HoFo Blog

OpenSignal has just published their bi-annual State of Mobile Networks Report for the USA. T-Mobile seems to have done pretty well, ranking first in five out of six metrics nationwide:

4G download speed - T-Mobile
3G download speed - T-Mobile
Overall download speed - T-Mobile
4G latency - AT&T
3G latency - T-Mobile
4G availability - T-Mobile

AT&T took the crown for best average 4G latency at 58.3 ms—which actually sounds pretty terrible until you take into consideration the huge reporting area. Some more details on OpenSignal's testing:

Reporting period: October 1st to December 30th, 2017
Devices included in test: 237,213
Total measurements: 5,928,296,946

To find the best-performing carrier for your area you can see a list of 33 regional results at the first link directly below. And remember, any suspicions of these findings can be addressed by downloading the app for Android or iOS and joining the pool of test devices for the next report!

Source: OpenSignal via Android Police

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From The Web:

Apple is fixing ‘chaiOS’ text message bug next week

Found: New Android malware with never-before-seen spying capabilities

OnePlus says up to 40,000 customers were affected by credit card security breach

FCC admits mobile can’t replace home Internet, won’t lower speed standard

Huawei's latest attempt to enter U.S. worries lawmakers — but Canada doesn't share its concern

From The Forums:

New Report Suggests Verizon Has Removed Data Speed Restrictions on MVNO Partners

Question for Cricket Group Admin w/strangers:

Calling Mart

When will T-Mobile MVNOs include Iwireless coverage areas?

iPhone X A1865 SIM free, will it work with French carriers?

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This past Christmas I spent pretty much the entire morning trying to fix the girlfriend's OnePlus 5. Its native version of Android, OxygenOS, had just gotten a big upgrade to Oreo, and as we were shortly going on holiday I thought it prudent to get her phone up to date before we left.

Bad idea.

The upgrade itself wasn't the problem; what stymied me for several hours was applying root and getting a custom recovery to stick. I still couldn't tell you what the technical issue was, but I've a sneaking suspicion that it's the result of Google's increasing hostility towards Android modders.

I knew that the only real solution would be a regression to Android Nougat, but then my better half would have to deal with the constant nagging notification for an update that would once again break superuser access to her phone.

And here's where FreedomOS comes in. It's a custom ROM built on the Nougat version of Oxygen, but with a modified kernel and additional options. Chief among them is the Aroma installer; it gives you the choice of flashing Magisk or SuperSU for root, and also allows you to debloat your device by skipping over any Google or OnePlus apps you don't want. It's definitely not for noobs, though, as its possible flash a broken system image onto your phone if you don't pay attention to what you're doing.

The lead developer recently returned from a holiday break, so an Oreo version of FOS—for the OnePlus 5, at least—could be on the way. In the meantime, I've been impressed enough with the Nougat version that I flashed the 5T version onto my own phone. You can check out the ROM for yourself at the XDA links immediately below.

Links: FreedomOS for OnePlus 5 / OnePlus 5T on XDA

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From The Web:

Apple will let iPhone users disable CPU throttling (at their own peril)

Patent indicates Samsung aims to one-up the iPhone X’s ‘notch’ by putting holes in the screen

Google is eating Apple's ecosystem for lunch

Google's Project Fi Unveils Its Version of 'Unlimited' Data

FCC Chairman Admits Cell Phone Data Is Not the Same as Broadband Internet, Rolls Back Plan to Conflate the Two

From The Forums:

scarce sims

Freelancer's FAN discount is 0% now?

Google Fi $60 Maximum For Unlimited Data

Tracfone iPhone 5s to unlocked Canadian iPhone 7

Need Advice About Signal / Service Coverage Test At New Rural Residence

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Researchers at Northeastern University have developed an app that can tell you which services are being throttled by your wireless carrier, and by how much. It's called Wehe, and it's only available for Android. Find out why below.

How it works is fairly ingenious. Using YouTube as an example, Wehe spoofs that app for a random download, then repeats the download but with different metadata, fooling your carrier into thinking it's from another source. By comparing speeds you can determine if and by how much your YouTube videos are being throttled. In the case of BingeOn it's been shown that T-Mobile indiscriminately throttles all video to 1.5 Mbps, and with YouTube specifically limits video resolution to 360p.

