Articles – Page 23

Julie’s gadget diary – First it was iPhone to Android and now I’m switching from Verizon to T-Mobile

If you’ve been following along at home, you know that I recently had a 3-month fling with an iPhone 7 Plus but just switched back to Android a few days ago. I’m currently using an original Pixel XL but ordered the new Pixel 2 XL last week after it was announced by Google. And now I’m switching again, this time it’s my wireless carrier and I’m switching from Verizon to T-Mobile.

I’m feeling of Deja Vu because seven years ago I switched from the iPhone to Android AND from AT&T to Verizon. My seven year run with Verizon has been pretty good until the last year or so when the signal coverage at my home has gotten worse. This hasn’t been a huge deal until recently when we disconnected our landline phones to solely rely on our cell phones. As long as we remain upstairs, making and receiving calls is fine, but if we receive calls while in the basement, we have issues with dropped calls.

I’m on a grandfathered plan with Verizon which is only 6GB of data shared between two lines. I know, how do I survive which such a small data bucket? I’ve just lived with it because the 2 lines are only costing me $88 a month and it really hasn’t been a problem until recently. For the last couple of years, I’ve been able to connect to the WiFi at my day job. But now they require that we load a special app that can track what’s on our phones and wipe them at their discretion. Ummmm… no, thank you.

Another reason for the switch is that I regularly have to turn down offers to review phones that aren’t compatible with my Verizon SIM because they are GSM phones.

And last but not least, T-Mobile has a deal right now you are a new or existing customer and bring a Pixel 2 to their network, they will give you a $325 gift card! That’s tough to turn down.

So last year I got a T-Mobile account to test the signal quality between my house in the woods and the “big” city of Columbus Indiana and found a 5-mile stretch where I’d consistently get the dreaded no signal message.

I tested again in May of this year with Mint SIM who use T-Mobile towers for their service and I experienced the same no signal area.

In anticipation of potentially switching to T-Mobile, I ordered a new Mint SIM to see if there had been any updates in their coverage in the last 5 months. I tested that this past weekend and unfortunately, the no signal hole still exists.

Long story short, even though there’s a small gap in signal coverage that I’ll drive through twice a day, I’m making the leap and switching. We’ll be paying about $20 more per month, but we’ll have “unlimited” data, Netflix, faster speeds, and better connectivity at my house. How do I know that? I’ve been using T-Mobile for my home internet for several months, so I already know that it’s going to work great there.

iPhone to Android. Verizon to T-Mobile. What’s next? Would you believe that I’m seriously considering switching from Mac to Windows now?!

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: gadget diary, T-mobile

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

New York Comic Con 2017: Get your geek on!

The past weekend, I attended the New York Comic Con (NYCC) held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Since 2006, every type of comic, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, anime, and literary fan can find something to get them excited at NYCC and there are more than enough cool-themed gadgets and tech to put a serious dent in your wallet.

NYCC attracted over 185,000 fans last year, surpassing the San Diego Comic Con to make it the largest comic book and pop culture gathering in the country.

Fortunately, the convention is held over four days so everyone interested can get a chance to experience it.

Toys and collectibles are a big part of NYCC and there is no shortage of the sought-after Funko Pop! Vinyl figures.

Many vendors sell them, including Toy-R-Us and there are a number of NYCC exclusive figures that fans line up for.

Of course, Comic Con would be nothing without the fans and the most dedicated fans always arrive in costume, “cosplaying” as their favorite characters. Like they say, ‘The family that cosplays together…”

Luckily, for the multitude of cosplayers there are a number of vendors geared specifically toward cosplay accessories, costumes, and repair.

You can show up to Comic Con in your everyday clothes and after a few quick stops at some vendor booths, you’ll be outfitted as any character you can imagine.

Need some Star Wars themed footwear to complete your ensemble? There’s a vendor for that!

Steampunk and Victorian-inspired costumes are also pretty popular and there are plenty of vendors catering specifically to this segment of cosplayers.

