When I was standing in line to get my 3G iPhone, there were bunch of people who had their Blackberry and Treo on their belt. According to some of them, they were required(probably volunteer since the company was paying the bill) to use their corporate issued PDA/Smartphone. They wanted to get a new iPhone for personal use, for PDA’s capability rather than a phone. They wished they could just use the unlimited data plan and ditch the voice plan, but there was no way AT&T was going to let them get away that easy.
For AT&T, raising the unlimited data plan from $20 to $30 was a smart thing to do. Most Mac users don’t mind paying little extra for new technology and little something to show off. I am one of those, a Mac addict who needs to have them even-though there is no good reason to buy. When they announced the new data/voice plan, there were many people complaining but at the end, they bought it.
Two weeks ago, I got a Treo 800w for corporate use. I wasn’t going to get one, but I wanted to check my email even when I wasn’t in front of the computer. For security reasons, I wasn’t able to use my iPhone to check my corporate email. Since I don’t use my cell phone often(thanks to skype’s unlimited plan), there was no reason to have two cell phone services. I thought about selling my new 3G iPhone, but I couldn’t give it up. On the other hand, paying AT&T about $80 every month was ridiculous. So here is what I did.
Solution:
After long research, I learned that GoPhone was my best solution. I went to the store and ended my 2 year contract after paying $175 for early termination fee. I bought a GoPhone SIM card after choosing one of the pay as you go plan. I switched the SIM card inside the iPhone with GoPhone SIM card. I called in to add the unlimited data plan, and they subtracted the $20 off the balance I had. After couple minutes I was able to use my 3G network on my iPhone. For people who carry around two cell phones, this definitely could be a cheap option to keep your iPhone with a good reason.
Here is the catch. It depends on which pay as you go plan you choose, but making a call on the GoPhone is very costly. For me, I pay $0.25 for every minute of voice usage. I don’t plan on making or receiving any call on my iPhone, so I gave the new # to only my brother for emergency.
This option will only work for those who carry around another phone for voice usage. Now, you will be able to browse the internet with full size browser (#1 reason why I bought my iPhone) for $20.
Other than doubling my money from investing in AAPL(Apple Computer), I have made my second smart investment. Some people may disagree with me, and call me crazy, but I know there are going to be a good amount of people agreeing with my investment. It’s not a financial investment or anything that will bring me a profit. It’s a chair.
People who sit in front of their computer for long duration of their day always complain about their back. If you work out, your muscle will support your back, but for those of us who can’t will have to suffer from back spine curving and many other symptoms from poor posture. It’s not that we want to slouch, but our body adjust to that poor posture without you knowing(most of the times).
As a computer science major, I spent lot of time in front of the computer during my college days.(I probably spent less than 20% of that time doing school work) Dormitory furniture are not made to be adjusted to individuals, they are made to last couple decades with energetic teenagers abusing them. I bought those leather arm chair thinking comfort would be the only thing that matters. I found myself slouching after 15 minutes of sitting straight. I had to find better chair which would keep me from making my back worse. I gave up searching for the best chair when I was in college, and gave it another try when I got my first job.
There were many big name ergonomic chairs, but they didn’t catch my eye. After searching for days, I found something on Flickr, Stokke Balans Duo. I searched online for a retailer, however I failed(I thought I was the master of googling, but I was wrong). Actually Stokke’s brand branched out as Varier and that Balans Duo model has been discontinued. After I learned that their name has changed, the search ended quick. I bought Varier’s Thatsit from Backcare Basics 2 months ago. I just got it couple days ago since they had to ship it from Norway in a container.
This is basically a knee chair with back support. Knee chair makes it so that you can’t slouch. This makes it so that I have to keep my back straight or I will break my nose on the keyboard. One biggest difference from regular knee chair is it’s back support. I can adjust the back so that I can use the chair as if it is regular arm chair. After 4 days of usage, I love this chair.
The price tag… $1500(about). This chair isn’t going to make me any profit, but it will keep me from visiting Chiropractor. There is a proverb/joke in Korea which is, “Back is men’s life support”. I won’t explain it because I will get into trouble, but Koreans will know what I am talking about. There are going to be many cheaper ways, such as keeping good posture on your own. If you are having hard time doing that, do some research and find the perfect chair for yourself.
It’s been about a month since I moved to Cupertino from Cleveland, OH. Apartment rent is about twice more expensive compare to Cleveland, but I picked Cupertino because it is Silicon Valley! Among many good reasons living Silicon Valley, I will share couple of my own.
FRYS
When I was in Cleveland, only stores that I could buy computer related stuff was Best Buy and Micro Center. They both didn’t have many choices for different brands and products. And they were OVER PRICED. On the other hand there is Newegg.com, probably the best online store for buying computer related parts. I probably spent more than $5,000 buying parts from Newegg during my college days. The problem with Newegg is the shipping cost and transition time. When I moved here, I was introduced to Frys. They are big electronic store that has wide range of different brand and products. The big catch is, they are CHEAP. I always bring my iPhone to compare the price between in-store and online, most of the times their price are same as Newegg.com. The best part is, no shipping cost, and I can take home and use it right away.
Community
As a Mac addict, I have always wanted to visit the Apple Computer’s headquarter. Every Mac you buy, as a default, there is Apple Inc, contact info in Address Book. 1 Infinite Loop, a street name which every mac user probably has come across at least once. I actually live less than a mile from that exact location. Also, Silicon Valley is home to many great computer companies, such as Facebook, Google, HP and many more. Although there were the dark days of dot-com bubble, I believe that IT sector is going to lead the US market down the line, and probably forever. Living in the community that develops next generation technology definitely feels good. Some day…. I will contribute to this great community.
People
Last weekend, I was exchanging a SATA controller card I bought from FRYS. Since iPhone is little bulky to put up against the ear, I always use Jawbone bluetooth headset. This guy next to me asked, how I liked the new Jawbone that was in hanging from my ear. I told him how I loved it and I definitely recommend buying if he was considering. The response I was expecting was totally off. He said, “I spent three months in China making that product.” He was busy, so we couldn’t talk much, but it was great new experience for me. It’s not every day when you get to talk to the developer who makes one of your favorite gadget.
When people first started blogging couple years ago, they blogged about their personal life, which I really didn’t feel like sharing with rest of the world. Nowadays, blogging culture has evolved into a community where people share informations, their thoughts and opinions. Although I am not a great debater, there are times when I strongly agree or disagree with a blogger’s post. I would often leave a comment as a stranger but I would loose track of it, and never get to read counter arguments. Since I don’t know answer to everything, and my opinion is not always right, I decided to start my own blog so people can argue or share information with me.
Who?
I am an IT Consultant working for Unisys Corporation virtually from my HOME. I just started working for them couple weeks ago. I specialize in RTI(Real Time Infrastructure), more specifically in Storage and Disaster Recovery.
Where?
Although I went to schools in US, I am originally from South Korea. Since English is my second language I will often make grammar and spelling mistakes, which you can think of it as a typo. Currently I live in Cupertino, CA due to my passion in Silicon Valley. Because there are lot’s of IT conferences in San Francisco I will try to attend as much as possible to widen my knowledge and meet people.
What?
There are lot’s of things that keep me awake everyday. As you could have guessed, I love new technology. Although I don’t want to admit, I am one of those geeks that likes gadgets, computers, servers and almost anything that uses new tech. I am also Mac Addict who loves Apple hardware and software. I don’t hate or think Microsoft is evil, I just prefer Apple over MS.
one more thing
This isn’t final setup. Rather than setting up everything and making a grand debut, I decided to add little bit at a time and build on as time goes by.
