halcyoncmdr

Do they take only eight minutes?

 

 

 

AJ

Fraking Auto Correct. I'm not going to post from my phone anymore. lol

Inter frequency handoffs are always hard abs rub a risk of dropping the call. No way around this. You can mitigate it some, but legacy equipment may potentially be to blame compared to the new stuff.

Sounds like corrupted system files. Just because you aren't actively using an app doesn't mean it isn't running in the background because you've allowed it to (email is constantly running at least as a service so it will check and receive new messages, that is the purpose of course). Any app, built-in or downloaded can get corrupted files. Clearing cache and data resets the app back to the default state and will fix many of these issues. Occasionally I've seen a need to uninstall/reinstall a downloaded app to fix it.

No app is perfect, all of them will have bugs. Many of these bugs make them incompatible with some devices, a software update from the manufacturer will often fix an issue and that fix will result in an app issue, requiring an app data clear or the developer of the app to fix the issue the app is having.

I am of the belief EVERY phone software update should require a complete reset of the system. 98% of issues people encounter after a software update are caused by apps being incompatible, having corrupt files, files becoming corrupt in the upgrade process, etc. Most of these are corrected by resetting the phone. 1% may require a complete system reflash because something got corrupted during the flashing process itself, and the remaining 1% are true issues with the software update specifically.

Does anyone really believe that an S4 or One costs AT&T or Sprint $650? I do believe that Apple charges the most possible for their phones, maybe even full MSRP, because they can.

Actually the retail price for most of the phones is pretty close to the cost the carrier has. There is a small profit, but you're talking maybe 5% when you get to the high-end smartphones. Apple's device costs to the carrier are nearly identical to the MSRP retail price, and Apple makes a huge profit on it if you look up how much it costs to actually make an iPhone (~$238 for an iPhone 5 64GB, retail price for that model is $850).

http://www.isuppli.com/Teardowns/News/Pages/iPhone5-Carries-%24199-BOM-Virtual-Teardown-Reveals.aspx

Interesting idea but wouldn't this only be temporary? I can't see how you would be able to keep a balloon up for an extended period of time.

Their intention is for the balloons to be up for ~100 days at a time. This would be in constant flux as balloons would come down, new ones would be sent up in their place. The actual cost of sending a balloon would be fairly small, minuscule in comparison to an undertaking like Google Fiber. There was an AMA (sort of) on Reddit from someone involved in the project.

I've never seen it either, however Sprint is within their right to deny service or charge back for an out-of-scope repair/replacement.

I'm just informing about the official policy. The real world does not necessarily follow policy 100%.

Sprint's official policy is to cover rooted devices. Custom software however is not covered.

In all honesty, as long as you're nice and it's obviously a hardware issue the tech probably will cover it. If you are doing Advanced Exchange through the mail, then as long as you send the phone back and it isn't physically or liquid damaged it will be covered, regardless of the software (most likely).

I do want to see how Sony plans on using their streaming service they bought last year. They had mentioned there was a possibility of streaming their entire game library for PS3 through PS1 over it. I believe since we'll be paying for online multiplayer they may have updated to better servers over the ones that are currently in use with the PS3, but we'll see.

I was a part of the Gaikai streaming beta before Sony bought them. It worked okay. The game was being run remotely on a server dedicated to running your gaming session. The idea was that your computer couldn't handle the game so their servers did and you were just streamed the video of it running essentially with all of your controls being sent back for input to the game. It worked ok when I tested it, I'm sure it's better now. It most definitely did not feel like you were actually playing the game on your computer like they tried to claim.

If that's their entire plan, I'm gonna steer clear until I see it working 100% like a native game. Based on my beta testing of Gaikai a couple years ago, I wouldn't call that a feature.

