One of the good things about Apple appears to be one of the bad things too. In the old days, the carriers welded the stick and the device makers made what they asked for. Over a year ago, T-Mobile spent $8 Billion as the exclusive winner of the FCC's auction of 600mHZ spectrum. What put T-Mobile in the game in the first place was their previous $435 Million purchase of 700mHZ. Obviously, the lower the mHZ, the better the signal under ground and indoors. LG and Samsung already have made devices that support this new T-Mobile "Band 71" technology. The problem with Apple is since no other carrier can offer this band, they don't seem very motivated in adding it to their devices just for the benefit if TM customers. To make matters worse, it's not something that can be pushed out as an updated software patch. I am currently using a Samsung S8+ and an iPhone 6s+. I refuse to buy an iPhone X until it supports Band 71. Until then, I will just plug in my JBL 3.5mm Headset into either of those devices and can wait as long as needed...
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Recently, I've been doing a little more travel than usual. There are some subtle ways of getting around a lot of normal inconveniences. There is also some wrong information out there which I will clarify... Yes, you can bring your own water without having it confiscated. The trick is freeze it the night before. They will let you bring frozen water but not regular water. You can bring your own food too! I typically pick up a Jersey Mikes SUB sandwich with the oil and vinegar on the side. I cut it in quarters and pre-wrap each. I oil them up when eating to keep them fresh. The alternative is paying a premium price in the airport or taking your chance on the plane. On a Delta flight to Tampa last week, the attendant apologized for running out of food before serving the whole plane. I was glad I brought my own food. Pre-boarding trick. I personally register online and use my cellphone as my boarding pass. One of the benefits is unlike your boarding pass, the electronic boarding pass is read cellphone face down. That means if you are in zone 4 and want to board with an earlier zone, they won't notice. Try that with a paper boarding pass and it never works. TSA Pre-Approved. TSA Pre✓ provides expedited security screening benefits for flights departing from U.S. Airports. Global Entry provides the TSA Pre✓ benefit plus expedited US customs screening for international air travelers when entering the United States. TSA Pre✓ costs $85 and Global Entry costs $100 for a five year membership. Travelers interested in Global Entry must apply through the Trusted Traveler Program website. For frequent global travelers, Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI are programs of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These programs offer travel benefits to pre-screened members. If you join Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI, use your membership number as a “known traveler number” in airline reservations to receive TSA Pre✓®. Answer a call from your surfboard. Ask Siri to send a message. Stream your favorite songs on your run. And do it all while leaving your phone behind. Introducing Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular. Now you have the freedom to go with just your watch. The only peace, quiet and solitude I ever get is in the water. No Facebook, e-mails or phone calls...until now.
For those who truly cannot miss an important call, the new Apple Watch Series 3 may be for you. I personally wear a RipCurl Search GPS watch in the water because it gives me GPS information, my wave count, top speed, distance and more. If you call me when I am in the water, you'll be greeted by my voice mail stating that "You have almost reached Joel, Please leave a message and I will get back to you ASAP". I have no personal desire to make or receive phone calls while surfing but if you do, hit me up and I can make it happen for you. Aloha! With the race for Smartphone supremacy, there becomes a point where the manufacturer's stop being driven by consumers and driven only by the competition. In this case, Apple is battling Samsung for SmartPhone supremacy. The problem though is how big of a screen does one really need. In my opinion, the iPhone 4s, 5s and SE were some of the best devices Apple ever made. I particularly liked the pocket friendly size, feel and ability to operate it with one hand easily. The only bummer on these models was the tiny screen. We all know Apple built a better mouse trap and their iOS was always more stable and secure than Android. Apple should realize that they will never be able to competitively compete with Samsung. After all, how could they? Apple buys their Super AMOLED screens from Samsung. They previously bought their processors from Qualcomm who they are currently embroiled in a law suit with. Now they buy their processors from Intel. And you wondered why the cheapest iPhone X with only 64GB of memory starts at a grand? I've been saying for years that Apple should come out with a moderately priced model instead of the $1000+ high end stuff. There has been plenty of rumors of Apple building some new iPhone X "budget" models with the less expensive LCD screen. I have been waiting for the wolf in sheeps clothing. That would be a newer iPhone SE model with the guts and camera of at least the iPhone 7 and the bezel less design of the iPhone X. Obviously, it would be much cheaper for Apple to use the LCD versus Super AMOLED screen and I am fine with that. It looks like my dreams may possibly come true based on a recent article from our friends art Cult of Mac.
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March 2021
CategoriesAuthorJoel Saltzman has over twenty years of wireless industry experience. He is currently CEO and Chief Wireless Analyst for Dr Wireless. |