Stuff that fries your potatoes with olive oil of HAPPY.

[MortifiedocAlot]

Kicking ass at pool. Man, I should start hustling people at that game. I beat everyone I play and I've never even owned a pool table before >_>

My dad is somewhat like that. He plays with professionals that can clear a table and know how to set up their next shot exactly. We have had a pool table for like 6 months but it doesn't have the stone or the cloth on it.

[Bobbias]

Like I said, it's all in the contract.  You should really get in the habit of reading those before you put your name on them.  Where do you suppose the expression "signing your life away" came from?

Yeah, when someone hands me a contract, I'm going to read every word of fine print on the damn thing. Not only that, I happen to be decently well versed in legalese, so I can understand what they mean (I found out that apple can decide not to fix a broken iPod on warranty and charge up to $100 for telling you they won't fix it [technically, it's for the examination of the iPod, but still.])

Though I will admit that it's nice when companies are willing to put those things out in the open rather than never saying anything about it expecting you to know it. It's the difference between a company that's greedy, and a company that, while willing to take measures to make more money and all that, is still a bit closer to the "morally right" side...

[Spectere]

Though I will admit that it's nice when companies are willing to put those things out in the open rather than never saying anything about it expecting you to know it. It's the difference between a company that's greedy, and a company that, while willing to take measures to make more money and all that, is still a bit closer to the "morally right" side...

The funny thing about that is that Verizon intentionally cripples features of the phone to prevent people from getting use out of it while T-Mobile basically says "aw, fuck it, whatever."  My mom and my nephew both have stock T-Mobile phones and they can do just about anything with them.  I have yet to see a GSM phone that does something so stupid as to distinguish between "My Music" and "My Ringtones" and force you to pay $2-3 for a badly cut, low quality MP3.

The only CDMA provider in the US that I've seen that doesn't actively restrict phone usage is Alltel.  I'm not sure about Sprint.

As far as the contract is concerned, it might just be a regional thing.  When my dad signed up for T-Mobile they were very clear about the contract conditions.

[Blue0ctane]

Like I said, it's all in the contract.  You should really get in the habit of reading those before you put your name on them.  Where do you suppose the expression "signing your life away" came from?

I'm just going to say that I'm 15 now and was 12 when I got my T-Mobile phone, so technically it was my mother who "signed my life away". I don't like making excuses, but I didn't really have the power to do that.

Anyway, my opinion is that Verizon is a better carrier than T-Mobile. I haven't seen the "crippled features", and I made sure to distinguish between My Music and My Ringtones so I didn't waste money on stuff that I could effectively do nothing with.

[Bobbias]

Well, the way I see it, if there's a way to get around the crippling (I dunno if there is), then I'd definitely go for the CDMA network, and all that. I'm all for hacking things and so-on so I don't care about most of that unless it seriously causes a problem for me later on (like voiding a warranty on something I may need it for.)

[Spectere]

Well, the way I see it, if there's a way to get around the crippling (I dunno if there is), then I'd definitely go for the CDMA network, and all that.

Don't count on it; Verizon installs their own custom software on almost all of their phones (the Motorola E815 is a notable exception).

Also, with a CDMA network you cannot use your own phone.  I'd much rather be able to buy a phone retail and be able to use it (which I have done, and wound up getting a much better phone than I could have gotten at any major carrier at a much lower price without extending the contract).

[Bobbias]

Jesus, I didn't realize it was that bad... My brother has a Razer, but he's on a Rogers pay as you go account, and he owns the phone himself. It took a bit of searching to get the program to put on your own custom ringtones and stuff, but we managed to get that working and stuff. Unfortunately, Rogers is a shitty network, and he barely gets any reception in our basement. Bell is a much more well established network around here.

[Spectere]

There's tons of sites dedicated to hacking Motorola phones.  The RAZRs also require nothing more than a mini-USB cable, so if you already have that (from a digital camera, etc) you don't have to pay for anything.

If you buy a Motorola phone retail (as opposed to purchasing it through your cellular provider) they provide a data cable and software.  I think just about all unlocked GSM phones are capable of pay-as-you-go service as well.

As far as getting reception in your basement goes, building penetration on most cellular bands is rather low.  Depending on how your house is built, you're not going to get good reception with any network.

[Ulti]

Truest statement ever. Getting cell reception in a house is a losing battle, let alone a lecture hall >: |

[Bobbias]

Well, my friend's old piece of shit that's like, 5 years old now, and running on Bell can get reception damn near anywhere. Even int he middle of the school, with tons of concrete and metal all around. He gets something like, 3-4 out of 7 bars in my basement.

[TimJing]

Yeah, my phone gets like, negative two bars inside any building anywhere. It's sad. I've got the T-Mobile.

[Spectere]

T-Mobile is mighty fine in Ohio and most of Maryland.  The only area I've had problems with in Tampa is around this hotel, but I think that be more because of its proximity to the airport.  I get decent reception even in the Nielsen building.

Well, my friend's old piece of shit that's like, 5 years old now, and running on Bell can get reception damn near anywhere. Even int he middle of the school, with tons of concrete and metal all around. He gets something like, 3-4 out of 7 bars in my basement.

CDMA phones can transmit at a lower frequency -- 800MHz -- which offers better building penetration than many newer phones (which use a 1.9GHz band) and GSM phones (which, in all but rare cases, have a 850MHz floor).  This is why older CDMA phones can, in some cases, get better reception at the expense of audio quality.

Like I said earlier, GSM also isn't as widely supported in the US and Canada.  CDMA basically came first and GSM is playing catch-up.  It's not that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Rogers suck, they just haven't been in this continent as long.  I'll gladly take the freedom that GSM provides rather than having extra coverage and an overly-locked phone.  Besides, if worst comes to worst, my company phone is going to be through Sprint, so I'll have the best of both worlds. :>

[Bobbias]

Well, my friend's old-ass phone only really gets used once in a while, and he bought a couple ringtones, I dunno much about the phone itself, so I dunno how much hacking and such can be done to it, but it still works fine, and he is on a pay as you go service, so he's not locked into some contract.

[Spectere]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention this.

Last week, at work/school, my instructor ended up showing another instructor 2 Girls 1 Cup.

THE RESULT IS PROBABLY THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER WITNESSED.  Seeing a 2G1C reaction live is so much better than seeing it on YouTube.

[MortifiedocAlot]

Lol wut? was he just like "hey, check this out" and he didn't get into any sort of trouble?