Good News in a Cloudy Lining

So I signed up at work to receive my W2 forms electronically. They said you would receive them earlier if you did this. Cool. So, I get my W2, and load up Turbo Tax to do my taxes. I am getting a $2,200 refund (which should just about cover my expenses for my father passing; cremation, trip to NY, car rental, etc).

Unfortunately, a form that I need to fill out as part of my taxes will not be available until Feb 7th. So much for doing anything early.

So… 4 more days until I can file to get some of my own money back.

Why Doesn’t My Bank Trust Me?

So… I took out a loan from my 401k (to act as a debt consolidation loan, hey I might as well be paying myself back instead of someone else). So I went to deposit this rather large check in my checking account. When I did this my credit union told me that only $200 of it would be available today, in a couple of business days another $4,800 would be available, and after 7 business day the rest would be available.

Granted, this check was for a large sum, and I am sure this is just a standard policy. But why doesn’t my history come into play. And with a check from Merill Lynch no less. I can understand putting limitations on a personal check, or if I was a recent member of the Credit Union. But I have been a member of this credit union for over 20 years. For 20 years I have had my paycheck auto deposited. Through three jobs (Air Force, Large Insurance Firm, Current Job).

Doesn’t 20 years of history count for anything? Are they worried that I set up this account to fraud them on this one check. Did I spend over 20 years building a cover story just so I could con them this this one time. That really would be a long con.

It just seems to me there should be a point where trust should come before policy. No, not immediately. Trust is earned. 20 years should be enough time to establish trust with a financial institution… don’t you think?

iPhone to Stereo – The Easy Way

This morning I had my occasional Special Sunday Morning. My Special Sunday Morning consists of a great cup of coffee made with my French Press while sitting at the table reading articles from Flipboard on my iPad.

Something was missing. It got too quite. I needed some pleasant background music. But how? I have a Microsoft Zune that I have not used or charged since I started using my iPhone 5 for music and podcasts. I mention this because I have the A/V kit for the Zune. Drop the Zune into the little dock, which connects to my stereo through an HDMI cable and I have music coming through my stereo.

Of course, this does not work with my iPhone. So… I did a little digging around in a box of wires I save. Lo and behold… I have a cable that has an earphone plug on one end, and red & white RCA plugs on the other. I simply plugged this into the earphone jack of my iPhone and into the CD input on my stereo. Set the stereo to CD and puff… Bob’s your uncle, and I am listening to a nice pleasant playlist from my iPhone on my stereo.

Life is wonderful. It is the simple things in life that provide the most reward.

I think it is time for a second cup of great coffee!!!

Google Nexus 10 – Higher Resolution than iPad w/ Retina Display

You read that right. Google’s Nexus 10 has a higher resolution screen than the vaunted iPad with its Retina Display. The Nexus 10 is 2560 x 1600. The iPad is only 2048 x 1536.

What I really find amazing is that this little 10.1 inch wonder is the same resolution as my 30 inch Dell monitor.

I have to get one of these in my hands to try out.

This reminds me what I was thinking when I watched the iPad mini event. While watching introduction to the new iMacs I half expected them to announce Retina Displays for the iMacs. The 27 inch iMac is 2560 x 1440. When that goes retina… I will be impressed.

iPad mini – $329… WTF?

Wow, I just watched a stream of the iPad mini announcement during my lunch break and I was blown away… $329! OUCH!!!

I found it incredibly arrogant that they compared the iPad mini to the Nexus 7 and then priced it $70 more (for the same 16 GB). Yet the Nexus 7 has a higher resolution screen. Talk about Balls. Apple has a big pair.

Also, consider this… the iPod Touch with 1136×640 retina display and 32GB is $299. An iPad mini with just a 1024×768 screen with 32GB is $429. Talk about product/price overlap. This is exactly why I didn’t think they would come out with the iPad mini so soon after the iPhone 5/iPod Touch launch. These products are competing with each other on price. Heck you can get a full size iPad 2 for just $70 more than the iPad mini. Why get the smaller one?

