Help me tell Skype & Microsoft you want options!

I was an avid user of the IMO instant messaging application for Android.  I loved this program and I even blogged about it.  About a month ago they stopped supporting Skype.  They claimed they could not connect to the Skype servers anymore.

Skype is a closed protocol which means nobody else can communicate on the Skype network unless you're a partner or you've hacked your way onto it.  Everyone else has a somewhat open chat network, Google, Yahoo, AIM/ICQ, IRC, etc.   Skype for all that is provides doesn't give developers a way to openly communicate with the Skype servers.  So if you want to send a Skype message, you have to use Skype.   This sucks because the Skype app for Android blows, and the desktop apps are not far behind.

When IMO couldn't get Skype fixed I was really bummed.  I love IMO because it's free with a small footprint and it works.  More than Skype can say.

So, I started a petition that I hope everyone will share with their friends and hopefully we can make a change.  Please sign this petition to Skype and Microsoft then share it with everyone you know!  The only way we are going to get Skype and Microsoft to listen is to show them that the community wants the freedom to use something other than the Skype bloatware!

Glass gets closer but it's not for kids!

From the moment I heard about Google Glass I thought back to Daemon by Suarez, Daniel

If you have not read that book and the follow-up FreedomTM you really should read it.  Besides one of my favorite books the book illustrates basically Google Glass used to augment reality.  The latest videos of glass in action are just that as well.  Augmented reality that soon will become reality for many people.  I look forward to the time when I can have Glass use facial recognition and tell me who I am looking at.  Perhaps even a call out above their head that tells me their reputation in the world.  Daniel Suarez truly has a vision and Glass could be the Science Fact from the Science Fiction.   

Glass however doesn't seem as if it will be for everyone.  This is from the google website. 

Glass isn’t for everyone. 

Like when wearing glasses, some people may feel eye strain or get a headache. If you’ve had Lasik surgery, ask your doctor about risks of eye impact damage before using Glass. Don’t let children under 13 use Glass as it could harm developing vision. Also, kids might break Glass or hurt themselves, and Google’s terms of service don’t permit those under 13 to register a Google account. If Glass is not for you and you wish to return it, do so before the end of the applicable refund period.

The fact that children won't be able to use glass is very disappointing to me.  I think that they could benefit from being able to use glass in lets say an educational way.  As image recognition points out "Trees" or "Zebras" using image recognition software words and sounds could be associated with it.  Almost subliminally teaching children how to read at a young age.  I really hope the technology advances so children are able to use it. 

It looks like glass will be available for about $1500 and it should be out late 2013 or early 2014.  I think it will take off like a rocket ship.   Why?  GoPro HD Hero3 is just an example of why.  People want to video their life and what they do for fun.  There are just tons of videos using this on you tube.  I think Google will have a hard time keeping these in stock. 

The other really cool thing I like about glass is that it takes social video recording to a new level.  I think there is real value in videos captured by people with cell phones.  I think glass will make that even easier.  I think it will help reduce crime as well since "anyone" could be watching, not just big brother.  From across the street you could record a crime and the villan may never see you.  

The applications for Glass are really endless and I'm very excited to see this come to fruition. 

Grab some real air with Leap Motion

The Leap Motion Controller has to be one of the coolest things I've seen in technology ever.  This ranks right up there with Kinect and Google Glass.  The small 3" device has the potential to change how we interface with computers forever.

I knew when I saw Minority Report one day we would get there but I had no idea it was going to be this year.   If you saw the film you could not help but be impressed with the curved plexiglass computer Tom Cruise controlled with the slick light up gloves.   Flick something out of the way, grab a spinner knob for your video and zoom in with two hands.  That was a slick bit of special effects.  I have to admit it impressed me but I thought that it would be a long time before we could do that.  Was I ever wrong.

The new Leap Motion Controller will bring that slick technology to you very soon.  This summer for around $80 you'll be able to use your hands for more than typing and clicking.  You won't even need those fancy light up gloves (although they look cool). You can actually pre-order the device now.

Watch the video for yourself and you cant help but be impressed.   I know from reading the Leap hype that they are partnering with companies like Acer to bring this into your next laptop.  I think this has the possibility of making something like Windows 8 usable.   I won't digress into my hate for Windows 8 but what I will say is that this could turn any laptop Into a touch screen tablet by touching the air.  Throw in some of the multi touch gestures from the Mac and you have something really great.

