Tag: iphone

Book Cover

On By Michel McDonaldIn Autobiography, BooksLeave a comment

I have been going crazy making all of these book covers for the paper book, the Nook and the Kindle.  I made a banner for my blog, iPhone icon, even a few iPhone/iPod wallpaper images lol.  I am even thinking about making a sticker to offer people when they check in to my book on the GetGlue website.

My bubble has burst though and I may have to rethink the whole texture part of the rainbow colors because the spine of the book won’t be textured, it will be a solid color.  Although that doesn’t really matter to me, it is a bit upsetting that I won’t have that one thing to make it match.  But do I really need it to be textured?  Hell yes I do!  It’s what makes it unique.  Whatever, I’m probably going to redesign it again before I publish it, I mean it is going to be forever and I don’t want to make something that I may regret forever just because the spine isn’t the same as the book.  I’m mostly designing it for ebooks, not paper books, but since I am offering that option, it has to look right everywhere else.

Tomorrow is another day so I will focus on trying to make it work then.

My Net10 Phone is Rubbish

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cell Phone2 Comments

I have had my Samsung T401G Net10 cell phone since last summer when I started riding my bike. I bought it through the Net10 website as a refurbished phone and I only paid $25 for it. I also got a free $25 phone card so technically I got the phone for free. I chose this one because it’s the one that Darrin had. I’ll admit that I was a little jealous because all of a sudden he had a better cell phone than I had, although now he has an iPhone…

I have had issues with my phone from the very beginning. When I activated it, I had to go through a process of typing codes in the phone through the prepaid menu. I wasn’t sure if the issues were because it was a refurbished phone, but I didn’t care because when it finally worked I was able to make phone calls, and that’s all that mattered.

I started out with the $25 750 minutes monthly plan, but they failed to charge my debit card every month so I was forced to buy phone cards instead.  I have had to add minutes every month from their website. I wanted to do it directly from the phone, but their menu doesn’t offer the cheaper $20 phone card. You have to buy the $30 and up. I didn’t want to do that so I had to do it on the website.

Darrin bought me a phone card in the beginning of December and it was the $25 plan again. When you go with their plan, they are supposed to automatically charge the debit or credit card that is in your account, but they failed to do so and my phone was deactivated. I tried to reactivate it by getting the $15 200 minute monthly plan, but it didn’t accept it for some reason so I had to call them.

I was on the phone with Net10 yesterday for 90 minutes. They walked me through a very tedious process of pressing codes in the prepaid menu like I had to do when I first got the phone, but that didn’t work. The operator I spoke with had reactivated the phone and added my minutes with the 30 days, but unfortunately my phone itself never reactivated. So he said that my phone was not working and that he would send me another one and then I’d have to return my faulty one back to them with a prepaid envelope.

When I asked him why they didn’t automatically charge my credit card for the monthly service on the first, he replied that it was the phones fault. Um, isn’t that the responsibility of the website, not the phone?  My plan was in their system, so they should have automatically charged my credit card $25 on the first of the month.  They didn’t and now it’s the phones fault?

It doesn’t matter, I am going to keep all of the minutes that are still on my phone from last months plan, get 200 minutes from the $15 I paid for the day before yesterday and then in another month I will just go back to the $25 750 minutes plan. If they don’t charge me automatically, I will just have to make sure that I am keeping up with it by going to the website.  It’s a schlep but what else can I do?

I noticed that they are now selling android phones, the LG Optimus Net and Q. The Q just has a slide-out keyboard and it’s about $20 more. I am not too happy with their service because I rarely have more than 2 or 3 bars and when I am downloading games, it always gets interrupted and I have to start over. Maybe because it’s a faulty phone though (that was said with a hint of sarcasm).

That’s another thing, I had spent a lot of my minutes buying games. I have 8 games that I paid for and now I will lose them because my new phone isn’t going to have them. I think I would be more pissed if I had paid for those with actual money, but considering I will be getting all of my minutes back from last month, I think I can either buy them again with my minutes, or just not worry about it because I never even played them.  If I had the android phone then I think it would be more worth my time playing games than it is with this crappy phone.

I will have to wait 3-5 days for my replacement phone so I will be out a phone until then.  It sucks, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I only ever use it for texting with Darrin so it doesn’t really matter because he can just email with his fancy schmancy iPhone 4S lol.

I want to upgrade to the LG Optimus Net this summer for my birthday because I can use my wi-fi to use the internet with it when I’m at home.  When I am out on the bike trail this summer, I will be able to make twitter and Facebook updates.  I couldn’t do that with my current phone because it didn’t store my long difficult passwords and I could never remember what they were to log in every time I wanted to update.  Also, an Android phone has apps like the WeReward app and the QR code scanner.  Not that I really need to scan QR codes, but it would be nice to have that option.