I will have a hard time justifying this much money for a gift to my sons. I don’t think it will happen.

What about the MacBook Pro. Ultrabooks are getting better and better,  so I find the price of the 13″ MacBook Pro with its retina display too expensive at $1,699. They said it themselves… the retina display on the MacBook Pro 13 is better than the eye can discern. So why go that high. Just for bragging rights? My 48 year old eyes cannot benefit from that screen, and it is way more than I want to spend on a laptop.

Finally, they made my new iPad obsolete with the iPad 4. This is a slap in the face to the Apple Fanboys that upgrade each year. Two upgrades to one product in less than a year… wow, that’s arrogant.

Personally, I don’t care. It does not bother me. There is nothing the iPad 4 can do that my iPad 3 can’t do. And I don’t have any accessories that have the Lightening connector.

More importantly… the iPad itself is a commodity. It is a toaster. Think about it. How much better can it actually get? Really?! It got a little faster, big deal. The big change was the jump to the retina display.

With the iPad getting a retina display it became so good that you only replace it when it is broken. A commodity. A toaster. My toaster is not doing so well, but it does make perfectly good toast. It looks like crap and the plastic is melting. But it works… as it should. When it stops making toast I will get a new toaster.

As for the iPad… until software comes out that can’t run on any of the old iPads it does not matter. Get a new iPad when the one you have stops working. Simple.

Keep in mind… I still would buy and recommend the iPad. It is the best tablet on the market. But the iPad mini is not cheap enough to justify its smaller size and low resolution screen.

In the end… at $329 for a tablet that is only 1.8″ smaller than a iPad 2 for $399… I would get the iPad 2.

Apple, you screwed up this time. But don’t take my word for it. Sell tens of millions of those iPad minis, because you will. Just not to me.

Why Doesn’t Car and Driver Offer iPad Version Free

I have subscribed to automotive magazines for 32 years. I subscribe to performance mags like Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, Corvette Magazine, Mustang Monthly, Super Chevy, etc. Not all of them at once, but each of them at one time or another. Currently just the first 4 of those.

As for new car magazines, the big four are Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road & Track and Automobile. In the 80s I subscribed to the first three. Automobile came later, and I never saw much reason to subscribe. In fact, I dropped Road & Track because their coverage was too much Track, not enough Car (street cars). Later I dropped Motor Trend because I preferred Car and Driver’s style and occasional project cars. Over the years I was tempted by offers from the “other” three, but Car and Driver is my main stay.

A year or so ago I dropped Motor Trend. Three months ago they sent me a subscription offer in the mail. I remember hearing that Motor Trend provided their iPad version free to print subscribers. When I confirmed that to be true I sent in the subscription with a three year payment. The print versions sit unread… as do the iPad versions on my iPad. I am saving this for my trip to New York at the end of the month, so I don’t have to carry the paper copies.

This weekend a similar offer came in the mail from Automobile. For a mere $6 per year I get the print magazine and the iPad version included free. I sent them a three year payment as well.

Now I have 3 new car magazine subscriptions. But only 2 of them include the iPad version for free.

Car and Driver has been my favorite new car publication since the fall of 1980. I have maintained my subscription to this magazine above all the other new car magazines for 32 years. Where is my free iPad version?

Car and Driver better step up with an iPad version for print subscribers soon… or I might have to break the longest subscription I have maintained.

Well, I have also held active subscriptions for Hot Rod and Car Craft for the same 32 years. Come to think of it… they don’t include iPad versions for print subscribers either. Hmmm! Oh well, it is rare that the performance magazines, with their significantly smaller niche markets, provide the digital versions for free. I’ll give them a pass.

Car and Driver, are you going to offer your iPad version for print subscribers?

iPad Mini – I Still Don’t Think So

I have been saying for some time I don’t think Apple will come out with an iPad Mini.

