Mobile Broadband Cards - Which is better?

Welcome to you on my latest entry at El Toro's Tech blog. I have several of my friends ask me in the past month or so what I thought about the mobile broadband cards and who I would recommend. It took me some time to test a few but I was able to test the broadband cards on both my Macbook Pro and a Windows laptop. First, I will explain what is a mobile broadband card and what it does, then I will talk about 4 mobile broadband card from the top 4 wireless carriers. I will let you know everything from the size of each, how easy/difficult the installation is, the tests I did and other things. I will also let you know where you can get additional information for each provide and in the end, I will tell you what my pick would be. So, its time to get started.

What is a Mobile Broadband Card?
The term "mobile broadband card" can simply be defined as a device that allows you to have Internet access when you are on the road once the device is plugged into a laptop. It is a service you pay for with a wireless carrier (such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint) to allow you to connect to the Internet using  this device. As of this writing, the devices I will be referring to are the ones that connect to your laptop using the USB port.

 The top 4 providers out there which I will be referring to are as follows: Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. Each of these wireless providers have a broadband/wireless card that plugs into the laptop to allow you to access the Internet from wherever you are (provided you have a signal). My tests with the broadband cards were done in several places in NY but each card was tested in the exact spots to ensure proper results. The locations where this was tested at are as follows: Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden, South Street Seaport, Westchester County and Queens County. The test that I did on each device was browse the web (Youtube, CNN, Yahoo, Facebook), sending out 2 emails (no attachment, a document of 25 pages, and streaming Video from HuLu Plus. So lets get started.

Pantech® 4G LTE USB Modem UML290 - Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless has the Pantech 4G LTE broadband card. This was rated as one of the better broadband cards that Verizon offers its customers. Its futuristic design makes it pleasing to look at especially when you connect it to your laptop. I took the device and used it on my Windows 7 laptop as well as my Apple Macbook Pro with Lion installed.

The think I liked the most about it is no CDs to use for installation. The software necessary to install the Verizon Access Manager is in the broadband card. This is great for those who don't want to have to always carry the CD with using someone else's laptop. Once the laptop is fully powered on, just plug it in and the installer should run. Just follow the prompts and you will have a new icon on the desktop called VZ Access Manager. Once I got connected to the Internet, I was impressed on how fast my connection was. It picked up a 4G connection in each of my testing locations. In one particular location in Queens, it switched between a 3G connection and a 4G connection, however the speed was still not an issue for me.

Using my Outlook on both the Windows and Mac Laptops, sending an email with and without an attachment was pretty quick. Browsing the internet was very decent considering its not a WiFi connection, when it got to viewing some shows from HuLu Plus, it was a little choppy, which I expected, but between the times it buffers the content to the play back was rather quick.

Sprint 3G/4G Plug-in-Connect USB
Sprint has this broadband card that is smaller than the Verizon Broadband card. I also like this one because it also comes with no CDs, just plug it in and it will ask you to confirm the installation of the software. This also worked on my Windows 7 and Macbook Pro laptops. Now I am a careful person so I know how to take care of equipment such as this, but I feel that if most people hold it in their hand, they would feel they could break it by looking at it. It has good weight to it but I feel they could've make the outside of it feel durable. Going now to the same locations to perform my test, to my surprise were identical to that of the Verizon device.  Here is the best thing though about the Sprint device. If you decided to install the operating system Linux on your laptop, this card will have no problems at all on it! Verizon only supports Windows and Mac as its operating systems. Sure, if you are tech savvy enough you can get it to work but Sprints card will work right out of the box on Linux. This is pretty cool for those who use Linux on their laptops.

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G
The AT&T broadband card looks like a smaller version of a Tic Tac casing, but wider. It feels sturdy enough to withstand it falling on the floor. I was able to install this easily on my Windows and Mac laptops. The software install prompt loaded once I plugged the device into the USB port so no need for any CDs. Going to the same locations, my results were a bit different though. In NYC, by the seaport and by Grand Central station, I was getting a 3G signal, which doesn't make sense since not to long ago they had set up the 4G towers around these areas. In Madison Square Garden, It kept switching from 3G to 4G so I couldn't get a steady connection long enough to fully load a website. When I was in Queens and Westchester County, it was working like a charm. The only issue I had with this in my tests was trying to load HuLu Plus. It for some reason or another, kept the stream in its lowest quality format, which means, it looked choppy. I could rule out there was an issue with HuLu at the time but when on YouTube, it felt like it wasn't loading the video quick enough.

T-Mobile® Jet™ 2.0
I must say right off the bat I love the design on this card. I am old school so this reminds me of one of my older usb thumb drives I use to store my documents. This also allows you to just plug it into your Windows or Apple laptop, install the software without CDs and you are good to go. I will be completely honest that my results on the test left me dumbfounded. My tests on this device blew the AT&T device out of the water! No matter where I was, I always had a 4G connection. However, when it came to certain areas up in Westchester county, I either had a connection, or a dead zone. When I did have a connection, I was comfortable browsing the web at decent speeds, sending emails and watching a show or two online.