I would love to see this embedded is into something like Google glass.  If we can do that we will have taken a huge leap in how we work with computing devices.  Daemon by Daniel Suarez illustrated just that type of technology.  Where users of the "Darknet" could wear glasses and interact with items in a virtual "D-Space".  I would like to think that the "Darknet" is 10 years away but after seeing how much progress Google Glass has made and now with Leap Motion I have a feeling this could be closer than we think.

Overall, I think this product has some real potential.  Since users are becoming more interactive with touch devices I think this can really bridge the gap between laptops and touch screens.  I've always said that touch screen laptops and PC wont work because the screen will have fingerprints all over it.  If you can touch virtual buttons in the air though, you now can make that laptop a touch screen withutThe potential to swipe your hands in the air wearing a pair of glasses allows you to compute wherever you are.  The sky is really the limit when you think about the possibilities.   Frankly I'm excited to see what sort of apps come out of this little device.

Unlocking Technology Becomes Legal Again; Thanks to “Unlocking Technology Act of 2013″ Bill

Unlocking Technology Becomes Legal Again; Thanks to “Unlocking Technology Act of 2013″ Bill

Ultimate Wifi Arduino! $39 of amazing fun.

I was totally pumped to see this project on Kickstarter today.  Here you have an Arduino with embedded WiFi.   What this means is that instead of a huge board with WiFi as an add on, you have something you can stick right in a breadboard and work with.  This is still a kickstarter project and they expect them to come out in September sometime.  This for sure is going to hit my list of must have items.  There is a lot of possibilities and I want in on the ground floor of the $39 super Arduino and WiFi called Spark Core.  Check out the Spark Core Kickstarter page.

Red or Blue? General Electric's New "Matrix" Commercial 2013 HD

This commercial is absolutely brillant!  Matrix fans cant help but love this.

How to Save Big at Best Buy

I am always surprised by how many people shop at Best Buy.  Their prices are generally higher than most online stores or even retail chains like Wal-Mart.  If you're looking to pay more Best Buy is the right place to go.

In all fairness Best Buy is getting better with their pricing in a lot of areas.  TV's, Blue Ray players, etc are competitively priced.  Here are some tips on how you can shop at Best Buy and make out like a bandit.

First don't EVER buy a cable from there.  Certainly do not let some sales man talking you into buying a "Monster" cable for your HD TV.  You'll hear things like "You just spent $1500 on a TV you want to have the best picture possible and lower priced cables may give you a poor picture." - BULLSHIT it's HD and all digital.  Which means your cable is either going to be rated to work or it wont.  Monster cables are no better than the cheap ones.  Case in point, the cheapest 6' HDMI cable I could find at Best Buy was around $25.  "Five Below" a $5 and lower store across the street sells a 6' HDMI cable for $5.  Guess what, works like a dream on my Xbox.  It's also fully rated for 3D TV.   You can also get them at a reasonable price at Amazon.com.   However my favorite place for cables is monoprice.com. They sell cables of all types dirt cheap.  Cat 5, HDMI cables you name it.  If you can wait a few days for shipping you can save a lot on all sorts of things from there.  Don't let some salesman convince you otherwise.  The same applies to optical and coaxial DVD connectors.  Digital transfers 1's and 0's.  

Best Buy does price matching just like Wal-Mart and most other retail chains.  What most people don't know is that Best Buy will match Amazon's pricing.  It's the only brick and mortar store I know that actually will match Amazon.com's prices.  I've saved, $20, $30 and even more on products by pointing out that Amazon sells it for cheaper.  Now if you have an Amazon Prime membership you can get shipping for free and get it in two days plus you dont have to pay sales tax.  That is the best savings but some things like a TV you might not want to received from UPS's fine delivery staff.  You can however go right to Best Buy and point out it's $200 cheaper on Amazon.  The only catch is you're on the hook for sales tax but hey, you can get it same day.

Another good use for Best Buy is on fixed pricing items.  These are items like a new Wii, Xbox or Playstation.  They will cost the exact same amount regardless of where you go.  That way retailers all make the same amount on the item despite which retailer you go to.  Best Buy though has a rewards program that Wal-Mart doesn't so if you do end up buying a lot of equipment you can end up getting a few perks in the way of some free cash to spend at Best Buy.  Something for free is always better than nothing.