Any technology even remotely related to comics will have a presence at NYCC. Wacom uses the convention every year to showcase their latest tablets and touch displays.

The Force is strong at Comic Con and there are endless tie-ins to the galaxy far, far away.

Toymaker Sphero was on hand to show off some new remote control droids for the upcoming release of Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.

Sphero also brought along some life-sized droid replicas for display.

You can even bring your love of all things Star Wars to the dinner table with your very own Tie Fighter Portable Gas Grill! Come to the dark side, or maybe it’s the charred side.

No self-respecting Star Wars fan would be complete without a handcrafted, heirloom quality lightsaber from Vader’s Vault. These lightsabers come with a full removable dual-diffused blade that you can actually battle with.

Prop replicas are always very popular and the recreations on display at Comic Con are pretty amazing. The only thing more impressive than the replicas are their staggering price tags.

Each year there are a good amount vendors that showcase some really interesting new items, such as the modular, customized bags from Equilibrium Urban Survival Gear. These bags can be customized endlessly, you can even have your own custom art for the outer panel.

If you don’t mind the lines or the amount of cash you have to lay out, Comic Con is a great place to get a photo or autograph with one of your favorite TV or movie stars. Just be warned, don’t try to snap a picture without their consent!

LEGO is everywhere at Comic Con. You can find figures and kits from the most basic to one-of-a-kind items that are priced in the hundreds.

Scale-models of every type of Star Trek ship and shuttlecraft along with ship placards from vendors like Eaglemoss Collections are always a big hit at NYCC.

Models, in general, are big sellers and if you’re into Gundam or Evangelion figures, there’s plenty here to whet your appetite.

Art is a huge part of Comic Con. Reimagined movie posters, genre mashups, and recreations of famous scenes are all big sellers and some of the original art on sale is astounding.

Young, budding artists can check out their favorite artists and illustrators in Artist Alley, a section of Comic Con where the most talented professionals set up shop. Most of the artists are available for one-of-a-kind commissions and are always happy to give advice to future artists or critique their sketches.

All brands want some type of presence and exposure at NYCC and Chevrolet is no exception. There are always several hero-themed vehicles on display such as this Batman decked out Chevy Tahoe.

The New York Comic Con is always great fun and I guarantee, no matter what your interest is, you’ll find something to geek out over. Check out the NYCC’s website for tickets and info for next year’s Comic Con here.

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: Trip Report

New York Comic Con 2017: Get your geek on! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 12, 2017 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 3)

Welcome to part three of an on-going series where we tell you about the gear that we use on a daily basis. Today we have the favorite gear bags for five of our writers here on the Gadgeteer team. Enjoy!

Also read:
The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 1)
The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 2)

Andy Jacobs

The GORUCK GR1 rucksack. GORUCK’s original piece of gear, with its roots in US Special Forces these rucks are built proudly in the USA and proven by special operators in war zones across the world and by GORUCK Challenge participants across these great United States. Made from water-resistant and uber-durable 1000D Cordura nylon, there’s a reason why GORUCK refers to their rucks as “bomb-proof.” The GR1 is available in two sizes, both of which I own: the 21 Liter which I use for both ruck training and GORUCK Challenges, and the 26 Liter (shown here) which I use for EDC and short travel. Because GORUCK believes design should be simple and versatile so you can use your ruck in the way that works best for you, their rucks include high-strength nylon MOLLE webbing inside and out to attach items (such as GORUCK’s Field Pouches) and several organizational pockets inside, plus a padded laptop/hydration compartment. Admittedly, GORUCK’s products are not cheap—in quality or price (GR1 is $295)—but they are easily the best-built, most durable products I’ve ever used, and if you do manage to damage one of their rucks, their SCARS lifetime warranty will fix you up. I know, because they’ve done it for me (more than once). For me, GR1 is the ultimate rucksack (AKA backpack). Full review in the works.

