Chromecast with Google TV (4K, Snow)
1. Cannot open battery cover on remote. Ridiculous.
2. It's stationary but there is no Ethernet port. Yes, it connects via WiFi but why isn't a WIRED connection an option? Previous Chromecast dongle had an Ethernet port on its power plug.
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You could break a finger and/or the little remote control trying to open the battery cover, which must be done periodically.
Really? WiFi only? What the heck?
Updated August 11, 2022: I received the $300 two days ago: August 9. Google was good to its word.
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This post documents and time stamps that I met the Google requirements for the full $300 after my purchase of the new Pixel 6A phone. Here's a four minute video of my Pixel 3A phone showing that it's in good condition and has been factory reset:
One minute video of me actually mailing the Pixel 3A phone to Google at the main United States Postal Service office this morning shortly before 11:00 AM (New York to Tennessee):
Stay tuned for an update with the trade-in amount received.
https://www.ooma.com/home-phone-service/basic/
Ooma Basic comes with all of the features you’d expect, and even some you wouldn’t expect, like initiating calls with Amazon Alexa.
*You only pay monthly taxes and fees. Check here
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Email:
from: Ooma <newsletter@ooma.com>
reply-to: Ooma <newsletter@ooma.com>
to: ken
date: Jul 22, 2022, 4:05 PM
subject: Welcome to Ooma!
Warm Regards,
Roy Calvo
Chief Customer Advocate
_____________________________
from: Ken
to: Ooma <newsletter@ooma.com>
date: Jul 24, 2022, 4:56 PM
subject: Re: Welcome to Ooma!
Hey, Roy, your free is not free. You make us pay $7 tax each month.
And you hide that we have Premier for 60 days and have an opt out that's not likely to be figured out.
That's why you insist on getting our credit card, even for a "free" account. So that you can collect at least a few bucks.
You're not exactly a crook but close enough for me to want to cancel but I can't do that online. I have to wait for Monday - Friday Pacific time.
_____________________________
from: noreply@ooma.com via gmail.com
to: ken
date: Jul 24, 2022, 4:57 PM
subject: Auto Response (Re: Welcome to Ooma!)
Hello from Ooma!
We're sorry, but you have reached a mailbox that does not accept incoming email.
_____________________________
*** End of Emails ***
My comments:
1. You must enter your credit card to complete activation of your account.
2. To cancel the Premier service you have to find the page and click a cancel box that has about ten boxes below, each with a feature. But the button below is not activated. So I tried clicking one of the ten subboxes. Still nothing. Finally I clicked them ALL. Only then was I able to complete cancellation of the Ooma Premier service.
Tacky at best.
I used the service for a few days and it worked for making and receiving voice phone calls. But I'm so ticked off by the multiple deceptive items mentioned above, that I intend to cancel tomorrow, Monday.
Plus, I have voice service from Optimum for $10 per month. I wanted an alternative in case I switched to Verizon FIOS, which charges $25 per month for voice service.
and another show Internet download speeds just now are way below what Optimum claims to provide.
I'm supposed to have one gig Internet speed. But multiple tests just now show less than half; one is 399K. Where is my gig?
OBiTalk/Poly shipped Polycom OBi200 Google Voice VOIP box with outdated firmware. THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022
OBiTalk/Poly "support": forums, hidden "email" form. FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022
Poly PGS Obi Consumer Support <obi.support@poly.com> Jun 24, 2022, 6:39 PM
Dear Kenneth
Thank you so much for your prompt response
I've run a test on your OBi200 ... and everything looks fine
The device is added to your dashboard, firmware is up to date, and Google Voice is connected.
You should be able to make and receive calls by now.
Please confirm if you still need our assistance.
Ken: Jun 24, 2022, 10:55 PM
OK. It's working again. So why did it stop working for much of the day and what should I do if it happens again?
Ken: Jun 25, 2022, 9:18 AM
Failed just now. Rejected by service provider. Reason 603. Unbelievable.
Ken: Jun 25, 2022, 9:45 AM
I'm getting error 603 dialing a mobile number but I can receive incoming calls from that same number and I can call my home number, which is through a cable company, not a land line. My home cannot reach my Google Voice phone, which is attached to your OBi200.
Ken: Jun 26, 2022, 2:27 PM
I'm getting those same stupid error messages again today, Sunday June 26, 2022. Your OBi200 has fundamental intermittent failures.
Ken: Jun 26, 2022, 2:40 PM
I just requested a return of your OBi200 to Amazon. Approved by Amazon. I submitted comments to Amazon as to why, as described in this email thread.
Poly PGS Obi: Jun 27, 2022, 6:30 PM
Dear Kenneth
Thank you for the update
Regarding error message: Rejected by service provider. Reason 603
Could be on the Google Voice side or on our side
Sometimes just dialing the number 1 before the phone number resolves the issue
Other times you need to re-authenticate the connection between them or just configure the modem ports
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance
Ken: Jun 27, 2022, 6:34 PM
I returned it this morning.