I look at it this way. Sony did so many anti-consumer things with the PS3 throughout it's lifetime. Removing advertised features in software updates (Other OS). Removing physical parts of the console like PS2 hardware required for backwards compatibility, newsflash Sony, just because we didn't buy it near launch doesn't mean we don't like our PS2 games and want to keep that beast around as well. They have seemed to go on the offensive with remaking PS2 games for the PS3, but many popular franchises have not been remade, even with large customer request (All I want is the Onimusha series). The entire Playstation Network security failure debacle (how they allowed that to be possible in the first place baffles me working in IT.

Microsoft, to me, has always shown themselves to be more forward-thinking with the features they have added to the Xbox. Integrated text and voice chat from the start, cross game chat with the 360. Apps on the console (Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, etc.) to extend functionality beyond just gaming. The Kinect One being included in the console should increase developer adoption rates since they don't have to plan for users potentially not having it (I believe one of the reasons more games didn't utilize it on the 360). If it requires development time and you can't prove it will significantly enhance the experience, why put the manpower in to make it happen? This also creates two separate customer bases for that game, one where a customer gets the fully immersive game, another that is stripped down and inferior. Both systems are pretty close in system power overall, as always there will be some differences between them, but nothing like the 360 vs PS3, etc. going back.

I don't do much hardcore gaming anymore because I view it as pointless, it is the exact culture that created the 12 year olds screaming obscenities in Call of Duty. I'd rather not be a part of that, but that seems to be exactly where Sony is positioning themselves primarily. Microsoft on the other hand seems to be positioning the Xbox One as an all-inclusive home entertainment device. The only thing you need other than your TV and cable/satellite box. Want to watch tv? Tell your Xbox you want to, it will do it. Want to play a game, call someone through Skype, view facebook, watch something on Netflix or Hulu, maybe HBO GO, or possibly just listen to some music? I just look at it as Microsoft trying to take the next step forward for a device that is nearly ubiquitous in the first-world household (a gaming system). I am 99% positive the DRM aspect came from the publishers and MS agreed, whereas Sony said "if you want, we aren't going to ourselves".

We'll see whether it stays around. To me, with my usage, it makes absolutely no difference since I don't usually buy or sell used games, and I always have an Internet connection. If I'm not sure about a game, I'll wait several months after release, by that time it's usually cheap on Amazon and new, about the same price as a used copy in Gamestop from my experience. Being able to access my games remotely at a friends house without needing the discs will be nice (especially since my collection is huge for the 360, I can only imagine it larger for the X1. Maybe I'm just not willing yo vilify Microsoft and raise Sony onto a pedestal just because of words said at a press conference removed from everyday life. The real test will be after launch. Either way I'm eventually getting both because of exclusives just like I did with the 360 vs PS3. The difference is that this time, the only thing leaning me towards a PS4 is the few games that are exclusive.

I bought my PS3 for Metal Gear Solid and Blu-Ray, period. At the time it was a mid-price BR player and MGS was out, so I bought it, to me it was a good deal. With games like Kingdom Hearts 3 being cross-platform, Blu-Ray being included in both consoles, and no native backwards compatibility with either one, it comes down to which will give me more new features to use at launch, and that's the Xbox One.

The only way that is possible is if their MSCs are harmonized. And I am not aware of that elsewhere, so it seems out of place here.

 

I suppose one possibility is that -- because this area outside of Charlotte is a former affiliate market -- AirGate PCS could have contracted to use USCC's MSC as its own. But even if that were the case, I would have expected Sprint to take that in house with its affiliate acquisitions several years back.

 

AJ

Perhaps related to the Sprint/USCC customer and spectrum transaction? Just throwing it out there as a possible reason, no idea myself.

That PCWorld article was infinitely better than the Engadget one. Wow.

But then why are there several data speed upgrades per tower?

The map uses several months worth of data (6 I believe?). So if there was a legacy network speed upgrade shortly before the NV upgrade, it would have duplicate entries there. At least that's how I understand it.

I just pre-ordered my Xbox One yesterday, Day One Edition.