You can read more about this bag at goruck.com.

Jacob Haas

My go-to bag at the moment is the Pioneer 12 Hip Pack from North St. Bags. When I reviewed this back a couple months ago. I liked it for its many interior pockets and expandable width, allowing me to fit a lot more inside than I originally thought I could. I’ve been using it almost daily to carry things that I can’t or wouldn’t want to shove into my pockets, like headphones, cables, and my Nintendo Switch that I like to play over lunch breaks. The bag itself still looks brand new after several weeks of steady use. I added a shoulder strap that I cannibalized from a small messenger bag and turned it into more of a tech-purse, which suits me just fine.

You can read more about this bag at northstbags.com.

Dave Rees

My favorite bag is near a half dozen years old, weighs more than five pounds, and is as non-tech & old school as you can get. Add in the fact that I have reviewed many high-quality bags over the past five years, is a testament to how much I love and enjoy carrying my Colonel Littleton 1943 Navigator bag. It’s a perfect size, able to securely transport my laptop, iPad Pro, and all my EDC gear with me. Its meticulous craftsmanship and classic WWII aviator styling are so me… As you can see, it is aging gracefully and continues to get praise from strangers to this day. I carry it to work every day, on work travel and vacation as well. Even though I have a closet full of very nice bags, I would buy another if it ever became damaged, lost, or stolen.

You can read more about this bag at northstbags.com.

Kathleen Chapman

My preferred type of gear bag is a backpack. For many years I’ve used a Jansport backpack to carry my teaching materials, but I’ve had a desire to upgrade to something attractive as well as rugged and since then I’ve discovered my inner leather enthusiast. Thus, my favorite gear bag is a backpack that I recently reviewed – the Pad & Quill Roll Top Leather Backpack (review has not yet been published to provide the link). I love the fact that it is a beautiful, well-made, high-quality leather backpack that is large enough to carry all of my necessary items and yet is still compact enough for me. It even has an internal pocket (unpadded) for a tablet/laptop which I use to store my portable keyboard. It does take time to access my materials since it is a roll-top backpack that has a two buckle closure, however, it has a quick side access zipper slot (8.75″ long) that allows you to extract small items quickly.

You can read more about and/or purchase the Pad & Quill Roll Top Leather Backpack on the Pad & Quill website.

Howard Sneider

My take on “favorite gear bag” may be a little different than other Gadgeteers. My current favorite bag is a freebie Lufthansa Premium Economy Class amenity kit by Picard I obtained on a recent European flight. This isn’t available in stores; It is only available with a seat from Lufthansa. It originally contained foam earplugs, sleep-mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, and over-socks (if you want to take your shoes off but still walk around the cabin). So why is this so great? It is impeccably made; it uses good quality materials, double stitching on the zipper and all the seems are lined.

The best part is that the bag is the perfect size to hold all of my cables, chargers, and a Bluetooth mouse. It has changed my backpack from a mess of cables to a neatly packed and organized kit. At meetings if I need any of these things I don’t have to go fumbling through my bag – I can just pull this bag out and not be distracted, or cause a distraction, during the meeting.

The other benefit of using this bag is that at airports, these items are all collected so that if the carry-on inspector has any questions about the contents everything is organized and in one place. This item is frequently on eBay for relatively little cost. I suggest you get something like this to make your electronics more organized.

You can read more about the Lufthansa Premium Economy Class amenity kit at www.picard-lederwaren.de.

Also read:
The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 1)
The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 2)

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: Bags, gadgeteer

The Gadgeteer team’s favorite gear bags (part 3) originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 9, 2017 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Julie’s gadget diary – It’s official, I’m switching back to Android

When I was watching Google’s live event yesterday and heard that the new Pixel 2’s would be going on sale that day, I immediately opened a new tab on my browser and went to check the Google Play store. Sure enough, they were available to order, so I did just that.

