Wednesday, July 21, 2010

My Toughest Decision

Usually, I can make a snap decision, move forward, and not really give it a second thought. Apparently, I use take this approach when it comes to buying a new phone. I've been sharing my thoughts about the iPhone 4 and the HTC Aria, but some new players have entered the competition. Namely, the HTC Droid Incredible and the Samsung Galaxy S.

Now, you would think picking a phone really shouldn't be that big of a deal, but choosing something besides the iPhone or the Aria would mean I would have to change wireless carriers (Verizon for the Droid Incredible, Sprint or T-Mobile for the Galaxy S). Making that kind of change and commitment is not an easy decision.

I was with Sprint prior to moving to Cingular (now AT&T), and I didn't have a bad experience but I changed because I didn't like their phone selection. So far, I've been content with AT&T and wouldn't mind sticking around, but their new voice and data plans are kind of odd.

Verizon and the Droid Incredible started to take a slight lead, but apparently they're going to a similar model for their plans as well. I wouldn't mind going back to Sprint or moving over to T-Mobile if their phones are worth the hassle of changing carriers. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to play with the Samsung Epic (Sprint) and the Samsung Vibrant to help me with my decision.

Or I can just stick to my good ole first gen iPhone...

Friday, July 16, 2010

My Thoughts on Apple's Mea Culpa

So, Apple had an intimate press conference to address the antenna issue with the new iPhone 4. I didn't get to watch the conference, but I did read up on various web sites while they were live blogging/chatting about what Steve Jobs had to say.

In a nutshell, Apple admitted that the iPhone 4 glitch, but so do all smartphones. They threw out numbers to try and convince people that this issue is not a big deal, and to make customers happy they will be giving out free Bumpers/cases or refunds for those who already bought a Bumper.

As a potential buyer, this press conference didn't convince me to take the risk on the iPhone 4 just yet. I wanted to hear what Apple is planning on doing to fix the hardware problem, but the only solution I read was, "here's a free rubber band for your phone". That doesn't make me want an iPhone 4 any more than I did yesterday, and if anything I'm less likely to purchase one today.

The Bumper offer seems like a temporary fix rather than a real solution. If Jobs had said our new batch of iPhone 4's will have a new antenna design, then I'd be willing to be patient, but I didn't read anything coming close to that. Apple may have glossed over the idea by saying it will continue to think of fixes and yadda yadda yadda, but since they've known about this problem for a while now it shouldn't take that long to come up with a real solution. Heck, they should have been expecting this and been prepared, but apparently they didn't think it was going to be a big deal.

Also, the attitude of "every smartphone has issues" and "we painted a bulls-eye on ours" was kind of a cop-out, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I know you have to have an ego to lead such a large corporation, but using the excuse that this happens and it's just not us (I'll even show you how our competitors have the same problems) seems kind of cowardly. Jobs should have taken the hit, without pointing fingers at others, manned up and outlined a real solution rather than giving away a $30 rubber band-aid.

Did today's presser move me closer to Android? Not really. I still have a "devil you know" mentality, and so far I haven't read anything that has sold me on getting an Android phone (the HTC Aria in particular). It's not like I need a new phone now (although my 1st Gen iPhone did start acting funny when the new version came out), and I can wait a few more months to see if Apple starts acting right. The thing is, we shouldn't have to wait for a fix...

Thursday, July 8, 2010

My Dream Vacation

I'm convinced that if I ever toured the Mediterranean I would never come back, and I'd be totally fine with that.

The thought of seeing Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt is exciting. While, I probably won't have the chance to hit all of those places, my goal is to visit a few of them, which is totally do-able.

Also, Australia would be a really cool vacation spot. In reality, all I really need to be happy is the water and a beach. Simple, right?

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

My Must Re-Read Book

This might sound kind of odd, but the only books I've been able to read over and over again are the Harry Potter books.

I've never been much of a reader (something I want to change), but I was hooked on the HP series after watching the 'Prisoner of Azkaban' movie. I've read every book at least twice, especially before a book or movie release.

Some people might think re-reading the HP books is lame, but JK Rowling ignited an interest in reading, which isn't a bad thing. I've been trying to be better-read, but I haven't come across a book that's wowed me. Suggestions would be appreciated.