For additional information on these cards and the plans that are offered you can visit them at the links below:

http://www.verizonwireless.com

http://www.sprint.com

http://www.att.com

http://www.t-mobile.com

Now, before I get to what I believe is the best broadband card, I need to explain something first. As you have seen, these tests were done in NY and as such will vary in other regions of the USA. I didn't mention if these cards will work when traveling overseas. It is the responsibility of each individual to check with the provider whether or not these will work overseas and obtain the proper information on pricing plan going overseas. I can say this about the customer service for each company though, they now have very good service people, but if I am to rate from the top to bottom, I would rate it like this:

• Verizon Wireless


• Sprint


• T-Mobile


• AT&T

I will have to say, the best broadband card is the Sprint, with the Verizon Wireless card running a close second, followed by T-Mobile, and AT&T. Why did I, a loyal customer of Verizon Wireless, chose Sprint over them? The answer is simple; As a tech, I also use Linux on a laptop and the fact that all I needed to do on the Linux laptop was just plug it in, run the install and start to work was a blessing. With Verizon Wireless, they do not officially support it on it but you can find work around online.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the companies of Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T for working with me in allowing me to test the devices. Thank you all and until the next time!

Which is the best E-book reader to get?

Welcome to today's installment of El Toro's Tech Blog! I was having a conversation with one of my best and closest friends about college. We joked around how we used to lug around these huge textbooks like Physics, Chemestry, Calculus and many others. Nowadays students carry their books in a different way. E-readers now have come to the point where most colleges and institutes have these books required for their classes available as an ebook that can be downloaded onto an e-reader. My friend and I both were like "Where the hell was any of this back in our day" and laughed at how students have it better these days. That got me to thinking about what my next topic should be. What would be the recommended e-book reader to get for anyone, whether you are a student or not. There are a lot of e-book readers out there so it can get a little confusing whats the best thing to get.  What I hope to accomplish with today's blog is to give you a better understanding on what is an e-book reader, mention a few named products, what to look out for and at the end, what my pick would be.

An e-book reader is a portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals. E-book readers are similar to regular tablets with one major exception. E-book readers have better readability of their screens especially in bright sunlight and longer battery life. It's main purpose is to allow you to purchase, rent, borrow books and read. E-readers are also much lighter than a standard tablet. Tablets are designed to do more functions than just read books. For the most part, most e-readers have some sort of internet connection that will allow you to download your books/periodicals on the device. Depending on the device you can also use your computer (Windows or Mac) to transfer electronic books using the USB cable. I mentioned that most e-readers have some sort of internet connection.  Depending on the device you get you may or may not be able to browse the internet on it and if you can, it wont be as friendly as it would be on a regular tablet, mainly because some of these are designed to only let you download your books so you can read them.  Most e-readers also have some relationship to a digital e-book seller, which is great because this permits you to go online to purchase your digital book and have it transfered to your e-reader. As of this writing, there are 2 very popular e-readers in the market:  Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble Nook. Let''s talk about these 2 devices, starting with the Kindle.

Wikipedia couldn't had said it better with this description: "The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-book readers now in their fourth generation, which enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media via wireless networking." You can read more about it if you wish by clicking here (it will open the link in another window/tab so you dont have to worry about losing your spot here). There are a few versions of the Kindle so I will briefly talk about 3 of them: Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire.

Kindle Keyboard

Simply put, this kindle has a physical keyboard on it right below the display. The Kindle keyboard comes in 2 different screen sizes. there is the 6" version and there is the DX version, which is 9". The 6" screen version of the kindle coems in 2 types, Wifi and Wifi+3G. The first type is simply if you have access to Wifi internet (ex: home or internet cafe). The second type has WiFi and 3G, which means you can have either a WiFi internet connection, or if you have no access to the internet, it will connect to the internet using a 3G connection (like a cell phone would use). The great thing about the 3G connection option is that it is included in the device. You do not need to pay a monthly service for that. Pretty cool eh? The Kindle DX has 3G on it but no WiFi, which means, if you have a very bad signal for 3G but there are available WiFi internet cafes, then you are stuck without being able to download new books until you have a signal. (So if you ask me, its best to have both options available). With the Kindle Keyboard, you can have up to 3,500 books (either downloaded from Amazon's stores or PDFs that you transfer yourself from the computer). If you get the Kindle with 3G, the global coverage for it is about 100 contries and territories. And the battery life is not bad on either of these devices but can vary from individual usage.

Kindle Touch

 In short, the name says it all, The Kindle uses touch screen technology to navigate, read, select anything on its screen. It comes in WiFi and 3G+WiFi just like its predecesor but is only available as of this writing in a 6" screen. The battery life is identical to the Kindle Keyboard and the amount of books that can be stored is roughly about the same.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is the newest member of the family. It is like the Kindle Touch but with significant differences. It is in fact its first color e-reader that is just more than a tablet. You can read your books and magazine/newspaper articles but you can also view movies, TV Shows, browse the web, listen to music, and play games on the touch screen like the every popular Angry Birds! It is also very fast and it also lets you check out your emails using its built-in email program! It is a 7" color display that will auto rotate from portrait to landscape and is WiFi capable. As of this writing, there is no word if Amazon will release a 3G version of the Kindle Fire but mark my words, if they do, it will be a huge seller. For full details and specs on any of these devices (and the other Kindles) you can click here to go to Amazon's site. (this will open in another browser window/tab). Its now time to talk about Barnes & Nobles e-reader, the Nook.