The giant Apple Rumor Mill tried to say that Septemebr would be a dual iPhone/iPad Mini launch event. Those rumors we adjusted to say there will be an iPad Mini announcement in October.

I don’t see it.

First of all, my main argument is this… they are selling so many iPads now there is little to no reason to lower the price point and sell a cheaper product. They are making money hand over fist as it is. Why de-value the brand?

Let’s look at this logically.

Apple announced a retina display iPod Touch with a 4 inch screen and 32 GB for $299. You can get an iPad 2 with 16 GB of memory for $399. You can also get a 4th Gen iPod Touch with the old 3.5 inch sctreen for $199 with 16 GB and $249 with 32 GB.

We know an iPad Mini would have to be priced in here somewhere. But where?

If, and I can’t stress how big an if this is, Apple does create a 7 inch (7.85?) tablet it would probably be the same resolution as the iPad 2 (1024 x 768). With the same resolution in a smaller tablet package you end up with better pixel density. Not quite a Retina Display, but nice. It is probably safe to assume Apple would not create an iPad Mini with less than 16 GB of storage.

Let’s look at the competition… since there is actually competition in the 7 inch category. There are two very capable 7 inch tablets on the market right now. The Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7. Both are $199. Both have a screen resolution of 1280 x 800, higher that a possible iPad Mini at 1024 x 768. The Kindle Fire HD has 16 GB of memory while the Nexus 7′s has only 8 GB.

Does this mean Apple would have to price an iPad Mini for $199. Apple rarely competes at the same exact price point as its competition, and it never enters a category at the same price as existing items.

A 7 inch screen with 1024 x 768 resolution and 16 GB of memory would have to cost more to build than the old iPod Touch with 16 GB, which is already $199. I would think the price for an iPad Mini with 16 GB of storage and a modest resolution screen would be at least $249. But could they get away with a $249 device that is lower in resolution than the competition?

At $249 how many people would say it was not as good as a Retina iPod Touch at $299? If they went with a Retina display for an iPad Mini they would have to go higher in price. Now that would go toe-to-toe with the 32 GB iPod Touch and Retina display?

If they go any higher than $299 there will be no reason to sell the iPad 2 for $399. At $399, Retina Display or not… how many would not go for the larger iPad for just $100 more.

So… where do you price such a device that doesn’t fit in with all the products already covering the $199/%249/$299/$399 price points.

I just does believe an iPad Mini fits into the current price/feature/size structure that Apple has now.

Call me fickle, but I don’t see an iPad Mini coming out in 2012.

I also have a soda riding on this in a bet.

I Pre-Ordered the iPhone 5

Last night I visited my local Sprint store to check out the Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC EVO 4G LTE and the iPhone 4S. I was thoroughly impressed by all three.

The Samsung has wind mills (modern windmills like from a windmill farm) and rain drops on its screen. This was a weather based wallpaper. The wallpaper knows the current weather and shows a an appropriate scene. I love it. HTC also had an “active” wallpaper. Of course the iPhone does not.

I was mainly interested in text reading on these phones with my 48 year old eyes. The two Android based phones we large and easier to read. However… in typing a few lines for a text message I noticed that the iPhone did not have a period key on the onscreen period. You press the space bar twice and it gives yo a period and a space. Normally I would think this gimmicky. But it really worked. I cannot tell you how often I hit the period key on my current Android phone.

Granted, the two android phones had roomier space bars than my current phone, due to their significantly larger phones/screen.

I was soooooo tempted to walk out with the S3.

But I reminded myself why I enjoyed that typing experience on the iPhone 4S, a phone with the same size screen as my current phone. Apple does get some of these little details right. It is the tight integration between the hardware and the software that lets Apple provide a first class user experience.

So this morning I pre-ordered an iPhone 5.

I initially did the pre-order on Apple’s web site. But it kept saying two-weeks until shipment, and then said 4-5 business days after shipping. Did I log into Apple’s site to late. Did they already sell all the phones they have for the initial release on the 21st?

