newdilemma.com

Wow, didn’t see that coming. She pissed me off in 8mile, but she was alright in my book. Too young, sad.

The only satisfaction I get from being locked into any phone contract is picking up a new phone for free every so often. (Although you must sign your life away again.) It hasn’t been that long since I got my LG Decoy, which really was a great phone, I mean, that built in Bluetooth headphone is a great idea. But, I had an upgrade come up, and the one thing that was lacking from the Decoy was any real web capability. It had that cheap phone provider pseudo-internet, in my case Verizon’s pay for every single Kb you use model.

So I got my free HTC Ozone today. A fairly decent smart phone with full browser running Windows Mobile 6. It really is pretty sweet. Now some of you that are on other networks may not know that most Verizon phones are CDMA technology which means no SIM cards. Not the biggest of deals here in the US, but if you are a traveler, you are pretty much screwed because most other countries use GSM/ Sim card technology.

Well, believe it or not, somebody at HTC and Verizon thought of this and the Ozone comes with a SIM card and is able to work in like 165 countries. Sweet, now if I go visit my wife’s family in El Salvador or get back to my roots in Puerto Rico I can still use my phone.

I will also be able to post to my blog, twit when I wish to tweet and get my email. Not bad for a phone that cost me nothing right?

Here are some specs:

Operating System

Ozone™ smartphone, Standard Lithium Ion Battery, AC Charger, Mini USB Cable, Multifunction Audio Cable, International adapter plugs, VZAccess Manager℠ CD, Getting Started CD (includes User Guide), RF Brochure, Read First Poster, Quick Reference Guide, Global Support Kit

So there, maybe this marks my return to the blogging world. This coming year will be marked with more gear purchases but after playing around in the markets for a while I am finally beginning to get a feel for what gear is important and what is just fluff and hype.

I began by purchasing the amp above a couple of months ago. It is a ZT Lunchbox. I saw a few pictures of ZZ Top using them at smaller venues for some of there concerts and got quite curious about them. Turns out they are quite impressive. They are rather small as you can see (also the name,lol). It has a 6.5 inch speaker, but this thing is pushing 200 watts, has an external speaker out capable of pushing my 4×12 cab, headphone out with independent volume knob for the headphones, and an internal speaker on/off switch. It really is well worth the $257 I paid for it new at Sam Ash that also included an extended 2 year warranty for free.

Next up was an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb Pedal. Yes, the Boss ME-70 I have does have reverb, it blows, I needed a simple, good sounding unit I could turn on and off easily and this thing has done me well. I think these pedals are a bit overpriced for what they do, mine was $80 at Guitar Center, but it does work like I want it too.

I also picked up an Electro-Harmonix Russian Big Muff Pi Fuzz/Distortion pedal and a Vox V847 Wah Pedal. Now, again, I know you are thinking, wait, that Boss ME-70 has fuzz and wah on it. Yep, your right, but you soon realize that when an item claims to do it all, they are indeed telling the truth, but it does not mean they do it well. Once again, these were not heavy on the wallet, as both of these cost $50 each, the fuzz from Ebay and the Wah off craigslist. they sound fantastic.

Last but not least, a new guitar in the stable. A Schecter C1 Plus. It was a mistake for me to get rid of my Schecter Damien -6, and the Ibanez simply was not cutting it, soundwise. (I will try to resolve that later with new pickups.) Now what drew me to this guitar was the string thru design, the designed by Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, and the set neck. This thing sounds great, plays clean, dirty, and has sustain for days.

What’s next? Probably a flanger, a phaser, and a volume pedal. I think in the end I will retire or sell the Boss ME-70. Don’t get me wrong, for the home player, it is absolutely awesome, but for the working professional your mileage may vary depending on your style. That’s all for now, talk to ya soon!