Messages

1

The Circus (lounge) / Re: What is your "total time logged in"?

« on: December 22, 2011, 03:39:37 pm »

4 days, 8 hours and 23 minutes. Baa Baa

(Yeah, I'm still out here, on the loose somewhere, sort of enjoying the ThunderBolt on VZW, I do like the 4G being 15 miles away, almost close enough to enjoy)

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The Circus (lounge) / Happy Holidays 2011-12

« on: December 22, 2011, 03:30:24 pm »

Happy Holidays all. Glad you're not in A Fee & Fee's grasp any more.
Wishing all the best for a safe and happy holiday season. Here's to better and more powerful smartphones in everybody's future.

Baa Baa BlackSheep(427) 

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: Network Strategy Plan (2012)

« on: December 22, 2011, 03:24:27 pm »

Very nice post, Viper. Good info too. Better than some of my college posts. Hope things start turning around for you TMO people. I am wishing all you on TMONEWS all the best during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

BTW, 2 years to go for the pursuit of my BSIT.

Sincerely,
Dave Black aka BlackSheep427
 
Baa Baa for now (Patent Pending via iPantent.com)  and 

4

T-Mobile Services / Re: I'm fed up! My letter to T-mobile and the FCC

« on: October 19, 2011, 11:57:15 pm »

Well, OP, I felt very similar to you this past March. I did not have the mistaken payment like you, but I had had enough of the signal getting worse instead of better in my area. Top it off with the AT&T purchase news at that time and the fact I was facing paying some towards replacing the HD2 for the FOURTH time in about the same number of months. Replacements due to handset failures, BTW, not owner breakage, etc. I paid my ETF and went to Verizon. I will not be a VZW fanboy, etc., but I can no longer say I regret leaving TMO under those circumstances. BTW, we have LTE 4G about 10 miles from my current abode. I had a Speedtest of 18.12 down to the phone, but the ThunderBolt sadly is a frighteningly similar ownership experience as that of the HTC HD2. The TB I currently have is #3.

Ah, well, tech stuff is volatile stuff, ain't it?

baa baa for now all (iPatent Pending   ).   and best to all

5

HD2 / Re: HD2, the best value ever?

« on: September 17, 2011, 01:39:22 am »

Hello folks, I actually think the HD2 felt more solidly built than my ThunderBolt. Oh, the TB has an OtterBox Defender around it now. I'm still surprised how good it was with Windows Mobile 6.5 OS even.

baa for now

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HD2 / Re: HD2, the best value ever?

« on: September 15, 2011, 10:46:43 pm »

I must admit you could make a very strong case that it was and/or is a best value nominee. I'd still have had mine until the end of the contract with the exceptions that caused me to break contract and sign with Verizon. The HTC HD2 did introduce me to the handset company. I have my 2nd model from them currently, in the form of the ThunderBolt.

HD2 gets my vote for value phone. 

7

The Circus (lounge) / Re: ATT JUST BOUGHT T-MOBILE!

« on: August 10, 2011, 10:42:04 am »

Agreed 100%. Apple's business model works. One model to deal with at a time and a few variants that change data capacity, and that is it, more or less. Oh I forgot the white one. Then they sell to two companies. Did I miss anything? I'm not saying that their business model or product is wrong, but the product is not for me; I like a few more choices to make my phone "my phone". Do they make a profit? Apparently yes, or they would stop making the iPhone. baa 4 now...

8

The Circus (lounge) / Re: ATT JUST BOUGHT T-MOBILE!

« on: August 09, 2011, 08:37:44 pm »

Good evening all. Roving reporter Blacksheep427 bringing the latest news while daring to learn in a University location to better himself.  

I agree with your take Viper. I admit my ThunderBolt was a pain with poor battery, re-booting issues, etc. Reboots solved with OTA #2 and battery life has improved after battery "break-in" time period. Apple and the iPhone series has fewer issues. But, on the other hand, there is but a few iPhone choices. I would much rather take the Android phone experience where I am "permitted" to install whatever apps I want and customize as I see fit. (As it is, we all deal with the Service Provider bloatware packages. At least until owner roots, that is.) For me, that equates much better than cookie cutter Apple. That said, Apple's phone has introduced a lot of innovative features that others have mimicked.

Android does suffer from almost too many choices in designs, OS's (retire some of the really old ones), and manufacturers, but I would not want to change that portion of Android. Personally, I would say they all need on the same page for product testing and OTA updating protocols.

BTW: VZW lit 4G in Hagerstown, MD / Greencastle, PA several times in the last week. Still in test mode though, as it's not constantly on yet.

Roving reporter 427 out. baa baa y'all. And best wishes to every wireless user...

9

The Circus (lounge) / Re: ATT JUST BOUGHT T-MOBILE!

« on: August 02, 2011, 10:33:37 am »

14 Mbps is an improvement for me, IF that was my "home" area, but it is not. But I did see 4G light up for a few hours at home and in Hagerstown, MD 8 air miles away yesterday. Testing before permanent on I suppose. best to all

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: ATT JUST BOUGHT T-MOBILE!

« on: July 30, 2011, 11:33:50 pm »

Hello, folks, here I am again...field reporter Blacksheep with a Verizon 4G speed report from DC. Sorry I failed to post the Speedtest as a pic or any sooner, but here are the numbers from a DC server. brought to you by Blacksheep, his ThunderBolt and DC's 4G... 14.01 Mbps down, 3.39 Mbps up and 96 ms ping...

baa, baa and 

11

The Circus (lounge) / Re: Verizon finally caps their data plans

« on: July 30, 2011, 11:22:00 pm »

Mine is still unlimited. I cannot say if it would or would not be throttled in speed, but my data amount available is the unlimited, as in grandfathered. 

baa, baa 4 now 

12

The Circus (lounge) / Re: AT&T has some CDMA what?

