Why you shouldn't renew your cell phone contract

I hate cell phones. It's a pretty common fact. The value they provide is simply to place and receive calls from most anywhere in the world. The service they provide is terrible though. I remember being an AT&T subscriber and having nearly every one of my calls dropped. I would have cancelled this service except I entered a contract which would have cost me more to cancel than to take in the shorts. I'm now with T-mobile, which I like a lot, but Google may have just changed how the cell phone game is played.

This change is thanks to the Android Software Platform Google just announced. Google is no stranger to changing the way we do things. They've supported a gigantic business simply by displaying text advertisements next to the Internet content we already view. They just announced their intention to enter the cell phone market. I think this will be the next major milestone in Google's company history.

Google is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of around 30 manufacturers and developers who will create the basic capabilities of the handsets but then rely on independent software developers to create cool applications (like maps, games and email clients) for the phone. Some basic functionality like GSM (cell phone network) and Wi-Fi (every one else's network) will be built into the phone and the software guys will add to that greatness. We'll buy these new handsets in stores though I haven't heard how much they will cost.

Given the software capabilities of the phone, this will really change the way we use our cell phones. We will have the ability to play games, take and edit pictures, receive email, browse the web and a whole host of other services only available to high end subscribers now. The phones come with cameras and I bet we'll be able take and edit video for youTube as well. A location sensor exists in the phones so we will be able to get directions to where we're going as we are getting lost. In short, this is a powerful computing platform which will enable us to do a lot more with our handsets. First there was the mainframe computer, then there was the desktop, then laptop. The next iteration could very well be the handsets Android supports.

Here's why I think no one should renew their contract: If I understand their intention correctly, Google is looking to expand their business of showing us ads by putting a handset in our hands and giving us access to the Internet. They could burn us like the major mobile carriers do by charging high margin monthly subscription fees and higher cancellation fees in addition to their advertisements, but their model so far has been to give away the platform and just get "butts in the seats."

If you let your cell contract expire and simply go month to month, you can upgrade to a better handset with cheaper out-of-pocket costs as soon as the product is launched. The launch is expected to occur sometime in mid 2008.

One other fun caveat to mention about the Android project. Google is expected to bid for the 700 MHz of bandwidth the FCC auctioning later. This bandwidth would provide Google with the means to host its own cell phone network; we could have Internet and cell phone coverage from Google.

This is a big direction that Google is taking and something that we have seen pay off with the launch of Apple's iPhone. With the marginal service that mobile phone networks provide compared to the high cost we pay, I'm really excited to see a major player come in and change the game of mobile devices and how we use them. Hopefully, we'll all be reflecting on the "dark ages" when we paid a cell phone bill and had lots of dropped calls.

We're at a blazer game!

Lauri's company has season tickets to the blazers. And, because they own half of Portland, we got free parking tonight too. Not bad for a Monday eh?

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Just had to post this:

I read this in the Journal recently and just had to share it:

What is it about Hillary?

Bill Clinton says that Hillary "is" the best candidate for the Democrats. In view of his past remarks about the meaning of "is," it is hard to understand what he means.

Bill Demas

Forrest Hills, N.Y.

Weekend in Hood River

Lauri and I went to Hood River this last weekend for our anniversary. You might ask: "Why Hood River?" It's a good question. Mostly we wanted to get out of the city and not travel too far. We had a good weekend of just walking around, window shopping, great dining and lounging around.

Oak Street Hotel

We stayed at the Oak Street Hotel which is really more like a bed and breakfast than it is hotel. The rooms are well appointed with a comfortable bed (not an old cheap thing), updated furniture and a good sized bathroom. As my previous blog pointed out, it took us about 3 hours to get from downtown Portland to Hood River (normally a 45 min trip) and this room was really welcoming when we arrived. Breakfast was served daily which was great because we got to eat and talk to the front desk person. He gave us a few pointers of hikes we could take and shops we should not skip. We took his advice and really enjoyed ourselves.

Doppio Cafe

Doppio is a cool cafe within 3 blocks of the Oak Street Hotel. It turned out this was the perfect place to watch the Colts/Washington Redskins football game. They have a bigscreen TV mounted on the wall so Lauri and I could watch the game. The sound on the TV was turned off so I could enjoy their free Wi-Fi and catch up on some reading during the times the Colts were stomping on the 'skins. I had some of the best coffee I've ever had at this cafe. It was an organic sumatra brew from which I really didn't expect to notice a difference from the in-organic kind. The coffee at Doppio tasted "cleaner" than any other cup I had. A sumatra blend has a deep earthy taste indicative of really dark coffee. This was no different with the added nicety of having a smooth clean taste. Yummy. We also had one of their home made cookies - we may drive back to Hood River for another one of those; it was excellent.

