TECH TIME – Do it Right, Cry Only Once #switchersremorse

Sony Discman D-100Hey Kids, its Tommy and today I want to tell you a story… Back in the late 80’s I lived in Las Vegas. There, I started to find my love of all things technology and began to collect CD’s. I needed some sort of portable CD player as I was always on the go.

I did loads and loads of research. I knew the pluses and minuses of most for the popular CD players on the market. I studied form factor, size, battery life, price… the works. I found the exact make and model I wanted. The Sony Discman D-100 was the one that fit the bill properly. Sleek black all metal finish with programmable selections and rechargeable battery pack, the D-100 was top of the line from Sony.

 

In those days before the Internet, you had to go to the local electronics store or department store to see if they had the item you wanted in stock, and there was no Amazon.com to order it online. After I had saved up enough money, I went to the local Circuit City in West Las Vegas to purchase the D-100.

Much to my surprise, when I went there to go get my new toy, they were out of stock. I was in shock, stunned and saddened by this revelation, but I had to leave the store with something. So I settled and purchased a lesser Sony Discman model. I don’t remember the model number, but I do remember that it was considerably heavier, more bulky and made of plastic not the sleek metal frame of the D-100.

I took it home, opened it up – used it – hated it. Hated everything about it! It wasn’t what I wanted and I had let myself down by settling for something less than my first choice.

A wise man once told me, if you do things right, you’ll cry once, if you have to do it over again, you’ll cry twice. I have never made such a horrible tech decision since. Listen to your heart; make good tech choices the first time.

—-

Music – Despair And Triumph

If you switched away from Verizon and are regretting it, don’t worry. They’re making it easy for customers to come back. For more information, head over to your local Verizon store and tell them you have #SwitchersRemorse.

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – Mac User in an Android World #VZWBuzz #AD

Android File TransferHi everyone, it’s Tommy and for today’s TommyLog Tech, I want to talk about using an Android Phone in a Macintosh world. Last month I started using the new HTC One M9, provided by my good friends at Verizon and I wanted a fast and easy way to transfer photos and videos to my Mac. It’s no newsflash that the integration between Macs and Android devices isn’t nearly as tight as that of the Mac and iPhone. To be fair, Android integration is getting a lot better but its still not as fluid. I stumbled upon a great free tool that helps Android users transfer photos and video to their Macs, called Android File Manager. Available here.

Simply download the .dmg and install the app into your applications folder. Once you connect your Android phone to your Mac via your USB cable, the application automatically launches and you are presented with a directory of files. You want to stick to the DCIM folder and the 100MEDIA folder where your photos and videos are stored.

CAUTION: You are looking under the hood of your Android phone. DO NOT DELETE files in other folders other than the 100MEDIA folder in the DCIM folder. Bad things could happen – You have been warned!

Access to your photos and videos could not be easier and transfers are super fast. There are other cloud-based tools like Dropbox, Micorosft’s One Drive and Google Drive that do similar things. But remember your files need to be uploaded to the cloud before they can be downloaded to your Mac. This takes time and bandwidth and if you are not on WIFI, it will use your cellular data. Got a few big video files to copy? This could eat up your monthly data upload allotment pretty quick.

Android File Manager is totally Tommy Approved! Transferring files between the HTC One M9 and my Mac could not be easier.

For more information on how to get your very own HTC One M9, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/htc-one-m9/

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – HTC One M8 VS One M9 #VZWBuzz #AD

HTC One M9Hi everyone, it’s Tommy and for today’s TommyLog Tech, I want to welcome the new HTC One M9 to the family, provided by my good friends at Verizon. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I have used and loved my HTC One M8.  I just can’t wait to find out what’s in store with the new One M9.

So as I was setting up my new baby, I wondered what are the real world differences between the One M8 and the One M9? Let’s take a look and see.

I am falling in love with my new HTC One M9 and so far, it’s totally Tommy Approved!

For more information on how to get your very own HTC One M9, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/htc-one-m9/

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog TECH – Finding Your Dream Car with the DROID Turbo #VZWBuzz #AD

Hey kids, for today’s TommyLog Tech, I’m on location in the front seat of my new 2015 Honda Pilot and I want to talk about how the DROID Turbo helped me with my buying decision. Here are Tommy’s Top apps for helping you on your car buying quest.

True Car pricingThe first app I want to tell you about is the Kelly Blue Book or KBB App. This app just an indispensable tool for helping you know what your current car is worth.  Before you can start looking for a new car, it’s nice to know the value of your current ride. For that I turn to the Kelly Blue Book or KBB app. The KBB app will guide you through a series of questions to build an estimate of the value of your car on trade. You start off buy entering your zip code, and then picking out the exact model and options on our vehicle. You next have to dig really deep and pick the condition of your car. This can be hard, but you MUST BE FAIR with your evaluation. Setting the wrong expectation on the condition of your car will only hurt you, either with a lower trade in at the dealership or frowns from the seller if you set your price to high. You have to choose Fair, Good, Very Good or Excellent Condition. You may think you car is in showroom condition, but unless it has been professionally detailed and is in perfect working order and absolutely flawless- excellent condition is not what you should pick. Be honest and fair about your condition, it will only help you in the end.
Cost to Own
Now that you know what your trade is worth, it’s time to start looking for a replacement. Do you want new or used? What options are most important to you? Leather seats? Sun roof? Six Speed manual? The best apps I found to conduct your research are the Cars.com app, Autotrader app, and the Edmonds app. I especially like the Edmonds app as it has the “True Cost to Own” calculator. This tool looks at the total cost of ownership over the next 5 years, taking into consideration things like fuel cost based on EPA mileage, insurance, repairs, and depreciation. Never overlook these types of things when picking out your next car or truck.

So you’ve picked out the perfect match and are ready to take the plunge. Did you pick out a new car and want to see what others paid for the exact same model?  To help here, you want to download and use the True Car app. The way this app works is this:  Local dealers are part of the True Car network and the prices they paid for their vehicles are reported back to the True Car app. You can look in your area to see what others have paid for the exact same vehicle and then, loaded with this good information, you can now feel confident as you talk pricing with your sales person at the local dealership.

SirusXM AppNow that you have your new or used vehicle, my BONUS app is one that I just love. I’m a HUGE SiriusXM satellite radio fan. I spend at least an hour a day in front of the windshield and most times I’m listing to SiriusXM. I just love 80’s on 8, Classic Rewind channel 26, and Ozzy’s Boneyard channel 38. With the SiriusXM app, regardless if I’m in the car or on the go, I can always be tuned into my favorite music or talk radio.

So there you have it kids, my favorite vehicle research apps for my DROID Turbo and they are all totally Tommy approved.  Knowledge is power and when buying a vehicle, you need all the power you can get!

For more information on how to get your very own DROID Turbo by Motorola, Here’s a link http://www.verizonwireless.com/smartphones/droid-turbo/

Click here to get my fav car apps.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kbb.mobileplatform&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.autotrader.android&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cars.android&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edmunds&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.truecar.mobile.android.consumer&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sirius&hl=en

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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