T-Mobile Service Plans and Coverage Review

Coverage:  T-Mobile's coverage can be spotty in a few areas around the United States and Mexico, but not as bad as most people proclaim it to be.  Their features and flexibility far outweigh the lack of connectivity in most areas and provide the most valuable data plans.  If you don't have coverage in many areas simply make calls through T-Mobile's WiFi android app on some smartphones.  This is huge so you don't if you make a lot of calls indoors in remote places.  If you live in a major metropolitan area it is likely you will have comparable coverage to AT&T and Verizon 3G in most areas.  One benefit of being a smaller carrier means you are likely competing against fewer customers for network capacity. T-Mobile now has the best 4G (HSPA+) coverage and its great to be a customer with fewer people competing for coverage on the HSPA+ network.  The difference between 3G and 4G LTE is not that significant in my opinion if you are not downloading the video.  Nevada and some of the mountain states are some notable dead zones in their coverage network and even Northern California and Oregon have quite a few miles where service is not available. T-Mobile has network coverage in every state except Alaska, reception in rural areas can be spotty. Also, as with all carriers, the reception will vary due to location. International coverage is available in more than 187 countries. Their website does have a nice feature that allows you to check coverage areas by inputting your zip code and overlaps nicely with dead zones reported on our map on the right. If you travel a lot, they do have international service options, but it will cost you as roaming charges do apply.

Plans:  T-Mobile leads these carriers in free minutes and value now offering unlimited plans without long term contracts. Prepaid cards are affordable if you only want a short term plan.  For the money, they offer the freest minutes of any plan and likely the most value depending on where you live. T-Mobile offers more plans that are typically less expensive, particularly for Internet access, text, and multimedia messaging services. They offer several plans including business plans, pre-paid, family, and individual plans. They do offer free phones subsidized phones, including camera phones, but if you want to choose a different phone than the one they offer you will have to pay for it.

Other features

• Unlimited data plans still exist for some customers grandfathered. 
• Offers unlimited calling plans without long term contracts is a great selling point
• As a GSM carrier and a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile has extensive international roaming and thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots in the United States and Europe.
• Of the major carriers, T-Mobile received the highest customer service rating by J.D. Power and Associates for several consecutive years.
• T-Mobile is the only major carrier not to offer push-to-talk services.
• We recommended you monitor your text messaging usage closely and get on an unlimited plan so you don't get charged the outrageous .25 cents per message if you go over.
  
• Has 4G Coverage now in most cities. 
• 5G LTE plans will come soon but 4G HSPA+ is plenty fast.  
• T-Mobile has an Android phone with unlimited data plans.  We highly recommend it!
• T-Mobile & Sprint merged but they are keeping separate business brand units similar to when they purchased MetroPCS. 

Finding the best best cell phone coverage just got easier by comparing cell phone coverage reports from other customers. Which wireless carrier has the worst cell phone coverage?

Other Reviews:

• AT&T Service Plans and Coverage Review
• Verizon Wireless Service Plans and Coverage Review
• Sprint Wireless Service Plans and Coverage Review

Feedback is always welcome.  Please submit your comments below.

@TMobileHelp Twitter Chatter

Tweets about @Tmobilehelp

T-Mobile And Sprint Are In Active Talks About A Merger

Both companies and their parents, Deutsche Telekom and Softbank, have been in frequent conversations about a stock-for-stock merger in which T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom would emerge as the majority owner.

People close to the situation stress that negotiators are still weeks away from finalizing a deal and believe the chances of reaching an agreement are not assured. The two sides have not yet set an exchange ratio for a deal, but are currently engaged in talks to hammer out a term sheet. T-Mobile and Sprint have had a seemingly endless dalliance over the years since Softbank took control of Sprint, pushed by the prospect of billions of dollars in cost synergies that a merger would bring.

The last time the two companies held meaningful talks earlier this year, Softbank's Masayoshi Son indicated a willingness to sell Sprint to T-Mobile. This time, given the all-stock nature contemplated, Softbank would emerge as a large minority holder in any combination. While T-Mobile CEO John Legere is expected to lead any combination that results from a merger, Son has made it clear he wants a say in how the company is run. That desire adds another layer of complexity to an already difficult transaction.