I went through Sprint’s web site and was able to get a notice saying something to the effect… bar extreme circumstances they will ship my phone to me to arrive on Sept 21st. Awesome.

7 days to iPhone 5!!!

Apple is EVIL!!!

Apple Sucks!!! I hate Apple!!!

That’s right… I hate Apple. Their products are among the best in the business. To a point. That point is only as far as Apple wants to go, regardless of what non-Apple Zealots want.

Apple decides for you what you will get. They have the most Draconian approach to products of any manufacturer.

Apple could make a slightly LARGER iPhone… with a 1280 x 720 screen instead of the 1136 x 640 screen. But they choose to ram their idea of a screen/phone size down our throats. They create a taller screen with the same pixel density — a retina display they know is better than our eyes can resolve. Why? So we can have another row of icons on our home screens. Why not a little larger in all directions? Why not a true HD display?

This is a personal issue for me and my 48 year old eyes on the verge of needed reading glasses. The 3.5 inch screen on my current phone it getting harder and harder to ready. The iPhone 4 and now the iPhone 5 do nothing to help me with with this. I am going to need reading glasses to read an iPhone.

I want an iPhone 5, so I Hate You, Apple, for bringing out a phone only a tiny bit larger… and not really any larger as far as what I am able to see.

Apple continues to bring their products into the latest and greatest at a snail’s pace. They are always behind the competition. Granted… the main reason they do this is a valid one… they introduce new technology when they can do it with a best in class user experience.

They were late to bring 3G to the iPhone because they wanted the technology to be mature before exposing their users to it. The same thing was true for 4G LTE. And it continues for NFC (near field commincation). Apple won’t adopt this technology in a device that is going to sells tens of millions of units a month unless they can be sure of a great user experience. And practically no one is really using NFC. It is a niche technology at this point.

Here is another reason to hate Apple… the iPod Nano. Last year Apple ignored the iPod Nano with its square screen. Many pundits thought Apple was giving up on the Nano. They are! The only reason they came out with a new iPod Nano now is because of the new 8 pin connector on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple knows it has intensely loyal customers (we call them Fanboys). It is likely that over 75% of all iPhone 5 sales will come from people upgrading from an older iPhone. Many of these people also have iPods… Touch, Nano, whatever. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, whatever generation. They have them. I know. I know people that have multple iPods they actively use. They keep one docked in a small speaker in their bathroom, another in thier bedroom, and another in thier car. They bought these over time when new models came out and kept the old ones.

So… these Apple Zealots are going to buy an iPhone 5. And they are going to eventually upgrade their speaker docks & other accessories to work with the new connector. And Apple is going to sell them replacement iPod Nanos so they can have their music wherever they want it.

Apple is EVIL! Plain and simple. They could have just as easily adopted a mini-USB connector. But that would mean all the accessories manufacturers would no longer be making Apple accessories, they would be making accessories… that could work with many products.

I am torn between the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III.

I feel like I will regret either one.

I own an iPad, and my two sons each have iPhones. I have access to all those apps since we are all on one Apple account. The apps are paid for. It’s a no-brainer for me to get an iPhone 5.

But my eyes tell me to get the best screen possible. Is the iPhone screen better if I can’t tell. Sure the iPhone has a pixel density of 326 ppi. The Samsung S3 is 306 ppi. There is no way I can see the difference here. Yet because the Samsung is spread out a little more on a largter display, it will be easier on my eyes.

So… all this to answer one question:

Do I get an iPhone 5 and a pair of reading glasses, or do I get a Samsung S3?

HELP ME!

When Can We Jailbreak the iPhone 5?

I know… I just posted about the iPhone 5, and now I am talking about Jailbreaking it. Why?

Quite simply, Sprint charges $29.95 a month to “allow” you to use your phone as a mobile WiFi hotspot. That is ridiculous and very unfair. Granted, I get that Sprint is the only provider still offering unlimited data plans. But really $29.95. I would rarely use this feature. For instance, I would like to have it for the 4 days I will be in New York at the end of the month.

