HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Galaxy S10 Has 'Best-Ever' Preorder Sales in US

Nokia in 2019: Onwards and upwards

I switched to Android after more than a decade with the iPhone, and retro gaming has all but ensured I'll never go back

Apple is giving users a 10 percent bonus when they add money to their account

HoloLens 2: Going hands-on with holograms

From The Forums:

what will happend if i stop paying bill (+device payments)

Prepaid cards buy 1 get 1 30% 0ff at TARGET

Replacing home Wifi with an unlimited cellular plan

VoLTE working?

Galaxy S10e,S10,S10+ discussion and Carrier it supports USA

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Apparently yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of the founding of Research In Motion in Waterloo, Ontario. My bad for missing this!

To honour the occasion here's a star-studded montage of well-wishers courtesy of the official BlackBerry YouTube channel:



BNN Bloomberg has also published a retrospective chronicling the ups and downs of the former king of mobile messaging. While I'm not currently a BlackBerry user myself, it seems to me that in terms of their mobile device business they (and TCL) have done pretty well as a boutique provider of security-hardened Android phones. As a random testament to their enduring presence, "Captain Two-Phones"—aka Michael Fisher—carries one:



So a belated HBD to BlackBerry and its fans... May there be many more for you to enjoy!

Sources: BNN Bloomberg, CrackBerry

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From The Web:

These 7 tech companies are today’s 5G winners

These wallpapers hide the Samsung Galaxy S10’s hole punch in creative ways

Facebook knows Facebook isn’t the future

Why Huawei's Lawsuit Against The U.S. Government Is Not Aimed At The U.S. Government

Rogers and Fido now allow subscribers to buy more data if they go over their cap

From The Forums:

Activation question

AT&T prepaid data

Help - advice for difference of VZW prepaid & Straight Talk

Activate Tracfone with plan, get Amazon $25 Gift Card

Won't power off

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Here's a data point from reddit that might help you fight the recent rate increases on those Big Three 10 GB plans from December, 2017. In case you weren't aware, Bell, Rogers and Telus hiked the monthly rates on these plans by $5 last month, and the same increase was applied to plans under the Fido and Virgin Mobile brands—only Koodo seems to have been spared, for now.

Anyway, someone on the Personal Finance Canada subreddit got the original rate restored to their accounts by calling in:

The "your mileage may vary" disclaimer definitely applies here, as the only bargaining chip you have is the threat of cancelling your service—leaving you with Freedom Mobile as the only other provider offering 10 GB for $60/month.

If you are successful getting your $5 rate hike clawed back kindly let the rest of us know!

Sources: reddit, RedFlagDeals

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From The Web:

Your Samsung Galaxy Depreciates at Alarming Rate, -42% in Month One

Oppo's new phone gives us an early glimpse at the OnePlus 7, pop-up camera and all

Smart Compose in Gmail now available to all Android devices, no longer a Pixel 3 exclusive

Huawei is suing the US for government ban on equipment

The president just called the CEO of Apple ‘Tim Apple’

From The Forums:

Account Login from PIN to Password

Doesn't look good for the T-Mobile sprint deal

House Democrats argue against T-Mobile-Sprint Merger in letters to FCC and DOJ

Familly Dollar plans to close nearly 400 stores

DC Input Question

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This morning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a new effort to restore net neutrality protections to the USA. Here's a direct link to the 3-page PDF, and here's the pitch:

Yay partisan politics...

Anyhoo, if passed into law the Internet (insofar as it's experienced by users in America) would once again be classified as a utility under Title II of the U.S. Telecommunications Act, as it was prior to 2017's Restoring Internet Freedom Order, passed by a vote (along party lines) by the FCC under Ajit Pai.

Sources: CNBC, The Verge (1) (2)

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From The Web:

Samsung reportedly planning two more foldable phones

T-Mobile admits it spent $195,000 on Trump’s hotel while lobbying for Sprint merger

Trump to staff on AT&T/Time Warner merger: “I want that deal blocked!”