It’s funny, I rarely ever use my cell phone, but I am being tortured by not having it to play with.

Merry Christmas

On By Michel McDonaldIn Christmas1 Comment

Can you believe that it’s finally Christmas?  Neither can I,  I mean, it seems like it was just summer like a week ago, and now it’s Christmas, and it will be a whole new year in a week.

We didn’t go out of town like we usually do because Darrin thought he was going to work on Monday, and he didn’t want to drive for 6 hours just to have to drive back home tonight.  So instead, we stayed home to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Presents…  Darrin has the job, so he makes the money and buys everything.  I can’t even afford to buy underwear, which by the way I asked for and got lol.

He really needed good cell phone service instead of his crappy Net10 service, so we went to Verizon and he bought himself an iPhone 4S.  He wanted to buy the iPhone 4 because it was $99, and at first he did, but then they added $45 tax and sold him a package of accessories and it all came to $199.  I told him to buy the 4S because I knew he would kick himself in the ass if he didn’t, but he didn’t think he could afford it.  When he realized that the 4 didn’t do what the 4S did (Siri and voice recognition instead of typing), he changed his mind and switched a couple of days later.  He had to pay the tax on the first one, plus the $35 restocking fee, but he’s really happy with it and that’s all that matters.

He asked me what I wanted, and he bought me the underwear that I mentioned before.  2 packages of boxer briefs which had 4 pairs per package for $32 each, but it was buy 1, get 1 half off, so it was $48 total before tax.  See why I can’t afford to buy underwear?  It’s expensive as hell lol.

We went to Kmart yesterday to buy presents for other people and he decided that he wanted to buy me something else, so he bought me a lava lamp.  I’ve always wanted one, but could never afford one.  It looks cool when it is working, but it’s mostly a blob on the bottom.  I don’t know why it isn’t doing what it’s supposed to, but then again isn’t that just my luck?  I finally get a lava lamp and it doesn’t go up and down.  But I still love it and I’m sure it will eventually get the hang of it.

Chips high school girlfriend gave him a tetris game, no not the video game, this is a physical game with plastic pieces.  It’s called Tetris Link.  I think that I love it more than he does because I’m a gamer and he isn’t.  He said he wanted to give it a try, but if he doesn’t like it then the only way I will be able to play it is if I can get people to play it with me via Google+ Hangouts.

I made some pumpkin pies yesterday and gave one of them with a container of Cool Whip to our tenant.  I don’t know if they really wanted one or not, but I made it for them so I hope they like it.  I love pumpkin pie, I don’t think you can have a Christmas without pumpkin pie, but that’s just me.

My final present will be the Christmas episode of Doctor Who.  If we had gone to San Diego today, I would have missed it because I don’t have a DVR.  I would have had to wait until it repeated, which I’m not sure when it will.  So I’m very happy that we didn’t go for that reason.

We had lunch at China Town Buffet.  We were going to go to either the Golden Corral or Hometown Buffet, but neither of them were open, so we ate Chinese food instead.  It was good, I mostly ate all chicken, which is all I ever eat there, but it was very good and filling.

Well, I hope you all have a great Christmas and get lots of presents that you were hoping for.  Happy Holidays.

Pictures – click to see it bigger.

Happy Holidays 2011

On By Michel McDonaldIn Christmas, HolidaysLeave a comment

I forgot to send out cards this year.  Oopsie!  So instead of sending our cards out late, this is what everyone is getting lol.  If you are wondering why it’s not a photo of us, neither Darrin nor myself are photogenic (we hate our pictures being taken) so you get to see our tree instead.  Hey, Darrin just got his new iPhone, I don’t want to be responsible for breaking the camera with my image LOL.  No but seriously, I would like to get a picture of us together but I’d prefer in a more professional setting.  Maybe in the year 2025…

Every year since the 90’s, I have spent Christmas with either my family, or with Chips.  This year we are going to stay home instead of traveling.  It is fun to drive south for the holidays, but Darrin just can’t get the time off.  I actually don’t mind staying home because I’ll be able to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special.  I would hate to have to wait for the next series to come on when it finally repeats.  That has happened every year too so I’m looking forward to finally watching it the day it actually airs.

Santa has already visited us, so we really don’t have much to celebrate anymore.  Darrin bought himself, or should I say Santa bought Darrin a new iPhone 4S with a 2 year contract with Verizon.  And I got some new underwear.  Yes, I asked for underwear lol.  That was actually what I really wanted so I’m happy.  I was down to 3 holey pair, so I was long overdue.  I would have asked for an iPod Touch 4th gen 16GB, but Santa has already spent too much money on one apple product, so I can wait to see if I get any money from book sales for that, or an iPad2 lol.