Big Horse Brewing

Big Horse was a place for us to get out of the rain. We had just finished at G. Wilikers (a kids' toy shop) and wanted to head for higher ground. We walked straight up and probably climbed 500 feet in elevation. We split a pulled pork sandwich which was good enough. It had good flavor and filled us up. Compared to Beth's pulled pork though, it was just ok. I had a beer tour of 4 of their house brews: a Belgian Trippel, a Red, an Oatmeal Stout and a copper colored ale. The Red was REALLY hoppy (they warned me before hand) and was probably my least favorite. It was ok, but the other three beat it hands down. I liked the Oatmeal stout enough to buy a growler and bring it home. I'll probably go back to fill it up sometime.

Solstice Wood Fire Cafe

On our way out of town, we paid the toll to cross the bridge and dine at a restaurant the guy at the Oak Street Hotel suggested. They specialize in pizza's and cleverly enough bake it in their wood fired oven. The ingredients they use are all organic and one can easily taste the difference. We had a large pizza and I had a Walking Man's beer. The pizza was well worth the stop. The food was excellent and the environment was cool too. They had an iPod playing in a Bose Sound Dock which is not newsworthy, but he had a good mix of jazz going on and it was good enough that I didn't want to get in the car and come home. If you're in Hood River, I highly suggest crossing the river and eating at Solstice. The prices were fair, the service was great and it tasted better than eating at home.

All in all, it was a great anniversary weekend in Hood River. We'll probably go back again soon. There were a ton of hiking trails on highway 14 (in WA) that we missed and at least two hiking paths that we passed on because of the weather. Spring or early fall would be spectacular I bet.

Sitting in traffic

I left work today at 3:30. I work in Beaverton and as of this writing, I've made it all the way to NE 82nd.

Wow.

Three hours in the car has been really painful while we make our way out to hood river for our anniversary weekend. We're going to experience the gorge and all it has to offer; we are also going on murder mystery train ride.

This is a picture I took while merging on to I-405 almost two hours ago. Ughhhh.

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Another reason to be proud of Lauri

File this one under bad lawyers. Lauri had been interviewing at a few places before she got her current promotion. One of the places she interviewed at even gave her an offer. For the purposes of professionalism, let's call the firm Dewey, Cheatum & Schlotzkeys (DC&S). 

The interview went amazingly well and we were both excited to be making a move to a position with more challenges and closer to home. A week went by and they asked for references. Then another week went by and she called her references to see if DC&S had contact them. They had and were giddy that offer might be coming up soon.

We waited another THREE WEEKS before an offer EMAIL came in. Now, DC&S knew how much Lauri was making before she even interviewed. She checked with human resources to make sure the interview wasn't a waste of either of their time. The offer email came in a full $5,000 less than she was making. If the firm hadn't known what Lauri's current salary was, this would have been just a minor slip rather than the slap in the face it actually was. To be low balled like that really hurt her. Next came the fumble with the rest of offer.

$5k less wasn't necessarily a deal breaker if they could make up for it in other benefits. The offer email didn't explain out of pocket health expenses or any other fringe benefits that typically come with an offer. Lauri wrote back (within a day) to ask about what else might come with the job. Vagueness. Total and complete obscurity. Written back was a dance around the potential for a 401(k) though no guarantees, some sort of health plan though details were scant. No mention of dental, vision, time to be vested in their fake 401(k), vacation time or ANY other benefit that would rationalize a substantial drop in pay.

Enter a little more spice: during the three weeks that it took DC&S to write an offer email, Lauri was offered a promotion at her current job. This indeed offered her the challenges she was looking for and bumped her pay. This is why I'm most proud of my wife. She started negotiating like I've only seen her do at home. She fired back the insulting pay with vague benefits in a completely professional matter. So professional in fact, that she was actually still considering taking the job. She also mentioned that the market value for the job offered was higher and she had just received a promotion at her current job. 

Now for the truly unprofessional. We waited a week and heard nothing. Then I think she called and didn't hear anything. Then we waited another week and another until a month went by. We had actually given up after about a week and then received an email this morning explaining that they were not able to offer to meet her salary requirements. It was ironic that by dragging their feet, they let her current employer up the ante with a promotion.

Not that they even tried. What really bakes the noodle is that they knew her salary going into this whole negotiation and the HR department said her present salary was within the range their position offered. I expect very little from attorneys. Honestly. I know a few I really admire and truly bring a lot of class to the profession. DC&S is a firm that has hired a zoo full monkeys and doesn't have a shred of credibility to stand on.

The good that came out of all this though is a newfound respect for my wife. It took a lot of guts and character to negotiate with that firm before the deal soured. It looked like it was going to be a good move for her and we were both excited. Watch out America, Lauri is getting thicker skin and more self respect.