Now is a great time to upgrade your gadgets. Virgin Mobile, Dappered’s favorite mobile provider, recently released a 4G Android phone. Ultrabooks, those thin and sexy laptops, are going on sale thanks to new models being released. And tablet makers continue to attempt to dethrone the iPad. The best values are a bit under the radar. Here are a few picks to upgrade your office.
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The New Phone
Virgin Mobile’s HTC EVO V 4G is pretty slick. It runs on Sprint’s 4G network. It comes with Android 4.0 installed (the latest, greatest version). The only drawback I see is the goofy 3D camera. Meh. You’ll probably never use that. Why is Virgin Mobile loved at Dappered? Unlimited data, text messaging, and 300 minutes of talk for $35 a month. That’s an amazing deal. The phone is unsubsidized – $299.
If you’re not in a Sprint 4G WiMAX city, consider the LG Optimus Elite. It’s thinner, has better battery life, looks a bit more elegant, and costs half as much ($149). Unfortunately, it’s running an older version of Google’s Android OS and it lacks a front-facing camera for video chats. Still, it’s a solid phone. But the battery life boost you get comes at the expense of processor speed. It’s not going to be as snappy as the EVO, but for many, that’s fine.
Accessories: Shit happens – set a screenlock password and install the Lookout security app. Skip the bumper cases unless you’re clumsy. Consider a screen skin (buy it and get it installed at Best Buy and you won’t have any bubbles – they’re pros).
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The New Computer
Ultrabooks, Intel’s response to the successful and expensive MacBook Air, are awesome. Thinner than a regular laptop, impressive battery life – what’s not to like? Well, they typically lack an optical drive, so no playing DVDs unless you have an external one.
If you can live without the drive, check out the Acer S3. Unlike many Ultrabooks, Acer uses a dual drive setup so that it isn’t stuck with just 128GB of storage. It’s got space for all your music, videos, and files. And it’s a great travel computer too.
Accessories: Get a Bluetooth mouse – your wrists will thank you.
Don’t forget an external DVD drive (rip movies to the hard drive using DVDShrink so you can watch them while traveling).
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The Tablet
Want to browse the internet from your couch, but don’t want to pickup your laptop? Get a Kindle Fire – it’s perfect for your coffee table. Browse the web, read Dappered, shop Amazon, check TV listings, and stream videos. It’s 1/3 the price of an iPad and 90% as awesome. All for $199.
Accessories: A coffee table. And Amazon Prime – you get a free month with your Kindle Fire. Enjoy Amazon’s selection of streaming video and free shipping for all purchases.
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The Rest…
The Printer: Face it, you really don’t need a printer, but it’s sure nice to have one when you do. Just banish it to the closet. Seriously, get a wireless printer and move it into your closet. No cords needed (just power). They’re cheaper than you think – this Canon PIXMA is $80. Don’t have an outlet in the closet? Hook it up to an extension cord and only plug it in when you need it.
Accessories? Well there’s paper, you know that stuff that’s like a PDF but it’s made out of chopped down trees pressed into thin sheets and requires no batteries.
The New Router: Wondering why your home internet isn’t as fast or as reliable as it use to be? You probably have an old, tired WiFi router. Get a new one to bring back the zip. My buddy into online gaming swears by the Asus N12 
Accessories? Enable WPA2 encryption. Here’s how you do it for 2WIRE Routers, popular if you’re on AT&T DSL.
Got any other must-have technology or an alternative to DVDShrink? Leave a tip in the comments.
Lemme guess, Joe. Don’t currently own a single apple product, do you? I get that for “affordable (aka cheap) gadgets”, kindle fire beats ipad 2, let alone the new ipad, hands-down. Ditto for almost all PC Ultrabooks over even 11″ macbook air. But what’s with zero mention of iphone? I’m not an apple fanboy by any means since I haven’t even bought any apple product for the past 4-5 years (heck, I never even owned an ipot, let alone, an iphone), but this post seems a little too skewed towards google/PC fan domain. Actually all the way to google/PC fan domain.
