HoFo Blog

From The Web:

New Acting FCC Chief Jessica Rosenworcel Supports Restoring Net Neutrality

Google workers across the globe announce international union alliance to hold Alphabet accountable

Huawei could sell away P and Mate series as brands, like it did with Honor

Top 10 trending phones of week 3

Here’s the top Canadian mobile news from the past week

From The Forums:

Your port-out experiences

Verizon, AT&T want to kill Lifeline

Samsung Home screen numbers?

Verizon vs Spectrum

Verizon prepaid or verizon mvno for better call quality?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

DuckDuckGo reaches a major milestone in its fight to topple Google

Mozilla will make it easier to install extensions in Firefox 85 for Android

Brave web browser adds native support for peer-to-peer IPFS protocol

OnePlus and Oppo reveal shocking secret partnership that is neither shocking nor secret

Pebble founder promises iMessage on Android and Windows with universal chat app

From The Forums:

Moto 7

No MMS with Samsung Galaxy S20 on Page Plus

RedPocket: GSMA to GSMT?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

LG considers exiting smartphones in 2021

If LG stops making smartphones, who will push the boundaries with weird devices like the LG Wing and LG Rollable?

AirPods Max battery drain - some say they empty overnight

Google Messages will stop working on uncertified Android phones in April

Ajit Pai Is Officially Gone. Good Riddance

From The Forums:

Can AT&T Ever Be #1?

Have you been charged for switching to an eSIM?

Tracfone Executive Solutions

Prepaid with 5G UWB

Share Screenshots (Esp for Tello before/after merger)

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

The tech that changed Fitbit – and its next big feature revealed

Smartwatches can help detect COVID-19 days before symptoms appear

Best wearables of CES 2021: Fossil, Amazfit, Honor and more

Google sends out Wear OS satisfaction survey - 9to5Google

$50 Watchy hackable e-paper smartwatch goes on sale

From The Forums:

Will the "GreatCall Lively Flip" phone work on RedPocket?

Ebay add on card deal

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Samsung Galaxy S21 series vs Galaxy S20 series - the upgrades detailed

Samsung Galaxy S prices: How they changed over time

2021 will be the year of 5G's rapid deployment. But it will be years before the full benefits are unlocked

T-Mobile is upgrading some Sprint subscribers' plans

A developer got Ubuntu Linux booting on the Apple iPhone 7

From The Forums:

LG Journey L322DL On GSM or CDMA?

Silly to buy a phone without band b71 in 2021?

Ordering a Tracfone with an ATT SIM?

Tello: GSM service now available

Walmart Family Mobile phones locked to Walmart Family Mobile?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, January 11th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, January 12th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 13th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, January 14th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, January 15th, 2021

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 42 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

Why should a cellular carrier make customers buy plan through EBay?

Congrats once again to joseg2016 for their second and our our fifty-ninth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a month of Gold Membership on us!

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Top 10 trending phones of week 2

WhatsApp to delay new privacy policy amid mass confusion about Facebook data sharing

Signal is back after an outage that lasted more than 24 hours

How law enforcement gets around your smartphone’s encryption

Apple Stores in capital area to temporarily close ahead of inauguration

From The Forums:

Cricket Wireless is auditing their network & disabling VoLTE on phones not whitelisted

How do we send large text using GV?

Porting advice

List Of Universal/Unlocked 5G Phones That Will Work On AT&T And Verizon

Looking for recommendations for a flip phone compatible with T-Mobile

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Trump Administration blacklists Xiaomi, US investors must pull out by end of year

Xiaomi responds to being blacklisted by the US government

Samsung lowers the price of its 25W charger since the Galaxy S21 won’t ship with one

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 phones don’t include microSD card support

Google claims Fitbit acquisition is 'complete,' US Department of Justice disagrees

From The Forums:

Spam texts?

