JP Grace
life, technology, travel, and photography
Comparison between Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) Wideband, Turbo, Standard service packages
Nov 25th
Aside from using my internet connection for telecommuting to work, I also use it for VOIP calling (Skype), online gaming (EVE Online), and off-site backup (BackBlaze), just to name a few. None of which work well. And so it was that after struggling with Time Warner Cable’s standard broadband service for months, I finally decided to upgrade to their Wideband service. In the interim I upgraded to TWC’s Turbo package for testing and perspective. What follows is my comparison of all three service levels.
Basic ($30/month)
This package is supposed to deliver 10MB down and 512kb up, which I realize is not nearly enough for what I was trying to do.
As you can see, this leaves a lot to be desired. The extremely poor signal quality explains why I was unable to use Skype. It also explains the poor gaming experience I’ve had. The download speed was actually better than advertised and more than I expected. That being said, download speed was never my problem. It has always been signal quality.
Turbo ($45/month)
This package ups the ante to 15MB down and 768kb up.
The signal quality with the Turbo package is much improved allowing for the use of internet communications. The download speeds were again better than advertised on at least one of my runs, though remained within expected ranges. Overall this is a great upgrade for the money. I can’t believe I didn’t at least have this to begin with.
Wideband ($100/month)
Finally, with this service I ought to be getting 50MB down and 5MB up.
These numbers are right on par with what should be expect for a package with this price tag. I don’t know why it took me so long to upgrade. This was long overdue.
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-24
Nov 24th
- YouTube – "Nikon Girl, Canon Guy" music video, The Photo Club http://bit.ly/51I5mu #
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-22
Nov 22nd
- I'm totally stoked about #timewarner's wideband getting installed on Wednesday! 50MB down and 5MB up woo hoo! #
- So this is what my Saturday night has devolved into – YouTube – Real bears playing Hockey http://bit.ly/08BPMTr #
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-21
Nov 21st
- Accident on the Williamsburg bridge ahead. This could take while. #
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-20
Nov 20th
- Dear NYC shops, it's too early for Christmas music. Pls give me one more week, kthxbai! #
- This is what happens when the "Director of Social Media" gets somebody fired for a sophmoric comment .. http://bit.ly/5tg5iO #
- Jon Stewart Enlists Pro-Wrestler Mick Foley To Protect 10-Year-Old Gay Marriage Activist (VIDEO) http://bit.ly/r8uGb #
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-18
Nov 18th
- Welcome to north Brooklyn! RT @howdymari: found a sublet in greenpoint!! #
- Tesla Takes Manhattan! http://bit.ly/3eHDKZ #
- Google announcing Chrome OS launch plans this Thursday http://bit.ly/2pRhN5 #
- Recording Industry Making It Impossible For Any Legit Online Music Service To Survive Without Being Too Expensive http://bit.ly/28XZAP #
- AOL Valuation So Low You Get An Option On The Turnaround For Free http://bit.ly/41drNO #
- Cable Industry Joins MPAA In Asking FCC To Allow Them To Stop Your DVR From Recording Movies http://bit.ly/3VnzO8 #
- Microsoft squirts out Office 2010 public beta http://bit.ly/2LX2cQ #
- No Agreement In Place for Jelly Pool Parties, "End Could Be Near" http://bit.ly/47D4Ts #
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-17
Nov 17th
- Verizon responds to AT&T's Map For That lawsuit: 'the truth hurts' http://bit.ly/2lHiaY #
- RT @wcbstv: Comin' at you in 5…4…3…2…MTA plans to activate subway countdown clocks at NYC stations…http://tinyurl.com/yerv7vt #
- What The Swine Flu Can Teach You About Social Media – Youtube http://bit.ly/4jLb01 #
- 'The Fame Monster' by Lady Gaga album preview | The Leak | MTV http://bit.ly/2LqK2v #
- Please help me friend's mom, Diane. It takes 10 seconds to vote! http://bit.ly/4m4WdO #
- More details about Diane here: http://bit.ly/3M4csI Feel free to let them know you voted and say some encouraging words #charity #
Pandora is Limiting Free User’s to 40 Hours a Month
Nov 17th
I just recieved a notice from Pandora via email informing me that I’m about to exceed 40 hours of listening this month. I was shocked! Not only because they want me to pay to keep using the service, but also because I just figured that I was using way more than that. How did I miss this news 4 months ago? I guess that I vaguely recall reading something about this and thinking about how tragic and sad it was. Though I never thought it would affect me!
