HoFo Blog

From The Web:

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Review – Proof That Xiaomi Can Do Premium, Too

Nokia 3.1 Plus for Cricket review: Returning to US carriers with a decent budget option

Bell, Rogers and TELUS to Raise Prices of 10GB/$60 Plans

How did Apple’s AirPods go from mockery to millennial status symbol?

Fossil Sport review: Finally, a great Wear OS watch

From The Forums:

G6 Plus VZW prepaid.

At&t Moto Z2 Force for $130.00

Combine/merge glitch

Problems checking voice mail on my TracFone from a landline

Freedompop account suspended

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Ditto for Abercrombie & Fitch, Hotels.com and Singapore Airlines. All of these apps—on both Android and iOS as far as I can tell—use a customer experience analytics firm called Glassbox. Here's how they themselves describe their own tech:

The obvious security risk here is that each of the apps in question holds sensitive user information, not only email and physical addresses but credit card numbers as well. Glassbox gives app developers tools to mask this data (quite literally, with black boxes) but guess what? They don't always work. Check out this screencast from The App Analyst:



Since the story broke, Air Canada reached out to TechCrunch with this official statement:

Way to miss the point there, AC.

Apple too, has responded to the situation, threatening immediate action for any app recording screens without explicit user consent. Nothing from Google yet...

Sources: TechCrunch (1) (2) via The App Analyst

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From The Web:

Motorola launches Moto G7 smartphone family for $199 and up

Indian smartphone market shows highest global growth, with Xiaomi in top spot

Apple releasing iOS 12.1.4 to fix FaceTime eavesdropping bug later today

Telus to Increase Price of $60/10GB Promo Plan by $10 Starting in April

Sprint is suing AT&T over ‘5G E’ lies

From The Forums:

MVNO Throttling

Att prepaid refill

When CDMA shuts down, will CDMA roaming go with it immediately?

Calling an AT&T prepaid phone in Mexico from US?

Changing 5 line 5mb plan to 5 llne unlimited ?

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Statista has published a pair of infographics ranking late model smartphones based on how much radiation they emit. The means for quantifying this is what's called the specific absorption rate, or SAR, measured in watts per kilogram.

The data was gathered from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection; according to them anything below 0.6 watts per kilogram can be considered safe.



If you're viewing this on your phone here's the list in text form, in descending order from the highest SAR:

Xiaomi Mi A1 - 1.75 watts per kilogram
OnePlus 5T - 1.68
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 - 1.58
OnePlus 6T - 1.55
HTC U12 life - 1.48
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 - 1.45
Google Pixel 3 XL - 1.39
OnePlus 5 - 1.39
iPhone 7 - 1.38
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact - 1.36
HTC Desire 12 / 12+ - 1.34
Google Pixel 3 - 1.33
OnePlus 6 - 1.33
iPhone 8 - 1.32
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 - 1.29
ZTE Axon 7 mini - 1.29

Chinese brands are among the worst emitters here but surprisingly, the latest Pixels—plus a pair of late-model iPhones—also make the list.



And here are the phones with the lowest SAR, rearranged to match the order of the previous list:

ZTE Blade V9 - 0.32 watts per kilogram
Samsung Galaxy J4+ - 0.32
Samsung Galaxy S8 - 0.32
Samsung Galaxy J6+ - 0.31
ZTE Blade A610 - 0.31
Motorola Moto G5 Plus - 0.30
Motorola Moto Z - 0.30
Samsung Galaxy S9+ - 0.29
HTC U11 life - 0.28
LG Q6 / Q6+ - 0.28
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge - 0.26
Samsung Galaxy S8+ - 0.26
LG G7 - 0.24
Samsung Galaxy A8 - 0.24
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 - 0.17
ZTE Axon Elite - 0.17

It makes sense to see legacy OEMs like LG, Moto and Samsung here, as all of them were making mobiles back when they were primarily used for making phone calls.

Keep in mind too, that exposure to radiation during calls can be minimized with a decent headset.

Source: Statista (1) (2)

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From The Web:

Touch ID that spans the entire iPhone display in the works at Apple

Samsung considers putting a camera in a stylus

OnePlus sends invites for a MWC event

Freedom Mobile comes to Red Deer, Victoria with 10GB data promo for $27.50 per month

5G can’t fix America’s broadband problems

From The Forums:

Firstnet and Roaming

Moto Z2 Force unlock issue

MVNO Monthly Billing

Three UK Sim From Italy Calling To US

Cricket Android choices / port in

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For this week, here's something a little different... WatchTime has a new feature tracking the progress of the non-smart wristwatch over the course of the 20th century. They go much further back than that of course—according to Wikipedia the first recorded wristwatch was a gift to Elizabeth I, in 1571!

