Disqus - Latest Comments for Jamezrp

Re: The Best Cash-Back Credit Cards

James Pikover — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 16:24:38 -0000

Throwing in the Chase Visa Amazon Prime card. It's 5% cashback on all amazon purchases plus 2% for restaurants and gas. I've been a prime member forever and they do a lot of extra benefits for long-time users, like I just got 10% cashback on amazon for the entire summer. The actual card benefits are pretty limited but I use the card so often (because Amazon, of course), and basically live off of that card and the Citi double cash.

Re: The Best Portable Jump Starter

James Pikover — Wed, 10 May 2017 12:55:12 -0000

And...this is why you guys at the wirecutter are the best! Thanks, I'll probably end up buying one now.

Re: The Best Portable Jump Starter

James Pikover — Mon, 08 May 2017 15:45:36 -0000

My only question/concern is regarding the lifespan of the battery. This is the sort of thing that I'd charge once and leave in the car (in case of emergency), and then when that emergency arises that this battery will have the charge necessary. Is it rated for a certain period of time to retain charge? Does the battery die after a certain period (like most do if left at full charge but not used)?

I drive a Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the stupid thing's battery fails under way too many conditions, so a battery like this would absolutely put my mind at ease. But no point in getting it unless I know that it's worth it in the long run, and separately as other commentors have pointed out, that it won't go blowing up my car.

Re: The Best Prepaid and Alternative Cellphone Plans

James Pikover — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 16:55:13 -0000

Just checked this now as I was looking into Consumer Cellular, and I'm confused how, if at all, they are different from GoPhone in this case. For 1.5GB you're paying $40 on both, except that AT&T also provides unlimited talk and text. Looks like I was a week too late though on 4GB of data.

The other thing that makes a difference is it looks like GoPhone, per my conversation with AT&T, gives that 1.5GB of data plus if you go over they just limit how fast the bandwidth is (128kbps), which is fine for very basic use. Compared to just running out of data on Consumer Cellular.

The spreadsheet doesn't mention that pricing and it also looks like, at least to me, that there's no reason for Consumer Cellular to be rated better (or as the best) than GoPhone. Would love to know if I'm missing something, because I read in-depth your research but am unclear on the pricing. And why it's better on CC over AT&T.

Re: The Best Prepaid and Alternative Cellphone Plans

James Pikover — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 16:45:14 -0000

Project Fi works on both networks, and switches between the two. I have a Nexus 5X and while Fi is good for many things, cell coverage in my area on both Sprint ant T-Mobile is bad. And while the networks do have different spots where they are weak, Fi isn't good at switching between the two networks should you get to one of those weak spots.

So if coverage is a concern, Project Fi is cheap but won't help with those concerns. I'll be cancelling my service shortly. Thankfully Google's service is so easy to use, install, set up, etc. that it isn't trouble to ever switch on and off.

Re: Umano brings the sweet, dulcet tones of a VentureBeat story right to your ears

James Pikover — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 17:46:20 -0000

Excellent! I use Umano all the time. Great service for anyone who doesn't have time to read all the latest news & articles. But are we going to get to hear the sultry voices of John, Dean, & team?

Re: Behind Snapchat’s rejection of $3B in cash from Facebook: A founder, born into wealth

James Pikover — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 22:17:09 -0000

Hey Matt, good piece. We've actually been discussing this a lot in the office. His family (and in many ways, by default his) wealth do help enable Spiegel to make bolder moves. He isn't forced to say yes to a deal because he needs the money, or because his investors demand it from him. In fact, his personal wealth is a massive enabler, one that would benefit entrepreneurs the world over.

This puts independently wealthy entrepreneurs in a very interesting and more challenging position. They can choose to take the same route as everyone else, or be more responsible because they know that they can afford to take greater risk and make more out of the company that they are building. They can take on greater challenges. They can attempt to solve more than anyone before. With no "requirement" to make money, their only goal is the betterment of the product/service which they are building, which in turn is the improvement of life in some fashion.

So those wealthy entrepreneurs who don't have to sell out really shouldn't. Selling their companies before they solve the issue should only be done if they cannot solve the issue at hand themselves. Hell, even then it's exactly that: selling out. The definition of an entrepreneur is someone who see's a problem and upon finding no good solution builds his/her own. Selling the company doesn't do that (it can, but more often than not it doesn't as we see on a daily basis). So Spiegel turning down a $3B deal isn't stupid, it's inspirational. We may not know what his (and Snapchat's) plan is for making the company successful, but he's taking his fate into his own hands. He doesn't care about the money.