Wehe is currently able to test the following services via their apps:

Amazon
NBC Sports
Netflix
Skype
Spotify
Vimeo
YouTube

And what about iOS? Well, according to Motherboard Apple won't approve it. An App Store reviewer told the developers that Wehe "has no direct benefits to the user". Because carriers, I guess...

Hopefully Wehe will find its way to APKMirror and/or F-Droid should Google ever come to a similar determination; in the meantime you can grab it on Google Play at the first link directly below.

Links: Google Play, Motherboard, Wehe

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From The Web:

[Update: More photos] Moto G6 family, Moto X5, Moto Z3, and Moto Z3 Play renders and specs leak, revealing larger screens with 18:9 aspect ratios

OnePlus suspends credit card payments after customers report fraudulent purchases

There's No Public Evidence Huawei Spies on Americans, But the Company Is Getting Blackballed Anyway

Rogers’ prepaid balance change sparks customer anger

Hybrid smartwatches set to make up half of smartwatch shipments by 2022

From The Forums:

New Cricket "white SIM cards"

International

Video is constantly being throttled on my Mobley line despite stream saver OFF

Does anyone have WiFi calling on a Cricket-branded S7

Sony za1 wifi calling

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Some slides from Motorola's upcoming presentation at Mobile World Congress seem to have leaked to Droid Life... or maybe all of them? If the source is legit we can at least have an advanced look at this year's updated hardware designs.



Moto X5

5.9 inch FHD+ 18:9 display
Dual front and rear cameras

No other information is available for Moto's traditional flagship. However, from the graphic above we can see an Essential/iPhone-esque notch at the top of the screen and some sort of software navigation bar at the bottom.

Also, does the world honestly need yet another smartphone assistant?



Moto Z3, Z3 Play

6 inch FHD+ 18:9 display

Moto's midrange Z series continues to be the only line to support Moto Mods. And speaking of Moto Mods, get a load of this one...



Moto 5G Mod

As crazy as it sounds, this accessory would bring 5G wireless service to any compatible phone. Have we even decided what 5G is yet?



Moto G6, G6 Play, G6 Plus

5.7/5.93 inch FHD+ 18:9 display
Snapdragon 450/630 processor
3/4/6 GB RAM, 32/64 GB storage
12 + 5 MP rear cameras, 16 MP selfie cam
3,000/3,200/4,000 mAh battery
Fingerprint readers on all models

The cheapest hardware from Motorola also has the most leaked information. In addition to the specs above there are the following colour options:

G6 - black, rose gold, silver
G6 Play - blue, charcoal, gold
G6 Plus - black, silver, teal

There is even some pricing information—nothing for the G6 Play as of yet, but the G6 and G6 Plus are expected to retail for $240 and $330 USD respectively.

Keep in mind that these are unconfirmed leaks, and some or all of the slides may well turn out to be fakes. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that 5G Mod...

Sources: Droid Life (1) (2) (3)

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From The Web:

Apple’s iOS Economy to Exceed Global Box Office Revenue in 2018

2019 iPhones Could Have Smaller Notch as Apple 'Looking Into' Combining Face ID and Front Camera

Xiaomi became a $100 billion phone brand without wooing the West

US lawmakers pushing for AT&T to cut ties with Huawei over building a 5G network

BlackBerry is desperate to remind you WhatsApp works on its Android phones

From The Forums:

What do you like best?

Att charges a month ahead. What if you cancel?

grandfather plan 39 unlimited us roaming vs 50 8 g 1g us roaming?

Cricket Wireless HD Voice / VoLTE on ATT Androids the have it ?

Is there a major rural Alberta expansion / partnership coming soon?

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Anyone remember the Motorola Atrix 4G Lapdock? Here's a new iteration of that same idea, with a unique twist: while bringing the empty shell of a notebook computer to life your smartphone also does double duty as an oversized trackpad for that same notebook.

Razer showed off a prototype of this oversized accessory for their flagship Android phone at CES; it currently goes by the name Project Linda. The Verge got an early peek, and seemed impressed with how well it all worked:

The phone actually does triple duty here—in addition to bringing the notebook to life and serving as its trackpad it also provides audio via its front-facing speakers. There is a separate webcam above the larger 13-inch QHD display, which is a good thing; using the phone's front-facing camera in this setup would give your video chat partner a view of your chin and nostrils only.

You can read more about Project Linda at the links directly below.

