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The Abuse of Twitter

Posted by Technology Guider On March - 9 - 2012ADD COMMENTS

As you can probably tell I have become incessantly involved with Twitter and some would maybe say too addicted. Although it probably is true, it’s not the topic of conversation today. After hitting my 1000th tweet (thank you, thank you…) I reflected on what I had posted throughout the time that I’ve been on Twitter. Sure there were times when I had posted garbage that got reaction but there were also times when I had something meaningful to say and I got nothing in response.

This can go back to how our generation reacts to news. We tend to create a storm with sensational stories whilst the real hard-hitting news tends to get buried. Now don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t happen all the time but more often than not we talk more about Kim Kardashian or Justin Bieber than we do about the crisis in the Middle East. I also tend to get wrapped up in it, as do most people; although I can safely say those two aforementioned celebrities consume a grand total of zero minutes out of my day.

The real gripe I have though is how way too many people decide to use social media. In many cases, the original focus of the sites has gotten lost in translation and has now turned into a poster boy for one of the things that’s wrong with our society. Facebook is a clear example of this and Twitter is now well on its way as it continues to grow in leaps and bounds. I recently went over my cousins tweets and I have seen this case time and time again on Facebook. Most of what it contains is a mishmash of mindless jibber jabber. A small collection of her tweets includes: “I’mmm hungrryy”, “What an idiot”, “I can’t concentrate omfg” “seriously”. Now imagine 8,088 of these. These tweets aren’t responses to someone else, they’re just sent out randomly with no ‘sense of place’ (just trying to bring in my urban planning background).

When I see this I wonder what provokes someone to randomly go on Twitter and post something like this and I ask, what’s the point? What do you gain from this? In reality I’m not sure how much you can possibly gain from this and it boils down to people just finding other ways to waste their time in a more public setting.

Now I know there are no rules on Twitter and I’m not suggesting there should be but Twitter was designed to reinforce the power of place. To illustrate this I’ll tell you a story about Twitter’s beginnings.

‘The creators of Twitter were at a conference in Austin, TX attending a seminar when all of a sudden groups of people just got up and left the room. Now it wasn’t because the seminar had ended and nobody announced anything because the PA system was non-existent. What the creators soon realized is that people were using their cellphones and laptops to access Twitter and communicate with people that there was an interesting lecture down the hall. The people in the lecture didn’t know the people attending the seminar but they had a common link. All of them were attending the local conference. Twitter was the only technology in existence at that time, which allowed people to act as one. The next day, the creators incorporated Twitter, giving rise to Twitter Inc.’

Twitter has the ability to bring random people together whether it be over a common movement such as #KONY2012 (Research the organization before you promote it as I made the mistake of believing every word the organization spewed out), or a common place such as promoting a local festival. Sadly, more and more people are using it for all the wrong reasons, which are reinforcing the stereotypes of our generation. Let’s start using Twitter and other social media platforms in a more constructive way supporting ideas and thoughts that we believe in.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The Power of Twitter

Posted by Technology Guider On February - 28 - 20121 COMMENT

I have had a Twitter account since 2005, well two actually, but I never really used it, much like what’s happening with my Google+ account. Up till 2011 it was just sitting there almost collecting dust. Then I got my Samsung Galaxy S2 and things started to change slightly. I tweeted more with random, unimportant tidbits of my life and what I was seeing at that time. At first there were no real reactions (maybe that’s because I had so few followers) but then I started to understand the full capabilities of Twitter.

For me the full revelation came on February 9, 2012 when I was checking my home page on Twitter at the dinner table. Yes I know it was not good manners but the dinner was winding down so I had a few seconds. What happened though is someone in Ottawa tweeted to a sports reporter on TSN who has a huge following that he had an extra Ottawa Senators ticket for the following Saturday. He wanted this reporter to retweet it to his followers to see if there were any takers. I replied and we started talking to set it up. Since I’m from Toronto the logistics were tough and someone from Ottawa eventually got it but it spoke to me. I would never have met this guy were it not for Twitter. The power to connect two strangers, which is the complete opposite business model of Facebook, which aims to rekindle lost friendships, was pretty amazing.
Since then I have been trying to refocus my tweets so they become more meaningful to a specific group such as when I tweet with the hashtag #GOTrain so people taking the GO Train can follow it. Recently I tweeted about problems with my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and within an hour or two Ford of Canada Customer Care had replied to me. I updated them on my situation and not only did they provide direct information but they added a touch of personality to it telling me:
“Try not to miss your baby too much :)
I still have yet to grasp the full potential of Twitter but my aim is to explore it further and try and connect with people I may not have before.

