User: msteven3
These are the most recent forum messages posted by msteven3:
Re: "You can't be more direct than being on... the app environment."
He doesn't believe people want it, but the advertisers want it, and they're willing to pay for that placement, so on it goes. People may not like it, but, if you can't install it without rooting the phone, which most people can't or won't do, you have no choice.
Re: What’s so specia?
Aside from the telemedicine part (which is an odd thing to throw in, IMHO), the only thing I can think of is the included international calling. However, for most folks, this isn't something they'd use much, so I'm not sure how much of a value proposition that is, especially given how cheap most international VoIP calls are now. There are the coupons, too, I guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if those aren't that useful, unless you ...
Re: What's the point?
You have to keep in mind that VZW wants to retire CDMA within the next few years and go LTE-only. For that to happen, they need to get CDMA phones off their network, and dumbphones are some of the least upgraded devices out there. People get them, and, because no new features are added to new models, they keep them until they die. That means VZW has to get something out there for these folks to ...
Re: They should have bought ESChat
If I'm not mistaken, Kodiak is the system used by one or more U.S. carriers already. If that's the case, there are going to be contracts and therefore revenue already in place. I've never heard of ESChat. They may have a better system, but Motorola/Lenovo would have to convince carriers to switch platforms and abandon all the hardware already in place in order to get on board. That's much harder than buying an established player ...
Re: And Verizon?
Yes, but CDMA is different. With GSM, UMTS was an upgrade path for both voice and data. However, EvDO only accommodates data--voice service still works on CDMA 1x. So, the only way Verizon can retire CDMA is when they can get everyone on VoLTE. I've heard that this should happen around 2020. Persona;;y, I think it'll be possible a few years earlier than that. I can't remember the last time I haven't been ...
Re: This isn't working
I'm on Verizon, and it was available yesterday. I went into the Galaxy app store and searched simply for "beta". That got it for me.
However, you should know that the beta program filled up within a few minutes of launch, so it's possible that Samsung pulled the app down after that. Certainly, even if you can find it, signing up is no longer possible unless they open up more slots. Sorry.
Re: Facebook Messenger Brings SMS Back to Android App
No. All this will do is switch your default SMS/MMS app to Messenger, just like you can do with any of several other SMS/MMS apps you can get from the Play Store.
Actually, you can also switch SMS/MMS apps on iOS and use another program besides the native messaging app. The problem is that, since iMessage is so entwined with the iOS experience, and, since Apple has so tightly integrated SMS/MMS and iMessage into one app, separating them ...
Re: Samsung Pay works at Target
A credit card without a chip? I've only got one of those left, and it's a debit card I never use. In terms of liability, the rules changed last October. Now, whichever entity (card issuers or merchants) that don't support the EMV chip must eat the charges. Not sure how it would work if neither did.
Target, which, as you may recall, got hit with a huge data breach, has done a complete 180. Their ...
Re: $90 Per Month?
It really blows my mind how people can squander money. And, if they didn't, it's also amazing how much you can do with a small amount. I look back on my parents when I was growing up, and I'm in awe of what they did with what they had. Of course, they didn't waste anything. My mom never bought Tupperware storage containers--the plastic containers ice cream used to come in were perfectly fine. She ...
Re: $90 Per Month?
Yeah, that would make sense. Too much sense.
These rent-to-own places are complete ripoffs. If you look at the prices they charge, all the folks who rent from them would have to do is save up the amount they'd spend for rent each week for a few months, and they could buy the same product outright at a retail store. Electronics are the worst. By the end of the rental period, you've paid for that TV ...
Re: Bad Idea and will create more problems
Also, this won't do a thing to stop terrorism. International terrorists will just bring in a SIM from overseas and roam on a U.S. network.
Also, what if I buy a phone that is then registered to me and then sell it on eBay, and then the buyer uses it for criminal activity? Now the police will be investigating me for something I had no part of.
This is an incredibly bad idea.
