HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Smartwatch demand surged 47 percent this spring

Samsung ranks third in global smartwatch market for Q2 2021, India is fastest-growing smartwatch market

Fossil's Gen 6 watches are up for pre-order, but not with the software you want

Get ready for a price hike on your favorite electronics. Again

The App Store is too big to change

From The Forums:

Smartphone Sim Kits

What happens if first line ports out?

activating a Tracfone bought June last year ?

Question about transfer from sim alone

FreedomPop strikes again: Voicemail enabled without any action from my side

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, August 23rd, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 24th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, August 25th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, August 26th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, August 27th, 2021

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 17 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Tracfone branded A405DL came with its own SIM card - can I use another SIM card in it?

Congrats to Relztrah for starting our ninety-first thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Top 10 trending phones of week 34

A Breakdown of the Critical Metals in a Smartphone

Magisk is alive and well after lead developer joins Google (Utility for rooting and customizing Android devices)

Kuo: iPhone 13 to support LEO satellite communication, allowing users to make phone calls and send texts without cell signal

Report: Tim Cook wants to oversee ‘one more major new product category’ before stepping down as Apple CEO

From The Forums:

How to check Red Pocket International Calling balance?

Congestion question

I tried to combine minutes, yikes

Tracfone - Combine Service and Rewards for New Phone?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Here’s how much it costs to fix a Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3 with a broken screen

Tim Cook’s Apple, ten years later

Linux turns 30, and today it’s everywhere

A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps

QR codes have replaced restaurant menus. Industry experts say it isn't a fad

From The Forums:

Red Pocket Phones

Can I activate two 3gb sim on the same BYOD phone

How to enforce CDMA-less provision on BYOD sim

Starting September 21st, re-directs?

Message: Relaying your call through [GV alias number] via your carrier pops with outgoing call

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: nearly normal

Hiroshi Lockheimer shares screenshot likely from Pixel 6 Pro, w/ under-display fingerprint sensor

iPhone 13 to Launch on September 17, AirPods 3 on September 30, Claims Report

Another leaker corroborates Apple Watch Series 7 coming in new 45mm size

New Fitbit Charge 5 gets ECG and new design in supercharged update

From The Forums:

3G shutdown date? / non-smartphones

Is my LG X Charge (Sprint) usable nowadays?

Los Mobile. MVNO or reseller?

T-Mobile wins first PCMag award for America's fastest network

Cricket VoltE message today, phone not compatible....

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

The Pixel 5a overheats while recording video

Google dismantles Health unit in favor of tried-and-tested ‘throw everything at the wall’ strategy

SaskTel ‘Customer Appreciation Day’ Coming August 26, Offering Prizes, Deals and More

Flight to Seattle evacuated after passenger’s Samsung Galaxy phone ignites

New Pegasus zero-click iPhone attack defeats Apple’s Blastdoor protections

From The Forums:

AT&T marks first 5G connected car deal with GM

What does this cellmapper info mean?

Moto G7 Play (5.7", 32 GB, 2019) WiFi Calling on Verizon?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

4G chip prices to rise, 5G hardware is getting cheaper

Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G officially discontinued in lead-up to the Pixel 6 launch

California residents can put their vaccine record in the Apple Wallet app

Goodbye Mi, hello Xiaomi: Future Xiaomi products won’t carry Mi branding

Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader

From The Forums:

22 GB Prioritized Data on $20 Standalone Postpaid Tablet UDP

T-Mobile subscribers just got a free year of Apple TV+

Verizon Nokia 2720 V Flip on Twigby?

Samsung S20 Ultra Does Not Ring On Incoming Calls

LTE Coverage Map by the FCC

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, August 16th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, August 18th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, August 19th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, August 20th, 2021

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 98 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Tracfone byop AT&T sim issues?

Congrats to MsBren for starting our ninetieth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

---------
Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Top 10 trending phones of week 33

People can’t stop buying Samsung’s new foldable phones

Galaxy Watch 4 review: welcome to Samsung’s garden

CEO of Saygus smartphone company that never released a phone charged with fraud

T-Mobile's epic data breach is only sounding worse and worse

From The Forums:

Tracfone branded A405DL came with its own SIM card - can I use another SIM card in it?

Tracfone annual ppd sim dilemma… need some help. VZW and ATT

safelink lifeline what "free"phone do they send you?

