This week, I’m going to take a seat while the other eight gazillion people on the Web complain about Comcast. See, back in New Jersey and Philadelphia, I never had problems with Comcast. Maybe once a year something would happen where I needed to call and bitch at them for an hour before something was done. But overall, it was a fine experience and I’d have no problem going back to them.

Then I moved to New York and things changed.

Moving to Astoria, my roommates and I were greeted with the options of RCN and Time Warner Cable for our Internet and TV needs. RCN had trouble finding our address, so we called Time Warner and had them come out. The previous tenants of our apartment never canceled their service and the guy happened to work for Time Warner. This made canceling their service a real pain in my ass. I had to fax a copy of the lease over three times before we got our account setup.

Finally, about five or six days later, the cable guy came out and set up our HD digital cable box and cable modem. It was quick and easy with no problems. I hooked up my NETGEAR wireless router and we soon all had a ‘net connection. Unfortunately, despite our 6mbps connection, our Internet to this day is usually slow as piss. Opening Facebook can take anywhere from a half-second to 30 seconds. How will I ever be able to update my status so my friends know I’m busy cooking dinner?!

So I called Time Warner after a few weeks, determined to get our Internet up to speed. However, when I called, I was greeted with a dude with a thick accent who was reading right off a script. Great. Outsourced call centers. Thanks Time Warner for making my life a living hell. After five minutes, we got into an argument and he flipped out at me. I told him to shut up and hung up the phone.

Time Warner says they don’t throttle traffic, but I’m convinced these bastards do. Every time I open my BitTorrent client, the speed of our network goes to hell in under 10 seconds. Same goes for my roommates. Even if we limit the upload and download speeds, it’s still crawling along at the pace of John in the NYC ING Marathon. World of Warcraft has become virtually unplayable at times, BitTorrent client or not.

So in conclusion, Time Warner has crappy Internet. Big surprise there. But I’m not done. See, Time Warner sucks at offering up cable as well. The on-screen programming guide is slow like molasses and the picture on the TV crackles and distorts every hour for a bit.

I’d call Time Warner to get it fixed, but, you know.

I was trying to watch a ton of football last Sunday because I’m as American as you get. Unfortunately, I was under attack by Time Warner Abduhljah, who’s cyber-attack left me missing out on Eli Manning tearing the Miami Dolphins a new one. Did he get the first down? Interception? How can I tell when I am constantly subjected to pixels that turn Plaxico Burress into a guy that looks like he’s from Battletoads.

Time Warner, listen up. I’m mad and I can’t even begin to wonder why I even signed up with you. Oh yeah! That’s because RCN couldn’t even find me. You cable companies need to start paying more attention to service instead of dollars. A happy customer will keep your cash flowing like a pitcher of Kool-Aid into a cultist’s mouth.

Maybe that’s why I’m going to cancel my cable today and just pirate everything via BitTorrent. Suckers!

I’m not sure whether to blame T-Mobile or Samsung for the constant barrage of crappy phones coming out nowadays. Take for instance, the recently leaked Samsung Katalyst which will debut on T-Mobile. I bet money that the phone will either be a freebie or $49.99 for new customers as it’s so basic, I can’t even fathom why anyone else would want it. Oh, right. T-Mobile stuck WiFi in it for its @Home service. Big whoop.

Take a second here and think. What makes the Katalyst different than say, the T629 from Samsung (@Home WiFi aside)? Almost nothing! They both have Bluetooth, a shitty 1.3-megapixel camera like all Samsung phones, and an “MP3 player” plus an IM client. Right now, the T629 is T-Mobile’s freebie phone, so I’m guessing the Katalyst will be it’s successor. If you can read this webpage, then you’ll know exactly what features the Katalyst will have.

Follow AT&T’s move and try getting some killer phones in your lineup, T-Mo’. No, another HTC phone does not count.

T-Mobile’s Samsung Katalyst [BGR]

The PlayStation 2 is no doubt one of the most successful consoles in video game history. After recently celebrating its 7th birthday, the PS2 will now undergo yet another redesign in an effort to build-in the system’s power supply and continually trim the overall design down. In addition to a new design, the new PS2 is expected to take a price cut down to $99, making the system affordable to almost anyone.

Hopefully we’ll see this new PS2 in stores by early 2008, which is Sony’s current target date for a release. For $150 you can pick up two or three sweet games and a brand new PS2. I’m all about that.

New low-price ‘compact’ PS2 to arrive in 2008 [MCV]

What is it with these two companies? First, they’re more in love than a CBS soap opera. Next thing you know, they’re splitting up and stock is tanking. What’s the deal here? Seems MetroPCS decided it didn’t want to purchase Leap Wireless anymore because it feels it’s already a big enough player in the wireless market.

Really a shame. There could have been more competition in the pay-as-you-go market but not anymore.

MetroPCS Withdraws Leap Wireless Bid; Both Companies Tank [Seeking Alpha]

So I loved your comments in my original post so much, I decided to pick two of you for invites to the hot new torrent site. Unfortunately, What.CD? is really getting slammed (although not nearly as bad as Waffles is) and registration is currently closed to new users. When it opens again, I will do a post and send out an e-mail to those who I picked.

