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Nothing for something
May. 8th, 2011 03:52 pmEffective July 24, 2011, the monthly charge for Total Equipment Protection will increase $1.00, from $7.00 to $8.00
Rest assured that, Total Equipment Protection will continue to provide the same comprehensive coverage for loss, theft, liquid or physical damage, and mechanical and electrical failures due to defect or normal wear and tear.
So, you're charging me an extra dollar for the same coverage. Gee, thanks!
Rest assured that, Total Equipment Protection will continue to provide the same comprehensive coverage for loss, theft, liquid or physical damage, and mechanical and electrical failures due to defect or normal wear and tear.
So, you're charging me an extra dollar for the same coverage. Gee, thanks!
How to charge your HTC EVO
Sep. 21st, 2010 01:16 am(These instructions also apply to the Droid X and probably several other phones)
1. Insert the USB plug into the jack on the bottom of the phone.
2.. Realize you're trying to insert the plug upside-down and flip it over.
3. Insert the USB plug into the jack on the bottom of the phone.
4. Realize you've been trying to plug into the HDMI jack.
5. Insert the USB plug into the other jack on the bottom of the phone.
6. Realize you're still trying to insert the plug upside-down and flip it over again.
7. Finally manage to insert the USB plug right-side up into the correct jack.
1. Insert the USB plug into the jack on the bottom of the phone.
2.. Realize you're trying to insert the plug upside-down and flip it over.
3. Insert the USB plug into the jack on the bottom of the phone.
4. Realize you've been trying to plug into the HDMI jack.
5. Insert the USB plug into the other jack on the bottom of the phone.
6. Realize you're still trying to insert the plug upside-down and flip it over again.
7. Finally manage to insert the USB plug right-side up into the correct jack.
Delicious Froyo
Aug. 3rd, 2010 05:18 pmSprint had announced that the update to Android 2.2 for the HTC EVO 4G would be available August 3rd, so naturally every few hours yesterday I would hit the update button on my phone. Finally at about 8:30 last night, I got the "an update is available" message, and about 20 minutes later, I had Froyo on the EVO. Unlike previous phones where an update wiped out all my data, this upgrade was seamless; all my software, settings and data were intact and I was ready to go within moments after the final reboot.
While the upgrade from Android 2.1 to 2.2 is only a single point increase, it's really a major update. The biggest change is one that isn't immediately visible; the addition of a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler. Android apps are Java based and the addition of a JIT compiler increases the speed of some apps by up to 500% (and this isn't just hype, this is actually measurable). While the EVO already had a pretty fast processor, now apps run smoother and faster than ever.
The second major enhancement is the addition of Flash 10.1. While the built-in browser was already pretty good, with Flash it should be able to handle even more sites. I've only tried it with a few sites so far but most seem to work OK except Hulu, which gives an error that videos are not supported on my platform; I don't know if this is a problem with the browser or if Hulu is just being a dick. They also added support for animated GIF, something that had been bizarrely lacking in previous Android versions. Now I can view Weather Underground radar loops, something that was impossible with the old firmware.
Another major improvement is with the lock app. Previous versions of Android had only a pattern-based security lock; you'd draw a pattern on the screen to unlock your phone. Unfortunately, you'd often end up leaving finger smears on the screen making it fairly easy to figure out your pattern. You now have the option of using a pattern, a PIN or a regular alphanumeric password. Previous versions also locked the phone immediately when you turned off the screen, now you can set a grace period of up to 15 minutes. Now I can walk around the grocery store without having to choose between leaving the screen on the whole time or constantly entering the unlock code.
Bluetooth voice dialing as been added. All I have to do is press the button on my headset and say "Call John Doe" and it will dial the phone for me. This will be especially useful while driving.
The camera app now rotates with the phone so you can use it in any orientation; the old version was locked to landscape. You can now activate the flash LEDs in the camcorder app so you can record video in low light. The flash LEDs are a bit too bright, though, and tend to wash out the image if you're too close.
The messaging app now makes it easier to send pictures and other attachments over MMS. Previously you had to initiate sending an image from the gallery app, or a video from the video app, etc. Now you can attach a file from within the messaging app.
HTC has included a flashlight app that turns on the flash LEDs to one of three brightness levels; at full power it's nearly as bright as one of my CREE flashlights, though unfocused. I can only imagine the amount of power this app consumes.
The app switcher has been tweaked slightly; it now displays the last 8 apps used instead of the last 6.
The Market app can now update all your apps with a single button press instead of needing to upgrade each app separately. You can also configure apps to update themselves automatically instead of just displaying a notice about an update being available. The Market will block the auto-update of any apps which have changed permissions since the previous version so you can verify whether you want to do the install.
Unfortunately Sprint appears to have cut out one of the major improvements to Android, the built-in free tethering. While the EVO originally came with a tethering app and still has one, it requires a $30/month tethering plan (on top of the $10/month Awesome Phone Fee). Obviously I'm going to have to hack my phone to get around this.
I'm still discovering new stuff. There's supposed to be a way to transfer links directly from Chrome to the phone (Firefox to phone would be more useful), and there's supposed to be some tweaks to Gmail (which I rarely use), and there's a screen brightness widget (but I always leave it on automatic). There's a share apps app which appears to send links via e-mail, SMS or various social networks, but I haven't actually tried it yet. Froyo allows you to install apps to a MicroSD card instead of main memory; I still have plenty of space left, so this doesn't really do anything for me, at least yet.
I'm extremely pleased with Sprint and HTC. They could have screwed around like Samsung did with my roommate's phone and taken years to release an update. Instead, they had a major update available less than 2 months after the initial release. Hopefully they'll be just as quick with Gingerbread, Android 3.0.
While the upgrade from Android 2.1 to 2.2 is only a single point increase, it's really a major update. The biggest change is one that isn't immediately visible; the addition of a Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler. Android apps are Java based and the addition of a JIT compiler increases the speed of some apps by up to 500% (and this isn't just hype, this is actually measurable). While the EVO already had a pretty fast processor, now apps run smoother and faster than ever.
