Display quality of HTC Inspire 4G super LCD vs. Apple retina.

I spent a lot of time agonizing over display resolutions when choosing my latest phone, the HTC Inspire 4G.
I had seen an iphone 4 at the Apple store and was impressed with it’s nearly pixel free clarity. For reasons I won’t get into here, an iphone wasn’t an option this time, but I wanted to make sure I got the nicest looking display I could. I read a ton of reviews and really nerdy arguments about displays and competing technologies; qHD…s-lcd…amoled…WTF?
I’m here to tell you friends: It’s moot. These newer non-retina displays are beautiful. I could walk around on stage in a mock turtleneck being a pompous prick if it would help convince you, but trust me you would not be ashamed to take these ladies to the prom. All the things that I looked for and was so impressed with on the iphone are here. Text is nice and crisp with smooth curves. Corners of rounded app buttons are smooth, even when you look at them from up close.You’d have to get nose grease on the glass to be bothered by pixels.
My point is that while mathematically and intellectually you could argue the fine points of display tech and pixel density, even someone who spends a lot of time assessing visual quality doesn’t think there’s enough difference here to make this a factor on the pro/con list. You’d be wiser to consider whether you’d rather see videos and rich content or a blue brick when you visit a web site.

Weird is good.

Have you noticed those adds that say things like “Lose your belly fat with this one weird trick“? They’re usually for a product related to weight loss or “male performance” or hair growth or reducing the appearance of wrinkles or earning $5550 in a week. I’ve never clicked on one of these ads, but I always find it interesting when a new advertising device begins to emerge. Remember a few years ago when everything was “invented by a teacher” or “discovered by a mother” and advertisers seemed to be trying to trade credibility across professions? (Airborne, the makers of bubbling snake-oil tablets, was the first to catch my attention – though I’ve seen quite a few since.) I find it humorous that at this point credibility is no longer even desirable. Advertisers seem to think that bracketing their claims with “This is going to sound like a crock, but…” makes them more believable. I guess they’re trying to appease the part of your brain that detects bullshit by letting it smell their hand first. “See, I’ve already admitted that this doesn’t sound possible, so I can’t be trying to trick you, right?” Or maybe they’re just trying to tap into our curiosity click-reflex: Forget “proven”. Forget “tested”. This is not your grandfather’s ad campaign. This is some WEIRD shit I found in a dark alley of the internet, but you’re in luck because I’m willing to share it with you for $39/mo, plus $10 shipping (Refer 10 friends and I’ll throw in some açai berries!).

Super quick no frills wireless router shootout: Linksys E1000 vs. Netgear WNR1000v2

Are you ready? This is going to be a really quick one. Here goes:

Buy the Linksys E1000, it’s stronger* and it looks like something from Tron.

The End

*Ok, seriously. I loaded up Speedtest.net on the iPad and took multiple readings at different locations around the house. I repeated the test using both wireless routers. At the furthest corner of the house, the Netgear was delivering about 2-3 Mbps while the Linksys was delivering 6Mbps. At the point where data rate started to fall off with the Netgear (down to 15Mbps from 20), I was still getting full strength on the Linksys. Also worth noting; even though this is the bottom rung on the current ladder of Linksys home wireless routers (which run from about $70 to ~$200) I haven’t found anything that it doesn’t do well, from gaming to streaming Netflix movies. Downside: Comcast will give you the Netgear for free if you ask.