Sanyo Zio Review after 2 Months Use

This is a follow up to the original review of the Sanyo Zio that I did when I first traded in my T-Mobile phone. I switched from T-mobile to Cricket.

After two months of using this device, I have to say that I am sure sick of shutting down programs so I can save the battery. Advanced task killer is a great program for shutting programs down. but there is no application that turns other applications off to stay off. So all of the apps on the Zio keep restarting just seconds after turning them off. The best way I know that seems to work. is go into the settings area of the phone, under Applications/ Running Services. Find the Application that keeps restarting and turn the thing off there. Why do they not make the programs any more with menu options to turn the apps off and conserve battery?
The touch screen is all over the place. Typing a message has become the longest, daunting task.
I have no resorted to getting a program called “Hey Tell”. Lets me record a short message and send it through internet. Works great on my wifi system. because I sure don’t get enough signal at home with this thing, to send a voice message.
Search opens everytime I do something that takes a lot of focus.
Sometimes it’s the web browser that opens. I have so much as held the thing with 4 fingers between both hands, so I knew I wasn’t accidentally bumping any buttons.
Everytime I pull down the top menu to get the short cut items of preloaded processes, the top slider gets stuck. The fix is to swipe again as if I hadn’t yet. Frustrating. Now I look like I have a scratch and sniff phone.
some useless apps that run all the time, you have to “root” your Zio just to disable them. and what I mean by disable, you have to remove the apps. Hope android market has the same apps, if i ever want to sell this.
Zio in no way compares to the G1. Google’s G1 blew the Zio out of the water, with older firmware and all.

I sure wish Google would pay more attention to Cricket and make something of them. Just a bit of a nudge with a handful of phones just for Cricket, would be nice. Like the G3 ??????

Review score:
6/10 useability
6/10 signal
9/10 appearance
4/10 battery life
3/10 ease of use
Full score is 5/10

Android Apps 2011 – our top choice

Our top 5 Android apps for your Android based phones.

ixMAT Barcode Scanner
a href=”https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ixellence.ixmat.android.communityamp;feature=search_result”Barcode scanner/a for your Android phone. This one scans a large choice of barcodes.

Dungeon Defender
object width=”560″ height=”345″ classid=”clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000″ codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0″param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true” /param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /param name=”src” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/BeyQ-PC_cwc?version=3amp;hl=en_USamp;rel=0″ /param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /embed width=”560″ height=”345″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/BeyQ-PC_cwc?version=3amp;hl=en_USamp;rel=0″ allowFullScreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” //object
Online Role playing game, for your android device.

a href=”http://truxtertech.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/d-game.png”img class=”size-full wp-image-1380″ title=”d-game” src=”http://truxtertech.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/d-game.png” alt=”barcode to game” width=”158″ height=”158″ //a

Dungeon Defender barcode

Wifi Toggle Switch
a quick a href=”https://market.android.com/details?id=com.curvefish.widgets.wifionofffeature=search_result”switch/a you can place on your main screen to toggle wireless signal connection on and off. So you don’t have to flip through the main menu and then the settings

Rev3Remote
let’s you get quick access to a href=”https://market.android.com/details?id=com.awc.revremote.freefeature=search_result”Revision 3/a content and videos. Works better than the revision 3 certified ap.

Hey tell. Hey tell is a way to send your friends short messages, voice messages, via your internet service. Cuts down on minute usage. If you have wifi, its free to use.

WordPress
For those of you with an android phone who also run a website that uses a href=”https://market.android.com/details?id=org.wordpress.androidfeature=search_result”wordpress/a, then this ap is probably the best find you will get for your android phone. EVER!

