Nexus 4 4.4

Last night my phone was updated to Android 4.4 KitKat. It seemed like it only took a few minutes to complete. I'm not able to tell if my phone is running any faster, but it's definitely not any slower.
The most noticeable differences is the lack of blue color for the data connection. They now remain grayed out even when connected with data. This is true of both cellular data and WiFi. It's annoying because I want to be able to see that status.
A couple more differences are on the lock screen. Now there is an icon to go straight to the camera, as well as something that makes it easier to bring up Google Now right from the lock screen.
I thought that this update would make the phone respond to the voice command "OK Google Now."  But it still only responds after I open Google Now by touching the box at the top of my home screen.
All in all the changes are very minor. Nothing to get anyone too excited.

Moto G

Well this is interesting. The new Moto G would work really well with what I've been doing. If it had been available a year ago, I probably would have chosen that over the Nexus 4. Now I have my eye on a Nexus 5, but for a person who is really trying to keep things at a bare minimum, the Moto G would be perfect. Here's their page for it:
http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/moto-g/Moto-G/moto-g-pdp.html

Here is a nice comparison of the technical specs:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/125090-motorola-moto-g-vs-nexus-4-what-s-the-difference
Now when you compare the specs to the Nexus 4, you might still be better off with a used N4, but look at all the pretty colors on the Moto G! Plus you would have to shop eBay for the N4.

So ultimately this is a nice alternative to the Nexus 5, for someone who doesn't need the horsepower and just wants a cheap phone, that's also modern and nice. Combine this with a T-Mobile prepaid plan and you are going to have some okay service for a super cheap price.

FreedomPop Freedom Phone is in BETA!

Well I just received my invitation for the Freedom Phone beta test. I would have to shell out $105.99 to participate, so I'm going to pass. If I was not already in grad school with a big tuition bill hanging over my head then I might be more tempted. You can get 200 minutes a month for free, but I'm not sure if that is from Sprint voice service, or if it's some sort of WiFi calling. Sprint's coverage is not good up here in Minneapolis anyway.
I don't know anything about this phone though. Is it LTE? WiMax? I am assuming WiMax because if it was LTE, I think they'd be making a big deal about it. So it's an HTE Evo Design, but I don't know much beyond the few specs they list on their page:
CPU Speed MSM 8655 1.2GHz + SQN1210 (WIMAX)
Memory ROM 4GB eMMC, 8GB SDCard, RAM: 768MB
Camera SMP color CMOS with auto focus support 5 MP back camera, 1.3 MP forward facing
Connectivity Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed, WIFI: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 3.5mm stereo audio jack. micro-USB
Battery 1520 mAh
So not exactly blazing fast, but 100 bucks with no contract? Sounds like a good tool for the right user.
Here are some screen shots from the email and the ordering page. Enjoy!

Nexus 5

The Nexus 5 is now for sale! $350 for a 16 gig, $400 for the 32 gig:
http://www.google.com/nexus/5/

I don't think I'm ready to upgrade, so hopefully Kit Kat comes to my N4 soon too!

UPDATE: Looks like Kit Kat is coming soon to my N4, and also my N7:
"Android 4.4, KitKat, which comes on Nexus 5, will also soon be available on Nexus 4, 7, 10, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play edition devices in the coming weeks."
That's a quote from this site:
https://sites.google.com/a/pressatgoogle.com/android-nexus-5/blog-post

Freedom Sleeve on 1Sale.com

This is not exactly breaking news, but I just stumbled across something on 1Sale.com, which was formerly called 1SaleADay.com. They are selling the big old clunky Freedom Sleeve for $30:
http://1sale.com/electronics/mobile-cell-phones/imw-c870w/

This site usually takes a couple of weeks to ship. The sleeve is pretty clunky, and it only directly connects with an iPod Touch 4th generation. You could connect to other devices via WiFi, as it can serve as a hot spot.

You do get some free internet access out of it, but I think this will only work on Sprint's WiMax network. Based on my experience, you won't be able to use it to replace your real phone. But it's still a sweet deal if you already own the iPod Touch 4th gen. Or at least it is worth considering.

1Sale.com is a clearing house/liquidator. So it's not the latest and greatest, but you get what you pay for. As long as Sprint keeps offering WiMax.

10 cents per minute

Just in case anyone else was curious, I intentionally burned through all 100 minutes this month so I would be able to see what my per minute rate is. And it is indeed 10 cents per minute. Following the advice of another blogger, I had added $10 to my account, and T-Mo has been dipping into that for additional talk time.

Moto X on Republic Wireless

This is a really great deal if you don't mind using the Sprint network:
http://republicwireless.com/moto-x

I had a mixed experience with Sprint data coverage, and they still don't have much LTE coverage. But for the price, it seems like a good way to go. If it was on any other network, I'd probably be more interested. But I'm not interested in anything on Spring in the near future. If you live in an area where Sprint has good coverage, then this would actually be a really phenomenal deal!