Bob Newhart

Assuming this is available via Google Play Store, can you use Google Play gift cards to purchase?

 

I've got nearly $100 in gift cards I would love to put towards the N5

 

Sent from me phone

No.

http://play.google.com/intl/en-US_us/about/giftcards/

-I hate signatures.

How are you getting $190?

 

$49.99 - tablet.

$36 - activation fee. waived if you have the Credit Union discount on your account.

There's also Sales Tax, I suppose. But that's either $49.99 or $85.99, plus tax.

 

You're then looking at $15/month for 2 GB of data.

 

That's not really comparable to a WiFi only device in price. The LTE version of the Nexus 7 is $349, and then $20/month for 1 GB on VZW, $30/month for 3 GB on ATT, and $30/month for 2.5 GB on TMo. Obviously, a WiFi only device is cheaper overall and has no Monthly Recurring Cost... but it's WiFi only, and well, this is S4GRU, not WiFiRU

 

That being said, I personally own a Nexus 7 2013, and have played with a Tab 3 (as of like 20 minutes ago), and I much prefer the Nexus 7.

The monthly fee is not just the $15, additional fees are added, those fees that should be in the monthly fee and not added later.

With this T-mobile plan, it isn't clear if it free for incoming calls. It is free for all sms.

Ehhh I guess with 2G EDGE global roaming.  I mean anything is better than nothing but to seem i am blown away..I am not.  Its not like unlimited youtube watching global wide.  At most some very light browsing or email.  Also you still have to pay for voice roaming and I am not sure what they mean by unlimited text though.  How do I text my friend when I am in Germany to someone in the US?  Does it just route through German Tmobile towers and across the ocean to Tmobile towers in the US?

Yes.

• Data roaming requires a domestic roaming feature.
• Includes Unlimited Web at standard speeds of approximately 128Kbps & Unlimited Messaging in Simple Global countries. 128kbps speed is ideal for email, web pages, navigation, and social apps.
• $0.20/minute voice calling to Simple Global countries (including the U.S.).
• $0.00/message, unlimited text messages (SMS) and picture messages (MMS) to any mobile number in Simple Global countries (including the U.S.).

http://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-9455

All frequencies in the world won't do squat if they aren't used, like here in the USA.

Sprint needs to fix their shrinking US business first, and that is what they're trying to do.

Yes but the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are entirely separate. Republic of China started in 1912 and encompassed all of China and Taiwan, ending its rein after WWII when it was pushed back into Taiwan by the communists during the Chinese civil war. Therefore Taiwan - nationalist, mainland China - communist. And China is apparently foolish enough to enter an armed conflict in trying to retake it even though its considered a sovereign separate country.

Yep, part of China.

Just how Scotland is part of the UK.

well if HTC goes Chinese then I am definitely going either Samsung or Nexus

You do know that HTC is based in Taiwan,  the Republic of China . . . right?

Well here's hoping 800mhz lte starts rolling soon like the end of the year and maybe I'll try out an iPhone 5c with band 26 and it will all be glorious. Just sucks now having unlimitimed data without being able to use it to it's fullest extent or even close to mediocore extent.

There is a reason that the data is 'unlimited'.   

Sprint-TMobile would get more customers, but their coverage would still be terrible when compared with Verizon and AT&T.

The only way for either of them to grow is expand coverage, and neither seems to be interesting in doing that.

They are more bothered in converting existing 1G to 2G to 3G to 4G to ?G, where VZW/AT&T are expanding coverage all the time either by adding towers or buying small companies.

I do hope this changes.

The new version definitely seems like a resource hog because there ate a lot of times where I hit a button and nothing happens. Its like the phone is lagging. Very frustrating.

I agree, it is following the trend of a lot of apps, lag lag lag.

This new software should've been tested for more than a few days, especially with English speaking people.

Less user friendly than before, even if I did speak French.

With all these 'deals' the cell companies are offering, we'll need to take a special mathematics course just to understand the 'savings' we'll all get.

This is another bad one.

Sprint already does the re-compressing of images and video.

Using a VPN does bypass their over compression though.

So if CenturyLink hasn't even ran the fiber to their DSLAMS, how has Verizon, ATT and T-Mobile been able to get fiber? Are they using a different backhaul provider? I know Comcast has fiber across their network -- seems like poor planning on Sprint's part if they knew CL was going to be so far behind... go with someone who isn't... If it's an issue with Comcast not hitting the more rural sites, go with CL there--but at least get the fiber where they can. It would also seem that Sprint should be able to connect to whatever provider is getting fiber to the others since they are co-located on many of the same sites...

