Skype trial

For the moment I am just going to try Skype for one month. A month of unlimited minutes is only $2.99, so it's worth the risk. For now I am not going to sign up for a Skype number, but if the service is good then I will consider a Skype number in the future. Since I do have 100 minutes from T-Mobile, I will still use them for my incoming calls, and then just make all the outbound calls on Skype. Within the hour my caller ID will begin showing my cell phone number when I make calls with Skype. That's free and I don't need a Skype number for it to work. So in a few weeks I will decide if this is the finally solution or if I am better off just paying by the minute for extra minutes from T-Mo.

With the future of Google Voice being so uncertain, I also hope Skype is my alternative to that. If the service is ever discontinued or gets too pricey, I might just get a Skype number and give that to all my friends as my new phone number.

Skype: loud and clear

Did you know that you can call an 800 number with Skype, even if you don't have any credits in your account? I called my bank this morning with Skype (using the Skype app on my Nexus 4 phone) because I'm almost out of minutes from T-Mobile. The woman who answered said she had no problem hearing me. I was at home on WiFi at the time. This afternoon at work I called myself to test the line and I could hear myself load and clear. No delay at all, and no echo. That was not on WiFi, so I was on the cellular data connection. After messing around with all of those other VOIP apps, and even spending money on some, it was downright shocking to hear how good the connection sounded. I am now considering a subscription and a Skype number, so I can forward Google Voice to it. But I need to sleep on it, and probably experiment some more first.

T-Mobile vs Sprint

Today I was reading a story about how slowly the LTE rollout is going for Sprint. They have hit a lot of set backs and their spectrum is very limited. In fact, their spectrum is so limited that their LTE speeds are choked down to less than the speed of HSPA+ on other networks. So there I was sitting around with my device that operated on the Sprint network, waiting hopefully for LTE speeds in the future, and even when they arrived they would have been sub-par. The speeds on the Nexus 4 have been more than sufficient and coverage is a lot better than Sprint's.
So now I don't feel so bad about not being able to access LTE on my Nexus 4. Plus I should be able to download the Android 4.3 update later today. Very exciting!

Nexus 4 on T-Mo Prepaid

Well it looks like my affair with FreedomPop and their Overdrive Pro hotspot is coming to an end. I received my Nexus 4 last night and the data speeds feel a ton faster than what I was getting through FreedomPop. In the Minneapolis suburbs the WiMax coverage is pretty lousy, so I was on Sprint 3G most of the time. Now when I see the little "H" above the signal bars on my N4, I know it's going to be quick.

Apparently Google made a change that locks out the LTE hack on the N4, but I'm so accustomed to the crappy speeds of WiMax and Sprint 3G that HSPA feels really fast. I haven't tried to stream video yet, though a friend of mine does it on his N4 on T-Mo and it works great for him. I'll have to watch some YouTube next time I hit the treadmill. [Update, video streaming works fine when the "H" is displayed.]

I turned on data tethering so my N4 is sharing with my Nexus 7 tablet. Hopefully T-Mobile can't see that since they are both Android devices. I'm using the $30/month prepaid plan that does not include tethering (which is an extra $15/month).

I plan to downgrade my FreedomPop account to get only the free 500 Mb of data per month. The Overdrive Pro hotspot could still be useful on occasion for my tablet. It will be good to have as a backup in case I want access to Sprint's WiMax or just have a dead battery on the N4, or if I need to use it for my laptop. I'm pretty sure I'd get busted if I tether the N4 to my Windows laptop.

I feel like I've spent a lot of money on gadgets recently. $45 for the hotspot, $180 for the tablet, and after tax and shipping the new phone was almost $400. Actually when you add another $10 for the T-Mobile SIM card, is was just over $400. The phone will pay for itself in 10 months because I'm saving $40 per month, if not more. I guess the tablet is just frivolous spending, but there is no buyer's remorse because I really like it!

FreedomPop's "Freedom Phone" is still intriguing. Whenever it comes out I will consider getting that service. If it is compatible with the Nexus 4 and it's cheaper than $30/month, then I might switch. The great thing about my current setup is that I'm not held to a contract. The bad thing is that T-Mobile could change their offerings and get rid of my $30 plan. But either way, I love having options.

So frustrating!

Last night I finally broke down and ordered a Nexus 4. I was all set to go to Costco and buy a GS4 on AT&T. But I am a capitalist, and I vote with my dollar. AT&T's "NEXT" program is insulting to the intelligence of anyone who made it past 3rd grade math class. And I hate the idea of getting into a two year contract with AT&T anyway.