T-Mobile has not begun due diligence on Sprint, yet another step that could change current price expectations or the willingness to move forward. The biggest issue is whether any merger between the No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers in the nation would be approved by antitrust regulators. The risk of rejection by the Department of Justice will play an important role in the final decision made by both sides as to whether they will proceed with a deal.

How Well Will the Apple Watch Hold a Cellular Signal?

Apple Watch Antenna is the Screen Itself

Do you remember how bad the signal was when the first iPhone launched?  That is one of the main reasons why we started Deadcellzones.com.  I would anticipate that the Apple Watch will likely drop more calls than your cell phone due to the smaller antenna.

I am having a serious deja vu, as this reminds me of when the first iPhone launched back in 2007 and our web site traffic on Deadcellzones.com spiked huge for years. As we all know AT&T had nightmares for years after the iPhone launch. Will history repeat itself again?

If you didn't see the recent Apple Event in September of 2017 watch the demonstration of a live call on Lake Tahoe.  Apple executives call this a windy lake and were excited about how clear the call was despite the wind.

We would love your feedback below in the comments as you start using the Apple Watch.  Please compare your signal to you cell phone and see which one holds calls better.

This cellular watch will also create a lot of demand for power and extra battery life.  How long will the batter last?

Apple Watch Demonstration on Lake Tahoe

Where is AT&T Expanding Mobile Coverage?

What does this really mean?  Are they filling coverage gaps in areas where they previously claimed to have coverage on their maps?  Are they expanding network capacity to provide better data?  Are they putting up new cell phone towers, adding wifi or allowing customers to finally use femtocells?

Every day carriers are sending out press releases claiming to expand their mobile coverage in areas throughout the state.  Here is a great example of a press release that is just a waste of time, resources, money and effort.  AT&T Expands Mobile Broadband Coverage in York County.  This press release is trying to convey a message to their customers explaining that they are adding six cell phone tower sites in the state of New York using High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).  Do they really need to do a National press release explaining this to their 87 million customers and frustrated iPhone users?   This is a complete waste of time resources, money and just hype that is press release noise.

I have a suggestion for you AT&T.  Why don't you provide more transparency about where you are expanding coverage on a daily basis on a beautiful coverage map like we do on our dead zones coverage maps (below)?  Is it because you want the press and consumer advocacy groups like Deadcellzones.com to be as confused as possible when tracking your coverage claims and expansion?  Your press hype is "off the charts" and your lack of clarity of where you are expanding coverage is too confusing for any AT&T customer to understand the value of your daily regional press releases.

Providing a map of where you are expanding coverage would allow customers, employees, service providers, consumers groups and cell phone tower operators to understand where you have invested your resources to improve capacity and connectivity.   Your AT&T maps are completely worthless to the average consumer now that dropped calls and data congestion are more common than it was ten years ago in 2000.  Your senior management team needs to wake up and stop be paranoid about your competition because your lack of clarity and transparency is appalling.

Related Posts:

Where is Verizon Expanding Mobile Coverage?

Where is T-Mobile Expanding Coverage?

Where is MetroPCS Expanding Coverage?

AT&T Dropped Calls
Where is AT&T Fixing Outdoor Reception?
Identifying Dropped Call Locations
AT&T Service Plans and Coverage Review

Roof Top Antenna Locations Database

Cell Phone Roof Top Antennas

When you see these locations driving around town. Please add them to our map below.   

You can search for these locations as well in red. 

How to Add New Cell Phone Tower To Map

New Map to Compare Dead Cell Zone Complaints & Cell Phone Towers

Deadcellzones.com recently launched a new map to compare cell phone tower locations and coverage problems.  The map on the left is our traditional dead cell zones map.  The map on the right is a database of 170,000+ cell phone tower locations provided by the FCC.

If a cell phone tower is not on our map (right side) you can now add it by clicking on the + icon on the upper right corner of the map.  Please add new DAS antennas as well if they are not on the map also.