Competition is tough these days with electronics retailers.  Information like this should give you an edge when buying new equipment.

Impossible indeed!

One Week Without A Smartphone? Impossible

Yes a week without a smartphone could be my demise.

Defiance - A Western in SciFi Disguise

When I first heard about Defiance coming out I was excited to see another new Scifi series coming out. I have been waiting for Falling Skies to start up and thought perhaps Defiance might give me a good scifi fix while I'm waiting for that to start.

So far it's been a mixed bag which generally is not the most reassuring.  The concept was somewhat exciting.  Rebellion of survivors the loner joins forces and helps the colony.  Felt just like Terra Nova when that came out and we know what sort of success that was.

The two hour pilot to me was a huge let down.  Here in the first interaction ever with the protaganist Jeb Nolan he manages to find amazing alien energy tech only to have to use it in a huge battle against an army of mechanized warriors sought on destroying Defiance.  Once he uses the energy device and blows away the bad guys he is offered the job as Sheriff which he accepts.

I am horrified that this could be the best episode all season.  They threw absolutely everything into the pilot.  Epic battles, incredible alien tech, intriguing love story and even a boxing match.  While I say that scifi fans are the biggest bunch of hypocrites around, this story does not hold up.  It's way overdone and over the top.

I'll continue watching it and I may end up eating crow if the show improves but I dont have my hopes up.   Rockne S. O'Bannon is the writer on the show and except for Farscape the rest of his shows have been utter failures.  The new V which while it could have been so cool, failed miserably.  Alien Nation was "ok" but seaquest DSV was just terrible.

I think the show is going to run out of gas quick.  I don't see this as anything but a cheezy western.  How cheesy?   The Sheriff's name is Jeb.  We just need now is Hoss, Little Joe, Adam and Ben and we'll have Bonanza all over again.

I can hope that this show improves but I don't think it will.  I should have known better with a video game that goes with the show this was all over hyped.  My guess is that in another year the game will be at GameStop for $3 and the show will end up getting cancelled.

Twitter peeking at your tweets to target ads.

Appy Geek is reporting that  Twitter will mine people's tweets to target ads.  Scanning your eMail and Tweets is starting to become the norm these days.  Google has been doing it for some time, now twitter is going to start doing it.  

There are whole army of people against this and I posted about it with the Scroogled.com website.  I still don't see the issue with this.  If you feel your electronic information is safe you are living under a rock.  Information Security is a very false sense of security.  Hackers, employees, social engineering it all comes down to one thing.  People.  Your data is only as secure as you think it is.  

Try this social experiment. Walk into a McDonalds and sit a table next to a group who just received their food.  Wait about a minute then walk up to the counter and say "Yeah, I'm with the group over there, we were short one double cheeseburger".  See if you get one.  9/10 times you will with no questions asked. 

Your security works the same way.  I personally know that with a little dumpster diving you can grab a bank statement, and call the bank and find out all sorts of things about an account.  In fact you can even ask to have a duplicate debit card sent to you because the magnetic stripe is wearing out.  They wont deactivate the old one just ship you a new one.  I have had the bank tell me "Make sure you destroy the old one because both will work.".  Now if I was a malicious attacker I could use your debit card (The new one I requested) while you were able to use yours.  

The whole point here is that Twitter and Google are mining your data to target ads to you.  Frankly I'm ok with that.  Why?  Its better than random nonsense or tampon ad's when I have no use for them.  I dont mind seeing ads for cool gear I might be interested in.  

Microsoft though better get on the ball and register Twittled.com or something so they can strike fear into twitter users to use Bing. 

Go glass!

Larry Page Confirms that Google Glass Runs Android

Facebook Home or Facebook Fail?

All the buzz lately in the media seems to be about Facebook Home.  Leaks from everywhere was reporting a Facebook phone.  Zuckerberg eventually announced a less than spectacular FaceBook home instead.

Below is the "Airplane" commercial that Facebook is running.  Like most car commercials this doesn't really tell you much about what Facebook Home is.  In fact this commercial was largely useless except to perhaps convey that most people ignore the stewardess to turn off their phones.


 

So what is Facebook home?  It's an Android home screen replacement.  There are plenty of home screen replacements and I have tried a few like Go Launcher EX.  I honestly cant find a good use for them.  Most seem to cause compatibility issues with widgets or eat CPU and battery life.  Then trying to uninstall one sometimes is a complete nightmare.

