WiWavelength

I will add this addendum. If you want to pay for a 3 GB tiered data plan and use almost half of it for speed tests, more power to you. That is your choice. AJ

Did you know that the T-Mobile "data strong" network speeds have been declining, have not looked so pretty in recent RootMetrics results? Maybe whitelisting speed tests and violating the spirit of Net Neutrality with "Music Freedom" is coming home to roost. That is hyperbole. And I ask that you stop it. I never said "killing" the network. Do not ascribe to me extreme viewpoints that I do not state. Well, in your 1.24 GB worth of speed tests, you effectively put two more of me on the network last month -- because I trend around 600-700 MB of on network data usage per month. So, for an analogy, start occasionally but simultaneously driving three cars instead of one. Have hundreds or thousands of other people in your area do likewise. Then, tell me that highway congestion will not increase. "Unlimited" data needs to be priced appropriately or die a fiery death. Otherwise, it just invites misuse. AJ

I do not understand it either. But some people think that they are furthering the cause and educating others by running repeated speed tests, showing off impressive speeds or shaming slow speeds. The anachronism of "unlimited" data has enabled this speed test bad behavior. People who actually pay for the amounts of data they use do not waste much on unnecessary speed tests. AJ

And that is fine -- it is an infrequent speed test out of curiosity/diagnosis. I do like that the Ookla Speedtest app is now showing the data used. Some people on "unlimited" data will not care, will continue to mash the speed test button, and that is sad. But the amounts of data used may give more conscientious users pause, realizing that they may be contributing to less available capacity and slower speeds for everyone. AJ

Yeah, how about we do not run too many more e-penis speed tests when the network just transparently works? As your screenshot shows, you just needlessly pumped 87 MB through the network. Do that repeatedly, then multiply it by many others doing the same, and those 87 MB speed tests are reducing available capacity for everyone. An occasional speed test out of curiosity is fine. But do not make a habit out of running speed tests. The amounts of data that they consume are growing insane. AJ

Cue the jokes now. Yo momma's phone is so Verizon that... AJ

Band 29 is for supplemental downlink CA only. It cannot be used alone. A few AT&T handsets support band 29 CA, but I have not heard reports of its deployment yet. In markets where AT&T does not hold any band 17 spectrum, it relies upon a hodgepodge of band 2, band 4, or band 5. Or AT&T runs GSM/W-CDMA only. Or AT&T just has no native footprint in those areas, as AT&T does not cover all of the US. Next up on the AT&T horizon, band 30... AJ

I cannot speak to Sprint's perception in the Kansas City metro. All I can say is that many people are Sprint subs. And if the market share stats that we have seen are accurate, Sprint has top market share -- followed by AT&T, VZW, and T-Mobile, in that order. Some people love Kansas City International Airport (MCI); other people hate it. The airport is on the northern periphery of the metro area -- the opposite side from most of the suburban development over the past 30 years. So, from Overland Park, the drive to the airport can be 40 miles. Freeway access is insanely easy, and parking is ample. The three semicircular terminal buildings are spacious but not connected. Interconnecting flights on different airlines may require an inconvenient walk outside, though that rarely happens. With airline consolidation, some of the terminal areas are almost ghost towns. The airport was overbuilt in the 1970s for hub level traffic in Kansas City that no longer exists. Some talk has been to consolidate to one terminal or even to rebuild the airport in the same location. With the rise of the Kansas City Royals, an East Coast sportswriter recently ragged on MCI -- I guess he likes urban density rather than suburban easy access. AJ

No, I have provided numerous illustrations of how Houston and Kansas City are similar metro areas from a geographical layout and metropolitan development perspective. It may not interest you or make sense to you, but geographers legitimately study why metro areas evolve in the shapes and forms that they do. I am not sure why you cannot understand that scope of my point. Culture is irrelevant to my point. Never have I brought it up. I know that Houston and Kansas City are culturally different, but I do not care. For the most part, I find people disappointing and annoying; I am far more interested in places and things. As for the NFL stadium location example, if you think that is geographically trivial, you are mistaken. I have been to NFL games in 13 different stadiums. The location choice can provide insight into the city. And that location choice affects, positively or negatively, factors such as access, atmosphere, and surrounding development. Compare Soldier Field in Chicago or Century Link Field in Seattle to NRG Stadium in Houston or Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Apples to oranges. The same, if not even greater can be said of MLB ballparks, but that is one regard in which Houston and Kansas City differ. Houston now has a downtown ballpark; Kansas City has remained on the beltway. Look, I have beaten you several times over with reason and argument. My point and its scope stand. So, just concede and move on. We do not need to clutter up this thread any further on this tangential topic. AJ

For those outside the metro, that was a headline front page article in the Kansas City Star this weekend. Not just of the Business section. Front page. AJ