Barnes & Noble has developed an e-reader and has named it the Nook. It allows you to purchase and download books, newspaper and magazine subsctiptions onto the device. As of this writing, there are 3 types of Nooks: Nook Touch (also known as the Nook Simple touch), Nook Color & Nook Tablet. Lets take a look at each of these in more detail.

Nook Touch


The Nook Touch is a 6" touch screen e-reader. It is light and it features are very similar to that of its competitor, good battery life, the ability to use WiFi to download books, newspapers and magazine articles. This device has 2GB of storage, which is less than the Kindle, but unlike the Kindle Touch, the Nook touch's memory can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. It does not have the ability of 3G service so you wont have the luxury that Kindle users have being able to download books while perhaps riding in a bus unless the bus is equipped with WiFi hotspots.

Nook Color

Next up is the Nook Color. It comes in a 7" display and in color, which is great if you enjoy reading your favorite graphic comics. It also contains downloadable apps such as games (Angry Birds), Music (Pandora). You can also use the built-in WiFi to get your email and browse the Web. You can also watch some of your favorite movies and/or TV shows on the device having the ability to view it in Portrait or Landscape. It comes with 8 GBs of storage which is also upgradeable up to 32GB of Micro-SD.  Battery life is very good as well on the device and it is still light.

Nook Tablet

The Nook Tablet is essentially the same as the Nook Color, but with a lot more extras. It has a dual core processor, which means twice the speed makes it easier for you to switch from reading a book, to browsing the web, to watching a movie. The 7" color display with its vibrant colors let you read your books, watch live TV and movies either in portrait or landscape mode without much effort. It is pre-loaded with Netflix and Hulu Plus (trials available) so as long as you have a WiFi connection, you can watch your movies in queue or catch up on your shows. It contains a microphone so if you wish to record a book for your children to read, you can do it. It comes with 16GB of space which is also upgradeable to 32GB Micro-SD.

Now that we talked about 2 of the top e-readers, lets go ahead and point out some key things about both devices. Each device is WiFi capable, which in this day in age is a great thing. More coffee shops have WiFi hot-spots so you can easily enjoy downloading your books, streaming TV shows and watch TV. The Kindle is ahead of its game on offering 3G on its devices so if you are in an area that does not have WiFi, but you have a "cell signal" you can download your books without hesitation. Both devices have excellent battery life and they are not that heavy. Most schools now have in their library the ability to check books out right to your e-reader and that is a major score. After all, who wants to carry that 10 pound book of Introduction to Sociology? I sure don't. Their respective online stores also allow you the ability to purchase said textbooks at better prices than the physical book itself. Now the Nook has expandable micro-SD memory, which can be good and bad at the same time. Great because if you are planning to having thousands of books/movies on the card, its great to switch them out. However, if you lose your SD card, you need to fork out more money to purchase it. Kindle's advantage is they have free cloud storage. This means you can purchase over 4GB or more of books and it will always be available to you online so you can CHOOSE which ones to transfer to your kindle. If your Kindle breaks and you get a new one? You don't have to worry about putting the new card into the device, just chose which ones you want transferred to your device. With the Nook, you still have the same online cloud storage and it works the same way as Amazon, but there is always a chance of damaging or losing the SD card.

I have used both devices and each device has its pros and cons. I cant say I like one more than the other but for the purposes of this entry, I am going to have to side with Amazon and the main reason for this is just simple. Their customer service is one of the best I have ever experienced. Both companies have their automated response when you try to reach them, it goes with the territory of any big retail company. However, I always have received the most courteous, helpfull and informative responses from Amazon than I had with Barnes & Noble. Currently working in providing the best customer support, whether its in person, over the phone, or over email is something I strive on doing everyday so the fact I can say I experienced the best service with Amazon means a lot. If you want great service behind you all the way, my vote goes out to Amazon Kindle.

Thank you all for reading. Be safe and until next time!

Disclaimer: All images posted in this blog have been approved for use by Amazon & Barnes & Nobles.

LCD TVs vs LED TVs

Welcome to the newest installment of El Toro's Tech Blog! When last we met, I wrote about HDTV vs 3DTVs. Today, in the spirit of talking about TVs, I wish to talk to you about 2 types of TVs: LCD TVs vs LED TVs. I will explain each one in full, what the differences are, pros and cons and in the end I will provide you with my personal/professional opinion on it. In the end, I hope the information you see here will help you be more knowledgeable on each item and decide based on what I can provide.

 What does LCD stand for and what are LCD TVs?  LCD (Liquid-crystal display) TVs are television sets that use this display technology to produce the images we see. Pretty straight forward but if you are wondering what does it mean it is a liquid display, the answer is quite easy to see. If you are ever in an electronics store and are standing right next to an LCD TVs, make sure that the people who work there aren't looking, and use the finger technique or pressing on the display. Doing this will make the image on the screen look like it was in the water (color will slightly change where you press) and when you remove your finger it will go back to normal. The old TVs that had a glass display were known as CRT (cathode ray tube). If you place a 32" CRT TV next to a 32" LCD TV, you will see a huge difference. LCD TVs are much thinner and much lighter than CRTs. When the LCD TVs came out, they also became huge space savers. With the old CRTs, it was bulky, extremely heavy and if the TV ever died on you, it was such a hassle to take it to a TV repair shop without risking cracking the display. LCD TVs are less prone to the display dying (short of using the finger press technique on it too much or puncturing the screen itself).