Perhaps this is geared toward “everyday common men”, so PC, I get it. That’s like 90% market. And Apple computers are stupidly expensive and very niché. Ipad may be the best tablet, but is also comparatively expensive. But c’mon, why not even an side-mention of iphones? It’s the same price as any android phone out there and it’s basically come down to individual preference. That’s it. Not much to do with affordability in that one.
Now is a terrible time to buy an Android phone. Google will be introducing a new version of the OS later today, and if you don’t buy a phone with that version already installed it is very likely you will never get it. Also, for a blog so concerned about the cost of things I cannot believe you recommended buying a screen protector at Best Buy and paying for them to put it on for you. Go to monoprice.com. Buy 3 or 4 if you’re really worried about getting a bubble you can’t get out, the total cost will still be at least $10 less than what Best Buy will charge you for one. Not impressed with this post.
Actually, it’s not, when you factor in total price. You can’t really get an iPhone without paying some $80-120/mo for your plan, and that’s where the Virgin Mobile part of the tech pick comes in. Just because the iPhone itself is comparably priced when subsidized doesn’t mean it’s affordable in the long run.
And of course it’s skewed “all the way” toward Google/PC.. that’s where the deals lie. This post doesn’t have an “if you can afford it” section.
I think the bargain is Virgin’s unlimited plan
Close, but no cigar. iPhone is available on Virgin Mobile starting Friday. And the plans are the same price (actually at a $5/month discount from other phones according to their website).
By far, the best priced plan for an iPhone in the U.S.
I don’t know that I’d call Apple products niche, as they are the most popular computer among college students. Also, over the past 20 quarters Mac shipments have grown by 27.7% while the PC market shrank by 1.2% year-on-year. This was from 2011 data.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/may/24/apple-sales-growth-pc-market
I will agree though, that some of their products are overpriced, however, their new line of MacBook Pros are pretty impressive.
Most of the recommendations are meh. Nothing really insightful, and some debatable decisions. I would note that buying a router/modem combo (I believe ISPs are calling them gateways when they’re merged) leads to a problem down the line: In order to replace one component (upgrade, new service, breakdown), you have to replace both. If you’re concerned about space, find ones with square designs so you can stack them.
However, the printer recommendation is just abysmal. Thank you for deciding that nobody needs a printer. On top of that, you’ve made the same mistake everybody shopping for a printer does, which is buy a printer based on the price, instead of considering how the thing actually gets used.
In inkjets, there are “photo” printers, “office” printers, and “small home” printers. Photo printers give great quality output, at a high cost/page in ink. Office printers give a lower quality output, but at a much lower cost/page. The small home printers give the worst of both, with a high cost, low quality output, but they tend to cost a little bit less up front. On top of that, especially within the office lineup, printers tend to be marketed to different volumes. Lower volume printers cost less up front, but more in the ink, and vice versa for higher volume. If you do print a lot, it’s definitely worth buying more expensive up front, because you make that cost back up in ink (look at HP’s 6600 and 8600 lines for an example).
This is definitely the kind of content I want to see on Dappered. It’s just so difficult to find content about technology anywhere else on the internet, so this kind of post is just incredibly valuable and not at all a waste of space. My favorite was when you generically suggested expensive products.
I still don’t think paying $549-649 for the unsubsidized iPhone is going to find itself in a “affordable tech” column (even if it is a bargain in the long run).
Keep your eyes on the Lenovo outlet. Snagged a 2nd gen i3 laptop for $200, and they regularly restock with $260-$300 2nd gen i5 laptops. Steer clear of the V series though.
Unfortunately, most of these are terrible suggestions especially the Acer laptop, which has a history of terrible satisfaction ratings and build quality.
At first I thought you were being serious, but then I got it. *clap clap*
doesn’t intel make the macbook air processors?