Guardian report on leaked documents shows the pains Facebook will take to fight privacy laws

Some major Android apps are still sending data directly to Facebook

From The Forums:

Motorola Moto X4

Tracfone LG Fiesta 2 back on eBay! (2 for 1)

Payoff on Verizon device plans - 1 line w/ problems, 1 line OK

Why can't SafeLink Wireless activate a Note 4 Verizon (SM-N910V)

Limitations of Samsung Factory Unlocked Models

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Hot on the heels of a new CRTC directive proposed by Innovation, Science and Economic Minister Navdeep Bains (above) comes yet another public consultation, and with it a faint glimmer of hope for mobile virtual network operators in this country. From CTV:

Canadians can submit comments on CRTC Notice 2019-57 online or by mail until May 15th of this year. A public hearing is scheduled for January 13th, 2020 in Gatineau, Québec.

Sources: CTV, HuffPost Canada, reddit

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From The Web:

Huawei patent reveals phone with sliding selfie cameras

Huawei Said to Be Preparing to Sue the U.S. Government

Galaxy S10 has an eye-meltingly bright display, dead-on color reproduction

The Samsung Galaxy Buds hit all the right notes and offer great value at $130

Google tries to address complaints of sluggish Pixel 3 with latest update

From The Forums:

Cheapest way to add service days to BYOP tracfone

Tracfone L62VL

Need Advice On New Phone And Plan

New Tello Mobile Customers Get Double Data for One Year

1-800 Calls

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Dang it... Based on an earlier leak I was looking forward to this year's OnePlus phones being manual sliders, like the Mi Mix 3. But now, according to respected leaker Steve H. McFly (aka @OnLeaks), that doesn't appear to be the case. His latest renders of the OnePlus 7, published to the Indian site Pricebaba, show what appears to be a motorized pop-out selfie cam, similar to the Vivo V15 Pro.

It makes sense given that OnePlus and Vivo are related via their parent company, BBK Electronics. And if a motor is going to fail I suppose I'd rather it be just the selfie cam instead of the entire camera assembly, as on the Oppo Find X. I was just really hoping for a manual slider, is all... something to remind me of the old Nokia Nseries.

Also expected for the OnePlus 7 (and likely the 7T that will follow later in the year) is a Snapdragon 855 processor, a larger 6.5 inch screen and a third camera sensor on the back, with an as-yet unknown purpose. For more angles, plus a 360-degree video render, visit the links immediately below.

Source: @OnLeaks, Pricebaba via Android Police (1) (2)

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From The Web:

Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign wants to push for government control of 5G networks

Huawei pleads not guilty to stealing trade secrets, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou suing Canadian Government, RCMP and CBSA

'I feel cheated': Big telcos hike prices for $60 plans with 10 GB, sparking complaints

Foxconn, a tale of slashed salaries, disappearing benefits and mass resignations as iPhone orders dry up

From The Forums:

A few questions about data "throttling"....?

T-Mobile Simple Choice plans being bumped to Unlimited.

Question about plan

how to get account number

what happens if I order phone & plan from Tracfone's website but never activate SIM?

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A new story about Huawei and Chinese spying made its way to my news feed this morning, from The Associated Press:

TL; DR banning Huawei won't stop spying, Chinese or otherwise. It's a refreshingly frank and sensible take on this whole Huawei mess, and especially great to be coming from an American news source.

Meanwhile, over in Barcelona, ZDNet was there when current Huawei chairman Guo Ping reminded Mobile World Congress attendees what was revealed to the world back in the summer of 2013:

Yeah, funny how security threats from China don't seem quite so dire when our own governments have been spying on us all along...

Sources: Associated Press, ZDNet

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From The Web:

Sony unveils the Xperia 1 with a 4K OLED 21:9 display and the mid-range Xperia 10 and 10 Plus

Nokia 9 PureView will drop to $600 ($100 off) on March 3

The best phones of MWC 2019

Huawei pleads not guilty to charges of stealing T-Mobile secrets

CRTC launches review on mobile wireless market, examining choices, affordability

From The Forums:

AT&T has unofficially shutdown 3G in my town... so Tracfone said they couldn't help?

TF "Executive Resloutions" Still Exist?

How to reset voicemail

T-Mobile + Sprint will cover 96% of Rural America

Am I connecting to a Tmobile cellspot and should I be concerned if I am?

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Sony has announced a new flagship at this year's Mobile World Congress. It's standout feature is it's super-tall 21:9 display. Maybe they'll sell a thumb extender to use with it...?