If, and right now that is a huge IF, I get an iPhone 5, I will probably consider Jailbreaking it to run software that allows me to use it as a hotspot… once in a while. It is not worth 30 bucks a month for this one feature.

iPhone 5 – Is It Good Enough?

The iPhone 5 was announced today. Of course it met all the (leaked) points:

• Bigger Screen
• 4G LTE
• Faster, Thinner, Stronger
• Blah, Blah, Blah

For me the two biggest items are the screen and the 4G LTE… on Sprint. I was wondering if Apple would put out a 4G LTE on Sprint since it is only in a handful of cities now. Sprint has said it expect to roll out its 4G LTE service in 100 cities.

So Sprint will get the 4G LTE iPhone 5. Perfect. That’s what I want. Or do I???

Is the iPhone 5 good enough to get me to buy it? I do not know. I am disappointed by the screen size. Making it longer only means that text and everything else on screen will be the same size, just a little more of it. I wanted a larger screen for my aging eyes. I do not see this helping that.

Now… I am taking a trip at the end of September (leave Sept 27). I would like to have a new phone before I leave. The iPhone 5 will be out on Sept 21. Seems perfect. Or is it????

How many will be available at launch? If you do not pre-order? I really want to see the iPhone 5 in person, and compare the screen to the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC EVO 4G LTE.

If I do not pre-order, what are the odds of getting one between 9/21 and 9/26?

Well… at least I get Siri on my iPad 3 next week. Something to play with.

Should a Coffee Snob Drink Bad… But Free… Coffee

I am a coffee snob. Let’s get that out of the way first. I have an Espresso Machine (Delonghi EC155), a French Press (Bodum 32 oz.) and a grinder (Breville BCG450XL). I make the best coffee at home that I have tasted. I also make the second (maybe third) best espresso that I have tasted. Espresso is much harder to get great… and I am sure that I am only good. It’s just that good is better than most of the places I have tried.

Knowing that… I recently pondered if I should get a thermos. The idea being I could make a great batch of coffee in the morning and bring it to work. I did not get the thermos because I did not want to go through the cleaning process every day.

Where I work they have free coffee. The best of it is in the cafeteria where they brew the coffee into large thermos-like carafes. You know the type… with the pump. Most of the coffee around the building gets brewed into pots that sit on their hot plates and continue cooking for who knows how long.

Even the coffee in the cafeteria is barely acceptable. I use the supplied liquid Coffee-mate to make the coffee tolerable.

As a coffee snob capable of making coffee so much better… I wonder if I should give up this free, flavored beverage.

At least it allows me to appreciate the coffee I make on the weekends that much more.

Thinking About Life

I woke from a nap this evening. I thought I would make myself an espresso, but then I remembered there is a good, local coffee shop not far from me that has live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. I brushed my teeth and changed my clothes and headed out.

I was sitting there listening to the music. For some reason I thought about my son that just started wearing glasses (at age 14). I thought about how good his glasses looked, and it reminded me of the nasty, dorky glasses my mother always got me every year while I was growing up. She was so against contacts, saying that my eyes were still growing. I don’t know if she meant growing… as in I was growing… so therefore my eyes must be growing is size (a bullshit excuse)… or if she meant my prescription was always changing… slight changes from year to year… for the worse of course (a semi-reasonable excuse). I don’t know what she meant, so I don’t know how much I should resent her for that.

I hated those glasses. Then I thought about how it has been almost two years since I had laser surgery on my eyes… and I now have about 20/20 vision (20/20 in the right, 20/25 in the left). I was really appreciating what I have. To an outsider it might seem like I have very little. I am separated from my wife for two years, I have a small apartment I can barely afford, and I have very little materialist things to show for being 48.

None of that matters.

