I'm back

[vskid]

So I left in July for Army BCT (as seen here) and I've had no internet access until now. I graduated today and I'm currently chilling with my family. I'm shipping out to AIT tomorrow, where I'll have internet access, but probably not much time to use it. I'm out of the loop with pretty much all that has been going on in the world (I saw the new ipod nano at Walmart today and about pooped myself). So a quick update of tech and BH news would be nice (how is the 360 slim?).

I got a Samsung Fascinate from Verizon today, now that I have a steady source of income. Any app recommendations? What's Verizon's limit for their "unlimited" data plan, and what happens when you exceed it?

[eagle5953]

Hey, glad to have you back (if only temporarily).

[vskid]

Hey, glad to have you back (if only temporarily).

Not temporarily, just probably not too often.

[Black Six]

I think the Verizon limit is 5 GB per month. After that, you get charged by the MB.

Welcome back and congrats! What lovely part of the country are you getting stationed in?

[Snow_Cat]

I would be isinclined to try roaming with Verizon's 'unlimited' plan...

Spoiler:

YouTube.comVerizon Math

[vskid]

Im at my training, no computer access for two weeks. I need help with my Fascinate. I got an app to adjust the brightness in hopes of lowering it even more. One of the default values for the app was 0 and it turns out that it lets that turn the brightness completely down, which on an oled screen means off. So now i can see the start up splash screens and then it goes black. I used my roommates iphone to look up how to restore it, but it still doesnt work. Does anyone have any ideas or could do some searching to see what i can do? Should i just take it to a verizon store when i can?

[ghosstt]

This should work for you:

Turn the power off. If your Samsung Fascinate is frozen, pull the battery out and reinsert it
Hold the Volume Down button
Press and release the Power button
You are now presented with a menu that allows for Fastbook, Recovery, Clear Storage, and Simlock
Select Clear Storage by pressing the Volume Down button
Press and release the Power button
Now simply confirm your decision: Volume Up for YES and Volume Down for NO
If you selected YES, all data including third-party applications will be deleted from the Samsung Fascinate. Once the wipe is complete, the phone will reboot to its factory fresh state.

EDIT: Maybe not.. heres the original thread.. take it at your own risk:
http://androidforums.com/fascinate-supp ... -mode.html

[vskid]

Called verizon and tried restoring the phone a few more times, still no dice. I'll be sending it in for a new one on Tuesday, but because of my situation which is too long to explain using an iphone, it'll probably take me at least a couple weeks to get the new one.

Now for a new question. I'm looking to buy a new laptop (having a steady income helps with that), but im not sure what i want. I was thinking of getting a pretty good one on black friday and just a decent one now (if it has a battery, it beats my current one). Im looking to spend 4-500 for the decent one, anything you guys can recommend? How do the athlon neos compare with atom and atom/ion. I would be willing to spend a bit more if i could get one that will handle games ok and then not get one on black friday. The games i would like it to handle are steam powered games and supreme commander. And by handle i mean medium settings, average resolution with minimal slowdown, nothing too insane. Is that doable?