Google Buys Motorolla Mobility 12.5B

Google is purchasing Mototolla Mobility for $12.5 b
That’s right. Google is buying a cell phone company.
Now maybe Google can deliver what they hinted we would get with android, to begin with.
Anyone remember the hint that if Google sold you a phone for dirt cheap, they could bundle it with ads?
I mean imagine buying a brand new phone for $5 or something cheap, and paying a monthly fee of $5-$10 as long as you get video ads and text ads and picture ads sent to your phone on a regular basis. GPS always on and you getting local discounts and deals.
Does this mean that Android phone will become a bit more reliable? does this mean that some some Android phone willl have better o/s implementation and optimization? Or is that against the law?
Let’s see if Google delivers.
News Source for the purchase

Why not optimize for Mobile

Why not optimize for Mobile
because mobile devices need to evolve and become more compatible with today’s standards. Why would we roll back our current knowledge and technology to be more compatible with the hardware that is half hearted and incomplete but being sold as new technology just because it is touch screen?
Touch screen is many years old and a fail attempt back in the day. Nothing new is going on with touch screen to make it any better than it was 12 years ago. If we have to make our websites have a special section just for certain mobile devices, then the manufacturers of said mobile devices need to get with the times.
The longer we cater to the needs of the hardware manufacturers, the longer we will be stuck in this rut of no evolution.
Time and time again I have to warn you, that software should always exceed the hardware, and hardware manufacturers need to get off their rump and advance or stay on the porch and call their junk beta and prototype and quit pawning it off as current technology and finished product.
There is no reason that I should create a website m.truxtertech.com .
If you are on a mobile browser and can not see this website then your mobile browser sucks and need to get one that works. Try Opera moni browser.

No Smartphones

There is no such thing as a “smartphone”.
They do’nt exist. If anything, there is a touch screen piece of junk that makes you even more stupid than before.
Touch screen? what the heck? why are suddenly amazed by a touch screen? back in 1997 I worked in a gas station that had touch screen cash registers, they used a form of the wayne system cash register. After a full day’s shift of working those registers, my fingertips would hurt from pounding the screen to make it work. All touch screens eventually become misscalibrated.
The most frustrating part of a touch screen is hitting the delete button 100 times out of frustration, and instead of it deleting, it types the letter “L”. So now you not only have the thing you wanted deleted, you now have 100 letter “L”s on your screen.
Your text messages to your friends you eventually give up at trying to fix them, so now your friends get these indecipherable messages.
God forbid you have a bandage on your hand. You may as well be dead to the world because the touch screen will never function with that. Been there.
The auto correct may as well be Opie from family guy.

This is old tech and is useless. Why are we migrating to a fail of a project? It’s almost as bad as paying $2000 extra dollars for a television just because it has 3d, and only 2 pair of glasses. Because you know extra glasses will cost a fortune. On top of that, all of the 3d shows, and it’s typical high-def, will be lower def than regular, because well…. two different technologies.
Now. To Quote a saying from Rita Mae Brown’s novel Sudden Death
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results. ”
and no that was not Einstein nor Benjamin Franklin.
but here we are. Using the same failed technology, and it looks like we are headed into a tech world that is totally dependent on touch screen and built on the whole portability system of the phone, like tablets and the like.
We are pushing cell phones and tablets out that run on cell phone operating systems, with these half hearted web browser displays, yet they play racing games and can do graphic design? Well let’s motivate these manufacturers to create better web browsing for these devices. Why we should not design special sections of our websites for mobile browsers.

Let’s keep the phones as just that…. phones. keep the computers as computers and maybe just a device that is in between, let’s not move everything to touch screen (because it’s easier than carrying around a keyboard everywhere). I hate the fact that we can not calibrate this crap for ourselves.