« on: June 14, 2011, 12:14:11 am »

Am I reading your info right? AT&T, which does not have enough bandwidth, frequency allocation, channels, or whatever they are crying about that is in the way of their LTE, can, and does run CDMA and GSM networks? "How can this be?", says sarcastic Blacksheep.

"If you can't beat them, buy them", says AT&T.

baa-baa for now

PS: If the store rep at my local VZW is correct, I may experience 4G in Hagerstown, MD in under 2 months. Hope so. To Viper and all other TMO customers: best wishes for a good July 4th. I may be too busy with college homework to post much for a while. 1/3 done with Associates portion of BS in IT.

13

The Circus (lounge) / Re: Tmobile or Verizon/Sprint?

« on: June 13, 2011, 12:39:21 am »

I switched from TMO to VZW, I had to pay the early termination fee. I did get the ThunderBolt which is 4G capable, but I've only had 4G for about 2 minutes thus far, so it is not a deal maker. Oh, and take it from me, unless you are on at least VZW 3G, the network is very slow.

It was a combo of concern the AT&T deal would go through, lack of signal in parts of my home county I no longer could ignore (which I was able to avoid/overlook until recently), and facing paying the deductible (again) for replacing the second HD2. Hindsight says it may have been better dollar-wise to get new phone and stick with TMO until contract ended. Oh, well, cannot change past.

My advice is this: research how well Sprint or VZW are in your area, what phone/plan would you choose, compare prices, phones, etc. Then with that information, decide what is best because of X. Replace X with what your priority is. If it to get away from possible AT&T control, obviously, you need to choose Sprint or VZW or one of the smaller marketed providers. But, if it's money that sways your decision, you won't like paying the ETFee to leave early. Best to you.

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: Which car?

« on: June 10, 2011, 10:46:18 am »

If you want the mid-size car out of the group, the 528 would have the most room, (compared to these other cars not CX-7 though I am thinking) and possibly more standard items. I agree, one year is not going to make much difference unless that one year difference includes a model update/revision, etc. Personally, though, I myself would get the Mazda CX-7. I do not have hard facts, but I am thinking that the Mazda, not being the premium brand in the list, would also not have premium repair pricing either. I will admit I am more favorable to Mazda than I would BMW or Mercedes, which has something to do with that choice as well. But I also like the commanding-view SUV seating, and extra room, and possibly AWD for bad weather, that comes in a SUV or crossover. The CX-7 has a 2.3 L 4 cylinder turbo, so it should get mid-20s in MPG, BTW.

PS you could send me (free car) any on that list if you so chose. I can give you my address. lol Any of those would be a great upgrade from my 1992 Ford Taurus Wagon I got 3 months ago from the salvage yard/car lot. (not joking)

Oh, and a sport wagon can be "cool" too. For a small car, I like Mazda3 5 doors.

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 05:11:59 pm »

VZW has one real store; 10 miles north in Chambersburg, PA. I think they have a few kiosks; None in Hagerstown/Washington County MD. I think that area was under contract to another carrier, Shentel I think it was.

Oh and best to ya on the U-hauling, whenever that is to happen. Good eve to all I gotta rest braincells for a few before posting college homework, says old guy Dave.  

Baa, baa for now...

16

The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 04:49:14 pm »

I don't even remember which myfaves plan I had, likely the 1000 for $39.99.

I thought our area was small. Hagerstown, MD has the closest store for me. They have the company store next to a Target. The mall with kiosk is across the street from the co. store. About 10 miles south of our home btw.

Yeah, I hadn't really noticed the CS changes you mentioned...until you mentioned it, that is.

Strange thing is only within the past 10 years has cell phones been around like they are now, more or less. Bag phone anyone? Our cell phones, especially the smartphone class, regardless of make, model or service provider, have much more capabilities than ever before. And it is not stopping any time soon.

If G-Mobile opens a store near me, let me know. 
(Of course, I'm under contract for 2 yrs elsewhere. Oh well.) 

17

The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 04:19:46 pm »

Wonder if it was not cost effective? I had myFaves at one time but cancelled during an unemployed period several years ago, minimized account extras and froze account for a few months.

I'll tell ya this, TMO has a friendlier atmosphere that even extends to this unofficial site. VZW does offer me better signal service at home (no 4G yet) but that is it. Nothing to complain about, but TMO it ain't. TMO has best CS ever IMO.

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 04:06:00 pm »

Well, for me, it was great while it lasted.

19

The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 03:59:39 pm »

copy. I guess my point was that at least AT&T and VZ have other business incomes than just wireless, and that without DT backing TMO, it would seem the bigger competition would spell trouble. I certainly enjoyed my time with TMO, excellent CS and price value for services offered.

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The Circus (lounge) / Re: G-Mobile (Google)

« on: May 14, 2011, 03:38:26 pm »

For the record, my opinion is I guess it sounds nice in theory, but it is not going to happen. The G-Mobile plan, that is. Nice try, though, and welcome to the neighborhood.

Just curious. Am I correct, of the big 4 cell providers currently in the USA, isn't T-Mobile the only one that is cell only? I believe A Fee & Fee, Sprint and Verizon all have cell and residential phone services, and maybe other services for some of these, like VZ FiOS. I'm just asking. Why? Not sure really, but TMO is the odd man in the group, sort of. When DT pulled resources away from TMO, did that not guarantee death or buy-out?

Oh, and good points Viper on Google's diversity. I agree with you on the No to Google exclusive Android. Don't like someone messing with my ThunderBolt experience, BTW. I think Apple patented that idea anyway, the iExclusive something or other.    

BAA...