LED , or light-emitting diode TVs, is a flat panel display that uses tiny groups of "light-bulbs" called diodes to produce a display of images. LEDs allows for an even thinner display panel, lower power consumption, better distribution of internal heat within the display, a brighter display and better levels of contrast. LED displays are most commonly used outdoors in large signs and billboards (like the Times Square JumboTron). Now notice how I just mentioned what an LED is but not what an LED TV is? The reason for this is technically speaking the LED TV isn't fully an LED TV. This uses the same LCD technology, but with LEDs for its back-lighting. I will explain what this means. When the LCDs came out, lots of questions came about as far as the contrasts and the black and brighter colors. The LEDs were placed in a regular LCD display behind that particular panel to bring out the colors even more. By using this in conjunction of the LCD, it makes the images look brighter and better. The weight of the TV isn't changed much so you are still getting the slim and lighter display than you would if you still had the CRT TVs.

Next we have the side by side between the LCD vs LED displays. As far as what looks better, the LED leaves the LCD in the dust. The colors look more crisp and brighter. Another advantage of the LED displays is you can still see the images on its screen from any weird angle whereas with an LCD, you may have some blur spots. In the physical aspect, the LED TV is lighter than just a regular LCD TV (not too much but you can certainly feel the difference). LED TVs also use less power than an LCD TV so that too is a plus. However, if we look at a TV that will last long term, LEDs tend to "burn" out after extended use, so you will begin noticing blank spots on the TV where an image should be. Remember how I mentioned a common LED display is the Times Square JumboTron? I have seen people replacing those panels when the LEDs burn out from overuse.  There is also the issue LEDs have that you never get with an LCD is the flickering. LEDs, just like a CRT TV, tends to flicker more often than not. The flickering is said to be more of the reason why it burns out after extended use (or electric power surges/spikes). So essentially it comes down to this, if you have the money to constantly have the LED panels in your TV changed, then go for it.

I have seen both types of TV in action and I pay very close attention to every detail, bells and whistles and such when doing my comparisons. Do I think the LED TVs are great? In comparison, yes I do. Do I suggest you go and buy it over a regular LED TV? No. While the quality is practically amazing on an LED TV, unless you are ready to invest on something that will need to be replaced when it burns out from overuse or power spikes, it isnt cost efficient. Perhaps one day LEDs will be set in a way it can take heavy usage and I may change my mind at that time but I would strongly suggest an LCD TV. It will last you much longer than an LED and is definitely much more affordable than an LED as well.

That's all for today. Thanks for coming! =)

HDTVs vs 3DTVs

Welcome back to El Toro's Tech Blog. In todays blog, I want to talk about something that a lot of people (my wife included) have asked me about. What is the difference betwen a High Definition TV (HDTV for short) and a 3D TV? What are the benefits of each and what do I recommend? I will first start to give you a brief overview on what each one is. Once thats done, I will give you my personal and professional opinion what is the best thing to go with. So lets get started.

So what is an HDTV? On Wikipedia, it says this: "High-definition television (HDTV) is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems (standard-definition television). HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD (1280 x 720 = 921,600 for 720p, or 1920 x 1080 = 2,073,600 for 1080p)."  Now if you ask me, that is a mouthful. What the heck does all that mean? Simply put, the quality of the picture in the HDTV is much better than in a regular TV. The colors and picture quality are much better. If you walk into an electronics store and ask them to show you a side by side comparison of a standard TV and an HDTV with a TV show or a movie from the same DVD or Blue Ray disc, you will be able to see the difference such as the quality of the picture showing up on the screen, the image on the screen doesn't look pixelated (distorted).  Now let's try to explain what those numbers that look like math problems mean.

The numbers are what is known as Frame Size and these are measured in pixels (single points that when put together make up a picture/image). On a TV this means the horizontal and the vertical size of the picture is what constitutes the frame size.  If you ever wondered what a 720 or 1080 number was on the label of one of these TVs, this implies the vertical size of the picture. So the higher the number, the better the picture whereas the lower the number, the more the picture will look distorted on your TV. Of course, the better the number, the more money you will need to dish out but we will get to that later.

I took from Wikipedia a table that shows the High-definition display resolutions:

Video format supported [image resolution]	Native resolution [inherent resolution] (W×H)	Pixels		Aspect ratio (W:H)		Description
		Actual	Advertised (Mpixel)	Image	Pixel
720p 1280×720	1024×768 XGA	786,432	0.8	4:3	4:3	Typically a PC resolution (XGA); also a native resolution on many entry-level plasma displays with non-square pixels.
	1280×720	921,600	0.9	16:9	1:1	Standard HDTV resolution and a typical PC resolution (WXGA), frequently used by high-end video projectors; also used for 750-line video, as defined in SMPTE 296M, ATSC A/53, ITU-R BT.1543.
	1366×768 WXGA	1,049,088	1.0	683:384 (approx. 16:9)	1:1	A typical PC resolution (WXGA); also used by many HD ready TV displays based on LCD technology.
1080p/1080i 1920×1080	1920×1080	2,073,600	2.1	16:9	1:1	Standard HDTV resolution, used by Full HD and HD ready 1080p TV displays such as high-end LCD, Plasma and rear projection TVs, and a typical PC resolution (lower than WUXGA); also used for 1125-line video, as defined in SMPTE 274M, ATSC A/53, ITU-R BT.709;

The table above just shows what HDTV is best for what situation. Unless you have the money and wish to splurge on yourself, I wouldn't go and get the one in the last entry of the table. I would see that more in a sports bar where it would be beneficial. Most cable/dish companies now offer HD channels free with your package if you have an HDTV (I recommend getting it). So now let's talk about the 3DTVs.

