Technology catch-all thread

[chw42]

I've never had any problems with T-Mobile's coverage except the stadium issue. Speed is decent enough, similar technology to AT&T I guess. They're trying to add LTE to their network and this is how they'll do that, since they can't compete with the two giants.

 

The thing is that businesses like to say "we'll be able to lower our costs if..." but they never do it, I didn't realize T-Mobile changed their entire pricing structure to accommodate this since it's something you need to proactively do on the site. I actually did lower my bill. So the idea of paying $20 a month for 2 years isn't that bad, if my bill will just go up to slightly more than it was before PLUS now I have unlimited data again.

 

Or you know, you can just buy a the device up-front for ~$500-$600. The HTC One is $575 unlocked straight from HTC. There's always the Nexus 4 option too.

 

I think if you actually buy the phone from them, you not only pay the $20 a month, but that counts as part of your wireless bill, which means you'll be subject to a wireless tax on the phone as well, which may go up to 20% in some states. Totally unnecessary if you ask me.

[lostfan]

Or you know, you can just buy a the device up-front for ~$500-$600. The HTC One is $575 unlocked straight from HTC. There's always the Nexus 4 option too.

 

I think if you actually buy the phone from them, you not only pay the $20 a month, but that counts as part of your wireless bill, which means you'll be subject to a wireless tax on the phone as well, which may go up to 20% in some states. Totally unnecessary if you ask me.

That's probably what I'm going to do. I hope Sprint follows T-Mobile on this. Contracts are a scam.

[BigSqwert]

The GS4 has 8.8gb of available space right off the bat on their 16gb model phone. I guess all of those useless gimmicks in their software takes up a ton of space.

[chw42]

The GS4 has 8.8gb of available space right off the bat on their 16gb model phone. I guess all of those useless gimmicks in their software takes up a ton of space.

 

Root and uninstall the useless ones.

 

You can disable them without root, but they will still take up space.

 

Oh btw, Google Now is now on iOS. It's not as nice as it is on Android, but with a jailbreak tweak, you can activate it anyway you like.

[BigSqwert]

Root and uninstall the useless ones.

 

Probably something like 10% or less of people know how to do...let alone even know what you're talking about. They might as well sell that as an 8GB device.

Edited April 30, 2013 by BigSqwert

[witesoxfan]

I picked up the One over the weekend. I am in love.

[chw42]

Probably something like 10% or less of people know how to do...let alone even know what you're talking about. They might as well sell that as an 8GB device.

 

You only get 5.5 GB of usable storage on a 8 GB device...

[chw42]

I picked up the One over the weekend. I am in love.

 

It's good to see that you are in love with the One love of your life.

Edited April 30, 2013 by chw42

[BigSqwert]

If this Honami rumor comes to fruition then I've found my next phone.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

If this Honami rumor comes to fruition then I've found my next phone.

 

Sounds like a very promiscuous weather phenomenon

[Jenksismyhero]

[Jenksismyhero]

I can't remember where we were talking about internet recently, but I'll post it here anyway. I'm debating whether to change my internet provider. Right now I get my internet through AT&T U-Verse. Cable is through DirecTV so no bundling of services needed. My plan is up to 12 mbps for $57 a month, including the modem rental fee. It looks like Comcast I can get the "Performance" plan which is speeds up to 25mbps for $29.99 for 6 months and 49.99 thereafter (plus 7 a month for a rental fee)...so an average of $47.

 

Seems like a no brainer but a couple of questions:

 

(1) How do people like comcast internet, and specifically the 25mbs speed (since I know that's a bulls*** marketing number and the actual speed is much lower). Any outage problems or bandwidth throttles? I don't do torrents, just web browsing and lots of movie/tv show streaming and occasional gaming.

 

(2) Does the modem you have come with a built in wi-fi router? That's a benefit of the AT&T system, but for $10/month savings I could go buy a wireless router and still come out ahead probably.

[RockRaines]

My Comcast is pretty quick, I dont buy into their "tiers" of speeds. It's fairly reliable however can get into periods of stalling like any service. As usual keep your eye on the billing rates as they change them at any time.

 

Mine just comes with a modem which is fine since I prefer the apple wireless router.

[bigruss]

I can't remember where we were talking about internet recently, but I'll post it here anyway. I'm debating whether to change my internet provider. Right now I get my internet through AT&T U-Verse. Cable is through DirecTV so no bundling of services needed. My plan is up to 12 mbps for $57 a month, including the modem rental fee. It looks like Comcast I can get the "Performance" plan which is speeds up to 25mbps for $29.99 for 6 months and 49.99 thereafter (plus 7 a month for a rental fee)...so an average of $47.

