So back in December, Amazon was running a promo for Prime members to purchase the new Fire TV Stick for 50% off, making it just about $21 after tax. I couldn’t pass up that offer. After using it for a little while now, I figured I would give a review of it.
Continue ReadingI’ve been chewing on this since the latest Android update hit Jessica and my phones, and I posted about it here. Basically, software design has gotten crazy over the last few years. With technology going mainstream, and most people carrying computers in their pockets in the form of a smartphone, software design is much less of an art form than a race. The problem as I see it, though, is they don’t know what they’re racing towards, other than to be first. There is nothing wrong with that, either. Though sometimes I wish developers could be just a bit more altruistic when they make their choices.
Continue ReadingDear Google,
Stop it.
Stop what, you ask? Stop being so damned arrogant. You’ve forgotten your own motto, “Don’t Be Evil” and you’ve missed sight of what made you the tech giant you are today.
Continue ReadingI’ve had a Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for about three and a half years. Its been a great performer for me, and we’ve put it through a lot of abuse. We used it for watching movies, checking email, keeping our (then) toddler entertained, writing documents, and all the other things that tablets are great for. As one of the first generation Android tablets, it was pretty good. Its most compelling feature for me was that it was 3G enabled, so I didn’t need WiFi.
Continue ReadingNo, really, I wish I could quit you. Unfortunately, cable service is effectively a monopoly in most places. You’re the only company that can provide half way decent Internet speeds, and the only company that allows me to use a cable card for my MythTV setup.
Why, oh, why do you make it so painfully frustrating whenever you call in for any sort of issue? Your customer service people aren’t really trained to handle much more than telling people to reboot their cable boxes. And don’t even think about asking a question that isn’t answered by the script that they’re reading from.
Continue ReadingA couple months ago, my parents finally replaced their old Sony console TV (a tube TV) with a bright shiny new Samsung 60" Smart TV. Its a thing of beauty. The picture is crisp and sharp and has excellent color. Being one of Samsung’s Smart TV’s, it also has networking capabilities and can stream things from the Internet. It also has Netflix and Amazon Instant Video buttons right on the remote. It also includes an IR blaster to control the Comcast supplied DVR/cable box. Now they have just one remote, don’t have to change inputs or fiddle with things to stream movies and it has greatly simplified their setup. This is good because if its not easy to do and easy to remember, they won’t do it.
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