Here is an example of Telluride, Colorado where we discovered a new cell phone tower on top of the mountain that was not included in the data provided by the FCC.  We don't know who owns the tower so that information is left off of the map.  However, we assume the ski resort of Telluride likely owns the tower since it is located on top of the mountain.

What is most shocking is that T-Mobile provides better coverage at 13,000 feet on a hike than they do at 9,500 feet in the town of Telluride.  Go figure.  When we were on vacation in Telluride, CO during our vacation there was zero coverage in town.  There was adequate coverage in the Mountain Village.

These two tweets were sent to T-Mobile to alert them of this potential safety hazard.

. @TMobileHelp @TMobile @JohnLegere Why does #tmobile provide perfect coverage at 12,500 ft and zero coverage in the town of #Telluride? pic.twitter.com/n0gfyxzPB2

— DeadZones.com (@DeadZones) July 26, 2017

. @TMobileHelp @TMobile @JohnLegere @FCC #tmobile your coverage map of the #Telluride area is completely not true on my IPhone pic.twitter.com/IOnUxBubKg

— DeadZones.com (@DeadZones) July 26, 2017

How to Search for Cell Phone Tower Operators

Here is a list of the top 100 cell phone tower operators and owners in our cell phone tower database. Here is an example of how to search for cell phone tower operators.  

How to Search for Cell Phone Tower Operators

American Towers, LLC.	10140
CCATT LLC	4983
UNITED STATES CELLULAR CORPORATION	4364
SpectraSite Communications, LLC. through American Towers, LLC.	3779
Global Tower, LLC. through American Towers, LLC	2774
SBA 2012 TC Assets, LLC	2682
Vertical Bridge Towers, LLC	2464
Crown Castle South LLC	2257
SBA Towers II LLC	2211
Crown Castle GT Company LLC	2206
Alltel Communications, LLC	2125
Pinnacle Towers LLC	1960
Verizon Wireless (VAW) LLC	1745
AT&T Mobility Spectrum LLC	1702
Cellco Partnership	1648
SBA Structures, LLC	1599
SBA Properties, LLC	1556
SBA Monarch Towers II, LLC	1537
SBA Towers, LLC	1537
T-Mobile West Tower LLC	1447
NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC	1415
STC Five LLC	1351
New Par	1053
NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS SERVICES, INC.	1040
Crown Communications LLC	1000
STC Two LLC	921
AT&T WIRELESS SERVICES, INC.	884
SBC Tower Holdings LLC	853
T-Mobile USA Tower LLC	825
Crown Atlantic Company LLC	762
SBA Towers III LLC	744
T-Mobile West LLC	724
Alltel Communications Wireless, Inc.	594
American Towers, Inc.	577
Los Angeles SMSA Limited Partnership	565
T-Mobile Northeast LLC	556
Affiniti, LLC	539
BNSF Railway Co.	537
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD	531
SBA Infrastructures, LLC	527
Crown Castle Towers 05 LLC	518
Pinnacle Towers Acquisition LLC	516
Crown Castle PT Inc	488
SBA Towers IX, LLC	471
Verizon Wireless Personal Communications LP	468
InSite Towers, LLC	462
SBA Monarch Towers I, LLC	444
Crown Communication LLC	443
Crown Communication Inc.	402
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY	389
Cellular South Real Estate, Inc.	387
PACIFIC BELL MOBILE SERVICES	378
Branch Towers, LLC	374
Industrial Tower and Wireless, LLC	363
SBA Towers V, LLC	348
RURAL CELLULAR CORPORATION	344
AT&T WIRELESS SERVICES INC	335
Dallas MTA, LP	332
US Army Corps of Engineers	322
Norfolk Southern Railway Company	311
WWC Texas RSA LLC	311
Nextel South Corp.	306
Verizon Wireless of the East LP	304
Sprint Spectrum, L.P.	303
San Antonio MTA, L.P.	280
IWG Towers Assets I, LLC	276
ACME COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, LLC	273
New Towers LLC	272
SBA Towers IV, LLC	271
Cumulus Radio Corporation	268
MINNESOTA, STATE OF	267
Horvath Towers III, LLC	264
T-Mobile Central LLC	262
Capstar Radio Operating Company	253
SprintCom, Inc.	249
Cellular Inc. Network Corporation	247
Verizon Wireless Tennessee Partnership	245
SBA Towers VI, LLC	240
GrainComm III, LLC	234
OHIO, STATE OF	232
American Tower Limited Partnership	226
Global Signal Acquisitions LLC	225
K2 Towers, LLC	225
Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc.	222
Nextel West Corp.	222
Crown Castle Towers 06-2 LLC	221
American Towers Iris 1, LLC	219
Skyway Towers, LLC	219
MICHIGAN, STATE OF	216
SBA 2012 TC II, LLC	216
The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co	214
AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION	212
CALIFORNIA, STATE OF	212
ENTERGY SERVICES INC	209
The Alaska Wireless Network	205
Pinnacle Tower Acquisition LLC	204
CSX Transportation	203
Crossroads Wireless, Inc.	199
CCTM1 LLC	196

