Motorola DROID quick pros/cons

So we got a review unit of the Motorola DROID here at dealnews! (Our first impressions are here.) I've spent a good amount of time with the phone now and I gotta say, it's pretty damn cool. Android 2.0 is fast, Web browsing is actually enjoyable, the screen is awesome — I can go on. So here's a quick pros & cons list I've come up with so far:

Pros:
* Huge, bright screen makes it easy to touch/tap on icons/virtual buttons
* Virtual keyboard is very responsive and keeps up w/ the speed of your typing
* Verizon's 3G network has excellent coverage here in NYC/NJ area (Web pages like CNN and dealnews load in abt 5 secs)
* Google Maps Navigation Beta looks awesome (haven't used in a car yet, but I've played around w/ it)
* Verizon didn't bog down their phone w/ Verizon bloatware
* Verizon kept the Wi-Fi
* Battery life seems pretty good under heavy Web use
* It's difficult to hit the power button (this is a good thing since that's the first step in unlocking your phone)
* Web browsing is enjoyable — i.e. no errors loading pages


Cons:
* The QWERTY keyboard is meh (small chiclet keys all scrunched up next to each other)
* Motorola gave the DROID an HTC-like "chin" which forces you to extend your right thumb when typing on the QWERTY keyboard. It's a flat chin (unlike the G1's), but still a stupid chin
* The four navigation keys at the bottom of the phone are awkwardly placed — sometimes when I'm just holding the phone (like if I'm watching a YouTube clip) the palm of my hand accidentally hits a button (this is a very nit-picking con, not a deal breaker)

Droid Day

It's official. The Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless is debuting in stores next Friday Nov. 6th for $199, according to the Wall Street Journal. I'm almost 80% sure I'm going to upgrade to this phone. Especially after learning that Verizon's other Droid phone, the HTC Eris, will be running Android 1.5 (why???).

So what's the Moto Droid gonna offer? How about a 3.7" 480x854 screen, Android 2.0 (first phone with 2.0), EVDO Rev. A, GPS, Wi-Fi (wow, Verizon, you didn't cripple Wi-Fi!), Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, a 600MHz Cortex A8 processor, 5MP camera with dual LED flash and autofocus, DVD quality (720x480) video capture, and a nice 16GB microSD card. Another interesting feature is that it'll come preloaded with Google Maps Navigation application which'll provide free turn-by-turn navigation using Google Street View. (Shove it, Navigon!)

On the flip side, Boy Genius Report (which is usually spot on with leaks) is reporting that the BlackBerry Curve2 is coming to Verizon in November. And here's where my other 20% comes in. The current BlackBerry Curve has an awesome QWERTY keyboard that I've used and like. The Droid's slide out keyboard, well, it worries me. We'll see what happens come next Friday.

Watch Update Part III

So remember that watch that I broke and later replaced? Well, I replaced it again. The last watch that I got was called the Seapearl. Awesome watch. But after a week of wearing it I noticed the bracelet was flimsy. It would unclasp on its own. And because it was a heavy watch, I was afraid it would come undone and fall off my hand without me even noticing.

So I took it back to the Tourneau store on 34th street Saturday morning. According to policy, they don't take back watches that 1)have been worn and 2)have been sold on sale. My watch fit into both categories so I was afraid they'd reject me.

But lo and behold — they were very accommodating. I told them the problem and they quickly offered me an exchange. I exchanged it for the Victorinox Swiss Army watch in the picture above. Same price, warranty, etc. The difference is, this watch has an additional secure clasp so it won't come undone so easily.

Here's the scary part. I wore the Seapearl watch for a week straight before bringing it back. It was in excellent condition, but I managed to make one minor scratch on the bracelet. Most ppl won't notice it, but watch geeks probably would (I guess I'm a watch geek, 'cause I noticed it.) It concerned me a little that they took the watch back and will probably sell it as new again. Maybe with a steeper discount...I hope?