Perhaps its for the best for both of us. I for one will be exploring other options with my listening time. I’ve got a few leads on some internet radio stations outside the jurisdiction of the RIAA that I can squander a few hours a day on. At $0.99 a month too keep the stream alive, I’m almost tempted to just bite the bullet reluctantly, but I won’t. For $36 a year I ought to be able to pick the exact songs that I want to hear and repeat songs that I like among MANY other things. For instance, there’s an echoing rumor that I’ll be able to subscribe to my favorite TV shows via iTunes inside of a year for about $30/month. That I could get behind. Pandora’s business model is a nice try, but ultimately its doomed to failure.
The real crux of my problem is that I (like many others) am philosophically opposed to the position taken by Pandora that followed the initial legal defeat. What position is that? ”If we have to pay ridiculously high fees to the RIAA then so should everyone else.” (paraphrased) They were in such a fatalist, compromised position that they made a deal with the devil. At this point, I’d like to thank Pandora for reminding me of this point so that I can take corrective action to avoid supporting them (and vicariously the greed-heads at the RIAA) in the future. It’s for the best that they just fade into history. Farewell, Pandora I hardly knew ye!
Does anyone know of any good alternative’s to Pandora that aren’t knee deal in slime from the RIAA?
The email from Pandora after the jump:
The Daily Roundup for 2009-11-16
Nov 16th
- All of the free #googlewave invites are gone. Congrats to those who got one! #
- Less than 24 hrs left on my hair-brained idea to give away my FREE flight on #jetblue. Details here: http://bit.ly/3YCPit #travel #
- Just uploaded 76 new photos to my Flickr "Colorado Weekend – Day 3" photoset: http://bit.ly/8p49l #
- Thanks For Flying United. Please Give Us All Your Money http://bit.ly/2nj4Ux #
- Foursquare Opens Up Data To Developers http://bit.ly/4eci4 #
- American Airlines Fires Designer Who Reached Out To Disgruntled Customer http://bit.ly/1eyMYI #
- Dear Blockbuster member, We know you have our DVDs and we want them back! http://bit.ly/NYVs7 #
- Only about one hour left for the FREE @jetblue ticket. Get your entries in before its too late! http://bit.ly/3YCPit #travel #vacation #
- OK, I’m done accepting entries for the free ticket on #jetblue… One moment please while I figure out who won! #
- Congrats to @mgersting on winning my free flight on #jetblue! I'll be in touch shortly to sort out the details. #
Surprise! Your Visa Card Collision Damage Waiver protection doesn’t cover Zipcar
Nov 15th
Have you heard the story about how it cost me $500 to get my brand new MacBook Pro shipped to me? Well grab a bagel because I’ve got a story for you!
After missing the FedEx delivery man one day, I decided to head over to the closest pickup location to collect my new computer. Having recently signed up for Zipcar, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to take my first ride. That it was confusing and frustrating to get oriented and rolling should have been a red flag for bad things to come.
At the FedEx location, as I waited inside for my turn to collect my package, I heard a commotion behind me when someone had noticed that a car had hit the Zipcar. I watched in frozen in horror as a mid-sized white sedan backed up and sped away after rear-ending the parked car. I tried to run after the perpetrator, but it was too late.
The damages to the car? Magically, they would come to almost exactly $500. The amount that the customer is responsible for under the Zipcar legal agreement.
A nice little birdie told me that my credit card might cover the $500 so I immediately called them to investigate. I spent one or two hours on the phone combined between the Zipcar and Visa. Then I spent another couple hours putting together what can only be compared to a 10 page science report the likes of which I hadn’t put together since high school. I sent my science report off to the Visa Corporation like a proud and nieve 18 year old.
Like the devastation that follows any rejection letter, this one too left a bitter taste in my mouth. I’ll quote my favorite part:
“Zipcar Members entered into a “Vehicle sharing service subscription contract” with Zipcar and not a rental agreement. Zipcar Member’s relationship as a member of Zipcar, entitled you the use of an automobile but did not constitute a “rental transaction” as required under the terms and conditions of the Visa Auto Rental CDW Program.”
How convient!
Moral of the story: if you use, Zipcar get the increased accident coverage from them to reduce your liability to $0. Though, that might not be good enough either. See poor Felix Salmon’s Zipcar insurance debacle for more details on how you could wind up with an even larger bill if you are found responsible for greater damages.
Needless to say I’m no longer a customer of Zipcar. My first and only Zipcar experience has left me scared for life. From now on, I’ll hire a stretch limousine instead. In my case, it would have been hundreds of dollars cheaper, way classier, and quicker.
