Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...

How do you not know that I have neither an iPhone nor Verizon or at&t?

Happy Contract with America Day.

Probably the single most defining day in shaping my career ambitions.

vansmack wrote:
Happy Contract with on America Day.

FTFY

missed this

vansmack wrote:
How do you not know that I have neither an iPhone nor Verizon or at&t?

So I'm aware of your distaste for all things iphone
but didn't know your issue with the carriers, does that extend to your last mile carrier too
what do you use Iridium?
what about FIOS?  seems like your type of last mile connection

vansmack wrote:
Happy Contract with America Day.

Probably the single most defining day in shaping my career ambitions.

what is the correct way to celebrate? perform an audit on oneself to rout out waste and abuse?

sweetcell wrote:
what is the correct way to celebrate? perform an audit on oneself to rout out waste and abuse?

Well, in 1994 I drank nearly a full bottle of Crown Royal.  I don't recommend that.

Last night, I grabbed an '08 Cabernet to remind myself of better times…. 

Absolut wrote:
So I'm aware of your distaste for all things iphone
but didn't know your issue with the carriers, does that extend to your last mile carrier too
what do you use Iridium?
what about FIOS?  seems like your type of last mile connection

Well, it's not complete distaste.  Just this month I considered an iPhone 11 Pro after seeing the completely brain-dead decisions Google made with the Pixel 4.  But then as I went to use The Brand's iPhone 11 I was reminded of the lightning port and Apple's insistence on proprietary crap.  If the iPhone 11 Pro had USB-C, I might actually have one today.

As for carrier, I haven't bought a phone on contract since Google released the Nexus one in 2010.  at&t and Verizon did not allow you to do that until 2015/16, if you can believe that.  So I went from Sprint to t-mobile back in 2010, and then to Google Fi when it came out because piggybacking on three networks is genius and I only pay for what I use, which is how it should be when 95% of your data usage is WiFi.  My bills are about $35-40 per month.   

As for Fios, I only have one option where I live:  Comcast.  My previous place had the option of at&t fiber or Comcast, but there is no Fios outside of the mid-Atlantic region.

… aaaaaannd?

I'm just going to put this out there so I don't have to answer any more inquiries:

I have no interest in Nancy Pelosi's Congressional Seat if she becomes President.

vansmack wrote:
I'm just going to put this out there so I don't have to answer any more inquiries:

I have no interest in Nancy Pelosi's Congressional Seat if she becomes President.

well you may have to wait until 2025…but Feinstein is 86

vansmack wrote:
seeing the completely brain-dead decisions Google made with the Pixel 4.

so i only pay attention to phones every 2 to 3 years or so, after i've paid off my old phone and start to consider my next upgrade.  i've got 4 months left on my current pixel 2, so i'm starting to get curious.  two Q's:

- is google releasing the new pixel on an annual basis?  if so, i can easily hold out for the 5.
- what is the fatal flaw with the 4?

sweetcell wrote:
- is google releasing the new pixel on an annual basis?  if so, i can easily hold out for the 5.
- what is the fatal flaw with the 4?

Google releases the Pixel every fall.  They also started to release the Pixel "a" series in the spring.  The "a" series is a mid-range phone with the same camera as the main Pixel series at about half the price.

There is not one fatal flaw, but a series of poor decisions.  The 4 is just not well thought out.  I wouldn't even consider the smaller Pixel 4 as the battery life has been described as the worst battery of any phone in the last 5, maybe 10 years.  They simply didn't put a large enough capacity battery in there so no amount of optimization will fix that.  It's odd too because the Pixel 3a has some of the best battery life.

So I would only consider the 4XL.  But starting at $900 for a 64GB model, it's impossible to recommend.  While everyone else has gone to three cameras, Google went with two, which would be fine, except that their second camera is a telephoto and not a wide angle lens.  Google's computation photography is so good that there is little need for a telephoto lens, so I'm not sure what they were thinking.  The good news is that Apple's new cameras have made great strides in catching up with Google, so as long as I have The Brand around, I can use her iPhone 11 when I need a wide angle lens, but I shouldn't have to do that.  In addition, Google made no advances on the video front, while Apple has made huge advances, including the ability to switch between the lens rather seamlessly.  There is no comparison there.  I should mention that the Google phones cannot do 4K 60fps, but I don't think that's important, though others do.  I have a GoPro for that.

Google also has problems right now with it's personal free accounts and G-Suite accounts.  Many of their advances in AI apply only to personal accounts, which is fine, but now if you have a G Suite account on your phone you cannot take advantage of these features.  There is a new version of Assistant that does most of the computations on the phone and not in the cloud, however, if you have a G Suite account (like my work email) you cannot use the new version.  This is a compromise I can't make, and frankly I shouldn't have to.  I can't imagine what went into that thought process that would cripple paying users experiences that exist for it's free tier.  Anyhow, you've been around me enough to know how integrated into my every day life Google Assistant is, not being able to use the newest and best after spending that much money on a phone irks me to no end.  Like "I'm considering going to work there to fix all of these decision making problems" mad. 

They also upgraded to a 90mhz screen, which is awesome.  Except they only let users use it some of the time based on the content and other environmental factors (brightness, etc).  However, once you've seen a 90Hz screen you notice 60Hz.  There is a way to enable the 90Hz screen at all times in the developer options, but it crushes your battery and see above about why that won't work.

The face unlock is great (say goodbye to your fingerprint sensor), the Soli Radar sensor helps there but is limited and just a gimmick when used elsewhere.  But at $1000 for an XL with 128GB of storage (did I mention you no longer get free unlimited storage in Google Photos with the Pixel 4?) and all of these limitations, there is no way I'm buying one at that price.  It's going to take coming down to $600 before I pull the trigger.           

vansmack wrote:
I'm just going to put this out there so I don't have to answer any more inquiries:

I was wondering…are you going to play David Holmes in the movie adaptation of the impeachment?

Rivkin wrote:
I was wondering…are you going to play David Holmes in the movie adaptation of the impeachment?

I am currently working on this smirk:

vansmack wrote:

Rivkin wrote:
I was wondering…are you going to play David Holmes in the movie adaptation of the impeachment?

I am currently working on this smirk:

also perfect this move, they will definitely ask for it in the audition

can't argue with facts. reelect this man!

vansmack wrote:

not sure why, but I'm seeing David Holmes everywhere…doesn't it kinda look like him on this cover

sweetcell wrote:
so i only pay attention to phones every 2 to 3 years or so, after i've paid off my old phone and start to consider my next upgrade.  i've got 4 months left on my current pixel 2, so i'm starting to get curious.  two Q's:

- is google releasing the new pixel on an annual basis?  if so, i can easily hold out for the 5.
- what is the fatal flaw with the 4?

I can't remember if you're one of my friends on Fi or not, but Fi just offered 50% of what you pay for the phone in service credits.

So….

Pixel 4XL 128GB: $999

Minus….

Pixel 3XL trade-in: $285 (ridiculously low, BTW)
Fi Service Credit: $500

Means…..

Pixel 4XL 128GB for $214

At that price, I'm willing to overlook it's shortcomings.

Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special is solid for her outfits alone.  Now streaming on Amazon Prime….

ICarlos Ghosn fleeing to Lebanon to escape Japanese prosecution might be  the greatest story ever in the auto industry….