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Geesmill

S4GRU Premier Sponsor
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Everything posted by Geesmill

  1. Robert, I realize S4GRU has done raffles previously, but this seems like a great way to help increase contributions. I've been donating anyway, but the chance to win a replacement Moto X or a new iPhone and help keep S4GRU online is great.
  2. As a person in a GMO area, I certainly hope so. The day when I stop roaming off of VZW and ATT/Alltel will be great.
  3. There are a couple out there on S4GRU. http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4713-republic-wireless-sprint-lte-moto-x/?hl=%20republic%20%20wireless
  4. I've got an Overdrive and it works well for me. My area has not got LTE as of yet, so it is good enough for now. When the backhaul shows up in the four corners I might pull the trigger on the LTE Mifi, but will have to wait and see how they are priced in the future. No point and spending very much on hardware for 500 MB/month.
  5. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-07/son-makes-58-billion-on-alibaba-with-buffett-type-return.html Looks like Son will have no funding issues for the acquisition after the Alibaba payday.
  6. I could see how merging the two could make sense, but there might be some positives to having these two separate channels. Some people loath Sprint and don't comprehend that Boost and Virgin ride on Sprint. I see that as a group that is getting smaller, but these are just other avenues for Sprint to get minutes and data on network. Site utilization is what they are going for and that is why Sprint allows all the MVNOs to ride on their network. The MVNOs have different business plans, but all Sprint wants is usage at a profitable rate.
  7. Verge video on Moto's new headquarters and the upcoming 360 wearable.
  8. A demo of a Raspberry Pi phone. http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/28/raspberry-pi-modded-into-a-160-cellphone/#comments
  9. Well my area has had the builds and I'm enjoying some 800, but we are waiting on backhaul... Some day I guess. When I'm traveling I enjoy the speed of the LTE.
  10. I'm not sure on a lot of the new equipment deployed with the Network Vision upgrades, but on the old Lucent Mod 4.0 gear a restart command would take around that time for the radios to fire up again.
  11. Chances are you are correct about the sites being updated. Usually switch updates are pushed during off peak hours. Maintenance windows are usually during late night, when there is less load on the sites.
  12. Came across a youtube video of a wireless device dated from 1922 on British Pathe http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10772434/British-Pathe-uploads-85000-historic-films-to-YouTube.html
  13. I like the idea as Google as another option. I think this could really pick up some steam when LTE handsets are inter-operable on most all bands. I had this discussion on a different board a while back where the idea was brought up that a MVNO wouldn't have to pick just one carrier to partner with. Once the antenna and chipset designs are capable of cramming every band into one handset it would be possible to go with the carrier who ever best meets your business model. That could be providing a Least Cost Routing solution where carriers offer up network access on an open market platform where the access is bought and sold on an monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly basis. Electric Utilities operate in this fashion today with a fraction of the IT infrastructure that telecom employs. I know it is apples and oranges, but if any company has the money and computing know how to get a market as such up and running Page and Brin are the ones. Anyway I imagine if Google can't get the access they want they could always bid up prices in the next round of auctions. Maybe use that as a bargaining chip with existing carriers. At least in a Google MVNO situation the bits would be running through Sprint or VZW's network. A "The devil you know situation."
  14. I remember one of my relatives coming to visit one time and he had one of these. He was in school at the time and I keep wondering how he was able to come up with that amount of money. As I remember that Kyocera was not very affordable. Thanks for the stroll.
  15. Not exactly sure of the solution Dish is using, but chances are it would be a terrestrial solution to allow for lower latency and lower overall cost. I believe from the article there were two lines of thought, one was using Dish's AWS spectrum as backhaul and another part of the article referred to using 2.5 Ghz for the backhaul with lots of short hops. Wireless ISPs are not a new thing, but most times they are the provider of last resort. People attempt to get service from the phone/cable companies and in many rural settings WISPs are the only high-speed solution available. Ubiquiti is a gear maker for the WISP industry and late last year started a marketing campaign to get the word out on WISPs. http://www.goubiquiti.com
  16. That is hilarious. I thought it was Dice Clay, at the very end. In fact I watched the ad again, but the second time I didn't think it was him. I guess when you are in a hamster ball you sound different.
  17. So sorry to hear about the layoffs. I know what a difficult and confusing time that can be. I experienced a force reduction at AT&T ten years ago and now with the gift of time I see it was the best thing that could have happened to me in retrospect. AT&T was my first job out of high school as well, and all that I knew. I got to travel all over the U.S. installing and maintaining wireline and wireless gear for the backbone network. It was great in that it was always changing and there was always a lot of work to be done. I had a family member who worked in that organization and I sort of just fell into it. The "Network" and "My Job" were my life and all that I had. It was great and I loved it for the most part, granted after almost a decade traveling, and living on the road I felt I wanted more. I know that the change is difficult, but this could be a great opportunity for everyone affected. There is a whole, big world out there other than telecom, and while I still enjoy following the communications sector and technology advances, there are other industries that allow a better work-life balance and include higher compensation. It maybe difficult to see it while you are sitting in the middle of all this change, but this could be a big chance to make a great change for yourself and your family. Take every opportunity Sprint and your state/federal government present to you. Go to school if you have the resources and inclination. It will make your life so much easier in the future, but if it isn't your thing then technical certs are also a great way to go. I hope you have a successful job search and it allows you to take whatever courses/interests you are interested in pursuing. Good luck.
  18. Yes, it is totally amazing the speed with which the wireless networks have been deployed and the price drops on handsets that have been experienced. I remember getting assigned a Motorola bag phone for work back in the early 90s. I traveled all over the western U.S. and when I asked about the cost of roaming, etc my supervisor said it is your work phone, if you need to use it, use it. Well the next month when the $4600 bill came in I was told I probably could use email and landlines for some of those calls. It is just ridiculous how digital technologies, the internet and VOIP have changed the landscape of communications in the world.
  19. Looks like Republic Wireless is rolling out the Moto G in April. Might be a nice fit for students and children. https://republicwireless.com/ip/moto-g
  20. Yes the Nexus is an awesome handset. When my area gets LTE I figure I will try out one of the Spark devices. Seeing as how I still on 3G I figure a single band LTE handset can't hurt. Good luck.
  21. I've got a Otterbox Defender on my Moto X and it has already saved the handset and screen. Ended up scraping up the built in screen protector, so I contacted Otterbox and they sent me a new case. They warranty all their cases, which is nice because they are not cheap. I like the feel of the case on the phone because I also felt the phone was small in the hand. The Defender adds some heft, but it still feels good in the hand. Good luck.
  22. http://downdetector.com/status/sprint/map/ Anyone else having data issues?
  23. I don't know if I would call bs on this just yet. If it is for real then watch out. This guy has been behind some nice projects in the past and it they have some pretty slick demos. That said there is a lot of vaporware in the world, with any luck this will be concrete.
  24. Bloomberg article on Republic and Wifi Offload at the 4 national carriers. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-01-02/what-wi-fis-popularity-means-for-cell-phone-carriers#p1
  25. Another day, another MVNO on the Now Network. I hadn't heard of Scratch and didn't see anything about them in the forums. http://www.scratchwireless.com/ Looks like they are another wifi offloader using the Sprint Network as backup. They offer one phone currently and if you just use wifi there are no monthly costs. Old hardware, but they are going after tweens from the article. http://www.lightreading.com/spit-(service-provider-it)/policy-+-charging/touring-sprints-well-oiled-mvno-factory/d/d-id/706688 Something I found interesting from the bloggers comments down in the discussion. A Sprint spokesman says, "there is no preference for Sprint traffic over wholesale traffic ever. That goes for voice and data."
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