Tag: verizon

 

What to do, what to do…? (ongoing)

All right, I don’t usually post polls here on der Stonegauge but I’m putting a poll up and inviting everyone in for discussion (yay discussion!):

So, as my previous entries on this PDA future discussion have told, my contract with T-mobile expired. I’m really interested in upgrading my Blackberry 8700g, I’m on a data-only plan due to hearing problems and (this hasn’t been stated here) T-Mobile is sadly the optimum cell provider for me because their data only plan comes with no additional costs (unless I make calls) compared with AT&T or Verizon (both cell networks require you purchase separate plans for text/sms messages, AT&T requires you to jump through hoops in order to enjoy data only iPhone use, Verizon is extra costly, AT&T has unclear policies and usage charges for non-national data)

So chime in, people, about hosts, but this poll is about phones. I’ve narrowed it down to upgrading to 3 models (all of which I can attain from T-mobile, but I invite other suggestions):

The HTC G1
The Blackberry Curve
The Blackberry Javelin/8900*

[poll id=”3″]

(The Javelin has not yet been released to the public)

All Networked Up

I am as happy as a pig in shit right now. For a couple of reasons but first and foremost — because I just solved a bane of my existence.

I paid $160 bucks or close to it for 2 pieces of a WiFi Network — A Router and a Network Adapter — from Linksys. Not bad seeing I could have paid much much more but still a ton of cash at the time.

So I set up the router and then I go down to my father’s computer — mind you this is a few months ago — and I hook up the Network adapter and…

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Bupkus. Didley Squat. Etc. (thank you Juliane Moore, your Slang Dictionary reading character Electra inspires my alternative words for nothing)

The thing wouldn’t connect to the Internet / the Wi Fi Network. The signal strength could be anywhere from 60-100 percent and nothing was going on. It frustrated the hell out of me to try, try, try, try and have every possible re-configuration amount to shit. Nothing worked. In fact, sometimes when it seemed like it was working – the computer would lock up and you would have to reboot.

I disconnected the router, disconnected the network adapter and wrapped them up and filed them away for a month or two… Which leads me to yesterday and today.

Yesterday my father is talking about going to Verizon DSL service. Now, my father isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer to go along with his other things that piss me off. He talks about Verizon offering a deal to connect ALL of your computers to DSL Internet access for “one low monthly fee” — his exact words, I swear….

I go to Verizon’s site and no where do they offer to hook each individual computer up to DSL Internet Access for one low fee. They offer Fee access the first month, 29.95 for the next two months and 34.99 each following month.

Per – Computer – Connection.

I tell my father this and he doesn’t believe me – he believes the radio ad he heard in his car. I get pissed off and prove him wrong, and show him that not only does Verizon want to get you to use their Internet access but to wire your computers all to the Internet, you have to invest in their own home networking offer as well as the DSL connection.

Ronnie got pissy at this and I got pissed off as well.

So today with my ample spare time I vow to solve this bullshit of the anti-networking WiFi network. I hook up the router again and configure it. I then hook up the network adapter to his computer. Nothing. I am running upstairs and downstairs for 2 hours trying to get this thing to work. Nada…

And then? What happens? I decide to change one frigging’ setting — installing one extra thing that Linksys’ software didn’t automatically install.

POOF — I connect to the Internet on my fathers computer, using my own broadband connection upstairs..

So my Sunday has been eventful. My weekend has been eventful for that matter. I’ll post further about this soon enough but for right now — i will just :woot and end this story