It is time to let you all in on my T-mobilizer experience with the Nokia Lumia 710.  This is not going to be a run down of specs, or an unboxing in any way, shape or form.  For an awesome review with specs, check out Damobius' blog here http://mytwistedbrain.com/blog/?p=351&cpage=1#comment-17942
I am going to give you the "girly" version of my experience, for lack of a better term.

I got myself all pumped up to try a new OS (Windows).  I open the package and take out the phone and my first impression is that it is light, very light.  My current phone is an HTC Sensation. The Lumia has a smaller screen and fits in my hand quite nicely.  While I have gotten used to a bigger phone/screen, I still struggle for a good place to keep it while I am not holding it in my hand.  My jean pockets are uncomfortable with the bigger phone, so I slip this baby in my pocket and ahhhh -- it fits beautifully without uncomfortable bulk.  So this is a plus in my eyes.

 I won't bore you with the details of  getting  the phone functioning-- you know stuff like sim cards, setup screens and syncing.  I can tell you it was quick and easy and I had no trouble.  Now on to the fun stuff! Tiles, tiles, tiles-- this is the home screen command center.  You can choose what apps you want the tiles to represent and then order them any way you choose.  Not only is the customization fun but the tiles are live.  What this means, for example, is that let's say your email is a designated tile-- this keeps a count of new/unread emails, ongoing without having to manually refresh.  It's live.  There was this contact tile that kept up with facebook and twitter posts, again live.  You could get a quick glance of what was going on and then decide from there if you wanted to fully open the app to check it out.  I liked this concept,, kind of like a widget but better.  I am not a fan of widgets-- I think they suck way too much battery.  One of the cool tiles was your gallery,  displaying your photos in a random slideshow. Neato!  It was easy and fresh, simple and stylish.

For however much I likes it, I was missing one important thing-- Google integration.  I've got GMail, Google+, synced contacts, sms backup, Google Drive (docs).  You name it I've tried to sync it and having to use the browser to check my G+ was not very functional.  While I have no doubt that Windows will soon have Google stuff, it didn't have it now and I needed it now.

I started writing this blog a while back and am now just finishing it up.  My update here is that my Sensation died for whatever reason, one day it just decided to not turn back on after I turned it off.  Called T-mobile and in less than 24 hours my defunct Sensation had been replaced with a Samsung SG2.  Nice phone people!  I didn't know that a new phone was going to be here so soon and I was really looking forward to using my Lumia again while I waited.  I still love the simplicity and sometimes it feels good not to have to jump through all the hoops of a high end smartphone but alas I never had the chance, thanks to my awesome Magenta Nation for having my back when my Sensation went down.

So if you want easy breezy cell phone usage the Lumia 710 is a winner in my book.

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New phone, new OS.... Nokia Lumia

There is a new phone to check out, and it is on it's way to my house now.  Being a T-mobilizer is fun, but also a little nerve wracking.  My phone experience is not like some others you might find on xda but I know enough.  I have had a Blackberry and all other subsequent phones have been Android OS. I know it well, and can navigate any phone running it with confidence.  Now I am being given the chance to check out a phone running Windows-- the Nokia Lumia 710.  I think I owned a Nokia phone way back in the day and remember really liking it, but that was way before we had smartphones.  I shouldn't be worried, all my computers are running a version of Windows....  Well, here's one small step for the smartphone world and one giant leap of faith for me.   Going in with an open mind and a bunch of friends who have my back.

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How to put your SGS2 to work....

My husband works on a golf course and needed to do some measuring on his course and other courses for the purpose of planning an expansion project.  I suggested for him to use the Samsung Galaxy S2 and some apps to get the job done.  All I can say is that the capability of the phone is astonishing.  Sure it does email, twitter, facebook and even streams music from the cloud... but what it can do in the real world of work blows me away.  He used the GPS in satellite view to find and take screen shots of his course and others around town.

Then he used an app called Planimeter to take some measurements

Utilizing the screen shots function and presenting with the high quality Samsung screen has helped him make a fantastic design plan for his own course, share them with the contractor and build a unique, clear, concise proposal.  All created on the Samsung Galaxy S II.  Impressive!!!

I would say that's some real world Sammy work.
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Sammy saves the day....

So it's Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving and my family wants to go out to dinner and do a little pre-Black Friday shopping.  We get on the road during rush hour which is normally mild in the direction we are going.  I say, " hey let's check the traffic in the Maps app, just to make sure..." We fire up the SGS2 and up pops the map of our location (almost instantly).  Up ahead the traffic graphic shows red, that is bad as we are starving.  We have one chance to bail off the highway and take the back roads-- a quick check of the alternate route shows smooth sailing all the way to our destination.  We exit the highway and can now see the traffic backup.  Whew, that was really close!  So Sammy saved our evening. If we would have had to sit in traffic the ugly hungry monster was sure to rear its ugly head and spoil my family's evening plans.  Thanks Sammy we had a great night of togetherness!
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Tough to return to Sensy...

I haven't used my HTC Sensation (Sensy) since receiving the Samsung Galaxy SII (Sammy). So yesterday, I thought I'd put my SIM card back into Sensy and fire that puppy up. That lasted less than 24 hours.


I noticed a lag all day while at work today. Slow connection to Gmail or Google Plus. Took several minutes to sync or didn't load at all. By 3:30, my  battery stat was down to 25%. I couldn't wait to get home to Sammy. Huge sigh...my SIM is back in Sammy.


