WC 1M Post Challenge - You Ready?!

[MSFTisMIA]

Not to sound like a person who hates change or anything but I think navigation on a device is a personal thing and I think having options is good.

Not everyone wants to have pure gesture based navigation.

Change for change sake seems to be the norm though in products

Lots of things do this simply because they think people get bored or something. Or they're not attracting new customers.

Not sure what the mentality is.

I'm all for package update etc and modernising things in looks but just to say 'new and improved' (typically isn't) or is worse... Sucks.

Also I find products get discontinued a lot or renamed. Especially women's products. My wife has lost a lot of products she liked over the years. She finds it very frustrating.

We're reducing that kind of thing anyway but still...

I know this feeling all too well. It still boils down to being a business at the end of the day - if producers don't make "enough profit", products go away. There are lots of things I like that don't exist anymore.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I think so too. She wouldn't have the battery anxiety she currently does sometimes.

She was thinking about getting a Galaxy S model next year. I just laughed and asked her if she REALLY wants to pay out of her nose for a 5G model, and have Verizon hit her up with a 5G plan.

Looks like VZW is being VZW. She had a good deal lined up and they're kicking the tin around...

And the verdict is that the deal she got is more so so now. It's kinda why I prefer to go unlocked...buy your phone outright with a credit card and pay off quickly or buy with $$$.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Looks like VZW is being VZW. She had a good deal lined up and they're kicking the tin around...

And the verdict is that the deal she got is more so so now. It's kinda why I prefer to go unlocked...buy your phone outright with a credit card and pay off quickly or buy with $$$.

I'm sorry to hear that and hope she's able to get a better deal.

The trouble with Verizon is that unless one sticks to Samsung/Apple, all features won't work on an unlocked device. For example, WiFi calling won't be enabled, not because it can't be but because Verizon refuses. Samsung and Apple are big enough that Verizon can't say no, but other brands aren't big enough to force Verizon to say yes.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I'm sorry to hear that and hope she's able to get a better deal.

The trouble with Verizon is that unless one sticks to Samsung/Apple, all features won't work on an unlocked device. For example, WiFi calling won't be enabled, not because it can't be but because Verizon refuses. Samsung and Apple are big enough that Verizon can't say no, but other brands aren't big enough to force Verizon to say yes.

She was trying to get in for $500 on contract but they said that was for business only customers. So she can get it for Pixel 4 base model money. That's OK, but $500 was where the real deal was at.

 

[libra89]

She was trying to get in for $500 on contract but they said that was for business only customers. So she can get it for Pixel 4 base model money. That's OK, but $500 was where the real deal was at.

That's dumb that they are doing this to her.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

That's dumb that they are doing this to her.

It gets better. She went into the store as instructed to get the same deal and got a rep who did the minimum necessary. So of course she left without the phone. The only good part about the visit was she's eligible for a promotion on a connected tablet.

So she wants to research if she can get both. She wants to pay the discounted rate for the phone upfront and get the tablet deal. If not, she will do the phone only.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

It gets better. She went into the store as instructed to get the same deal and got a rep who did the minimum necessary. So of course she left without the phone. The only good part about the visit was she's eligible for a promotion on a connected tablet.

So she wants to research if she can get both. She wants to pay the discounted rate for the phone upfront and get the tablet deal. If not, she will do the phone only.

I'm like 99 when I deal with the reps - stick to the script and tell me if you can offer a better deal. Outside of that, don't up sell me. It doesn't mean I'm difficult, but I know what I'm looking for.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I'm like 99 when I deal with the reps - stick to the script and tell me if you can offer a better deal. Outside of that, don't up sell me. It doesn't mean I'm difficult, but I know what I'm looking for.

So I had another long discussion with the gf about her upgrade. Told her that B&H has the unlocked model in the color she wants for $700 (plus tax). She only buys new.

Her current choices are:

1) Buy the phone from the carrier at full price.

2) Take the current promotion of $300 off (T-mobile is running their version of this) if it is done on an EIP over 24 months

3) Go to B&H and buy the North American variant for $700 and add it to her account

I think the veterans here know what I'd choose from these options.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

In other news...

Having a hard time finding a skin for the Flex 14. The hard case I saw online has too many inconsistent reviews so I'm not interested. In the interim I found an interesting and slightly tacky solution. I had recently bought a screen protector and that was cut too large (by an inch) for the screen. So I trimmed it and that better covers the panel. I decided to take the screen protector I had applied initially and place in on the back of the Flex lid. Surprisingly, it covers enough of the lid (even though there is a cutout) for now and keeps the fingerprints at bay.

I may get this red skin or marble skin I want eventually to protect the lid and palm rests too. But those are the breaks.

 

[raycpl]

Back home... and food
curry noodles

Popeah... veg rolls, with bits of crunchy shrimps

Prawn noodles

Bubble tea

Curry chicken with roti jala (bread in shape like a net)

 

[raycpl]

They do like to use colourful plates here... sometimes it makes the colour of the food in the photos slight, erm, off

 

[MSFTisMIA]

So I had another long discussion with the gf about her upgrade. Told her that B&H has the unlocked model in the color she wants for $700 (plus tax). She only buys new.

Her current choices are:

1) Buy the phone from the carrier at full price.

2) Take the current promotion of $300 off (T-mobile is running their version of this) if it is done on an EIP over 24 months

3) Go to B&H and buy the North American variant for $700 and add it to her account

I think the veterans here know what I'd choose from these options.

Well, the saga is over. She was able to get the carrier version for the $700 (plus tax). What a headache it was getting to be.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

In other news...

Having a hard time finding a skin for the Flex 14. The hard case I saw online has too many inconsistent reviews so I'm not interested. In the interim I found an interesting and slightly tacky solution. I had recently bought a screen protector and that was cut too large (by an inch) for the screen. So I trimmed it and that better covers the panel. I decided to take the screen protector I had applied initially and place in on the back of the Flex lid. Surprisingly, it covers enough of the lid (even though there is a cutout) for now and keeps the fingerprints at bay.

I may get this red skin or marble skin I want eventually to protect the lid and palm rests too. But those are the breaks.

I plan to get the skin, sleeve, pen and an extra AC adapter. I'll finish my setup this week and will start putting it through its paces.

 

[worldspy99]

I ended up returning the Lenovo Flex 14 because the CPU cooling fan kept running non stop even if no apps were running.

Got a Razer Blade Stealth 13 instead. It was a fortune. We shall see how this one pans out.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I ended up returning the Lenovo Flex 14 because the CPU cooling fan kept running non stop even if no apps were running.

Got a Razer Blade Stealth 13 instead. It was a fortune. We shall see how this one pans out.

Good luck and have fun with it. I didn't know you're a gamer.

 

[worldspy99]

Good luck and have fun with it. I didn't know you're a gamer.

I'm not a gamer.
This laptop is for the Mrs. She wanted something that could handle basic animation ergo the Blade 13.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I ended up returning the Lenovo Flex 14 because the CPU cooling fan kept running non stop even if no apps were running.

Got a Razer Blade Stealth 13 instead. It was a fortune. We shall see how this one pans out.

Hope this works better for you.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I'm interested in a K20 Pro. That's next on the list after getting a 9 Pureview.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Looks like I will have to make some serious changes in 2020. Some people won't like them, some things I like will have to go...

...still, necessity is the mother of invention. It's time to make those necessary changes.

 

[libra89]

Looks like I will have to make some serious changes in 2020. Some people won't like them, some things I like will have to go...

...still, necessity is the mother of invention. It's time to make those necessary changes.

I wish you the best with making changes.