Sony Xperia 1
6.5 inch 21:9 4K HDR OLED display, 1644 x 3840 pixels
Triple 12 MP rear cameras: 16 mm / 26 mm with OIS / 52 mm with OIS
8 MP selfie cam
Snapdragon 855 processor
6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage + microSD (up to 512 GB)
3330 mAh battery
Android 9 Pie
Colours: Black, Grey, Purple, White
Available: late spring 2019
Price: rumoured to be 1099 CHF (around $1100 USD)

Product Video:



Sources: 91mobiles, Sony (1) (2)

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From The Web:

Foldable phones: a brief history of their beginning

Motorola confirms its foldable phone is coming

Huawei P30 Pro press renders leak, expect triple cameras and 10x zoom

Future LG V-series will be 5G while G-series will remain 4G

Apple Co-Founder Wozniak Really Wants a Folding iPhone

From The Forums:

Is the 55+ plan still available?

Accidentally deleted text

Antenna Identification

Porting your number to another service

Free MLB.TV is back on 3/26!

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Looks like Huawei has one-upped Samsung at this year's MWC, with their own foldable phone that offers a bigger screen and a thinner chassis that folds flush.



Huawei Mate X
8 inch 2480 x 2200 pixel OLED display (unfolded)
6.6 inch 2480 x 1148 pixel front display (folded)
6.38 inch 2480 x 892 pixel rear display (folded)
Triple Leica Cameras: 8 MP telephoto / 40 MP wide / 16 MP ultra-wide
Kirin 980 processor + Balong 5000 5G modem
8 GB RAM / 512 GB storage + NM card (up to 256 GB)
Dual SIM / Single SIM + NM
4500 mAh battery with 55 W SuperCharge
EMUI 9.1.1 powered by Android 9 Pie
Colour: Interstellar Blue
Available: Q2 2019
Price: €2,299 (around $2,600 USD)

Product Video:



Sources: Huawei, Pocket-lint, The Verge

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From The Web:

U.S. suffers setbacks in effort to ban Chinese tech company

OnePlus, EE and Qualcomm start a contest for 5G apps

Foldable phones don't seem ready yet, and they're definitely not worth $2000

Nubia Alpha first look: A bonkers bendy smartwatch that's not actually that bendy

Swatch just sued Samsung over these cloned watchfaces

From The Forums:

Lycamobile 3 Month $19 Plan?

Best Charging case for 6s

Total Wireless - paid off Verizon S9 yesterday. Total Wireless website says IMEI bad

kodoo s10 work on fido network?

Is unlocked Verizon S4 dead in the water ?

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Air Motion and Hand ID are the buzzwords you need to know for LG's 2019 flagships, announced this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. To get an idea what those buzzwords mean, check the videos at the end of the post. First, some specs:



LG G8^ThinQ
6.1 inch QHD+ OLED FullVision display
Crystal Sound OLED Stereo Speaker (in-screen)
Dual rear cameras: 12 MP standard / 16 MP super-wide
Front camera: 8 MP standard
Snapdragon 855 processor
6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage + microSD (up to 2 TB)
3500 mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0
Android 9.0 Pie with Air Motion, Hand ID
Colours: Carmine Red, New Aurora Black, New Moroccan Blue
Price: TBA



LG G8s^ThinQ
6.2 inch FHD+ OLED FullVision display
Triple rear cameras: 12 MP standard / 12 MP telephoto / 13 MP wide
Front camera: 8 MP standard
Snapdragon 855 processor
6 GB RAM / 64 or 128 GB storage
3550 mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0
Android 9.0 Pie with Air Motion, Hand ID
Price: TBA



LG V50^ThinQ 5G
Primary screen: 6.4 inch QHD+ OLED display
Secondary screen (optional accessory): 6.2 inch FHD+ OLED display
Triple rear cameras: 12 MP standard / 12 MP wide / 12 MP super-wide
Dual front cameras: 8 MP standard / 5 MP wide
Snapdragon 855 processor
6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage + microSD (up to 2 TB)
4000 mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0
Android 9.0 Pie
Colour: Astro Black
Price: TBA

Product Videos:





Sources: BGR, LG Newsroom

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