The Last of the Best Stuff Ever Series
It's a big, wide, webbed world out there, and for you smartphoners out there who want a lightning fast machine with unlimited data, you can finally have it all—if you know where to look. So to celebrate T-Mobile's release of its two speediest 4G smartphones ever, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G—both of which are capable of streaming TV and movies faster than home internet on their nationwide 4G network—and their best rate plan ever: unlimited data, talk & text for $49.99 each line per month, we've teamed up with America's Largest 4G Network to bring you a little something we like to call The Best Stuff Ever Series.
Below you'll find the films you should be watching, the music you could be downloading, the games you'll want to play and the twits you could be tweeting at—all on your 4G smartphone. But only if you have the best plan out there.
Watch
You know how it goes: There's nothing on TV but Mad Men reruns and a Nova special about the mating rituals of jungle cats. (Come to think of it, both shows are kind of about the same thing.) Cue the miracle that is Netflix's Watch Instantly section. With a constantly updating library, there is always something ready to watch within reach—especially if you're viewing from your phone! Here are some that you shouldn't miss.
Firefly:Admit it. You were a pretty big Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan a while back. And maybe still a little bit of a fan now. And you've been meaning to get into Firefly for how long now? From now until April 2012, you can keep the promise you made to yourself way too long ago by watching Joss Whedon's beloved space cowboy drama. But you should hurry because whether you admit it or not, you're going to want to rewatch every episode. Say goodbye to your social life.
Edward Scissorhands: There's something about Edward Scissorhands that really lends itself to the holiday season. The colors, the snow, the generalized magic of it all. Any and all of these are reason enough to catch Johnny Depp in a star-making role as the fragile man with scissors for hands. It's available through next June, so that's leaves you with plenty of time to thaw out your icicley goth heart.
Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis: Filmed in 1929, German expressionist film Metropolis takes places in a futuristic dystopia and explores the social crisis between workers and owners inherent in capitalism, creating a work of vintage fiction that eerily resembles issues we're facing in present day. Plus, this color-tinted version's soundtrack is composed by the father of Italo-disco himself, Giorgio Moroder. Yeah..it get's weird.
Listen
Music is good for a lot of things: warding off subway crazies, providing a soundtrack to an otherwise boring jog, inspiring an impromptu dance party. So we're here to help you load up your droid with the best new releases so you can curate playlists so fresh for fall that your primary function on Earth will be to remind all of your friends and coworkers that they really need to upgrade their music.
The Roots, Undun: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon's backing band and alternative rap group, The Roots are back with a concept album designed to blow your mind. The whole album journeys through a reverse narrative arc, beginning with a postmortum Redford who is attempting to make sense of his former life and all of the things that led the his eventually coming "undun". Your cure for listening boredom is here at last. Click here to pre-order the full album.
Gruff Rhys, Atheist Xmas EP: If you're not really in a holiday mood this year, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys has an album for you. The not even happy enough to be considered melancholy ep contains songs with titles like "Post Apocalypse Christmas" and "At The End Of The Line," making it the perfect record to remind you that it's okay to be sad on a happy holiday. Click here to pre-order the full album.
Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures: Though it may seem like a no-brainer, the posthumous record from soul singer Amy Winehouse is every bit as good as you imagined it would be. Producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi sifted through past recordings of Winehouse's and added some reggae-influenced beats to create a record that's truly worthy of everything everyone loved about Winehouse. While it's unfortunate that she won't be around to make anymore records, we should consider ourselves lucky that we get one last glimpse of things she might've done. Click here to pre-order the full album.
Play
Productivity always takes priority, but even the most productive people have to take breaks sometimes. In fact, studies show most people need about a five-minute mental vacation for every hour of work. So here are some games for your phone that won't take up too much time, but are still incredibly fun.
Sketch n Draw: If you've been looking for a way to sketch something without using a pen or a piece of paper, it shouldn't surprise you that there's already an app for that. This simplistic paint and draw app lets you creepily capture the person in front of you, ala Jack in Titanic, whether they know it or not.
The Xray Camera:We've all imagined what it would be like to have xray vision and now it's available to each and every one of us at the touch of a button. It may not exactly replicate the real thing, but it does use your camera to view the world in a way that makes everything look like those cheesy specs you used to be able to buy in the back of comic books.
Cigarette Fighter: Cigarette Fighter may sound like the name of a really cool superhero who somehow fights people with lit cigarettes, but it's actually a simple way to kill time while you're trying to quit smoking. Basically, you cut up a cigarette into little tiny pieces all while being careful not to slice up your lighter. You're thinking about doing it right now, aren't you? It's okay. That's why it's here—just don't inhale.
Follow
Sometimes you want to be entertained, and sometimes you want to be informed. The amazing thing about the Twitter-verse (Twitter-sphere? Twitter-burbs?) is that it's capable of doing both. Below are some top accounts you should start following, like, right now.
@bobvila: How great would it be if you could have a guy like Bob Vila in your pocket at all times? Pretty great, right? While that shrinking technology doesn't exist yet, Bob Vila's Twitter account does. Whether you need to know how to clean your paint brushes or what to do with reclaimed lumber, Bob is talking about it and you get to listen free of charge.
@Rhizome: You know how it goes. You want to go to art museums because you want to see something amazing and innovative but instead you end up spending three hours looking at ancient plates and wondering if you're just an idiot. Get ready to love The Rhizome ArtBase. This online archive of digital art contains over 2,500 art works that are pretty consistently incredible and even if they're not, you can pick and choose what you want to see. And you never even have to put on pants.
@Johnson Space Center: The Space Shuttle might've been retired, but the Johnson Space Center is still fully operational. Following them on Twitter will keep you up-to-date on everything from weekly video updates, breaking space news and gorgeous photos. If you've ever wanted to see your tax dollars at work, you'll be hard-pressed to find a source more reliable or consistently beautiful.
See! Unlimited data means unlimited options! Choose from the Samsung Galaxy S II, whose 4.52" Super AMOLED Plus screen offers the sharpest streaming out there, or the HTC Amaze 4G, whose camera shoots gorgeous 1080p HD video and snaps pics so quickly, you'll barely have time to post them to Facebook before your mom starts commenting.
No matter which phone you choose, T-Mobile is the only carrier to bring you unlimited data, plus unlimited talk, plus unlimited text with their $49.99 per line Family Plan. Seriously—Best. Plan. Ever. Head here to get signed up now.