Overall, here's what I learned:

1)Tourneau has a silent policy regarding trade-ins and exchanges. However, if you're good at haggling, you can haggle the price of your trade-in and the price you're willing to pay for a new watch.
2)Look at every detail of the watch you're buying. Bracelet, clasp, etc. Look for any signs it's been worn or look for scratches.
3)If you're in the NYC area, the store on 34th street has excellent customer support. They helped me pick a new watch, took care of my trade-in, and then allowed me to make an exchange. The store near Central Park inside Columbus Mall — not as friendly.

Disney's "movie cloud" looking to replace DVDs

I'm really torn about Disney's new Keychest technology. In a nutshell, the technology lets you buy your Disney media once and stream it from any device as many times as you want, whether it's from your smartphone, iPod, laptop, etc. You don't own the media, but rather the "privilege" to stream it.

With so many movie-playing devices, the concept sounds very cool. So for example, I can buy Beauty & the Beast and then stream it from my cable box at home, from my smartphone when I'm on the go, from my laptop if I'm in another country, from my cousin's computer if I'm babysitting in PA, etc.

Yet the thought of not "owning" the physical media weirds me out. But I don't know why. I'm totally fine with streaming Netflix from my Roku. (Aside from Kung Fu Hustle, I can't remember the last DVD I bought). However, on the flip side, I'm not ok with paying a monthly fee to stream my music. I want to own that. Forever.

So a few things strike me about Disney's Keychest. 1)What's the price per movie? If the movie is in "the cloud," I expect it to be cheaper 2)What happens to the media if the consumer/owner dies? Can you pass the rights to your children or someone else? 3)Will there be ads anywhere in the stream? I mean, it sounds like Disney is gonna lose money with this pay-once-view-as-many-times-as-you-want plan.

I dunno. On paper this is what everyone wants. The ability to buy something once and play it from anywhere as many times as you want. So has Disney nailed down the right distribution model? I guess we'll find out more next month when it debuts.

Out with the old...

Apple let loose some new iMacs, Mac minis, and MacBooks today. Pretty decent spec bumps if you were waiting for them. Personally, I've been waiting on an iMac refresh. The new 27" model sounds awesome. I kinda wish it were 30", but 27" will suffice. Compared to the old high-end models, the new high-end iMacs are a great deal. And whereas before $2,199 got you the high-end 24", now $2,199 gets you a super high-end 27" i7 iMac.

However, on the low-end, it feels like you're being cheated a bit. $1,499 used to get you a 24" iMac. Now its gets you a 21.5". Granted, the new 21.5" model has a 1TB drive, faster CPU, and so forth, but still. Why did Apple get rid of the 24" iMac?

Smartphone Shopping

My smartphone is dying a slow death. It's the Motorola Q. I got it when it came out back in 2005. (It boasted Windows Mobile 5, how could I say no!) So last night I noticed my texts were stalling. The screen would freeze and they wouldn't send. It turns out my phone was freezing because I have every text I've ever sent and received since 2007. It's now 2009. I text a lot. So I started to manually delete texts. (If I do a "delete all," my phone crashes.) Like I said, I need a new smartphone. Here's what I'm thinking.

Option One: I wait for Verizon's new (and first) Droid phone. I like Android and I'd love an Android phone, but something tells me this one is gonna suck. Still, I'm curious.

Option 2: BlackBerry Tour. Awesome smartphone, only thing stopping me is that it's chunky. If it were the Curve, I'd be all over it.

