Parentella

Have you noticed that you aren’t watching as much TV as you used to? DVR is getting to be a pain?

We also noticed the same and decided to downgrade our cable. We were lucky. We were at the end of our contract with Time Warner Cable. Therefore, we removed all our DVRs and moved to basic cable. Please note that if you are in a similar situation, there is a $45 early termination charge. We had that waived as well, I don’t even want to start.

So you might wonder if are moving to a time also known as my childhood. Fear not, we moved to Netflix and Hulu+. We are thinking about adding CinemaNow. I also am an Amazon Prime member so I can access that content too.

I believe a Roku box lets me access all the above channels.

Why we moved to Internet Media:

1. With Hulu+, I no longer have to DVR. I know I sound lazy but with kids, work load, and with a need to read, I just don’t have the time. With Hulu+, I have regained my time back. Yes, there is advertising in Hulu+ but I just mute it and go check my Facebook or Twittah!
2. Netflix, hello my Bollywood buddy: I have been watching awesome Hindi movies that I missed because I live in the US. I think I may have watched all the Hindi movies on Netflix. There is also Mela.com which has more movies but I need to get a Roku box. I will try it out and let you know what I think.
3. CinemaNow has new movies on demand. I love watching movies so having new releases at my finger tips is very attractive.
4. The cost! We slashed our cable bill by 50%. Netflix is $7.99 a month. Hulu+ is the same. CinemaNow has movies for rent for $3.99. Those numbers work for me.
5. NO Contracts: Yeah! I love that I can cancel anytime. It is fantastic. Did I mention there are no contracts with Internet Media?

Time Warner Cable was not happy losing us. I hope they change and offer more competitive pricing. Till then, we are thrilled with our new services.

One thing really bothers me though. Why do I, a consumer, only have 2 options for cable? Time Warner Cable or AT&T. It should be a free market right? I am really happy about Internet media that has truly put the consumer in the driver’s seat.

Google+: Preview

Google+ is Google’s answer to Facebook but way better. I have been using it for 15 minutes now and I can already see endless possibilities and use cases. First, let me tell you why I like it so much. So without further delay, here are my reasons:

1.) It is very easy to use. I had no trouble getting set up and started. I was invited by a friend. I landed on a screen that allowed me to add people to “circles”. I just dragged and dropped the people I talk to all the time via email and I was off and running.

2.) It is easy to share information with my circles. I can post video, photos, etc. What is awesome is the “Disable reshare” feature that prevents people who aren’t in my circle to pass on my photos to other people. Because of Facebook’s privacy policy, lol, or the lack thereof, I seldom post pictures. I always end up emailing photos and videos to my friends and family. I like that I can easily share photos without fear of abuse. for now.

3.) I like the “Hangout” tool. I can video chat with my family and I look forward to testing it with people overseas.

4.) Here is a screen shot of the stream where all the group information appears. You can filter by the circle that you want to see. I like it because it helps me organize my life a little bit more. I look forward to creating circles for my kids’ schools, work collaboration, and keeping it all together.

What I don’t like about it so far:

1. My friend and I were posting things and the “stream” seems a bit choppy and hard to follow.
2. My battery depleting Faaaaast on Google+! I had my MBP charged and within an hour, it is down to an hour’s worth of use left. Usually, it lasts me 6+ hours on a single charge and the only thing I added today is Google+.

I will write more about it. For now, Enjoy. If you’d like to check it out, leave a comment with your email.