 Pretty self explanatory, a 3d TV projects a television image in 3 dimensions (3D). What is good about TVs like this is not only can it projects shows/movies in 3D, but any other shows that are still in the 2D format as well. They have the same concept of the resolution as a high definition tv, only in 3D format. One major difference is should you wish you watch anything in 3D (like a 3D Movie on Blue-Ray/DVD or a 3D channel on cable TV) you require special glasses. Some of these 3D TVs have glasses that require to be charged, and some others do not. Think of going to the movie theaters to watch a 3D movie, they provide you with glasses, so its the same concept as that, without the noise of the other people in the audience.

So what do I suggest to get? Let me start by saying I have checked out both. I personally own an HDTV from Sony and I have tested in the stores a 3DTV with the glasses. The best test to do with this is with one of my favorite movies "Tron Legacy" (if you haven't been able to tell how much of a geek I am, that should prove it LOL). I watched both movies and I will be honest. The 3DTV and the HDTV looked very crisp and just amazing, not to mention the sound. However, I have such a hard time having to deal with the glasses. I find it that after awhile, the glasses get a bit tight. Now I am know to take very good care of my electronic but I don't live by myself. I have a dog at home and he loves to jump around and grab things. My wife and I may also forget to move the glasses to a safe place so if we sit down and hear a crunch, there goes the glasses. If we have children over, and they grab hold of the glasses and pull them or scratch the lenses, then you are done for it. You will need to fork out a lot of money to replace the glasses. Most 3Dtvs come with 1 or 2 glasses (depending on the type of deal they may have). Lets say you broke 2 glasses, retail value to purchase just one can run you about 100 dollars.  So you are essentially paying 200 dollars for your pair of glasses. I don't know about you but I don't have that kind of money.

Again, if you have the money, then go for it but to be honest, I wouldn't waste my money on that. I have the best quality  with my HDTV at home and I get more satisfaction of going to the movies once in a blue moon to watch a movie in 3D there. Until the companies are able to design the 3DTVs in a way where you wont need glasses, I'd say hold off on spending money on the 3DTVs.

That's all for now. Be safe and happy.

Android Tablets vs Apple iPad (iOS)

I apologize for such a long delay between blogs but I wanted to take this time to do some research and testing for my latest blog.

For those that know me personally, will know I like to have the latest and greatest in technology (money permitting) so I can always be as up to date as I possible can. When this fails, I do the best in going to Tech Stores to play around with the devices as much as I can before the person who works there starts asking me what I am doing (LOL).

I was fortunate enough to have purchased the Motorola Xoom (Wi-Fi) which is an android tablet. Was also very fortunate to have used the Apple iPad thanks to a few people who have lend me the device. For the most part the Android Tablets operate the same despite all the makers and each one hardware wise may or may not be better than the other but for the purposes of this blog, I want to discuss my experience with 2 tablet OS (operating systems). The very commonly known one by Apple: iPad (1 and 2) and the Android Tablet. I will tell you what I thought of both devices as far as speed, and at the end I will provide my personal opinion on what I like best.

Let's start with the most common one: Apple's iPad. The iPad is based off the same technology as the iPhone and iPod touch, which is touch screen with icons called applications (Apps for short). Currently the latest operating system for the devices is 5.01. I will go under the assumption the device is updated to the latest software. There are currently 2 versions of the iPad as of this writing: iPad and iPad 2. The biggest difference that you can see from both devices physically is the iPad 2 has a built-in camera. Otherwise the functionality is the same.

Apple iPad was released in 2010 so it is still relatively new but on its debut sold 3 million in 80 days. The device is not heavy, runs pretty quick and is very user friendly. Any app you can think of is available in the App store located on your device and in your iTunes (so as long as you have an account). For each version of the iPad you have 2 options: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + 3G. The difference between the two is quite simple. The later requires a cellular/data plan with a wireless provider (AT&T, Verizon, etc) where the Wi-Fi only does not. All you need for that one is access to a Wi-Fi hotspot (whether its a free one from a place like Starbucks or a secure one like your own home). Each iPad has 3 storage options: 16, 32, or 64 GB. The storage is internal, meaning you cant remove it like you would a memory card from a camera. There are adapters that will allow you to use extra memory with it but in general you cant add more. Now to me, the use of a tablet (of any kind) is a mobile device that essentially will let me do my work like a computer would do for me at home. It helps simplify my work with a portable, non bulky device and knowing I can access the Internet on it will help me tremendously.