You may say that he's lucky to be so fortunate. Perhaps he is. We'll see what happens to Snapchat and see what this new class of entrepreneur does, knowing that they can survive even if the company doesn't, and knowing that they can do much more than the competition because they aren't limited to financial burdens.

It'll be interesting.

Re: Goofiness Meets Great Design: Knock To Unlock Your Mac

James Pikover — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:17:56 -0000

I've used this app after purchasing for the last four days (since Thursday) and I've found that the novelty is nice, but it sucks. It takes longer for the phone to connect via bluetooth than it does to type in any password, rehearsed or not. It takes longer once connected to unlock by tapping, because knocking on the phone isn't quite what the app is for, than it does to type in a password.

Furthermore, the app doesn't sync very nicely. Over the weekend I didn't connect to my iMac, only to come back and see that it doesn't connect whatsoever. I disconnected and reconnected it through a new installation; still broken. Just not worth it.

Re: Apple’s new iPad Air: The one question a review really needs to answer

James Pikover — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:32:32 -0000

Completely disagree. If you have the 3, I'd recommend you sell that ASAP and buy the Air. The slow CPU and minimal boost over the iPad 2, plus the additional weight, make the 3 a pain to deal with. If you have a 4, then it's much harder to answer (because the CPU is so much faster). I have the iPad 4 and love it; it's practically a laptop replacement for me (with a keyboard dock).

However, if you have the iPad 2...also tough. The CPU is much slower, but the size and weight are much better, and iOS 7 has sped up everything enough to make it worth using. That's why the iPad mini is now usable.

Re: An Ode To Pour Over Coffee

James Pikover — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 21:32:55 -0000

Sup Mark. Didn't think about doing that with my coffee before, it sounds obvious and blatantly better than the traditional drip/machined systems. I've jumped from my own drip machine with some great coffee beans, and that still makes the best coffee I've ever had. Crappy $15 grinder, standard drip, cheap Danessi Gold espresso beans.

That took time, and we had an espresso machine with pods from Nespresso, and that was almost as good but way faster and way less work. Plus there's less acidity, which is better healthwise, but I'm not so concerned about that; the Danessi beans are very smooth out of the drip.

Finally at work CEO bought a $500 Odea machine, which makes decent espressos that are fresh but more bitter than I'd like. It's a good machine, which grinds and has everything built in (though it requires more work to clean, add water, etc.), and we're using Blue Bottle Coffee. I'm not as impressed with the machine than either the drip or Nespresso.

All that said, now I very much want to try your method. I have no problem with putting a little time into making a decent coffee. I'll have to give it a go in the morning. And we haven't chatted in awhile but loving your work here. Use the stuff I read on Co.Design all the time.

Re: Galaxy Gear commercials are brilliant ads for a terrible product

James Pikover — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 19:21:18 -0000

Those are great commercials. Mistake with the Babylon 5 usage, those weren't watches; they stuck to the back of the hand. But clearly the point was to hit the nostalgia for anyone, and that they did.

Re: Motorola Droid MAXX First Impressions

James Pikover — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 23:54:05 -0000

I actually haven't held the Moto X, though Editor in Chief Christen Da Costa has. The MAXX is significantly thicker than the X though; of course, all that extra girth is specifically for the battery. I like the way it feels. As someone who lives with an iPhone and generally has 1/2 Android phones on hand at all times, the light and big ones feel...cheap. The MAXX feels very solid, which if you're used to Android phones is a relief. I could definitely live with this for two years based on the feel alone, no problem.

Stay tuned for the full review!

Re: HTC Droid DNA Review

James Pikover — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:32:53 -0000

Agreed. I personally haven't tested the GS4, though I know all of the areas that Verizon drops locally and have found some older devices didn't because of better antennas. The DNA has a good antenna and shows a good signal typically, but it could be better.

Re: HTC Droid DNA Review

James Pikover — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:31:40 -0000

Sure! Was a mistake on my part; I typically look the phone over and thought that one of the sides had a MicroSD port early on. Perfect reminder to not assume. Appreciate you pointing it out so I could correct immediately.

Re: Logitech G930 Wireless Gaming 7.1 Dolby Surround Headset Review

James Pikover — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 23:53:27 -0000

I love the G930's. I've tested countless headsets and absolutely adore this pair from Logitech. The only way it would be better is if it worked across consoles. I challenge any company to make a better headset.

