I, like many of you have paid hundreds of dollars on shaving cartridges. I’m a fan of a good shave. While I don’t visit specialty men’s shaving stores, I do splurge and purchase Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Cartridges. Before those came out, I purchased Gillette Fusion Power Cartridges. As you can see, I’m well versed in the Gillette shaving systems.  

I recently was interested in finding another shaving system that cost less money. I wanted it to be comparable or better. When The Dollar Shave Club showed up with it’s funny viral (I hate the word as much as you do) video I thought it would be cool to check it out.  Even at $9 a month, for The Executive model, I would be saving money.

Research

I started to do some research and read some reviews about the razors themselves. Most of the reviews said they are just as good as the Gillette. This was looking good and I was well on my way to saving money and having the convenience of having them shipped to me every month.

After reading a review, I started to read the comments. All kept pointing to the same thing until Jhpmax said:

“Dorco is the supplier to the Dollar Shave Club.  Same razors for a lot less. www.dorcousa.com“

Sure enough, I looked at the Dorco website and The Executive, from Dollar Shave Club is the SXA5000 razor from Dorco. So, Finkle is Einhorn, Einhorn is Finkle.

Better yet, if you order $25 or more, you get free shipping. To get to over $25 I stocked up on refills. I got the SXA5000 trimmer system and six 4 pack’s of razors.  The trimmer came with 2 blades already, and then you add up the six other 4 packs, and I received a total of 26 razors for $29.25 shipped.

The current price for Gillette Fusion Proglide razors from Amazon is 8 razors for $31.99. Purchasing 24 Gillette Fusion Proglide razors from Amazon would cost $95.97. I know what your thinking, and I’ll do some quick math for you. You could purchase 144 razors for the same amount as 24 Gillette Fusion Proglide razors from Amazon!

Performance

Now that I have 26 razors, they better perform well. And well is how they performed. After several shaves I cannot tell a discernible difference between my previous high roller razors and my new affordable razors. The SXA5000 razors have 6 blades and a blade on the back. I’ll again do quick math for you. That is one more blade than the Fusion Proglides. I shave once every 2 to 3 days and I don’t shave in November. As of this post, I should have blades until early 2013.

Verdict

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m now a big fan of Dorco’s SXA5000 shaving system. I would highly suggest that you check them out if you are a fan of good shaves and saving money.

Let’s do.  As usual, I put what I wish/think will be released.  There are new rumors coming out every day flip-flopping back and forth on what is going to be released.

The iPhone 4S/5, and what I wish and/or think it will have:

• Larger screen - I am fine with the 3.5 inch screen of the current phones, but there are many who would like for Apple to bump the size up to 4 inches.  If they do this, I think they might keep the same 960 x 640 screen dimensions.  Those dimensions have yet to be topped by any phone in the US.  Only just now are some Korean phones, in Korea, being released with 1280 x 720 screens.  I’m not sure how they would be able to keep the “Retina” name, but they could surprise us with a different screen size.  Many supposed iPhone 4S/5 cases have been shown to be larger than the iPhone 4.
• Different form factor – There have been 3 different form factors for the 4 different iPhone’s.  I think this phone will be more in line with Apple’s two other mobile offerings, and have curves like the iPod Touch and iPad 2.  Like the larger screen shown on supposed iPhone 4S/5 cases, curves are another thing they are showing.
• HSDPA+ – I don’t think it gets the full LTE treatment this time around.  LTE technology is still too young and it is not in enough places for them to warrant putting it in the newest iPhone.  Remember back to when the iPhone first came out.  It was only on Edge, not on 3G even though other companies were jumping onto the 3G wagon.  This will still be the 21 Mbit/s variety, so it will be faster than the current 7.2 Mbit/s, but still not full 4G on LTE.
• Camera upgrades – Sony’s CEO talked about their 8MP optics being used for a future iPhone months ago.  The 5MP camera in the iPhone 4 was a drastic upgrade from the 3G and 3GS.  This along with the increased speed (see below) will allow it to record 1080p video.
• Increased speed – This was an easy one.  The iPad 2 is a speedy device with it’s dual-core A5 chip.  This chip will feel even speedier on such a little device.
• Increased RAM – The iPad 2 has 512MB of RAM and does not ever feel like it’s lacking.  They could continue with just 512MB or RAM, or they could increase it to 768MB or 1GB just because RAM prices are so low.
• Longer battery life – Rarely does an Apple device come out and it not have better battery life.  The battery on the iPhone 4 is leaps and bounds better than the 3G and 3GS.  If the screen is larger and it is running a dual-core processor, a bump in battery size might be needed to keep things the same or improve.
• iPod Nano communication – This is more a wish, but how cool would it be if there was low-level Bluetooth connection with that iPod Nano you are wearing as a watch.  You get a call on your new iPhone 4S/5 and you look down at your watch to see who’s calling.  Just press ignore on your watch, and you don’t even need to get it out of your pocket.  Get a text during a meeting?  Take a glance at your watch to see if it is worth pulling your phone out of your pocket to answer.  The iPod Nano would sky rocket in popularity as a watch, and we would be one step closer to the world Dick Tracy imagined!
• Welcome Sprint – This has been rumored for years.  I think this is the time that they finally get it.  I was with Sprint for 7 years and left because of the iPhone.  I wish them nothing but the best, and hope they keep the unlimited data plans.  I think many people would move just because of that.

