SWMich4G

It would also be nice to see them weight by how old the data is, or even put a filter that allows you to only show data collected in the last (whatever time interval).  Also giving stronger signals more weight, so it's not diluted by people mapping while indoors or with phones without every band.  Sprint results got diluted because so many people mapped so much when it was just B25, which makes the all-time aggregate signal strength appear weak almost everywhere.  I also don't like that it basically shows you "here's where at least one person ever got a signal, even if 99% of the time you can't get a signal here."  When multiple people map and fail to get LTE on a previously mapped area, it needs to count that against the fluke points and remove coverage from the map.  I think that's a big one: I don't like seeing so much purple on the map where I know no phone on any band can get a usable signal - you might as well use the carrier's own coverage maps at that point. 

Basically it's a great service for a casual viewer who wants to get a ballpark idea of coverage for carriers, but the way it was originally coded in many way makes it less accurate over time.  Under new ownership, and depending on how the data was originally collected, I'd love to see them implement a few changes that would make their maps much more accurate/valuable to consumers. 

Good poll.  I wonder if we're the only site that is likely to have RF performance at the top.

Some things I didn't choose because they can be made up with another.  For instance, adequate battery life would not be necessary if a phone had very fast charging, or maybe a removable battery.  Also, not having a card slot isn't a deal breaker if a phone has more internal storage than I think I'd ever need (sadly they tend to charge 5 to 10 times the actual cost of the memory for increasing internal storage space). 

Although now that I'm thinking, I voted for size of device, but if they made a larger phone that rolled up or had a foldable screen I wouldn't need it to be so small...hmm...

Are you specifically asking about Netflix-created series, or any series that Netflix carries? 

I was going to do suggest this as well.  Every time a new Nexus phone is announced or rumored, you have to hunt for who is manufacturing it.  Perhaps a sticky thread with a link to the correct thread in the manufacturer's forum as well to eliminate the hunting.

The reverse would also be fine - have a Nexus forum that is only closed threads with links to the thread to each Nexus model in the appropriate manufacturer's forum.  It would be most valuable to casual visitors who aren't going to spend time hunting down threads and would instead just go to another forum to find info and opinions when they can't find the threads here. 

Did you read this article on April 1st?  Desalinated water only costs about twice as much as fresh water.  They'll just build more plants if they need more water.  Even if they went to 100% ocean water it would only cost a few hundred dollars more a year per person for residential use. 

The yellows that highlight forums/threads with new content hurt my eyes.  Too contrasty or not contrasty enough or something.  I like the individual thread look, but not the forum view.  Text is easier to read off a white background. 

Can anyone else confirm they did NOT take away eligibility for people who were already over 20 months?  March would be month 22 for me, but I don't know how to tell if the account is eligible as I do everything in store. 

Your citation comes from a noted right wing "think tank" blog.  And the author is Berin Szoka -- the less I say about that guy, the better.  View the piece through that filter.

 

AJ

I guess he changed it to link to the whole letter at a left-wing site.  You can just go there and read the letter in its entirety without reading either blog, and form your own opinions.  But yes, it's true: politicians behave very differently when they are in power than when they aren't. 

#3 problem was the battery cover would pop off maybe 20% of the time that I dropped it on concrete. 

While I'm concerned that you have dropped your phone at least 5 times on concrete, I'm also troubled by the fact that your primary worry with doing so is whether the battery cover will come off, and not whether the phone will break.

And btw, the cover coming off reduces the impact on the phone itself, making it less likely to break - it's actually a benefit. 

Sprint's nationwide network site spacing is setup for 1900MHz, if its properly configured it can match Verizon's Cellular 850 setup.

Why does everyone always say this? I know my area is an exception, but here Verizon had about 2x as many sites as Sprint (until we had 2 USCC conversions in the last month).  Regardless of where I am, if Sprint were set up for 1900 as well as Verizon is set up for 850, Sprint would have to have nearly twice as many sites as Verizon in any given area.  Sprint is nowhere near that. 