In my area (about 8 miles north of me), Verizon has installed one new tower I know of very high up, I would guess that they're using microwave. I'm surprised they even have power to this site.

CL says one thing and does something different, is my guess. They could be promising Sprint completion dates, and their contractors underestimating the work involved.

CL has been telling me "almost there, within a few months" for almost a year, now they recently told me that contractor is behind in the running of new fibre, has to run it about 6 miles. I see the Sprint (and former Nextel) sites on the outskirts in King County are using CL (Qwest), I can see their electrical panels.

I do see electrical contractors running overhead wires(fibre?) between Auburn and Black Diamond, I don't know what for or who for.

In my area AT&T and T-Mobile have no coverage for many miles, so no fibre run there.

I offered land for tower companies, but no one wants to install new towers.

I'm just curious, at my house I get very crappy signals

 

EHRPD around 110~115dBm

LTE around 115~117dBm, (since LTE signal is very weak, it switches back and forth, I have WIFI at home so no big deal but would like to see better coverage in general especially voice coverage, I have to use Airave at home)

 

 

will I see better signal if century link or comcast finishes backhaul?

It depends if there are towers near you that haven't been upgraded yet.

Because we won't have 800 Mhz enabled in our area (too close to Canada), I doubt our signals will improve at all.

I'm personally waiting to see if the coverage improves at all in our area. I don't think it will as I have seen them remove iDEN towers, which would've been great if they converted those to Sprint-CDMA.

I have been told by CenturyLink that their contractors are very behind on running fibre to their old ADSL1 DSLAMs.

I see seen several new DSLAMs that have been installed but not active yet.

This could be the same issue if Sprint is using CL for their data connection, Comcast doesn't go out of the urban areas, and a lot of areas can't use microwave due to the topology.

I was looking at the Sprint CDMA maps last night and noticed some blue along with the green. It says Sprint 2G. It is around the town that my dad lives in that doesn't have Sprint service. Does this mean that Sprint now has some 2G service or is it showing roaming as Sprint 2G?

 

I've also been mapping out lots of empty spots in St Augustine. The coverage seems to be added within minutes of driving by. I am liking this more and more. I can't wait to get an LTE phone and adding to that map.

The problem with sensorly maps is that roaming is included as native coverage.

They should fix this.

Clear would've had way more subscribers if it aimed the service to people that live outside of the cities, where people always have a choice.

People outside the cities have little to no choice, but it might not have been affordable for Clear to service these people.

I wonder if MS will be allowed to use the "Nokia" name on its devices, my guess is no.

10 year license.

Interesting read.

 

I have been considering get a non-smart phone to carry around while cycling just in case. Since I probably would almost never need it, Ting seems like the way to go.

Another option is: http://www.lycamobile.us/en/national-plans , a company that is growing around the world.

The bottom plan.

I hope the pre-paid market starts some competition in the US/Canada.

The prices in Europe are crazy low when compared with here.

Also all carriers will match prices in a round about way, if one adds a 'network maintenance' fee, the others will.

They do dishonest things like that now. CenturyLink just started adding more fees like this a few months ago.

VZW will need to get their money back somehow, prices will rise.

the onscreen button space and sure enough the true screen size of the Moto X is only 4.3 inches.  I was pretty bummed out about that.

 

On the nexus phones, the same or similar buttons are there, with some apps the buttons disappear.

For example with Mxplayer.

I really wish they would too, but I don't think they ever will.

Do they need to though?

Sensorly maps populate the 3G signals the same whether you're in Sprint 1900, Verizon 850, Verizon 1900, US Cellular 1900, etc...

So separating Sprint 800/1900 LTE or 800/1900 CDMA is the least of their issues. 

Even when I put the power line adapters on the same dual socket, the max speed the software application told me was around 200 Mbps. On the same circuit in the same room about 12 ft apart, it dropped to just over 100 Mbps.

600Mbps or 500Mbps just isn't going to happen, ever.

50 Mbps is enough to stream anything in the house.

I'm the only house on the transformer in my yard.

I found going to a good wireless network is a little more reliable, I use Ubiquiti Unfi in my house for most connections. Only use powerline when I have to.