HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Report: ARM is for sale and Nvidia’s interested, Apple isn’t

Google is launching the Pixel 4a on August 3 according to the latest rumor

Mozilla rolls out Firefox 79 for Android with a year’s worth of changes

Rogers, Telus, Bell Must Cut Prices of 2GB-6GB Plans by 25% Says Ottawa

How the CEOs of Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook plan to defend Big Tech today

From The Forums:

Usb powered antenna?

T-Mobile SIM only vs Activation Kit

Why are eSIM Activation Cards so difficult to get from AT&T stores?

Sprint brand could stick around

Fast.com speed tests max out 4.2Mbps? With a VPN I get over 20mbps

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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:

Curved displays make your phone look good but they lose out on practicality

Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 will bring 100W+ fast charging to future Android smartphones

Instagram promises to fix bug after being exposed by always accessing the camera on iOS 14

Who's getting better cell phone data prices than Canada? Almost everyone

Shaw announces plans to launch ‘Shaw Mobile’ wireless brand in British Columbia and Alberta on July 30

From The Forums:

Fake T-Mobile 5g icons on $amsung a71 5g

Airave Replacement that can do T-Mobile bands?

AT&T $2.00 Daily Plan Change

whats this 5ge crap

Verizon says to expect a lot of noise about 5G in the 2nd half of 2020

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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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Canada's official COVID-19 tracing app is now available for beta-testing. To be clear, this is not the app for those entering the country and self-quarantining for 14 days, nor is it the tracing app that's been deployed in Alberta since the spring—both the Alberta app and this new national solution use Bluetooth, but it's only the latter that incorporates the Apple and Google tech now baked into Android and iOS.

As I understand it, that tech works like this: every user is assigned a unique, encrypted and non-identifiable Bluetooth key, which updates frequently throughout the day. As you make your way through the world your exposure to other users is recorded by handshakes with their own unique keys. Periodically, your log of exposures is compared against a master list on a remote server for possible exposure to COVID, at which point you are alerted through the app. Apple and Google explain it better on this PDF.

So far the app has been working as advertised, though I did have one expectation that is as of yet unmet. Currently the user is able to disclose that they've tested positive for the virus by entering a code from their test. However, there's no provision for the opposite—that is, to confirm a negative test result as well. I think this extra feature would make the app much more useful in, say, a scenario where I'm eventually able to visit a foreign country and am asked to provide proof of a negative test result upon entry.

The beta is currently open for anyone to apply. If interested you can sign up with a valid email address via this link.

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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, July 20th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, July 21st, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, July 23rd, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, July 24th, 2020

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior 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 45 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Contacting Apple For Tracfone Sold iPhone Issues?

Congrats to romaparisdoma for starting our thirty-fourth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a month of Gold Membership on us!

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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:

OnePlus Nord Review: Great Performance at a Great Price

OnePlus Nord review: the right compromises

Top 10 trending phones of week 30

AT&T’s sub-6GHz 5G network is now available across the U.S.

Telus wins Ookla’s ‘Fastest Mobile Network’ and ‘Best Mobile Coverage’ awards in Canada

From The Forums:

Galaxy SIII

Ssn?

Why are games automatically downloading? I don't play games on my phone.

Mint $150 year at Best Buy

TextMe and TextFree app questions

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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:

OnePlus Buds Review: It doesn’t get better for the price

Garmin hit by massive outage after possible ransomware attack

The OPPO Watch will soon launch globally with Google’s Wear OS

Amazfit Bip S review: This smartwatch has two standout features that are hard to beat

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 fitness tracker now available from US$49.98 at Amazon with free shipping

From The Forums:

Contacting Apple For Tracfone Sold iPhone Issues?

Non VoLTE devices will not be activated after August 4th

Android Placing calls carrier calls from within google voice app

Taking advantage of a Consumer Cellular phone bargain?

