Back in September I wasted like $5 on ESPN’s Fantasy Football League 2009 iPhone App. It’s about what I expected from a paid app. It’s pretty well designed, easy enough to use, and has functionality not available anywhere else. I can manage multiple leagues, make substitutions and pickup players, see my current matchup, and get push alerts for injuries, start vs bench projections, and hourly score updates.

It’s a solid app but as the season has worn on it has shown how stupid it is especially with alerts. Examples:

1. It’s Thursday night so the Jets are playing at Buffalo. Neither I or anyone I’m playing this week are starting players from either team so no one is scoring any points tonight, but I’m still getting hourly score updates of “you’re tied 0-0”
2. It’s Thursday and Matt Ryan, my starting quarterback (don’t ask), went out last Sunday. When will I get that injury push notification? Sunday a little before noon, maybe after the first set of games kick off. Very helpful!
3. Those notifications that tell you if a bench player is projected to outscore a starter come just as late and are just as useless.
4. Just like I get alerts before anyone on either team starts playing, I also get alerts after everyone on either team has finished playing. Maybe there are people out there that want to be reminded every hour about how the week went, but it’s flat out annoying to me.

Did you notice the ‘2009’ in the app title? I’m pretty sure that means next year I’m going to have to buy a completely new app (maybe). ESPN has been pretty good about making iPhone apps and iPhone-optimized sites. Didn’t they hear that you can make in-app updates and offer paid upgrades with iPhone OS 3.0? I don’t want to buy and download another app. I’d gladly pay to upgrade the bugs in this one.

I already paid, I might pay again, but there are still ads in the app. For some reason I thought paying for apps typically got rid of ads. Soon enough the ESPNFFL09 icon will move to my last page of apps or maybe get deleted altogether…

kevinrose:

1. Sonos S5 ($399 – own it, love it)
I can’t say enough good things about the newly released Sonos S5. Perfectly synced multi-room audio all controlled from your iPhone/iPod touch, Sonos controller, or desktop app.  The S5 supports local library streaming as well as Pandora, Raphsody, SirusXM and more.  The S5 is individually powered by 5 dedicated digital amplifiers, 2 tweeters, 2 mid-range drivers and 1 bass driver. I was blown away by the audio quality for how small it is.  But don’t let the size fool you, it easily packs enough punch for a house party.

2. Fitbit ($99 – ordered mine, still awaiting arrival)
From their website: “The Fitbit accurately tracks your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. The Fitbit tracks your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities.” Fitbit turns exercise into a game w/web charts and graphs.

3. HTC Droid Eris ($99 w/2yr Verizon contract)
I admit it, I’m Android curious — and while I like the Droid, I’m over keyboards.  The HTC Droid Eris is 100% touchscreen goodness w/the Android OS (see above link for review and details about upcoming update).

4. New iMac ($1,199+ – own it, love it)
New full glass display, magic mouse, and updated innards make this the perfect time to buy.  I’ll be dual booting Windows 7 (support coming soon to bootcamp) for the upcoming releases of Starcraft 2 and Diablo III.

5. Beats Studio Headphones by Dr. Dre ($299)
I fly a lot, I love my Bose — that is until I tried the Beats by Dr. Dre.  Yes, Monster (cable) has made us overpay in the past, but these headphones are pretty legit.  Great sound, active noise canceling, and some solid reviews.

6. Blackburn LED USB Bike Light ($54 – own it, love it)
Super bright, velcro straps, rechargeable w/your laptop, awesome.

7. DJ Hero w/Turntable ($109)
Everybody wants to be a DJ. From the makers of Guitar Hero.

8. Braun Series 7 Shaver ($229 – own it, love it)
Self cleaning base station, LED indicator lights, futuristic look and a solid shave. Expensive, but badass.

9-10. Must have good reads:
Tipping Point ($8.97 – own it, love it)
The Wisdom of Crowds ($10.20 – own it, love it)

Sitting in an NFL stadium in the 3rd largest city in America you’d think I’d have decent if not excellent cell coverage. I have 5 bars but can’t send or receive texts, update Twitter, or check in on Brightkite. God forbid I want to stream on Qik, check my fantasy scores, or check to see how to take a cab home. Fine I’m a geek but I pay for a separate elevated data plan.

I’m tired of AT&T’s terrible service. I’ll keep my iPhone but will join whatever network let’s me do the bare essentials from my smart phone. I’m done sticking up for AT&T!