One more thing…

I believe Apple will release or announce two phones today.  The iPhone 4S/5, and an iPhone 4 that is modified and/or neutered.  The iPhone 4 will be the phone that will compete with all the Android phones that are on the medium to lower end.  This will allow Apple to compete in the high end market and in the mid-to-low end market.  Because of economies of scale, the modified iPhone 4 will be able to be very cheap or free with a 2-year agreement.  Apple is interested in getting people hooked on the iOS platform and start pulling in money from the App Store, iBook Store, and Music from iTunes.

All or none of the things above could come to fruition.  They would still sell tens of millions of iPhones.  The competition is increasing.  Google’s Android and Windows Phone would love to be your platform of choice.  I’ve said this before, but I love competition.  Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the ride.

What do you hope to see in the next iPhone?

If you are like me, then you dislike all the new touch-less sensor paper towel dispensers.  It’s not their handiness or cleanliness that I dislike, it’s the stingyness of the towels.  They give a small size of paper towel, and then I have to tear it and wave my hand again to try and get more.  At times I need to do this three times because of large handedness.  I have spent several bathroom trips testing and retesting this fool proof method where you get more paper towels without tearing.  If you follow the steps below, you will never need to go through this pain and hardship again.

1. First you will need to wave your hand as usual.  This can be with your right or left hand.  I chose my right hand for this demonstration.  Please feel free to flip these pictures horizontally if you need help using your left hand.
2. The paper towel will dispense.  This is where the Paper Towel Man wishes you would stop.  Don’t bring your short towels to a full hand drying towel party, Paper Towel Man, we need more!
3. Next, grab the bottom of the paper towel and pull up.  Be careful not to pull up too hard as to rip the paper towel.  You should here a little click, or something feel something “resetting.”
4. Wave your right, or left, hand over the sensor again.
5. Enjoy enough paper towel to truly get your hands dry.  You’ve also told the Paper Towel Man that you are not a part of his system.

So March 2nd is the day we will all find out about the iPad 2.  Since the iPad was such a commercial success, there has been much hype and anticipation for the 2nd generation iPad.  There have been many rumors flying around and many people voicing their opinion about what features it should and shouldn’t have.

I still believe they have a demanding lead as far as brand recognition, ease of use, a low entry barrier, and so forth.  The iPad was the device that created a new computing/gadget segment.  I think this is why Apple will be taking a more evolutionary approach to iPad 2.  There are certain things I would like to see in an iPad.  I am not expecting these will make it to production on this generation of iPad, but I do hope to see this from Apple’s iPad 2:

• Retina Display – Apple made such a big deal about this with the iPhone 4 and spoiled all of us.  We expect this to be in all of it’s flagship products.  There have been multiple articles online saying this will not happen in this iPad, but it will in the next iPad.
• Front and back camera – This is pretty much a given.  Even the lowly iPod Touch has these features.  Again, Apple made a big deal about FaceTime with the iPhone 4, iPod Touch, and the iMac’s and Macbook’s just received the non-beta version of Facetime, that not having front and back camera’s would be a deal breaker for some.
• Increased speed –  Another given.  Rumor has it the A5 chip is ready to go in the iPad and that it is much faster than the A4 that is in the current iPad and iPhone.  The A5 will be shared with the iPhone 5 and the next version of AppleTV.
• Increased RAM – This is also a given this will happen.  The iPhone 4 has 512MB of RAM which makes the much larger iPad seem anemic with only 256MB.
• iOS/OSX OS Hybrid – This would be for people who want more control of the files that are on their iPad.  This would be something for the power users.  I don’t think this will be released in this iPad, but possibly the next as Android’s Honeycomb and HP’s WebOS offer more and more of this.
• Lighter – Many people complained about the weight while using the iPad for extended amounts of time.  Amazon’s Kindle spoiled everyone with it’s lightweight reading.  Since Apple is still trying to push the iPad as a replacement for print media, they will be working to put the iPad on a quick weight loss plan.
• Longer battery life – Rarely does an Apple product come out without it having a longer battery life.  Mark this as a given.

Apple could choose one or two of the items above and sell tens of millions of iPad 2′s.  However, the tablet competition is quickly approaching a point where it will be on par with the iPad’s quality, and perhaps offer more flexibility.  Only time will tell if any company can knock off the tablet leader, but one thing is for sure, as a consumer I love competition!  Let the games begin.

