Thanks, Bell, I’m Done

Last updated on April 25th, 2021 at 11:46 pm

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

A system outage is one thing when you’re trying to binge a series or catch up on the latest episode.

But when it makes you miss out on a moment in Canadian history because their infrastructure can’t keep up? That, my friends, as they say, is some bullshit.

For those of you who didn’t have the pleasure of experiencing what a very expensive screw job feels like, Bell’s Fibe Alt-TV service crapped out on its thousands of customers not only once during the 2019 NBA Finals, but twice. The first time was in Game 5 with forty-odd seconds left on the clock, leaving us scrambling to find out whether our Toronto Raptors won their first NBA title or not, and leaving us saying “Well, at least it wasn’t the game winner!”

Yeah… well, we shouldn’t have held our breath for Game 6.

Fool Me Once…

I only have a vague idea how the Raptors won because I had Sportsnet’s live tracker running on my iPad, but with four minutes left in the game, Fibe Alt-TV crapped out yet again, making us piece the action together through pirate streams, social media and whatever other info we could find.

As I write this, I hear all the honking, cheering and fireworks outside, a city awash with joy after twenty-four years of waiting, the true fans redeemed for all their patience. But seeing Kawhi Leonard’s free throws after the fact just wasn’t the same. Missing Van Vleet’s critical three. I wanted to be there with the millions of other Canadians on the edge of their seats for our time to shine, but I missed it for what? Unexpected server load? Untested fibre optic technology? For someone who’s only been a Bell customer a few months, it makes me wonder what our future relationship has in store.

So, Bell, what do we do? Do I find a service that’s more reliable? Do we make services cheaper since they’re not performing as advertised? Either way, friends, we’ve gotta do better.

Sincerely, your very disappointed customer,

–Casey Palmer

Alcatel Idol 4 Review

Last updated on April 24th, 2021 at 02:41 am

The #BloggerLife’s made me a phone guy, blessed with brand partners inviting me to keep on top of the latest devices! One of these is Alcatel, North America’s fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer, who recently celebrated the Canadian launch of Alcatel Idol 4!

DADDY'S GOT A BRAND NEW TOY—The Alcatel onetouch Idol 4—The Budget Smartphone You've Been Looking For!—Idol 4 Box

At $300, the Idol 4‘s for those wanting premium smartphone features without the premium smartphone prices. (Remember the days where you could buy a new iPhone without the four-digit sticker shock???)

The Idol’s come a long way, learning from past mistakes to become a stronger competitor in the smartphone market. We get sharper cameras, faster speeds and features galore  with every new phone, but where’s the device for people who just want one that works? I’ve blogged a long time and I can tell you—most people don’t want to dig through dozens of menus to find the feature they want!

So with booming bass, solid design, and a Boom key to enhance how you smartphone, let’s take a good look at the Alcatel Idol 4!

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 S & Alcatel Pop 7 Review

Last updated on April 26th, 2021 at 12:42 am

I think I need a new phone.

Maybe it’s the way it only charges when propped up at just the right angle thanks to its damaged micro USB port, a port that’s ever so fragile on just about any device it graces. Or the times when the phone randomly restarts, or spontaneously ejects the microSD card, or decides that the device memory is corrupt, requiring a battery pull to get it working again. Maybe it’s the fact that technology moved so fast these days that despite winning the phone at the end of 2012, it’s already several generations old, an ancient relic of a time when “4K” was only the price tag for that shiny new MacBook Pro you coveted from the Apple Store. Or maybe—just maybe—it’s a sign that it’s time to try something new, and fortunately, I got the opportunity to do so!

Because My Phone is My Lifeline.

I run my tech into the ground.

Ever since my first Nokia brick phone back in ’02, I’ve taken my phones to their limit before replacing them. The BlackBerry Bold whose letters rubbed off of its keys from all the vigorous texting. The Motorola C350 whose screen eventually stopped turning on—probably for the best, though, with my friends always trying to drag me out at all hours of night.

Time and again, I rocked phones that wound up getting… well, rocked… and with the sad shape my current Samsung Galaxy S III is in, I’m on the hunt once more for a device that can keep up with the ever-expanding demands on my #BloggerLife! Hearing my plight, Bell and TELUS stepped up to see if they could help with the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 2 S smartphone and the Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 tablet!

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