History of the iPhone Since 2007 Infograph

When the iPhone was introduced on June 29, 2007, it gave a whole new meaning to having a strong cellular signal. It’s the product that made a strong cellular signal less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Love it or hate it, the iPhone set the standard for the modern-day smartphone.

See SureCall

Compare Cell Phone Towers & Dead Zones Map

Cool a new map to compare local cell phone towers and cell dead zones.  Search a local map of cell phone towers and coverage complaints submitted by AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile customers. 

https://www.deadcellzones.com/cell-towers.html

IT Management and Its Strategic Role in Cyber Security

In a digital world where the internet facilitates all types of interactions between businesses and customers, the role of IT is now more important than ever. As the role of IT grows, businesses often turn to IT management to be able to accommodate the growth without stretching its department thin. It removes many of the burdens laid upon the IT department, allowing you to focus on the most important aspects of their business.

Cybersecurity is one of the areas that IT management augments by allowing the allocation of the extra resources needed for cybersecurity to work at maximum efficiency. As the cybersecurity investors at https://option3ventures.com/ emphasize, cybersecurity is becoming a lucrative investment that can utilize the financial expertise of investors and the US intelligence community through IT management. Cybersecurity and IT management work hand in hand to provide a business with what it needs in terms of technology and safety, here’s how.

What’s Cybersecurity?

The job of cybersecurity is quite simple if you boil it down to its essence; its primary focus is to ensure that a business or an organization’s data is kept private. Cybersecurity specialists investigate a company’s network thoroughly to look for any weaknesses that could lead to vulnerabilities and breaches. Whether it’s a corporate network, cloud server, or local computer network, cybersecurity will develop solutions that can resolve the problem before it escalates.

One of the most popular tools of cybersecurity is ethical hacking. Unlike black hat or criminal hackers, an organization pays its cybersecurity team to try and hack into the networks of the company. Ethical hacking helps cybersecurity agents scan for vulnerabilities from the same perspective that a criminal hacker would when they try to hack into the company.

Prioritizing Cybersecurity

Unfortunately, most board meetings rarely talk about the status of their cybersecurity and the team behind it. Cybersecurity is often reserved for close-quarter discussions with the department of IT. This is where IT management steps in; it can create a communication channel between board directors and the cybersecurity solutions, instead of relying on investors who would only make a move if a security breach occurs. IT management will ensure that the department of cybersecurity is ready at all times by bringing related concerns to the executives’ table.

IT management will ask some questions to ensure that the company’s assets are protected properly. The first thing they’ll want to know is whether there’s a quick and effective plan that’s reserved for data breaches or not. This trust gap between management and cybersecurity can keep getting wider as decision-makers do not have enough data to put together a proper plan. IT management can help provide transparency and communication to both sides to avoid costly mistakes.

Coordination Between Cybersecurity and Business Units

In a professional setup, cybersecurity, IT, and other business units may not share a lot of trust-based relationships because their scopes can sometimes overlap, causing problems. Since cybersecurity prioritizes safety over any convenience, this has lead to the imposing of strict safety protocols that may cause tensions later between the affected business unit and the cybersecurity department.