Links: Razer, The Verge

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From The Web:

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ get FCC listings

LG Electronics chief orders revision of ‘G7’ smartphone from scratch

Canadians still fighting for $60 10-GB phone deal — and some are winning

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus breaks billion-dollar sales barrier

Vikings-Saints NFL game caused Apple Watch elevated heart rate alerts for fans

From The Forums:

bought brand-new Verizon phone on Swappa, but ESN became blacklisted 8 months later

Corporate Stores Can’t Help With Billing?

How much data have you used on your Unlimited Plan?

Tracfone hogging data?

Does a phone need 4g LTE to get the best voice coverage from a Verizon MVNO?

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Fyi, any time I lead off with this captioned photo of Carl Pei it's probably going to be bad news...

Last week a customer took to the OnePlus Forums to post about suspicious charges on two of their credit cards, both of which were used for purchases at OnePlus.net last November. It turns out he is not alone; to date some 69 users have reported similar fraudulent charges, and it's looking increasingly likely that the upstart Android OEM's payment portal has been compromised.

For a company that only sells its products online to most of the world, this is understandably a big concern—even if the number of affected customers is so far relatively small.

A blog post by Fidus Info Security explains how an attacker could have compromised the portal:

The working theory at Fidus is that the credit card numbers were intercepted not by client-side attacks via javascript, but instead a server-side compromise via PHP. But if this were the case then I'd expect a lot more fraudulent charges to be reported.

If, like me, you paid for your OnePlus purchase using PayPal then your credit card info should be safe. If I recall correctly, PayPal was the only available option for my last few orders; in light of this news I'm pretty grateful for that!

Links: Fidus InfoSec, OnePlus Forums

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From The Web:

Google reveals 2018’s ‘Android Excellence’ list of games and apps

The US smartphone market is devolving into a Samsung and Apple market - and that's bad for Android

CRTC Urged to Hold Public Inquiry into High-Pressure Telecom Sales Tactics

PiTalk, Gemini PDA, and Eelo take different paths to the Linux phone

Japanese chat app creates simple but ingenious feature to help pregnant women find subway seats

From The Forums:

Mobile Share Flex Plans Live on att.com

Wow, Tracfone lets you switch back and forth between carriers?

Unlock App doesnt work

Help find best plan for dad's new Samsung SMG981

60 $ Boxing Day 6 gb data is now pulse plan

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One more bit of Japanese gadget porn before we return to our regular schedule of mobile-related news...

I don't use Windows but I've always had a thing for Panasonic's Japan-only Let's Note laptops. Maybe it's the circular trackpad and array, the silver chassis or the exotic etchings on the bright white keyboard... I've just always found them rather fetching. And on my recent visit to Kyoto and a mandatory stop at Yodobashi Camera I came across something new, or at least new to me: this CF-XZ lets the user detach the notebook's touch screen from the keyboard.

It's a design that makes a lot more sense to me than an unnecessarily thick laptop with a base and keyboard folded behind; in operation it looks like this:



Not sure whether that accessory that locks the screen to the base is included or not.

The Let's Note CF-XZ has an Intel Core i5 7200U processor powering its 12-inch QHD screen. There are three separate models, each with some combination of a 128 or 256 GB SSD and Windows 10 Home or Pro. All models come with 8 GB of RAM. If anyone can find evidence of it running a recent version of Ubuntu or Linux Mint please let me know!

Link: Let's Note CF-XZ (Japanese)

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From The Web:


Average Wireless User Now Consumes 31.4 GB

Your smartphone📱is making you👈 stupid, antisocial 🙅 and unhealthy 😷. So why can't you put it down❔⁉️

Is your smartphone making you stupid? Dumb question

T-Mobile Execs Are Disappointed the Sprint Merger Didn't Happen

Will Freedom Mobile shake up the wireless market? We’re about to find out

From The Forums:

Best Buy no longer charging MTS fee, $60 refill now 13% off

BB Motion Now Available

Google's terrible syncing apps.

Group MMS

Cheap vacation phone?

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My opinion on smartwatches hasn't changed; while their mission statement may be to show you phone notifications on your wrist, I still firmly believe that their killer feature is the ability to customize your watch face to match your band, clothing, mood or whatever. This monochrome watch, spied by yours truly at Tokyu Hands in Osaka, Japan, takes that customization up a notch with an e-ink band to complement its e-ink display.

