That is, until Google came around. Google decided to make a phone, called the Nexus One, as a competitor to the iPhone. Will it kill the iPhone or are they in for a fierce battle?


The Nexus One is a HTC built, snapdragon-powered phone that is newly designed and streamlined for the public. The hardware if very similar to the iPhone, specifically it is very sleek and ultra-thin. When looking at it, it looks like an iPhone and the Palm Pre put together.

When comparing wifi browsing speed, the iPhone does come out ahead in terms of getting internet web pages to load faster. Browsing on the Nexus is similar to the iPhone. Both scroll the same and both appear to be the same and not as choppy. Some cool functions of the Nexus is the live wallpaper function. You can have a wallpaper that moves under your navigation menu which many people are excited to see and use. Another neat thing is the microphone option to texting or emailing. Instead of typing, Google has a microphone key on the QWERTY keyboard. Just press the key and talk and it will analyze what you said and type it out. It isn’t perfect but it is an interesting option to have.

Don’t worry about Nexus killing the iPhone. The iPhone comes out ahead over the Nexus in terms of web browsing and display look. Let the hype calm down with the Nexus and see if it lasts.

There are many different designs for track lighting. A sleek and sophisticated track light are ones that use a wave bar and are more circular than square. They look great in a kitchen and uses either cool or warm lights. Most track lights can be moved around to accentuate certain areas.

If you are looking for something in the hallway, a two-light flush mount ceiling fixture is a great package to get. It looks great in a hallway or bathroom and can be positioned to highlight a certain area. For example, a doorway or sink. Whatever lighting you choose, consider a track lighting fixture for your home.

If you want to jazz up a room or change the look of your room, consider using an animal print rug to do the job. Whether it’s a zebra print or cheetah print rug, each will drastically change your room for little money. There are many to choose from and design patterns to look through, so finding the perfect one can take time.

Don’t despair. Keep your eye out on different animal print rugs. Look at various rug stores and even online. You can be less dramatic and find a smaller area rug with a hint of animal print. These types of rugs look great in your living room, dining room and even in your family room. It will add a flare of modern quality to your room and it can also feel warm and cozy too. The quality of rugs varies so make sure to feel it and walk on it a few times to get the feel for the rug.

Rugs come in different shapes as well so consider the shape and size for your room. If your room size is small with a lot of furniture a medium sized rug will fit. Square or rectangular rugs are the most common but you can even get away with a circular zebra print or cheetah print rug. Circular rugs look great in a bedroom or dining room. Square or rectangular rugs go well in your living room or family room.

So give it a try with the trendy animal print rug. It will look good with any furniture be it modern or contemporary or even traditional.

Decorating Ideas

One of the biggest things you can do to liven up your apartment is with color. Instead of painting white walls, add some festive wall decorations like paintings or mirrors. Simply by adding a coat rack or a cute sun mirror will make your place instantly warm.
Another key idea is to add curtains and rugs in your place. Many apartment are hardwood so by simply adding a couple colorful and coordinated rugs will connect each area of your apartment. Curtains are an easy way to connect your apartment and to add life to your apartment.
A final consideration to make is to add simple, proportionate sized furniture. Glass tables and simple wrought iron chairs will looks in place in your apartment rather than a stuffy over sized dining room chair and wooden table.

When going to the store to select paint, most people spend their time trying to find the perfect color but they often fail to select a quality paint in the proper sheen. Using a quality paint like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore will definitely cost you more but it pays off in ease of use and quality of the finished product.

Paint comes in many different sheens and they are named slightly differently depending on the company. In general, you will find that paint comes in flat, eggshell, semi-gloss and gloss sheens. Using flat paint is one of the secrets professional painters use to create magazine-quality walls. While the home renovation store will probably recommend an eggshell or even a semi-gloss sheen for your main living areas due to ease of clean up, many people don’t realize that paint technology has advanced quite a bit lately and you can find washable, durable, flat paints. Flat paints have next to no shine when the light hits them and this creates a soft velvety smooth look.

Even though a semi-gloss paint is usually suggested when painting kitchen and bathrooms, you can easily get away with a quality, washable flat paint in the kitchen. This will give your kitchen more of a high end designer home feel and not the suburban cookie-cutter look. Make sure to paint your bathroom ceilings with a mold resistant paint. It will be difficult to find this in a flat paint but you can usually find it in eggshell which is quite a bit less glossy than a semi-gloss. Some companies offer a version between eggshell and semi-gloss and this is usually a perfect choice for a bathroom.

