Ting Early Termination Fee Refund

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Summary

Pros

• Early Termination Fee (ETF) Relief
• No time limit--Ting is offering this program from this date onwards

Cons

• Only 25% of ETF covered, up to $75 per line

Some of us (I) had to pay T-Mobile several hundred dollars in ETFs a few months ago...

Introduction

I've still been using Ting with no problems. In fact, some of my family members have moved to different states for work, but everything is still great. The only thing I have to complain about now is this new ETF relief program that Ting has instituted, and how I don't qualify for it.

Well, that and the lack of iPhones (but is that really a bad thing?)

Discussion

Earlier this year, Ting set aside $100,000 for ETF refunds. The whole pot was depleted in seven minutes: some people got their entire ETF's covered, while others were left out in the cold. Now, after several months, Ting is relaunching a permanent ETF relief program. People switching over to Ting from other carriers can get 25% of their ETF per line--up to $75--refunded.

There are only 3 steps to take:

1. Activate a device with Ting.
2. Port your number to Ting.
3. Send Ting your ETF documents.

If my previous contacts with their customer service is any indication, this will be a fairly painless process (if you call their toll-free number, you'll get in touch with a rep within a few rings). However, if anyone experiences anything different, please share this in the comments section.

Mmmmm, you can practically smell it...

Conclusion

There has been a lot of movement in the mobile phone industry, both on the part of manufacturers and service providers, and I am very excited to see what the future holds for this industry. Besides the new and improved hardware, service providers are falling over themselves trying to out-do each other. Sprint is really playing the exclusive phone angle, AT&T is letting people upgrade their devices every year, and T-Mobile dropped their two-year contracts for all new customers.

Sure, the ETF refund isn't a full one like last time. However, it is still a good deal in my opinion (better than what I got), I don't see a lot of other companies doing anything else like this (yet).

(Duh!)

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San Francisco Bay Area: I-580 vs. I-680

Summary

Pros

• Shorter commute time
• Gentler (less?) gradient

Cons

• Longer commute distance

San Francisco: Disneyland for adults! Note: lines have moved from the sidewalks to the highways...

Introduction

Traveling from San Francisco, Marin, or the Richmond/Berkeley Area to San Ramon or Dublin/Pleasanton? This guy does, and the traffic can get absolutely nuts, especially around I-680.

From personal experience, I'll agree SF Bay Area traffic isn't as bad as Los Angeles's. Still isn't fun though.

Discussion

So, what are the options? To quote Sherlock Holmes, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbably, must be the truth." Applying that logic to the simply task of getting from point A to point B, there are a couple options. First, to take the shortest distance possible between the points. Second, to take the path that takes the least amount of time (not necessarily the same as the first option). Third, to leave the driving to someone else so as to work during the travel time (carpool, public transportation).

Now, I would say that most people would go for the first option, and this was what I initially did. In this case, that would mean going through the Caldecott Tunnel and I-680. Unfortunately, these two can quickly turn into bottlenecks, and increase your travel time by 25%-50%. I've found by avoiding the Caldecott Tunnel and traveling south via I-580 will add five miles to the journey, but cut the travel time by up to 30 minutes. I consider travel by I-580 to be the my second option listed in the paragraph above, and is now my primary way of driving from San Francisco to San Ramon.

Finally, I have taken public transportation options, such as BART, more recently, direct buses from San Francisco to San Ramon. It's not a bad way to go, but as there may be a BART strike soon, I'm making sure to drive at least once a week to brush up on my driving skills.

For all it's flaws and dramas, I still use it.

Conclusion

There are a lot of ways to get to the deeper East Bay. I actually prefer public transit now, since I can get a lot of work done, but when I drive, I absolutely take the I-580 over the I-680. It's much quicker; for a 13% increase in travel distance, I'm gaining 25% in decreased travel time.

There are six toll bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area. In other words, there's a cover charge just to get in your car and drive most places (but this is a whole other topic I will cover in an upcoming post).

Chromebook vs. iPad

Summary

Pros

• Long battery life
• Physical keyboard
• Very lightweight
• Very low prices

Cons

• Heavy reliance on web (wifi or 3G)

Chromebook Series 3

Introduction

I purchased an iPad for my mom last year, and she has been using that device a lot more than any desktop or laptop in the past. I have to admit, the long battery life and low weight are great features to have when you just want to relax and watch a video or surf the web recreationally. I wanted a device like that for myself, but couldn't justify the $400+ price tag for such a specialized device when for a little more I could get a good laptop for an extra one or two hundred dollars. Thus, I began to look at the $250 Chromebook as a possible casual computing platform.

Rule 34?

Discussion

So, what are Chromebooks? While the same size and form as netbooks, I think of Chrombooks more as tablets with keyboards. They are a basic way to access the internet to read and compose emails, watch videos, and browse the internet. It's super light-weight and doesn't heat up too much--very useful when you want to be lazy and use your devices while laying around in bed--and boots up and shuts down in a few seconds.

When Chromebooks first came out, they had no desktop, and immediately launched into the Chrome browser and did everything from that (whether normal web-surfing, or via Google Apps). They've since included a desktop that is mainly only there for aesthetic purposes, but worth mentioning as an example of how Google responds to comments, and how quickly and often they update the Chrome OS: they are currently on v29+ as of 9/17/2013!

But with the pluses come the minuses; you need to either log-in with your Google account (same one you use for Gmail, YouTube, GoogleVoice, etc.). There is a guest mode, but obviously none of your bookmarks or history will be available for you to use. With all the recent concerns about privacy on the internet, this is something to note.

Forget Ceiling Cat...

Conclusion

I've been using a Chromebook for several weeks now, and like it a lot. The battery life is great, so I can bring it with me to check personal emails when I'm out and about. In the end, while I don't think that it is fully capable of living up to claim's that it can be your one and only computer, it's a great supplementary device to have compared to a tablet.

Not the most powerful gaming platform, but you can have a little fun with it. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/8316200130/lightbox/