Geez, leave it to the one technology post ever to really rile all the nerds up
Just so you know, this post was not written by Joe but by Paul Olson, the “tech correspondent”, and yes, he loathes Apple. I figured that after the Nokia Windows phones came out, he would start suggesting some of those but I guess he is pretty firmly pro-Android.
As for Joe, I remember a few mild anti-Apple posts, a few years ago, but I don’t think he really cares too much. He generally doesn’t like smartphones in general (and will often recommend leaving them in a car as if) and while he often recommends iPad cases, I would be surprised if he owns one.
How can anyone possibly recommend a Kindle Fire nowadays? The thing is a disappointing mess. Sure, it’s only $200, but you get what you pay for: it’s slow, has terrible specs, and has much to be desired in its build quality. Just save up and get an iPad if you’re looking for a tablet (or wait and see how much the Surface is going to cost).
And please, for the love of god, do not buy anything made by Acer (unless it’s a monitor).
samsung galaxy s3 $199, a must
Virgin mobile service… have you been happy with it? I have Verizon, kind of sick of paying as much as I am for two smartphones/dataplans etc I’m in the market for something else. But the Virgin thing seemed too good to be true.
Not sure why this post has so many people riled up. Clearly this isn’t a tech blog, so shouldn’t really expect it to dive into the details too much. Frankly its one man’s opinion, the same as most other tech pieces out there. Take it or leave it. Personally I’m of a similar opinion. PC/Android stuff is much more of a bargain when compared on price to Apple. And sure a new Android OS is coming out this week, but all of 2phones are going to come with it installed. Seems a bit nitpicky to harp on that.
Ha!
Thank you for your intelligent and insightful comment.
Is it just me or has Dappered become more of a bitch fest of late? What used to make this site truly unique was the lack of self righteous douches. Y’all can take your elitist and pretentious attitude elsewhere, there’s plenty of blogs out there that would surely stroke your egos.
Dapper Watcher, please watch the bylines as well.
Ryan’s right — best to look at the full 2-year cost when making comparisons.
An Apple tried to kill my brother!
Actually, I just think their stuff is overpriced. A $2,000 computer interests me as much as a $2,000 suit. They’re both cool, but I’m not buying.
Unfortunately I’ve noticed that as well.
You’re welcome! It’s truly wonderful to see someone who calls himself a tech writer recommend having Best Buy install something for you because “they’re pros.”
How much is it over 2 years? The HTC above is $35 x 24 months + $299 = $1,139.
Depends where you live and where you use your phone. In a city, you may not notice a difference. If you live in the boons, Verizon has better rural coverage. Virgin uses the Sprint network, so talk to your buddies on Sprint and see what they think.
Joe doesn’t talk about Iphone or Ipad because he doesn’t use one. Joe recommends the phone and service in this post because that is the one he uses. I don’t agree with it, but that is his personal experience with it, and apparently to him, worth mentioning.
I own an Iphone 4s and have own two others prior. They are far superior to any other phone due to its convenience and capabilities catered to my needs. I also own a Macbook Pro laptop powered by Apple. They are great products, have amazing customer service and support and I truly believe you get what you pay for. Granted it is expensive, but damn its well worth the ease of day to day use.
The reason people don’t like Apple is mostly because of rabid fanboys like you.
I’ve actually found the kindle fire to be a weird hybrid that’s the worst of both worlds.
As an e-reader, it’s screen isn’t as good as a regular kindle.
As a tablet, well, it’s not really anything close to a tablet.
Definitely seems like there has been an increase in comments douchebaggery lately.
Watch out, we got a badass over here!
If you are comparing a $200 device to an $800 one its not fair to say its slow, has terrible specs, and that there are any issues with build quality. Bitch out a Toyota for the same reasons if you are solely in the market for a S600. For the price, the Fire is a great entry level tablet.
I didn’t write the post, so…
Preview text on the homepage too: “Our tech correspondent helps upgrade the office.” Those bylines are easy to miss, and I put that out there on purpose. Ah well.