Option 3: Walmart and StraightTalk just announced a partnership and they're offering a no-contract, $45 unlimited everything plan. That includes text, minutes, data, the works. That's amazing and VERY tempting, but I don't know anyone who can vouch for StraightTalk, although it's supposed to be reliable since it uses Verizon's network. Here's how my current plan and StraightTalk match up price-wise:

Verizon Family: $150/mo for 700 any-time minutes, 5MB/mo, unlimited text. (Contract)
StraightTalk: $45/mo unlimited everything. (No contract)

It sounds like a no-brainer — even with two StraightTalk plans it's still cheaper, but I'm hesitant on StraightTalk. So I think I'm gonna wait till this Droid business is resolved (I believe it's supposed to debut at the end of the month) and dig deeper into the StraightTalk / Walmart deal. I'm very open to it if I hear good things. Either way, my goal is to have a new phone come November.

UPDATE: So I checked in with StraightTalk. Turns out you have to use a StraightTalk phone to be a part of the plan. And the *3* phones they offer are the suckiest, crappiest, ugliest things you've ever seen. I might as well just make calls from a paper cup. I guess I'll wait for the Droid.

Tourneau Trade-In

So I gave myself an early birthday present over the weekend. I got a new watch. I wasn't planning on it, but it sorta just happened.

I went to the Tourneau store on 34th street in an attempt to get my old, broken watch appraised and find out more about the Tourneau trade-in policy. It just so happened there was an unannounced sale going on and the two watches I liked were both on sale. One was a Tag Heuer watch called the Aquaracer. Waaaay out of my budget, but a nice looking watch. It was on sale for just shy of $900 (it was a recertified watch). The other watch (a Tourneau watch called the Seapearl) was also on sale. Before looking at either of them, I asked the salesperson (who was very nice and helpful) point blank how much they would give me for my old watch. He told me that I would first have to pick a new watch before they could give me an estimate. So I told him I wanted the Tag. (Even though I was sure I wasn't going to buy it.)

He checked with the store manager and came back offering me $275 for my old watch. Mind you, my old watch is dead. A Tag watch for under a thousand is a pretty good sale, but still way outta my budget (even recertified!) So I asked about the other watch I liked, the Tourneau Seapearl (which was new). Suddenly the value of my watch fell. They'd give me $125 for my old watch if I bought the Seapearl. I asked him why it mattered? He was honest about it and told me — the amount you get for your old watch is dependent on how much you pay for a new watch. Sleazy, but at least he was upfront about it.

In the end, I got the Seapearl (the one in the pic) on sale and minus an extra $125 for my old watch. Not bad. I asked him what they'd do with my old watch. He said they'd try to fix it and re-sell it as a recertified watch or gut it and use the parts on another recertified watch. Considering the folks at the Tourneau Store on Columbus Circle told me my watch was "unfixable," I'll be curious to see if my old watch ends up inside the pre-owned watches case.

Balloon Fight

Nothing like a little side-scrolling action for the weekend. This might be my new favorite game.

PowerMat First Impression

So my PowerMat review unit arrived in the mail yesterday. We got the "home" unit and the "portable" unit. Haven't put them to the test yet, but a few things to mention:

1)Design-wise, the PowerMat Home Charger is better looking than the Duracell myGrid. In fact, the PowerMat looks like a swanky horizontal mouse pad. The portable unit is a little less swanky, but then again it's meant to be portable.

2)Both the home and portable unit came with a handful of tips/adapters, which you're supposed to use to charge gadgets that aren't natively supported by the PowerMat. For instance, the iPhone 3GS is natively supported because there's a PowerMat "sleeve" specifically for the 3GS. (Granted, that sleeve will cost you a few bucks.) So for non-native devices, here's how it works. You connect the tip to your device and then the tip connects to the PowerMat adapter. You then place the adapter on the pad. Sound confusing? It is. It's a lot more tedious than I would like.