Speaking of my book, I had hoped I would have been finished with it by the day after Christmas but I am still in editing.  I finished my final edit, but then I went back to the beginning and have found more issues.  I am working on my final final edit so hopefully it will be finished by January 1st 2012.  I can’t promise anything because when I finish with my final final edit, I will of course have to read the whole book again to make absolutely sure it’s perfect before I publish it.  I don’t want even one word out of place or misspelled lol.

In case you are wondering, yes I have been working on this book for the last 6 months.  I actually started in 1989… started over in 1997… started over summer 2010 and only wrote 3 or 4 chapters.  Started over again in May or June 2011 where I rewrote the chapters that I wrote in 2010 and wrote the rest of the book.  It only took 2 months to write it, but it has taken me 4 months to edit it.  Writing is hard ya’ll!

Anyway, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all.

New iPod Touch

On By Michel McDonaldIn Gadgets, MusicLeave a comment

When I was 11 years old I got my first walk-man which played audio cassettes (and sometimes ate them). That was in 1981. In 1989 when I was 19 years old I bought my first CD player walk-man. It was big and bulkier than the cassette version but it was pretty darn cool and I was paranoid to let anyone see it for fear of it being snatched.

In the late 90′s I remember seeing the first mp3 player, I think it was the Rio(?).  It only stored a few cd’s which to me is bogus for the price but whatever. Then the iPod came out and that was pretty darn cool.

In 2005 I got the Dell DJ but I wish that I had gotten an iPod instead.

What a long way we have come that we now have an mp3 player that not only plays music but also video games, records HD video, views websites and now has a new thing called FaceTime which allows you to have a live video streaming phone call with someone. And it’s not even an iPhone either, it’s an iPod, a music player. The walk-man of the 21st century if you will.

Amazing!  What will they come up with next?

Google Queues

On By Michel McDonaldIn Google ChromeLeave a comment

I don’t know if I am just very late to the game but thanks to reading the PC Mag on my new Nook, I am a little bit more educated than I was before I got it.

I read an article in the PC Mag about a new (or is it new?) thing from Google called Gpanion which is very handy. It’ basically has these app icons (like apple iPhone apps) that open a website for certain google websites. Like your email, calendar, youtube, maps… etc.

One of those things in there is called GQueue. What that is, is if you have a ton of things that you need to get done you type them out with a date that it needs to be completed by and as you get that item done you check it and that item disappears forever. Be careful you don’t prematurely uncheckulate it because it is a disappointment when you have to reenter the monster back in.

I am not ashamed to show mine here. It’s not showing up in my screen so I’ll see what happens when I publish this post. But it should show you a list of the books I have in my queue. I have not bought all of them whether I said so or not but that list is only 1/4 filled. I decided I would finish it later since I have to get to bed.

Which reminds me, tootles. Goodnight. See ya’ll in the morn when I try to finish it.

Amazon Kindle 2 Review – An In Depth Amazon Kindle 2 Review

On By Michel McDonaldIn eBook, KindleLeave a comment

Before I ordered my Amazon Kindle 2 from Amazon, I read several reviews on the web. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of people out there that have written their own personal Amazon Kindle reviews. But, there are some people that truly do not understand the magnitude of this new innovative device (it’s current stage in development and how fast it’s market is growing) and there are some that do. While reading these reviews, it becomes very clear which category people fall in. To put it in another perspective, I work at top well-known investment research firm and without getting into too many specifics, lets just say we are very bullish on AMZN stock most specifically because of the huge potential of the Amazon Kindle in the emerging e-reader market. No I am not trying to give investment advice (that’s not part my job) but I just want to make it very clear how excited I am about the product and its market in general. My Amazon Kindle 2 review is no holds barred and no BULL SHIP!