(Joe didn’t write the post)
All right. Could we move on? Class it up a touch? Thanks.
Yeah, it’s gotten a little hairy as of late. Open to suggestions on how to wrestle the comments back to the norm.
Hmmm, definitely would have gone with the ASUS Zenbook Prime over the Acer for an ultrabook. The display alone (1080p Full HD on the ASUS vs 1366×768 on the Acer) is worth the extra money. The ASUS also has an SSD, which is probably the single biggest bang-for-your-buck performance-wise in a computer right now. Near-instant on, instant resume, instant app/game loading. The Acer’s hard drive offers none of that. Add to those two major points a better CPU, better GPU, USB 3.0 instead of 2.0, better battery life, slightly less weight, and a backlit keyboard.
That said, it’s $1120 for the ASUS and $710 for the Acer. However, for 57% more money you get a laptop that has 3x the pixels and 10x the storage performance, incremental improvements in pretty much every other category, and niceties like the backlit keyboard to boot.
Er, fat-fingered that… should be “2x the pixels”
Unless there’s some way for you as a moderator to block them (which I suspect could become tedious), I think the best strategy is to ignore them. No negative votes and no responses. Only engage with people who are respectful.
An iPad only costs $500 for the new one, the ipad 2 is $400 and can be had refurbed for ~$320. $800 is a for a top of the line model 64gb+3g/lte), which isn’t even worth comparing since it has 56gb more storage, and mobile connectivity which the Fire does not even offer. So if you get a refurbed model, you can get a substantially better tablet than the fire for an extra $120. the refurb still has 1 year warranty, just like the fire.
Don’t be so disingeous, Paul. Between the posts on Dappered and your own blog, you have expressed repeated contempt for Apple and not just $2000 computers (I do love that you are now trying to portray Apple as a company that mostly sells $2k computers, though) I have seen you blast the company, the computers, the iPhone, the iPad, iPod and iTunes.
When the iPhone was the only real smartphone option, you declared yourself to be a dumbphone kinda guy. When the iPad was the only tablet out there, you said that tablets were just toys and that people should get netbooks. I have read posts where you discussed Apple’s flaws and reasons for their imminent collapse and posts where you have said that the Blackberry has “beaten” the iPhone. Heck, you predicted that iPhone 4S was going to flop last year because kids only wanted Android phones and they don’t think iPhones are cool anymore.
It’s fine if you hate Apple but I really think you should be honest about it if you are recommending tech to other people. Like it or not, they are a big player in the tech market and people will be curious at their absence. I think readers would respect a straightforward “I despise the company” than to try and hide it behind faulty logic and bad industry analysis.
Other blogs I read use or recently switched to Facebook comments only, since people having to use their real name often seems to civilize things a bit.
Alternatively, I’ve noticed more sites simply eliminating comments altogether. Tips can still be submitted directly to the editors. Whether the comments section is ultimately useful and worthwhile, of course, is really up to each site owner.
Don’t encourage the assholes. Thanks.
Unfortunately, these are the types of responses you get when writing anything about technology products. So many people have their minds made with regards to certain brands and everyone claims that their opinions of tech products are truth. Ever read Engadget? Unfortunately, that place is crippled with ridiculous comments left by readers. Glad this site has been able to, for the most part, avoid those types of commenters (trolls?).
$35 a month on Virgin?! Wow, I have to research the quality of service (although I’m sure it’s reliable since I live in a major city). It sure is an impressive deal compared to what I’m paying to use an iPhone via AT&T
As an AT&T guy, the virgin deal was news to me, thanks for the heads up.
In all honesty I think the better deal against the Amazon Fire is to wait until the 7in Ipad comes out. $200-$250 price range will kill all of those e-readers.
