New toy time! - Samsung Galaxy S3

More of a forced upon me change this one, but I still do love a new toy as return readers and/or people who know me already are well aware of, but usually I seek them out rather than them being forced!

I've had some issues with the three network over the months, their poor signal, poor service, the disaster of a phone call trying to cancel my mobile broadband... it's all built up.

The mobile signal was the ongoing issue though, and finally, after my 5th time of referring it to the 100% outsourced call centre, they agreed the product wasn't for me and allowed me to return the phone and go elsewhere. Bye bye my lovely iPhone 4, I enjoyed using you, if not using you particularly quickly or at all in areas with poor signal quality.

But what now? I need a new phone and fairly quickly as my three stuff ends today.

Come sunny Sunday morning, after some online research and asking on facebook/twitter (@andrewdrisc!) to Carphone Warehouse we headed to have a moment of hands on with the shortlist:

iPhone 4s
Samsung Galaxy s3
HTC One x

It took me about 14 seconds to make the decision, it was a Galaxy all the way, not this galaxy

Or sadly this one:

but this one (in blue):

I've now had it for a couple of days and I'm impressed, some of the things that made me android wary aren't really issues at all, their app store is good, I'm not missing anything I use regularly and have found new stuff, it runs easy is simple to use and their version of iTunes, while it doesn't sell stuff, runs... just like iTunes. 

The phone itself is great, the screen is lovely, its responsive and while the battery isn't great still, in it's infancy it's easily adequate (and if needed you can take it out and replace it!!). There'll be some getting used to it, but as of now I'm very happy with my purchase.

The contract comes with unlimited data and tethering (which I'm using right now!) and the signal... well there is some, I have signal! This feels a bit weird after about a year of cutting out calls and no 3G. Bravo T-Mobile/Orange.

Now I've never been a tech snob, any brand has a shout with me, it's all about the quality of the product, but I did like my iPhone(s). The iPhone 5 is coming i know and I'm sure it'll be lovely and shiny and new a feature packed, but I had to choose now and by the looks of it I've made a cracking choice.

I will take this opportunity to have a last swing at three though, honestly people these are best avoided. The signal can be poor, obviously not everywhere, but everywhere I wanted and the service is worse. Avoid!

Twin Peaks

Generally I'm not a massive fan of television. Quite allot of it is shite, there's no denying it. I'm thinking of the Big Brothers, the Geordie Shores, The TOWIEs of this world as the absolute dross. Then follow that up with the 3,457 singing and dancing shows and that's probably about 40% of the TV listings covered already. Sometimes it feels like clever, inventive TV has died, and now only only production value that matters is appealing to the lowest common denominator so lots of chavs will watch then go on twitter saying how lush Fred is cos like he's so like cool. That strategy works, they do, and that the lord my twitter allows me to filter out and ignore keywords. It's like soooo awesome.

Occasionally I find something I like though. Generally it's long after it was on TV and using the media of DVD, Blu Ray or Netflix. Such media has presented me with the likes of Dr Horrible (not really tele I know), Firefly (I never got round to watching it at the time, but now I know 'tis awesome) and many more. Most recently I watched Twin Peaks.

Now I was 8 when it was on first, I wasn't getting it then, I watched it half heartedly in the late 90s, but never saw it all. So now I thought, let's go, who did kill Laura Palmer? 30 episodes later I finished what must be one of the finest TV series ever made, it was funny, clever, dramatic, sometimes confusing, usually a bit odd, but of the highest quality. David Lynch and Mark Frost, take a bow.

I'm not going to post anything potentially a bit spoiler-y, although out of context not much would help. So I'll leave it with just a recommendation, go watch, it's a decent reason to get the Netflix free month on its own.

Then once you're done with that there's the film. A prequel! Fire Walk with me just had a new Blu-Ray and DVD press just for when I finish the series, what are the chances!?!

I shelled out my cash and I have a copy, it's flawed, technically I mean the audio track slows down randomly a few times, which isn't ideal but it doesn't bother actually watching it. It's much... harsher than the series, the tone is darker and it shows things (violence, nudity) the series generally only hints at. Nevertheless it's good stuff and well worth a watch, but series first or it'll spoil the who-done-it part of the series. And it'll make little sense at times.

OK it makes little sense at times anyway, but it all pulls together in the end. Plus for some reason Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Isaak and David Bowie all turn up (briefly).

Go on, give it a go. They really don't make TV like this any more. Plus with Lynch cold on the idea, can't see it happening again, even though there is a line in the script which leaves it wide open.