I don't personally believe the 24 hour and DRM "issues" will affect me. I have a stable internet connection where I am and have never been without a connection on my console for more than a couple hours. I also now have business class cable... so that should help as well. :-)

I never trade or sell my games, and I almost never buy used games. Game pricing drops so quickly now that you can buy new games 6 months after release for $20-30 and don't have to worry about what a previous owner did with it (people are horrible at taking care of things).

Also, I notice no one remembers Sony saying this: 

http://www.geek.com/games/sony-says-publishers-can-implement-ps4-used-game-drm-if-they-wish-1558559/

They were talking baou DRM at the announcement originally, then after all the Anti-MS backlash advertising it not being required. Not that it didn't exist, but that they didn't require it. Publishers are going to implement DRM, period. This is exactly what MS has said. The only difference seems to be that MS has made it centralized around Xbox Live while Sony is leaving it up to the publishers on implementation. That will just lead to more issues when publishers turn off DRM servers on old games to push people to new ones, whereas Microsoft has shown a history of leaving old servers running (original Xbox Live staying active until 2/15/2010, launched November 2002).

I just don't see Sony being this great messiah that people seem to be relegating them to. Their announcements are essentially the same regarding DRM, they are just doing a better job of distancing their role in it, despite the system's capability and DRM being similar.

The camera on it is pretty decent surprisingly as well, just so you know. I'd still take an Optimus G any day over a ZTE device (and I'm not a fan of LG in general). The Optimus G is a solid phone, I hope LG can continue this positive streak they have going now.

Every ZTE device Sprint has carried to date has been mediocre. But then again, I think it says something when the Chinese consumer market wants "Made in America" products despite them costing a lot more than Chinese made ones...

Glad to hear it's fixed. Wish I knew what caused it however, would be good to know. Maybe you just happened to get in contact with someone who knew what the issues was from experience (something uncommon in a call center, average employee turn around is 6 months). That issue isn't exactly common and likely to be covered in standard training

Slot Cycles can be adjusted if you have the right info, keep in mind it it setup at 2 by default to balance customer experience and network load. By decreasing your slot cycle you double the amount of load you put on the tower's paging channel from your phone while idle, since it will be checking for a new call/message twice as often. Slot cycles run at 1.28sec at a setting of 0 and add for each increase in cycle. So a slot cycle of 2 would result in your phone checking every 5.12 seconds for a new message or call.This can potentially result in a maximum of 6.3 seconds delay if your device checked immediately before the call started ringing on the network side.

This is extremely unlikely, and would not be consistent however. Most calls would fall to within a couple of seconds on average.

So I take it that the OP's issue is Sprint's fault on the network side and they need to adjust and optimize their settings at the base station to have handover occur sooner so it doesn't have a "break before make" issue between 1900 and 800?  I presume that once more 800 CDMA sites are up this issue won't be as bad?

Don't take my word on this, but I think I remember discussion a while ago about handoffs between 1900 and 800 requiring a hard handoff, no possibility for a soft handoff, thus often resulting in poor experience in comparison. I caxn't seem to find it now though so maybe that was my imagination.

Sounds to me like you've gone through pretty much everything.

If a network ticket was opened and actually closed by a network engineer for no issue, I'm inclined to believe it. I think I read that you were in different areas and got the same issue, so it wouldn't be a specific tower, and not the physical phone obviously since it's happening on 4 of them. You ruled out Google Voice, really the only thing left is something with your account. I would have said MSID change but you listed that too, are you sure the MSID was actually changed (i.e. you seeing the before/after in the phone's about screen)?

It is possible the MSC is having an issue, but that would likely show up automatically even with the legacy equipment.

Is there another Sprint customer you know in your area that you can see if they have the same issues?

I can only come up with something being screwy on your entire account, it would affect all your phones, but not anyone else, it would not show up to the network engineers since it isn't tower-related, and would stay in place despite all phone resets and programming. Usually an MSID change would fix those issues though since it requires the system to rebuild the subscription structure on the back end automatically.