Another major problem that's encountered by cybersecurity is convincing business colleagues with the importance of these securities. It’s believed that 60% of cyberattacks on businesses are made by company insiders. The IT management department should ensure that the employees are aware of any security risk their actions pose, in addition to staying wary to avoid getting monitored or traced. Once cybersecurity provides employees with extra access, the potential of making a mistake increases. This coordination between the different departments is carried out by IT management, which helps in avoiding hassles.

Identifying Critical Assets

Many may think that cybersecurity protects all secured data of a company equally, but that’s not exactly what happens. Similar to a hierarchy or a tier system, efforts regarding the protection of assets increase depending on how important that asset is. This type of protection requires the identification of the most important assets in an organization. IT management will help cybersecurity in finding the most important assets. The transparency between IT and executive management allows the organization to make an informed decision that involves sacrificing less important assets to save critical ones.

There is no doubt that the pressure on cybersecurity is increasing every day as we depend more and more on our devices to work, communicate, and make different transactions. With a lot of people working from home now, maintaining the proper digital operations of an organization can make all the difference. The role of IT management, in this case, is to keep cybersecurity at its best form while focusing on maintaining safe and steady coordination between different business units.

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5 Best cloud management tools for you

In the past couple of years, cloud computing has gained major momentum. Further, with the everyday evolution of cloud computing, there is an increasing need for cloud management tools too. These tools will be extremely helpful for you to effectively manage the public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.

With the good use of the tools, you get access to the hardware and the software resources, storage facilities, and the processing power. Moreover, the monitoring and cloud management tools allow the easy management of a multi-cloud platform from one single reference point. Today, a lot of organizations are shifting towards the cloud management platform to optimize their cloud use. It also helps keep a check on the overall cost that goes into cloud management.

At present, there is a myriad of cloud management as well as monitoring tools available in the market. These tools help you with the management and the monitoring of the different cloud applications. In terms of both capabilities and features, these tools might be distinct from one another. So, honestly, it isn’t quite easy for you to pick one that offers the best cloud infrastructure. Hence, we have come up with our list of top 5 cloud management tools that will help you get nothing but the best.   

First – RackWare

Chandler, who offers write my essay for me services, says that RackWare is one of the best cloud management tools. It offers a hybrid platform for cloud management that offers a good degree of flexibility to IT users from various enterprises. The two key components of RackWare are elasticity and mobility. Rackware’s platform has been specifically designed to manage the workload of difficult applications and facilitate their movements. It works incredibly in minimizing cloud expenditure and reducing the cost of IT solutions. This is by far the best available tool for disaster recovery, cloud mitigation, as well as the other computer services across both virtual and physical cloud environments.  

Second - Apptio

Brad, who offers online statistics homework help, says that Apptio is a cloud management tool that helps in rationalizing the spending of the cloud environment. Given the availability of SaaS tools, Apptio offers access to several tools and dashboards. As a result of this, it is easier to monitor different IT resources in a complex environment. The tool offers cloud cost management, vendor insights, and IT financial management. It is also an incredible tool that is ideal for technology and business management.   

Third - Snow Software

Mia, who offers online assignment help Australia says that snow software is an incredibly popular tool that aids you in the effective management of the cloud resources. The platform is diversely used by organizations. Further, it offers snow for clod resource that assists in effective management. There is a management tool in the app that is an ideal solution for cloud discovery, consumption tracking, as well as inventory. The software is perfect for IT professionals who need to view the cloud assets or on-premise assets in one place. 

Fourth - IBM Cloud Orchestrator

Zoe, who offers the best product management courses online, says that the IBM Cloud Orchestrator is a fine cloud management tool for public, private, or cloud environments. It offers the integration, provisioning, or the configuration of service management. Its policy-based tools help in the automation of the provisions of the clod services. The platform accentuates the delivery time and reduces the provision time. Further, the platform also provides a self-interface for managing, monitoring, and securing the cloud environment in a span of a few minutes. Further, IMB Cloud Orchestrator allows the automation of the manual workload, which is often prone to error. The advanced and customized functionality feature of the tool allows simplified management of the cloud services.  

