OnePlus 5t Review

Life is what happens when your cellphone is charging.

Unknown

I’ve been the proud owner of the OnePlus 5t since November 26, 2017 and I couldn’t be happier. Truth be told, I was a little nervous when I ordered it online because I’d never made such an expensive “sight unseen” purchase before, but I couldn’t be happier.

Price: At $649 Canadian, it’s half price of the other flagship phones I was looking at. And, it has everything I want or need, so there is no compromise.

Size: I was an early adopter of the phablet so a big screen is a must have for me. The OnePlus 5t has a 6 inch screen.

Feel: It’s very thin, very light and feels great in my hand.

Display: I can’t believe how crisp and clear the display is.

Camera: The camera takes wonderful photos. The colours are incredibly vibrant and true to colour.

Battery: In a 24 hour period I haven’t gone below a 50% charge and I use the phone a lot.

Charging: I can charge it in about ½ hour which means that I can charge it in the morning before I leave for work.

Responsive: I’m shocked at how responsive the phone is. I’m sure the fact that it doesn’t come loaded with bloatware has a lot to do with it.  

User-friendly: The phone is simple to use and intuitive. The only thing I found odd is that to answer the phone you swipe down. Unfortunately I hung up on my friend Pam several times before I figured it out.

I would absolutely recommend the OnePlus 5t. I can’t find one negative thing to say about it, which is a complete shock to me! The only drawback that I can see for some is that you have to buy the phone outright from OnePlus; you can’t pay for it with your plan.

Everybody in society these days just walks around with their heads down, staring at their phones. Chiropractors must be making a fortune!

Keith Wynn

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Geri

Are Flagship Smartphones Worth the Money?

We live in the era of smartphones and stupid people.

Anonymous

Let’s face it; we’re almost all addicted to our smartphones. They’ve become an appendage. And, sadly for many people they’re a more important form of communication than human contact. How many times have you been in a restaurant and observed two people sitting across the table from each other, interacting only with their smartphones? Doesn’t it make you wonder why they went out for dinner in the first place?

But I digress… My beef is with the cost of flagship smartphones, not that they exist. In fact I was an early adopter and bought the first “phablet” on the market. The current crop consists of the new iPhone, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2 XL. They’re all priced within a hundred dollars of each other – in the $1,300 - $1,400 CDN range. This is ludicrous for a smartphone! It seems as if these makers have banded together and realized that as a group they control the market and the pricing. The end result is that they have a stranglehold on the market and the ability to fix pricing.

I prefer to buy my smartphones outright and there’s no way that I’m spending this kind of money on a smartphone. But, thanks to my techie friend, I learned about www.oneplus.net. It’s a flagship smartphone made in China and sold only directly from the company – no advertising, no middlemen, no retail outlets. The latest model is the OnePlus 5t and it cost $649 CDN – half the price of the others. I just bought the OnePlus 5t and I’m more than impressed. My phone was delivered 5 days ahead of schedule – this company under promises and over delivers. What a refreshing change!

For those of you who think you’re getting a free phone on a 2 year contract, think again. Firstly, they’re giving you old models and $25/month of your plan pays for your phone. So, in two years your “free phone” actually cost you $600 for an old model while I bought brand new technology for $50 more. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, have a look at the OnePlus 5T.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

Warren Buffett

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Geri

5 Things You Should Never Say To Someone Who’s Lost a Loved One

Sometimes you have days when only your middle finger can answer questions.

Pinterest Platitudes

One of my friends recently lost her Mom. We were chatting this morning about the stupid things that people have said to her in the last week that really made her angry. I heard the same platitudes when I lost a loved one, and I’m sure you have too. Here are 5 things that you should never say to someone who’s lost a loved one.

1. They’ve gone to a better place: The Four Seasons is a better place. To the best of my knowledge my loved one is not spending eternity at the Four Seasons. So, unless you’ve gone and come back to give me a report on how fabulous the afterlife is – SHUT UP
2. It’s a blessing: Today is not a day I feel blessed; I’ve just lost a loved one. What I feel is broken hearted and shattered. There is no blessing involved, you idiot! 
3. You’re lucky you’ve had them for so long: Are you completely off your rocker to even remotely suggest that I feel lucky today???? What world are you living in that you can equate loss with luck, by any stretch of the imagination.
4. They’ve lived their lives: Who the hell made you the judge and jury on whether my loved one has lived enough years? I’ll never be ready to lose someone I love, no matter how old they are. And, you’re a complete moron to think differently.
5. It must be a relief: It’s a relief to pass an exam. It’s a relief to get the new job you really wanted. Losing a loved one is never a relief, you imbecile!