The second major enhancement is the addition of Flash 10.1. While the built-in browser was already pretty good, with Flash it should be able to handle even more sites. I've only tried it with a few sites so far but most seem to work OK except Hulu, which gives an error that videos are not supported on my platform; I don't know if this is a problem with the browser or if Hulu is just being a dick. They also added support for animated GIF, something that had been bizarrely lacking in previous Android versions. Now I can view Weather Underground radar loops, something that was impossible with the old firmware.
Another major improvement is with the lock app. Previous versions of Android had only a pattern-based security lock; you'd draw a pattern on the screen to unlock your phone. Unfortunately, you'd often end up leaving finger smears on the screen making it fairly easy to figure out your pattern. You now have the option of using a pattern, a PIN or a regular alphanumeric password. Previous versions also locked the phone immediately when you turned off the screen, now you can set a grace period of up to 15 minutes. Now I can walk around the grocery store without having to choose between leaving the screen on the whole time or constantly entering the unlock code.
Bluetooth voice dialing as been added. All I have to do is press the button on my headset and say "Call John Doe" and it will dial the phone for me. This will be especially useful while driving.
The camera app now rotates with the phone so you can use it in any orientation; the old version was locked to landscape. You can now activate the flash LEDs in the camcorder app so you can record video in low light. The flash LEDs are a bit too bright, though, and tend to wash out the image if you're too close.
The messaging app now makes it easier to send pictures and other attachments over MMS. Previously you had to initiate sending an image from the gallery app, or a video from the video app, etc. Now you can attach a file from within the messaging app.
HTC has included a flashlight app that turns on the flash LEDs to one of three brightness levels; at full power it's nearly as bright as one of my CREE flashlights, though unfocused. I can only imagine the amount of power this app consumes.
The app switcher has been tweaked slightly; it now displays the last 8 apps used instead of the last 6.
The Market app can now update all your apps with a single button press instead of needing to upgrade each app separately. You can also configure apps to update themselves automatically instead of just displaying a notice about an update being available. The Market will block the auto-update of any apps which have changed permissions since the previous version so you can verify whether you want to do the install.
Unfortunately Sprint appears to have cut out one of the major improvements to Android, the built-in free tethering. While the EVO originally came with a tethering app and still has one, it requires a $30/month tethering plan (on top of the $10/month Awesome Phone Fee). Obviously I'm going to have to hack my phone to get around this.
I'm still discovering new stuff. There's supposed to be a way to transfer links directly from Chrome to the phone (Firefox to phone would be more useful), and there's supposed to be some tweaks to Gmail (which I rarely use), and there's a screen brightness widget (but I always leave it on automatic). There's a share apps app which appears to send links via e-mail, SMS or various social networks, but I haven't actually tried it yet. Froyo allows you to install apps to a MicroSD card instead of main memory; I still have plenty of space left, so this doesn't really do anything for me, at least yet.
I'm extremely pleased with Sprint and HTC. They could have screwed around like Samsung did with my roommate's phone and taken years to release an update. Instead, they had a major update available less than 2 months after the initial release. Hopefully they'll be just as quick with Gingerbread, Android 3.0.
When all else fails, blame someone else.
Jul. 4th, 2010 11:43 pmSo now Apple claims the "death grip" problem with the iPhone 4 is because they have been using the wrong algorithm to calculate the number of bars to display. When the phone displays 4 or 5 bars, it should really be displaying 1, 2 or 3.
So... what Apple is saying then... is that AT&T's network sucks even more than previously thought?
So... what Apple is saying then... is that AT&T's network sucks even more than previously thought?
Twit. Err....
Jun. 13th, 2010 11:07 pmSince this phone has an entire panel devoted to Twitter, I'll probably be using it a lot more often. My Twitter username is captpackrat. Who else uses Twitter so I can add you to my watch list?
It's also integrated with Facebook, but eh....
It's ALSO got Flickr integration, so I guess I could save some storage space by uploading my pics there instead of carrying them around on the SD card.
Now if someone would just write a GOOD LJ app for Android....
It's also integrated with Facebook, but eh....
It's ALSO got Flickr integration, so I guess I could save some storage space by uploading my pics there instead of carrying them around on the SD card.
Now if someone would just write a GOOD LJ app for Android....
Butterfingers!
Jun. 11th, 2010 12:45 amSo if the front AND back of the iPhone 4 are made of glass, and there's a smooth stainless steel band around the sides, how the heck are you supposed to hold onto it, especially if your hands are slippery/wet/sweaty/greasy/etc?
Finally moving into the 21.1st century
Jun. 6th, 2010 05:52 pmWhen I bought my HTC Mogul phone in 2008, it was already a year old design, and the hardware was actually inferior to my Dell Axim X50v from 2004. It was a decent phone when it came out, but it quickly began to show its age, especially compared to the iPhone and Android designs, plus it was starting to have problems requiring frequent reboots. Worst of all, though, was the fact it would fail to answer incoming calls about half the time. I nearly smashed the phone to pieces several times when it failed to answer an important call even though I was mashing the answer button as hard as I could. A phone that doesn't answer isn't a phone, it's a paperweight.
I'd wanted to get a new Windows Mobile phone, but then Microsoft dropped backwards compatibility from version 7, rendering all my existing software useless, so there wasn't much point in sticking with that sinking ship. The iPhone is pretty, but Apple's software policies and AT&T's lousy service ruled it out (and with AT&T's new 2GB data cap, I wouldn't use an AT&T phone if you paid me to take it). I liked the Nexus One, but that's only available on AT&T (bleah) or T-Mobile (which has a crap network). I was strongly considering the Droid, but that would require switching back to Verizon; they offer very good coverage here but I don't care for their corporate policies (like disabling phone features so they can charge more for services). I like Sprint, they have good customer service and they offer decent service in this area, but their selection of phones was terrible.
