WiWavelength

S-Pen is one of the worst names ever for a tech accessory. I immediately think of the South Park episode, "Asspen." http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s06e03-asspen AJ

Off the top of my head, eight carriers have separate native networks in Chicagoland: VZW, AT&T, Sprint, Nextel, T-Mobile, USCC, Cricket, and Clearwire. But without close up pics of those sites, unfortunately, we have no way to identify the carriers. AJ

Hold the phone, pardon the pun. Though the deal definitely appears headed toward conditional approval from both the DoJ and FCC, nothing is official yet, not until a consent agreement is inked. AJ

One phone to rule them all. My precious... AJ

Yeah, we have been speculating about a hosting agreement or even an overt tie up between Sprint and DISH. See these threads: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1641-what-will-this-mean-not-enough-spectrum/page__p__34165 http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1736-att-acquires-nextwave-for-25m-assumes-debt/page__p__36548 http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1805-clearwire-stock-soaring-dish-investment-the-cause/page__p__38336 AJ

USCC currently lacks sufficient spectrum to launch LTE in its hometown. USCC holds only 20 MHz of PCS spectrum. In fact, the only reason that USCC has native service at all in Chicago is that it acquired the former PrimeCo property that VZW had to divest in its formative merger a dozen years ago. AJ

Sure, the spectrum cap has been raised greatly, but that is beside the point. Increasing the spectrum cap does not magically modify the band plan. In fact, once the band plan is set, it is basically etched in stone until the FCC and/or industry decide that time has come for a full reset. And that will not happen for PCS 1900 MHz for many years yet. AJ

I completely disagree. You cannot fault the FCC for creating 10 MHz (i.e. 5 MHz x 5 MHz) PCS licenses, as the PCS 1900 MHz band plan was put together roughly 20 years ago now. The mix of 30 MHz and 10 MHz licenses was really quite well done. Because of the 45/55 MHz spectrum cap at the time, Cellular 850 MHz incumbents could not bid on the 30 MHz licenses covering any of their existing markets, but they could bid on the 10 MHz licenses for supplemental bandwidth. That reserved the 30 MHz licenses for PCS 1900 MHz start ups -- Sprint PCS, PrimeCo PCS, Omnipoint, Aerial, VoiceStream, PacBell Mobile Services, et al. Cellular 850 MHz incumbents -- AT&TWS, Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, Bell South Mobility DCS, GTE Macro Communications, et al. -- did acquire several 30 MHz licenses but only in markets where they were new entrants. AJ

Huh? I just described above the bandwidth problems of W-CDMA for domestic wireless carriers. Please re-read. AJ

And this is why consumers should be wary of giving the farm to Apple. Sadly, consumers are rarely informed enough to see that their buying decisions oft run counter to their best interest in the long run. AJ

So many people lack even a basic understanding of the physical processes that underlie the technology that they take for granted in their lives. They really are primitive people, and it is rather sad. AJ

No, Memphis is not a priority. It is filled with poor, 'rastling fans. AJ

No, I am not bashing W-CDMA for T-Mobile's failings. I am bashing W-CDMA, period. And lest I be thought of as a Monday morning quarterback, I have been consistent in this position for years. Now, 10 MHz (5 MHz x 5 MHz) may not seem like much to allot to a new airlink. But 10 years ago -- when the US licensed 50 MHz of Cellular 850 MHz spectrum, 120 MHz of PCS 1900 MHz spectrum, but no AWS 2100+1700 MHz, Lower 700 MHz, or Upper 700 MHz spectrum, plus AT&TWS, Alltel, and Qwest were still in the game -- 10 MHz of spectrum outlay was huge. That unwieldy bandwidth requirement for W-CDMA set in motion the Cingular-AT&TWS merger and set back T-Mobile 3G deployment until well after the AWS-1 auction in 2006. No, AT&TWS, Cingular, and T-Mobile all made poor, internationally influenced decisions. They would have been much better off going CDMA2000 -- AT&TWS was on the verge of doing so until investment from NTT DoCoMo forced its hand to go GSM/W-CDMA. Then, as VZW and Sprint are doing now, they could have transitioned to LTE, as licensed bandwidth increased to include AWS, 700 MHz, SMR 800 MHz, and PCS G. Furthermore, 3GPP has come to its senses and incorporated smaller bandwidth configurations for LTE. But I digress... AJ

Nope, no alteration. You said "Goya." I mildly disapprove of all of you typing away on apps on your handsets. So, I poke fun at your many typos and auto correct errors. AJ Sent from my Nexus 7 NOT using Forum Runner or Tapatalk

After a good dozen years of hearing people assert -- rightly or wrongly -- that VZW is better because Cellular 850 MHz has superior propagation characteristics, many longtime Sprint users are more than a little bit happy to gain the upper hand with SMR 800 MHz. AJ

Sprint? Why? And with what spectrum? The spectrum in question is practically in T-Mobile's wheelhouse, is adjacent to the AWS-1 uplink. Not to mention, T-Mobile still needs additional spectrum in many major markets to complete its network overhaul. Sprint, on the other hand, does not. Honestly, the GSM based carriers -- namely, AT&T and T-Mobile -- look less and less efficient as the years go on. They constantly need more spectrum to manage their 3G/4G airlink evolutions. That is what they get for following the Euro centric 3GPP bandwagon. AJ

bmoses is referring to CDMA1X 800, not LTE 800. AJ

Not necessarily such "a shame." Many of us would be happy to have an element of Network Vision to which we can escape and the iHordes cannot follow. AJ

Probably not. iPhones are second class citizens. AJ

I do? The black beans would be among his darker works, would they not? AJ

Goya? Do you prefer his lighter, more traditional pieces... ...or his darker, more tortured works? AJ

You cannot beat this deal. I will grant you the peel AND the banana. Right now. AJ

If you are applying for a "Peel Grant," I would read that contract very carefully. AJ

Yeah, I saw that Engadget rumor spread to several online news outlets tonight. I may be starting to collect tablets like Robert collects handsets. But at $199, I would buy a Surface without a second thought. While I am enjoying the Nexus 7 even more than I expected, I would like to have in the arsenal a landscape oriented tablet, too. And I just do not think that the TouchPad running CM9 is going to cut it anymore, as I have not turned it on since I first powered up the Nexus 7 a month ago. AJ

No, the quad core processor is irrelevant, as it appears this LG design will utilize separate application processor and modem chipsets. Only the modem, RF transceiver, power amps, and antennas define airlink capabilities. Regardless, the Eclipse will not be compatible with Clearwire's WiMAX network, and no info so far indicates that it will be compatible with Clearwire's forthcoming TD-LTE 2600 network. Do not expect those handsets until next year at the earliest. AJ