Gadgets. I love them.
In truth I'm just a giant kid who loves to play with new toys. So I must thank Verizon Wireless who has generously allowed me to try some of their coolest devices in the last few months.
Motorola Droid Maxx
If you have been a long-time reader of this blog, you may recall my prophetic loathing for a certain Motorola Android device I once owned. I declared that when my contract was over, I was going to drive right over that thing with my car.
I warned Verizon -- don't send me an Android. DO NOT send me a Motorola phone. But some people just don't take advice well; what can you do?
Luckily, I really liked this phone. A lot. So much so that it saw more daylight than my iPhone did in the time I had it. To begin with, the battery was ridiculous. It lasted for three days (I charge my iPhone daily if not twice daily) with pretty heavy use.
The picture is gorgeous. As you can see, I wasted no time filling up the lovely display with Tom Hiddleston's gorgeous, smiling face:
A lot of tech critics say this is the best phone Verizon's ever released and I can see why. I loved using it and was sad to return it. You have to know how seriously I mean that -- about this time two years ago I was referring to my Droid as a "wart on the ass of humanity."
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Hands down, my favorire thing about this tablet was an included app that turned it into a universal remote control. I had it synced with every TV and Blu-ray player in my house and sometimes, I changed the channel just because I could. It was especially useful in my bedroom because a former roommate of mine stole my DVD player remote (don't ask) and now I finally had one!
On a more practical level, it's the closest thing to a laptop-substitute as I've seen a tablet come so far. The picture is stunning, the fluidity of movement with the touch screen is pretty flawless, and the homescreen widgets are pretty versatile. It also allows you to split the screen so you can watch something and take notes on it -- that is a cool feature. And for all its practicality and usefulness, etc., it's quite thin and light-weight.
Nokia Lumia 521
How gorgeous is the picture on this phone? It's like a mini high-res. TV in the palm of your hand. And it was a lot of fun to try a totally new interface -- I'd never used a Windows phone before. I enjoyed customizing it with colors and menu icon sizes. One thing I thought was super cool? You can put shortcuts directly to Facebook groups on your main menu, which I loved. I belong to a ton of groups but there are a couple I check in with multiple times a day. And you can totally see my Disney gaming there - is anyone surprised? I have these games on my iPhone but they looked stunning on this screen and I pretty much gamed my butt off with this phone.
* * * *
I've had a cell phone of some kind for almost 20 years now - can you believe that? It's why I can say with confidence and knowledge that Verizon is the best wireless carrier in SoCal. With the coolest toys. Visit them online for ALL OF THE THINGS. ;)
Who knows what I may get to try next. My wishlist currently includes a WiFi enabled camera, a new iPad and an HTC mobile device (I've never ever used an HTC phone before and they're so shiny....)!
If you had your pick, and money was no object, which devices would you want to have in your personal inventory?
Disclosure: All devices loaned out by Verizon Wireless of Southern California to one very happy blogger. They did not ask for anything in return, not even this post, and all opinions are - as always - my own.