Until last Friday, when they released the HTC EVO 4G. I managed to get the very last one at that particular store; they were sold out by noon, as were all the other stores in Omaha.
The EVO is a top of the line Android phone, with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB ROM and 512MB RAM, MicroSD slot, digital compass, G-sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, A-GPS, FM radio, hand-free kickstand, an 8MP autofocus camera with flash and 720p video and a forward-facing 1.3MP camera. It's also the first phone to offer 4G WiMAX service, though it's only available in a few dozen cities; Omaha isn't one of them. It comes with Android 2.1, though an upgrade to 2.2 is supposed to be in the works (it's already been leaked).
But the real draw of the EVO is the screen. It is beautiful. 4.3 inches, 480x800 with capacitive multi-touch. The iPhone's screen is only 3.5 inches and 320x480. The difference is amazing. Web pages are readable. You don't have to squint to watch videos. And photos look amazing. It has a light sensor which adjusts the brightness according to conditions. The only complaint I have is one I have with all capacitive touch screens, they accumulate fingerprints like a stainless steel refrigerator.
Comparison of the Mogul, iPod Touch and EVO, and the Dell Axim X50v and EVO.
Performance is snappy, much faster than the Mogul and about on par with the Touch. Web pages load much more quickly with the EVO than the Touch, and it leaves the Mogul totally in the dust. The soon-to-be-released Android 2.2 update is supposed to increase performance 450%!
Call quality is good. Maximum volume isn't very loud, so it can be hard to hear someone in a noisy environment. Callers seemed to be able to hear me just fine. The EVO has a proximity sensor that shuts off the screen when you hold the phone up to your face.
The GPS is accurate to about 6 feet outdoors, but the receiver doesn't seem to be as sensitive as the one on my Mogul. I could use the Mogul's GPS with no problems in my bedroom, but the EVO sometimes has trouble getting a fix. The compass is reasonably accurate outside, mostly accurate inside, but wildly inaccurate inside a vehicle (by as much as 180 degrees). The accelerometer seems to be about as sensitive as the one in the iPod Touch.
The EVO has two cameras. The first is an 8 megapixel, auto-focus camera on the back of the phone. It is equipped with two flash LEDs and is capable of recording 720p video. The other camera faces forwards, towards the user. It's 1.3 megapixel and is intended for video chat or to take vanity pics for Facebook, etc. The main camera takes remarkably good photos indoors and out, though the flash is woefully underpowered. It has good color balance and does a reasonable job in dim light. It's good enough I may stop carrying my #3 camera around with me. Video is clean, very high resolution and smooth as butter. The forward camera is pretty grainy, even in bright sunlight, but it should be more than adequate for video chat. There are already apps to turn the EVO into a mirror.
Outdoors, sunset, indoors without flash, indoors in the dark with flash. All images have been reduced 50% (they're huge otherwise) but are otherwise unedited.
Picture taken with forward camera, unedited.
The EVO comes with HTC's Sense interface, so it looks a bit different than the default Android design. I've not used the latter enough to really make a comparison. You are given 7 pages that you can flip between by swiping your finger, similar to the way the iPhone works, but instead of just pages of app icons, you can install widgets that display the weather, news, stocks, Twitter posts, e-mail, calendar, jukebox, etc. Touching the Home button zooms out and displays all 7 pages at once. The Twitter app is particularly nice; I'd barely touched Twitter before I got this phone but I think I'll be using it more often now.
The web browser is extremely good, and with the large screen, it's a phone web browser that's actually usable. It lacks Flash, but that's supposed to be available with the upcoming Android 2.2. Bizarrely, it also cannot handle animated GIFs, something that even rudimentary browsers like IE 1.0 could do. Supposedly this will be fixed with version 2.2. The browser loads pages slightly faster than the iPod Touch and many, many times faster than the Mogul.
Unlike the current iPhone, the EVO is multi-tasking, so you can run Pandora and use Google Maps at the same time. Holding down the Home button brings up the task switcher, though it's a good idea to install a third-party task manager like Advanced Task Killer.
Some reviews have complained about battery life, but I managed to get over 10 hours of moderate on-and-off use and still had about 1/3 of the battery remaining, this was better than anything I got with the iPod Touch.
It does a decent job as a music player, but the largest available MicroSD cards are only 32 Gig, and those cost about $400; 16 Gig cards are reasonably priced however. It comes with an 8 Gig card. The built-in speaker is pretty lousy at playing music; it seems to have no high-end whatsoever. Unlike previous HTC phones which used weird proprietary plugs, the EVO uses a standard 3.5mm phone jack. With headphones the sound is comparable to an iPod, there's just a lot less storage available. There are Pandora and Last.FM apps available for free download, and Sprint TV comes preinstalled. The latter requires shutting off WiFi, but seems to work fairly smoothly over 3G (it should be stunning with 4G).
My only real complaint about the phone is the questionable $10 per month "premium data" fee Sprint tacks onto the account. I haven't been able to figure out what I get for that extra $240 over the life of the contract. Other than that, I'm more than pleased with the EVO.
I'd wanted to get a new Windows Mobile phone, but then Microsoft dropped backwards compatibility from version 7, rendering all my existing software useless, so there wasn't much point in sticking with that sinking ship. The iPhone is pretty, but Apple's software policies and AT&T's lousy service ruled it out (and with AT&T's new 2GB data cap, I wouldn't use an AT&T phone if you paid me to take it). I liked the Nexus One, but that's only available on AT&T (bleah) or T-Mobile (which has a crap network). I was strongly considering the Droid, but that would require switching back to Verizon; they offer very good coverage here but I don't care for their corporate policies (like disabling phone features so they can charge more for services). I like Sprint, they have good customer service and they offer decent service in this area, but their selection of phones was terrible.
