Feeling Great About 2012

So I’m still on the edge of my seat waiting for Wal-Mart to contact me that they have my DoPo ready for pickup.  I so hope all of the five-star reviews are true and not some people Wal-Mart hired to post them.  I’m so glad I ordered mine when I did because they’re all sold out now.

A few great things have happened to me today.  First, my horoscope is rockin’!  Even though I don’t regularly follow these things, this one might be worth remembering, since it starts off with “This is a year of fabulous fortune for you, Leo, especially in the career realm.”  Oh, baby, can I live with that. 

Also, I got an email from one of the coordinators at MystiCon.  There’s still room for book signings, so I signed up for Sunday morning.  Yeah, I know, there’s a lot of partying going on the night before, which means nobody will show up to my signing.  But, that’s okay.  At least I can say I tried.  Of course, that’s not the really cool part.  I LOVE me some panels!  I love talking with readers about books and having a blast goofing around with audience members.  Seriously, it’s my favorite part of conventions, which is why I like doing them whenever I can.  Oh, and did I mention Sherrilyn Kenyon will be there?  I’ll definitely pass out on the cold, hard floor if they put me on a panel with her.  She is one of my top 10 favorite authors of all-time.

It could also be that I’m reading too much into things and those 2.5 hours of sleep I had last night are turning me into a potato head.  I hope not because I finished polishing Hazardous Environment while waiting for the sun to come up.  I still feel like I need one more read through before I send it off to my editor, so we’ll see.  The goal is still to release this book later this month, so keep your fingers crossed.

The Price Should’ve Been Your First Clue

This isn’t about book reviews.  This is about a tablet review.  I felt the need to preface that because you never know how much people are going to read into this.  Heck, they still might. 

Anyway, I’m in the market for a tablet this Christmas, just like millions of other people.  I know what I want to use it for, but I’m not sure what kind to get.  I’m talking watching movies, reading ebooks, and it doesn’t have to come with the bells and whistles of an expensive iPad.  I won’t be playing games or downloading music on this thing.  In fact, a minitablet is perfectly fine with me.

So knowing what I want, I have to go to the review to get my answers.  I’ve been on Wal-Mart looking at the prices and Amazon checking out the reviews.  I found a Pandigital for less than $80 on both Amazon’s and Wal-Mart’s website and immediately wanted to know what the deal was.  Let’s face it.  At this price, I wanted to know what it was lacking compared to an iPad. I found this review and thought, that’s EXACTLY what I wanted to know.

The first thing you need to understand is: THIS IS NOT AN IPAD!!!,
August 17, 2011

Amazon Verified
Purchase(What’s this?)

This
review is from: PanDigital
72-70FW 7-Inch Tablet Computer – White (Remanufactured) (Personal
Computers)

…. It’s also NOT a Galaxy Tab or any of the numorous other high dollar high end tabs out there.

That being said, lets talk about what it is. A VERY inexpensive, very cool android table and book reader.

That was it…and what convinced me not to buy this tablet.  But what I really want to remark on is jdh4321‘s review of the tablet.  He told me everything I wanted to know upfront.  It also left me in confused about why anyone would think at this price, the Pandigital could even be compared to an iPad that runs about $500 (I’m guessing because I really don’t know the price.  I just know it’s out of my range and not even worth a second thought).  Why people?  WHY??  Instead of reacting with my wallet, I reacted by wanting to do my own research and I’m glad I did.  It saved me some money.  If others are posting bad reviews because they feel like they’ve been swindled into thinking this was the best alternative to an iPad, then you should fall back on the old saying of, “You get what you pay for” and stop blaming the device.  Of course, if it’s been poorly advertised, then it’s the manufacturer’s fault and perhaps those reviews are based on having been mislead.  If that’s the case, then people are within their right to blast the manufacturer.  But still, an $80 tablet and you think it’s an iPad?  Seriously, folks.  That would’ve had me screaming–and it had–red flag.  That’s why you open up another browser, instead of your wallet, and start looking for why it’s so cheap and what it has versus what it doesn’t have.  But then again, jdh4321 already did that for you, and I, for one, appreciate it.

So if you’re in the market for a tablet this Christmas, I urge you to do your research before you plop any money down one.  Even if you’re not tech-savvy, a little reading can go a long way and save you a lot of money and heartache in the end.  For now, I’m thinking about upping my budget to around $200 to see what that can nab me. 

What’s on your Christmas wish list?

Stupid Technology

One thing I hate about technology is it changes faster than my cost of living increase.  Sure I have a great increase with my promotion, but that doesn’t mean I want to drop every extra dime I have into keeping up with the times.  Unfortunately, the time has come. 

For starters, my netbook is acting up.  It’s going to die soon, and I’d rather I get a new one and transfer everything over before this one implodes.  Plus, I’ve seen the newest ones and they look so appetizing. 

On top of that our main laptop is acting like it’s on crack.  You hit certain keys the wrong way and the mouse decides it wants to skip off the page.  It drives us nuts.   So far, I’ve had between through IBM, Toshiba, Acer, and HP.  I think I’ll try Dell or Compaq this go around.  Although, Sony makes good looking laptops, too.

Then, there’s the lovely, ago-old debate of Kindle versus Nook.  Yes, I’m thinking about actually getting an ereader this year.  It’ll probably be more toward the end of the year because I’m hoping Christmas will have some serious impact on the prices.  As for which one, I don’t have a clue.  It’s going to require some serious play time to figure that one out.  Still, I’m open to the other contenders, too, as long as it’s not the iPad.  Sorry, but for $500 I can get both an ereader and a netbook and have enough cash to pay for the gas to get me to the store.

 So if you guys have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.  After all, I’m putting together my 2011 wish list.