Which is Better, Verizon or AT&T?

After 35 days now with Verizon, I think I know who is better between Verizon and AT&T.  35 days ago, I left AT&T for two simple reasons,  Unfortunately I did it during a very busy time for me.  This made for a great test though.  You need your technology to work most when you are busiest don't you?

The reasons for leaving AT&T were a slightly better price at Verizon, and  I knew it worked in my house.  Every time my AT&T phone rang, I would run to the window or out the front door and hope to catch the call.  

When your income depends on catching calls, this really shouldn't be an acceptable scenario.  Several times I stopped by the AT&T store to complain and try to get  a "femto-cell".  A femto-cell is a little wifi box that lets you talk on wifi in your house.  My sales skills failed me and after two years of trying, I still had no way to take a call in my house.

I did find a V-Tech home phone that connected to my cellular, but then I started missing texts.  I felt like I couldn't win with AT&T.

Sprints price and unlimited data plan looked great on paper, but I quickly found that all of the cellular companies have these complex pricing plans for phones and data plans, and I knew that Verizon would work.  A salesman that came to my house had a Verizon phone that made calls without a problem in my house.  

Since I couldn't tell if Sprint really was any less expensive, I went with what worked and chose Verizon.  

The First 15 Days

Of course upgrading from the iPhone 4S to the 5S was a nice change.  The iPhone 5S is significantly faster, and takes better pictures.  The data speeds really didn't look much different though, even on WiFi at home.  That surprised me a little.  I have used complex websites to do some anecdotal testing with my neighbor who is still on AT&T.  Standing out front, both phones download the sites at about the same speed.

One problem I have with the iPhone is it's insistence on using WiFi.  The problem for busy people arises when you enter into a "free WiFi" area that you have used before.  The phone goes stupid until you "renew lease" on the WiFi and sign up again.  That should be an automatic option for the "remember this network".  

Day ten though I was caught off guard and suddenly the value of Talk and Surf became a problem, partially due to the WiFi issue.  Getting off of an airplane in Reno, running to the office, I received a call from a casting agency in Los Angeles asking for my availability for a commercial the next day.  When I tried to access my calendar I couldn't.

I have learned to never say yes, without looking at my calendar.  I let other people add events for me, so I need to see it before saying anything.  Here was the first failure for Verizon.  I couldn't talk and surf without renewing my lease since I had been to Reno just two weeks earlier and used the free WiFi.  While I was trying to figure out how to get WiFi to work, the casting agent got bored and told me to call her back.  By the time I stopped, renewed my lease and checked my calendar and called back, she found someone else.  Good work lost.  Lucky for me I have plenty to do. If acting was my main job, that could have been an expensive call.

On Day 15 it happened again, I couldn't talk and surf at a critical time.  More work lost.  I had no idea that I was using data so much when I talk.  You don't realize how many apps need a data connection until you turn it off.  I was no longer thinking that Verizon was the clear winner, AT&T might have a chance for me to switch back at this point.  Oddly, AT&T hadn't called or written even once to ask why I left or how they could get me back.

Day 20 I was in LAX, five bars, and I couldn't get any data, cellular or otherwise to work while sitting on the airplane during a delay.  Another Verizon customer said this was quite normal at LAX, and AT&T still had not called.  Day 24, the same thing happened at LAX.

Day 30 - Trade back day.

Here is where I blew it.  Day 30 was Black Friday.  The last day I could switch back to AT&T and not pay a HUGE penalty at Verizon.  That is what you call really bad trial period planning.  There was no way was I standing in line to trade back from Verizon to AT&T, and since AT&T hadn't called or written even once, I decided to stay home, avoid Black Friday and put up with Verizon for 23 more months.  

Here is where it gets weird, and I have to ask who is running marketing at AT&T.  Day 32, I started getting daily "specials" from AT&T.  They should know the fee to switch back now  is over $700 for two iPhone 5S phones.  Why would I switch back now?  Day 15-29 are the key days to get back a disgruntled cellular customer, and I didn't hear a peep.  Once the bill is set in stone, then they write?  