I am very appreciative of where I am in life. I am happier now than I think I have ever been. I don’t even know where my oppressive/abusive mother lives, and I have left all the bad from my childhood behind. The only things from my youth that I keep hold of are the very close friends I have maintained over the last 26 years since moving away from New York. (This means you: Chip, Carol, Kevin & Tom.)

Yes… this is getting a little philosophical. I can’t help it. I sat in that coffee shop without a worry in the world. I really do have a level of contentment that wraps me in a blank… so to speak. This is happiness. I don’t need a woman in my life to be happy, so when a woman comes into my live… I can only be more happy. If or when that happens, I can appreciate a woman more than I could otherwise.

Right now… I can say that I can’t complain about anything. Yes, I make more money now than I ever have… and have never felt poorer… financially. It does not matter. You make do with what you have. If you can’t be happy with what you have then what is the point of having more money to buy more stuff. So… yes… I would like to have more money. Add to that I just lost one alternative income stream, and a second potential source of income went out the window as well. These would have helped me get out of debt, but it does not matter.

My life itself is nearly perfect. I very much enjoy the time I get with my sons. Although that time is not as much as I would prefer… almost every moment of it is of a higher quality then it was when we all lived together. Quality over quantity in time is an amazing feeling when it comes to the relationship I have with my sons.

So… I am poor, but eventually that will not be the case. Money it not everything.

I have 4 years left on a debt consolidation loan. That is when my youngest son will be leaving high school and starting college. That is also when the money I give my wife for child support will transitioning into making sure my sons get as good a college education as I can afford to give them. This means I… as poor as I am… have a plan to get my sons through college. Something I did not know would be possible while I was still married.

Who needs a big house? It just means more to clean.

Who needs a garage full of cars? Well, I do… but that will come later. I am a patient man. I will have a small car collection some day. And when that day comes I will appreciate it all the more.

In the end… appreciate what you have, and don’t take those things you appreciate for granted. I don’t… and I really believe that this is the source of my happiness.

Life is good, really!!!

12/12/12 — A Cool Birthday

Yes… my next birthday will not only be 9 days before the end of the world, but it is a really cool looking date… 12/12/12.

How many people can say they have a cool birthday like this?

My sister would have come close. Her birthday was 7/7. However she passed away at the end of 2003, 3-1/2 years too soon for 7/7/7. But we all know that is not the same… because you would really write that as 7/7/07. Granted, I would just go with 07/07/07, but that’s me. My sister isn’t around to give her take on it.

The real problem with this super cool day for a birthday is that it lands right in the middle of the week. I want to have a cool birthday party for this birthday, but how many people will show up for a birthday party on a Wednesday???

Do I move it to the Saturday before or after, 12/8/12 or 12/15/12, respectively? Then it is not as cool. If I have a party… just before the end of the world… on a Wednesday… any chance for friends to come in from out of town are nil.

What would you do?

Or… I could just wait until the year after the world ends… I turn 50 in 2013… which is also a good chance for a cool birthday party… and one I would have on a weekend. This way my 6 closest friends that live out of town won’t have an excuse not to come. BTW… 3 of those 6 friends… I was Best Man at their weddings.

iPhone 4S – Are You Dissapointed?

There seems to be a lot of outcry over the underwhelming announcement of the iPhone 4S. People seem to be let down it was not an iPhone 5.

Get over it.

Clearly people have a short memory. When was the last time Apple did a product announcement that was not a disappointment? Here are the times when people really were blown away:

1. iPhone (Original)
2. MacBook Air (Original)
3. iPad (Original)

That’s about it. It is the same thing every time. Mac Fanboys spread rumors for months leading up to a major announcement. But in the last 6-8 years Apple has really only had three truly major announcements. Every other announcement was just more of the same.

In this case we get a dual core processor, improved graphics, 8 MP camera & 1080p video recording. What more do you want. Siri… if that works as well as it is hyped might be cool, but I don’t put a lot of faith in voice recognition yet. But it is nice to have.

