Gadget Quest: Mouse

I recently sold my Sony VAIO laptop for a 13-inch MacBook Pro. As with most new toys, there are a number of accessories I want to compliment my new acquisition. Since I plan on doing a lot of point-and-click gaming (Torchlight) I decided to look for a good wireless mouse. My search so far has yielded mixed results.

iPhone 4 (not 4S) and Sprint

My history of phones with Sprint has been something of a comedy of errors. I've come to know the people at my local Sprint store by their first names, and annoy them greatly. I've traversed the bowels of their corporate phone network and found the experience lacking. Finally, I've pleaded to their king for relief, and actually received an answer.

One thing I can say about Sprint is that they remain only major carrier with truly unlimited data plans. That alone is probably the main reason why I haven't jumped ship back to AT&T or Verizon at this point.

However, as I pointed out in a previous blog post, since switching to Sprint over the summer I've had to replace my phone SIX times due to either hardware or software issues. That's a sampling of two major brands and three different models, all Android-based devices.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I received my second Epic 4G. It exhibited the same strange clicks and pops during phone calls as the original Epic 4G. When I called the Sprint store, the best they could offer was a third replacement. I decided I'd had enough. I went to my local Best Buy and bought an iPhone 4, for a full retail price of around $600. Yes, it hurt.

Update for my Epic Tale

Over the weekend I received my first replacement Epic 4G, and I've spent the last few days testing it out. The rampant clicks and pops during Pandora streaming are gone, and for the most part my calls are coming through clearly. I still have the issue of echoing (where I hear snippets of what I just said echoed back to me) but it's limited to one specific person who lives an a rural area, so I can't necessarily blame Sprint for that one.

I'd like to say thank you once again to Al at the Total Communications Wireless store in Atascocita for all of his help. He apologized for my replacement taking so long and even threw in a case for my trouble. Al always works to make sure I leave the store happy. This is what customer service should be.

At this point, unless I have a windfall and can afford an iPhone 4 at full retail price, it looks like the Epic 4G is going to be my phone for the remainder of my contract term. Should anything crop up good or bad I'll be sure and let you all know.

TechieMoe out.

Phone Tag

UPDATE: I just downloaded the Gingerbread 2.3.5 update that Sprint is rolling out this week, and one of the notes in the changelog is improved media streaming and call quality. I've only used it a little while, but so far I'm cautiously optimistic that this will fix the crackling. If you're interested, I used the manual install instructions here. Otherwise, Sprint has promised a full rollout over the next 10 days.

Two weeks ago I became fed up with the string of poor software keyboards I tried on Android and decided to downgrade my phone from an Epic Touch to an Epic 4G. The main feature of the older phone is the presence of a physical QWERTY keyboard.

I immediately saw my accuracy and speed for text messages and Tweets go up, as well as my overall comfort with the device. For all the advantages Android offers over iOS, I still haven't found a keyboard that responds as accurately as the one for the iPhone. Having a physical keyboard helps, a lot.

Sadly, when I tried to listen to music or field calls with the Epic 4G I got a horrible random crackle/pop noise from both the internal speaker and the headphone jack. I looked around online and some people's theory is a faulty sound driver, but no one has a fix for it yet. I took the phone back to Sprint and they're going to swap it out for another Epic 4G.

Library Lending on the Kindle 3

I've owned several eReaders over the years. My first was a 3G Kindle 2, replaced later by a wifi Nook, and most recently replaced again by a 3G Kindle 3 (now called Kindle Keyboard). One of the biggest missed marketing points for all eReaders on the market today is the ability to check out books for free from your local library and read them on the device.

Samsung Galaxy S II (Epic 4G Touch) on Sprint

No doubt some of you have been keeping up with the trials and tribulations of my Motorola Photon 4G. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I managed to convince Sprint to give me a different handset. It arrived last night, and I've had some time to play with it today. Here are my impressions.

The Sprint/Motorola Photon Jerk-Around

I took the day off from work last Friday to get this high-pitched whine issue with my Photon taken care of once and for all, and after nearly eight full hours shuttling between stores and sitting on hold with several different departments of Sprint customer service, I have solved it: by getting a different phone. The quest to have this happen was not easy.