To make it even more interesting, AT&T started sending me marketing surveys on day 40 with a series of "did you know" questions trying to lead me back to AT&T.  Why are they beating around the bush?  Why didn't they call me on day 21 and say "How is that Verizon working, and what do we need to do to get you back".  My reply would have been simple, "It isn't, and a femto-cell will seal the deal".

At the end of the day, without question for anyone on the go, the ability to talk and surf is critical.  As much if not more so than coverage in my house.  If you own a business, are in sales, marketing or any form of self employment, AT&T is the winner.  If you work in an office, have good WiFi at home and don't travel much, Verizon is the winner.  It's that simple.

The Windows “One Experience”, Is It?

So is the Windows “One Experience” a move forward or backwards?  After a serious look at the new computers, tablets and phones powered my Microsofts single minded operating system, I have to wonder if Gates needs to pull a jobs, and take over the helm again.

Steve Ballmer has clearly been a better choice for Microsoft that Gil Emilio was for Apple, but it might be time to rethink the plan.  By the way, I still own my Microsoft Stock.

So what is going on at Microsoft? 

Starting at the little end, I looked a the windows phones.  iOs 7 on the iPhone 4 was a deal killer.    My Windows 7 desktop PC died, and my wife's died about a week later.  Like any good writer, I went on vacation for inspiration.

The phones with the windows OS were great.  The Nokia with the 41 Mega pixel camera was a little odd shaped, but it did take some great photos.  The tile interface is pretty cool and the apps are great.   I could get used to the one view update on the tiles.

Moving up the totem pole I looked at several windows tablets.  I do like them much better than the Apple iPad even though I already had three iPads.  The tile interface again the winner.   Within minutes of picking it up, I was able to get it to do everything I wanted it to do, and that I use my iPad for.  As a home controller and interface this is a clear winner.  It even solved my issues with missing text messages on my cell while at home.  

Since going to iOS 7 on the iPads, I can’t leave my home controller running like a smart photo display.  For the first time since buying any Apple product, I need to ask for help.  That just isn’t happening, it violates rule number 5 which is “Buy no technology that requires support.”

I should probably put some of this into perspective.  I am on my 5th "smart house".  This one is quite a bit simpler than the fourth house and still way cooler and smarter than homes one through three.  In the past I spent as much as $9,000 for touch screen control of my home lighting and audio/video systems.  Now the iPad or Windows Tablet can do a better job for much less money.  Maestro by ReQuest is probably the best looking interface for any system period.

At this point Microsoft was on a roll, and we were creating a huge list.  By the way, I have the advantage of living near an Apple Store, Sony Store and Microsoft Store which are all in the same mall for technology shopping at its best (and most confusing).

Next was the Xbox 360.  During the review we started looking at the capability of the upcoming Xbox One.  The only feature it didn’t have was an HDMI extender, but the salesperson showed me two that work well, so I could hide my devices out of site.  Problem solved.  Microsoft still rolling.

The list was growing and I was eager to wait for an Xbox One so it was on to the desktops.  For years I have been running dual screens and multiple apps.  Most of the time running training or educational videos on one screen while working or writing on the other.  The first question I asked was, “Can I add a second screen?”

The salesperson was perplexed for the first time, and the answer appeared to be “no”.  The next question was attempting to use the screen to multi task and layer the windows, now called tiles.

After 15 minutes I gave up.  Sorry Mr. Balmer, rule number 5 is violated.  I can’t do what I want to do without help, and by the way, I have rule number 5 because only once in the last 25 years has anyone from any tech support ever been able to find the answer before I could.  Yes that was a Microsoft Engineer from Dallas and he was sharp.  

Since that day I have been watching to see if Microsoft figured it out, and so far I don’t see it.  Apple on the other hand with iOS 7 put just the right amount of multi-tasking in mobile while keeping the desktop environment practical, comfortable and very multi task friendly.  Then I discovered Parallels.  Left Screen Windows, Right Screen Mac.

The score right now:       

Apple - two iPhone 5’s, three iPad’s, two Mac Mini’s

Microsoft - One Copy of Windows Running on Parallels.