Increased cell phone signal free

Do you have bad reception with your phone like I do? Do you have issues getting a signal without holding your phone high above your head? Looking for a signal boost? Maybe this will help
We have all seen the ads for the sticker you are supposed to slap on to your battery and it looks kind of like a transformers logo, or the grid on a motherboard, and that sticker is supposed to increase your signal. The sticker usually sells for somewhere between a dollar and ten dollars.
Well. One day I got curious about alternative cell phone signal boosters.
There is the wifi antenna in my old busted up Toshiba laptop. The laptops wifi connector seems about the same size as what is in the cell phone for the external antenna.
but then. Then there is the ultimate hidden right under your nose out in the public jumping in your lap laughing at you, solution. Go buy a cd or dvd from walmart. Crack the case open and pull out the security tag. Peel it into the thin strip that has the motherboard grid looking thing on it. Take a bag tie and peel the outer strip off of it to expose the metal inside. Snip the stripped wire in 1/4.Take a small paneling nail and wrap the wire strip around that nail tightly but leave about 1/8cm sticking straight from one end. poke a pinhole in the security tag grip. Slide straight piece of the coiled sire though the security tag, from under side, then bend the newly exposed wire flat. lower your new device into the hole where the external antenna connects on your phone. Make sure the new spring of wire wraps around the antenna adapter. push all of the way down. Now either glue the new antenna down, or thin tape it, or hold it in place with the battery cover for your phone.
May not give you any reception, may increase your reception by quite a bit. For me, my signal never drops under one bar, in places where I was not getting a signal at all. and my phone usually can place calls with no signal.

Make Shift Antenna

Make Shift Antenna

I will have to try the wifi antenna and get back to you on whether it fits, or if the antenna even helps the signal or messes it up. but that will be another post. Will try and remember to link the two.

 

I love my little cricket phone, but since I am by a major radio tower, It is hard for me to get a signal, heck half the time my wifi is out for my comcast . It’s not comcast’s fault or Cricket’s fault at all. There is lots of disturbance in the area. LOTS.

 

Oh and one more thing, MAKE SURE THE SECURITY TAG IS DEACTIVATED!! You do not want to get tackled while walking out of Walmart or some other store, just after you shoved your hand in your pocket.

 

 

And now for an Android Device. In fact, a ZIO cell phone from Sanyo.

I just took a wire and untwined the metal fibers to get one metal fiber about 10 inches long and made a squiggle, then taped the metal wire to the inside of the battery backing. This actually helped stop the call drops and the internet connection is a considerable bit stronger.

When you have the backing off of the phone, note the antenna addon connectors. Bring the ends of the wire as close to those points as you can get. This should help. Well it works for me.

signal boost on ZIO

signal boost on ZIO

 

This is your Budget Tech Tip

iPhone 5 release date: Big FAKE

iPhone 5 release date: Big buzz, few facts – CNN.com.

 

Apple executives have already confirmed that the iphone5 rumors are fake. There is no current release of the iphone 5 going to happen.

Be real everyone. The Iphone 4 was released less than a year ago. Apple will continue to sell those for as long as people are stilll buying them. Heck the Iphone 3 is still selling like crazy.

So do not expect to see an iphone5 for anywhere less than two years from the original release date of iphone 4

AT&T to buy Tmobile

Called Tmobile to make a payment. The automated voice on the line stated to go to tmobile.com to read about the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile

 

Deutsche Telekom to receive 39 billion USD for T-Mobile USA

Deutsche Telekom: U.S. Deal Accelerates Own Transformation

Dallas, Texas and Bonn, Germany — Mar. 20, 2011 PDT

AT&T T-Mobile

 

  • Deutsche Telekom to receive 39 billion USD for US-business
  • Deutsche Telekom to have up to 8 percent stake in the leading US telecommunications company
  • AT&T takes over US mobile business from Deutsche Telekom
  • Deutsche Telekom will receive 25 billion USD in cash and 14 billion USD in AT&T shares
  • Attractive multiple of 7.1 times 2010 adjusted EBITDA
  • Deutsche Telekom plans to use approximately 5 billion EUR for share buybacks
  • Deutsche Telekom net debt is planned to be reduced by approximately 13 billion EUR or 31 percent

Deutsche Telekom will take an approximately 8 percent stake in US telecommunication company AT&T. At the same time Deutsche Telekom will hand over 100 percent ownership of T-Mobile USA to AT&T. This has been agreed by the boards of the two companies today. AT&T will pay 25 billion USD in cash for T-Mobile USA, in addition to 14 billion USD in AT&T shares. AT&T has the right to increase the portion of the purchase price paid in cash by up to 4.2 billion USD with a corresponding reduction in the stock component. The value of the transaction will be 39 billion USD. This will amount to an attractive multiple of approximately 7 times 2010 adjusted EBITDA. The merger still needs US regulatory approval. The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in first half of 2012.

