TechnologyCrowd

I was already planning on getting DirecTV after I move in to my new house, but I was planning on keeping Comcast for internet and phone since it works well most of the time.  After spending a few minutes filling out the information online it tells me I need to wait for a chat.  After about ten minutes the person comes on, asks me for some information and I wait a few minutes and am told that I need to pay a deposit for the phone equipment or let them do a credit check.  I didn’t think that made sense so I asked and here is what I was told after wasting at least a half hour entering information and waiting for the person.  My favorite part is after I said thanks for wasting my time….

Joelle(Sun May 2 20:38:33 EDT 2010)>

Due to the expense of the Phone equipment, it is necessary for us to collect a $50 deposit for phone service as a security measure. However, as long as your account remains in good standing for 6 consecutive months, we will credit the deposit back to your account . We do require the deposit be placed on a credit card or I can run a credit check to determine if we can waive the deposit.

Would you like me to perform a credit check with your Social Security Number?

Gerald_(Sun May 2 20:38:21 EDT 2010)>

I am trying to transfer an existing account when I move is that necessary?
Joelle(Sun May 2 20:39:35 EDT 2010)>

You have to call to transfer service
Gerald_(Sun May 2 20:39:12 EDT 2010)>

Great – thanks for wasting my time!

Joelle(Sun May 2 20:40:14 EDT 2010)>

No thankyou

Joelle(Sun May 2 20:40:38 EDT 2010)>

Have a great night

Joelle(Sun May 2 20:40:44 EDT 2010)>

Analyst has closed chat and left the room

In my opinion, one big gap that Android needs to fill in order to compete with the iPhone and become more popular is something that resembles iTunes.  I love my Motorola Droid, but it does not come with media management software so I am left using various applications to keep the content updated.  Of course, there are third party applications that can help fill the gap, but something doesn’t feel right when you pay hundreds of dollars for a device and have to locate a program to help transfer your media.

I previously provided my opinion on Double Twist as an excellent option for transferring music in a previous post.  Double Twist provides support for synching music, photos, and videos with an excellent feature that will convert videos to the proper format for your device. Read the rest of this entry »

As someone who loves the latest in technology, I was very interested in the news coming from Google regarding the Nexus One earlier this week.  I am a big fan of Linux and Android, as a long time Verizon Wireless customer I jumped at the opportunity to own an Android phone when the Motorola Droid was launched.  Of course that means that I am locked into a two year contract with the hefty $350 early termination fee imposed by Verizon so a Nexus One is not anywhere in my future even with the announcement that it will be coming to Verizon in the Spring.

Even though I know that I will not be getting a Nexus One, I watched the Google Android Press conference on Ustream to find out more about Nexus One and more importantly what this means to smart phones in the future considering that Google has been claiming to change the landscape. Read the rest of this entry »

The following explanation of what ESPN360.com is can be found at the website in the FAQ section

ESPN360.com is a broadband network for live sports programming. ESPN360.com harnesses the quality ESPN has built through its TV networks and delivers online sports programming to fans through a rich, interactive, and easy-to-use experience.

ESPN360.com broadcasts thousands of live games and events online each year. A majority of the events are exclusive to ESPN360.com, while others are broadband-enhanced versions of games from one of ESPN’s TV networks. Read the rest of this entry »

Although I often use Pandora or Last.fm when I want to listen to music on my Droid, there are times when it is nice to listen to my own downloads and playlists.  One thing that is lacking on the Droid is a music manager similar to iTunes for transferring music and video files.

I started out by mounting the SD card after connecting the Droid to a PC which does work, but it is not as intuitive as I felt it should be with one of the latest gadgets.  After doing some research on the web I found a program called Double Twist.

Since I have several devices that I use at different times for transferring music, I was not looking to add another manager, but after trying out Double Twist, I found out that it is an excellent solution to replace the other managers that I have been using.  Along with getting the job done for my Droid, it also works for my Zune and Sirius Stiletto 2 and many other devices that you may have. Read the rest of this entry »