So all that to say, I checked on that $30 prepaid plan from T-Mobile to verify that it's still available. Looks like it is, so I ordered a SIM from them and the N4 from the Google Play store. This morning I received a shipping notice with a tracking number on it already. And of course half an hour ago, the announcement comes out that Google is having an event next week:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57594154-251/google-event-next-week-could-usher-android-update/

Yes, we all knew that something was rumored to happen in July. It's just funny that the DAY AFTER my order was placed, this announcement came out. $350 is still a great price on a new smart phone, and hopefully I can hack the LTE antenna on the N4. And maybe they won't even announce any devices. Maybe it's just the new version of Android. Or it's still possible that only the Nexus tablets are getting updated. Google has been giving the impression that they're getting out of the phone business. Plus it's all for the best because I truly need a real phone. So it's good that I didn't procrastinate any longer. And if they do release a new phone and it's just completely mind-blowing, I can still buy it and move my SIM card over.

By the way, I am still loving my Nexus 7 tablet. It's great! It just doesn't work well as a phone.

Nexus 7 on sale at Staples

Just in case you don't read the Cheapskate blog on Cnet.com, now you can get a Nexus 7 for even less than I paid for it. I paid $180 for a refurb, and I'm very happy with it. It's a great little tablet and I use it all the time. It's just big enough to use as an eReader too. I tried using the Kindle app on my phone and it just wasn't big enough. But on the N7, I read Kindle books, use my Bible app, and surf the internet. It's really great. I had to turn off Bluetooth because every time I would get in my car it would run more slowly, and even froze twice. I have not been streaming music very much lately, so I just turned off Bluetooth and everything is good again. Despite the Bluetooth problem, I still highly recommend this tablet. My phone had problems with the Bluetooth in my car too, so it might be something with my car anyway.

The link is below, but you also need coupon code 20098 to drop the price to $169. This is for a new one. Mine is a refurb and just like new, but this really is new:

http://www.staples.com/Nexus-7-32GB-Tablet-from-Google/product_100604

New hardware

My Nexus 7 arrived a couple nights ago. The battery life on this thing is great. I gave it a full charge the first night. Then yesterday I watched about 45 minutes of a movie on it, played some games and did some web surfing. I never put it on the charger yesterday, but it was plugged into my computer for a few minutes while I transferred some movies. It says it has been on battery for over 25 hours, and it still has 17% remaining. So I'm very impressed.

But unfortunately it has not improved my VOIP performance very much. There is a setting for the microphone volume in GrooVe IP that somehow I never noticed before. I turned it up on both my Droid Bionic and my N7, and that helps a lot. But wherever I have tried both devices, the performance is the same. I did not get a chance to try it on my friend's Comcast internet yesterday, but here at the office today I only have a 3G connection on my Overdrive Pro, and only a 60% signal at that, and both devices work fine. The sound quality is excellent, with only a slight delay. The delay is comparable to what I usually expect from a cell phone.

Yesterday I was trying them both from my car because I wanted to see how the Bluetooth was working. I believe I was connected to my home WiFi at the time because I was still in my garage. They both worked pretty poorly. I probably need to turn up the volume for the Bluetooth microphone on both devices, because there is a separate setting for that.

I was hoping this new Nexus 7, which is a lot more powerful than my Bionic, would solve all the problems I've had. Unfortunately this does not appear to be the case, because both devices are performing the same as far as VOIP is concerned. It looks like I am going to have to go back to getting a real phone again. Admitting defeat is not an easy thing to do, but I have to be practical and realistic. I'm getting lonely without a phone. I could get a better mobile hotspot, but the service would cost me almost as much a normal cell phone plan. I would also prefer to wait and see what the next generation of phones will bring, but I probably will need to get a phone some time this month.

So now the next question is do I want an HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, or Galaxy Note 2? Decisions, decision. I'm leaning toward the GS4, but it will all depend on what deals are available for each of them. And if there are any trade-in deals available, it would be nice to get rid of my Bionic that way.

New reports coming soon!

I ordered a refurbished Nexus 7 this weekend. I'm hoping it gets to me by Wednesday and then I will be able to test these various apps on a more powerful device. It only has to ship from Illinois to Minnesota, so hopefully it will be here soon. Once I get some testing done I will be able to write some more significant blogs. If it does get to me by Wednesday, I can try it at the home of a friend who has internet from Comcast too. I'm curious to see if the upload speed on my DSL is to blame for some of the problems I've had, or if it is just my decrepit device (aka Droid Bionic) at fault. I look forward to reporting back soon!