Re: This is the end
I don't think it's so much an issue of the engineering folks not knowing what they're doing but more of management desperately trying to stop the bleeding. From what I've read, Softbank isn't happy with Sprint and isn't wanting to continue to pour money into it. So now Sprint is facing a situation where they desperately need to reduce costs just to keep the lights on, which is spurring these measures. Normally, cost-cutting can be a ...
This is the end
These signs all point to the beginning of the end. First, cell companies don't pick site locations at random; they do it to get the coverage they need. If Sprint is willing to move its antennae to cheaper towers solely for cost-saving, then you have to assume that coverage could be impacted. Second, moving from fiber to microwave backhauls will certainly reduce capacity, potentially impacting data speeds. Third, layoffs are never a good sign.
This is ...
The Polaroid name
I've never associated the Polaroid name with good photography. I tend to associate it more with cheap instant cameras that produced mediocre images.
I predict this is one of those devices that will be sold in stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Fred's.
Re: Ummmm
All joking aside, it makes perfect sense. If you're only going to use this in an emergency, you won't want to keep it on a charger all the time, since that will destroy the battery, but you also don't want to put it in a drawer, since the battery will likely be dead when you need it. Using AA batteries is a great solution.
Re: Risky not to use a phone with 3G (right now)
Yep. There are still places where LTE coverage drops out. Actually, for years, there's been a stretch of I-20/59 between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, AL where coverage drops to 1x. Not sure why it stayed that way for so long, and I'm not even sure if it's fixed now.
Putting a non-CDMA phone out there right now is asking for trouble. Maybe in a year or two, but not now.
I get it, but...
I get that Tango has to find ways to make money, but this has got to be the most irrelevant feature tacked onto an app that I've ever seen.
Next up: BlackBerry, in an effort to generate revenue, adds a "find the closest shoe store and car wash" feature to BBM.
Re: Here's a thought..
There's an app called Friendly (paid version is Friendly+) that allows you to sort your newsfeed by recent posts, and it doesn't flip back to top stories. The paid version also lets you block the sponsored posts. You don't even know they were ever there.
These apps are basically a wrapper around the mobile Web version of FB, but they allow notifications, which you don't get when you visit in your mobile browser.
Both are available on iOS. ...
So basically...
...they're suing over regs they couldn't have even read yet. There's no way they could have read the final rules, analyzed them to see how they are unlawful, prepared a complaint, and filed it, all within a few hours.
Re: Bankrupt
And I can't think of anyone who wants service from Sprint. Not that no one does, but I don't know of anyone.
I don't see this ending well. I suppose it's good for the laid-off RS employees in the short term, if they're hired back. Still, if I were in that position, I'd keep my resume up to date,
Re: Verizon's Cellular Network
HD Voice on Verizon actually sounds quite good. At least as good as a landline, if not a bit better.
Re: Haven't these kid centric phones failed every time?
Yep, and a child old enough to be out on their own enough to maybe need something like this won't be caught dead wearing it.
Oh, and the device you're thinking of was called the Firefly.
Re: The beginning of global carriers?
Global carriers have been around. It's just that we don't see them here. However, there are several companies that operate in more than one country, including Vodafone, Orange, Digicel, and Cable & Wireless. Actually, add Softbank to that list, since they own Sprint.
Re: I don't see what the big deal is.
A few fun facts for you.
1. Customs and Border Protection can go through your phone, computer, or any other device any time you cross the border, or they can seize them outright. No warrant needed. They also assert the right to stop you and do this anywhere within 100 miles of any U.S. border, including any shoreline. Again, no warrant needed.
2. Even with local police and the FBI, a warrant is not always necessary. If ...
Re: Keep this in mind on November 4th
It's not as simple as one party vs. the other. Name either party, and I can give you the names of politicians on either side of the government surveillance issue.
Re: interesting
Would you prefer a Samsung mapping app? S-Map, perhaps? :) When it gets you utterly lost, you could yell out, "Oh Smap!"