I ordered the Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB version in black. The black and white version looks very snazzy and I am a little bummed that I didn’t pick it so I’d have the red power button. But I was worried that the white would look dirty after use. I also know that I’ll end up covering it up with a thin case to add some grip to what I’m guessing will be a slippery phone.

A few days ago I posted that I was going to be switching from iOS to Android after a 3-month Android hiatus in iPhone land. I mentioned that my device choice was narrowed down between an LG V30 and the new yet unofficial Pixel 2 XL. I ultimately decided to go with the Pixel 2 XL even though it doesn’t have a microSD card or wireless charging. Why did I order it then? Because it has crazy fast charging, will have security and OS updates for the next 3 years and free full-resolution back up to Google Drive of images and video.

I planned to give my iPhone 7 Plus to Jeanne to replace her really old Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Switching to Android concerned me a little because I had planned for Jeanne and I to both be on an iOS phone when I bought an iPhone X. We’ve been on different Android phones with different versions of the OS for years, which always makes it tough to troubleshoot problems when she calls me on the phone at work to complain about something not working right. I thought being on the same version of the OS would greatly help my stress level during those calls But I wrecked that idea when I decided I’d go back to Android. However, Jeanne didn’t really care about that and was just looking forward to getting a new phone no matter what it was. But it still bugged me.

Lady luck was shining on me though because yesterday Dave Rees offered to trade me a new still in the box Pixel XL (last year’s model) for my iPhone 7 Plus which he plans to give his son. I jumped on that offer because Jeanne and I could both be on the same OS like I wanted. At least through next year’s Android P update which is the last update the first Pixel phones will receive.

I also sold my iPad Pro 10.5 with Pencil yesterday to a friend at work because I have barely used it since buying it 3 months ago. So all in all, I feel like I got 2 brand new phones for only about $300. Yay!

Now I just have to wait 2 weeks until the Pixel XL 2 arrives. Waiting.is.so.hard.

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: Android, gadget diary, Google

Julie’s gadget diary – It’s official, I’m switching back to Android originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 5, 2017 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Julie’s gadget diary – I’m switching back to Android

It’s been three months since I switched from an LG G6 to an iPhone 7 Plus and I’m ready to go back. Big shock right? Three months might not sound like a long time, but it’s the longest stretch that I’ve had with an iOS device in many years.

Why am I switching back? It’s not that I don’t like the iPhone 7 Plus. I like it quite a bit. I like the camera, iMessage, AirDrop, and the battery life. It’s a great phone and anyone would enjoy using it. But I’m not really “anyone”. I have a built-in desire to tweak, and bend devices to my own will and that’s tough to do with iOS and the iPhone.

When I switched to the iPhone three months ago, I told myself that tweaking was time-consuming and not necessary. It was the self-talk equivalent to “it’s time to grow up and put away childish things” that a parent might have with their child.

That talk didn’t stop me from being frustrated that I couldn’t rearrange the iPhone’s home screens my way instead of the Apple way.

I also ran into a few instances where I wished I had an Android phone so I could pair a mouse and a keyboard and use it like an ultra-tiny laptop to connect to The Gadgeteer web server while I was at my day job where they block SSH to outside machines.

Then when I wanted to revisit my in-vehicle handsfree media player project from a few years ago I quickly figured out that I can’t do those sort of things with iOS.

But what really did it was when Verizon Wireless sent me a Samsung Galaxy Note8 to review a couple weeks ago. That’s all it took to make me realize that I’m an Android person, not an iOS person and it’s time to switch back.

Now the question is which phone do I switch back to? A Samsung Galaxy Note8? Hmmm…. that’s a nice phone, but I don’t think so. I think I’ll go with an LG V30 or the new Pixel that’s going to be announced on Wednesday. I wish I had Android phone to switch to right now, but I don’t. I hate waiting…

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: gadget diary

Julie’s gadget diary – I’m switching back to Android originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 1, 2017 at 12:04 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.