Poly PGS Obi: Jun 27, 2022, 6:33 PM
Dear Kenneth Matinale,
We value your business and take pride in offering the best possible support. Your feedback will help us improve how we deliver services to you today and in the future.
Please share your feedback regarding Case nnnnnnn, raised with us on 6/24/2022 for your OBi 200 via our online survey. This survey takes less than 2 minutes to complete.
_________________________
My feedback in the survey:
Your product OBi200 shipped with outdated firmware, which caused me to spend one hour on the phone just to get your product registered. Then it failed and I returned it. Your support was almost impossible to find and did not solve or resolve.
You are too convoluted and oblivious.
_______________________
Added one day later:
_______________________
Poly PGS Obi: Jun 28, 2022, 9:11 AM
Dear Kenneth
Yes, we know that you returned to Amazon
I just want to let you know the reason why you're been getting that error message
The case number for your reference is nnnnnnnn. If you need any further assistance, please let us know.
For more options on how to connect with us please click on the below link and select SUPPORT https://www.poly.com/contact .
Ken: Jun 28, 2022, 9:19 AM
So what's the reason for the error message?
Poly PGS Obi: Jun 28, 2022, 10:31 AM
Dear Kenneth
Below you will find the message that I sent you yesterday
Also, you can just type the error message "Rejected by service provider. Reason 603" on the Google search bar and you will get a lot of information.
Regarding error message: Rejected by service provider. Reason 603
Could be on the Google Voice side or on our side
Sometimes just dialing the number 1 before the phone number resolves the issue
Other times you need to re-authenticate the connection between them or just configure the modem ports
Ken: Jun 28, 2022, 10:45 AM
Yes, I read that yesterday but it hardly constitutes an answer by a tech company. Suggesting today that I do a Google search confirms that. I'll include this exchange in my next post on my blog. Do you want the link?
Poly PGS Obi: Jun 28, 2022, 11:05 AM
Dear Kenneth
Regarding your inquiries
it hardly constitutes an answer by a tech company.
I am sorry that the answer is not satisfactory to your expectations.
Do you want the link?
Sure, no problem at all.
You can also visit our Forum at any time
*** The End ***
Updated June 28, 2022, 4:00 PM
I use a Chromebook (Pixelbook from Google) and free Google Docs, mostly its spreadsheet program. I create my spreadsheets on a Google server so I do not need to be concerned about backing up.
Occasionally, I use my Windows 10 Microsoft Surface laptop to run single user database management system (DBMS) Microsoft Access, which came out about 30 years ago. Its basics haven't changed much. In some ways it has regressed. It's ridiculous "ribbon" at the top, which replaces drop down menus, keeps getting more convoluted. What happened to "open tables" I think it was called? Simpler is almost always better.
Also, the Access programming team has not adapted the product for more varied screen resolutions. There are numerous anomalies, including the "ribbon" and "Navigation Pane" (Who knew it was called that?) present with font size that's really small at default resolutions in Windows 10. A solution: Settings "Ease of Access" "Make text bigger" at 170%. Hit the Apply button and Access is now more readable with table and query names in the Navigation Pane larger. The "ribbon" is also larger. Unfortunately, Access error messages are impervious to anything and still have tiny font size. Argh. And the record number info at the bottom gets squeezed vertically to become unreadable. Doesn't Microsoft check this stuff?
Criticism of Access tends to default to it not being multi-user and online. Duh. Would you expect that of a spreadsheet program like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel?
So why do I use Microsoft Access? Because it supports a relational database structure and query by example. Say what?
Query by example let's you create an ad hoc query based on multiple tables that connect to each other through common keys. A table contains data and is a bit like a spreadsheet in which rows are called records and columns are fields. It can also have a key field, which can contain a unique value, like Social Security number. More on this below.
I use Access for baseball research, which I then present in my blog:
The database I use provides a good example. It contains tables:
People: about 20,000 major league players going back into the 1800s.
Batting: annual data for each player connected to the player via an alphanumeric key field. 110,000 records.
Pitching: same as batting except for pitching data.
Teams: more specific data about the teams.
Franchises: example, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 but all time franchise records apply going back into the 1800s. Another example: the original Washington Senators moved to Minneapolis in 1961 and renamed the team the Minnesota Twins. Similarly, the St. Louis Browns moved in 1954 and became the Baltimore Orioles.
Back to query by example. You open a blank query and drag in an "image" of tables with their fields. Let's say from my example the People and Batting tables. You drag your cursor from the PlayerID field in People to the same in Batting. Now you've got a one to many relationship. You cannot do this fundamental DBMS "join" in a spreadsheet. Now you do all sorts of wonderful things with all that data. You can also take small chunks of it and copy/paste it into a spreadsheet and do stuff that's more manageable there.
I do not know of any other end user program that does anything this powerful so easily. Microsoft Access generates SQL.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standardized programming language that's used to manage relational databases and perform various operations on the data in them. ... SQL became the de facto standard programming language for relational databases after they emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The user of Access can view and even edit the SQL that his query generates but that user has no need to do that.