 

 

Popularity: 5% [?]

Samsung Galaxy S II Review

Posted by Technology Guider On December - 29 - 2011ADD COMMENTS

If you have been reading this website, you will realize that I finally bulked up (or bulked down, depending on how you view it) from my Blackberry 8820 to a superphone, the Samsung Galaxy S II. When I was walking to the store to pick it up, I had butterflies in my stomach and I could not wait till it was in my hands. I did a lot of work to acquire this phone and so I was overjoyed to finally have it. With that being said, here’s my review and I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible :P .

The Device

When people first saw my new phone, the first thing that people said was “Isn’t that phone big?” or something along those lines. I was completely blown away as to how many people said that. In retrospect, yes it is big but isn’t size relative? I mean, when the first iPod Touch came out, wasn’t that a big mp3 player compared to the norm? Yes it has a 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus screen that provides amazing clarity but to me, it’s not big. In fact, this phone is the thinnest and lightest in the Canadian market coming in at 8.49mm and 117g which in my opinion, makes up for the “bigness” of the phone. To put that into perspective, the iPhone has a 3.5″ screen and weighs in at 137g with its thinnest point being 9.3mm. To the casual observer this may not be a striking difference but compare it side-by-side and you’re looking at apples and oranges. They’re both fruit but strikingly different qualities.

I’ll admit that at first it was a little awkward to handle, but like transitioning from a physical keyboard to a virtual one, the end result has left me with no regrets. The ironic thing is, when I go back to my iPod Touch, it feels incredibly small but when I go from my iPad to my Samsung Galaxy S II, I don’t get that same feeling.

Another major difference between the Samsung Galaxy S II are the buttons on the bottom. Most Android smartphones have 4 buttons compared to the SGSII’s 3 which usually goes Menu, Home, Search and Return. I prefer the 3 button scheme that Samsung used on the GS2 because it’s less cluttered and there’s a definable center to it.

Software

I haven’t used the first iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S, but supposedly the new interface, TouchWIZ 4, is a drastic improvement from its predecessor. Most notably, the aesthetics and performance have been improved. I can’t speak much to this because I don’t use the default interface as I have installed an application called GoLauncher EX to replace it. I am currently fiddling with it and finding it quite versatile so I will keep you up to date on that one. Just recently though I updated my SGS2 from the stock 2.3.3 that Bell provides to a custom ROM called Sensation ROM 1.9 that has upgraded me to 2.3.5. The most notable improvements are the battery life (very significant) and when you scroll to the top and bottom, it flashes to let you know it’s reached the end. The call screen is more refined and allows for easier access to contact information. Overall, I’m in love with the software and thus the interface.

Battery Life

As I mentioned above, I’ve upgraded my phone and with that upgrade has come significant battery improvements. Before it would last me from about 10am-2am and the battery would be in critical mode. Thus when I would be heading out that night without my power cord I would recharge it before hitting the town. Now with the upgrade I have no worries as to whether it will last the day or not. On a power hungry day I’ll be down to 25% and on regular days it’ll be closer to 50% battery life left.

Features

Building on the software aspect of this phone, I was surprised to learn with the release of ICS, that a lot of the features that were innovative on it, were already a part of the SGS2. One feature was the “Reject a call with a text message”. This is a really cool feature and was already on my phone when I got it. It comes in handy for sure. I also enjoy the screen after the end of a call where it gives you the option of sending a message or calling again to that same contact. Another “cool” feature in ICS is being able to uninstall apps from the launcher. On my SGS2 I can do hold the apps and click uninstall. I can also drag apps from my home screen up to the top to remove it from the home screen.

