tid bits
* Should be AT&T vs. Sprint (image: gizmodo)
I want an iPhone but I’ll get a Pre. Let me explain. I need a new phone. I’m currently off-contract with Sprint and have been waiting for the Pre to come out before I made any decisions. Now the Pre is out and it looks pretty good and has a lot of potential. Unfortuantely, it is a first gen device and has the bugs and shortcomings to prove it.
I would love an iPhone. The device itself is far from perfect, but it is a few generations down the road now and has made plenty of progress. So what’s the problem? AT&T. AT&T, also known as the Evil Empire, is simply a lousy carrier. Sure, they’ve got their fans, but who doesn’t? I can’t fathom debating iPhones, Blackberrys and Pres without taking into account their resepctive carriers. The bottom line is that AT&T charges way too much (at least $15 a month more for fewer features than Sprint); their coverage, in the places I have lived and the place I am moving to, is awful compared to Sprint; my experience with their customer service has been down-right appalling, whereas I have a support number for Sprint that gets me in touch with someone who speaks my language and who has the knowledge and authority to make any and all changes necessary - and they usually answer within a couple of rings. I could go on.
But I still want an iPhone.
The dream died finally when I looked at the AT&T coverage map for my new home town. Virtually everything to the east of my house (literally just to the east, as in the road I take out of my neighborhood) is either their “moderate” (worst) coverage or roaming! Er, excuse me, “Partner coverage” is what they call it. It’s roaming. So, basically, I can’t go to the neighborhood market that is .97 miles from my house and expect a decent connection. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Sweet Home Colorado. June 20 is almost upon us and while the stress of moving is surely taking its toll, Alison and I are so excited. We are aching for the moment when we get to pull back out of the driveway and start this new adventure. This move couldn’t come at a more opportune time for me personally. I’ve changed drastically over the last year or so, coming to see many things in new ways, and I’m looking forward to what I’ve been calling my upcoming “Second Half.” The move is an appropriate event to mark this new chapter in my life.
Cool Stuff.
The new Kindle DX. I have reached a point where I not only want it because it’s pretty cool, but I could really use it. More and more, I am finding that many great resources, including otherwise out of print books, are being released as PDF’s for free or next to nothing. I just recently bought a handful of these books for .95 each! The problem, of course, is that I have to read them on the computer display or print them out. One is 224 pages, three are over 400 pages and one is over 1200 pages. Printing is not an option. But I could put them on a Kindle. 
Evernote. This little app still has a ways to go (it desperately needs a better text editor), but you will be hard pressed to find a better “exteral brain” solution anywhere. have a thought? Put it in Evernote and have access to it from just about anywhere, anytime. Combine it with…
…Curio. Curio is one of those programs that looks awesome, but then when you try it out it seems a little confusing and you’re not totally sure how to do “what they did” and it’s tempting to just quit and get on with life. Well, I didn’t quit. Think of Curio as a white board, corkboard, journal, and notebook all in one. It’s a great way to work with both your right and left brain and is one of those programs that is, for the most part, limited only by your imagination.
Green Print. You know when you print a document from the Web and end up with that annoying last page that has nothing but a url and one line of copyright and legalese on it? What a waste! No more with Green Print. Check it out and save a tree. Don’t care about trees? Save a couple of bucks in paper and ink.
Give google a break. Bing brings great results, offers cool interactive features and looks good doing it. It’s one of the best things Microsoft has come out with in years.
That is all.