Pocket watches were more the thing for men, at least until the onset of the First World War:

The piece goes on to feature the progress of wristwatches over the decades, including the first quartz models with digital LED displays, and the rise of Swatch through the 1980s. Conspicuously absent, however, is any mention of the disastrous misstep otherwise known as Swatch Internet Time, wherein the company thought it would be a good idea to redivide a 24 hour day into 1,000 beats.

More at the link immediately below!

Source: WatchTime

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From The Web:

Apple celebrates Chinese New Year with iMessage effect

Apple Watch Series 3 on sale for as low as $299 CAD at Staples for Valentine’s Day

This may be the Fitbit Versa 2, coming in four gorgeous colors

Samsung Galaxy Sport leak shows a sleek bezel-less smartwatch

TicWatch S2 Review

From The Forums:

Sprint Merger: T-Mobile promises not to raise prices for 3 years

Will prepaid get 5G e?

New T-Mobile pledges same or better rates for T-Mo and Sprint customers for 3 Years

Activate old Verizon flip phone (non LTE)

Nokia 3.1 Plus

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I saw this Bloomberg video when it went live a couple of weeks ago, and in honour of Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, or whatever you want to call it, I wanted to share it with you. Here's the brief:

And here's some perspective on this that you might not have considered: As dystopian as China's Internet seems to be, at least it's transparent—that is, everyone there knows the deal, that their government is surveilling them at all times. Can the same be said for us here in the west?

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From The Web:

Samsung Galaxy S10 to make reverse wireless charging useful?

AT&T's fake 5G icon is now infesting iPhones too

Apple exec met with teenager who found FaceTime bug at his Arizona home, will be eligible for bug bounty program

Google Maps can help users find Black History Month events in Toronto

What we learned from net neutrality’s big day in court

From The Forums:

at&t Dead LAST at the Super Bowl

Tracfone Data Overpriced

Galaxy S9 Pie update, when?

Suggestions, for MINIMAL usage, please.

Which T-Mobile MVNO Has Unlimited Hotspot Data?

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So apparently we're just now discovering that Canadian Internet traffic was diverted from Ottawa to a server in China over a six-month period during 2016. The Toronto Star explains:

Okay, so I guess we have to imagine because we have no actual facts...? It's especially odd, because this somewhat contradictory sound bite from the same researcher is buried at the bottom of the piece:

With Canada set to inevitably follow its Five Eyes partners in banning Huawei from our wireless networks, I couldn't tell you how much of this Canadian Press story is spin; I can only verify that Professor Shavitt does at least seem to be a real person.

Source: Toronto Star

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From The Web:

Top 10 trending phones of week 5

Energizer says it’s making phones with pop-up cameras, 18,000mAh batteries, and foldable displays

My Month with a Wear OS Android Watch: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Teen who found FaceTime glitch says he spent a week trying to contact Apple

In America, your digital freedoms are what the tech companies say they are.

From The Forums:

leaving SIM out of device for 2 weeks?

Is anyone familliar with Safelink (Tracfone low income service) "Truly Unlimited"?

quick question

Testing an old, never used SIM

Buying Kickstart plan with phone from eBay?

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David Ruddock has just posted an interesting editorial to Android Police, wherein he argues that North America's inevitable migration to 5G networks means big trouble for three already-struggling OEMs. Why?

He goes on to point out that 5G modems will only be available from Qualcomm who, as the de facto market leader in such things, can set the price for their 5G radios at whatever unreasonable amount they see fit.

Now I myself feel obliged to point out that all this can be considered a fairly myopic America-centric point-of-view; each of these OEMs could still thrive in markets closer to home and without Qualcomm tech. Of course, then you'd have to consider the new crop of upstart manufacturers—Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and the like—that are already stealing sales from the legacy handset makers across all Asian markets.

Anyway, have a read below and see what you think!

Source: Android Police

From The Web:

IDC: Smartphone shipments declined 4.9% in Q4 2018, Apple regains second from Huawei

Alleged official render of Galaxy S10+ leaks

Bell Let’s Talk Day 2019 raised $7,272,134 for mental health initiatives across Canada

Dead Zebra reveals upcoming Year of the Pig Android figurine to celebrate Chinese New Year

Apple: You can't sue us for slowing down your iPhones because you, er, invited us into, uh, your home... we can explain

From The Forums:

I hate Sprint, but this deal is too good to pass up.

Questions on Gaxaxy S8 Plus deal on dailysale.com

Unlocked Moto G6 refurb bundle at Best Buy - $129.99

VoLTE issues on iOS 12

New phones?