 

Seems like a no brainer but a couple of questions:

 

(1) How do people like comcast internet, and specifically the 25mbs speed (since I know that's a bulls*** marketing number and the actual speed is much lower). Any outage problems or bandwidth throttles? I don't do torrents, just web browsing and lots of movie/tv show streaming and occasional gaming.

 

(2) Does the modem you have come with a built in wi-fi router? That's a benefit of the AT&T system, but for $10/month savings I could go buy a wireless router and still come out ahead probably.

1) Comcast has very good internet service, that said it still depends on your location. Overall, I wouldn't be worried about their speeds, they are typically very solid and I never really experienced prolonged outages with them.

 

2) Stop renting and go buy a modem/router combo set. You can look at the list of approved modems from Comcast, then buy it yourself. I bought a router/modem combo since I had to save on space, and it cost around $150 I believe. I have RCN cable, but I've done this with Comcast in the past. They really don't care if you buy your own, they'll just ask for the model number to verify it's one of their approved ones.

[bmags]

I have comcast and have had no problems. However, I'd never rent equipment from the cable company, it's a racket for them and they treat the equipment like hell.

 

I remember returning a router to comcast at their equipment drop off, she grabbed it from me with two fingers and tossed it across the room into a box.

[Steve9347]

(1) How do people like comcast internet, and specifically the 25mbs speed (since I know that's a bulls*** marketing number and the actual speed is much lower). Any outage problems or bandwidth throttles? I don't do torrents, just web browsing and lots of movie/tv show streaming and occasional gaming.

 

(2) Does the modem you have come with a built in wi-fi router? That's a benefit of the AT&T system, but for $10/month savings I could go buy a wireless router and still come out ahead probably.

(1) Speed is fine for anything you want to do.

 

(2) I would recommend just buying your own modem and router and having ownership of it vs renting from anyone.

[Y2HH]

I can't remember where we were talking about internet recently, but I'll post it here anyway. I'm debating whether to change my internet provider. Right now I get my internet through AT&T U-Verse. Cable is through DirecTV so no bundling of services needed. My plan is up to 12 mbps for $57 a month, including the modem rental fee. It looks like Comcast I can get the "Performance" plan which is speeds up to 25mbps for $29.99 for 6 months and 49.99 thereafter (plus 7 a month for a rental fee)...so an average of $47.

 

Seems like a no brainer but a couple of questions:

 

(1) How do people like comcast internet, and specifically the 25mbs speed (since I know that's a bulls*** marketing number and the actual speed is much lower). Any outage problems or bandwidth throttles? I don't do torrents, just web browsing and lots of movie/tv show streaming and occasional gaming.

 

(2) Does the modem you have come with a built in wi-fi router? That's a benefit of the AT&T system, but for $10/month savings I could go buy a wireless router and still come out ahead probably.

 

This is always going to come down to the specific person/area, but I've had Comcast internet for years, and have had a total of two short outages over that time. I do WiFi for everything in my house, and my Internet is blazing. And no, Comcast's speeds are real. If you buy a 25mbit tier, you will actually get that.

 

Here is a speedtest from me to a server in San Jose, CA.

 

 

When downloading from something that can actually keep up with me, say a Newsgroup, I will sustain 6-7 megabytes per second throughout.

 

With Comcast you can rent a modem with wifi, or without, that's up to you. Or, you can alternatively purchase a cable modem and you won't have to pay rental fees.

[Jenksismyhero]

Anyone have a link to the modem they bought that would work?

[StrangeSox]

http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net//

[Jenksismyhero]

Well, 30 minutes on the phone with two AT&T support offices and they matched Comcast's price and saved me the installation fee/cost of a modem and router. The Service Rep was also kind enough to tell me to call back again in 6 months for another "modification" to my package.

 

Score some points to AT&T's good service.

[StrangeSox]

Tried to get a deal with Comcast today, of course I don't actually have any alternatives and they know it so I get charged more for the same plan than many other people in the area.

[bmags]

Tried to get a deal with Comcast today, of course I don't actually have any alternatives and they know it so I get charged more for the same plan than many other people in the area.

 

Did you do this over the phone? I've never been denied when actually speaking to someone. As long as you are willing to wait they usually don't even push back much.

[StrangeSox]

yeah

[bmags]

Nuts. I'd try again if I were you.

[Steve9347]

yeah

Did you ask to speak with the retention department? I can't imagine that DSL or satellite television depending ont he service you want is unavailable.