No worries. Your invites are coming soon enough.

UPDATE – Note, this post is from November, so there are no more invites to be had.

Since Gateway announced the One, everyone and their cousin has known it’s a blatant copy of Apple’s iMac. Even Uncle Walt over at the Wall Street Journal knows damn well what Gateway and Dell are trying to do with their all-in-one computer systems. Unfortunately for Gateway, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the One doesn’t even come close to the iMac. In fact, the One is such a disappointment, Mossberg can’t even recommend purchasing it.

For one, the iMac can run both Windows and OS X. The One can only do Windows of course. Other factors such as noise, no built-in webcam, lower resolutions and smaller screens are what drive Mossberg to loathe Gateway’s copycat. Not only that, but the One crashed twice on Walt during his testing. Damn that BSOD!

Then there’s the price. The iMac starts at $1199 while the One is $100 higher for the base model. Plus, the iMac has different screen sizes to choose from while the One is bound to 19-inches across the board. So much for the “bang for the buck” angle Gateway could have taken. The final verdict? Don’t even bother messing with Gateway’s hellchild of a computer known as the One. Apple has the all-in-one desktop market done right and if any PC manufacturer is going to overtake them, it’ll need to spend some more time at the drawing board.

New Gateway Desktop Takes on Look of iMac,
But Can’t Match It [WSJ]

This official YouTube video from Electronic Arts features a commercial for the Japanese version of The Simpsons Game. It features the lovely talking head of Mr. Sparkle from the episode of The Simpsons where they go to Japan and mess everything up. The entire time during the commercial, tons of crazy stuff is going on and apparently Lisa is SUPEREME LISA in Big Super Happy Fun Fun.

Just watch it and you’ll understand. Or not.

New Simpsons Game Trailer Takes On Katamari & Other Japanese Awesomeness [TV in Japan]

You know that if the controversial Manhunt 2 stayed in its original form, it’d be a damn fun game. But because some people in a church somewhere got their panties in a bundle over some fake blood on a TV, the game’s kill scenes have been reduced in both blood and violence. Take the above video, which showcases moves from the retail version of the game and the uncut, original version. Looks like there differences are only minimal changes, though I would prefer seeing a dude’s head cut off with a sword in all its glory.

If you watch closely, you’ll see that the retail version does some weird color/screen warping effect that I’m guessing is designed to “soften” the death visuals. What a pointless move by Rockstar.

Manhunt 2 Money Shot Comparisons [Kotaku]

No radical design changes here, folks. Apple decided to bump up the speeds of the Macbook and its older brother, the Macbook Pro. Macbooks now use Santa Rosa chipsets with a GMA X3100 video upgrade from GMA 950. For $1099 you’ll score a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 80GB hard drive while for $1499, you get 2.2GHz with 160GB of storage.

Do you have the need for speed? Macbook Pros can now be upgraded to a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo CPU for a $250. Like I said, nothing exciting, but a minor speed increase is always joyful to some.

Apple

Anyone using Verizon should take note that Verizon will be updating its plans and ToS agreement today, meaning you have something like 30 days to opt out of your contract should you want an iPhone bad enough. These new plans are better for the customer though (depending on how you look at it), with Mobile Web becoming free, data connections no longer using minutes, and all the voice plans are being renamed to “Nationwide Plans”.

Not all is well though in the land of Verizon. You’ll be chagred a $1.99 for using some data services, which includes downloading games, using Mobile Web or receiving/sending e-mail. Yes, $2 will be taken from you just for wanting to download Bejeweled. Oddly enough, VCAST music services and picture messaging will not trigger the charge.

Other add-ons to your current plan will be available as well. There’s a $15/mo deal for the VPak (unlimited video clip downloads), a $20/mo deal for unlimited texting and a $40/mo plan that gives you VPak, unlimited texting, VZ Navigator and mobile e-mail. If you need to call Canada, you can pay $20 extra a month in additional to the regular price of a Nationwide plan for unlimited calling. Not bad, not bad. Now all Verizon needs is a decent phone lineup and it’ll be solid.

Verizon Updates Plans, With Cheaper and More Confusing Data Services [Gearlog]

I’ve gotten into both Waffles and What.CD? and while they don’t quite match OiNK on all levels, it’s still a great effort by both parties. I’ve found myself uploading and using What.CD? more than Waffles though, mostly due to the fact that Waffles is down and sucking. If it boiled down to making a choice right now, I’d definitely choose What.CD?.

The funny thing is that when I first joined What.CD? yesterday, there were no ratio requirements. Now the ratio is back and everyone got 10GB of upload credit so that people start downloading. That’s the thing! People aren’t downloading enough! Everyone is busy uploading to get the amount of content back up to that of OiNK’s Pink Palace.

Well, with that said. I have 2 invites to What.CD? for you readers. Leave a comment letting me know why I should send you one. Use your real e-mail address in the comments, as I’ll be sending an invite to it should you win.

What.CD?