Conclusion

Overall I am very happy with my SGS2. The only problem I had with it was the battery life but since that’s been resolved it’s been a dream to have. I still use my iPod Touch as it’s a great music player which I do believe Google still needs to improve on but since I like having two devices anyways I’m happy. Google is making strides with this, with the introduction of Google Music and so it will be interesting to see how it shapes up in the future.

If you have any questions about the SGS2 please don’t hesitate to ask and if any of you have comments about your experience with the SGS2 add them here. Until next time…

Popularity: 9% [?]

The Carrier Switch: Phase Three

Posted by Technology Guider On August - 25 - 2011ADD COMMENTS

This is the final installment in this series. The moment you have ALL been waiting for is finally here. As you can probably tell, I have made my choice. The following is a list of steps that I did to get the best deal in my opinion.

Step 1

I basically decided that to get the possible deal I would need to take over someones contract. To do this, I went onto Cellswapper, Kijiji and Craigslist in search of someone who had a free HUP and was willing to do a contract takeover. This can be an arduous process but in the end it worked out. i got a new phone, a great contract and some more buying power that I wouldn’t have received if I was a brand new customer.

Step 2

Next you need to get into contact with a seller that fits your needs as some offer a longer contract but a free phone. From there, many things can happen because exchanging a contract can be a very tricky process since the new party wants to verify some details about the contract and the current contract holder doesn’t want to get screwed over. In my case, he added my name to the account, I negotiated for a retention plan. Once i was satisfied with my plan, I confirmed and then we did the account transfer. The next day I did my free hardware upgrade to my current, beautiful phone which I will do a review on later.

Step 3

Enjoy your new contract and phone! The details on what I got myself into are:

  • Samsung Galaxy S 2 with Bell Mobility

Plan Details ($49.50/month + taxes)

  • 200 Anytime
  • Unlimited E/W at 7pm
  • Nationwide Fab 10
  • Caller ID and Messaging Centre
  • Unlimited MMS/SMS…
  • 1gb data

Overall I am extremely happy and when the school term starts I’m going to try and add some long distance minutes for free onto it. If I am successful I will add it on here.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Carrier Switch: Phase Two

Posted by Technology Guider On August - 21 - 2011ADD COMMENTS

For this phase I’m trying to gain an understanding of what exactly I’m looking for. Since I’ll be sticking with my choice for up to 3 years I’ll need to put some thought into what phone I get, what type of plan I’m looking for and what carrier I’ll be going with.

Phone

I traditionally keep my phones for 2 years and make a switch to something new and although my current phone is a Blackberry 8820 and might be older than me, I’ve had it in my hands for 2 years so it’s time for something new. In this day and time, technology moves so fast that I’ll definitely need to buy a top of the line phone such as the HTC Sensation 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II. I am also heavily leaning towards an Android device and I can get into the reasons in a whole other post but I’ll leave that for another time. The basic premise for me jumping from Blackberry to Android is because it’s super fast, upgraded hardware and very easy to customize.

Plan

My cousin recently signed with Bell and her sister is probably going to do the exact same thing. Her plan is absolutely amazing and I am going to try and mold my plan after theirs. It consists of the following:

  • 200 Anytime Minutes
  • Unlimited messaging
  • Unlimited E/W at 7pm
  • 1GB Data
  • CID/Message Centre
  • 100 LD minutes
  • Nationwide Fab10

This is all for $49.50+tax CDN. Hopefully I can get a plan that resembles this fairly closely and I would be satisfied. Due to my cousin already getting this I am leaning towards trying to get this out of Bell. It also doesn’t help that Bell currently sells four Superphones including the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Carrier

As mentioned above I am leaning towards Bell because of the potential opportunity with the plan and their lineup of superphones. My backup is going to be Telus because of their customer service but I may have to wait to land a decent phone from them.

 

Update: I knew it would be hard to land a decent plan being a new customer so I’ve developed an alternate strategy. As previously mentioned in my post about landing a better cellphone plan, I am going to use Cellswaper as well as Kijiji/Craigslist to try and take over a contract. This can take time as people back out and don’t respond sometimes and it can be frustrating but in the end you can get the plan you’re looking for.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Carrier Switch: Phase One

Posted by Technology Guider On August - 21 - 20111 COMMENT

I came up with this series mainly to document my struggles and joys with switching from one carrier to another. I am learning many things including what options to exercise and really how cutthroat the wireless industry is. I had initial idea of what I wanted to do when I set on this learning experience. That initial idea involved just going to Wind Mobile and picking a top-end phone that was compatible with their network. Like everything in life, it wasn’t so easy.