Facebook home is just another home screen replacement.  The concept is that you are such a Facebook junkie that you need to have Facebook the overwhelming application on your phone.  Which is exactly what you get.  All your google apps and widgets are shoved in the closet while Zuckerberg takes the main stage on your phone.

The big features you get with Facebook Home are:

• Cover Feed - unlock your phone and see your facebook news feed
• Chat Heads and Messenger - I don't get this, it claims you can chat in the background while doing other things.  Couldnt I do this already with IMO or the standalone Facebook messenger app?
• Notifications - Facebook annoys you until you acknowledge your updates.  (I hate this feature on the web already why do I need to be annoyed on my phone too)
• App Launcher - The ability to actually doing something productive. 

And the Google Play rating for this app?  2 stars!

Why oh why would you want this on your phone.  Don't get me wrong here I like Facebook as much as the next guy but so much that I'm willing to convert my home screen to it?  Hell no. The advertisements portray this Facebook nirvana where photos of your friends and family are sending you photos and sharing all of life's great moments. 

Lets face it, what you are really going to see on your phone most of the time will be a memes of cat's, dogs, babies and Obama. 90% of the Facebook posts I see are random garbage.  In fact I've completely removed people from my friends list because of the sheer volume of repostings that take place.  The last thing I want to do is open my phone and see a picture of some kid holding a sign that says they are the 1% of americans that eat ramen noodles while standing on their head.  

When I go to make a phone call this is the last update I want to see on my home screen:

The whole idea of your home screen is to allow you to customize it and get you access to your apps.  Facebook thinks that the only app on your phone worth anything is Facebook.  I hear people say "Finally a home screen focused on people".  If this is the type of poeple you want to focus on, then have at it.  I always thought getting to your apps easily was focusing on you.  I am sure there are are a small percentage of users who love Facebook that much but I don't know a single one.  So for me, this was a serious Facebook fail.  2 stars on the Play store with over 8K reviews seems to confirm what I already knew. 

Google Downtime? "Inconceivable!" says Vizzini

If you are like Westley trying to use Google Mail you may find  it is not working.

"Inconceivable!", Vizzini said as he tried to load Gmail in his web browser.

Inigo Montoya at Google was reported saying "Hello.  My name is Inigo Montoya you crashed my server.  Prepare to die.".  Right before that he posted on the Apps Status Dashboard all the systems that are affected.

It seems though not all of this outage is affecting everyone.  My corporate and personal apps are doing just fine however its a big enough issue that Google posted it to their dashboard.

It may simply be an attack on the castle of Prince Humperdinck.  My guess though is Microsoft read my earlier Blog post and resorted to DDOS attack against Google.  Sorry guys.

IMO Messenger - Great mobile Skype replacement

Like a lot of other Skype users the mobile app sucks.  Even on my Samsung Galaxy Note II the darn thing is slow as molasses.  I ran into IMO though which works very well and integrates all of my messaging into one app.  So far I have no complaints.  Check out IMO Messenger

. 

Scroogled.com? Microsoft throwing stones from their glass house!

I saw a commercial today which warned me about being "scroogled" and I should visit scroogled.com because all of my information is going to unknown 3rd parties.

I went to the website and saw what appeared to be clear cut Microsoft propaganda.  In fact right at the bottom it says Microsoft!

So it appears that Microsoft is now stepping down to the level of politicians and mud slinging.  I find the the lowest form of competition.  I am all for someone building the better mouse trap.  I support fair competition and advertising of your products.  I even support anti-trust and competition in the marketplace.

What floors me is that Microsoft chose to use mudslinging over a better product.  Microsoft doesn't exactly keep a clean record when it comes to privacy - "Microsoft Being Investigated In The EU For Potential Privacy Violations".  That was just 4 months ago and Microsoft is now telling you that you should be aware of Google.

So what does scroogled.com complain about?

When you buy an Android app from the Google app store, they give the app maker your full name, email address and the neighborhood where you live. This occurs without clear warning every single time you buy an app.

Really?  So a developer is getting my Name, Email and Neighborhood.  Spammers get this from any number of sources and I don't have to have a phone to have that happen.  What makes this even more ridiculous is that I cant think of a website out there that doesn't ask for at least these three pieces of information.  Perhaps your neighborhood is somewhat privacy violating but we have already seen that Apple and Google both use tracking information on your phone.  So who has a hang up with this besides Microsoft.

