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They said "Never read between the lines." Plan to obsolete..

May 21, 2019 1:08PM PDT

This is about cellular smart phones. Here's the FCC chairman's quote:
"5G network that covers 97% of the nation's population within 3 years of merger close and 99% of Americans within 6 years."
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4265589-t-golden-merger

While some know that smart phone turnover is about every 2 years the push is to move to 5G coverage for 97% in just 3 years.

The push wasn't as fast with 3 and 4G and 4G never seemed to hit as high a coverage as they wanted it to. Now with 5G they see another big pay day as folk upgrade to 5G.

Somewhere in all this are not so hidden to deny some companies and others a cut of this American Pie.

Those $1000 and over smartphones folk bought are going to be left behind. The 2/3/4 G ride taught me well to not overinvest in your smartphone.

Discussion is locked

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Those were the days
May 21, 2019 1:24PM PDT

when you could buy a nice car for $1000.

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Don't date yourself.
May 21, 2019 1:30PM PDT

My first car was 2,222 which was the Ford Courier mini-pickup. It was a really great thing back then.

What did you get for your $1000 nice car?

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almost same as
May 21, 2019 3:20PM PDT

what my mother paid for her Pontiac Ventura back in '76 - $2,750. She had borrowed the money from her ex-husband's mom for it, thus saving the interest on a finance deal. I still remember the salesman at the dealership remarking that if everyone paid for cars outright, with cash, they'd probably go out of business (!). I also recall mom saying to him before looking over various cars that this vehicle had to last until she died. Amazingly, it did. My sister drove it for another ten years or so before finally "upgrading"(though that's debatable!) to a newer car.

So, I'd guess one could say that the phrase "they don't make 'em like they used to" is correct, at least sometimes. The Ventura lasted over thirty-five years of service. And is probably still on the road, somewhere...

Rick

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I got my Model T, new at the factory,
May 21, 2019 4:27PM PDT

for $500.
Grin

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RE:What did you get for your $1000 nice car?
May 21, 2019 7:52PM PDT

60 Chev 4-door hardtop....I think it was around 10 years old(very low mileage).....My first car was a 53 Studebaker, NOT a "nice car"....a bucket of rust for $120 (bought in the mid-60's)

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Hazardous waste that ends up in the landfill
May 21, 2019 2:19PM PDT

I read that around 150 million per year are discarded which includes over 600 million iPhones over the past 10 years. While some metals such as copper and silver can be recovered if these are recycled, the energy required to extract and purify the metals can be significant. And, for what purpose?...to make more phones so folks can text and take selfies all day?

I prefer to not invest in these at all. Call me what you like but don't try to call me through a cell network. The signal doesn't reach the back of my cave.

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It took me
May 21, 2019 3:29PM PDT

a long time to get a cell-phone, I never had the itch to get one. Then in 2013
a girlfriend bought me a "throw down" flip-phone. Ostensibly for 'emergencies' but more likely so she could keep tabs on me. :^)

So, I finally joined the twentieth, um, twenty-first century. Though it has been useful on occasion, I wonder what would happen to society in general if the cell network ever went down completely, like for more than a few hours? Bedlam, I'd imagine. :^)

Rick "low tech" Jones

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Given the number of bad actors in the wotld,
May 21, 2019 4:30PM PDT

and their several motivations, I think the best advice is still, 'Not if the internet and the cells go down, but when'.

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Well...actually, I do have a flip phone
May 21, 2019 5:33PM PDT

It stays in the basement unless I travel or plan to go walking in the woods. It has a postage stamp sized display and actually has a useless browser. I've put the names and numbers of family members in the phone so, if it rings and a name I know doesn't pop up, it goes unanswered. I bought the phone when my dad became more frail and refused to leave his house. It was only to keep in touch with family. I'm noticing more and more men's and women's clothing that comes with a "technology pocket" to accommodate a smart phone. So, as these things get bigger and bigger, one needs a new wardrobe with a phone purchase. Happy

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Oh, only if you want to be
May 21, 2019 6:38PM PDT

cool and suave and asked to the best cocktail parties. Happy

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and in the future
May 22, 2019 8:24PM PDT

the "hip" interface will be direct brain control. Yikes - talk about a recipe for disaster!

Hopefully I'll be good and dead by _that_ time. :^)

Rick " reads too much science fiction " Jones

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Good post, and good links.
May 21, 2019 4:50PM PDT

I always look for the best deal on hardware and plan. Our last switch was to Cricket a couple of years ago. The reasons were:
> T-Mobile had excellent customer service but poor coverage. (We live in a residential neighborhood but very much in the American rurals.)
> I knew AT&T had the best coverage herr, from personal experience with Net 10 from Walmart in 2010, when i was a Census team leader. It used AT&T system, and I had the best coverage I knew of. (Net 10 customer service was just short of criminal.)
> Cricket was later acquired by AT&T, and I knew Cricket had a good CS reputation.
> We upgraded to smartphones, made by ... let's see ... oh, here it is, "Joe's Smartphones 'n Things".* The coverage and CS are great. For $110 a month we get true unlimited data on both, which I think is good.
Did I forget anything? Oh, yes. I was born in a log cabin ...

Anyway, my wife's glued in battery failed a couple months ago, so she got an LG which she likes. Joe's phone is still working.
My question is, Mr Phone Man, will any 4G phone I may have still work if/when Cricket goes to 5G?

Made by the starving orphans of Chinese political prisoners. In Guangdong. Next to the school, next to the fireworks factory. But, hey! It's cheap!

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Gets better.
May 21, 2019 7:09PM PDT

This thread reminded me that my phone bill was due tonight.
Had a problem, so I wound up in the hands of "Marvin" in Mumbai. He took care of it and then pushed a discount promo, so now we pay $90 a month for the two lines. That's because, to quote him, "you're the best customers!"

I'm think it has more to do with the shenanigans reported in your links. Like giving me cheap meals to keep me in the casino. Happy

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Please notice that the problems mentioned
May 21, 2019 7:17PM PDT

apply (for now) mostly to investors, not consumers.
But, I'm religious, not stupid, so I'm sure the goal on all sides is to guarantee room for price increases. That same AT&T promised to hold the line on entertainment increases. Remember how long that lasted?
I see the FCC guy and other executives talking about "commitments" to do this and that if the deal(s) are approved. A German diplomat lives in infamy for saying "A treaty is just a piece of paper." Not long before the invasion of neutral Belgium. Neutral per treaty.
These "commitments" don't even have the paper.