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Oh Crap, I did it again!

A while back I wrote about the Samsung Vibrant and how crappy it was for its difficult updates (and lack thereof) and their stinky GPS, crapware, laggy performance, etc. Enough frustration that I stated that I would never buy another Samsung phone again.

Well, I lied.


Google just started selling the Galaxy Nexus through their online store "Google Play". It's a Samsung Phone...

I researched all the complaints about the phone and found nothing out of the ordinary or anything systemic, including the GPS, which from all accounts everyone was very happy with.
So here were the things that sold me on it dispite it being another Samsung:

1. 4.65" HD (1280 x 720) Super AMOLED Display
2. Front Facing Camera
3. Rear Camera with Flash
4. GSM/EDGE/GPRS (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
   3G (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
   HSPA+ 21 (works on ATT 4g, T-Moble 4g and over 200 countrie's GSM networks worldwide)
5. Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) (Android 4.0)
6. 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
7. Near Field Communications (NFC) - Can use it like a Credit Card with an RFID chip
8.  Unlocked! - Use on ANY GSM Network worldwide!
9. $400 - No contracts
10. No Service Provider's custom interface or crapware. 
11. Google Updates its direct sell phones first with the latest Android Build

The GPS works GREAT! It locks on in just a few seconds and stays locked. I occasionally get GPS locks inside my house - that's the way it SHOULD be.

And I love Ice Cream Sandwich. It's slick, smooth, and very responsive and intuitive. It's Google's best release to date.

In fact, I liked it so much, I rooted my old Vibrant and installed ICS Passion (a third-party port of ICE to the Vibrant - since T-Mobile won't do it because there is not enough room for it and their custom User Interface (see - I hate Service Providers' Customer Interfaces and Crapware).

And I must say, the Vibrant with ICS is much smoother and more stable that it was with Froyo and T-Moble crapware. Of course, the GPS still sucks.

If you have a T-Mobile Vibrant and are tired of laggyness, constant reboots, being 2 major versions behind and all the crapware. Here are links to dead simple videos on YouTube on how to root your phone and install ICS Passion. NOTE: This will void your warranty - which has probably already expired anyway.

Root back to Eclair (required)

Install Gingerbread then Ice Cream Sandwich (you need to go to Gingerbread then to ICS)

And here's where to buy the Galaxy Nexus click on Shop / Shop Devices

Have fun!

Logic Flaw

The following comic is from XKCD.COM licensed under Creative Commons.

 

My High School Physics teacher used the same kind of logic for work around the house. He calculated how long it would take to do a project and multiplied it by his current teaching wage. If he could pay someone to do it cheaper, he would do that rather than take on the project himself. He reasoned he was somehow saving money, or not wasting his time, by doing so.

I had a problem with this logic then, as I do with the comic above today.

What will you be doing with that time if you are not building a deck or driving to the other gas station? Or more directly, are you earning any money during that time that you're not doing those tasks?

Most often, the answer is 'No'. You won't be earning an money and you will either be sitting on your butt and watching TV or out spending money on stuff you don't need.

So here's my reality: I'd rather 'work for minimum wage' driving to a nearby gas station to save a couple dollars than do nothing different and loose that couple of dollars out of laziness.

And when it comes to building a deck, I'd do that during my time off from work when I wouldn't be earning any money anyway. By doing it myself, I 'earn' that wage I would otherwise be paying someone else and learning a skill in the process. In the end, I always feel better about something I'd completed myself over paying someone to do it for me.

So think about it next time you think saving a few bucks is not worth your time. Your probably not getting paid a dime for just standing there anyway, whereas doing a little work pays you back the money you'd otherwise be throwing away.