Why would Microsoft a company who pioneered some of the awesome technology (like Kinect) in use today do this?  I'll tell you why.

1. Chrome is beating IE in the marketplace and IE is going the way of the Dodo bird. 
2. Microsoft is no longer a leader in pioneering web technologies. 
3. Microsoft has spent millions in a search engine that nobody I know uses. 
4. Microsoft has an inferior phone, apps store and business partnerships.
5. Windows Phone has no chance of taking over Android and Apple in the phone space.
6. Windows 8 is a sadistic tortue device.

And the best reason of all?  A $492 Million Dollar Loss reported in Q4.  Despite earlier in the year having the largest revenue on record Microsoft is losing money.  Why?  Competition plain and simple.  Everyone keeps chipping away at Microsoft and their revenue streams.  

Apple keeps chipping away at the desktop market and for a good reason.  The Mac has far less issues than any PC I have ever seen.  I personally think Apple is run by the underworld but I have to admit I love my Mac.  Windows 8 is "User Hostile" and I can't say that I disagree.  

Google owns the web space.  Nobody walks around saying "Just Bing it".  In fact try saying that somewhere and see how many people think you're joking around.   Google also owns the browser market.  I joke around with my fellow nerds about how the worst IT job in the world would be working on the IE Development team.  Why?  Because any web developer worth $20 or more an hour knows IE is an abomination and Chrome and Firefox are the only browsers you should bother developing in.

(Dear IE Development team - You have my pity.)

The gaming market is changing too.  More and more gamers are going back to the PC as hardware has become a lot cheaper and you don't have to upgrade every 6 months to be able to play the latest game.  So the 360 market is shrinking and I'm doubtful the Xbox 720 (or whatever they name it) will blow the doors off everyone. Sony is working on their new console and Nintendo got back in the game somewhat with the WiiU.  Plus the phone market is becoming huge for games.  In fact the OUYA is an android based console!  I can see this growing huge momentum given that most games on the Android platform are under $10.

Microsoft has lowered itself to mudslinging to save any profit they can.  What kills me is that they don't really have to.  They just have to get back to what makes any company great.  Innovation, creativity and community.  Something Microsoft has lost but Google has clearly succeeded at.  I expect to see more and more losses coming out of Microsoft until they get Steve Balmer out and someone who understands the market in.  Balmer had his time in the limelight now he just needs to pass the torch onto someone who can save Microsoft and Balmer is not it.

Navy Goes Star Wars - Laser Weapon System (LaWS)

Saw on the news today that the Navy has one of these mounted on a boat now.   Very cool.  I also happened to see recently Boeing now has an electrical interference device to knock out computers and electronics with non-lethal force.  This is becoming a very cool age for technology.

Redbox Instant Review - Redbox vs. Netflix vs. Amazon vs. Xbox Video vs. Vudu

I have been renting DVD's and blue-rays for some time since Redbox came out.  I was excited to hear that Redbox was getting into the streaming market.  When I saw the price I thought to myself "How awesome I don't ever have to leave my house for DVD's again".  Sadly that is not how the service works and from where I stand it is a complete waste of time money and effort.

First here is what the Redbox Instant Website Says -

"INSTANT, UNLIMITED ACCESS TO STREAMING MOVIES"

"ENJOY 4 FABULOUS DVD CREDITS AT THE KIOSK"

"STREAM MOVIES WHEREVER YOU ARE"

Furthermore you can "Rent/Buy" online as the website shows when you sign up.  It is some tricky marketing but in a nutshell here is what you get.

1. Crappy old movies you can stream (Even Netflix has better movies)
2. 4 Credits to use at the Kiosk ONLY
3. The "privilege" to rent current movies for about $5.99 a movie.

Whoa wait, are you telling me that I have to pay $5.99 to stream a movie after I pay $7.99 a month for the service?

Well no, not if you wanna watch a crappy old one.

So here is how this works.  All the "Instant" access gets you is access to the same thing you may already be getting on Netflix.  If you want to watch something recent you pay out the wazoo for the movie just like pay per view.  Which in my opinion very misleading.

The only benefit I saw of the free trial is 4 free DVD rentals from the Kiosk which I'll use then dump the service.

