My very first customer review, Sprint BlackBerry Pearl 8130

Here's a vlog post about my new BlackBerry purchased last month, I give it a 8 out of 10. I'm very satisfied with the camera and messaging services. If there's anything I missed, please let me have it in the comments! Thanks!

UPDATE:

well it seems that we have some night owls on my blog.

The difference between the 8130 and the 8330 is that the 8130 has a suretype system meaning that each key has 2 letters assigned to it. So there's a big learning curve in adopting to the Pearl from a qwerty keyboard.

I ordered my BB Pearl from sprintrelaystore.com and am using the data-only plan. It is a steal because I am getting EVDO high speed internet access. And it allows for tethering to laptops at no extra charge.

One of my favorite things about the pearl is that it's so small and can easily fit in my pocket. It felt so weird transitioning from a sidekick to this because there was no bulky device in my pocket. it's very nice and very powerful for such a small device.

asking the Deaf community what smartphone is the best?

Vlog post asking for suggestions for a good smartphone because my sidekick 3 broke a few weeks ago. Considering iPhones and blackberries. I'd like to get a forum started in the comments if possible.

BlackBerries with Wifi and 3G

come on! make it happen!

Driving myself crazy looking up a BlackBerry Curve with both wifi and 3G. I guess it's not happening. Any suggestions?

recruiting deafies for Seesmic

hello! If you're interested in being part of the seesmic community, please contact me and ask for an invitation code. You can also get more information by going to "Deaf Seesmic" on facebook groups. I encourage you to come join and participate!


here's a signer's response to my video.

data only phone plans cont'd

The rentless pursuit for a data-only phone plan continues. I'm not
seeing any phone plans available from verizon that is data-only.

So far there are three wireless companies that provide data-only plans
that I'm aware of.

T-mobile (coverage sucks in the southeast, especially in the Johnson
City, TN area and carolinas)

Sprint (must verify deafness, to get unlimited data. However rumors of
the company going under are rampant due to lack of business and poor
customer service)

AT&T (comparable data-only plan but with a messaging limit of 5000 per
month. must verify deafness too. but has gotten me upset because plan
does not include iPhones or blackberries)

UPDATE: my mistake, I thought Sprint Relay had to verify deafness but they don't.

Social Networking is getting big

The definition of social networking according to wikipedia is

A social network service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

Here's one example of one of the more popular social networking sites. I have been using this the longest and it remains my favorite site to keep in touch with family, friends and co-workers.

Facebook

My favorite thing to do when I'm not at a computer is to send messages to twitter. I can look up other users by interests and track certain keywords. One example of a keyword I've been tracking is "key west." I'm anxious to see how it does and how much I can learn about key west by the time i get there on the 19th. Of course, my explanation does not do twitter justice. Just play with it!

twitter

some new social networking sites that I'm playing with right now and liking

• tumblr
• similar to twitter but has the potential to be much more because you're able to post any kind of content including text, pictures, and video from your mobile phone as well as your computer. I'm looking forward to utilizing this site when I get a new video-capable phone. I can't wait.
  

• seesmic
• I've heard this explanation of seesmic as "twitter with video" You're able to have conversations and post videos of any sort. I'm looking forward to seeing how I can utilize seesmic as a tool for communication in the deaf community. it'd be so easy for deaf users to post videos and communicate with each other and carry on conversations. Currently in alpha development stage so you have to sign up and wait to get an invitation code before you can start using this wonderful site.
  

I plan to get a flickr pro account and hopefully utilize the social networking capabilities with this great photo sharing site. Again, I'm limited because my camera phone is nonexistent and my digital camera sucks plus inability to pony up 20 bucks. Plus my account is kinda sad right now.

Don't get me started on Myspace. I have a myspace account but I barely use it.

Playing with seesmic

Alright, I'm wondering how this will work...I think this is going to be fantastic for the deaf community to communicate back and forth. I'm happy and excited to be a part of the alpha community.

seesmic does have its limitations. There are no subtitles or captioning options for deaf viewers to watch people using voice. I think that seesmic could embrace the potential of being a huge part of the online deaf community.