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All WWDC events draw attention, but this seems like one of the more anticipated ones recently.  Of course everyone is excited to hear about the latest iPhone, but what else will be released and what else will surprise us.

iPhone

We all know a new one is coming.  I’ve seen every angle of this phone inside and out, thanks to Gizmodo and a Vietnamese person. Since we know it is coming out, here is what I would like it to have.  Anything less than this, and it would be a disappointment in my eyes.

• Two words: A4.
• OLED Screen with higher resolution.  AMOLED would be a plus.
• 8MP camera with a flash.  This is not to be confused with Adobe’s Flash.
• 720P video recording.  1080i or 1080p would be a plus.
• Upgraded GPS sensor.

Bonus want:

• 4G

The iPhone used to be a marvel each time it came out.  There was nothing that was close to it.  Those times have changed.  The stats above are for the most part the stats of the HTC EVO 4G.  This is a phone that was just released, but is currently and arguably the fastest and most advanced phone on the market today.  Will Steve allow the EVO 4G to stay the current beast, or will Apple surprise us and build a phone that will even trump those stats?

Multitouch Trackpad

This has been a late breaking story from Engadget.  It will be interesting to see what all this can be used for.  This could have been the one last thing that has been missing for a few years.  It probably won’t be, but I want to see what all this is capable of.

iTunes/ iTunes Subscription

This seems likely given the recent lala.com purchase and shutdown, but this would be a great bonus for everyone.  I am also hoping that iTunes will be rewritten in Cocoa to make it faster.  It seems like iTunes has transformed into a beast of a software and could use a 64-bit code refresh.

AppleTV

If the rumors are true, this would be a wonderful gift to myself at the LL Cool C casa (that is Spanish for “house”).  If it is only $99, does 1080p, and you can store things elsewhere, this sounds like it would be an immediate winner.  There is another small box called the Roku that does tons of video things like that, so it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.

There are so many things that can be speculated about today’s WWDC and I’m sure there will be many write ups about what was good and bad about it, but one thing is for sure, I will be glued to my computer come 12pm CST.

When Steve Jobs was first showing off the iPad I wanted a little more. I knew he was going to get to the end and show us something that would blow us away and make us want to start camping out for 60 days until it came out. But it never happened. I came away less than impressed based upon what I wanted it to be.

Having the chance now to step back and re-evaluate all of what the iPad is and isn’t, I see that the iPad was not meant for me. It wasn’t even meant for you. It’s meant for the person you know who is scared of computers. It’s made for my grandparents who have a Quad-Core computer with 6GB of RAM to send emails, and most of them are spam forwards. It’s made for the person who has a computer just so they can get on Facebook, send email, and browse the internet.

They don’t need shell access. They don’t need to edit videos. Heck, they don’t even need to manipulate the photos they get because Flickr does this for them.

This is also for the person that are scared of a full blown iMac. They don’t know OSX and heard that it is very different from the Windows PC they know. This helps bridge the gap. Although this was looked at as the middle pillar for Apple between the iPhone and the iMac, this could be the entry “computer” that people need in order to make the next step. Apple says, “Oh, you like how easy the iPad makes things? Do you know it is running the same operating system as the iPhone?” Or they might say, “You say you like what the iPad does, but you need to edit videos? The iMac is just as easy to get up and running.”

This is just the first generation iPad. When has any Apple product done everything you wanted it to on the first iteration? Yeah, I can’t think of one either. It’s easier to accept the iPad as what it is if you remember that the iPad is not for you. It’s for the person you know that uses a computer for email and web surfing.

So WWDC started today and we have new announcements of updated computer hardware, updated computer software, and even more of the same news about the update iPhone OS, OS3.  What everyone wanted to hear about was the new iPhone.  What will it look like, what will it have, what will it be is what everyone was asking.  Rumors have swirled around for what seems like several months now and today we got to see what it was.

Looks

For all of the mock-ups, purposed new iPhone frames, and finish rumors, the exterior looks in the most part unchanged.  Is this good or bad? The iPhone 3G seemed to have a good look and feel in a persons hand and about 5 minutes after one is purchased a case was slapped on it, so for the most part this is a good thing.  Others might disagree because they favor the first generation iPhone with the brushed aluminum back and hate the fingerprint friendly plastic case of the 3G.  The biggest update to the exterior might be the new “oil-resistant coating that keeps the iPhone screen clean.”

S is for speed and that’s good enough for me

The S does not stand for super as some might think.  The S stands for speed and that is what Apple is trying to get across.  Apple is showing off that certain things you do on the iPhone is up to 2x faster than the iPhone 3G.  There are several things that go into making this happen.  The first is a new processor and 3D graphics chipset.  Apple has always been tight lipped about the exact specifications of the hardware, but this combined with the support of the 7.2 Mbps 3G standard should allow you to see a boost in performance.