So how does this compare to all the others services out there.  I put a matrix together I hope saves some people some time on a comparison of the streaming services.

Service	Current Movies	Older Movies	DVD Rental	Cost
Netflix	No	Yes	Yes*	$7.99/$7.99*
Redbox Instant	Yes*	Yes*	Yes	$7.99*/$5.99 on demand
Amazon Prime	Yes	Yes*	Yes	$79.99yr/$1.99-$5.99 on demand
Vudu	Yes	Yes	No	$.99-$7.99 on demand
Xbox Video	Yes	Yes	No	$0-$7.99 on demand

Redbox Instant clearly is trying to compete Netflix.  To me though it's clearly not worth it.  With Netflix I can rent movies and have them delivered and if I really need a new movie I can see it on Amazon Prime, Xbox Video or even stop at RedBox for the $1.

Out of all the providers I have to say that Amazon Prime is my favorite.  I can get just about everything on it.  The only thing I dont like about Amazon is that a Prime membership is required.  I use Amazon for my shopping so I have an advantage there.  Its also by far cheaper than Redbox or Netflix.  However I have found a few cases where Netflix had a movie Amazon doesn't 

Followup on - My DirecTV alternative or How I got rid of DirecTV

When DirecTV sent yet again another price increase notice this year I was not going to pay even more than the $127 a month I was already paying them to watch TV.  I posted a few weeks back how I setup  environment so I did not have to pay DirecTV another dime.  I want to post now the followup ot that.

I had a lot of friends and family ask me why I wanted to do this.  Most people asked me "How can I do the same thing, what about the channels like SyFy and TNT".  I wan't to take a step back here for just one second before I go into this to point out that when I look at service providers I try to weigh the cost of the use on an hourly basis to see what kind of value I am getting out of something.  Let me give you an example.

Rhapsody (a popular and my favorite music service) I pay $14.95 for basically unlimited access to all the music I want whenever I want, wherever I want.  Up to three devices can be linked to it and so my two daughters and myself get to listen to music on our phones and the web for one low price.

So if between the three of us we spend 12 hours a day listening to music at home and work that means in a month (average 30 days) we use around 360 hours of the service.  So at $14.95/mo we divide the 360 hours and $0.042 per hour.  So for an hour of entertainment I'm paying about 8 cents.

If you look at DirecTV for the everything but all the movie channels package and 2 DVR's plus HD service I was paying $127 a month for an SD DVR, HD DVR and one set top box.   Now, the amount of TV I watch in a week is probably around 20 hours given all the kids in the house, etc.  That comes out to 600 hours or $0.212 per hour.

So if you compare the two.  The cost per hour of entertainment from one to another is a 405 % increase over each other.  So that is why I ditched DirecTV.

Now to followup on a few things and lessons learned here.

First I would do this again in a heartbeat. It was a smart move for me in saving a lot of money using technology.  All it took was a few weeks for everyone to get used to the process.  The only complaint that I have heard is that it's not very easy to "Channel Surfing" around and find something.  I do agree with that complaint as instead of channel surfing you have to know what you want to watch on TV.  I've found though that it's still cheaper to buy one episode of something and see if you like it vs. paying the huge cost of entertainment DirecTV was.

Services That Made All This Happen
Hulu Plus - Channels like Nick so the kids can watch SpongeBob
Netflix - Movies and more
Amazon Prime - Lots of prime videos often better stuff than netflix but you also get free 2 day shipping on anything you by there.  $70/year but I make that up alone in what I buy there.
Xbox Video - This is the big winner here.  Xbox video has tons of recent and current TV series.  SyFy, TNT and more.  You can buy season passes for shows you like.  I like "Anger Management" and I'm able to watch all of those.
Vudu - Ultraviolet movies and their own movies.  Rentals and Purchases.  Nice thing here is that you can also watch these movies with Flixster on your phone or tablet.

So I am able to watch just about everything any of my friends are watching.  Falling Skies for example I started watching on Amazon Prime.  Anger Management I get on Xbox Video.