Until last Friday, when they released the HTC EVO 4G. I managed to get the very last one at that particular store; they were sold out by noon, as were all the other stores in Omaha.
The EVO is a top of the line Android phone, with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB ROM and 512MB RAM, MicroSD slot, digital compass, G-sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, A-GPS, FM radio, hand-free kickstand, an 8MP autofocus camera with flash and 720p video and a forward-facing 1.3MP camera. It's also the first phone to offer 4G WiMAX service, though it's only available in a few dozen cities; Omaha isn't one of them. It comes with Android 2.1, though an upgrade to 2.2 is supposed to be in the works (it's already been leaked).
But the real draw of the EVO is the screen. It is beautiful. 4.3 inches, 480x800 with capacitive multi-touch. The iPhone's screen is only 3.5 inches and 320x480. The difference is amazing. Web pages are readable. You don't have to squint to watch videos. And photos look amazing. It has a light sensor which adjusts the brightness according to conditions. The only complaint I have is one I have with all capacitive touch screens, they accumulate fingerprints like a stainless steel refrigerator.
Comparison of the Mogul, iPod Touch and EVO, and the Dell Axim X50v and EVO.
Performance is snappy, much faster than the Mogul and about on par with the Touch. Web pages load much more quickly with the EVO than the Touch, and it leaves the Mogul totally in the dust. The soon-to-be-released Android 2.2 update is supposed to increase performance 450%!
Call quality is good. Maximum volume isn't very loud, so it can be hard to hear someone in a noisy environment. Callers seemed to be able to hear me just fine. The EVO has a proximity sensor that shuts off the screen when you hold the phone up to your face.
The GPS is accurate to about 6 feet outdoors, but the receiver doesn't seem to be as sensitive as the one on my Mogul. I could use the Mogul's GPS with no problems in my bedroom, but the EVO sometimes has trouble getting a fix. The compass is reasonably accurate outside, mostly accurate inside, but wildly inaccurate inside a vehicle (by as much as 180 degrees). The accelerometer seems to be about as sensitive as the one in the iPod Touch.
The EVO has two cameras. The first is an 8 megapixel, auto-focus camera on the back of the phone. It is equipped with two flash LEDs and is capable of recording 720p video. The other camera faces forwards, towards the user. It's 1.3 megapixel and is intended for video chat or to take vanity pics for Facebook, etc. The main camera takes remarkably good photos indoors and out, though the flash is woefully underpowered. It has good color balance and does a reasonable job in dim light. It's good enough I may stop carrying my #3 camera around with me. Video is clean, very high resolution and smooth as butter. The forward camera is pretty grainy, even in bright sunlight, but it should be more than adequate for video chat. There are already apps to turn the EVO into a mirror.
Outdoors, sunset, indoors without flash, indoors in the dark with flash. All images have been reduced 50% (they're huge otherwise) but are otherwise unedited.
Picture taken with forward camera, unedited.
The EVO comes with HTC's Sense interface, so it looks a bit different than the default Android design. I've not used the latter enough to really make a comparison. You are given 7 pages that you can flip between by swiping your finger, similar to the way the iPhone works, but instead of just pages of app icons, you can install widgets that display the weather, news, stocks, Twitter posts, e-mail, calendar, jukebox, etc. Touching the Home button zooms out and displays all 7 pages at once. The Twitter app is particularly nice; I'd barely touched Twitter before I got this phone but I think I'll be using it more often now.
The web browser is extremely good, and with the large screen, it's a phone web browser that's actually usable. It lacks Flash, but that's supposed to be available with the upcoming Android 2.2. Bizarrely, it also cannot handle animated GIFs, something that even rudimentary browsers like IE 1.0 could do. Supposedly this will be fixed with version 2.2. The browser loads pages slightly faster than the iPod Touch and many, many times faster than the Mogul.
Unlike the current iPhone, the EVO is multi-tasking, so you can run Pandora and use Google Maps at the same time. Holding down the Home button brings up the task switcher, though it's a good idea to install a third-party task manager like Advanced Task Killer.
Some reviews have complained about battery life, but I managed to get over 10 hours of moderate on-and-off use and still had about 1/3 of the battery remaining, this was better than anything I got with the iPod Touch.
It does a decent job as a music player, but the largest available MicroSD cards are only 32 Gig, and those cost about $400; 16 Gig cards are reasonably priced however. It comes with an 8 Gig card. The built-in speaker is pretty lousy at playing music; it seems to have no high-end whatsoever. Unlike previous HTC phones which used weird proprietary plugs, the EVO uses a standard 3.5mm phone jack. With headphones the sound is comparable to an iPod, there's just a lot less storage available. There are Pandora and Last.FM apps available for free download, and Sprint TV comes preinstalled. The latter requires shutting off WiFi, but seems to work fairly smoothly over 3G (it should be stunning with 4G).
My only real complaint about the phone is the questionable $10 per month "premium data" fee Sprint tacks onto the account. I haven't been able to figure out what I get for that extra $240 over the life of the contract. Other than that, I'm more than pleased with the EVO.
Look ma, no hands!
May. 1st, 2008 11:13 pmA few weeks ago, I bought a MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth stereo headphones, but it wouldn't fit my ginormous 7-7/8 head, so I gave it to my SO. He in turn gave me his old Motorola H500 (mono) headset. I works fine and it's comfortable to wear, but being a few years old, the battery doesn't last as long as it should; the other day I completely depleted it in under 12 hours on standby. Since it's unusable while it's plugged in, 12 hours standby really limits its usefulness.
This HTC Mogul is a really great PDA, but it's a pretty lousy phone. It's heavy and bulky and holding to my ear for even a short call can be really tiring. A headset is almost a necessity with it.