On the horizon, a 4K TV and a PS4?  Or a Sharp Aquos Quatron and Xbox One?  

Does Your Volt Have Bugs? Mine Does...

Overall my Chevy Volt has been great for the last five and a half months, but is isn't perfect by any means.  This week has been a challenge, in fact the last three weeks have really been odd.

In previous posts, I talked about the issues with valet parking and auto charging when the alarm is set and the auto lock feature is on.   If you valet and autolock the car, they can't even get to the charger after the key is hung in the key rack.  

That is just one annoyance.  We also discovered that if you send an address to turn by turn, cancel before it loads and try and send it to the  "in dash Nav" it locks up the whole system.  I figured out how to fix it, but I am not giving that secret away.  Chevrolet says this bug will be fixed next time it is at the dealer for a software update.  Why can't the Volt by like my iPhone and update while I am asleep?

Speaking of the iPhone, upgrading to iOS 7 changed how the Volt and the iPhone get along.  The feature that allowed me to play music over bluetooth no longer works.  Pluggin in with a USB cable which didn't work before, now works brilliantly but my phone won't work on handsfree when the iPod mode is active via USB. What didn't work works and what did work doesn't.  

Another interesting issue that has popped up is related to the clock.  For whatever reason it can't keep time.  Each week it is almost a full minute off.  Why doesn't a GPS equipped car use satellite time?

This leads right to the next question.  How come a GPS equipped car can't tell if I am plugged in at home on an electric schedule or away and commercial chargers?  I shouldn't have to tell the car I am at home so it should charge between 12 and 6 or I am at a parking garage and paying to charge so it should charge now should I?  I paid for 4 hours at a blink charger only to find out I left the car in delay mode and didn't charge it at all.  $4.00 down the drain.  I don't know who was being more stupid, me or the car.

The single most annoying system in the Volt so far is the "anti collision" system.  There is a button on the steering wheel to turn it on or off.  I think it is a placebo.  With the system off, when you exit the freeway, it sees that you aren't following the lines and starts yelling at you.  Once on the offramp and in between the lines again it is fine.  Even with the system off, it will turn off the cruise control automatically.  While this doesn't sound like much, I have learned that I can get three to five more miles out of the battery in "L" instead of "D".  The problem is when the cruise control turns off and you are in "L" you are already in the first level of regenerative breaking.

On the highway, the guy behind catches up awfully quick for no reason.

Cruising on the freeway about once every 15 miles the car will "see" a potential collision and turn off the cruise control.   Most of the time I have no idea what it "sees".  Tonight I was in the second lane, with no cars on either side or in front of me for at least a quarter mile, and it beeped and flashed and turned off the cruise control as if I was about to hit another car.  All I can figure was fog on the camera lens as I got closer to the beach?

I can't imagine what the "big brothers" at Progressive are seeing if they get the data from a car like mine.  They must think Volt Drivers are high risk idiots trying to hit another car every 15 miles or so.  Thankfully I have USAA, and they don't try to raise my rates based on phantoms that the car thinks I am going to hit.

The last funny bug this week has to do with the lights.  The car has a new habit of going into night mode when I go through tunnels and not going back to day mode for well over a minute when we get back into the sunshine.  More than once I couldn't see a turn on the NAV screen because it was still dimmed into the night mode.  Sadly I am a GPS cripple, which means I can't find my way home from the corner without my magenta line and the checkered flag on the screen.  I turned the voice off because it interrupted my music.

Another funny bug, the tire pressure monitor will come on with a different tire each time I add air.  It will show that they all have 31 psi for example but one will be yellow.  Even when they warm up and all show 33 or 35 PSI it stays Yellow.  When I pump up to 36 they all turn green.  Within a week, usually in the morning, one will be yellow.  Over the last four weeks, each tire has turned yellow at least once.

I wonder if the guys at GM are laughing their butts off, or think I don't care for my car and am trying to hit everything in site?

So how is your Volt doing?  Don't worry Chevrolet, we still want another one.  Slate Grey if you have a spare sitting around.