Balances on expired 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:

Lenovo Legion Duel is here with Snapdragon 865+, side pop-up selfie camera and 90W fast charging

ROG Phone 3 review

Here are all the games that support the ASUS ROG Phone 3’s high refresh rate display

T-Mobile’s first unified plan offers 4 lines of unlimited data for $100

Canada’s COVID Alert Exposure Notification App Seeking Beta Testers

From The Forums:

T-Mobile-Sprint Merger Update

Is it true that all iPhone 12 models won’t support high, mid and high band 5g?

Rebranding - SIM Swap - Unlock?

T-Mobile + Sprint = 2.29 Million Square Miles of Coverage

Wi-Fi Calling quits working after some time

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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:

Hands-on with the OnePlus Nord: The true OnePlus X successor

OnePlus Nord gets its first update, improving camera performance

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra leaks in all its glory with full specs and images

Amazfit Bip S review: This smartwatch has two standout features that are hard to beat

Fossil Gen 5 review, 1 year on: Where Wear OS stands in 2020

From The Forums:

Red Pocket

AT&T insanity

Data Plans for Hotspot device

extra 10GB?

New Moto G Stylus with bottom screen notifications that take too long to leave

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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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Today OnePlus announced their new mid-range phone, the Nord. At the moment it's a bit of a non-story for the US and Canada, but it will be interesting to see what this new direction means for the OnePlus 8T expected in the fall.

The Nord's notable specs are as follows:

Flat (!) 6.44 inch 2400 x 1800 pixel 90 Hz AMOLED display
Snapdragon 765G processor (supports 5G)
8 or 12 GB RAM / 128 or 256 GB storage
48 MP OIS rear camera + wide angle + macro + depth sensor
32 MP selfie cam + wide angle
4,115 mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T
OxygenOS running on Android 10
Available in Blue Marble, Gray Onyx
£379.00 or £469.00 = $649 or $803 CAD = $379 or $597 USD

Also announced was a set of AirPod wannabes, interesting only in that they'll retail for less than half the price of their Apple equivalent. These will be available for purchase in this part of the world shortly.

Sources: OnePlus UK / US

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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:

Vivo X50 Pro Camera Review: The Gimbal doesn’t make up for the processing

Samsung confirms it will announce 5 devices at Galaxy Unpacked

Here’s how to watch the OnePlus Nord launch

The brain behind the Google Pixel camera is building a universal camera app for Adobe

Patent Reveals Apple Pencil Selecting Colors From Real-World

From The Forums:

Are All Total Wireless Telephone Calls On VoLTE Now?

Sprint customer. Have 2 50gb plans and 1 100gb hotspot plan that’s also a 5g device. Will I have to

Tethering - USB Router - WiFi

Why can't I send a text using mobile data?

Unlocked Comcast S8/ATT 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.
---------

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, July 13th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, July 14th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, July 15th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, July 16th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, July 17th, 2020

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior 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 58 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

T-Mobile Domestic Roaming

Congrats once again to CellGeek for starting our thirty-third thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a fourth month of Gold Membership on us!

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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 29

Samsung’s Exynos 990 decision might destroy Galaxy Note 20 sales

Samsung Health is getting rid of Weight, Food and Caffeine tracking

OnePlus Nord will rely on Google's calling and messaging apps

Huawei begins counterattack, files patent infringement against Verizon, HP and Cisco

From The Forums:

TF Moto G7 Optimo Maxx from HSN - No signal at my home - what to do ?

Question about charging cable

Iphone 6s, Google Voice and no service.

What Tracfone branded phones are Verizon CDMA-less?

Battery replacement

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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 Microsoft-Android transformation is about to affect us all

T-Mobile customers can now get a free second “proxy” number, new scam protections

Rogers, Telus, Bell Need More Rivals for Cheaper Cellphone Plans Says Competition Bureau

Big Three reiterate stance against mandated MVNO access in final submissions to CRTC

Here’s a first look at the new emoji arriving in iOS and Android later this year

From The Forums:

Safelink data not really working?