Fifth - OneOps

Lastly, we have OneOps. It is an incredible cloud management platform. This open-source platform was released back in 2016 by Walmart. The tool functions excellently across different public cloud options. With this platform, you get the requisite visibility to view all your applications across the cloud environments. Hence, it helps repair, monitor, and scaling across distinct networks. Further, with the use of OneOps, the movement of applications across the cloud environment is fairly easy. It goes a long way in cutting down the cost and improving the performance. 

So, these, according to us, are the top 5 best cloud management tools for you. If you have more to add to our list, you can let us know about it in the comment section below.

How to Save Cash From Car Insurance

Procuring car insurance is an expensive venture, but the need for car insurance becomes apparent in case of an accident. As a parent, you dread receiving phone calls of accidents involving one of your vehicles. A good insurance should not be expensive. This article outlines guidelines on how to lower your automobiles insurances premiums. Besides, I can pay someone to write my paper.  

Source for multiple quotes

Sources of various quotes from different insurance companies are the best starting point for saving the much-needed cash. Some people stick to previous insurances for various reasons, but most are lazy in sourcing quotes from multiple insurance companies. When you get several quotes from insurance, price margins will surprise you.

 

Consider the type of car you own

The kind of car you own and engine rating determines the number of insurance premiums you will pay. A research finding showed that Honda Odyssey is the least expensive car to insure, while the Mercedes S65 is the most expensive.

 

Adjust the car deductible

Insurance is an unavoidable evil. Insurance for auto, health, or health protects us against financial losses that we might not handle otherwise. Therefore, consider insuring against losses you are likely to incur and not more.

 

Combine policies

With several insurance policies, there are probable financial benefits you can take advantage of if you combine them under one carrier. It is an easy method to simplify your money. It is also easier to work with one carrier compared to working with two or many.

 

Protect your credit

Insurance carriers consider your credit history when determining your insurance premiums. Research has consistently shown a relationship between our credit history and claim history. Therefore, variations in premiums are significant.

 

Claim your discounts

Automobile insurance companies provide a wide variety of discounts such as safe driving discounts and discounts for being a club member. Here is a list of applicable discounts smart ride, paperless, a new vehicle, multi-car, good student, affinity, and accident-free. Kindly get in touch with an insurance carrier to find out the type of discount you qualify for.

 

Pay for premiums by the mile

A possible way to save money is to pay for your insurance premiums by a mile. However, if available, it can help reduce both the premiums you pay and the miles you drive.

 

Reduce your insurance coverage

Like increasing your deductible, you can save cash by lowering your insurance coverage. With time your car age and the requirement to ensure against losses diminish.

 

Compare annual prices

Having a reasonable rate on your vehicle insurance is the beginning. It is a good practice to compare your insurance premiums every year. You can easily do this online as it takes a few minutes, which will not hurt your credit score ratings.

 

Pay bi-annually

Paying your insurance premiums is flexible. For example, you can pay every month, bi-annually, or annually. Paying all at once can grand you a discount.

 

Drive safely

Safe driving is an obvious tip, with a surprise. When you avoid traffic tickets and accidents, you stand a good chance of paying low premiums. In some states, if you allow carriers to track your driving habit, you also stand a chance of paying low premiums.

New Weather Channel App Notifies You When Cell Networks Are Down

New Weather App Can Spread Urgent Alerts Even When Cell Networks Are Down. 

The Weather Company’s new Android app uses mesh networking to spread data between phones over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. IBM, The Weather Company launch mesh-powered app for internet-poor regions.

Having a wealth of up-to-the-minute climate data at our fingertips is something most of us take for granted. Thanks to a reliable cell connection, our smartphones, and the work of hundreds of meteorologists and climatologists around the globe, keeping abreast of an incoming storm isn’t so much a matter of how, but how quickly. Unfortunately, though, that isn’t the case for everyone.

