New Android Galaxy Nexus with Monthly 4G Service

The steps I went through to get a new smart phone and 4G plan were ridiculously easy.

Once I realized the Galaxy Nexus and T-Mobile’s Monthly 4G plan were for me, it was only a matter of ordering (online), inserting (SIM card, battery), then activating and configuring (online, via phone). Never: went to a store, waited on hold, talked to a human, paid a fee.

1. Choose Device Google's Galaxy Nexus HSPA+

• $349 for this Unlocked Phone
• Means my choice of service provider!
• Swap SIM card when traveling abroad
• Newest Android with Latest Hardware
• Updates to Jelly Bean (4.1.1) on 1st run
• Macho enough to play games, etc
• Order phone from Google Play Device Store
• Includes hands-free set, battery, charger

2. Choose Service   T-Mobile Pre-Paid Monthly 4G Plans

• Check coverage in your area on T-Mobile Coverage Map
• I chose: $30/Month Pre-Paid Monthly 4G
• Unlimited Web + Text (1st 5 GB/month at 4G Speed)
• 100 Minutes Talk
• No Contract means free to change plans or provider any time
• Order T-Mobile SIM Card Activation Kit
• SIM Card for New Activation: 99¢ at time of writing

3. Wait for Delivery of Phone and SIM Card (possibly the only downside here?)

4. Insert SIM Card

5. Insert Battery

6. Charge it!

7. Sign Up and Activate T-Mobile Service

• Fill out T-Mobile Activation Form:
• Activation Code provided on form
• SIM Card Serial # provided
• Phone IMEI # and Security PIN
• Activate online: T-Mobile Activation Page

Voilà!

• Activation was easy and instantaneous
• First text within seconds on configuring voicemail, etc.
• Ready to roll..

Glitches in the process were minimal:

• T-Mobile Activation Card Step #3 tells you to pick the plan you want, but doesn't show the awesome plan: $30/Month 4G. Fix: This plan is offered online, so follow the online activation instructions which are more up-to-date
• Serial Number on Google Invoice does not match the IMEI number on the box or on the phone. Fix: Confirm the phone IMEI # matches the number on the box, then use IMEI # for activation

The End..
So far I am waaaaaay happy with my phone and service :)  Welcoming questions and your shared experiences..

Back from Sabbatical 

Hey, I'm back from my 2+ years sabbatical from blogging!

So my business partner, former office mate, and husband, Paul, recently joined a very cool company named Apportable. They've published a game on Google Play called Zen Bound 2 by game creators Secret Exit. Zen Bound 2 is "a meditative puzzle game of wrapping rope around wooden sculptures". Sounds great.. right? For whatever reason the game description, together with the accompanying down-tempo music, appealed to me immediately, and I knew I had to get it. 

 

So far, I really like "playing" ZB2. I find it very relaxing, especially when I'm wound up. The 3D graphics combined with touch and orientation (gravity-like) control are visually stunning. The task of winding rope around the objects to paint them may at first sound trite, but the spatial puzzle aspect is slowly roping me in, and I look forward to solving it better each time. A rope-on-wood creaky sound effect adds to the realism.

When the gorgeous, meditative music, by Ghost Monkey, is too downbeat for my current mood, I just select something from my own collection. Yep, you can supply your own tunes during play! Today I dusted off some long-neglected Mazzy Star and Mark Kozelek CDs and ripped 'em.

It works great on my tablet, but not sure I'd recommend it for smaller screens or lesser devices (due to its computational intensity). No, I'm no plugging this game (costs a few bucks), because I honestly don't think this kind of game can be plugged. It just.. is.