One way to do this is putting up an language option for "American Sign Language" in order for signers to be able to find each other more easily once seesmic goes final. I'm not sure if I'm the only one using seesmic that can sign but I'd welcome the opportunity to try to communicate with another deaf friend through seesmic.

Anyways Here's my first seesmic video. I'm just introducing myself as Louis Ricciardi, living here in Johnson City and explaining that I'm curious how this site will benefit the deaf community. I tried to voice for myself a little bit. Sorry if you can't understand my voice or I'm not loud enough. Anyway let me know what you think of the concept!



update: wow i just posted my video 30 minutes ago and I already have 9 replies. I haven't had a chance to see them all but I appreciate the positive response!

Musings on Christmas Eve

So here's a comprehensive list of what I'm getting for Christmas:

• 50 inch High Definition Plasma Television
• 17 inch MacBook Pro fully pimped out
• Sony HD Camcorder
• 5.2 mp slim digital camera
• 1 year's paid cable and internet service with High Definition programming thrown in from Comcast
  
• unlocked iPhone
  
• wireless broadband card for my macbook from Sprint so i can get internet from anywhere
• a slingbox so I can watch tv on my laptop from anywhere
• $500 dollar gift certificate to Oasis Coffee in Johnson city http://www.oasiscoffeehousejc.com/
• a Job at Google waiting for me after I graduate from ETSU
  
• a tech-savvy girlfriend that knows sign language and loves football (Cleveland browns fan is a must). think iJustine crossed with Erin Andrews and Marlee Matalin minus the Pittsburgh roots and any connection to Michigan whatsoever. (if you don't know any of these names, just Google em)
  

Alright, that's not a real list of what I'm getting for Christmas but it'd be nice if I did. I came up with this list while sitting here at Panera, trying to get over a little cold and sipping on a hot and delightful coffee. I'm just pondering about all of this stuff going on this time of year. It's Christmastime and a lot of things are going on. Most people are off for the holidays, they're doing their last minute shopping, visiting family and friends and trying to stay warm.

I've somewhat done all of the above, but I've also done some reminiscing on the past semester. Fall 2007 was a very difficult time for me. I was overwhelmed with schoolwork while trying to balance a social life and taking care of myself and "my" dog at the same time.

This past semester was my first semester in graduate school. I'm working toward a master's degree in computer science, IT concentration. It was a successful semester for me because I was able to pass all my classes, ensuring that I had just survived the toughest course load of the computer science curriculum. This meant that the next 3 semesters will be less difficult.

Along the way, I had to manage some rocky patches because my classes required a lot of group work. Scheduling interpreters for impromptu group meetings are no easy task. 5 days notice is usually required in order to schedule an interpreter. This was more stressful than most of my class assignments. However it was a lesson learned in how to manage group work and this is critical in gaining experience for future endeavors both educationally and professionally.

Also, my job at the College of Nursing is awesome. I'm having a great time working with the people there and putting my skills to use.

This is an experience that I will talk more about later down the line. There were a lot of other things that I experienced. I've started going to a new church called Highlands Fellowship in Johnson City. It's been a great experience in improving my relationship with Christ. I've gotten sidetracked in the past couple of years from following God but now I'm working on getting myself back on track and it's been awesome to be part of this community these past few months. The best part? It's interpreted so come down every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. if you're deaf or if you're just around then come down and worship the Lord with us. I don't usually preach my faith on anybody and I probably won't do so that much but it's been a great experience for me so I want everyone to feel the way I do about going to church.

This is not my typical blog entry, usually writing about my struggles as a Deaf person, because it's a time to be happy, to feel joy and just try to celebrate the reason for the season. I know it's cliche but there's a reason why i didn't seriously ask for any of the items on the wish list above to my loved ones. It's not the time for asking or getting. it's a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I don't call it Xmas, i call it "Christmas."

I don't fully understand everything about Christianity nor do I think i ever will. But, I believe that it's going to be a lifelong journey in trying to practice my faith and trying to figure out our roles in this world. I question my faith occasionally but it's that time of the year where we deserve peace of mind and surround ourselves with love and happiness. I hope that whoever reads this takes my advice and just celebrate what you've got and the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas everyone!