Evening Reading: 1/7/13

Fitbit is coming out with a flexible wristband.  I’m not sure if I’ll trade in my beloved Fitbit One, but I’m going to watch closely.  I am curious how the armband works, given that Fitbit One instructions say not to wear it on your arm when awake.  What if I am in a heated conversation about which of my two favorite shows (Walking Dead and Downton Abbey) are more reflective of my true nature and start waving my arms around like an aristocratic zombie?  I’m also interested in what “water-resistant” means in this context.

I’m not the only Downton Abbey fan.

I do love me some Reddit.  As such, this looks promising.  Why do I love Reddit?  Well, here’s one reason.

Kodak is the new Westinghouse.

When bad PR goes bad.  I am amazed at what gets approved as acceptable PR these days.

Consumer Reports is back on the hate side of its relationship with the iPhone.  Burglars, on the other hand, still prefer Apple.

Belkin added a light switch to its WeMo line.  What they need to add more is working remote access if you have a roaming wireless network.  We have three Extremes creating a single wireless network and remote access does not work.  This is a known issue, at least to those with the problem.  Otherwise (and this is a big otherwise), WeMo is pretty cool.

TUAW has the best Mac apps for 2012.  I’m flabbergasted (flabbergasted I tell you) that they picked iTunes as the best of anything.  If you want “moar apps!” Addictive Tips has the 100 best Mac apps of 2012.

Here’s an update on my 2013 initiative to spend less money on things I don’t really need, that might save you some money too.  I called DirecTV and said I wanted to downgrade my deluxe package to the lowest one.  I got $40 a month off my monthly cost, plus some HD channels for free.  The discount lasts 6 months, but they said I could probably call back then and get another discount.  Then I called Sirius XM and tried to cancel the subscription in my truck (in favor of Spotify and an old iPod I confiscated from Delaney).  They gave me half off for a 1-year subscription, for that one and the one my kids use by the pool.

Paul Thurrott is a smart guy, who I enjoy reading.  But he needs to step away from the crack pipe if he thinks there is anything about the Surface RT that is even close to as usable and enjoyable as an iPad.  Now, the Surface Pro may be another matter.  Paul, what will you trade me for a lightly used Surface RT?  Almost anything of roughly equal value will do.