Switching over to TF Need Basic FlipPhone

Redpocket annual plans effective immediately vs stacking

Unlocked phone on Verizon Prepaid

BUYER BEWARE Verizon Prepaid

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G:



6.8 inch curved AMOLED display, 3200 x 1400 pixels @ 120 Hz
Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 processor
12 or 16 GB RAM / 128, 256 or 512 GB storage
108 MP + 12 MP ultra-wide + 10 MP 3x + 10 MP 10x rear cameras
40 MP selfie cam
5,000 mAh battery
Android 11 with Samsung One UI 3.1
Starts at $1,200 USD / $1,650 CAD

Galaxy S21+ 5G:



6.7 inch flat AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixels @ 120 Hz
Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 processor
8 GB RAM / 128 or 256 GB storage
12 MP + 12 MP ultra-wide + 64 MP 3x rear cameras
10 MP selfie cam
5,000 mAh battery
Android 11 with Samsung One UI 3.1
Starts at $1,000 USD / $1,400 CAD

Galaxy S21 5G:



6.2 inch flat AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixels @ 120 Hz
Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 processor
8 GB RAM / 128 or 256 GB storage
12 MP + 12 MP ultra-wide + 64 MP 3x rear cameras
10 MP selfie cam
5,000 mAh battery
Android 11 with Samsung One UI 3.1
Starts at $800 USD / $1,130 CAD

Sources: Liliputing, Mobile Syrup

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

T-Mobile’s network will stop working with over a dozen older phones this month

Airbnb Is Canceling All Reservations In Metro D.C. During Inauguration Week

BlackBerry sells 90 patents to Huawei, covering key smartphone technology advances

With the Samsung Galaxy S21, it’s time for Bixby to put up or shut up

Samsung’s first under-display camera isn’t in a phone, it’s in a laptop

From The Forums:

Why should a cellular carrier make customers buy plan through EBay?

Basic plan for Smartphones

How do towers still operate even without local power?

Is my phone activated?

T-Mobile is offering unlimited 4g LTE home internet for $50/month

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

New Fossil (with LTE), Michael Kors and Skagen (with e-ink) watches announced at CES

Wareable Hotlist: 21 wearable tech predictions for 2021

Telegram adds 25 million new users in just 72 hours as rival apps falter

Archivists Are Mining Parler Metadata to Pinpoint Crimes at the Capitol

The best tech of CES 2020: Where are they now?

From The Forums:

Trying to Switch to Verizon

Does Red Pocket now have roaming from Verizon onto Sprint?

Verizon Prepaid Service with no Data Plan monthly fee?

Starting January 19th Cricket will stop activating VoLTE phones

Has anyone tried Zillatalk?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Which smartphone, laptop and tablet brands break down the most? We asked over 3,000 Canadians to find out

Don’t Toss It, Fix It! Europe Is Guaranteeing Citizens the “Right to Repair”

Qualcomm's new larger 3D Sonic Sensors touted to scan fingerprints 50% faster

TCL shows off new phones, tablets and more at CES 2021

What Is Signal, and Why Is Everyone Using It?

From The Forums:

Recent Verizon or SignalCheck Pro change to Neighbor Cells display?

How do I port out my number and transfer my balances to wife's phone?

"My Account Summary" not showing info

Balance Expiration ?

Difference between "basic" and "premium"data

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

It's time for a new thread of the week, our way of recognizing forum members for promoting valuable discussion here.

Every weekday yours truly posts a morning briefing, including the most popular forum threads—that is, the posts with the most replies—for the previous 24 hour period. For reference, here are the briefings for the past seven days:

Your Morning Briefing for Monday, January 4th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Tuesday, January 5th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 6th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Thursday, January 7th, 2021
Your Morning Briefing for Friday, January 8th, 2021

Remember that the Monday briefing includes forum posts from the prior Saturday and Sunday, so all weekend posts are similarly eligible.

In each briefing, forum posts are ranked by the number of replies (from highest to lowest). That's subject to change, of course, so I did a quick recount of replies for all forum posts in the briefings above. With 64 replies as of this posting the most popular thread started last week is:

What are my options for yearly plan for a flip phone? All that is actually needed is maybe 500 Talk

Congrats to diddlydudette for our fifty-eighth thread of the week! As a small token of our appreciation, please enjoy a month of Gold Membership on us!

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Social media and telco companies urged to preserve evidence from Capitol attack

Signal tops app store charts globally as WhatsApp bows down to Facebook

Top 10 trending phones of week 1

Here’s the top Canadian mobile news from the past week

OnePlus’ first wearable is a budget fitness tracker with two week battery

From The Forums:

FaceID With Masks

How to do my first $12 plan refill?

Have Tracfone activity requirements changed?

