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Comment Why? (Score 1) 105

So just like with wireline, why is this even a problem? Why don't we have a the government owning/controlling the entirety of the spectrum and have service providers simply provide service across ALL bands? Why are we chunking it up for private companies to "own"? It would seem to me that if all spectrum were available, everyone would win. More devices per tower, fewer towers needed, more competition in the marketplace. The simple fact that you have to be able to purchase spectrum to even join the game means the end-game is yet another monopoly.

Comment Re:Samsung (Score 1) 139

While the agreement details are still secret, the rumor is that part of the 10-year licensing agreement between Google and Samsung included Samsung agreeing to cease developing it's own app store, UI overlay (touchwiz), and OS (tizen). They may have it out again in the future, but I doubt Google really cares if Samsung tries to go a different direction in 10 years. Android will be so entrenched they won't make any headway by then. And to be quite honest, I think Google WANTS Samsung to kill off everyone else. It will give them the leverage to demand they get consistent OS upgrades rather than the hodge-podge of versions they currently are stuck dealing with.

Comment Re:Samsung (Score 3, Interesting) 139

Ya, you have your history of events backwards. Samsung created Bada in 2010 not too long after Google started going after third parties who were including their apps without approval (read cyanognmod). Google acquired Motorola in 2011 AFTER Samsung started creating their own OS and their own ecosystem to compete directly with Google. Samsung continued down that path until this year, interestingly enough, just after the holiday season in which the Moto X started picking up steam. I'm guessing when Samsung saw VZW approve kitkat for the Moto X almost immediately after release, they saw how screwed they were going to be going forward. As a consumer, when your choice is Motorola with updates immediately after release and minimal bloatware, or Samsung who can be upwards of a YEAR later on VZW and an interface that you either love or hate, the choice is pretty easy. I can tell you I've personally steered at least 10 people away from Samsung and onto a Moto X after letting them play with my phone for 5 minutes and showing them that the spec sheet doesn't always tell the full story.

Comment Samsung (Score 5, Interesting) 139

The Moto X was actually an outstanding phone. I dumped my gs3 for one. I think the real end-game here was getting Samsung back in line. Motorola phones were selling enough units to raise alarms at Samsung. It's not like Samsung was in any danger of losing their stranglehold on android phone sales in the short term, but long-term with Google's backing it was only a matter of time until Motorola started taking significant chunks. End result: Samsung has supposedly agreed to dump it's custom UIs and custom applications and fully embrace the Play store and the Google ecosystem. It seems unlikely the timing is just a coincidence.

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/29/report-samsung-to-hold-the-touchwiz-on-future-android-devices/

Comment Re: even a broken clock... (Score 1) 523

I'm assuming Ron Paul isn't a libertarian then? Because he wants to eliminate the FDA and the EPA entirely. The private market will take care of pollution via a means of fines that would be imposed by... well I'm sure there will be private citizens who regularly test drinking water and then if they find any abnormalities track down who the offender is so they can be tried in a court of law by... some other rich person who wants to take them to trial. Right?

Comment Re:even a broken clock... (Score 3, Insightful) 523

That's because the House budgets all included the elimination of the national healthcare mandate: that wasn't a legitimate budget, that was their way of claiming they were just looking for compromise.

That's the equivalent of a Democratically controlled House passing a budget that eliminates all military spending. I'm sure the Republican Senate would amend it and send it back rather than tell them to pound sand. Right?

Comment Re:even a broken clock... (Score 1) 523

Ya, the problem is these new Republicans think compromise is a 4-letter word. If you aren't willing to find middle ground, our country will literally collapse. 50% of this country thinks differently than the libertarian Republicans. You aren't going to win telling them all they're wrong about everything and they'll just have to go your way or the highway. Half the reason the Republicans are so screwed is BECAUSE of that attitude, not in spite of it.

Comment Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Score 1) 479

They can basically charge whatever they want at this point. The average consumer has no way to know how much bandwidth they're REALLY using. Verizon Homefusion is NOTORIOUS for overcharging people, and they get away with it because how do you as a consumer PROVE that you didn't use as much as they claim you did? If you're technically savvy you'd probably be bright enough to setup something like pfsense and log all of your traffic so you can prove it, but for the average mom and pop, you just have to eat it.

Case in point: https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/1035492

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