Lessons Learned after doing this
Remote Control - I went out and got a Harmony remote to control all this.  You can probably cheap out and get a universal remote but the Harmony had macros.  Which means I could program the watch TV button to turn on all the devices, Switch the HDMI input on the TV to HDMI2 and turn on the Xbox.  One complaint I heard was how difficult it was remember what device was on what input.  Plus the volume is controlled by my surround sound amp so it was 6 remotes on my end table.  Now I have only one.  You can do what I did and go to Best Buy and tell them the remote is cheaper on amazon.com (which it was) then you can get it same day.  Or buy it on Amazon with your two day shipping ;)  Lesson learned, get a good universal remote.

Xbox centric - First let it be said I hate Microsoft.  However the Xbox as an entertainment device works very well.  They need a Rhapsody app but otherwise it is how we keep from switching around.  The Xbox works very well and we can access the Windows Media Center through the Xbox so there is no real need to use the media center pc except for Skype.  So the lesson learned here is having the xbox as the main tool for watching TV centralizes everything.  Since we have kinect on it we can also just shout "Xbox, Pause" if we're in the other room.

Media Center PC/Xbox Conflict - One reason we also use the Xbox is because the media center PC remote and the Xbox remote are identical.  (It's this kind of stuff that make me hate Microsoft).  So what I ended up having was the PC doing weird things or the Xbox doing weird things depending on if I was on the MCPC or the Xbox.  So ultimately I covered the sensor on the MCPC and just use the Xbox as an extender.

Skype! - I got a webcam that clips onto a monitor and now I can Skype my parents in Florida through the bigscreen.

Pay as you go - Put a budget together.  I took the approach of I was spending $120+ a month on DTV.  So with pay as you go you can get a whole season pass for a show for $20 or less.  So if you get even one new season pass a month you're still way ahead.  So don't be afraid to spend some money on a show you like.

Amazon Rentals - Lots of $1.99 rentals.  Redbox is $1.20 and I don't have to get off the couch.  Big savings here because there is no late fees and I dont have to spend gas getting there.

Roku - With the Roku the kids can have their own wireless TV.  This works great plus with Plex you can stream your windows media saved files to the Roku.

After several weeks this process works very well.  For everyone that was curious about how I did it all here it all is.  All of these services I've subscribed to like Hulu and Netflix still save me well over $100/mo.  If you dont have an Xbox, you can buy one for $99 with a 2 year commitment to pay $14.95/mo to Microsoft for Xbox live.  While this is a bit more expensive than buying the xbox outright and paying for Xbox live you can get a working setup with low cost.

So far I've saved now $250 not having to pay this bill.  :)

Mighty Text - Text from your PC

If you're like me you get a lot of text messages in a day.  I almost never look at my phone at work and see that someone sent me a message like "Can we eat the bagel bites in the freezer".  My friend Kevin introducted me to Mighty Text which allows you to link your phone to your PC and send text messages from a web browser.   It works very well.  It's also great to be able to text what you mean vs. the shorter "Im in a hurry" text like "c u l8r @ da game".  :)  Give it a shot.

See ya DirecTV! Hello Windows Media Center and Online Media.