 

René Obermann, CEO Deutsche Telekom: We have achieved the best solution for our company, our customers and shareholders. This will strengthen our position in Europe, whilst we are still participating in the rapidly growing business of mobile data. We will be able to focus more on the opportunities of a modern infrastructure in Germany and Europe, as well as in Internet products that accompanies to our strategy “fix, transform and innovate”. Following our initiatives of finding a solution for our activities both in the United Kingdom and Poland, we have with this transaction nearly accomplished the “fix” part of our strategy. We will now focus our resources more on the “transform” and “innovate” blocks of our strategy in order to accelerate the transformation of Deutsche Telekom.”

 

Timotheus Höttges, CFO Deutsche Telekom: “As the biggest single share holder of AT&T we will also significantly benefit from their strong dividend. With the excellent result of this transaction we will be able to continue to develop our company. At the same time we will be able to reduce our debts and initiate one of the biggest share buy back programs in both Germany as well as in the European telecommunication industry.”

 

Deutsche Telekom is planning to reduce its debt by approximately 13 billion EUR. Approximately 5 billion EUR are planned to be used for share buybacks after closing and required resolutions in accordance with the legal requirements.

Randall Stephenson, CEO and Chairman AT&T: “This transaction delivers significant customer, shareowner and public benefits that are available at this level only from the combination of these two companies with complementary network technologies, spectrum positions and operations. We are confident in our ability to execute a seamless integration, and with additional spectrum and network capabilities, we can better meet our customers’ current demands, build for the future and help achieve the President’s goals for a high-speed wirelessly connected America.”

 

For Deutsche Telekom the transaction after closure will provide amongst others a consolidation of the balance sheet. Pro forma the ratio for net debt to adjusted EBITDA in 2010 will be reduced to 1.9x from 2.2x, a reduction of 31 percent.

 

There will be no change regarding the shareholder remuneration policy which has been set for three years. As has been provided within the legal guidelines, Deutsche Telekom will continue with its plans to pay out 3.4 billion EUR on an annual basis consisting of a minimum dividend of 70 cents plus share-buybacks. The share buybacks amounting to approximately 5 billion EUR, which are planned after the closure of the transaction, will come on top of this.

 

The Guidance for 2011 remains unchanged. For the financial year 2011 Deutsche Telekom expects an adjusted EBITDA of around 19.1 billion EUR. The free cash flow is expected to be stable to slightly growing from the 2010 level of 6.5 billion EUR.

Deutsche Telekom is to receive one seat on AT&T’s Board of Directors.

 

Morgan Stanley acted as lead financial advisor and issued a fairness opinion to the supervisory board of Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse acted as financial advisors for Deutsche Telekom.

 

Deutsche Telekom was advised by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (M & A, N.Y.C) as well as Cleary Gottlieb and Wiley Rein (antitrust and regulatory law, Washington D.C.).

Media Relations
T-Mobile USA
425-383-4002

MediaRelations@T-Mobile.com

About Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies with around 129 million mobile customers, approximately 36 million fixed-network lines and more than 16 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2010). The Group provides products and services for the fixed network, mobile communications, the Internet and IPTV for consumers, and ICT solutions for business customers and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in over 50 countries and has around 247,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenues of EUR 62.4 billion in the 2010 financial year – more than half of it outside Germany (as of December 31, 2010). For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.com/media

 

 

 

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com

So….. What happens to the Android phones that only T-Mobile had?
I know that AT&T and TMobile are both GSM phone companies. but, will AT&T force us Tmobile users to switch to one of their phones? are they going to charge us again like they did back when AT&T took over primeco? I mean they didn’t charge me but AT&T took away my $139 phone and gave me a $29 because that is about how much AT&T said my phone was worth to them.