Instead of all of these ridiculous platitudes which are stupid and hurtful, say something honest:

• ·         I’m sorry for your loss.
• ·         It sucks!
• ·         I know how you feel (if you do).
• ·         There’s nothing that I can say to make it better.
• ·         If you want to talk, or cry, or vent, I’m here for you.

Raise your hand if you have had quite enough unsolicited advice about what should be done with any lemons life may or may not give you.

Kathy R. Jeffords

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Geri

Get Rid of Automatic Flushing Toilets!

They had to install automatic toilets in public restrooms because people can’t be trusted to flush a toilet.

Hoopoe Quotes

Of all the things in the world that mankind needs, does the automatic flushing toilet immediately leap to mind? It certainly doesn’t for me. And to be quite frank, before this great technological advance, the majority of people understood that they had an obligation to flush the toilet. Now with the automatic flushing toilet, they feel absolved of all responsibility and simply walk away whether or not their automatically flushing toilet has automatically flushed.

I work in a lovely, modern office building with many conveniences, including, unfortunately automatically flushing toilets. The problem is that although they flush, their timing sucks! How many times have you sat on an automatically flushing toilet and wondered whether or not you were on a bidet? For no apparent reason, the toilet flushes; but after you make your deposit, NOTHING happens. Instead of manually flushing, people feel no obligation to flush away their deposits, because it’s not their job; it’s the toilet’s job. This makes for very unpleasant experiences on a regular basis.

Ladies and gentlemen, whether your toilet is automatically flushing or requires manual intervention, it’s your obligation to make sure your deposits get flushed away. Let's end our dependence on the automatic flushing toilet.

Dear automatic flushing toilet, I appreciate your enthusiasm but I wasn’t finished.

Anonymous

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Geri

The Retail Hustle

Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.

Tony Allesandra

I recently purchased and new box spring and mattress. Truth be told my old mattress was 20 years old and should have had a decent burial long ago; but there are always so many other things I’d rather spend my money on.

Before I made my purchase I checked out two stores – a major department store and a chain of mattress stores with a stellar reputation. As a matter of fact my first mattress came from the very same mattress store. I went first to the department store. They had a large selection of beds to choose from, but not much on sale. A salesman approached me and launched into his spiel – whether I was interested or not. I wasn’t. I asked where the sale mattresses were to which he replied (and I paraphrase), No one should have to pay full price for a mattress. No one should even have to pay 50% off. You see this mattress; I can give it to your for $899 (which was more than 50% off and not marked anywhere). On the tag with the original price it said free local delivery. I asked him if delivery was included to which he replied that delivery (which costs $75) was included if I bought an extended warranty plan for $69.99. And if I wanted my old mattress removed it would cost an additional $30. I asked how long the sale price was good for and this sleaze-bag said as long as he was in the store. What a hustle! I hate being hustled!

My next stop was the mattress store. I walked into a sea of mattresses – all neatly lined up. Each had a large tag with all the mattress sizes and the original prices. When you flipped up the tag there was another tag with all of the mattress sizes and sale prices – no mystery, no hustle. A salesman approached me and asked if I wanted help or if I preferred to browse on my own. I asked for help. I told him that I was a side sleeper, preferred a firm mattress, didn’t want a pillow top and didn’t want to sell my car to pay for the mattress. He gave me a pillow and said to try each of the mattresses with the same pillow so that I would be gauging my experience on the mattress alone. He suggested that I try four mattresses based on my criteria and I found the perfect bed for me (number four was the hands-down winner). A 10 year warranty, delivery and mattress removal was included. It was a lovely experience!

The moral of the story is that there are a lot of people out there doing the retail hustle. If you feel like you’re being hustled, walk away. There are retailers who understand how to create a great customer experience. Don’t settle for less!