Is iOS 7 A Trick To Force You To Upgrade Your iPhone?

Ever since I switched to the iPhone, I have been a raving lunatic fan, laughing at all who go with anything else.  Once in my life I worked for Apple as a contract employee so maybe this is expected.  I did try an Android phone, a Windows Phone, and even a Blackberry first.

The android phone didn't last a month. I couldn't use it and didn't have the time to learn it or figure it out.  The Blackberry worked great, so when my wife got an iPhone 3G, I simply upgraded my Blackberry.  At the time, no self respecting business owner would own an iPhone.  They were still "toys". 

Today I took a class from Marki Costello, and noticed that she still had a Blackberry. It made me realize how much more of my online life I was attending too because of my iPhone.  She didn't care about Twitter, Facebook or social media in general.  Like me she feels it is a necessary evil of her business.  In fact a good part of my business exists simply because social media has become a necessary evil to almost all businesses.

Leaving the class I had 25 emails, 10 messages and a couple of voicemails.  One of them was from an attorney asking for some technical assistance on a texting while driving case.  After this call, all I can say is don't do it.  It isn't worth it.

We walked over to Johnny Rockets for lunch and I started answering all of these messages.  Half of me was thinking how cool it was that I could do this and not be in the office, while the other half realized only two emails, one message and one of the two voicemails really needed my attention.  The rest would have never known if I looked at them or not.

Trying to respond to the only email that mattered just about gave me an aneurism.  I am sure that my thumbs were hitting ten or more letters and nothing would appear on the screen.  Then everything would appear all jumbled up.  This didn't happen with iOS 6.x  

When I tried to change apps from the main screen, the swipe motion opened an app just as often as it actually swiped the screen.  More annoying.

Then I attempted to get my voicemails, and the phone couldn't do it.  Five bars, er dots, and I can't get Voicemail?  45 seconds later, the screen changed so I could hit the play icon.  63 seconds later noise be can to emanate from the speaker.  I now believe that iOS 7 is a trick to get me to spend $500 each on two phones.  

In the past every upgrade to an OS from Apple gave you more and went faster.  iOS 7 is the first time I have regretted making a software upgrade.  It worked fine on my iPad2, and I needed to upgrade that for a software package I use regularly for work.  Thinking it would be easier to just have everything be the same I upgraded my iPhone.  Bad Dog.

Thankfully, my brilliant wife stayed on iOS 6 reminding me "It works, why change?"  The problem is her phone is now out of apple care and the home button doesn't always work when you leave the Apple Store.  Of course it works fine in there.  So it looks like two new phones need to get worked into the budget quick.  Ouch

I was excited to go buy my iPhone 4 and put my Blackberry to rest in a box in the garage.  Getting the iPhone 5, not so.  I feel like I was forced to choose between an upgrade of my phone, or changing to another phone that will take up all my time to learn how to use it again.  

The new windows phone looks great, but it doesn't work right out of the box, get all of my contacts, email accounts and set it self up just by plugging into my MacBook Air and connecting with iTunes does it?  Besides with two Mac Mini's, three iPads, two iPhones, an iPod touch and a Request Server with iTunes in the house, a PC phone just isn't going to cut it.

Never mind my Insteon Lighting Control is run by a little magic box with software running on the iPads and my iPhones.  

Apple has broken the code.  Like any great drug dealer.  The first iPhone was "free", and then for years they made it better, faster and cheaper.  The iPhone 4 was so far ahead of the iPhone 3 that the day after I came home with my iPhone 4 my wife ran out and got on the list.  I got an early release thanks to a good friend at AT&T.  Now that I am hooked, they know it and are selling me More More and More.  And yes I am still buying so don't be surprised to find me with a 5s which also means new chargers, new accessories, new cables, new docs.  This bill isn't going to be pretty. 

They couldn't just keep one silly little connector now could they.  I bet they are going to try and get me to by a iPad mini next, after all, with the iPhone 5, I'll already have all the accessories.

It's a trick (that worked) and that is my verdict.  What's yours?