Re: True deals this week

James Pikover — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:12:54 -0000

The Logitech K810 (and Mac version, K811) are both excellent keyboards. I use them at work and home. Bluetooth pairing with multiple devices is fantastic. Highly recommend it over any competing BT keyboard by a longshot. Feature set and type feel is the best you can find with low-profile keys.

Re: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Review

James Pikover — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:46:15 -0000

What did you drop it on, a landmine?

Re: iPad mini Review

James Pikover — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:31:26 -0000

Sure! I think the better question is whether the iPad mini or the iPod Touch is a better gift. The two are identical in nearly every way except for size; the iPod Touch fits in a pocket and is handheld; definitely better for smaller kid hands. It also doesn't need a case, comes in multiple colors, is sturdier (the iPad mini will break if you drop it. The iPod Touch is light enough that it won't), and for $300 comes with twice the memory (for music, apps, and games) than the iPad mini at $330.

So I definitely recommend the iPod Touch (make sure you get the newer one, that comes in colors, not the older black/white one) for kids. Plus there are plenty more apps available on the iPod Touch than the iPad mini. It isn't as big or as shiny, but I think anyone under 13 (or any kids who haven't already turned into teenage monsters that want nothing to do with their parents and just want to show off to their friends) would rather have the smaller iPad mini.

Re: iPad mini Review

James Pikover — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:29:17 -0000

Exactly. The real difference between the iPad 3/4 vs the iPad 2/mini for gaming is twofold: graphical performance is less than half. The more important loss, specific to the iPhone 5/iPad 4, is half the general performance, especially with web browsing. The two are worlds apart there...but the size of the iPad mini is to die for.

Re: Motorola Droid Razr M Review

James Pikover — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:33:51 -0000

It's $50 for a two-year contract plus the phone. But like all smartphones today, if you buy it off contract it will be much more expensive.

Re: iPad mini Review

James Pikover — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:32:44 -0000

Excellent points, though as I answered to @mike above, that's the business perspective. The review is for actual buyers, not for Apple.

So as I wrote above, the size is exceptional, and more importantly much better than any competing tablet. It's more expensive than other tablets, but the design and app ecosystem make it worth having over Android tablets for most people and for most needs.

Re: iPad mini Review

James Pikover — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:30:44 -0000

From a business perspective, it makes perfect sense for Apple to make the iPad mini as powerful as the iPad 2. But not from the standpoint of users, especially if you own an iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or an iPad 3/4.

The reason why is simple: it is obsolete on day one or makes another device obsolete. Which isn't a problem for many, mind you, but it is worth mentioning for people curious about purchasing a mini who own one of those devices.

Furthermore, the iPad mini doesn't need to replicate the iPad 3/4. It could have the same components as the iPhone 5 (an A6 processor with 1GB of RAM), and without a Retina display (a Retina display would require the additional compute power of the A6X). That would be fine; a veritable trade for better performance.

Because it doesn't, the only reason current iOS users would want the iPad mini, based on my findings, is the size. It isn't faster nor is it more capable than any current or last-gen iOS device.

Re: iPad mini Review

James Pikover — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:40:48 -0000

Not really, not at first anyways. But considering the performance difference between the mini and the iPhone 5 (for iPhone 5 users) and the difference in the display resolution, I have no doubt the same problem for iPad 1/2 and iPhone 4/4S owners will crop up, even if the screen isn't as pixelated compared to the 8.9" display on the iPad.

For me, the bigger issue was the performance, not the display. In fairness though, the biggest reason I used my iPhone 4S over the iPad (1) was because the iPad just lost it's power and was too bulky. The iPhone doesn't have that problem.

Non techies likely won't have that problem...I think the biggest boon for the iPad mini is the size and weight, which is just incredible. But it is worth considering, especially for iPhone 5 owners.

Re: Motorola Droid Razr M Review

James Pikover — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:03:29 -0000

That's not accurate. First, the Razr HD Maxx (assuming you meant the latest model, not last year's device) just got Jelly Bean as well. Second, Jelly Bean may have killed Motocast but you can still drag and drop files directly onto the OS. I know because I do that for several of our benchmark applications.

Re: LG Optimus G Review

James Pikover — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:01:13 -0000

That was an error in typing, which has now been corrected. The differences between the two are, as the review stated, pretty slim, but the aesthetic difference and overall feel are enough to make the AT&T model a half-point worse than the Sprint/world model.