I'll test both of the units side by side to see which one is faster at charging, which one has the better construction, and which one offers the better bargain. Stay tuned!

dealnews meet up

Wednesday night was the first ever dealnews Social in New York City. There were prizes, tasty food, good conversation, and lots of drinks for all. Here's what you missed out on in case you couldn't come.

iPod touch screens

I have a 1G iPod touch that I love. I use it all the time, especially at the gym and on the treadmill. To save it from scratches, I paired it with one of these $15 screen protectors. The pack includes one for the front of the iPod and one for the back. Recently, however, the front screen was looking pretty grimy, so it was time for a new one. I guess I've gotten cheap over the past year, because suddenly $15 seemed steep for a screen protector, so instead I got the iPod touch version of this from eForCity for $7 shipped. They arrived over the weekend and I applied one. It's awesome. Just as good as the $15 screen from Apple, but rather than get one front and one back screen, I got 3 front screens, which is all you really need, for half the price. Applying the screen is a pain (stupid air bubbles), but after you iron it out it's all good. Thumbs up on these screens! Also thumbs up to Griffin. Been using its Reflect case for over a year and it's shielded my touch from scratches.

Showtime

I'm not a Showtime subscriber, but I find this kinda interesting. Showtime is releasing (actually, it's already out) an app that will let non-subscribers, like me, watch previews and full episodes of some of their programming. And for a limited time, Apple owners can sub to Showtime for $7.99/mo (how generous of them.) All I want is a la cart cable TV. Till then, you can keep your discount Showtime.

Gazelle Update

Quick update to a story I did a few weeks ago on Gazelle. I've used the service about 3x since then to clear out my gadget closet and in all, I've made about $500 total. Most recently, I sold two old smartphones and an old laptop (we're talking Core Solo here). In all instances, I had the original packaging and the hardware was in perfect condition. (I'm nice to my gadgets.) So here's what's up:

1) The service has gotten faster. Way faster. On average, I was paid about 2 weeks after sending in my gadgets (compared to the 26 days it took the first time I did it.) And that's via snail mail, I imagine being paid via PayPal is even faster.

2) Gazelle is good with coupons. Over the summer I used a $10 bonus coupon (now expired) and most recently I used the "tweet" coupon I found on their Twitter feed for an extra 5%.

3) Gazelle has expanded its category tree, meaning they're buying back more stuff. From calculators to iPod docks to satellite radios.

4) Unfortunately, they still don't beat out eBay. In some instances, they get damn close, but eBay still provides the biggest bang for your buck.

That said, I still recommend checking eBay before selling your stuff to Gazelle. Otherwise, if you're lazy or don't mind losing a few dollars to Gazelle, the service has improved.

iPod touch denied

My iPod touch is old. I noticed this last night when I went to install a new app and it required an iPod touch 2nd generation. Why? I have no clue. But it made me realize that Apple has turned the iPod into a computer. Give it a year and you'll need to buy a new one just so you can run the "latest apps." This annoys me. The last think I wanna do is upgrade my MP3 player every year. The app in question is the new Univision Movil app (iTunes link). I'm not a big fan of Univision (most of their programming is trash IMO), but I was curious to see how their app would compare to CBS's app and if I'd be able to get soccer updates and Univision's International newscast (which I do watch from time to time) via the app. But unfortunately I didn't get to try it out 'cause it simply wouldn't install. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod touch. But it sucks that new apps will now come with "system requirements."

Cheap Wine Sites

I'm a big wine geek and I'm always looking for a way to either save money on wine or try new ones on the cheap, so I'm really psyched about these two new sites I recently discovered. One launched today (at 12am) — it's called CinderellaWine.com. (Not the best of names, IMO.) The site is part of the Wine Library network. (I purchase from WL every now and then and have been to their store in NJ. I like it.)

Every night at midnight, CinderellaWine.com will list one wine at a super cheap price. So cheap, that they promise to beat the lowest price for that wine on Wine-Searcher (Wine-Searcher is like PriceGrabber for wines.) I checked the site out at midnight this morning and it was down. I'm guessing too many ppl logged on and their servers buckled. By the time 12.05am came, the wine was sold out. The site is up and running now with a new wine, but that wine sold out as I wrote this post. That sucks.