Why I Didn’t Go This Path

Wind Mobile is expanding at a rapid rate but has still left voids in its current coverage area leaving me skeptic about a brand new coverage area in KW. Although I am a student and I really should have low needs and a low budget, I am also constantly looking for a new job for the next co-op term or communicating with my current employer. It wouldn’t be the best situation if I had a potential employer on the line and the call gets dropped or they place a call to me and I’m in a dead zone so they can’t get a hold of me. Sure it’s probably going to be fairly rare but at the end of the day I’m not going to go with a more robust network which the Big Three can offer me in the Kitchener/Waterloo region.

The price (and new smartphones) keep on enticing me but with network quality so important I decided it wasn’t in my best interest for now. Hopefully down the road they’ll still be there with competitive prices and updated phones so I can give them another shot.

My New Options

With Wind Mobile out of the picture (keep in mind I’m not considering Mobilicity & Public Mobile due to their lack of coverage in KW), I was left with the Big Three and their side brands. Outlined below is my current opinion on the carriers I have to choose from.

Fido – My current carrier has done fairly well for me but because it’s a discount brand, the phones do lack in quality (they’ve added the LG O2x and Nexus S which are two great phones). I have a decent plan but what really threw me off was a horrible mishap that they handled even worse and a call into the CSR to upgrade. Not everyone will experience this so take the following with a grain of salt.

  • Mishap -I basically lost my SIM and so I needed to replace it. I went in to purchase one; got home and put it in. Called Fido; they did some stuff and then they told me to power down and restart. I did as I was told and hung up. My Blackberry took a long time to load up but when it did, I had someones account with their number. I called Fido back and they had no clue how it happened and I was just going to have to wait. They also told me I was free to use the account however I pleased. The next day, I’m calling Fido to figure out the status of my situation and lo and behold, I can’t make a phone call because they’ve cut my service off. Luckily I’m in a mall with a Fido store so I go in and the guy sells me a SIM card and I’m finally back to my old account after a call in to Fido. Best I get for my troubles in unlimited local calling for the month.
  • CSR – I was able to let go of the above situation because other than that, Fido was pretty good to me. My friend recently got a contract renewal so I decided I’d try the same. The guy I talked to laughed at me when I mentioned it and told me I’d never get it. The way he acted actually disgusted me and from that point I vowed not to go back. I felt hugely mistreated for making such a simple call that usually gets a yes or no answer.

Rogers - Although they are a powerhouse, I have never enjoyed dealing with them and our family (among others) has had considerable problems with them. Granted most other wireless companies do, I have had first hand experience with them. With that being said, there’s little chance I will choose them especially considering the above experiences as well.

Bell – I had never heard a good thing about Bell in regards to customer service support and as you can tell I’m not a big fan of poor customer service. The restructuring of BCE, Bell’s parent company, in 2008 marked a turn for the better with a focus on better customer and tech support. I have still heard stories but it didn’t seem as bad and what wireless company doesn’t have a bad story or two?

Telus – This is actually probably the only wireless company I have not heard a bad thing about so far but then again the only person I know who’s on Telus is my Dad and he doesn’t have many issues as he’s on prepaid and barely uses the phone. The reason though I will not be considering these guys is because they don’t offer some of the top phones (although they will probably be releasing the Samsung Galaxy S II variant, Hercules).

From here, I’ll have to decide where I want to go and there will be sacrifices on the way. The factors playing into my choice are:

  • Hardware Choices (i.e. what types of cell phones they offer)
  • Plan Choice (i.e. what kind of a package can I get)
  • Price (i.e. pretty self-explanatory :P )

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Carrier Switch: How to get the Best Cell Phone Plan

Posted by Technology Guider On August - 2 - 20111 COMMENT

Cellphone plans are tricky and half of us don’t even look at our bill. We just pay it, not knowing they are over charging us or that it was possible to get Caller ID for free. This post details some sure fire ways to get a deal on your current plan or a future plan. I myself am trying to wring out a new plan from one of the carriers and I have learned some lessons along the way and I am still learning new information.