Moto E4

US Mobile vs. Redpocket?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

How the latest and greatest Samsung and Apple earbuds lock you into their world

The Epic v. Google lawsuit finally makes sense

Gurman: iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3, iPad mini 6, more coming this fall

Fitbit Charge 5 images leak – with big upgrade on the way

We're one step away from officially being able to call Saygus a 'fraud'

From The Forums:

Spin the wheel fraud

Looking for a Good Deal on Year if Service

Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans Are Getting Unlimited Minutes

Remove phone from account to give away

T-Mobile completes application for 3.45 GHz auction

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Oppo introduces true continuous zoom lens for smartphones

Google Fi will give you a Pixel 5a for a grand total of $216

T-Mobile Confirms Customer Social Security Numbers Were Hacked

Policy groups ask Apple to drop plans to inspect iMessages, scan for abuse images

Engrave Danger: An Analysis of Apple Engraving Censorship across Six Regions

From The Forums:

PIN reset due to the recent data breach

Carrier selection for Google Voice handset number

Vvm not working

eSIM failure T-Mobile

T-Mobile 4G LTE Cell Spot use for Mint or other MVNOs?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Pixel 5a review: Nothing succeeds like success

Google Pixel 4a remains available following Pixel 5a with 5G unveil

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won’t come with wall chargers

Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G is a mid-range phone with 120 Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 778G

Report: iPhone 13 to Launch Third Week of September, Pro Models to Feature 1TB Storage Option

From The Forums:

Will Tracfone notify their AT&T customers before 3g shuts down?

Distorted audio when calling one phone number

Voicemail carried over from Verizon?

Changing carrier sims

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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... with 5G, obviously.

Major specs are as follows:

6.34 inch OLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixels @ 413 ppi
12.2 MP + 16 MP ultrawide rear cameras
8 MP selfie cam
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor / Sub-6 5G
6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
4620 mAh battery
Colour: "Mostly Black"
Price: $449 USD

Pre-order now for delivery on August 26th from the Google Store or Google Fi. Sadly, no availability for Canada (yet).

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Apple Pay accounted for 92% of US mobile wallet debit transactions in 2020, study says

Call recording in Google Phone app begins rolling out to eligible Pixels globally

‘Pixel 5a (5G)’ gets early Google Fi reveal, will also be sold through $15/month ‘subscription’

California regulators think T-Mobile lied to get Sprint merger approved

T-Mobile Confirms It Was Hacked

From The Forums:

Red Pocket CDMA-V in Ketchikan, AK

Mom's 3G flip phone says searching

How can I find the nearest cell tower

visible to start locking their phones that they sell for 60 days

Do Google Voice #s Work For Facebook 2FA Text Verifications?

---------
Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, August 9th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 10th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, August 11th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, August 12th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, August 13th, 2021

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 41 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Verizon satisfies groups opposed to TracFone deal

Congrats to offthegrid for starting our eighty-ninth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a monthlong Premium Membership on us. Benefits include ad-free browsing, increased private message count, access to a subscriber-only forum, extra attachment space, a referral/affiliate signature link, the ability to post referrals, and a custom avatar and user title!

---------
Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

T-Mobile Investigating Claims of Massive Customer Data Breach

Google One's VPN has gone international

Xiaomi Mi Band 6 review, one month later: Almost perfect

Xiaomi clones the iPad Pro for half the price: $386

Top 10 trending phones of week 32

From The Forums:

Anyone using the Moto E (2020)?

Tracfone byop AT&T sim issues?

Form to Request a New Cell Site

Brand new Samsung - But FRP...

TF Apple iPhone SE 2020 Question

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

DOJ letter tells Dish and T-Mobile to figure out CDMA customer migration, or else

Apple’s controversial new child protection features, explained

The Future of Weaponized App Data

Rogers offers best 5G experience, Telus best mobile network experience overall: report

Quebec to Launch Vaccine Passport App for iPhone, Android on Sept. 1

From The Forums:

Verizon satisfies groups opposed to TracFone deal

Does Mint Mobile share the T-Mobile Extended LTE 71 (600Mhz)?

Freedompop vs Tello

Confused about unlocked Galaxy phones

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

The 5 biggest announcements from Samsung’s August Unpacked event

Where to pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 in the US

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 Canadian pricing and availability

Samsung's Galaxy Watch4 is official, and it could be the most exciting thing to happen to Wear OS in years

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 bring ANC in a lightweight body

From The Forums:

Comparing Tello vs TracFone

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Xiaomi announces Mix 4 with under-display camera

Xiaomi's gorgeous Mi Mix 4 proves why it's become the largest smartphone brand in the world

Motorola Edge 20 Fusion's specs revealed ahead of August 17 launch

Watch Samsung’s Unpacked event live here

In an effort to ride on Samsung’s hype train, OnePlus teases a copy of LG’s dual-screen case

From The Forums:

Reasonable upload speed and minimal usable upload speeds

TracFone BYOD T-Mobile wifi calling while overseas

Mobile calling to Germany

DOJ: Dish not adhering to merger terms

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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