Today at Costco I saw the Motorola H700 for $59.99 and the H680 (I think) for $29.99. Both included wall and car adapters. The H680 looks really clean and sleak, but it is the kind that fits inside your ear and the ear loop is a thin piece of wire, which I don't really think would be comfortable for long-term usage; the H700 is a bit bulkier looking but sits over the ear and has a large, rubber ear loop, similar to the H500. I ended up buying the H700, and I had a rebate check that knocked about $35 off the price. Whoot.
When I got it home and read the instructions, I realized I made a really great choice. This headset has a REALLY smart design feature: swinging open the microphone turns the headset on. Most headsets, everything has to be done with one button; on the H500, you press the button briefly to make or end a call, hold it down a bit longer to turn the headset on or off, and hold it down even longer to pair. Annoying.
This headset can also be left off instead of remaining on standby and draining the batteries. When a call comes in, you just open the microphone, it connects to the phone in a second or two and automatically answers the call.
Now I just need some kind of belt pouch or something to carry the headset. I'd rather not wear it on my ear all the time.
This HTC Mogul is a really great PDA, but it's a pretty lousy phone. It's heavy and bulky and holding to my ear for even a short call can be really tiring. A headset is almost a necessity with it.
Today at Costco I saw the Motorola H700 for $59.99 and the H680 (I think) for $29.99. Both included wall and car adapters. The H680 looks really clean and sleak, but it is the kind that fits inside your ear and the ear loop is a thin piece of wire, which I don't really think would be comfortable for long-term usage; the H700 is a bit bulkier looking but sits over the ear and has a large, rubber ear loop, similar to the H500. I ended up buying the H700, and I had a rebate check that knocked about $35 off the price. Whoot.
When I got it home and read the instructions, I realized I made a really great choice. This headset has a REALLY smart design feature: swinging open the microphone turns the headset on. Most headsets, everything has to be done with one button; on the H500, you press the button briefly to make or end a call, hold it down a bit longer to turn the headset on or off, and hold it down even longer to pair. Annoying.
This headset can also be left off instead of remaining on standby and draining the batteries. When a call comes in, you just open the microphone, it connects to the phone in a second or two and automatically answers the call.
Now I just need some kind of belt pouch or something to carry the headset. I'd rather not wear it on my ear all the time.
Now that's a big phone bill
Mar. 27th, 2008 11:50 pmFor $15 a month, Sprint offers unlimited Internet access on a Sprint phone/PDA. For another $25 a month, you can tether the phone/PDA to a computer and use it as a broadband modem, with unlimited data. Without an appropriate data plan, Sprint normally charges 3 cents per kilobyte.
I figure that if I didn't have the unlimited tethering plan, my next phone bill would be in excess of $100,000!
I figure that if I didn't have the unlimited tethering plan, my next phone bill would be in excess of $100,000!
I bought an 8 Gig memory card for my cellphone and loaded it with music. Unfortunately, the phone has a funky headphone connector, so I couldn't use good headphones; I only had the flimsy earbuds it came with. But I recalled seeing a nifty looking Motorola cordless Bluetooth stereo headphones (MOTOROKR S9) that would be perfect, except for the price tag, $130!
A couple days ago I got a coupon for 25% off one accessory at the Sprint store, and I found that the price of that Bluetooth headphones had been reduced to $100, which would make it $75 after the coupon. Not a horrible price for cordless stereo headphones that also can be used as a hands-free set for making phone calls.
So I opened the box in the car and pluged it into my car charger (it uses the same mini-USB plug as the phone), then went about doing the grocery shopping. The headphones were fully charged by the time I got back, so I decided to try them out...
My head is too big!!!
The headphones aren't really adjustable; they're meant to hook over the ears much like eyeglasses, with the band (holding the batteries) resting behind the neck. But my head is too big and the headphones were stretched to the limit. If I moved my head, the earpieces would pop out of my ears.
It's not a total loss; my SO wanted cordless headphones for his new cellphone, but I only had the one coupon, and the headphones fit him, so I gave them to him. He gave me his old earpiece headset, and I used another coupon at Costco to get a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones for cheap.
A couple days ago I got a coupon for 25% off one accessory at the Sprint store, and I found that the price of that Bluetooth headphones had been reduced to $100, which would make it $75 after the coupon. Not a horrible price for cordless stereo headphones that also can be used as a hands-free set for making phone calls.
So I opened the box in the car and pluged it into my car charger (it uses the same mini-USB plug as the phone), then went about doing the grocery shopping. The headphones were fully charged by the time I got back, so I decided to try them out...
My head is too big!!!
The headphones aren't really adjustable; they're meant to hook over the ears much like eyeglasses, with the band (holding the batteries) resting behind the neck. But my head is too big and the headphones were stretched to the limit. If I moved my head, the earpieces would pop out of my ears.
It's not a total loss; my SO wanted cordless headphones for his new cellphone, but I only had the one coupon, and the headphones fit him, so I gave them to him. He gave me his old earpiece headset, and I used another coupon at Costco to get a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones for cheap.
Bunny stuff (and rats)
Mar. 16th, 2008 02:15 amMy J-List order from 2 months ago finally arrived! I'll always pay the extra for air mail from now on.
Among the items I ordered:
Queen's Blade vol. 15: Mellona. This is a art book based on a combat RPG. It's meant to be used in the game to battle opponents, but I bought it because it's full of pictures of hot shape-shifting bunny girl. :-9
Rabbit & Sakura bento box. The box has several compartments for various food items, a set of chopsticks and a case, and a cloth bag to keep it all together.
Rabbit chopsticks and a rabbit chopstick rest.
Year of the Rat wishing board
Year of the Rat cup.
My new PDA/phone, an HTC Mogul, and a Japanese good luck charm (a gold rat, gold coin and gold bell). The phone has a keyboard that slides out of the side for easier texting. And yes, I've put porn on my phone....
Among the items I ordered:
Queen's Blade vol. 15: Mellona. This is a art book based on a combat RPG. It's meant to be used in the game to battle opponents, but I bought it because it's full of pictures of hot shape-shifting bunny girl. :-9
Rabbit & Sakura bento box. The box has several compartments for various food items, a set of chopsticks and a case, and a cloth bag to keep it all together.