On the plus side, this may actually mean that AT&T finally will have a decent signal. I do know that for the 3 years I have been back with T-Mobile, I have not yet had one dropped call. How likely is it that AT&T fixes their budget and shuts down a few cell towers to bring in the new towers from T-mobile. Leaving AT&T with the same number of towers they already had?

Just so I don’t get too far from the News side of this, I took this elsewhere.
Things to think about  AT&T and T-Mobile Merger

T-Mobile Ripping me off again

As anyone who follows anything I write on the web knows, I am buying a house. So I am cutting my costs. One of the cuts is me dropping Unlimited text messaging and internet from my phone. I use T-Mobile. Here is the first bill I received that shows the changes. My bill used to be $95 a month. I am dropping my T-Mobile bill to $39 a month.

After I reduced my phone bill from $95 a month to $39 a month

This is now three times that T-mobile has ripped me off.
T-Mobile Cell Phone Billing These people sure do some shady business. They are worse than the banks and constant over draft fees and shady billing procedures
T-mobile and Me

It would be in my best interest to just drop Tmobile completely. They seem to be out to not just collect the money they bill me for, but what ever in the heck else they can tack on . It almost feels like they are saying ” oh it was an error, but it is saved so we can’t fix it” at least if they said that, I would know the guy on the other end of the phone line isn’t a jerk.

T-Mobile, you are in every sense of the phrase, Killing me. I have been simi Homeless for a while with just a phone and a car. I am about to move into a house and you are billing me with crazy mysterious fees.

Something has to be done about this billing method that T-mobile is doing to me. There has got to bbe other people out there getting the same weird charges to their T-mobile account.

So I called T-mobile. The lady explained to me that I was being charged for the days I used the actual add ons that I used. So I asked ” so my bill got even higher?” She stumbled and mumbled. Then she put me on hold. Now understand that last month I went over by 5 minutes. I have a time limit of 300 minutes, I never use but about 30-60 minutes. So I’m bothered by the 5 minutes over = 305 minutes. When I never use my phone at all. I tried to explain that both of those answers were unacceptable. and the lady responded with ” Well it makes sense if you don’t think about it” I instantly barbled in my head. My words tangled between frustration and laughter at the fact that she just did what they say AT&T does. She said it word for word.

So I asked to speak to someone else who can help me. she said ” Ok I will put you on hold”. Yeah after five minutes of silence I realized she hung up on me. Central time for the call 12:30 noon. march 04 2011. Well my lunch time was wasted.
The second phone call was another lady, I could hear the first lady in teh background coaching her as to what she thought was going on. I am fine with that. So I let that go. In fact it couldn’t hurt for the next lady to be informed somewhat, even if it was a bit off. So I explained my case as taht I am a person who uses less than 100 minutes a month, less than 1000 a year. So for her to say that I tacked up 402 minutes in one month, is clearly an error on their part. I explained that a girl I hadn’t talked to in a year was suddenly in my fave fives again, and that I had to remove her once again last month was a clear sign of an error on their part. The lady sounded like she was frustrated by this statement but trying to keep her cool. Very good. I just do not think she was grasping what I was saying because her comment was “I can assure you that (ex’s name) is not in your fave fives” The lady said ” Assure” like 20 times in less than a minute, about many items. So I had to Assure her that I understand that she is seeing this because I changed it, so the lady repeated it back to me as if she was slightly listening but working on a new response. So I requested she focus on the conversation, and that geeked her out. because I started saying ” I can assure you” after everything I said. She offered me 100 extra minutes to prevent it from happening next month, I told her that will not do, she can give 10000000 extra minutes a month, I am still only going to use 60.
Before the phone call ended I was told that the $45 extra will be taken off the bill. It’s been about 45 minutes and nothing has happened yet. Account still shows 139+ tax.

