Cutting the Cable-Cord Is Not a Myth

I recently read an article on www.slashfilm.com: Streaming Bits: Time Warner CEO Calls Cord-Cutting a Myth, Amazon Instant Video Comes to iPad, Apple TV Launches Hulu Plus App. 

This headline cracks me up “Time Warner Cable CEO, Jeff Bewkes calls Cord-Cutting a Myth.”  Well he is sadly mistaken because I for one cut the Time Warner Cable cord three years ago and haven’t missed it except for HBO and Comedy Central.

How do you get the entertainment you want like News, Sports, Movies, and TV shows? Simple as explained in this article.

Image via CrunchBase

Get Netflix, Hulu, and/or Amazon.  Get a PS3, Xbox 360, or Apple TV.  Finally buy a Digital HD TV antenna and you’re all set.  You’re total cost the cheap way is one time equipment cost $130 for Apple TV and HD antenna and monthly cost of under $20 for Netflix and Hulu or Amazon.  The expensive route one time equipment cost $330 for HD antenna and either PS3 or Xbox 360 which also gives you the added benefit of gaming and Blu-ray capability (PS3 only).  The monthly cost of $35 for Hulu, Netflix,

Image via CrunchBase

Amazon premium, and optional NHL game package (PS3 only) with all other major sports to follow.  These sports packages allow you to watch any game any time you want.

Most people don’t even realize that they can purchase a very inexpensive Digital HD TV antenna that will provide you the main cable channels like NBC and ABC.  You simply buy this HD antenna for $30 bucks and you get 20+ digital channels FREE for life.  Getting the same deal with Time Warner Cable is just impossible.  Their most basic plans start at around $50 buck and you definitely won’t get those premium channels that are almost the only reason you would get a cable plan in the first place.  You will also have to sit through 15 min of commercials to

Image via CrunchBase

watch a short 30 min TV show.

In my opinion it’s not worth the hassle the expensive equipment, set up cost, set up in general and the rude service you get with TWC.  At least DirecTV are personable and helpful but you still have equipment and installation costs.

The CEO of Time Warner Cable doesn’t want you to know what I’ve just explained and that’s why he is in denial about the future of TV viewing.  Denial, I meant he’s actually lying to you so he can lock your wallet in for a year.  I’m honest with you and want to share my experience how to do it the right way that doesn’t lock you into anything but you’re own freedom of choice.

Related articles

• Cut the Cord: How to Reduce Your Monthly Entertainment Bills
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Jigsaw 3rd Annual Rainmaker Event in Las Vegas

I recently attended the 3rd Annual Rainmakers Event in Las Vegas from June 19th to June 22nd.
Jigsaw is a crowd sourced contact information platform that makes it easy for sales people to find the relevant contact details of people in their industry.

Rainmakers are Jigsaws most trusted and engaged users.  As a thank you for our hard work Jigsaw, who is owned by Salesforce, throws one of the greatest parties I’ve ever attended.  

Well it’s not all fun and games; the primary focus is to get hard user data about experience design, usability, and functionality from these Rainmakers.  Since we, Rainmakers, are using and interacting with the platform on a weekly or even daily basis our experience and pain points are high on their radar and they want to know about it.

I think this is a great way to get your super users involved and to give their feedback; put them up in a fancy hotel, feed them, and give them plenty of opportunities to interactive with the product teams to build a user driven top notch platform.  I can seriously attest from experience that it is a true pleasure to work with these guys.  It makes me want to work even harder every day to help them attain quality information.    

During the event we listened to keynotes from the top Salesforce people, interacted in roundtable discussions, and participated in user feedback groups.  After the main conference events we were given fun scavenger hunt tasks to complete for a chance to win some very cool prizes; like mac book airs, iPads, and Apple TVs.  Jigsaw also reserved the Ghost Bar on top of the Palms featuring a live band and all the free alcohol you could drink just to show their appreciation.
 
Overall the event left me feeling great! I met some interesting people, made some great connections, and didn’t have to spend a dime.  If you’re a sales person prospecting without Jigsaw I would say you’re pretty much dead in the water.  Do yourself a favor and get on board with Jigsaw.  Jigsaw (Salesforce) is a great company and I highly recommend giving it a try and maybe someday I’ll see you at the 4th Annual Jigsaw Event in Liva Las Vegas!

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Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Wireless Hotspot by Sprint

This is a device review for the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Wireless Hotspot by Sprint. 

Working on the road can be frivolous unless you have a good connection to the World Wide Web.  There’s only so much you can do from your smart phone.  The Overdrive Pro is very ideal for this type of situation.  I tend to travel quite a bit for conferences and this is little powerful device is perfect for me.  Living in NYC I get a strong 4G signal anywhere I go excluding the subway and my apartment.  The subway is obvious but my apartment’s lack of good signal is due to faulty construction.  Anywhere else, the park, coffee shops, work, and etc.  I have had no problems.  I’ve read a lot of other reviews of this device so I’d like to go through some of pros and cons. 

A lot of people complain about the battery life and I would concur it’s not the best in this department.  From a full charge I get about 4 hours before it needs to be plugged in.  Granted the Overdrive is tiny in size and therefore the battery itself is also tiny in size, making it difficult to have long battery life in such a compact package. 

Battery Life 7.5 out of 10 

I used it non-stop so I always had it plugged in.  Another concern I heard was a problem overheating.  From my experience the device did get a little hot but for all intents and purposes it never affected the connection stability.  In fact I never had any problems finding and keeping a strong signal.  I think connection stability is a more important factor than battery life for this type of device. 

Connection Stability 9.9 out of 10

Usability of the Overdrive Pro couldn’t be easier.  You simply turn it on and wait till it connects.  Then read the password displayed on the front and plug it in to your network settings on your computer, iPad, Smart-phone and etc. Shazzam your surfing the web at high 4G speeds.  Watch videos and whatever else you want; like it’s a wired broadband connection. 

User Experience Design 10 out of 10

Speed is also very important when you are dealing with the wireless hotspots.  Many people use the Internet for many different things.  I for one use the Internet for the full spectrum so I’d like to be through. For web surfing and watching movies on Netflix there were absolutely no problems.  The only problem occurred with online gaming and only occurred in my apartment building with the faulty construction.  To test it elsewhere I ran it through the rigors and had a buddy of mine test it on his PlayStation.   His conclusion was it worked more than a decent amount with online gaming; however his FiOS connection was still faster than the 4G wireless Hotspot.  In conclusion although 4G is wicked fast, online gaming still requires more speed for optimal playtime. 

Speed 8.7 out of 10

The Price tag of Overdrive Pro is extremely reasonable and the value you get from Sprint’s 4G network is awesome.  The base price of the Overdrive Pro is $349, but if you sign a 2 year contract and send in for the mail-in-rebates; your effective cost for the device is only $50.  Service is also only around $50/month depending on which data plan you sign up for.  In my opinion this is an incredible deal. 

Price Tag: 10 out of 10 

Overall Value 9.22 out of 10   

Image by Global X via Flickr

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• Sprint's unlimted 4G data party is over for most devices (venturebeat.com)
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• Clear Spot 4G Mobile Hotspot With New LCD Display Hits The FCC (slashgear.com)
• Sprint Nixes Unlimited 4G Data for Tablets, Hotspots (wired.com)