In the few weeks prior to the announcement of the Amazon Kindle 2, you couldn’t turn a virtual corner without stumbling over alleged rumors and “insider” information regarding the new innovative device. Last month, having played with my boss’s Amazon Kindle 2 at the office, I found myself in absolute lust for this gadget. Before I decided to order the Amazon Kindle 2 as Christmas gift for myself;), I reviewed, reviewed, and REVIEWED several Amazon Kindle 2 websites, articles, and reviews. This is my personal take / response to some of those good andbad reviews. The following is my Amazon Kindle 2 review:

1. The Amazon Kindle 2 is not cheap! First of all, let’s not beat around the bush; I certainly wanted to know how much I was in for right away! As is the case for all other new / “hot” items, such as the iPhone 3Gs, Playstation 3, and LCD tv’s, (which were originally priced for hundreds more than the Amazon Kindle 2), the Kindle 2 is priced a little on the high-end. Currently, the Amazon Kindle 2 is on sale for $259. Recently, Amazon’s CEO announced an “amazing” deal for Kindle 1 owners at a press conference: If they ordered within the next 24 hours, they could jump to the front of the line for pre-orders! There wasn’t even a discount offered, just the “privilege” of spending $259 quicker than non-existing Amazon Kindle 1 owners. What a great deal huh?? Later though, I considered some other factors. Relative to purchasing new books and best sellers on a regular basis, the Amazon Kindle 2 really isn’t that expensive. Have you looked at the price of new books lately?? They can be pretty expensive themselves, especially at big name stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders. Even online at Amazon, you’ll pay $50 for the Twilight Saga Collection and $15 for Sarah Palin’s new book (not that I would want to read her book anyway but you get the point!). Most e-books are $9.99 or less. Over the long-run, especially if you are enthusiastic book reader like me, the Amazon Kindle 2 is essential.

2. What does it look like? According to its creators, the key design objective was to make the Amazon Kindle 2 “disappear”. When we read a good book, we tend to get so immersed into the author’s world / story that the physical book eventually disappears. The thinking behind the Kindle was to make sure we are still able to get lost in the reading, not the technology. The Kindle 2 has a black-and-white 6″ screen and uses electronic-ink display technology: the screen displays ink particles electronically to make it look like real books, newspapers, magazines, etc. As aforementioned, I sit on my butt all day in an office in front of a computer screen. During my lunch breaks and when I get home, the LAST thing I want to do is look at a computer screen!! However, I actually found that the Kindle’s screen has a pretty soothing contrast and looks like a real page. Also, the Kindle 2 does not use backlighting which eliminates glares for daytime / outdoor reading.

The Kindle also has six adjustable font sizes and utilizes 16 shades of gray. So when your eyes get tired or if you have a book that has small font, you can make it bigger on the Kindle screen. Compared to the first version, the Amazon Kindle 2 is MUCH slimmer and more refined. It is about 1/3 of an inch in profile and weighs 10.2 ounces. That’s about the size of most magazines, only this gadget can hold up to 1,500 books in one!

3. The five-way joy stick: piece of crap?? The five-way navigation is like those pencil-eraser mice that come on laptops (in between the keys); I found it pretty intuitive but not that convenient. Sometimes I felt that the joystick was a little slow, but not a deal breaker. Something like a track ball on the Blackberry would probably be a better solution. A touch screen would be ideal! There are also page-turning buttons located on both sides and the screen can be rotated from portrait to landscape views for optimal comfort.

4. “Monotasking Hardware”. I read several reviews and comments on how the Amazon Kindle 2 only does ONE thing. First of all, let me just say that the Amazon Kindle 2 is NOT, I repeat NOTan iPhone!! Most cameras do only “one” thing, but like the Kindle, they do one thing very well. The bottom line about my digital camera is that as long as it takes high-quality pictures, I am perfectly content. The 2 GB storage capability is not for storing all kinds of content (music, maps, FaceBook, Shazam, Table Tennis, Air Hockey, ESPN, etc.), it is for storing 1,500 BOOKS! If you’re in the market for an innovative reading device, why would you want to have all the aforesaid distractions? When you finish a book, you simply download another one and begin again. In short, the Amazon Kindle 2 may have one main function (reading) but you can still download a number of different formats in addition to books, like newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

5. Simplicity. The Amazon Kindle 2 is simple and easy to use. It is wireless and ready to go right out of the box; there are no cables, no setup, and no software to install. During the Amazon Kindle 2 review presentation, Amazon’s CEO showed a video where one lucky tester said he never read manuals (who does??), and he had no trouble at all using the Amazon Kindle 2 right away. The design team also claims to have improved the battery life on the Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 will stay charged for a week with wireless on and two weeks with wireless off (varies based on usage). However, I did see a few comments on the web that since both the Kindle 1 and 2 have long battery lives, the difference is hardly noticeable.

6. Is the Kindle too fragile? This is a touchy subject for some people. I read several reviews regarding the durability of the Amazon Kindle 2 and I found that it really depends on the person using it. Some people go through their day worrying that their Kindle may be too flimsy and that it might break in their bags. Of course nothing can replace the durability of a good-old-fashioned book; you can drop it, throw it, use it as a door stopper, and it will still be readable. Personally, I didn’t think it is that flimsy at all. I guess I can see how jamming a few books and magazines into your bag, and even the laptop (all together with the Kindle) can cause apprehension. However, when I have my Amazon Kindle 2, I’ll be carrying half as many magazines and books. Sounds like the problem is solved to me! On a side note, just like cell phones and laptops, there are also various Kindle cases you can buy separately for more protection.