Rip Off websites say pretty much the same thing as I say. I don’t agree with all of the posts, but some of them are dead on with what I am seeing. Look here
So does T-mobile Suck? Well no, their signal is great and the phones real nice. does T-mobile packages suck? Yes and no. If you land a package that meets all of your needs it’s great, but don’t ever change your service, or that package will be gone for ever. They change the packages all of the time. It’s like a magic cup game they have or something.
Is T-mobile scam? Holding your credit for ransom? I kind of think so. It’s fishy how all three times I tried to reduce my bill, I got nailed with some huge fricken bill of mystery charges.

10 hours later, still nothing on my bill reflecting change still shows a high bill.

Calling customer service is billable call.
That whole automated answering taking forever to get to the next menu, yeah that is billable. So when you call just say “English” wait two seconds say “speak to a representative” and just say “billing”. It knocks off about 7 minutes of menu.

18777460909
Now 24 hours later I see no reflection of change so I call T-Mobile
Man says he sees nothing that says there was an agreement to knock the $45 off my bill
after some investigating he sees that I shouldn’t be charged and tells me that I am being forwarded to Customer loyalty Department. I was on hold 31 minutes before I hang up to write this.
T-mobile clearly does not care about the customers . and the employees in the answering service, really act like they are some higher power. they are not customer service, they are the ones who just tell you ” pay your bill and shut up, we are never wrong!”.
Tmobile is ripping me off and they do not care.

Now I am calling back.

I was on hold all of about 3 minutes when Melissa picked up the phone. and she said ‘ Hey I see what’s wrong with your account, You guys never go over, I am going to credit your account, this should show within 24-48 hours,sorry for the inconvenience, enjoy your weekend”
YIPPIE!!!!!!!

Weening myself off the grid

I have just 10 more months on my phone contract and then I am dropping it. I have been using my T-Mobile G1 from Google for about a year and half. I found myself adding packages to my plan and getting more and better add-ons every so many months. My phone bill has become so expensive, I almost can’t afford lunch while I am at work trying to pay my phone bill. but on a cool note, i have driving directions to any place in the world. I really do not travel and the GPS feature on my android phone drained my battery. So I would have to turn the GPS feature on and off. Some times that feature would hang, so I installed “advanced task killer” and found that I constantly had programs running. Now that I was using that I found myself turning something off with my phone so often, that one day while in the shower I didn’t like the smell of my soap so I almost clicked it like I could turn off the soap scent. Way too much.
Unlimited text messages for $15 a month, meanwhile I receive about 20-30 total. Internet for $35 a month meanwhile I get 28mbs at home on my pc and only pay $45 a month. I am always home and always on my computer. Why in the heck am I paying for this ?
My phone bill is set at $39 a month right now with everything turned off and before the what ever extra fees t-mobile adds which for some reason isn’t listed until you get the bill. It’s like 6-9 bucks.
After my phone contract expires, I am done with the cell phone. I don’t like having people able to locate me anywhere I am. I like the freedom to say ” did you leave a message on my answering machine?” that way I can be out in public and hitting on the near by women instead of clicking on my Facebook app posting about what a great time I am having, as apposed to actually having a good time.
why do we tell our-self that we need to have a barcode scanner in our phone to see how great of a deal we would be getting elsewhere? Do we really want to shop at 6 different places to buy 6 items instead of one place? The amount you save verses the value of your time. Don’t forget the extra taxes of separate transactions. Time is money that I only have a limited amount of. Done with letting someone else live off of me in payments of “What I think I need”. Sure as a single man you notice that it’s hard to get a woman’s attention when you have very little to share or show off. you can have shiny stuff, fine, but you don’t have to make endless payments that are beyond the rationality of it’s usability.
Time to stop buying what I do not need and focus on what I really need. Why am I buying stuff i don’t need and trying to simply the tiny useless junk????