We received a tip today that Wal-Mart would be selling a $98 HD DVD player. Sure enough, the retailer will be offering some amazing deals this holiday season. Only problem is that there is no date on this hidden Wal-Mart website. It just says the big sale starts this Friday at 8AM. Now, I’m going to assume that they are referring to Black Friday and not November 2nd considering that this is a hidden webpage on Wal-Mart’s servers.

Not only will you find the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player for $98, you’ll also be able to pick up some HD DVDs to watch on it for only $15 each. You can hook the Toshiba up to your brand new 50-inch Sanyo Plasma HDTV, which was a steal at $998. There will also be an Acer laptop with 1GB of RAM for $348. This is going to be one of the best Black Fridays ever.

Wal-Mart Holiday

Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Halo 3 shorts that stormed both my computer and television, but I can bet that millions of gamers around the globe are. If you’re itching to see all of the live-action shorts direct by Neill Blomkamp in one movie rather than scattered around, then press play above and sit back whilst you enjoy a cold Mountain Dew.

I gotta say though, that plasma ‘nades being thrown at soldiers is always good fun.

Halo 3: Landfall – all three Blomkamp shorts cut together [Joystiq]

It’s no secret that OiNK was full of different people, ranging from teenagers in high school to accountants from Sweden. Now Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor himself is publicly admitting he used OiNK for pirating music. “I steal music too, I’m not gonna say I don’t” says Reznor.

In a recent interview with New York Magazine, Reznor talks about how OiNK was the “world’s greatest record store” thanks to its content and quality. What really bugs him is iTunes and Apple’s way of selling music.

“iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don’t feel cool when I go there. I’m tired of seeing John Mayer’s face pop up. I feel like I’m being hustled when I visit there, and I don’t think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc.”

I’m sure many of us feel the same way – especially regarding John Mayer’s face popping up every second. Glad to see that a huge player in the music industry like Trent is on our side.
Trent Reznor and Saul Williams Discuss Their New Collaboration, Mourn OiNK [NY Mag via TorrentFreak]

Now this is what I call a Halloween costume. Leave your unoriginal iPhone costumes at home people, ’cause Awesome Party Guy is on a roll this year as a YouTube video. He even has a comments section, where people can write dirty jokes and draw dicks after slamming back a couple Jello shots.

Dress up as a YouTube clip and let people comment on you directly [MAKE]

Sold your soul to Toshiba and cast Sony into the depths of your own gadget hell? That’s OK, because Toshiba is rewarding its loyal followers with the Vardia RD-A301, a new HD DVD player that’s filled with more features than a 9-year-old’s Halloween candy bag. Aside from having tons of inputs and outputs, including HDMI, the RD-A301 has a built-in 300GB hard drive for recording all your favorite shows in HD.

Oh, but that’s not all folks. This player is more equipped than Ron Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman. After you’re done ripping the first season of Hayden Panettiere: Wet, Hot and Uncensored, you can burn it to an HD DVD or regular DVD for your cousin who refuses to shell out the $29.99 for a legit copy. Unfortunately, with the player costing around $865, blank HD DVDs requiring a small mortgage for a 30-pack and no US availability, you’re stuck in the cold until Toshiba releases it here to warm you up.

RD-A301, the New HD-DVD and HDD Recorder from Toshiba [Akihabara News]

Not all of us can spend $200 or more on speakers for our computers. For the rest of us, there’s Mirae’s MP-170 speakers. Although these aren’t the best speakers in the world, they’ll do just fine for a PC that’s in a living room. That’s because the MP-170s have a built-in display that allows the user to display pictures during audio playback. Depending on your taste of gadgets, these will come across as a creative way to spice up your desk or another crappy set of speakers you can purchase.

Either way, for $33 you certainly cannot complain much about the price. Look for them anywhere but the US.

MP-170 film speakers are super thin [Ubergizmo]

Verizon is really gearing up for what it thinks is the CDMA version of the iPhone – the LG Voyager. Although the device really isn’t much of an iPhone, it’s still very feature-rich with its VCAST Live TV, EV-DO and a touchscreen. So if you’re seeking out the 411 on the Voyager, I present you with this data sheet. Yes, this one.

I’d hardly call a 2-megapixel camera something to get excited about, but hey, Verizon customers are desperately in need of a cool “it” phone right now, so fair game.

LG Voyager gets a datasheet [Phone News]

When money gets tough and you want to add a sub-woofer to your 1998 Hyundai Tiburon with the rims you got from that dude off Craigslist, you’ll need something on the cheap. After all, those “professional” boxes made from things like wood and plastic cost way too much for any college student. So it makes sense that some dude instead opted to pound Miller Lite all night and throw a speaker into the leftover cardboard box.

Bet it gets the ladies too.

So my question to you is: will a sub-woofer made from a 30-pack of beer and some wires actually work well? I was going to test it out myself but I kept purposely messing up the box so I had an excuse to buy more beer.

Miller Lite Subwoofer Will Get Stolen Quickly [Geekologie]

Little is known about these spy shots of a new interface designed for Sony-Ericsson’s UIQ. What I see is a touch-based interface that is half iPhone, half HTC Juno. You would think a guy snapping photos during a corporate presentation would be willing to cough up a little more information!

Sneak peek at SonyEricsson’s new UIQ interface [Gearfuse]