Current Plan Owners

  • Ask to Cancel – Even though you do not have the slightest inclination to cancel, call in to your respective carrier and just ask how much it will cost to cancel. I did that just to figure out the cost because I was curious, knowing full well that the price tag was going to be outrageous ($350) but as soon as they quote you, they’ll ask if you want to speak to a Customer Service Representative (herein referred to as CSR). Say yes and then just wait till they offer you concessions. Mine was free Caller ID for a year (worth $7) because I was such a loyal customer (almost 3 years).
  • Retention Plan – When you are ready for an upgrade or your contract is up for renewal, a lot of carriers are willing to cut you a deal for staying along for the ride. This can be in the form of a price discount or more features. Whatever the case may be, wait until the last week or so for them to call you. If they don’t call, they may not love you enough or they forgot, so give them a shout and try to get an idea of what they’re willing to offer. Usually the first time may not garner you the best offer so try again later. One tip I have heard is to almost play dumb and pray for a woman to pick up (they’re usually more willing to offer you something). When I say play dumb, I mean act like you do not know the features out there but say you call your parents a lot so it would be nice not to worry about cost. From there they’ll offer you a discounted LD plan. This advice is very arbitrary and it all depends on what you’re looking for but hopefully it’s a starting point.

New Activations

  • Compare to a Comparable Carrier – That’s a lot of C’s in that phrase but you get the point. In Canada at least, none of the Big 3 will flinch if you mention you’re moving to one of the new carriers because they know they can’t match it. Mention that another one of the Big 3 carriers is offering Caller ID/VM in their plan. Half the time they’ll match it and half the time they won’t. If they don’t, call back and try again. Once you get the plan you’re looking for, take down the CSR’s name, extension and the final plan details because when you go to activate the phone you may not get the same person so it’s nice to have proof. I have heard countless stories of people getting a good deal through a CSR, going in-store and getting burned.
  • Wait – Many people jump at the newest phone and just sign a new contract but half the time, a better plan is waiting around the corner. The two best times to get a plan is during the Back-to-School and Christmas season.

Using Websites

  • MyCellMyTerms- I’m putting this at the top because it is turning out to be an amazing website. It’s absolutely free to the consumer and you lose nothing. I first heard about this type of business model in regards to car buying but it can be applied anywhere else. Basically how the site works is, a prospective buyer outlines their desired plan with either one of their pre-made plans or a plan you design yourself. This includes the minutes, data, texting and any other features. The website then submits your proposal to its network of dealers and you just wait for offers to come your way. I signed up last night, got an offer within two hours (which I countered) and then a counter offer the next morning. If you decide to close on a deal, the customer doesn’t pay a cent; the dealer who connected the wireless carrier with you, will pay a commission to the website. CANADA ONLY (Select provinces for now)

Update: I have now received four offers as of August 4th, 2011 which is less than 3 days since I posted my ideal cellphone plan. The best offer I’ve gotten is from a dealer associated with Bell. The offer is at the bottom and I have just countered it so we’ll see what comes back. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 5% [?]

The Carrier Switch Series

Posted by Technology Guider On August - 2 - 2011ADD COMMENTS

This year has been marked with some huge advancements in the wireless industry. The Android OS has finally taken off, dual-core processors have been released with quad-core processors in the works, 4G networks are slowly making their way to your community as well as many more things. The big thing for me is, as of September 24, 2011, my 3 year contract expires. Up to this point, I have contemplated what to do about this situation. This series will chronicle all the mishaps, joys and thoughts about this personal experience that I am about to go through.

All of the posts related to this series will be linked on here as well as a snippet of upcoming posts. The first post in this series is going to highlight how you, the consumer, can get a better deal on your current plan or upcoming one.

How to get the Best Cell Phone Plan

The Carrier Switch: Phase One

The Carrier Switch: Phase Two

The Carrier Switch: Phase Three

Popularity: 5% [?]

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