I have had it with DirecTV.  I have been a customer for 8 years and they are again raising the price of my service.  This time 8 dollars.  I understand there are costs involved with contract negotiations and DirecTV is so nice to absorb part of that fee.  The latest bill from DirecTV told me this: "Each year the owners of television channels increase the programming fees they charge to DIRECTV for the right to broadcast their movies, shows and sporting events to you. As a result, DIRECTV must periodically adjust the pricing and channel lineups of our programming packages so we can continue to deliver these channels to you. In 2013, the programming fees we pay to the owners of these television channels will increase about 8.0%, but DIRECTV is adjusting the prices our customers pay on average about 4.5%. By holding firm in programming negotiations, we have been able to keep price increases below our cable competitors’. New prices take effect February 7, 2013, and will appear on billing statements issued after that date. See the detailed information below as it relates to your service." I feel so good that they are absorbing 3.5% of the increase but makes me wonder why it's not 100% given I see 20 DirecTV commercials a day on TV!  Seriously guys?  Do you think I'm an idiot and think these advertisements during prime time TV are cheap?  Nope, its just their way of screwing the consumer and making it sound like it's the bad old networks.  Well I have had enough.  I pay over $100/mo to watch TV maybe 8 hours a week?  I just can't justify that cost anymore.  Just for grins I called Mediacom who I have my internet through.  They couldn't do any better than direct TV.  They told me I could take "Advantage" of the offer to have Internet and Cable TV for $94 a month.  I told the woman it's only an "Advantage" if it's saving me money and it's an offering that is to my advantage.  The humor of that was lost on her.  In any case Cable was not a viable alternative. So now what?  How do you leave DirecTV, Dish Network and Cable companies in the dust?  Sure, you can watch TV over the air but you miss out on so much.  Or do you? Sit down and really analyze your usage on TV.  First, I found out I really only watch maybe 1-2 hours a night.  When I do, I watch shows like Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two Broke Girls and NOVA.  All of those shows are available with an HD antenna.  The rest of the TV I might watch is either movies (Netflix, Redbox, VUDU) or shows like Pawn Stars or some other show.  My kids watch Nick and Disney.  So when I think about it, I'm not watching 98% of the stations I'm paying for. So I have decided that I am no longer paying for any of this and I'll get my media elsewhere.  I have been a long time Netflix customer and my kids watch that a lot.  I have Amazon prime and love the free shipping and I get Prime Videos for free.  I decided that for $8 a month I will add Hulu and now can watch virtually everything I want.  I did however have one hole and that was regular network TV.  So I have decided to build a Home Theatre PC running Windows Media Center to solve that final problem.  It's an investment that will pay off in less than 6 months and won't have any costs associated with it month to month. Before I proceed in how to do this I want to say I sat down and had a family meeting with the kids.  I explained that we would no longer have the Dish, but we would have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and Over   the Air (OTA) shows through a new DVR.  I said lets try it out and if we dont like it, then we can keep the dish.  I also said though they have to tell me why whatever they want to watch is worth $100/mo.  I also told them that for $70 I can get them a DVD player in their room to give them full access to everything.  All but one was in favor of this.  I am sure though she will come around. So now how do I fill in the OTA broadcasts in my house.  The rest of this is How To Build A Home Theatre PC quickly and easily. I was shocked to find that there is so little information about building a windows media center PC out there. Being in IT I deal with hardware and software every day but I wanted to get a Windows Media Center PC up and running with minimal effort. While I could have built it myself and put all the components together I wanted something that looked nice in my cabinet vs. a PC. This is a rather economical setup and you get a lot of bang for the buck. First of all you'll need to have a PC to run windows media center. This affects the cost a lot and if you buy something like a Zotac box Zotac ZBOX-ID80-PLUS-U ZBOX Intel Atom D2700 2.13 GHz (Google Affiliate Ad) you'll find it doesn't come with windows 7. This is a real downer because you'll need to spend around $100 on Windows 7 which brings the cost up to nearly $400. This device also has a 250GB hard drive in it. The reviews also highlight people had issues with getting the video resolution right. After a lot of searching on Amazon I found the perfect box for Windows Media Center. Asus US EB1503-B008E Atom D2700 Nettop (Google Affiliate Ad) the ASUS EB1503 EeeBox Compact Desktop comes with a 500GB hard drive, NVIDIA graphics (NVIDIA Rocks!), HDMI port and comes preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium. This has everything you need to get your own Personal Video Recorder for OTA HDTV. Not only will you be able to record TV, you can surf the web. What it doesn't say in the product description is that this also comes with a Remote, Wireless Keyboard and mouse! I almost bought a $27 remote but did not need to with this purchase. It's an excellent value. Now, you'll need to order two ATSC tuners so you can record HDTV. These are certified to work with windows 7 and as you can se from the reviews people just plug it in and it works.Avermedia MTVHVMXSK TV Tuner Kit For Windows 7 (Google Affiliate Ad) two of these allow you to record two shows at once. Then you'll be ready to turn this PC into a high performance PVR! So how do you drop cable and satellite? Easy, with Services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video you can watch all of them with this box. Most of what you want to watch is available online! I was able to drop my Satellite provider and save over $115 dollars a month. This means this box paid for itself in the first 6 months and I no longer pay to watch TV. You can do it too! I realize this wont work for everyone.  Some people are really in areas where they can't receive over the air HD.  If you can though here is the cost breakdown. DirecTV Choice Ultimate with 3 Boxes (2 being DVR's), DVR service all came to $114.98.   Dropping DirecTV, adding HULU is 7.99.  So the savings there $106.99.  I was already a Netflix customer but clearly the savings here are huge.  The PVR setup cost me around $550 but in 6 months, it paid for itself AND I can do so much more with the media center than I can with the DirecTV Box.