I’m holding out until the 7in. Ipad comes out. $200-$250 price range. How can any e-reader/ tablet compete with that. Especially when you consider that you can dl the Amazon AND B&N apps onto the ipad. Best of all world IMO… Same with virgin and the Iphone. Have you guys seen the projected saving by switching to a prepaid plan with the Iphone.
http://www.cultofmac.com/172046/why-your-next-iphone-should-be-prepaid-chart/
Not that I’m a mac cult follower or anything…
I have Virgin mobile service in the Los Angeles service. The voice and text service are good. The data is a bit slow. I expect it’ll deteriorate a bit more as people sign up for the iPhone deal. That being said, I still love the plan, the service and my phone. I’m grandfathered in the $25 plan and I cannot get a better deal.
I’m not so impatient that I can’t wait a few seconds for my facebook to update. I can still watch netflix and listen to pandora without any issues.
For people who must have a high end phone, there’s a T-mobile plan for $30/month (100 minutes, unlimited text and data but throttled after 5GB each month). Bring an unlocked GSM Galaxy S3 or other shiny toy and they are good to go. You might consider adding that as an alternative plan.
Kindle fire will get a price break soon a new one is coming out this summer
Well, it doesn’t help when you get snarky comments back from the mods; that will absolutely never help anything or anyone. Besides which, this isn’t a technology blog. I personally wouldn’t take such a post too seriously, since I know where to get my tech news and reviews. But clearly others do.
Unless an item is clearly above and beyond better than the others, you’re going to get differing opinions. Clothing styles? Not quite so vehement. Watch recommends? Perhaps, but at least those opinions are taken as simply personal opinions. Technology? Strangely, some people get blood-crazed. Sometimes, it’s the authors who incite the rage when they’re biased or their articles reflect their own bias, like anti/pro Apple.
I agree with this; ignore and/or respond back civilly. People can have their opinions, and they should be allowed to have them unless they’re stating wrong facts or something.
I disagree deeply with Facebook comments. I don’t have a Facebook account, and even if I did, I don’t want to post everywhere using it. Things like that make decent commentors not want to bother posting or signing up for an account or something, and it kills things like Google+ that fail to do it right. Besides, would that mean your authors need to post their full real names and/or pics? 🙂
Yes, anonymity helps the trolls, but there are plenty of people who wouldn’t bother contributing good things either if that is taken away.
And I do love the comments section. Being able to offer opinions/feedback or even questions is invaluable to me as a guest. It’s a fundamental value-add for this medium.
Just to mention, the fact that this site allows comments and has a bustling amount of them is a big deal (to me). Unfortunately, you’ll get a few trolls and/or people who just don’t communicate with any tact. That’s just kinda how it is.
nah, man. It’s just “you”. The poster states that “he/she haven’t bought an apple product for 4-5 years”.
I don’t buy apple products for a similar reason to why I don’t pop my polo collars. In 2003, all of the biggest jackasses I knew popped their polo collars. In 2009, every pretentious, starbucks dwelling, novel/memoire writing hipster had 2-3 apple products connected to their head at all times. They are associated in my head.
An author is entitled to his opinion as much as a reader. I’m not sure why someone’s opinion of apple incites so much animus on the part of so many.
I do agree. I have always enjoyed the comments section here and it has always been pretty civil (especially compared to other sites out there). It seems to be the last month or so things have devolved a bit. Perhaps we should just ignore obnoxious postings and not engage?
Thanks… appreciate the info. I’m in Boston, appears Sprint has 4g coverage here so theoretically should be fast. But then again, I don’t use enough data to be that impatient about it either.
It’s ma’phone not ma’toy. my bill sprint bill is the same no matter what i have. $69 unlimited+grandpa’d in and refusing to pay $10 premium
Recommendations can be taken at face value. As something that is clearly subjective – one user recommending his preferred tech gadget – any bias is already indicated in the fact that he didn’t include an Apple product. Why is that a problem? Personally I have used a Motorola Droid since they came out on Verizon (iPhone wasn’t even an option). I have had a good experience and haven’t felt the need to try a competitor. It works for me. Independent of any bias against Apple, I would feel comfortable recommending it to someone else. If you do love Apple, feel free to disregard the advice. We’re all grown ups here and should be able to take what is presented with a grain of salt.