Current Total Wireless Customer Considering Spectrum Mobile

Sprint Roaming

What is the Normal Verizon Band-switching logic? Band 5 13 66

No more NEW Sprint Customers after Aug 2nd

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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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My high regard for the cheap and cheerful Amazfit Bip remains, but my relationship with it was summarily ended by a recent update to the companion smartphone app. Said app now requires access to my phone's camera before it will even pair to the watch.

Does the Bip have a remote shutter function—that is, can you prop up your phone on some stable surface then use your Bip to capture a group selfie from several feet away? Nope. Do any of the other watches made by Amazfit support this feature natively? A cursory search of their product portfolio would also suggest no. Should you be at all concerned about an app that provides no camera functionality but has the ability to send photos and or video from your phone to an external server? I sure am.

There is another way I could continue using my Bip: Gadgetbridge on F-Droid will connect a Bip or other supported wearable to your phone without accessing the Internet at all. But this very secure solution also means that syncing your fitness data with any other app is going to be a chore.

So for the moment I'm back to Wear OS and the transflective displays of my Casio Pro-Treks, at least until something better comes along. Because, as I've written here before, the perfect Android smartwatch doesn't exist.

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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:

UK bans Huawei from 5G networks, with total removal by 2027

Huawei hopeful it can provide 5G to Canada despite, Trump, Five Eyes pressure

Majority of Canadians want courts to decide Huawei CFO’s fate, not politics: study

Mozilla VPN launches in Canada for Windows, Android and iOS

Samsung Expects 6G to Launch as Early as 2028

From The Forums:

Dummy Questions #2 about cached data

5G UWB not priority over Mid Band auction and nationwide low band?

Phone is still locked

Do I still need to engage a chat session with TF to move acct to new phone?

Good inexpensive smartphone

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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:

It's happening: Phones that fully charge in 15 minutes

OPPO unveils its 125W wired and 65W wireless fast charging technologies

The OnePlus Nord will have a 105° ultra wide selfie camera

WhatsApp went down for nearly an hour

How to Get Your $25 From Apple's 'Batterygate' Settlement

From The Forums:

Verizon's alternative to layoffs: Retraining 20,000 workers

My Verizon branded Samsung SM-B690V (Convoy 4) is probably a paperweight ... or is it?

LG Premier Pro Plus and Google Voice

Why Only Florida for Verizon 55+?

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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:

Canadian Google Store leaks Pixel 4a in high-res image

TCL 10 Pro and TCL 10L Review: The TV-makers first smartphones

Sony Xperia 1 II review: it’s a stretch

OPPO to showcase its 125W fast charging technology on July 15

OnePlus Nord shows up on GeekBench, comes with a twist

From The Forums:

DataConnect for NightHawk beyond 15GB?

The Next Uncarrier: 7.16.20

T-Mobile Domestic Roaming

T-MOBILE Hotspot Franklin T9 (nice device) and any rumors of a 5G hotspot?

Can I use the Ebay $49.99 card to add service to my existing TF phone? Are there other options?

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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, July 6th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, July 7th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, July 8th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, July 10th, 2020

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior 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 34 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

HSN exclusive special LG presale

Congrats to Soyjim for starting our thirty-second thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a month of Gold Membership on us!

---------
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 28

Google Says Android 10's Adoption Rate Is the Fastest Ever

Google’s 2020 smartphone lineup: Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5

Fossil's new smartwatches won't adopt Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 4100 platform

Xiaomi Mi Band success story continues as the Mi Smart Band 4 becomes the world's best-selling wearable band

From The Forums:

Consumer Cellular or Cellular One questions

Traded in my iPhone 6s+

Phone

New Straight Talk Home Phone Base by Moxee (KonnectOne)? Any Information?

Unlimited hotspot upgrade

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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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