Rabbit chopsticks and a rabbit chopstick rest.
Year of the Rat wishing board
Year of the Rat cup.
My new PDA/phone, an HTC Mogul, and a Japanese good luck charm (a gold rat, gold coin and gold bell). The phone has a keyboard that slides out of the side for easier texting. And yes, I've put porn on my phone....
My Verizon contract expires in a few days, and their service here is horrible (it's fun to get a call about a job and have the call drop), so I had been looking to switch providers. I was highly impressed by the performance of my Kindle, which uses Sprint and gets 5 bars all the time.
My Dell Axim PDA is getting a bit long in the tooth (and short in the battery), so I decided to get a PDA-phone. I have a bunch of software for Windows Mobile already, so that brought my choices down to three, the Treo 700w, the HTC Touch or the HTC Mogul. I've dealt with Treos before and didn't like them, so it was between the Touch and the Mogul. The Touch is a bit slimmer and came with GPS and Sprint TV capability, while the Mogul has a slide-out keyboard. I opted for the Mogul because I tend to text more often than I make calls.
I spent Saturday night and most of Sunday installing software and getting my new phone tweaked out just the way I wanted it.
And wouldn't you know it, HTC released a ROM update Monday. Installing the update wipes the memory on the unit, destroying all the work that I did the past couple days. But the new ROM adds high-speed Internet access, GPS capability, a task manager, improved Bluetooth performance and some software fixes. It's annoying that I have to reinstall everything, but the upgrade is definitely worth it.
I'll post pics and a review soon.
EDIT: YES!!! The new GPS capability works perfectly with Google Maps Mobile! No need to pay Sprint $10 a month for their navigation software when I can use Google for free!
My Dell Axim PDA is getting a bit long in the tooth (and short in the battery), so I decided to get a PDA-phone. I have a bunch of software for Windows Mobile already, so that brought my choices down to three, the Treo 700w, the HTC Touch or the HTC Mogul. I've dealt with Treos before and didn't like them, so it was between the Touch and the Mogul. The Touch is a bit slimmer and came with GPS and Sprint TV capability, while the Mogul has a slide-out keyboard. I opted for the Mogul because I tend to text more often than I make calls.
I spent Saturday night and most of Sunday installing software and getting my new phone tweaked out just the way I wanted it.
And wouldn't you know it, HTC released a ROM update Monday. Installing the update wipes the memory on the unit, destroying all the work that I did the past couple days. But the new ROM adds high-speed Internet access, GPS capability, a task manager, improved Bluetooth performance and some software fixes. It's annoying that I have to reinstall everything, but the upgrade is definitely worth it.
I'll post pics and a review soon.
EDIT: YES!!! The new GPS capability works perfectly with Google Maps Mobile! No need to pay Sprint $10 a month for their navigation software when I can use Google for free!
One Ringy Dingy...
Aug. 14th, 2006 11:23 pmhttp://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/
A cellular phone that looks like an old-fashioned Model 500 rotary desk phone. Neat idea, but $400 is a wee bit much. They also have a red version, but that's an extra $100.
A cellular phone that looks like an old-fashioned Model 500 rotary desk phone. Neat idea, but $400 is a wee bit much. They also have a red version, but that's an extra $100.
More Phone Hacking!
May. 26th, 2006 07:31 pmA few more seem edits today, all of them in seem 2742.
(As before, this is all At-Your-Own-Risk stuff. It voids your warranty, may violate Verizon's TOS, and may fry your phone.)
Offset 6a, bit 2 Enable the Bluetooth DUN profile
Offset 6a, bit 2 Enables the Data Connection menu
Offset 1e, bit 3 Enables the animation menu.
Offset 23, bit 5 Enables the Roaming Call Guard option
Offset 71, bits 5, 6 and 7, Offset 72, bits 1 and 2, and Offset 72, bit 0 disabled, Changes the GPS options from 911-Only/On to On/Off/Ask.
Offset 62, bit 5 Change the Pix server (this one doesn't actually seem to work, I'll have to check on this)
Offset 8d, bit 6 Enables Time/Date and Auto Redial menus
Offset 5a, bit 7 Allows use of QPST (needed for the next hack)
After doing all these, I started working on trying to get Dial-Up Networking through Verizon to work with my PDA. I discovered you have to install QPST and download the file /nvm/nvm/nvm_factory. Then using a hex editor, find the area where your phone number is followed by @dun.vzw3g.com. Overtype this so that it reads @vzw3g.com, then 0 out the remaining characters in hex. You have to do this in two places. Save the file, then use QPST to upload it back to the phone. Then on the phone you need to go into System, Security, Data Connection (default V3C password is 000000), 1XRTT Data, Password. Delete the password that's already entered and replace it with "vzw"
On your computer or PDA, establish a Bluetooth DUN profile and use the following settings:
Phone number: #777
Username: <yourcellnumber>@vzw3g.com
Password: vzw
This will give you high-speed Internet access if you're in an EV-DO service area (I got 230kbps) or a 14.4k connection if you only have a 1xRTT service. Theoretically, this should show up on Verizon's servers as a regular Mobile Web or VCast connection, but I wouldn't advise abusing it. (I have wireless at work and at home, so I would only rarely need to use this, i.e. if I needed to look something up on the Internet while shopping/at the doctor/etc.) You can skip this last hack entirely if you want to use a regular dialup ISP (It works with XO), but you'll only get 14.4k, regardless of service area.
(As before, this is all At-Your-Own-Risk stuff. It voids your warranty, may violate Verizon's TOS, and may fry your phone.)
Offset 6a, bit 2 Enable the Bluetooth DUN profile
Offset 6a, bit 2 Enables the Data Connection menu
Offset 1e, bit 3 Enables the animation menu.