Unfortunately, Leasing for me requires the same deposit as easy pay. But the leasing monthly payments are more expensive than easy pay monthly payments. Obviously this isnt for everyones case, but for me easy pay is the best option, as any phone requires a deposit, and monthly payments are less than $15, and I get the option to get a new phone yearly. Works best for me.

Are you certain?  Because that doesn't make sense for them to charge more to borrow a phone than to buy it.  And why do you have a deposit required when it says no down payment?  Credit?  Something's definitely up if they're charging more than MSRP to lease a phone for only 2 years. 

If you can buy the phone at the end for the remaining balance from the full price, it doesn't make any sense not to lease (compared to easy pay).  If the remaining balance at the end of 24 months is more than the phone is worth, decline to purchase it.  If the remaining balance is less than the phone is worth, purchase it and profit.  At worst, you're exactly where you would be with easy pay, except you got to keep part of the money until the end which you could potentially earn interest on or invest.

Example: $600 dollar phone

Easy Pay: $25/month -> after 24 months you've paid $600

Lease: $15/month -> after 24 months you've paid $360.  You have the option to buy the phone for $240 dollars

Unless I'm missing some benefit of easy pay, it would be stupid not to lease. 

I have an upgrade on my account but am content with my Nexus 5, can I use the upgrade and sell the phone after they activate it?

 

Would my math be right for the iPhone 6: $190 - 20% discount from Cartwheel - $100 for trade in - $50 Target gift card - $400 resale value of iPhone 6 = $398 profit?

 

Sounds too good to be true.

You're paying about $20 a month for your subsidy.  So you'll pay $480 plus a phone to get $398.  That actually sounds like a pretty bad deal unless you consider the time value of money (you make the money now and pay it back over the next 2 years) and trade in a worthless qualifying phone.  You'll also be locked into your contract for 2 more years. 

Thanks!  I made this for someone based on your info, so they could easily find the Spark GS3 on Boost.  I figured I'd share here in case anyone else found it helpful.  There's other minor differences in the boxes I didn't highlight.

Which Virgin and Boost phones are now Spark compatible?  From what I can tell, it looks like the Boost Galaxy S3 is but the Virgin Galaxy S3 is not.  Is there any way to view the actual model numbers of the phones before you buy from them?

Can somebody mash up a map with TMo and Sprint? 

Quick version.  You can guess which is which.

Not completely topical, but if I didn't have Sprint and was going to coverage maps to decide whose service to get, I would count them out just by how outdated their mapping system is.  That's the first place people like me go to on a carrier's site, and Sprint's looks like it is from 1983.  A static .jpg map of the whole country presents itself better than theirs.  Who do I write to in marketing to let them know how bad it is for a tech company to market themselves using outdated tech?

And obviously my area is well overstated, like everyone's.  I do like how frequently they update the map, and perhaps ease-of-updates is one reason they stick with such an ugly mapping solution. 

I noticed something strange this week.  About five time when I would travel from Greensburg to Pittsburgh in PA, my phone still thinks it is connected to the Greensburg tower(1x 800 and it doesn't travel that far).  The only solution is to reset the phone, then it operates normally.  The question is; Why wont the phone roam correctly when I travel back to Pittsburgh?  What causes a phone to be stuck on a certain tower.

Did you try taking the phone with you?  If you leave the phone in Greensburg, it doesn't matter where you travel; the phone will likely stay on the Greensburg tower. I say this because AJ already said what I was going to say. 

You could try doing a PRL update instead of a reset and see if that does anything.   

Jay Leno

Anyone know of a way to make a Tasker plugin that would start mapping?

 

So have a tasker profile that "when connected to car bluetooth + connected to AC (car charger"-->Launch Sensorly and start mapping

 

Be easier than having to remember to turn it on all the time... /lazy

You shouldn't be mapping all the time anyway.  Mapping extensively before the rollout is complete will just make everything look much worse than it will be by that time.   If you map a 1 bar area near a tower that's not upgraded yet a dozen times, you're gonna have to map it several dozen times once that tower goes live to get the average close to what it will actually be. 