That cell site was performing OK before the Nv upgrade, I would assume it was on track for it.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Performing ok does not correlate to a sudden hardware failure. Something could have died requiring replacement.

I had that for almost two weeks, but my service got better two days ago; and then boom, the tower close to my house was 3g accepted.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I would venture to say that the tower went down for some other reason (a real outage), it needed hardware to fix, so they just bumped it up in the NV upgrade queue. No point in putting outdated hardware on the tower just for it to be replaced again right?

Well darn. There isn't a 3.16 ruu yet. So I guess not even reinstalling mean bean and then reprovisoning it would help. Also thanks for all the help.

Really? No in-the-wild 3.16 RUU? That honestly surprises me. Usually those are available within days of a release, and well before Retail Triage laptops are loaded with it (delayed in case issues arise shortly after release).

Actually, this would only be true if the deal were all cash. Because shareholders will also be receiving shares of the new S/SoftBank or of DISH, the health and strategic position of the post-transaction company is also very important.

You saying there isn't a decent chunk of shareholders just waiting to get a decent enough windfall and bugger out?

I have no idea why, but I've noticed that if I am connected to Wifi, my S3 connects only to 1X data. When I turn off wifi and it starts using data, it seems to switch over to 3G/EV-DO. It's possible that the correlation is just my imagination, but I'm fairly sure that's what is happening. 

It is, there is no reason to leave the EVDO connection active while connected to WiFi, so it disconnects and utilizes the WiFi connection for all data traffic instead. 1X is left on for text/voice calls so by extension data may work, but your usage will still be routed through the WiFi connection anyway.

What does switching to the same bands mean to you?

 

The original cellular bands are all used up. That's why new ones are created for more bandwidth.

 

It's not practical for all carriers to have a small amount of spectrum in all bands either.

 

And countries have different legacy uses for spectrum that might not let them all use world standard bands.

 

sent from phone

Are you trying to say that the US can't get by with rebanding all wireless spectrum into consistent bands optimized for multiple operators and the size of the customer base?

Or possibly that European countries aren't as densely populated as the US, so less spectrum is required?

Forget the carriers, all they do is bicker back and forth about it anyway. The FCC needs to reband the spectrum holdings into consistent blocks instead of the hodgepodge there is around the country now. PCA A-F block here, but only having D-F block there, oh there's an A-C block. I have no idea what I'm talking about here with specific blocks, but you get where I'm going with it. Mixing everything up just leaves unused spectrum there since it needs guard bands around it to help prevent interference. I'd bet with a rebanding we could get a couple new bands made from the excess that must sit between them currently in some spectrum holdings.

It boggles my mind how so many people who can afford to spend $110 dollars a month on their cell phone plan can't save up $200 to get the top end phones.  You're gonna spend over $2500 during your contract on your phone and you're gonna settle for a sluggish, outdated device just to save $200?

Welcome to the US wireless game.

I'd rather see everything switch over to standard networks technology and bands. Have the majority of sales setup like Europe. Contract free offers for everything with identical plans just at a lower price point since the company is not recouping cost for device subsidy, but you can choose to pay for the device entirely up front instead. None of this separate prepaid/postpaid garbage we have now with carrier subsidies being the majority to keep consumers "in line".

Could you rephrase please? What does this mean happened?

It just means that 5 towers were having issues in the immediately Tucson area. Oro Valley, Marana, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Catalina, etc. are all separate and not considered directly part of Tucson so they are split into a separate subsection on the Network Event Board for open network tickets, I didn't look at those the other day as I don't live there. hehe

Some were just notices of Network Vision upgrades that may take longer than a day (I've seen tickets have ETR dates anywhere from 2-30 days out).

Some were towers being completely down, voice, text, and data.

One was specifically about a, EVDO data blocking issue. So data sessions were being blocked on the network side for some reason, could have been capacity, a bottleneck in backhaul, etc. where the tower was actively denying connections due to some issue.