Offset 23, bit 5 Enables the Roaming Call Guard option
Offset 71, bits 5, 6 and 7, Offset 72, bits 1 and 2, and Offset 72, bit 0 disabled, Changes the GPS options from 911-Only/On to On/Off/Ask.
Offset 62, bit 5 Change the Pix server (this one doesn't actually seem to work, I'll have to check on this)
Offset 8d, bit 6 Enables Time/Date and Auto Redial menus
Offset 5a, bit 7 Allows use of QPST (needed for the next hack)
After doing all these, I started working on trying to get Dial-Up Networking through Verizon to work with my PDA. I discovered you have to install QPST and download the file /nvm/nvm/nvm_factory. Then using a hex editor, find the area where your phone number is followed by @dun.vzw3g.com. Overtype this so that it reads @vzw3g.com, then 0 out the remaining characters in hex. You have to do this in two places. Save the file, then use QPST to upload it back to the phone. Then on the phone you need to go into System, Security, Data Connection (default V3C password is 000000), 1XRTT Data, Password. Delete the password that's already entered and replace it with "vzw"
On your computer or PDA, establish a Bluetooth DUN profile and use the following settings:
Phone number: #777
Username: <yourcellnumber>@vzw3g.com
Password: vzw
This will give you high-speed Internet access if you're in an EV-DO service area (I got 230kbps) or a 14.4k connection if you only have a 1xRTT service. Theoretically, this should show up on Verizon's servers as a regular Mobile Web or VCast connection, but I wouldn't advise abusing it. (I have wireless at work and at home, so I would only rarely need to use this, i.e. if I needed to look something up on the Internet while shopping/at the doctor/etc.) You can skip this last hack entirely if you want to use a regular dialup ISP (It works with XO), but you'll only get 14.4k, regardless of service area.
Phone hacking!
May. 25th, 2006 09:00 pmDid a bunch of hacking and tweaking on my RAZR today.
(Warning: Everything in this entry violates the warranty. If you try one of these hacks and screw up your phone, Verizon probably won't replace it. Try this at your own risk. Don't blame me if you fry your phone.)
First I downgraded the firmware to version .02, which has the Bluetooth OBEX profiles (Verizon removed OBEX in version .03), then I upgraded to version .04 (If you go from .02 to .04, it keeps OBEX, .03 to .04 does not), so I have the latest and greatest version of the firmware but still have OBEX. .04 is a lot faster than .02 or .03.
Changing the boot and shutdown logos is easy, you just use a program like BitPim to overwrite /motorola/shared/picture/
I also increased the video record time for the normal maximum of 15 seconds to 5 minutes by using BitPim to save the file /brew/mod/arcmedia/arcconfig.ini, opening the saved file in Notepad, changing VidDuration from 15 to 240, then using Overwrite to replace the file on the phone with the new version.
Then I did some seem edits to tweak the system. Seem edits alter the phone's configuration files. Normally only the phone companies do this to enable/disable certain features, but it can be done by the user if you have the right software. (The process isn't for the faint of heart, so I'm not even going to try to explain it. But it involves editing files at the binary level)
Here's the list of seem edits I did:
Seem 296a, Bytes 24, record 0005, Allows you to change the provider name (or remove it entirely) DO NOT check/uncheck anything before letter V or after S.
Seem 2742, Bytes 94, record 0001:
Offset 003f, bit 6 - on, Enables Call Barring Settings > Security > Restrict Calls > Outgoing Calls
Offset 000a, bit 7 - on, Enables Settings > Initial Setup > Backlight > Continuous - Dims Backlight instead of shutting off
Offset 007b, bit 3 - off and bit 4 - on, Gives you Vibrate Then Ring option
Offset 007b, bit 2 - off and bit 7 – on, Gives you Moto ring control (instead of low thru high, you get 1 thru 7)
Offset 006a, bit 0 - on, Allows Bluetooth or USB file transfer in MPT(Sometimes OBEX)
Offset 0006, bit 1 - on, Enables "Siren" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 1 - on, Enables "Continental" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 2 - on, Enables "Classic" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 3 - on, Enables "Attention" Alert
Offset 003b, bit 0 - on, Enables "Moonlit Haze" Alert
Offset 0094, bit 7 - off, Fixes the orange outer screen on the .04 firmware.
(Warning: Everything in this entry violates the warranty. If you try one of these hacks and screw up your phone, Verizon probably won't replace it. Try this at your own risk. Don't blame me if you fry your phone.)
First I downgraded the firmware to version .02, which has the Bluetooth OBEX profiles (Verizon removed OBEX in version .03), then I upgraded to version .04 (If you go from .02 to .04, it keeps OBEX, .03 to .04 does not), so I have the latest and greatest version of the firmware but still have OBEX. .04 is a lot faster than .02 or .03.
Changing the boot and shutdown logos is easy, you just use a program like BitPim to overwrite /motorola/shared/picture/
I also increased the video record time for the normal maximum of 15 seconds to 5 minutes by using BitPim to save the file /brew/mod/arcmedia/arcconfig.ini, opening the saved file in Notepad, changing VidDuration from 15 to 240, then using Overwrite to replace the file on the phone with the new version.
Then I did some seem edits to tweak the system. Seem edits alter the phone's configuration files. Normally only the phone companies do this to enable/disable certain features, but it can be done by the user if you have the right software. (The process isn't for the faint of heart, so I'm not even going to try to explain it. But it involves editing files at the binary level)
Here's the list of seem edits I did:
Seem 296a, Bytes 24, record 0005, Allows you to change the provider name (or remove it entirely) DO NOT check/uncheck anything before letter V or after S.