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Steve Hemmerstoffer, aka @OnLeaks, is confident that this will be the triple camera setup on the 2019 iPhone when it's released later this year. Additional renders—and rumours—have been published in a collab with an Indian tech site called CompareRaja:

Wondering what the 'B' prototype looks like? As it turns out, very much like the current Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro:



Additional (and unverified) media for this version can be seen on another Indian site called Digit. Since Steve doesn't publish this stuff to his own domain I can only surmise that there's some ad revenue sharing going on here, so take all this with a grain of salt.

Sources: CompareRaja, Digit via Tom's Hardware

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From The Web:

Forget Foldable Phones: Nubia May Debut Flexible Wearable Next Month

Google Pixel Watch could still be on the cards as possible codenames surface

Galaxy S10 mass production has reportedly begun

Global Smartphone Market Cooling in 2019 with a YoY Decline of 10% in Production Volume, Says TrendForce

It's Official, Canadians Pay More For Their Phone Bills Than Anywhere Else In The World

From The Forums:

Received 5G(E) Icon update........ Post if you have received the update

No Carrier Aggregation

Cricket Wireless now has 10+ Million Subscribers

Android tablets

T-Mobile, Sprint plan to build 5 customer experience centers if merger succeeds

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Here's a PSA for anyone interested in what I think is the best-value smartwatch since the Pebble. Amazon (the U.S. version) is offering all four versions of the Amazfit Bip at a discount of at least 20% off of the $99.99 USD retail price. The prices below follow the colours above—from left to right:

White Cloud -$67.49
Cinnabar Red - $67.49
Kokoda Green -$67.49
Onyx Black -$79.97

These prices are pretty close to what I paid for my collection of Bips on GearBest and GeekBuying last year; as the watch has gotten more popular those prices have have started to creep up.

It's easy to see why the Bip is popular: for less than the $399 USD starting price of the latest Apple Watch you could buy all four Bips plus an extra strap for each, and enjoy a combined battery life of three months! I took one of mine with me on a two and a half week trip to Taiwan and Vancouver, and it came home on the same charge.

And unlike most other smartwatches currently on the market, you won't be walking around with a dead screen on your wrist, because like any decent watch the Bip shows the time, all the time.

You can revisit when the Bip won me over right here, and order yours through either of the links below.

Source: Amazon.com via Android Central

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From The Web:

Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'I Do Think Price is a Factor' in Declining iPhone Upgrades

Apple May Lower iPhone Pricing Outside the USA to Increase Sales: Tim Cook

Canadian Decision to Ban Huawei 5G or Not is “Beyond Weeks” Away Says Ottawa

Bell Asked Canadian Government to Ban Certain VPNs

Is a slider better than a notch?

From The Forums:

Next “big thing” for AT&T Prepaid?

byop question

Please recommend dashcam apps

Why when my Xfinity is down, AT&T LTE still works?

U.S. House panels to hold joint hearing on Sprint, T-Mobile merger

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I guess some kind of embargo was lifted this week, because a phone I swooned over in Taiwan earlier this month is just now making the rounds through my YouTube feeds. I'm talking of course about the Mi Mix 3. Notable specs are as follows:

6.39 inch 1080 x 2340 pixel Super AMOLED display @ 403 ppi
Dual 12 megapixel rear cameras (telephoto and wide angle)
24 megapixel selfie cam with 2 megapixel depth sensor
Qualcomm 845 Processor
6, 8 or 10 GB RAM / 128 or 256 GB storage
MIUI 10 powered by Android 9.0 Pie

The phone's best feature by far is its mechanical sliding mechanism. Here's a YouTube teardown that reveals how it works:



Spoiler alert: magnets for the win!

As a former Nokian with fond memories of his vertically-sliding N86 (and a current Android user who is aware of the BlackBerry Priv) I am all over this as an alternative to the stupid display notch. I would have seriously considered bringing one of these bad boys home with me had I not heard that the next OnePlus phone will be a slider as well.

More on the Mi Mix 3 at the links immediately below.

Links: GSMArena, Mi Global

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From The Web:

Intel Patent Heralds Foldable Future Merging Phone and PC

Apple may be gearing up to release new iPads, 7th-gen iPod Touch soon

Major iPhone FaceTime bug lets you hear the audio of the person you are calling … before they pick up

Huawei and its CFO Wanzhou Meng charged with financial crimes by US Justice Department

U.S. Seeks Extradition of Huawei CFO Over Fraud Charges; ‘Deeply Grateful’ to Canada

From The Forums:

Cheapest unlimited talk

Completely FREE wifi calling alternatives to TextNow, any review sites listing them?

AT&T 5G first 12 launch cities

Unlimited Choice Plans

SIM Unlocking iPhone by provider while being out-of-country and out-of-network

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