In developing countries, cellular connectivity is congested, intermittent, and in the worst cases inaccessible. That’s why IBM, in collaboration with developers at The Weather Company, introduced Mesh Network Alerts, a new technology that provides a peer-to-peer means of facilitating communications between residents of underserved nations.

Mesh Network Alerts work by linking mobile devices directly to one another, daisy-chaining handsets in a sort of node network. Using a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, each connected smartphone stores and propagates messages to devices within a 300- to 500-foot radius, creating a mesh that can effectively reach more devices. Read more

SiriusXM Raises Rates $1 Per Month 3 Consecutive Years In A Row

Rate Increase $1 Per Month for 2015 & 2016

Here is the new notification I received below . . . 

Effective April 27, 2016, the price of SiriusXM Select and Select Family Friendly packages increased by $1 per month. Effective this same date standalone SiriusXM Internet Radio increased by $1 per month. 

I think this rate increase would be justified if SiriusXM made some concerted efforts to improve coverage and reduce the amount of SirusXM signal interference in areas areas.  We get hundreds of people per day reading and comment on this blog who are having reception issues.

Comments appreciated below. 

Verizon Says OpenSignal Data Is "Not Valid"

Why Does Verizon Think RootMetrics Data is More Valid Than OpenSignal?  

They both stink & don't deal with the real problems!  Fixing coverage!  

Verizon dismissed OpenSignal’s data as “limited and non-scientific” after a new report said rival T-Mobile US was “within a stone’s throw of matching” the market leader on 4G availability.

OpenSignal’s Q4 State of Mobile Networks: USA report, based on 4.6 billion network measurements for the period, said its testers found a Verizon LTE signal 88.2 percent of the time. T-Mobile, meanwhile, closed the gap, reaching 86.6 percent. It also said the companies were neck and neck on overall 4G speed metrics.

Verizon, in a post on Twitter, questioned the validity of OpenSignal’s data.

OpenSignal said in the report its availability metric measures the proportion of time users can access a particular network, rather than tracking geographic coverage.

Verizon said: “OpenSignal provides crowdsourced data. Crowdsourcing favors downtown areas – that’s where the majority of the tests come from – so it doesn’t reflect the depth and breadth of the 2.4 million square miles of our 4G LTE coverage, by far the most in the industry.”

The company continued: “In addition to limited, non-scientific testing, with OpenSignal not getting a signal – the inability to perform a test is not counted against the results.”

Verizon then pointed to other studies from third-party testers including RootMetrics, J.D. Power, and Nielsen, which it said “do a better job of reflecting the actual customer experience.

“And in those tests, there is no real comparison”. RootMetrics, for example, ranked Verizon top in every category they tested in the first half of 2016, including speed.

Unsurprisingly, T-Mobile’s reaction to OpenSignal’s latest report was more favorable. The company released a statement hailing the results.

“When you combine T-Mobile’s value with great speeds and a coverage map that’s virtually indistinguishable to the big guys, well, let’s just say ‘it's on’,” said Neville Ray, the company’s CTO.

Does RootMetrics measure MVNO's like Tracfone? 

Does Rootmetrics & OpenSignal Drain Battery Life & Memory?

Sensorly, OpenSignal, MyMobileCoverage, or Rootmetrics apps basically turn your cell phone into a signal meter so you can measure your 4G & 5G cell signal strength.  These apps run in the background of your phone and send data to the provider.  They all aggregate the data and provide a theoretical coverage map.

Does The Sensorly App Drain Your Battery?

Do any of our readers use the Sensorly, OpenSignal, MyMobileCoverage or Rootmetrics signal measure apps the run in the background on a regular basis? I have been reading some blog posts that indicate that these apps drain the battery.  Would love your feedback on the added benefit if you like it or not?

Apparently they have getting a lot of user feedback and have updated the app. Here’s what you can expect in the newly updated Sensorly 3.9.6: On the Sensorly blog post they stated the following.

- Added Refresh Map Cache button to the settings page
- Fixed bug caused by switching networks on the map
- Tweaked max battery settings
- Fixed issue with the periodic wake timer resetting
- Improved Battery life

"User feedback centered around two main aspects of the app: battery life and the map. Some devices were not displaying mapped coverage and speed tests correctly, so we added a clear cache setting to reload map data and address this issue. Other map related changes will ensure that all map buttons function properly. We’re confident that these changes will provide a better overall map experience to our community."

