Is last year's model better? iPhone 6 creates a storage space dilemma

Is last year's model better? iPhone 6 creates a storage space dilemma:

The new iPhone offers several features over its 5S predecessor: a faster processor, bigger screen, near field communications for payments, and purportedly longer battery life.

But it has the same base storage (16 GB) as the iPhone 3G, which premiered 5 years ago! (In that time, storage costs for solid state drives have fallen by 80%).

Apps have grown significantly in size, to take advantage of many new features and higher resolution screens. And data plans have become limited, requiring more local storage for those not constantly on wifi.

For a customer signing a new 2-year contract with a wireless provider, the iPhone 6 will cost $199. But for $50 less, the same person could last year’s flagship phone, iPhone 5S, with double the storage capacity - 32GB. To get more than that on the new phone model, you have to get the 64 GB upgrade for a total of $300, twice what the 5S costs.

There are probably enough people with grandfathered unlimited data plans for whom the cloud (via a cellular data connection) can supplement the measly 16 GB base storage. But Apple’s refusal to increase the base storage for it’s flagship phone is pretty cheap, and I wonder if it will drive some Apple phone purchasers to last year’s model in search of a better deal.

10 reasons why you shouldn't vote for a vet

10 reasons why you shouldn't vote for a vet:

Maryland Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Douglas Gansler committed a campaign faux pas this week when he intoned that his opponent, Lieutenant Governor and Iraq war veteran Anthony Brown, was not as prepared to do a “real job.” The situation is full of peculiarities. via Pocket

After Ferguson, Race Deserves More Attention, Not Less

After Ferguson, Race Deserves More Attention, Not Less:

MANY white Americans say they are fed up with the coverage of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. A plurality of whites in a recent Pew survey said that the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves. via Pocket

The Slow Motion Lynching of President Barack Obama

The Slow Motion Lynching of President Barack Obama:

I’ve watched liberal and right wing commentators alike blame the president for being lynched. They say “he’s not reaching out enough” or “he’s too cold.” It’s the equivalent of assuming that the black man being beaten by a couple of thug cops must have “done something.” via Pocket

Test If Your Batteries Are Dead By Dropping Them on a Hard Surface

Test If Your Batteries Are Dead By Dropping Them on a Hard Surface:

Skip the battery tester and use this quick and easy way to test if your batteries are dead: Just drop them. The video above by electrical engineer Lee Hite explains why dead batteries bounce, in very thorough scientific detail. On YouTube, he says: via Pocket

'The US Economy Performs Better Under Democratic Presidents. Why?'

'The US Economy Performs Better Under Democratic Presidents. Why?':

In case you missed this research from Blinder and Watson: The US economy performs better under Democratic presidents. Why?, by Alan S. via Pocket

Growing Pressure on Obama to Do Something Stupid

Growing Pressure on Obama to Do Something Stupid:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Arguing that his motto “Don’t do stupid stuff” is not a coherent foreign policy, critics of President Obama are pressuring him to do something stupid without further delay. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C. via Pocket

Bring Back the Party of Lincoln

Bring Back the Party of Lincoln:

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. via Pocket

A Call for a Low-Carb Diet

A Call for a Low-Carb Diet:

People who avoid carbohydrates and eat more fat, even saturated fat, lose more body fat and have fewer cardiovascular risks than people who follow the low-fat diet that health authorities have favored for decades, a major new study shows. via Pocket