Mortgages: Are Americans that Short-sighted?
My wife and I have been going through the fun process of house-shopping (some sarcasm intended). One thing that has really surprised me is that the lenders we have talked to are still pushing ARM’s and other “creative” financing options to get people to buy houses they can’t afford.
Haven’t we been through this before? Isn’t that why banks are writing down billions of dollars right now?
The last mortgage company I talked to kept trying to tell me that I should pay more for a house in order to buy the interest rate down - it doesn’t stop there - for 2 years. That’s it - pay 3% more for your house so you have a lower payment… for 2 years.
So what that tells me is that at least some people are willing to implicitly bet that their income will increase over the next 2 years despite all of the economic data that would should convince them otherwise. Oh well - hopefully it will leave plenty of nice houses on the market for good prices when the next wave of ARM’s resets…
Palm Centro
I’m trying out the Palm Centro for a couple of months - I’ve already had it for a couple of weeks and so far I really like it.
Good
The Size - I love how small this thing is. Even though it’s being billed as a cheaper, younger smartphone, it does everything my 700p did (and more).
Chat client - One of the new features is a chat client that makes it easy to chat with yahoo, msn or aim. I don’t use it much, but when I have needed to it was really nice.
The Keyboard - At first I thought the keyboard may have been too small - not so. Since I’ve been using it I haven’t had any problems.
Bad
Battery life - I used to love the Palm OS because the battery life was so much longer than its Windows Mobile counterpart. Since introducing push email (via Exchange ActiveSync), it might as well be a Windows Mobile device. I use my phone a lot during the day, but I should easily be able to go a full day without charging. Usually I am getting a warning at nighttime that I need to charge it. (Many people have suggested I turn off the ActiveSync - I’m addicted, it’s not an option).
Stylus - I don’t understand why you would create such a good looking phone and then put in a stylus that feels flimsier than a french fry. A little metal stylus would go a long way to making this feel like a solid device.
Highly Recommended
I recommend the centro to anybody who wants a smartphone without the size. Unfortunately upgrading the stylus isn’t an option yet, but you could always get an extra battery.