Unless there's a newly live tower in an area, you basically shouldn't map areas that have already been mapped. 

Two questions/issues:

1) I got an error that basically said "Sim card removed.  Insert sim card and restart device" which triggered a notification with just "No SIM.  Insert SIM."  I rebooted and it remained, then I waited 30 minutes and rebooted while squeezing the phone and it's gone.  I've never removed my SIM or even removed the back of the phone to see the SIM.  I found random stuff on the internet about the issue from people less knowledgeable than those here, so I figured I'd get your insight on it.  I haven't updated yet from the OTA and was wondering if that may have had an effect.  If the issue returns, what do people advise (remove/insert sim, factory reset, tape behind the sim)?

2) Is there any problem with NOT updating?  Until my no SIM error, I haven't had any issues with my phone and don't see the point in risking all the little bugs people are reporting for no new features I'd use.  I've had the OTA reminder for around 2 months, but just ignore it. 

Thanks for any input you can provide. 

I would ignore what everyone says about buying gear and go take pictures.  Find out what you like shooting, and find out what your limitations are with shooting those things.  I also don't see anything wrong with your lens, so I wouldn't rush into buying a lens that may very well be worse than what you already have for what you end up shooting.  Get to know your camera and its settings.  I would advise against using any auto or scene modes, but unfortunately on your camera changing settings quickly is difficult since you have to go through menus a lot.  The only thing I would initially buy if you don't have it is a cheap tripod.  If you end up liking shooting things indoors but there's not enough light, you may end up getting a cheap flash (make sure it rotates up at the least though).  If you end up liking taking portraits but your depth of field is too deep, you may end up needing a prime lens (35, 50, or 85 depending on how you like shooting them).  If you find you like shooting things far away, you may need a longer lens like the 55-200.  If you want to try shooting insects or other things up close, you may end up needing a macro lens.  If you do buy any lenses or flashes I'd recommend buying used.  You take a big hit when you buy new, and there's tons of beginner to intermediate level gear available at great prices used from people who have upgraded to more expensive gear. 

I'd also read up on the basics, like what shutter speed, aperture, and ISO do, and good holding and framing techniques.  Learn the different focus modes on your camera.  Once you find out better what you like to shoot, read up on the specifics of whatever that requires (be it flash use, tracking moving subjects, post processing, panning, or whatever).  There are several members here with a lot of experience shooting and a lot of gear and we can guide you to good sources of information for whatever you end up liking. 

Don't see it. Are we talking about this link or another?

 

TS out (searching for the link)

I'm assuming he deleted it.  I also replied under "Guest," which I'm sure will be deleted.  I didn't even try to be nice:

Kevin, why don’t you quote something other than your own article about Sprint’s rank in terms of coverage footprint? Try http://www.sensorly.com, which is based on actual data. I know you might not like the truth, but Sprint has the 2nd largest LTE coverage footprint, behind Verizon. You may be right on speeds (for now…not so much 6 months from now), and there are studies to back that up, but there is no data to back up your erroneous claim that they have the smallest footprint. It’s simply not true.

After spending over an hour making the Verizon image from screenshots of the commercial, I realized they have the carrier maps right on their website!  I do have to give them credit for updating them, as they are not the same as the ones in the commercial.  Sprint's footprint on the website almost looks competitive with T-Mobile's.  However, they're still airing the commercial with the older maps, so that will be what the vast majority of the public sees. 

And CrossedSignals: The images I used are from the newest commercial which claims the data is from "prior to December 5, 2013," not the older commercial that WiWavelength embedded which used data from the first half of 2013. 

Here's what Verizon shows for coverage in their newest commercial for those who haven't seen the January version:

It pretty clearly shows Sprint in last place for total footprint, which I do not believe to be the case.