"The team also made improvements to help optimize battery life, including making sure that maximum battery discharge for passive mapping keeps values set by the user. Changes to the way Sensorly performs check-ins and background tasks were also tweaked to aid battery longevity."

Pandora Data Network Not Availability Problems

Do Android phones stream Pandora content better over cellular LTE than iPhones?  I switch from an Android phone to a Iphone today and was listening to Pandora on a run.  It kept cutting out saying network was not available. This has never happened using an Android phone. Anyone familiar with the issue? All other data and apps were working fine and my data plan was current.  

T-Mobile Digits Is Huge Carrier Game Changer!

One phone number for multiple devices: Works Android Phones, iPhones, iPads.

With DIGITS, your T-Mobile number works across virtually all your connected devices—phones, tablets, wearables and computers. And, in another Un-carrier first, DIGITS lets customers put multiple T-Mobile numbers on the same device, so you can combine work, home and personal numbers on a single smartphone.

For example:  You can text on your phone, iPad or PC or Mac all at the same time.  The messages are all synced on every device.  You call also make phone calls on every device.  No longer do you have to depend on quality cell phone coverage if you have great wifi.   Sign-up Now! 

DIGITS marks the first time customers can get a complete solution that lights up numbers on virtually any Internet-connected device, lets you use multiple numbers on one device and delivers carrier-grade calling. DIGITS prioritizes calls from your phone over other data so calls are more reliable with crystal clear HD voice quality and full mobility. That’s because DIGITS is your real wireless number with real wireless calling – not a best-efforts data connection like you get with over-the-top (OTT) Internet calling services. Sign-up Now!

Unified Blue Tooth Speakers by Tempow

Cool startup Tempow listen to multiple Blue Tooth devices at once synchronized.  Discovered this at CES 2017. 

ConTechTrio LIVE at CES2017 with Eureka Park - The startups! https://t.co/oqV03ZGv8l

— ConTechTrio 🛠📱🖥 (@ConTechTrio) January 6, 2017

Long Range Wireless Intercom for Remote Job Sites

Discovered this product at CES 2017.  At last, I can talk to my colleagues in my field operations: saving time and improving safety when no cell phone coverage is available!  Startup Appi Technology from France that showcased at CES 2017.

Watch the interview with Appi about half way through.  

#ConTechTrio LIVE at #CES2017 with Eureka Park - The startups! https://t.co/oqV03ZGv8l

— ConTechTrio 🛠📱🖥 (@ConTechTrio) January 6, 2017

T-Mobile CEO John Legere Behind the Scenes Interview at CES 2017

@JohnLegere LIVE on Periscope @TMobile CEO Behind-the-scenes of interview with @ABC!! https://t.co/BCYKfGXnd0

— DeadZones.com (@DeadZones) January 6, 2017

New things I have learned about him:  He is a runner! 

Laundroid Folding Machine Is Awesome!

.@grayscott LIVE on #Periscope #Futurist Gray Scott at #CES2017 #laundroid worlds first l… https://t.co/QR7Ob1OmEg

— jeffcohn (@jeffcohn) January 5, 2017

Laundroid is the world’s first fully automatic laundry folding machine, was achieved from the harmonization of three core technologies: image analysis, artificial intelligence, and robotics. laundroid will bring a major change in our lives.  Laundroid   Future products will wash, fold, clean and sort.

Insta360 VR Live Stream 360 Degree Camera is Awesome!

Insta360 unveiling new Virtual Reality camera at CES 2017 https://t.co/vmms5fkA4s

— Can Bal (@canbal) January 5, 2017

What a great way to broadcast a your kid's game or an event to family and friends who cannot attend?  Would love to hear your feedback on the camera quality.

You can stream the video on a 4G network and also using WiFI.  4K video at 25 to 30 frames per second.  Available for Android, iPad and iPhone.

Here is a video of the Director of AR and VR for Twitter talking about the product.