All-New "CZ Gadget Talk" For Mindless Ramblings

GADGET TALK INVADES THE CZ BLOG FOR ADD/HD GADGET NERDS

I need a way to let my gadget thoughts flow freely from my mind. When you see this picture, you'll know that there is a mindless short (or long) post coming from the top of my head.

It's hard to write awesome well-thought-out blog posts. It can be mentally draining. Sometimes I will go a week or 2 without a blog post, because I don't have the creative mindset to sound all polished and professional. But I have got to ahve an outlet when I just feel like blurting out random thoughts about gadgets.

Instead of bottling up my amazing thoughts and waiting for inspiration to hit me on organizing it into an award-winning piece that hits page one of Reddit and Digg, the "Gadget Talk" posts will uncork whatever is on my mind at the moment.

Another great advantage? I don't have to whip up some fancy device picture with great graphics and artsy-looking texts. This will be an instant "mind-dump". You can expect a lot of opinion on these posts, and it will serve as a way that you folks can jump on and get a conversation going.

Who knows... these short posts might even inspire one of the regular top notch articles that I am so famous for writing.

Just a little heads up from the Gadget King so you know I haven't fallen off my pedestal of writing greatness.

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Blog Master

Big Announcement Is Out! "AT&T Next" Program Unveiled Today

AT&T NEWS - UPGRADE DEVICES YEARLY & FOREGO CONTRACTS WITH "NEXT"

This is what we have been waiting for! Significant, exciting news from AT&T! I believe I predicted this to a certain degree of accuracy, but it appears that AT&T has gone beyond my prediction with its new "AT&T Next" offering.

Instead of being stuck with your contracted device for 2 years and dealing with outdated technology, you are now able to upgrade after only one year with this new program. The company basically finances the full cost of the device, speading out payments over a 20 month period.

But here's the kicker - there's no down payment, no activation fee, no upgrade fees, and no financing fees. Plus you can upgrade again within one year, even if you don't have the device paid off.

I consider this very significant news, and it was well worth the wait. Why? Because I have said for a long time that technological advancement has now outpaced the length of carrier contracts. 2-year contracts for devices can leave you in a pickle.

Here's how...

Let's say you buy a Samsung Galaxy S2 a few months after it has been released. You do fine with the device during the first year, because it's still close to being cutting edge for its harware specs. But after your first year, the Android updates start outpacing your device's ability to perform.

Then the dreaded event happens: a monstrous update comes out that practically drags your device's performance down to a grinding halt. That's what happened to me when Android 4.0.3 was installed on to my Samsung Galaxy S2.

I called Samsung Support, and they kindly told me that my device was so old that I couldn't expect it to keep up with the current operating system. They kindly told me that I should think about upgrading to a Galaxy S3, or get first in line for the S4 (it was not out at the time).

It was at that very point that I knew things would have to change in the mobile market. No longer did standard contract time periods coincide with the pace of technology. So today, AT&T addresses this issue and comes out with the perfect plan to solve the conundrum of advancing technology and 2-year contracts.

I couldn't be more excited. I'll most definitely be one to take advantage of the program and update on a yearly basis. For someone who leans on their smartphone or tablet as much as I do, this is the best way to go. It allows you to take full advantage of advancement in operating system environments, and stay efficient with device performance.

So I say "HATS OFF" to AT&T! Thank you for the exciting news, and living up to the hype!

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Addict