T-Mobile Direct Connect

Monthly Payment

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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Moto One 5G Ace
6.7 inch LCD display @ 2400 x 1080 pixels
Snapdragon 750G Processor
4 or 6 GB RAM / 64 or 128 GB storage
48 MP rear camera with 8 MP ultra-wide, 2 MP macro
5,000 mAh battery
Headphone jack / USB-C
Android 10
$399 USD



Moto G Play 2021
6.5 inch LCD display @ 1600 x 720 pixels
Snapdragon 460 Processor
3 GB RAM / 32 GB storage
13 MP rear camera with 2 MP depth sensor
5 MP selfie cam
5,000 mAh battery
Headphone jack / USB-C
Android 10
$169 USD



Moto G Power 2021
6.6 inch LCD display @ 1600 x 720 pixels
Snapdragon 662 Processor
3 or 4 GB RAM / 32 or 64 GB storage
48 MP rear camera with 2 MP macro, 2 MP depth sensor
8 MP selfie cam
5,000 mAh battery
Headphone jack / USB-C
Android 10
$199 USD



Moto G Stylus 2021
6.8 inch LCD display @ 2400 x 1080 pixels
Snapdragon 678 Processor
4 GB RAM / 128 GB storage
48 MP rear camera with 8 MP ultra-wide, 2 MP macro/depth
16 MP selfie cam
4,000 mAh battery
Headphone jack / USB-C
Android 10
$299 USD

Sources: The Verge (specs), Liliputing (images)

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
---------

From The Web:

Here’s what we know about the Google union so far

Google's white Pixel 4a 5G will no longer be a Verizon exclusive

Wear OS in 2020: The most stagnant smartwatch platform

Xiaomi Mi Band 5 allegedly does a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and explodes while charging

Bring iMessage to Android, Apple – it's the right time to do it

From The Forums:

Text balance blank on fastactportal

Any way to prevent email to text?

Verizon Credit Card Scam

Moto G Power earpiece volume issue

Searching for a keitai

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Apple launches limited-edition AirPods Pro to celebrate Chinese New Year

Samsung rolls out stable One UI 3.0 update with Android 11 to the Galaxy S10 series

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 chip will power the cheapest 5G phones of early 2021

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter Remove Trump’s Video About Storming of the Capitol

Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been suspended and faces permanent ban

From The Forums:

LG Rebel K31 How do you transfer photos?

ZTE Z723EL Home Phone Notice of Non Support

Straight Talk Upgrade Options (Verizon Towers)

Verizon is pausing its 3G shutdown indefinitely

Tello yes or not, activate on GSM devices for the T-Mobile network?

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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From The Web:

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra cameras detailed in leaked infographics

OnePlus Nord N10 5G and N100 go on sale in Canada on Friday

Verizon's 3G network is sticking around — at least for now

Trump signs executive order blocking transactions with Alipay, WeChat Pay, and six other Chinese apps

WhatsApp updates its Terms and Privacy Policy to mandate data-sharing with Facebook

From The Forums:

Verizon indefinitely delays 3G network shutdown

Taxes and Fees Now Included!

OnePlus handsets coming soon

T-Mobile Agrees to Acquire Sprint-branded Wireless Assets from Brookings Municipal Utilities

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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Specs (from a previous post), pricing and availability are as follows:

Nord N10 5G:
6.49 inch FHD+ IPS LCD display @ 90 Hz
Snapdragon 690 processor
64 MP wide + ultrawide + macro + monochrome rear cameras
6 GB RAM / 128 GB or 512 GB storage
4,300 mAh battery, 30 W fast-charging
Stereo speakers + 3.5 mm headphone jack
Android 10 powered by OxygenOS
Midnight ice colourway
Price: $300 USD or $12.50/month with $0 down
Availability: from January 15th

Nord N100 LTE:
6.52 inch IPS LCD display, 720 x 1600 pixels
Snapdragon 460 processor
13 MP wide + macro + bokeh rear cameras
4 GB RAM / 64 GB storage + microSD
5,000 mAh battery, 18 W fast-charging
Stereo speakers + 3.5 mm headphone jack
Android 10 powered by OxygenOS
Midnight frost colourway
Price: $180 USD or $7.50/month with $0 down
Availability: from January 15th

Source: T-Mobile Newsroom via Liliputing

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Andrew Currie has been blogging about mobile phones since 2001, smartphones (depending on how you define them) since 2002 and smartwatches since 2014.
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