Towards the theme of this blog – non Apple devices tend to be ‘more’ affordable than Apple devices. This is a fact of OS licensing and competition among hardware firms. Just the way it is. non apple devices (mobile specifically) also tend to receive deeper discounts from wireless providers when you sign up for a new contract.
The Zenbook is very cool, but like you mention, it’s a bit more expensive. At some point, one must draw the line where increased spend doesn’t lead to a justifiably better product. For a 13″ screen, do the pixels really matter that much? I don’t really think so. Tough call though.
That’s possible — there’s also the rumored Google Nexus 7.
Great link! We love prepaid plans at Dappered. The Virgin iPhone will be big. Expect an article next week.
$69 x 24 months + $199 = $1,855.
Yeah, do the math and add in the cost of the phone and you should come out OK with this. T-Mobile’s phones just seem a bit overpriced to me when compared to Virgin’s <$300 pricing.
Yaniela and Don — both good points. Expect a post next week looking at Apple-specific deals.
If you only want the latest and greatest, it’s always a terrible time to buy.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apple
I’ve been trying to get Joe to upgrade his Mac Classic for years. He loves the green screen though and refuses to change.
Thanks, Mike. Yes, I consider non-Apple products to be a better value. Next week I’ll look at a value mix of Apple products and how they rate against this mix. More to come!
I agree that recommendations are subjective and I don’t have a problem that Paul doesn’t like Apple. Good for him. There are many valid reasons to not like Apple or its products and, lord knows, they are doing just fine without him.
I do think that it is better to be forthright and open with any prejudices that you might have for or against a product. If Paul is a pro-Android/anti-Apple kinda guy (and he is) then putting that in his post might illuminate his recommendations better and might stop a lot of the criticism that he has recieved.
And yet what do you think those “every pretentious, starbucks dwelling, novel/memoire writing hipsters” used before circa 2009?? They did exist before 2009, you know. Lemme guess. ahem, PC? Did you NOT buy any PC products because of it? Seriously this argument for not buying Apple is just plain silly. Just say you prefer PC and move on, man.
Well it all depends on what features you want and at what price point, right? Feature phones on prepaid plans are probably the cheapest way to go, but they can’t do all the things a smartphone can at a higher price. I think this article might have received less inflammatory comments with a stated definition of what “the best values” means.
To be fair, some of those posts have gotten a little antagonistic as well. See: You sound like a tool if you use these words. Just a thought.
disregard
For some reason I can’t get the comments to load, but I just want to point out what a bad idea it is to get a WiMAX phone right now. That network is going away and Sprint, like all the carriers, is making a move towards LTE. Virgin Mobile piggybacks on Sprint’s network and I can only assume their WiMAX service will stop when Sprint’s does. When it does, you’ll be stuck on SUPER-slow CDMA. You’re better off buying an unsubsidized phone and using it on a Value plan at T-Mobile. The HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus just dropped to $350. You can get like 500 minutes and 5GB “unlimited” (throttled after 5GB) data for 50 or 60 bucks. Sure, you’re paying more each month, but the selection of phones is way larger, higher-end, and your high-speed network isn’t on its way out.
Also, don’t get a Kindle Fire right now. The new Nexus 7 is coming out soon, is the same price as the Fire, and is WAY higher-end.
I love the Kindle Fire as a consumption device – I’m very interested to see version 2. To do more creative stuff and game and maybe even get a little work done the iPad currently doesn’t have a real competitor. I’m holding out for late fall when Microsoft releases the Surface: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo that keyboard cover is ingenious. The smartphones mentioned are good but I will say that none are perfect yet. Android is glitchy in my experience, iPhone is great but expensive and the worst at acting as an actual phone, Windows 7 has a great easy to use UI and the Lumia’s are cool but they have a big problem with lack of apps.
I disagree with the sentiments of those that say ignoring is the best option. What started as a select few has certainly snowballed into something of an annoying trend.