There's a competing site called Wines Til Sold Out, which does the same thing. (Minus the Wine-Searcher promise.) They've been around a lot longer and list the wine reviews right on the homepage.

I've never used either of the sites, but I'm gonna try both of them out and see who offers the best discount, quickest delivery, best wines (anyone can sell a crap wine for cheap), best customer service, and which one I prefer. Who knows, I make like 'em both. I know there's also Wine Woot, but Dan mentioned they're kinda meh. I'll try to order from CinderellaWine and Wines Til Sold Out this week and post a quick update when I do.

Old Timer

A few years ago when I graduated from college my dad gave me this Tourneau watch as a graduation gift. (My dad normally doesn't give gifts, but when he does they tend to be kick arse.) I've worn the watch since then and it's been with me everywhere — from Paris to Barcelona to the little Mexican food joint next to the dealnews office. However, back in August, I made the mistake of keeping it on while going for a dip in the ocean. Immediately after, the lens fogged up and it stopped ticking. (I'm guessing the lens was scratched and water seeped in.)

So I bought it to the Tourneau store on Columbus where I knew they would fix it for free, but unfortunately, they couldn't. They told me they no longer made that model and instead offered me to "trade-up." I asked how much they would give me for the watch, but they wouldn't tell me. Instead the rep told me to pick a new watch I liked and "then we would talk." Mind you, none of the watches at the store had a price tag. Suddenly I felt like I was at a car dealership, so I took took my watch to Macy's, where I knew they also repaired watches. Unfortunately, they told me the same thing. They no longer make the part that I need.

So I began to research Tourneau's "trade-up" policy online. Nada. I know it exists (they mention it on their website), but there's almost no information on it. However, with a little Google magic, I found a few details and it appears it involves some haggling. I hate haggling. I'm horrible at it. I always feel guilty that I'm cheating someone out of a salary and some parent isn't gonna be able to buy dinner for their children 'cause of my haggling. So here's what I found online.

When doing a trade-up at Tourneau, the more expensive your new watch is, the more you'll get for your old watch. The "cheaper" your new watch is, the less you'll get. And they only tell you the value of your old watch after selecting a new one. Now the problem is, most of their watches are $1,500 and up. Way too expensive for my wallet. (I saw a few in the $600 range, but I wasn't crazy about them.) So for the moment, I'm stuck.

I noticed Tourneau has a Facebook page and they list sales/discounts via their page. Back in July they had a 50% off sale storewide. (Wow!) Although I don't want to trade-up, I feel like I have no choice. So I'm hoping for a good Black Friday/Xmas sale and maybe then I'll decide what to do. And if I trade-up, I'll post again on how easy/painful it was.

Duracell myGrid First Impression

So I started playing around with the new Duracell myGrid Wireless Power Pad. The way it works is — you plug the myGrid pad into a wall outlet, put one of the Duracell PowerSleeves on your gadget (there are sleeves for the BB Curve, iPhone, etc), and then you place your gadget on the pad to charge wirelessly. If you have an old handheld, the myGrid comes with mini USB adapters that you plug into your device before laying it on the pad. We're comparing the myGrid to the PowerMat (still waiting for that to arrive) and so far I like the myGrid, but noticed a few things.

1)There's no way you can charge 4 gadgets at a time on the myGrid pad. Unless they're extremely small gadgets. Just look at how much space my Motorola Q takes.

2)I haven't done a timed test yet, but it feels like it's taking longer to charge my cellphone on the myGrid than with a regular adapter.

3)It shocked me! Not a huge shock, but I felt a sharp sting when I went to move the pad to the corner of my desk (while charging my Q). The manual says it's supposed to instantly turn off if you touch it. Which it did. But after I got shocked. (To be fair, that could've been static electricity on my part.)

UPDATE: It was static electricity on my part. Tried touching the pad again while it was charging a phone and nothing happened. (Aside from the pad shutting itself down when it came in contact with my hand.)