Hi everyone! I know it’s been a very, very, long time. Let me say that I actually do have tons of posts I wanted to make, it’s just that I’ve been so busy with work I haven’t had a chance. For those interested in what I would blog about if I had time, you can check out my Flickr page! I love taking pictures, and there’s tons of photos on there
So recently, I’ve been needing a new phone. The screen broke on my HTC 10 and T-mobile has been less than stellar on helping me replace it (since they stopped carrying it!). This had me thinking about looking for a more affordable phone this time around… and then I saw a Windows Phone for sale on Newegg for $20… and then, I figured I’m up for a challenge!
You see, almost nobody uses Windows Phones. Microsoft has announced that it’s no longer focusing on them, which isn’t surprising considering they only have 1% of the market share. It seems like nobody is interested in them these days, and many feel they’re heading to extinction.
So why would I even consider purchasing one of these things?
I’ve been an android user for the longest time but my first smartphone was, in fact, a Windows phone! It was a gift from a random stranger after I posted a craigslist ad asking for a free smartphone. It eventually stopped working but it always felt comfortable and fluid! The battery lasted for days at a time, and I got pretty comfortable navigating the tiles.
I also love a challenge, and a challenge this would be! To my horror, there are no google apps for Windows Phone 10 – the search giant simply refuses to support them and the chromium team ignores the constant requests for a port.
Let me tell you, I’m very invested into Google’s ecosystem right now. I use google apps for everything—I’m even writing this blog entry on a chromebook! I have a work phone with android on it, and I manage everything from my calendars to my travel time using Google’s services. While some may be worried about the hold Google has on your privacy, most don’t care because it’s so dang convinant! Let me give you an example of how I use google every day:
I wake up in the morning and check my Google Calendar. If I’m not biking, I check the bus schedule on Google then head to work. If I am biking, I sync up with Google Fit. Throughout the day, I store notes in Google Keep and jot group meetings down in Google Docs. When I’m on my lunch break, I read various articles that Google has tailored to me based on my interests while intermingling cards with bills due and packages arriving.
I haven’t really thought about how dependent I am on the big G before I thought about switching… I think it would be a neat experiment.
Just to be clear, I’m not leaving google but rather leaving Android. I have no intention of withdrawing my gmail account, calendars, and other apps, but rather will be forced to distance myself from them based on Google’s stubbornness to port. I still want to make this as easy as I can on me, and maybe I can stand as proof that Microsoft’s Windows Phone is still able to hold its on in the world of iOS and Android.
Anyway, that’s it. I guess we’ll see what happens when I get the phone squared away (because I’m kind of waiting for the company to unlock it).
For part 2 of this series, click here: Beginning the Switch.
I was at work today and I came across a poster in one of the classrooms. It read “Monoplize Success!” (Read more)
I’ve decided to start posting pictures that I take throughout the day. These will probably end up on my Facebook and will certainly be public on my Flikr.
Yesterday afternoon, I found a snake outside! I loved the patterns, so I just had to take a picture!
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Yesterday, my family went to Chesapeake city! It was quite the adventure, and it’s only a half hour away from where I live! Chesapeake City is a small little town located in Maryland, right across from the C&D Canal. Recall in Delaware City that the town was built for workers who managed the canal? Well, Chesapeake City is half-way down, managing the other side.
Today, the city is still a small, functioning little village, containing gift shops, a post office, some bed and breakfasts, and many homes. (Read more)
I went to Atlantic City today with the family! For those that don’t know, Atlantic City is sometimes called the Vegas of the East Coast. It contains many mega-casinos and hotels such as the Trump Towers, Showboat, and the Taj Mahal. The famous board game Monopoly is based off Atlantic City. Well, with the current state of the economy, the city is now a ghost town, and even the 50+ story high casinos have seen better days.
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Yesterday, I took a trip to Delawere City! It’s an old city created for workers of the C&D Canal, the canal that connects the Delaware River to the Chesapeake. While it’s not as preserved as Historic New Castle (which is one of the oldest still-functioning-while-preserved towns in the US!), it still has its roots in Delaware’s history. I wish I had taken more pictures, and I should have taken a picture of the Welcome Sign, so have one that I found on City Data.
Delaware City rests along the Delaware River and the C&D Canal. After arriving, my family and I noticed two distinct vehicles. One, a company truck, and the second, a horseless carriage!(Read more)
In my last post, I said that I’ll take some pictures of the city of Historic New Castle. Today, I decided to walk around!
Established in 1651 by the Dutch, New Castle was one of the first settlements in Delaware and where William Penn first set foot in the United States. It was invaded and taken over various times early on, and now we’re left with a nice colonial village for me to take pictures of.(Read more)
As I may or may not have promised in my Thunderstorm on the Riverfront entry, I’ve returned to Historic New Castle to walk the Battery Park trail, and I got pictures!.(Read more)
I decided to visit the Riverfront in Old New Castle and take some pictures while waiting to pick up my brother. I took the opportunity to try my photography skills out, and took some pictures of the oncoming thunderstorm across the river. Here are the results (warning: lots of pictures).(Read more)
I paid pennies for a baseball tickets and $6 for a donut hotdog!
Two months ago, my family bought tickets to see our local baseball team, The Blue Rocks, on opening day. We paid 4 cents per ticket. How? Because of this:
The Wilmington Blue Rocks sold some of the cheapest tickets in baseball history Monday – with an assist from the cold weather – as they discounted regular prices by 99 percent.
The Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals offered fans the chance to get tickets to Opening Day for the same number, in cents, as the temperature at 8 a.m. ET.
The temperature in Wilmington, Delaware, at that time Monday? Four degrees Fahrenheit.
With just a few cents, we bought tickets for all of our friends and family to watch the first game of the year. While I’m not the biggest baseball fan, my grandfather was, and I grew up watching our local team. It got to a point where the players knew me, and would always toss me free baseballs.
The city in the background is Wilmington, Delaware, and the ones in white and blue are the Wilmington Blue Rocks.(Read more)