Just remember that employees at home renovation stores are not typically professional painters and are usually trained to recommend people to avoid flat paint for anything other than ceilings. You don’t have to be scared of flat paint, just make sure you get a washable type. Your friends and neighbors will likely compliment you on your paint choice and you may become the neighborhood expert on painting.

Baseboard Ideas For Your Home

• Decide On What Look You Want – There are many styles of baseboard to compliment your style and home decor. Before choosing your baseboard look at the structure of your home and how you decorate your home. If you find that your home is new and modern, straight clean angles are preferable. However, if your house is a craftsman style, you can add more dazzle to your baseboard.
• Decide On Height Of Baseboard – To make your baseboard stand out, go with a thick high baseboard paired with hardwood. If you want a subtle look, go with a standard height of 4 inches.
• White Or Natural? – Currently, what is in style is white. There are those, however, who like the look of natural wood and would prefer that but know that it could date your home.
• Doing Crown Molding? – If you decide to do crown molding make sure your crown is 1.5x higher than your baseboard.

10 Ways To Add Value To Your Home

1. Add Life With Paint – By painting the exterior and interior of your home with new paint, your house will increase in value. Great colors to pick are neutral in tones such as browns and sage.
2. Rip Out Old Flooring – If your kitchen or bathroom vinyl is a bit worn from years of trampling, it is inexpensive to replace. You can also update the look by switching flooring to hardwood, tile or even cork.
3. Renovate Your Kitchen – For easy remodeling you can switch cabinets and add new hardware. Buying newer appliances also sparks up the kitchen. For more detailed renovation, knocking out a wall will add more space and light to the kitchen.
4. Put Extra Insulation – Uninsulated basements lose approximately 20-35% heat loss. As an effort to make your home more energy efficient, it is best to put extra insulation in your basement.
5. Add Another Bathroom – You will add much more value to your home if you add another bathroom on a different level or in your master bedroom.
6. Replace Your Appliances – Just replacing your refrigerator and dishwater will create an energy efficient environment and appear new and modern.
7. Install A Programmable Thermostat – You will save 2% on your heating bill for every one degree Celsius you lower your thermostat.
8. Add A Deck – Everyone loves to spend time outside and a deck is a perfect place to hang out. By adding a deck, you add more living space to your home.
9. Create A Separate Family Room – Any unused space you have either in the basement or attic, convert it to a family room.
10. Create Curb Appeal – By updating your exterior of your house you can add up to 14% to your property value.

Laminate Flooring

Many laminate flooring look like hard wood and almost feel like hard wood. Laminate is a popular choice for many people because it is inexpensive, can look like hardwood and is scratch resistant. This is ideal for little ones and pets as both tend to scratch the floor. Laminate flooring, though, can be extremely slippery and therefore, shoes must be worn or a slip could ensue. Also, many people think that the look of laminate may cheapen your place which may impede in a sale. If you decide to go the laminate route, make sure to pick a good quality laminate.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is by far a great choice in flooring. It will never go out of style and can be refinished. There are many different stains and types of hardwood to suit your every need. Although scratches are prevalent, having hardwood means having scratches, dents and whatever as you want your hardwood to look like it’s been lived on. Hardwood makes a great investment in your property and adds a lot of depth and character to your house.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring

Another hardwood flooring option is to go for engineered. Engineered has a thin layer of pure hardwood on top and plywood on the bottom. It is cheaper than hardwood and is more versatile. It can be placed below ground level, whereas hardwood cannot.

For a nursery, installing beadboard is a great way to decorate and adds a classic look. Beadboard is the most traditional type of wainscoting and it refers to the vertical grooves in the panels. This look is a very Cape Cod or Cottage style but does good in any traditional house. Paint the beadboard white and measure to chair height. You can place it all around the room or on one wall.

Wainscoting with deep panels with simple rectangle divisions is seen as a craftsman style look. It looks good if a bigger kid bedroom, the master bedroom or other parts of the house like the living room.

Besides wainscoting, you can add a chair rail which will create depth to the bedroom. Paint one half white or create stripes and paint the other half a solid color. For a less traditional look but definitely more formal, take the chair rail or wainscoting up to the ceiling.

With what ever style you choose, know that wainscoting will add a decorative touch and value to your home.