Battery

The battery has been improved, or software written to improve the life of it.  This will be good for business folks and others that currently have issues with the battery life.  The one thing that stood out for me is the 3 hour jump in usage for surfing on wi-fi and watching a video.

Updated camera

One thing that the iPhone has been lacking and nearly every other phone had was video recording capabilities. Though this is not a deal breaker for most, it would be nice

and handy to take video of family and friends at any time. Our friends in the jail breaking community have been recording videos on their iPhones for over a year now.

Apple took things a step further and rewarded everyones patience. Not only does the updated 3 megapixel camera record videos, it also allows for some rough videoediting by allowing you to choose the start and stop points for your video. When you are done editing it, you can post it to MobileMe, YouTube, Email it, or send it via MMS (Late summer for AT&T users).

The auto-focus based on you tapping on the object to focus on is a great idea and looks to be well executed. The white balance and macro ability round out the top improvements in the camera.

Whats missing or not right

There are many other “little” improvements that the iPhone 3G S has that we are skipping over because the bulk of what everyone wants to know about was covered above. There are a few things that are missing and/or delayed and it is odd that this would happen because it would seem like the 1 year product cycles that the iPhone has would put it behind the competition again.

- OLED screen – This would have been icing on the cake. OLED screens are becoming more popular on iPhone competitiors and by not putting it in this round of updates it will be one more year before me might see it.
- MMS – Really AT&T? You need the rest of the summer for MMS capabilities to be released here in the US? Really? Is MMS something new? Isn’t it something we have been doing since 2004? Is this something that you just found out about at the same time we did? Did Steve Jobs do a “Oh, one more thing At&T, we’re going to have MMS” trick on you?
- Internet tethering – This should not have even been released as a new feature. AT&T has not even put support behind this. If anyone knows about the NetShare app issue from around a year ago you know that either this is not a feature that is going to be released, or it is something that you will be paying more for if it comes out.
- Upgrading options – AT&T, why must we be gouged by such high pricing to upgrade and then the $18 upgrade fee is just a slap in the face.

Should you get it?

The iPhone 3G S, offers many upgrades to the iPhone line that look to be very convincing if you have the first generation iPhone and are looking to upgrade. You’ll get the better price and you will have all of the latest features to enjoy. If you have an iPhone 3G you might be a little more hesitant to upgrade for the speed and the camera because of the hefty price you will have to pay. If you love Apple. was there ever a thought in your mind that you wouldn’t get this iPhone 3GS? I didn’t think so.

I know you check back everyday thinking something new and cool is going to be posted.  You probably thought that your favorite RSS reader was giving out and the posts just weren’t making it to you.  I am sorry to admit that your RSS reader is working a lot better than LL.  No posts have been written since last year.  Since this upgrade, I will be getting back into the swing of things and offering the high quality content that you expect and deserve.

On August 7th, 2006, Sports Illustrated writer Stewart Mandel wrote an article titled Bomar scandal will rock Sooners in 2006 and beyond, referring to the car dealership Big Red Sports and Imports, and the employment of Rhett Bomar. How prophetic of him.

At the time everyone hated Big Red Sports and Imports.  No one wanted to buy a car from them, the local sports talk radio station buzzed with hate towards them, and we even lost a mulleted fixture of car commercials.  Many were giving up on the OU football team for the next few years and could just picture Mack Brown laughing down in Austin.  It was a sad sight.

In stepped a red shirt freshman quarterback, the next year, that would hopefully be able to at least carry the team while they figured things out.  After all the next 3 to 4 years had been put on Rhett’s right arm.  Not only did this red shirt freshman “at least” carry the team, he led them to a Big 12 title and a BCS bowl game.  Things were looking up.  The pain that Rhett and Big Red Sports and Imports left in peoples hearts was beginning to fade.

This year while Rhett was down enjoying Sam Houston State University, visions of National Championships danced in Sooners’ heads.  This year Sam Bradford was the man and all of Sooner Nation was relying on his right arm.  He did not let us down.  Through smart thinking and laser locked throws, Sam Bradford took the Heisman trophy from two other quarterbacks and the Sooners are going back to play in the National Championship.  It’s funny how Heisman trophy’s, Big 12 Championships, and playing in the National Championship game can heal wounds.

That is why I would like to say Thank you Big Red Sports and Imports.  I know you had this in your master plans the whole time.  A sort of cleaning house, if you will.  Who are we to question your judgement on which college players you want to pay and who you don’t.  You had us in mind the whole time.  We are sorry for getting mad at you and calling you names.  We really didn’t mean it.  We will now put you back on our list of places we can purchase cars from.  We just have one little request though.  Please stay away from Sam Bradford at least for a little bit longer. Okay? Deal.