water, and tons of flashlights, I was missing a link in my communications arsenal. I'm a ham radio operator, so I could communicate with other Hams, but I couldn't communicate with my wife, at least not without carrying another radio. So, even though GMRS radios worked, I wanted something that would allow me to use our cell phones. Enter Gotenna.

Click here to checkout the Gotenna Mesh

I did my research and found several solutions, with Gotenna being the best IMHO. It's a small transmitter that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and let's you text and send your location to other Gotenna units. The more I thought about it, the more I could see using it on trips abroad, at concerts, sporting events...anywhere our cellular network fails. AND, the more units in your area the greater the range, because they mesh, just like Google home Wi-Fi or similar systems.

So check them out...BTW, I'm not affiliated or sponsored by them in any way, I just think these are a cool solution!

Naked, But Not Afraid...Mostly.

Do you like to go naked, or do you prefer something with more coverage?  No, not YOU personally, I'm talking about your cell phone!  Do you like to carry your phone naked and feel it's high-tech goodness, or are you more cautious and prefer the safety of a case?  Me?  Well, I've done it both ways, and quite frankly, I like it naked.  Don't get me wrong, I've used protection when I've had to, but there's something about feeling your phone the way the designer meant it to feel... now that's the good stuff.  And what about letting people see your baby in all it's glory?  Can't do that when it's all covered up, nope!  And that's where I find myself now, on the horns of this dilemma... to cover or not to cover, that IS the question.

All kidding aside though, I really am trying to decide whether or not I should carry my new Nexus 6P in a case.  It's a gorgeous phone, and I went for the big daddy 128gb version, so I dropped some coin buying it outright. On the one hand, I love the way it looks and feels raw, with nothing on it. One the other hand, I'm scared sh$%tless that I'm going to drop it and hurt my investment.  Ordinarily, that fear is always somewhere in the back of your mind, but in the case of the 6P, it's a very real possibility.  Why? Well, the same thing that makes it so slim and lightweight, also makes it slippery as heck.  I'm talking about it's beautiful, slim aluminum back, which, combined with that Gorilla Glass screen, leaves very little grippy material.  Fortunately though, the very shape of the phone makes it fit well in the hand, but it's those precious few seconds when you're taking it out of a pocket, that's when tragedy is most likely to strike.  So, we have to take precautions...like insurance.

I hate insurance.  No matter what kind, home, auto, boat, health...hate, hate, hate, and hate.  And yet, I bought insurance for my 6P. Well not insurance, but Google Protection. I mean, sure, they don't call it insurance, but c'mon, we know better.  So with that, I should be covered right?  And yet, I'm still fiddling around with cases.  I've been trying a clear MoKo Hybrid case, which fits well and still allows me to see the phone, but I can't feel that aluminum finish anymore.  Every time I take it out of the case, I'm reminded of how much I love it.  So, I ordered bumpers instead.  Yeah, bumpers, literally a rubber gasket that just covers the edges of the phone.  Risky?  Perhaps.  But, I'm playing the odds here.  I figure best case scenario, I drop the phone and it lands on an edge.  Worst case, I drop the phone and it lands on the screen.  But you know what? If it shatters, it shatters. Afterall, I have insurance....I mean protection, um, you know what I mean.

No EVO for You!

Well, they finally got me. After months of incessant advertising, I finally succumbed to Sprint's EVO marketing campaign. I WANT one. In fact, I've wanted one for weeks! The only issue is that there are none available for me to have and call my own. "None?" you say, "None" I say. Nary a one...zilch...nada...niente...none. I've looked online, I've checked stores and the response is always the same...none. And yet, I'm still being bombarded by Sprint's advertising juggernaut, day and night, night and day. They bait me, taunt me, tease me, and yet they will not sell to me. Why? Because they have none. now, I understand that there is something to be said for creating demand, but c'mon now. At a certain point, it goes from creating demand, to creating resentment. That's not to say that I wouldn't take an EVO right NOW if it was offered to me. But, the longer I have to wait, the more I'm considering my options, and their ads have now become the visual equivalent of the Chinese water torture for me. I feel like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld is tormenting me, "No EVO for you!"

Get on your game Sprint.

Cut the cord with bluetooth headphones!

OMG, who would've thought that something as simple as NEW headphones could cause such a feeling of joy! After years of having a bluetooth headset, I saw some LG HBS250 headphones on sale at www.woot.com for $9...I mean, come on...how can you NOT buy some new tech for that price?!?

So, I took the plunge, and I am here to report that these things are the BEST accessory I have bought for my cell phone, lap top, and anything else I can find that they work with. Seriously, these things rule. Why? Well, unlike your lame headset, these are STEREO headphones that can control your itunes and cell phone music program with a play/pause button, ff/rew button and volume keys all on the right earpiece...come on! Plus, you can also place a call because there is a built-in microphone...best thing ever. So, cut the cord!

George & His iPhone 3G

My buddy George is a real Apple fanboy. He talked me into buying a Macbook Pro a while back and now he just can't stop talking about his new iPhone 3G. So, I figured "what the heck", let's throw him on camera and let him tell you all about it. Hey, better you than me...

Touch This! The HTC Touch Pro Review

If you're in the market for a new smartphone, you might want to take a hard look at the HTC Touch Pro.  It runs Windows Mobile Pro 6.1 OS with HTC's TouchFLO 3D interface layered on top of that.  It has a full QWERTY keyboard, so if a viryual keyboard has been keeping you down, this is the solution you've been looking for... check it out!

Flip & Fold Screens?

By now you've probably heard about a new screen technology called OLED (organic light-emitting diode). Samsung is pioneering it and debuted a wafer thin .05 mm screen back in October. Well, now they have unveiled a cell phone with a FOLDING screen built into it.



Wow, imagine being able to unfold your phone and reveal a nice, BIG, bright screen! Finally, we can watch movies on a plane on a screen bigger than a postage stamp! Yay!

Now, we just have to wait and see how much lighter this will make our wallets...

The Lesser of Two Evils? Or Three?

My cellular phone contract is just about up.  Soon.  so, I have to make a decision regarding my carrier.  Currently I have AT&T and except for the frequent dropped calls and excessive rates, I'm pretty happy with them (this is sarcasm for those of you not familiar with it).  So, that leaves me with a few other choices.  T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint are the only companies worth considering in my opinion given their size and coverage.  However, each has it's drawbacks.  

T-Mobile doesn't have any phones that particularly "trip" my trigger, nor do their plans excite me.  Verizon has great phones, comprehensive plans and a great reputation for customer satisfaction..but their rates are sky high.  Which leaves me with Sprint... good old Sprint.  Sprint has good coverage, cheap all-inclusive plans and great phones.  But, their reputation for customer service and satisfaction is in the toilet.  People are leaving them at a phenomenal clip, but the iPhone might've had something to do with that.  Still, I could save $80/month going with them.  Although their top executives are among the most over compensated of any U.S. company, still, if they can save me money, what do I care?

Decisions, decisions... do I choose bad or worse?