7. The Amazon Kindle 2 can read to you! True. With the Text-to-Speech feature, the Amazon Kindle 2 can read English books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs out loud while you’re on the train, as you’re walking, or when it gets too dark outside, at which point you can turn on the audio and listen to the rest of the chapter. You can even have the Kindle read to you while you drive from point A to point B. You can also choose between a male and female voice that can be sped up or slowed down according to your preference. Every now and then however, the reader will mispronounce items and may give wacky emphasis. For example, the reader has been known to pronounce “dash” instead of pausing at one; still not a deal breaker though.

8. eBooks are the FUTURE. The Amazon Kindle 2 review presentation featured testimonials from Kindle 2 users, saying that they read now more than ever. I concur with this because I often leave books, magazines, and articles behind because I simply can’t carry all of them. Plus, I only read what I have on hand… doesn’t everyone?? The Amazon Kindle 2, with its instant access to over 390,000 books, will surely expand my reading horizons as well as yours as popularity continues to intensify.

As is the case with all new cutting-edge technology, the Amazon Kindle 2 has several negatives, but in my opinion, the benefits far prevail. Amazon has nailed the eBook market and will probably dominate for several years. I expect that we’ll be reading eBooks while we rocket to Mars in 2100. Whether you join the bandwagon now or later, it is inevitable. Send me a message at my website if you have any questions regarding my Amazon Kindle 2 review.

Lately, I’ve been working on a website that reviews the Amazon Kindle 2 even further: reviewing Amazon’s main e-reader competitors, emerging issues / stories, Kindle accessories, and user tips!CLICK HERE to get the latest scoop / reviews on the Amazon Kindle 2 and related products.

Author: Aaron Espinoza
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Low-volume PCB Assembly

Cool Nook Skins

On By Michel McDonaldIn Nook, Products I LikeLeave a comment

Now that I’ve made my choice to buy a Barnes and Noble Nook, it’s time to think about giving it a cool look. I found this website called DecalGirl that has cool skins for many gadgets and this is the skin that I want to buy. It’s only $15 plus shipping and it adds a lot of character to the nook.

They have many other skins that all look good but I really like this one. Who knows, I may get tired of it one day and want to take it off and buy a new one. While I’m there I might get a cool skin for my PSP. The PSP skins that I was looking at are $10.

What I love about these skins is that the screen matches the skin. They give you a code when you buy it to download the image so when you turn it on you automatically see that image. That’s pretty cool. Now I wish I had an iPod and a iPhone that I could skin lol.

WiFi Scale Tells The World How Fat You Are

On By Michel McDonaldIn TechLeave a comment

WiFi scale notifies the internet of your lapsed diet – source Dvice.com

wifiscaleJust imagine that you have this in your bathroom.  You stand on the scale and all of a sudden the whole world knows just how fat you really are lol.

Through wi-fi this scale will post your weight and body fat percentage to the internet or if you have an iPhone it will transmit it through wi-fi to a iPhone app.

Why in the world would anyone want to do that?  I mean sure if you are skinny like 150lbs or lighter and you are constantly working out and keeping yourself nice and thin then I could understand wanting to brag about how skinny you are but not me.  If this could transmit the info to SparkPeople then fine but it wouldn’t do me that much good to do that because when I do my weekly weigh in’s at the SparkPeople website I also have to measure my waist, hips and neck too.  As far as I know this isn’t that capable.

So, no thanks lol.  I think I’ll pass.

New Amazon Kindle DX Coming This Summer

On By Michel McDonaldIn KindleLeave a comment

Amazon has announced their new Kindle DX which will ship this summer.  It’s new features are a 9.7 inch screen that measures 8.5″x11″ so it’s the size of a sheet of paper.  Also when you turn the Kindle DX sideways the screen auto rotates very much like the iPhone.  They have also added more hard drive bringing it to 4GB.

Those are some pretty cool features, except that it still is not in color and it still doesn’t have an SD card slot.  AND the price went up from $359 for the Kindle 1 and 2 to $489 for the Kindle DX.

WOW that’s just too much money to spend on something that’s just going to be outdone in another 6 months or so.  When they have their 4th generation Kindle is that going to go up to $600?  So what do people do with their old ones?  Recycle them?  Ebay them?  Or do they just live with it and feel stupid for wasting their money when they could have waited 6 months?

I’m going to wait.