Now an Android Tablet, for lack of a better term, is essentially the same as an iPad Tablet with some noticeable difference. The Android operating system is based off a Linux operating system for mobile devices It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. iOS from Apple is derived from the operating system MAC OSX, which is a Unix like foundation. Another difference is that Apple owns iOS, so you cant take this and install it onto any device that is not an Apple device. However, with the Android OS, you can install it on a Motorola mobile device, a Samsung Device, an HTC Device, even the new Amazon Kindle has the Android OS.

Certain Android devices may have different version of the OS but essentially works the same. And some devices may have better hardware than others. So lets stick to the concept on the basics. It also has apps just like the app store on iTunes but with a slight difference and advantage. In the iTunes store, most of the apps you need to buy in order to use them. Some are trial and free with certain limitations. The android marketplace (app store) has the same apps but the great thing is, most of the same apps are free with no limitations or much more affordable.  The apps also on the Android have the option to close out of them when you hit the back key. So it wont still be running in the background draining your battery. The apps on the iPad when you click on the home button will look like it has closed it but if you double press the home button, you will see all the apps that are still running even though you visually cant see them. The developers for the Android apps (newer apps that is) took the extra time to ensure when you hit that back or home button it prompts if you want to exit or minimize. Apple as of this entry has not done that with their apps.

So a side by side comparison, lets say you are someone like me and loves to have a lot of space and loves to use Wi-Fi. An Apple iPad2 64GB Wi-Fi only tablet will run you about 700 US Dollars. YIKES! Now lets take my most recent purchase, the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi. It currently comes up to 32GB for 350 US dollars, and I can purchase an additional 32GB microSD card to place it into the Xoom's slot for at least 30 US dollars at best making it a total of 380 dollars. I'd say I am getting more bang for my buck. Great thing with my microSD card, I can switch it out anytime I want with another if I run out of space, If i run out of space on the ipad, I need to delete stuff from it and make sure I back it up on the physical computer.
Accessories for the Android devices tend to be more affordable. An example, lets take external chargers for the Xoom and the iPad 2. On Apple's store, an original external charger will run you at least 40 dollars. On Motorola's store, the external charger is 20 Dollars. That's half the price from Apple!

So my personal opinion, when it comes down to what I would choose to be my portable tablet for my computing purposes, I simply must say the Android tablet. If you have the money and are loyal to Apple then go for the iPad but I do wish to say this ... try the Android Tablet. Most rent-a-center these days allow you to rent the devices. Try them out for a couple of weeks. I think you will see how much easier and efficient the Android Tablet can be.

Primary Cell Phone Providers - Which is the best one?

In today's blog, I would like to take the time to touch on a common topic of conversation most of my friends, colleagues, relatives and online acquaintances tend to ask me: Which of the most common cell phone provider do you think is the better one? Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint?

I can say that I am one of the few people who has actually used all 4 of the companies listed above. In my line of work as a computer support specialist, most places have devices on each of the providers shown above. Some companies have a preference which they use the most, others just allow for anyone to bring in their devices so as long as they meet certain requirements. I will briefly discuss the customer service for each company in detail as far as my experience is concerned. I will then talk about the service/coverage for each company. Next will be the devices I have mostly tested, which ones i liked/disliked and why. Then I will also talk about which provider I use now and why. I will also do a side note on the new MetroPCS provider and give you my personal take on what they have to offer. Finally I will give you my personal preference from best to worst.

Let's start off with Sprint. Most people don't know or remember this but the company started off as Brown Telephone Company, then United Telecommunications, GTE Sprint, MCI WorldCom, then Nextel and now Sprint Nextel. So its safe to assume one of the following: They have years of experience and grew to what they are now, or They haven't been successful and decided to change the names to make it sound like a totally new company. I think its the later ... Rust painted by any other color is still rust.
The products they had/have are great products. I remember having the MCI WorldCom service many years ago, I had the Motorola Startac phone. One of the best mobile phones of its time. However, I clearly remember how bad their customer service was back in those days. It was so bad that not even after my year was up, I called to cancel my account. They tried to threaten me in making me pay for the $200 dollar cancellation fee. Luckily, I had my original contract that was given to me at the time I had signed up where it clearly stated I did not have a cancellation fee and if they even tried to charge me for one, I would sue them and take it to the press. That ended the conversation really quick. Now fast forward to the present time, company known as Sprint. After acquiring the technology from NexTel with the Push-to-Talk walkie talkie, it has gotten a little better, expect the coverage wasn't all that great. When working at another company, the second level support team that I worked with had to work with Sprint in order to activate the Blackberries and ensure the push-to-talk (PTT) would work. The tech support I would work with were kind and knowledgeable so it appears it has gotten a little better.