Let’s take a little trip down iPhone memory lane. The original iPhone blew people away. Shortly after it launched people wanted more… so they got more… the App Store followed shortly after. It was inevitable that Apple would allow developers to create apps for it, so this was nice but not revolutionary. The first three iPhones all look a LOT alike. Sure, it got a little slimmer & a little faster, but the basic design was still there… iPhone, iPhone 2, iPhone 3, iPhone 3S, iPhone 3GS. All the same general appearance. And let me remind you… all still work with the same OS as the iPhone 4.

So why would anyone believe that Apple would get away from the basic design of the iPhone 4 after its first run. I would venture to guess that when they do come out with the iPhone 5, it will look mighty close to the iPhone 4 (No… this is not a rumor for next’s years iPhone 5… but probably more likely than all the rumors that will fly around).

Apple came out with the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air a few years ago. How much have they changed in general appearance since they initially launched. None… just incremental improvements in the hardware over time.

The same disappointment happened over the iPad 2. How different was it from the original. Not much. I little slimmer, faster, etc. No retina display, no USB ports, no SD card slot. Just minor improvements to performance. About on par for Apple.

I am not surprised that Apple did not include 4G with the iPhone 4S. Two reasons. First, and most important, Apple stays away from bleeding edge technology. It is all about the user experience. 3G is pretty fast. We have become impatient, so we want faster. Apple would rather have a reasonably fast phone that worked more reliably than to have a faster phone with less reliability… or a smaller audience (4G is not as widespread as 3G).  Second… why not milk the iPhone 4 for all it’s worth. Have an iPhone 4S now that is twice as fast… and then when 4G is more mature, and the chips are smaller inside the phone, Apple can release an iPhone 4GS. Then the iPhone 5 can come after that… and it might be time for a fresh design to go with the new hardware.

My only disappointment with the iPhone 4S is that is did not get an edge-to-edge display. I wanted that for selfish reasons. My 47 year old eyes are having a harder and harder time reading my current 3.5 inch screen without reading glasses. I was hoping Apple would increase the viewable area (no… I was not expecting a huge increase in resolution from the retina display… that would be foolish) to make it easier for us older people… and to compete with the wave of 4+ inch Android phones.

As you know, because Sprint loves me I am eligible for a new phone on Nov 1st. I am a little short on cash at the moment, so I have a little time to think this through. I need to get a little hands on time with some of the large screen Android phones. Presently these are my choices:

•   $29 – Nexus S 4G (4.0″, 16GB)
•   $99 – HTC EVO 4G (4.3″, 1GB ROM, 8GB microSD)
•   $99 – Samsung Epic 4G (4.0″, 1GB ROM, 16GB microSD)
• $199 – Samsung Galaxy S ll, Epic 4G (4.52″, 1GB RAM, 16GB ROM)
• $199 – HTC EVO 3D (4.3″, 4GB ROM, 8GB microSD)
• $199 – Motorola PHOTON 4G (4.3″, 16GB ROM, 1GB RAM)

The EVO 3D isn’t really in the running. 3D is too much of a gimmick and I would not pay extra for that. Looking at this list I see two phones that stand out… the Samsung Galaxy S ll and the HTC EVO 4G. Of course, there is the iPhone 4S now at Sprint.

It looks like I will be heading to my local Sprint store near the end of the month.

HP TouchPad – Easy Come… Easier Go

Wow, HP already threw in the towel on its webOS based TouchPad (link) after only 48 days on the market. Get this… PCMag just reviewed the TouchPad this month. Yesterday HP announced it would discounting support for all webOS devices. That was fast!!!

I am reminded of a scene from You’ve Got Mail. Tom Hanks, Dabney Coleman & John Randolph are talking about another Mom & Pop book store that just closed down. They we making shooting gestures with their fingers. Pow, pow… another one bites the dust.

I wonder if Steve Jobs is doing the same thing in his office today? At the least he must be thinking it.

So… will Blackberry be next to drop out of the tablet wars… without ever putting up a real fight?