It's called the FES Watch, which I can only assume is an acronym for Fashion Entertainments and Sony. There are currently two separate product lines, the regular FES Watch available in either black or white, and the more premium FES Watch U, which I'm guessing stands for "Unlimited", and here's why: the regular FES watch has 24 separate watch/band combinations which can be cycled through with repeated presses of the watch's only button. The FES Watch U has a companion app for Android and iOS that can sideload and customize many more faces and bands via Bluetooth. Here's a demo of how that works:



It even looks like you can use a photo taken with your smartphone as a background for the watch, making me really wish I had brought one home with me. Then again, there doesn't seem to be any ability to display notifications from your phone. If Sony ever decided to add that functionality it would instantly make the FES Watch U a pretty compelling smartwatch.

Links: FES Watch, FES Closet on the App Store, Google Play

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Yes, your humble news servant will once again be visiting Japan (Osaka and Kyoto this time) for the next week or so, with a stop in Hong Kong on the way home. I should be back on duty by Monday, January 15th at the very latest... See you in 2018!

From The Web:

The Biggest, Baddest Hardware Failures of 2017

Apple Facing Multiple Lawsuits After Admitting to Slowing Down Old iPhones

SyrupCast Podcast Ep. 152: They may take our bear, but they’ll never take our Freedom

Snowden-Backed App 'Haven' Turns Your Phone Into a Home Security System

Science Says Fitness Trackers Don't Work. Wear One Anyway

From The Forums:

Is freedompop really 100% free? I want the truth and i can handle it....

Neville Ray's T-Mobile Network #YearInReview

New Ookla Speedtest Update

Add A Free Line - New Years Promotion 2018!?!?

Least expensive TEXT-ONLY Canadian cellphone plan option?

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As you can probably guess, there's a more accurate means to determine your strength of your phone's cellular radio than that icon in your status bar. On Android you can find numerical values, measured in dBM and asu as in the grabbed screen above, by navigating through your phone as follows:

Settings > About phone > Status > SIM status

While you could make the argument that Google is already doing a pretty good job of hiding this information from the user, a curious new commit to Android P discovered by XDA would suggest that it could be removed altogether. The reason for doing so can be found in a comment on the commit:

Ok Google, you suck.

The good news is that the relevant APIs are unaffected—meaning that third-party Android apps like LTE Discovery and Signal Strength can still retrieve this data for the user.

At best, carriers might simply wish for their Android offerings to be less geeky and intimidating for new users; at worse they don't want any attention drawn to their sub-par networks. For me, it's yet another reason to steer well clear of carrier-branded hardware.

Source: XDA via Android Police

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From The Web:

Best smartphone camera 2017: iPhone X vs. Pixel 2 vs. Note 8

Here are the winners of MobileSyrup’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards

Best smartwatch guide: The top smartwatches to buy now

Xiaomi reportedly crushed 2017 earnings, creating new hype for 2018 IPO

Oh, Cool: Big Telecom Got a Massive Break from the GOP Tax Bill, and It's Raising Prices

From The Forums:

How to block incoming data on iPhone X?

LTE and 3G

I'm staying on Verizon, my ex is heading over to Cricket, how do I do this properly?

Disconnect Letters

remove phone from account

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I'll never forget this one telephone exchange I had with Rogers. It was the mid-2000s and I was calling to cancel my cable package; after several minutes on hold with retentions, a rep came on the line to make me a final offer:

"Listen, you've been a loyal customer for over a decade, and you've never made a late payment. What would you say if I told you I could knock a full third off of your cable bill?"

My reflexive response: "I'd say you've been overcharging me for ten years."

In the aftermath of this week's 10GB bonanza, Canadian wireless subscribers might rightfully be asking themselves: Why are plans that regularly go for $125/month or more suddenly only $60?

We all know it's the one-two punch of Freedom Mobile and the CRTC mandate for unlocked phones; The Globe and Mail's telecom reporter, Christine Dobby, asked each of the incumbents for their take. The bad news is that her article is locked behind a paywall; the good news is that some thoughtful person on reddit copied and pasted the text of that article for everyone to enjoy. Here then, is how The Big Three justified the events of the past week:

I was sure that I'd read somewhere about someone from Telus saying that they were responding to a regional offer by a competitor, which is actually closer to the truth than anything above. Unfortunately I can't find a citation for that. But the important thing is that Canada has a new benchmark for smartphone plans and what they should cost. To borrow a slogan from WIND Mobile, that's a holiday miracle!

Source: Globe and Mail via r/canada

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