A few things I love about this phone besides it's sleek design and fast response, are the customization of the stock email app. You can change the background color as well as changing the clock position under Display. The phone comes equip with a font library which lends itself to a plethora of styles that are easily available from the android Market. The font is changed throughout the phone including email and SMS. These are truly enjoyable features since one doesn't have access to this type of customization unless they root their phone.


Thanks to T-Mobile, Sammy will be mine to enjoy until January. If you're debating on your next phone, definitely put this one on your 'have to check out' list. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. 

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My unbelievably remarkable night at the Google Music LA Launch Party!

Words fail me..uh, NOT. I think I can find a few to describe my experience at the Google Music LA Launch Party at Mr.Brainwash Studio on Wednesday, Nov. 16th

Amazing! Incredible! Mind-blowing! Out-of-this-world-I-wanna-do-it-again par-tay!! After checking in and receiving my magenta T-Mobile bracelet, I was directed to stand in line at a designated area. A security guard noticed I was wearing my T-Mobile bracelet. He approached a T-Mo staff person. She immediately recognized me as she personally checked me in earlier. "No, get her out of there. She needs to be over here". Damnnn...I felt very VIP. People looked at me like, "Who is she?".

A few minutes later, I found myself walking towards the magenta carpet. I don't recall how my legs propelled me forward. It was so surreal. Magenta carpet, bright lights, cameras, pictures being taken and questions being asked. Someone pinch me...pinch me HARD. How the hell did I get here?? Once inside, I was gone.

Action was poppin' and it just wasn't the music. There was a T-Mobile Amaze 4G Photo Station where you could have your picture taken with a over-sized Android that was covered in graffiti. T-Mobile models roamed the studio. I was engulfed with intense displays of artwork. If you're familiar with Thierry Guetta's Exit_Through_the_Gift_Shop, you know what I'm talking about.

Walking up La Brea Ave. as I approached Mr. Brainwash Studio to Google Music LA

John Lennon & Yoko Ono
(HUGE Beatles fan!)

After collecting a stash of goodies, courtesy of T-Mobile, I took time to play photographer.

I wandered around a bend which took me outside to a lounge area. More food and drinks! Sweeeet!! 

Lookin' good, Mr- Kot-ter!

Live Twitter feed projected onto the outside wall of the studio. Hey, I know that guy!! That's Damobius from the T-Mobile community forums.

I was raisin' the roof to Busta Rhymes. I couldn't get to the front of the stage fast enough but it's all good. Music was awesome no matter where you stood.

Next, Maroon 5. I MADE DAMN sure I was kissin that stage...lol. The only thing standing between me and Adam Levine was a camera man. Adam is decadent yumminess! Oh, and he's talented too. LOL! I almost caught his guitar pick but it bounced off that dang camera dude and was lost forever. (I must pause now. Closing eyes and reliving my moments with Adam.) All of a sudden, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A girl asked me "What phone is that?" to which I replied "It's the new Samsung Galaxy SII by T-Mobile". "Wow", she said "That's a fuckin' TV! Look at my screen." She showed me the tiny screen on her BB. I laughed and said "You need to get one of these bay-bees!". As I looked towards the stage again, I thought "Wow, was that the most perfect commercial that just happened". The entire band was pure liquid gold. The acoustics were so phenomenal that the sounds reverberating off the walls, caused actual paint chips to rain on us from the overhead wooden beams!! I looked up to watch Maroon 'snow' fall. Please....Just. Let. Me. Live. Here. Forever.

After their performance, I had to cool off. Went out the main entrance for some fresh air. I heard Security say "Talent's arriving". I stopped and pretended to dig through my purse. White van pulls up to curb. Doors open and OMG....it's DRAKE!!! Seriously people, could life have not been any sweeter?!! Sexy guy. I just stared. I couldn't even smile. I think I was in shock. We locked eyes for a few seconds as he and his entourage made their way into the building. Drake's in da house!

I'd been reading tweets from Chris Elliott, T-Mobile's Emerging Media Manager in Corporate Communications, all night. He was meeting Talent. I knew Elliott was going to be shaking Drake's hand just like he did with Adam Levine. If I could just shake hands with Elliott, I would of touched the hand that touched the hand of Drake and Adam. Elliott's got the coolest job.

Made a mad dash back into the building and waited for Drake. The House went KRAA-ZZZEE! It was total trill. Arms were waving in the air. We were gettin' our freak on. Bodies were bumpin' into bodies. Drake brought us down hard.

As the night came to an end and I was walking towards the valet, I thought "What the f*c@ just happen? Let's do it again!!". T-Mobile went over the top, pulled out all the stops, and showed us no mercy. And. I. Loved. It.  
       


Done...and done.






I want to personally thank Chris Elliott @ T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Google and Big Fuel for inviting me.




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New blog, new post, new phone..

While Eileen has been painstakingly figuring out how to fix/create our new blog, I have been sitting idly by playing Doodle Jump on my new Samsung Galaxy S2 that T-mobile and the T-mobilizer group so generously lent to me due to loyalty and (I think) a bit of vocalization. The first thing out of the box that I noticed and just have to mention is the display.  The colors spectacular, the screen size immense, the clarity, well it's clear.  You can zoom in on a picture you take with this phone and see detail you cannot see in real life.  I posted a picture of this big mole cricket that my husband took on my Google+ and you could see the intricacy of the lacy wings.  Well that's a start of some of the greatness of the SGS2, more to come....

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