Next up we have T-Mobile. Here is a fun fact that a lot of people do not know. T-Mobile is actually a German mobile telephone provider owned by Deutsche Telekom. Before it was called T-Mobile USA, the previous name was VoiceStream Wireless (remember the actress Jaime-Lee Curtis in these commercials?) Let's start with the customer service. Their customer service was probably one of the best ones during the time it went from VoiceStreem to T-Mobile. Not too often when a company gets bought out do you still continue to receive great customer service. The people in the 2nd level support of T-Mobile actually took the time to explain why something was or wasn't working and they would speak to you as a person and use regular layman terms instead of talking techie. The devices they had were pretty good, especially if you were on a budget and can only get a free device. The ones that were offered were really nice ones. I remember getting a cool Samsung SGH-T809 which was a slide phone, camera (takes pics and video) and a great MP3 player on it too. The phone coverage started out very good. Almost any place I went to I had coverage, excluding the underground subway. I was with T-Mobile for a good 3 years, which was the longest cell phone provider I had ever been with at the time. I was no longer on a contract so I never had to worry about closing my account and getting charged a cancellation fee. I then started to experience some dropped calls and where I used to always have a reception, now I wouldn't even get a single bar of reception. I decided to gut it out cause they still took good care of me by giving me either a free month for my troubles and sometimes a free upgrade to a new phone without the renewal of the contract. That was OK at first but when it came down to it, getting my calls was more important that the freebies, so I cancelled my T-mobile service and moved my number over to another provider.


Now we will talk about AT&T. AT&T snuck up and was able to manage to jump on this one with acquiring the iPhone in a long 5 year deal. A lot of people actually jumped from their current providers to AT&T just to get on board with the iPhone (bear in mind this is only for the US that i am referring to). Now lets backtrack on AT&T's cell phone history. It was originally just Cingular (which was a joint company venture of Bell South and SBC communications, which was formally known as AT&T). During this time the phones that Cingular provided were great quality and the customer service was just amazing. I remember having an issue with one of my phones back then, a Palm Treo 650. No matter what was done, I had soo many issues that I was ready to cancel my contract. After working with several techs and speaking to a supervisor, not only did I get a newer phone (Palm Treo 670) but I got 2 months of service for free. So i stayed with them and was happy. I eventually had to end the contract about 6 months later due to financial issues. Cingular then gets bought back by AT&T in 2005 and ever since then, the customer service has dropped. They still had some good devices such as the Blackberries and wireless air-cards but they started to focus more on marketing the roll-over mins and not listening to the customers and their problems. They also went as far as marketing how they cover a lot of the US. The problem with that is, they were never clear what the coverage was. Why do you think Verizon won that battle on their coverage? So what do I think saved AT&T? The answer is simple: Apple's iPhone. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy how the iPhone works and I believe the way AT&T locked that contract down to 5 years preventing other wireless phone companies in the US to get their hands on it. AT&T should had focused on working with the customer and listening to them. Because of that, Verizon is the top leading wireless provider in the US.

Finally, the provider that I am currently with right now, Verizon Wireless. A brief history on Verizon Wireless now. They used to be known as Bell Atlantic Mobile, Nynex Mobile and at one point was a subsidiary of AT&T. It then became AirTouch Communications which merged with Vodafone Group, which then bought out Bell Atlantic Mobile and AirTouch Paging and thus becoming Verizon Wireless. Now Verizon Wireless has been known to have the best mobile service in the US and the proof can be found in the following link (http://cell-phone-providers-review.toptenreviews.com/). The reason for this is the customer service and technical support staff are excellent. They work with the customer, listen to them, provide the best solutions and if it comes down to it, will replace your device and try to keep you happy. The plans they offer provide the most optimal performance depending on what your needs are. For example, you want a no frills phone that allows you to make calls, send text messages and allows for you to have a vm, they can get you something like that. If you are someone like me who enjoys multi-tasking, taking pictures and video clips, watching YouTube, doing multimedia stuff like listening to Radio online or watching online TV, they have a phone and plans for that. They work with you with your needs and your budgets. They will offer you extras and you have the option to take them or now. It isn't forced down your throat like others. The quality of the phones is excellent and all of their phones have insurance on them so if something were to every happen to the phone, you get a new one at no cost. The only way you get that with an AT&T phone is if you have purchased the phone with your American Express card, and only they will be able to work on getting you a brand new one free of cost. Otherwise, its get a new one out of your pocket or get a loser cost freebie one.
T-mobile has certain phones as well tat you can put insurance on but not all the phones. (ie, the G1 doesnt allow you to get insurance on it). So you heard all the good stuff about Verizon Wireless and its services, now here are the bad things. Unlike its competitors (T-Mobile and AT&T), the majority of Verizon's cell phones(as well as Sprint's mobile phones) uses CDMA Technology, which only will work in the US. AT&T and T-Mobile uses GSM Technology, which will allow you to use the phone in the US and overseas. If you ever had to take the battery out of your phone, you will notice what is known as a SIM card. The SIM card is what will allow you to use the phone overseas. There are a few Verizon phones that are now carrying this but it is a little extra to pay for. (More info regarding CDMA and GSM can be found at the following link: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-gsm-and-cdma.htm)
Verizon is getting better at working on the technology to provide both CDMA and GSM in devices such as the Blackberry, which is great. But for someone like me who has a Motorola Droid phone, I may need to contact Verizon and pay a little extra in the hopes it will work overseas for the time I am away. Since I dont do a lot of traveling, this works for me and I dont have too much of a problem. However, if you travel a lot, you may want to consider getting a Verizon device that will allow you to work overseas with.