Any quality improvement from 720p to 1080p on a 5 in screen is more likely related to compression than resolution. Streaming services seem to "bit starve" the lower resolution options more than they do the higher resolution options. In a blind test, play a clip at 720p with an adequate bit rate, then the same clip at 1080p, and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. The same holds true for most HDTVs. At typical viewing distances, people cannot tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. The upgrade from 1080p to 2160p is not going to change that situation -- especially not on just a 55-60 in display, unless it is being used at a computer monitor viewing distance. No, almost any visible improvement from UHD will come not from 2160p but from wider color gamut, additional frame rates, and more meticulously captured or scanned source material. AJ

No third rail. Kansas City does not have a subway, and that makes it a terrible city. AJ

The relevance in this thread is that there are some outside the Kansas City metro who feel that Sprint's location is inferior and a liability, that Marcelo will or should relocate Sprint to another metro area. The city wars have spun off from that contentious debate about Sprint's future in the Kansas City metro. AJ

AJ

Yeah, and where is Houston's major river system? Oh, gosh darn, I guess that negates my comparisons. No, it does not. Your logic and/or reading comprehension are lacking. I said that Houston and Kansas City possess many interesting commonalities in terms of urban development, and I cited numerous examples. I did not state that the cities were the same in other regards. That one has a major seaport while the other has a major river does not refute the commonalities I provided. Furthermore, your assertion that "a lot of cities have the similarities you just mentioned" can be true -- yes, some similarities, but not to the extent as between Houston and Kansas City. For numerous examples, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, and Denver do not possess many, if any of the geographic layout and urban development similarities I mentioned that Houston and Kansas City do. I felt that the moment I first drove a car in Houston. In just a few hours, I almost intuitively understood its layout and development because it reminded me of that of Kansas City. Finally, I am a university educated geographer. My expectation is that you are not. So, you can defer to me on these matters. Thanks, now sit down. AJ

No, I am right from a geographic development perspective. The two metros do have a lot in common that is not true of other metros. I already mentioned a few shared characteristics. Others include uptown "edge cities" (The Galleria and the Country Club Plaza), which are linked to downtown by "old money" corridors (Westheimer Rd and Broadway Blvd/Ward Pkwy). Additionally, both metros have prominent business corridor "edge cities" (Energy Corridor and College Blvd/119th St -- the latter where Sprint is headquartered) located just beyond the outer beltways. And both cities built NFL stadiums not downtown but several miles away along beltway freeways. Add that list to the previous list, and that is "a lot." However, I get the impression that you do not think Kansas City should be mentioned in the same sentence with Houston. AJ

I wanted to write an article about the most notable handsets of the Sprint LTE era for the three year anniversary of the first LTE launches. But that time has passed earlier this summer. And while I am no fan of poll threads, that may be the best to do in lieu of an actual article. Let the membership voice which handsets it thinks are the most notable. Another staff member and I will get to work on that thread. Hopefully, it will be up within the next few days. AJ

If Sprint had access to 16 MHz (8 MHz FDD) of SMR, that would be adequate spectrum for a 5 MHz FDD carrier and two CDMA2000 carriers, probably one CDMA1X and one EV-DO. To illustrate, 2[4.5 MHz + 1.25 MHz + 1.25 MHz + guard bands] < 16 MHz. But Sprint is licensed at most 14 MHz (7 MHz FDD) of SMR nationwide, so that means one 5 MHz FDD carrier and one CDMA1X carrier. AJ

A few months ago, I put forth to S4GRU staff an article idea for The Wall -- the most notable handsets of the Sprint LTE era. List the top five or so. The article may never happen, but the Nexus 5 definitely would make the cut, arguably at the top of the list. AJ

This part is suspicious. I call shenanigans. AJ

I am mobile, so I am not going to edit down a quote of the previous post. But Secondary 800 MHz has nothing to do with being "secondary." It is just an antiquated term for band class 10 SMR 800 MHz to distinguish it from band class 0 Cellular 850 MHz, which has also been known as Cellular 800 MHz. The iPhone Field Test is old and moldy, by the way. Apple does not want you to use it and has not appropriately updated it in years. AJ

Damn those hooligan kids and their spray paint cans! AJ

That does not change the fact that my 2013 Nexus 7, 2013 Nexus 5, and possibly my 2014 Moto X are not going anywhere. They are sticking around, and both the Nexus 5 and Moto X already charge quite rapidly. In my arsenal, the iPad mini 2 is the outlier, and it is a pain in the ass with its proprietary charger. Fortunately, the iPad mini never leaves the house, mostly sits alone and sleeps. AJ

This is too eloquent for 21st century online discourse. Are you channeling Roosevelt, Lincoln, or maybe even Jefferson? AJ

No, this is City Deathmatch. AJ