But I have to wonder if this was a concession Samsung got from MS in exchange for paying licensing fees for MS patents, rather than going to court.
VoLTE voice quality?
Eric, have you been able to test the voice quality of a VoLTE call with another VoLTE-capable device on Verizon? It's supposed to be better, but I'm curious as to how much better.
Re: VoLTE Between carriers
From my conversation with a Verizon engineer, it's going to be cross-carrier; at least that's the goal.
Re: This Says It All.....
I don't know what Wheeler's motivations are, but I at least agree with his statement. Where we may differ is that I think that, instead of trying to buy a competitor, Sprint needs to get its own house in order and actually provide a service that people want. T-Mobile seems to be doing a good job at adding subs, while Sprint is bleeding subs and money.
If DT wants to sell T-Mobile, it needs to sell it to ...
Obligatory post from The Onion
An oldie but a goodie. Describes the store perfectly.
http://www.theonion.com/article s/even-ceo-cant-figure-out-how-radioshack-sti ll-in-b,2190/
2007 called
It wants its phone back. I'm sorry, but I had to say it.
What happened, did someone just realize that these things had been sitting in the back of a warehouse for seven or eight years?
VZ Navigator
After reading that VZW no longer charges for VZ Navigator, I decided to check out their Web site. While the first month is free, they charge $4.99/month thereafter, so it's definitely not free.
Unless, of course, this is something special with the HTC One.
Re: Who will fall for this?
If I had to guess, I'm thinking they're wanting to use some different compression scheme. I think that Mexico is adopting another format, in addition to MPEG-2, although I don't recall which it is. I believe that stations will be able to choose which one they adopt. It could be that this is what the CTIA is proposing. Of course, it still can't magically create spectrum where there isn't enough, and it will break all ...
Re: Who will fall for this?
I predict that you'll see stations do this as a way to exit the market. A struggling station would sell back their channel, ostensibly to participate in channel-sharing with another station, but then that sharing wouldn't happen, or it would only occur for a short time, at which point the station will sign off completely or sell out to the station they're sharing with.
Re: Hmmm
If someone is willing to steal a phone, they're likely willing to tamper with the kill switch. For people stealing lots of them to ship out of the country, that kind of tampering won't bother them at all. For the kid who steals a classmate's phone at school, they won't care, either, first, because many kids don't think about consequences like that, and second, because, as a juvenile, the most they'd get is probation.
Just about every security ...
Re: Hmmm
I know that they could hard-code a kill switch number into the device, but that number alone does nothing. It will require software on the device to receive a request to lock, erase, or brick the phone. And, as I said, that software could either be hard-coded in, or it could be flashed so that it could be changed later on. No manufacturer is going to be willing to hard-code the software because, if a bug ...
Re: Hmmm
Yeah, but how many people keep the box? This would be especially true in the case of a sale. Used devices are rarely sold with the original boxes, so what then?
Also, it doesn't matter if this number can't be changed. There has still got to be some software in the device that will enable the kill switch to work, and software can be changed. It'll either be erased, or, if it's hard-coded in so it ...
Re: Hmmm
But how is this supposed to work? If the phone can be reactivated by the owner or carrier, does it not occur to these politicians that a thief can just re-flash it and also get it reactivated?
And here's a few more wrinkles I bet they've never considered. Suppose I buy, say, a GS4 from AT&T. So that means that AT&T has the power to deactivate it, right? Now, suppose someone steals it and pops in ...
Re: Crooks
Just curious as to what kind of jacked up account they've got you enrolled in. I've never heard of a fee to deposit checks.
Not that they aren't crooks, but I've never heard of them ripping people off in this particular fashion.
Re: How Many Times Are They Gonna Rename This Thing?
Actually, what happened was that Microsoft had partnered with Sky (the UK satellite company), and many confused customers who couldn't figure out how SkyDrive worked were calling Sky tech support instead of Microsoft. Sky got irritated about this and demanded that Microsoft change the name, at least in the UK. Instead, in order to keep its branding consistent, it changed the name worldwide.
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