Totally Impressed

Recently I had two pieces of electronics go bad on me - my macbook laptop screen and my Xbox 360. On my 360 I received the infamous "red ring of death." After making Apple and Xbox (division of Microsoft) aware of my problem they immediately starting the process of helping me with a solution.

For my mac, there was some sort of crack on the inside of my screen. I called Apple and made an appointment with the Genius bar at the nearest Apple store. When I arrived to my appointment I was pleased to see 60" screens on the back wall letting everyone know that "Jared U." was the next customer to be helped. Someone got right to me and took a look at my laptop. After the technician inspected it, he determined that the crack was not covered under the warranty. This was seemingly bad news since I paid for a three year warranty. However, after a manager was told about it, he intervened and assured me that it was indeed covered. In the whole process I was treated very well. Apple made it easy and when I received my laptop back in a short four days, they completely replaced the whole interior of the laptop. A new keyboard, all new plastic parts, and a brand new shiny screen. Way to go Apple!

For my Xbox, I searched online to find a number to call and inquire about the "red ring." Turns out that they have an online service request form that is quick and easy. After determining that I would have to send my Xbox out to get fixed, they gave me three options: 1) print out a shipping label, 2) have them send me a shipping label, or 3) have them ship me a box that has a shipping label with it. This blew me away. I opted for option 3 and four days later I received a box with a plastic bag for the Xbox, foam to keep it safe, a shipping label, and even a strip of packing tape! It doesn't get easier than that. All I had to do is drop it off to a UPS store and wait about two weeks. I dropped it off two days ago, so I'll see if it continues to be a great experience. So far I am completely impressed. Way to go Xbox!

iTunes U

I stumbled upon one of the coolest ideas from iTunes yet - iTunes University. Now you can not only download thousands of podcasts, but you can also download lectures and documentaries from the top Universities in the world. And the best part is that it's completely FREE! If you are like me and enjoy learning, then you have to check this out. They have courses in history, science, literature and much more.

If you ever wanted to take classes from Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, or Harvard then you finally can get a taste for it. Check out this link and watch the video below if you want more info.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatson/itunesu.html