Now my side note on Metro PCS. The company is fairly brand new, only been around since Sept of this year and yet, they have started to pick up a huge following. The part that stands out the most is the no contract, no surprise fees, not $40-ish, just $40 promotion. That is great marketing. This is also another company that uses CDMA technology. Here is my problem with it. The technology it is using, while amazing it may be being the first CDMA company to introduce a 4G mobile device for an affordable price, is expensive. So here is where the questions start to come up. If it is this good, will the prices eventually go higher? will they begin implementing hidden fees in the future in order to cover the costs? You might be asking me why I may think that and I have the answer. Not so long ago, a new wireless provide came out called Amp'd Mobile. It started up at around 2006 with great services and prices as well as terrific customer service. MTV and Universal Music Group were 2 of its investors and provided a wide range of services. I signed up with them and never had any issues. I have unlimited texts and picture messages, like TV and radio and because Amp'd used the Verizon Wireless's EV-DO network, I had the best coverage all around.
The plans were incredibly affordable and offered a lot of stuff for so little. So many people got hooked with it and this started to be the downfall for Amp'd Mobile. Many subscribers took advantage of this and began not paying for their service, but the way Amp'd handled that was to not worry so much about it. This in turn lead Verizon Wireless to inact the Bankruptcy Protection to Amp'd and threatened to cut their services if they could not pay. The company filed for bankruptcy a year later and thus the end came for Amp'd mobile. This is a reason why I have mixed feelings about MetroPCS. Lets see if they can manage to last past a year and then we will revisit this.

Now we have come to the moment where I will provide what my ratings are from best to worst and what I can recommend to get. I will use the 1 - 10 rating with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst. The rating will involve the coverage and the customer support.

Verizon Wireless:  9
AT&T:  7
T-Mobile: 5
Sprint: 3

*MetroPCS is a good first phone to get if you are on a tight budget but dont expect the best of services in all areas yet but you can get a prepaid phone from one of the other providers.

Now as far as what I recommend, that will depend on your needs. Whether you are staying in the US or traveling abroad, I would recommend doing some research with Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Those are the best pics and offer the better deals.

Hopefully you will have found this informative and should you have any questions, don't heasitate to ask.

New Games vs Used Games

In today's blog, I will talk about my personal experience on purchasing new games and old games, the pro's and con's and what I highly suggest/recommend people do.

I love to play video games. I have almost every current video gaming system: PSP, PS3, XBOX 360 & Wii.
I cant say that I am a hardcore gamer who owns a gaming chair with huge sub-woofers and Video Gaming glasses to make it look like virtural reality, but I like to play every now and then. With that being said, I had an experience this past weekend that merrits talking about it.

I tend to shop at GameStop. I have been there for years, multiple locations around NY and two in the NJ area when I was working there. The people who work there for the most part know what they are doing and have yet to give me a bad recomendation on what game to get for which system. Recently, I had an issue with 2 particular locations that annoyed the hell out of me.

I had purchased in one of the locations 2 used games: Metal Gear Solid 4 for the PS3 and the New Super Mario for the Wii. I bought them and kept my receipt and went home. I didnt think anything about it cause I had purchase from that place before and never had any issues. about a month passed and i was in the mood of playing games again so I started playing the Metal Gear game and been enjoying it until i got to one part of the game that always froze. Couldnt understand why, until i looked under the game and saw a scratch on it. No matter what I did to fix it, it would still freeze at that point. So I got annoyed and decided to play the Super Mario game on the Wii and it would not load at all, so when I looked under the game, it was more scratched up than the other one. I was extremely annoyed and I couldnt do much about it cause I had tossed the receipt out weeks ago. This got me to think ... if they were able to sell me something that didnt work, that means they would buy it back. So I took a chance of not saying anything and going to the GS where I had purchased the games. The guy was surprised that i was selling such new games and I was like "I finished them already" so he nodded, took down my info and purchased my games back. The funny part of this whole situation was he DID look and saw the scratches under the games, and still took them anyway.

I am all about saving some money, so if I want to get a game without breaking the bank, I would go to a play like GameStop or Electronics Boutique, go to the pre-owned section and look through the games. You can save from 5 dollars to almost 25 dollars depending on the game and whether or not it is still in its original case with the manuals, as opposed to buying a $50 game (give or take a few). Thats the good thing, now here is the bad thing.

When purchasing a pre-owned game, you tend to run the risk the game might be damaged. The bad thing about that is, you will never know it until you get home. The reason for this is that nowadays, the stores who buy back the games dont really care. Sure they buy the games back and make you fill out something confirming you are selling them the games, but what they dont do is check the games to ensure they work. They just enter it onto the computer, print out a new price tag stating it is a used game and put it up on display. All it takes for a game is to have a scratch in just the right spot for it to freeze up when you are playing.

Then you have these "geniuses" behind the counter who are having you pay for your used games, put it in a bag for you, hand you the receipt and then you head home getting ready to play the game, you open the case only to realize they forgot to put the game into the case, and then you have to rush right back to get the game.

As far as I am concerned, it is a hit or miss situation. For the longest, I've had the best experiences in getting used games but lately most places dont care anymore so if you want to avoid the hassel and frustration, I recommend purchasing the games either in the store brand new in its shrink wrap paper, or if you can wait a little longer, look online for the best deals for new games. I normally find great deals with Amazon.com for brand new games. Walmart is also a good place to go in person to get new games. As far as eBay is concern, I use it a few times but if you arent comfortable using eBay to get things like that, you are better off not doing so.

Enjoy todays tip.