I tell people that they should learn to use a spreadsheet, that it's the closest thing to programming for non techie people without learning to program. It can be used at work. But if not at work, it can be used in their own lives, sort of like learning to be an electrician, plumber, carpenter but not doing that as a profession. Such skills always come in handy. Same with knowing spreadsheets.
Access databases go beyond spreadsheets. They are not for everyone. But for single user work that exceeds the capability of a spreadsheet program, you cannot beat Access.
But I'd like to get away from my Windows 10 Microsoft Surface laptop and the stagnation that Microsoft has let impact Access. I'd like to stick with Google Docs on my Chromebook. So, we need Google to build its better version of Microsoft Access. Please.
Address not found |
| Your message wasn't delivered to OptimumSupport@optimum.net because the address couldn't be found, or is unable to receive mail. |
Message blocked |
| Your message to OptimumSupport@optimum.com has been blocked. See technical details below for more information. |
Nice, huh? About all you can do is guess as to what might be a working email. There's no online form, either. Only the incredibly artificial intelligence of the little Optimum online box that cannot understand anything.
Customers are stuck calling for support on the phone and being jerked around interminably by a call prompting system that doesn't seem to know when a support person might be available. Finally, there's the announcement that "all of our support people are busy". Yeah, all one of THEM.
Feedback to Altice Optimum on self installation of a box because the previous box crapped out:
I wasted a couple of hours talking to your support person who missed obvious clues. Apparently, the box needed to be provisioned. I told her repeatedly that the error message that flashed on the screen mentioned that "BPE not provisioned". Finally, I took a photo so that I could read the entire error message but still it never occurred to her. Later, I called back but this time I selected the other call prompting option for provisioning and I spoke to Mohammed, who fixed everything, although even that took another hour.
All because you failed to inform me about the need to get your box entered into your system as one that should be connected to my account. Ridiculous.
Actual message, cleaned up a bit, including hiding the last four digits of her phone number:
Update after posting: her phone number is no longer in service, so there is no need to hide it: (646) 564-8210.
She sent the photo, which was not one of those she had posted in her now deleted OKCupid profile.
Hi Joe. THIS IS aGNES
Message by (646) 564-nnnn:
AGNES, Friday, February 26 2021, 9:05 PM
Hi, Agnes.
Fri 9:06 PM
May I call now?
Message by (646) 564-nnnn:
I want to be sure you real. So many fake profiles on OKC.
I would like to see your ID before further communication between us 9:16 PM
Message by Joe: I have an ID? 9:17 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: Your driver's license and I will do the same 9:18 PM
Message by Joe: Video call? 9:18 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: I will do that after confirming you are real 9:18 PM
Message by Joe: We could have a conversation. It will convince you I'm not a Romanian guy in his underwear trying to pull a scam. 9:19 PM
Message by Joe: I'm getting the license. 9:20 PM
Photo of driver's license
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: When was the picture taken?
Message by Joe: How the heck do I know?
Do a video call or forget it. 9:26 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: I'm sorry for asking too many questions. I was a victim of online scam
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: I'm asking when the pic in the license taken because it is a bit different 9:27 PM
Message by Joe: DMV takes terrible photos. 9:28 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: What is your SSN? Mine is 050 134 9920 9:29 PM
Message by Joe: Forget it. 9:30 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: Hmmmm 9:31 PM
Message by Joe: You scammed me into sending my license. That's a first. 9:31 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: I'm not scamming you here. You do not understand the trauman I went through when A man I met online took over $240.000 dollars from me 9:32 PM
Note: Her money uses a period instead of a comma, suggesting European use. And she uses both $ and "dollars".
Message by Joe: Send your driver's license 9:32 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: He deceived me of marriage and loan the money from me for business, 9:32 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnn: I will send to you but the driver's license with the pic of you don't look the same 9:33 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: If you can't let me confirm your SSN to be sure you real then I'm not for you 9:34 PM
Message by Joe: Your (OKCupid) profile disappeared. Just when I was about to report you. Enjoy the weather in Romania. 9:34 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: I keep my profile hidden because of too many fake profiles sending me messages 9:35 PM
Message by (646) 564-nnnn: Do you still want to video chat or not?, Friday, February 26 2021, 10:00 PM
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What the heck? I'm minding my own business watching the local broadcast of the Knicks NBA game and from out of nowhere comes this commercial with a steady stream of woke nonsense, ending with a little black girl shaking her fist at the camera. Fade out to the Google logo.
Hey, Page and Brin and the Indian guy running things in your absence, get some common sense. It's obvious that a big part of the intended audience is your clown employees, isolated and insulated in your corporate campus. Wake the heck up!
On the Optimum website all I could find was a PDF file of the hardcopy of the TV channels sent to customers, which is almost impossible to understand and is out of date and with no prices either on the document or elsewhere on the website for existing customers.
Plus, even if you want to increase your TV service, you must call. You cannot do it online. Getting a live person on the phone takes time and may take multiple attempts.
What the heck? Apparently Altice Optimum does not want its customers to understand their TV options.
