Apple

After they crashed my phone and erased my data (I did not unlock my phone. I had some custom ringtones on the phone, created using iTunes, and apparently that was unacceptable to Apple), I decided to stop giving Apple any more of my money. They have already gotten plenty of it and they are SO greedy for more. Frankly it's a side of capitalism I am disgusted by (as much as I do appreciate a capitalist society, and yes, I do believe my purchasing dollar has tremendous power, this was just the last straw after a series of issues with Apple). Unfortunately, Christmas is making me break this new rule. Although, I've decided enough with them, there are many people on my list that have requested or would really love an Apple gift, so I have to compromise and shell out more money to help them become the mean, greedy, blood-thirsty behemoth that they aspire to be. Because of my guilt over these recent purchases, I'm going to pimp out sites and products that I think are superior to Apple's to hopefully, counteract my purchases.

Amazon mp3's. Wide selection. Easy downloading (and yes, they will add to your iTunes library, if you wish it). No DRM. Many are cheaper (not by much, but it's the principle) and they're higher quality.

Microsoft Office. Great, comprehensive, familiar suite of productivity applications. The spreadsheet can't be beat. Powerpoint and Word are also packed with features. And if you love to hate Bill Gates, there is always the future: Google online spreadsheet and documents (ooo. While writing this up, I saw that they now have presentations).

The Blackberry Pearl or the Motorola Ming. These were the phones I was researching before Apple lowered the prices on their iPhone and sucked me in again. I'm sure most of you are already familiar with the highly lauded capabilities of the Pearl and surely you've seen the addicts who are just some Crazyglue away from making it a permanent appendage extending from their left hand, ready to start texting or emailing at a moment's notice. But, you may not know the Ming. It is not available in the American market, but you can purchase an unlocked one to work on most networks. Your Asian friends who are familiar with it may scoff at you for being so out of date (it was released nearly three years ago in that market), but it is like most Motorola phones: beautiful, user-friendly, and sturdy. If a touchscreen is your wish, this is the way to go. This phone is entirely touchscreen (no built-in keypad). It's architecture is built on a Linux platform so it's stable and open-source (for all you developers out there). I had already placed the order to purchase this phone the night before the iPhone prices dropped. I kind of still wish I had gotten it.