As I’ve said before and some others have also expressed, part of what makes this site unique is the fruitful discussion that goes on in the comment sections. There’s a BIG difference between a difference in opinions and blatantly being rude for the sake of sounding spoiled/childish. The best example was the most recent Bespoke Giveaway (http://dappered.com/2012/06/win-it-bespoke-posts-summer-essentials-box/) – people literally whining about a free product? Good lord.
I don’t have a solution to the problem, but making people register with Dappered may be a step in the right direction? As it is….any Bob, Dick and Tom can simply post multiple comments under several different names and provide a fake email address. By actually have people register, at least we’ll have an easier way to identify the ‘trolls’ . Perhaps there’s also a way to increase the merit of these “thumbs up/down” buttons? Say an elevated threshold of ‘thumbs down’ makes that particular posts invisible? It’s certainly not perfect, but it may be a start in the right direction and potentially more work than it’s worth for y’all.
This was cool to see what’s out there, but sadly I’m an Apple addict all-the-way.
I agree there’s such a thing as tact when it comes to criticism. But that aside, if a post with recommendations draws criticism, especially those with some detail to back them up, then I feel they should be taken to heart. I love that this site edits articles with updated feedback from comments on regular item articles, so why shouldn’t that apply to any others? At the end of the day, if readers find article quality diminishing, they’ll stop reading.
For example, it’s poor advice to paint all computer users with the same brush and simply recommend one device. If I don’t travel much with my laptop, it’s hard to justify an ultrabook purchase.
I always forget that you can comment on these posts. My thoughts are all over Threads. >>>
1+1 =1
I’m on 3G only. The 4G isn’t as crowded so you should get better service. It’s an extra $10 a month + a new phone for me to get 4G. Not worth expense for me but if you’re switching, you should definitely get a 4G phone and 4G service.
I wouldn’t buy directly from t-mobile because their prices suck. At the very least, people should do a cursory check at Amazon or check out various deal websites. The nice thing is there are lots of unlocked GSM phone so you’re not stuck with T-mobile’s selection. I personally don’t require the best phone so Virgin’s selection is fine for me. However, I know people who must have that $600 released last month phone. The costs still be cheaper than a postpaid plan.
I think Apple products are less about the feature-by-feature breakdown than they are about the user experience. Or the customer service. Try getting your Acer laptop fixed at Best Buy (or worse – through Acer themselves).
I think this always tends to happen. Technology, more than clothing, is a very personal thing.
I would recommend that Dappered tread very carefully into the technology review/recommendation space.
Weird. I have a “MOD” label next to me. Didn’t know I was one, and it seems to be just for this post. Glitch?
The EVO also has fairly good WiFi floading so if you utilize it were available it certainly improves your data experience. Disclaimer: I’m a Sprint corporate employee
If you are not an Apple fanboy why bother writing two whole paragraphs about the absence of Apple?
Best deal around.
Yeah. There are plenty of people who will post once or twice, and then just never visit again or go away. Chronic pests who are clearly unhappy or trolling can either be handled by “out-nicing” them or just putting in a quiet ban. But usually, things only get really acerbic when people start going back and forth and spiraling it out of control. 🙂
Cool — doing a comparison for next week. You’ll have to weigh-in.
Glad to hear your take on the Kindle Fire. Keyboard cover on the Surface is pretty slick.
It’s going to take a while to phase our WiMAX, you’re probably OK for the life of the phone. Good tip on T-Mobile, but be sure to look at the two year price.
Good tip!
Good points … but you pay for that service. For some, that makes it a good value. For others, that makes the product overpriced.
The Apple products made the “pretentious, starbucks dwelling, novel/memoire writing hipsters” more unbearable. Truth hurts.
I’ll suggest a type writer. Rather “cheap” ebay prices.
That’s what I’m saying–the two-year price of a phone on T-Mobile is hundreds and hundreds less than on AT&T or Verizon or even Sprint.