Don’t try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!

Gene Buckley

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Geri

Canadian Banks Running Scared of Credit Unions

The one thing that offends me the most is when I walk by a bank and see ads trying to convince people to take out second mortgages on their home so they can go on vacation. That's approaching evil.

Jeff Bezos

Over the years I’ve banked at most of the “big banks” and eventually after particularly bad service and/or a major screw up on their part (for which they accepted no responsibility) I told them to go screw themselves. After one of these episodes I had a colleague who told me how happy she was at a credit union. She gave me the contact information for the person looking after her account, and the rest is history. I’ve been a very happy credit union member for over 20 years.

What’s the difference between a bank and a credit union? Credit unions are full service co-operatives, which means that they are not-for-profit organizations. Unlike the banks whose primary goal is to produce dividends for their shareholders, the goal of a credit union is not to make a profit but to further the operations of the credit union and benefit its members. Like other financial institutions they provide chequing accounts, saving accounts, foreign currency accounts, credit cards, lines of credit, mortgages, personal and business loans, investment advice... And your money is just as safe in a credit union as in a bank. What has always differentiated the credit unions from the banks is the exceptional way that they treat their members – not customers.

Over the last few years I’ve been noticing that more and more of the “big banks” are bombarding the airwaves with commercials promoting how much they care about their customers. They’re staying open longer (some bank branches are now open 7 days a week) and each one is trying to convince you that they’re the bank that cares.

Now the banks are running scared of the credit unions. Why else would they have lobbied the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to prevent the credit unions from using the words bank, banker and banking? The Canadian Bankers Association actually got the feds to agree to enforce an archaic regulation from Bank Act of Canada from 1871 that governs who, or what can use the words. The act has never before been enforced – until now. How can the OSFI have prostrated themselves in this way? It’s nothing short of a national disgrace.

The words bank, banker and banking have always been used generically for all financial institutions. I don’t say that I’m going to do my credit unioning; I say that I’m going to do my banking. I don’t do online credit unioning; I do online banking. These are generic terms for financial transactions. Credit unions are not trying to fool people into thinking that a credit union is a bank by using the words. People who come to a credit union are making a deliberate choice.

Banks have put credit unions in the penalty box. Canadian credit unions will have until December to remove the words "bank," "banker" and "banking" from their websites. They'll have another two years to remove the word from all signs and marketing brochures as the federal government cracks down on any institution that offers traditional banking services.

I am totally disgusted with federal government for kissing the asses of the Canadian Bankers Association. Enforcing this archaic regulation is the height of idiocy! If I wasn’t already a member of a credit union, I’d be joining one now.

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

Thomas Jefferson 

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Geri

Free of the Hostage Tax at Last!

I finally realized it. People are prisoners of their cell phones. That’s why they’re called cell phones.

Spirit Science

Canadians pay among the highest cell phone rates in the world because we’ve been held hostage by the Big 3 - Bell, Rogers and Telus. These bandits operate as a cartel, supported and sanctioned by the CRTC. Not only are we ripped off on our cell phone plans, but on the actual cell phones themselves.

In Canada all cell phones are locked to a certain carrier (unless you get a Google phone). There’s no such thing as free enterprise when it comes to the cell phone industry. You can’t just go out and buy a phone in a competitive market and go to any carrier and get a plan. If you’re on Bell, you have to buy a phone that’s locked to the Bell network. And I’m sure you guessed by now that the cartel also controls the prices of cell phones which are astronomical. If you want to change carriers, you have to pay a $50 dollar fee to unlock your own phone. It’s legal extortion! This fee is affectionately referred to as the Hostage Tax or Ransom Tax.

The CRTC has finally come to the aid of the consumer, and over strenuous objections from the cartel, are removing the hostage tax. As of December 1, 2017 the hostage tax will be gone and all cell phones will be sold unlocked from that day forward. For those of you longing for a time when you could shop around for a deal on a cell phone, your day will soon be here. I can’t wait to see retailers offering legitimate sales and specials on cell phones. Bye bye hostage tax. Hello free enterprise!

We live in the era of smartphones & stupid people.

Keywordssuggest.org

Make someone smile today.

Geri