Seem 2742, Bytes 94, record 0001:
Offset 003f, bit 6 - on, Enables Call Barring Settings > Security > Restrict Calls > Outgoing Calls
Offset 000a, bit 7 - on, Enables Settings > Initial Setup > Backlight > Continuous - Dims Backlight instead of shutting off
Offset 007b, bit 3 - off and bit 4 - on, Gives you Vibrate Then Ring option
Offset 007b, bit 2 - off and bit 7 – on, Gives you Moto ring control (instead of low thru high, you get 1 thru 7)
Offset 006a, bit 0 - on, Allows Bluetooth or USB file transfer in MPT(Sometimes OBEX)
Offset 0006, bit 1 - on, Enables "Siren" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 1 - on, Enables "Continental" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 2 - on, Enables "Classic" Alert
Offset 0038, bit 3 - on, Enables "Attention" Alert
Offset 003b, bit 0 - on, Enables "Moonlit Haze" Alert
Offset 0094, bit 7 - off, Fixes the orange outer screen on the .04 firmware.
Everyone is backwards!
May. 23rd, 2006 02:23 pmIt's very strange, out of the dozen or so people here who have RAZR phones, all but one have been putting the phone into the plastic holster backwards.
The phone quite easily fits into the holster with the screen facing outwards, and indeed, the way the clip is designed, it looks like it's made to do that (the prongs on the clip wrap neatly around the bulge of the camera.) It actually snaps in slightly easier this way
Today I received a double-capacity battery for my phone, which makes it about 1/3" thicker and no longer able to fit into the holster. Until I turned it around and tried to put it in screen first. It fit perfectly. Better, in fact, that before. It's now plainly obvious that's the way the holster is designed: the holes line up with the buttons, the shape of the clip fits perfectly into the bulge for the camera, and the slight slant at the base of the holster matches up perfectly with the slightly slanted bottom of the phone.
I noticed someone else putting their phone into the holster with the screen out, so I went around and asked everyone how they holstered their phone. Only one person said screen inwards, everybody else was putting them in backwards.
I was wondering why we were having an abnormally high number of broken holsters, now the reason is obvious.
The phone quite easily fits into the holster with the screen facing outwards, and indeed, the way the clip is designed, it looks like it's made to do that (the prongs on the clip wrap neatly around the bulge of the camera.) It actually snaps in slightly easier this way
Today I received a double-capacity battery for my phone, which makes it about 1/3" thicker and no longer able to fit into the holster. Until I turned it around and tried to put it in screen first. It fit perfectly. Better, in fact, that before. It's now plainly obvious that's the way the holster is designed: the holes line up with the buttons, the shape of the clip fits perfectly into the bulge for the camera, and the slight slant at the base of the holster matches up perfectly with the slightly slanted bottom of the phone.
I noticed someone else putting their phone into the holster with the screen out, so I went around and asked everyone how they holstered their phone. Only one person said screen inwards, everybody else was putting them in backwards.
I was wondering why we were having an abnormally high number of broken holsters, now the reason is obvious.
Goodbye Mr. Watson
Apr. 13th, 2006 04:48 pmI was in for a bit of a shock on my recent phone bill. Cox raised my rates by $5 a month! Now a line from Cox is scarcely any cheaper than a REAL phone line from SBC. I left SBC to get a lower rate, now it isn't. So I called up Cox and told them to disconnect my phone service. I really don't use it all that often, certainly not often enough to justify another $60 a year.
I probably wouldn't have dropped my service, but they didn't give any warning about it, they just sprung it on me.
I thought about switching to Vonage, but the savings is only about $3 a month after they start adding on fees and stuff. Until they raised their rates, Cox cost almost the same as Vonage!
The only thing that bothers me about disconnecting the phone service is I have these really great phones that my grandfather bought. It's really a small business phone system, designed to handle multiple lines, with wireless handsets, an intercom system, 5 extensions, voice mail, etc. It cost something like $1000 when he bought it. It rather annoys me to not use it.
I still have my cellphone, so I really don't have that big of a need for a landline.
I probably wouldn't have dropped my service, but they didn't give any warning about it, they just sprung it on me.
I thought about switching to Vonage, but the savings is only about $3 a month after they start adding on fees and stuff. Until they raised their rates, Cox cost almost the same as Vonage!
The only thing that bothers me about disconnecting the phone service is I have these really great phones that my grandfather bought. It's really a small business phone system, designed to handle multiple lines, with wireless handsets, an intercom system, 5 extensions, voice mail, etc. It cost something like $1000 when he bought it. It rather annoys me to not use it.
I still have my cellphone, so I really don't have that big of a need for a landline.
Call me some time...
Apr. 5th, 2006 12:40 pmWith the switch from T-Mobile to Verizon, the company I work for has TONS of useless leftover phones. The bosses want me to put them up on eBay, but I'm probably just going to take them to one of those eBay consignment shops and let THEM deal with the hassle.
There's about 70 phones, including 30 or so from our previous contract with Nextel. Most of the phones are in fairly beaten up shape, and nearly all of them were the free phones the cellular companies toss at you when you sign up. I doubt we'll get anything for them. The only thing we'll probably get anything for are the Palm Treo 600's, and those are pretty badly beaten up. I figure we'll be lucky to get $50 each.
For some reason, although we had only about 12 Treos, the previous office manager had bought 50-something cases and 25 or so sync cables. I hope I can get at least a little something for those.
I spent most of the day figuring out which of the massive tangle of cables went to which phones, then bundling everything up nice and neat in little plastic baggies.
There's about 70 phones, including 30 or so from our previous contract with Nextel. Most of the phones are in fairly beaten up shape, and nearly all of them were the free phones the cellular companies toss at you when you sign up. I doubt we'll get anything for them. The only thing we'll probably get anything for are the Palm Treo 600's, and those are pretty badly beaten up. I figure we'll be lucky to get $50 each.
For some reason, although we had only about 12 Treos, the previous office manager had bought 50-something cases and 25 or so sync cables. I hope I can get at least a little something for those.
I spent most of the day figuring out which of the massive tangle of cables went to which phones, then bundling everything up nice and neat in little plastic baggies.