Subscriptions on Android Tablets

Not to be outdone by Apple’s new venture with Hearst, it looks like we have a larger selection of magazines coming to Android Tablets.

According to this article from PCMag.com – Time, Inc., Hearst, Conde Nast, Meredith, and News Corp. are teaming up to provide subscriptions to Fortune, Time, New Yorker, Fitness, Parents, Esquire & Popular Mechanics from their respective publishers. All will initially be available on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, but will follow with other Android devices by the end of the year, plus have at least 40 publications available in that same time frame.

Notice that Hearst in the company that recently announced its deal with Apple. Clearly they are hedging their bets by taking on the two platforms.

I have to say I am glad. Competition is good for the consumer. If companies make exclusive deals with Apple or Google it will limit their audience. I am not sold on the iPad… yet. And I worry that Apple’s good — but very closed & locked — ecosystem will be more beneficial to Apple than its users.

I can’t wait to see how the magazine market looks two years from now. It will be interesting.

Hearst puts Magazine Subscriptions on iPad

Hearst is going to be providing subscriptions to Esquire, Popular Mechanics, and O, The Oprah Magazine on the iPad. Prices will be $19.99 a year. This according to PCMag.com.

I am not familiar with the price of those magazine’s subscriptions in print, but 20 bucks a year seems a bit high. Maybe it is me, but I want the reduced cost of printing & shipping of a magazine to be reflected in the price of a digital copy.

I subscribe to a few automotive based magazines. With special offers I am usually paying less than 20 per year for each of them. Plus, at the end of a year I box them up and save them. Having a digital copy would be easier to “back them up” at the end of each year… or would it?

I want to know that after my subscription runs out that I won’t have any trouble reading the magazines in the future. For me… I read the automotive magazines for entertainment. But when I look to buy a car I use the magazines like Car and Driver and Road & Track for research. If/When I get another classic I will use Hot Rod, Car Craft, Super Chevy and/or Mustang Monthly for research on any project car I would buy.

I applaud Heart for going this route… but they should be providing more incentive with a lower price — even if that lower price is an introductory offer — to lure in new subscribers.

iPad 1 for $399

In yesterday’s post about the iPad 2, I mentioned that I expected Apple to sell the 16 GB iPad 1 for $399. Well, it’s seems I was a day early… because you can indeed get the iPad with Wi-Fi 16GB (first generation) for $399. You do know this means… while supplies last.

Want to save even more? Get a refurbished iPad for only $349. It even comes with a full warranty.

When I looked at Craigslist I saw people trying to sell iPads for higher prices than these. The part I love… they tell you how much sales tax they paid. Sorry people, but sales tax does not count toward you selling your unwanted iPad. Did you tell the auto dealership at trade in time how much sales tax you paid on your old car? I didn’t think so. So don’t tell us what it was for your iPad.

Apple’s iPad 2 Arrives

Well, all the rumers can stop… or start for the iPad 3… since the iPad 2 has come out. So what do we get? In a nutshell:

Faster (dual core processor)
Thinner (8.8 mm vs. 13.4 mm)
Lighter (1.3 lbs. vs. 1.5 lbs.)
Cameras front and back (expected)
Gyroscope (really?)

The updates to iOS 4.3 don’t really count for the iPad 2, they will be available to the iPad 1. Facetime is a given for the cameras. So… what didn’t we get:

128 GB version
Higher resolution screen
Stereo speakers
Thinner bezel
SD card slot
USB port
Landscape connector (for keyboard docking)

I supposed my biggest disappointment was that they didn’t announce a reduced price for the original iPad. I thought for sure they would follow the MacBook way and sell the 16 GB iPad 1 for $399. That would totally squash the competition that is still trying to catch up to the iPad 1.

All in all this is a typical Apple upgrade. An evolutionary step, but hardly revolutionary. I guess it is too much to expect back to back revolutions from Apple.

What do you want/expect/predict will be in the iPad 3?