4G

Network operators have a tendency to redefine common words and give them new meanings. "Unlimited" is not unlimited when it comes to data and "indefinitely" definitely has an end. To be fair, Verizon did leave the door wide open for when it will shut down its 3G network and now it is officially giving notice to the old technology's remaining users. Big Red is finally shutting down its 3G CDMA network at the end of 2022, three years after its initial plan.

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Last year's Galaxy S20 wasn't exactly the heavy hitter that Samsung had hoped, at least not compared to how much interest and sales the Galaxy S21 this year garnered. It was even eclipsed by its own "Fan Edition", the Galaxy S20 FE that was announced just a month after the Galaxy Note 20 series. Its success may have encouraged Samsung to launch yet another Galaxy S20 FE, one that doesn't have 5G capability but runs on the same 5G-capable Snapdragon 865 as the 5G model.

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5G has been the battle cry of network operators and phone manufacturers for more than two years now but the next-gen network still doesn't have the ideal coverage and speeds that proponents would have liked. In some cases, carriers have even had to make do with "Dynamic Spectrum Sharing" or DSS 5G, a.k.a. Verizon's "nationwide 5G", which is a far cry from the 5G that many people have in mind. And then there's still the ongoing improvement on 4G networks that, somewhat ironically, is making Verizon's new 4G look better than its existing 5G performance.

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There has been no shortage of attempts to offer people an escape from the smart but sometimes obtrusive modern devices known as smartphones. A lot of them try to take you back to the good old days but nothing says "old-school" better than a phone with a rotary dial. That's what this Rotary "Un-Smartphone" kit is offering interested builders and makers, allowing them to assemble a functional, 4G -capable device that really does nothing much but make call or display messages. That said, it may not be as antiquated as it first sounds.

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While 5G is always in the news for the past one or two years, it isn't the end-all and be-all of wireless communication technologies. On the one hand, there are still more people and devices who use and need 4G LTE networks. On the other hand, WiFi, especially the latest WiFi 6E iteration, still offers a more stable multi-user solution. At CES 2021, NETGEAR is addressing all of these use cases with a number of new networking equipment, including a rather rare mobile wireless router.

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If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, 5G would have continued to be the buzzword in the mobile and telecommunications market. While more and more smartphones are coming out with 5G support, network operators are still slowly but surely expanding the next-gen network's coverage across the country. Not all 5G is created equal, which already complicates matters from the get-go. Things can get even more confusing when you consider that carriers like Verizon have different types of 5G, one of which might actually be slowing down your iPhone 12 or Google Pixel 5.

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There is still no official confirmation but there have been several reports that key companies have been granted licenses to export their products to Huawei. If true, things could be looking up for the Chinese tech giant, especially if Qualcomm is part of that list. It might have been too early to break out in celebration, though, as more information is surfacing on the terms of that exception. It turns out that while Huawei might not be running out of smartphone processors, it still won't be able to make smartphones that will be able to compete in an increasingly 5G market.

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HMD Global didn't just revive Nokia's smartphone business, it revived the Finnish legend's name in the feature phone market as well. The company has brought back from the dead some of Nokia's most iconic designs to the point that it might also end up with the same dozens of not so memorable phones. Its latest batch tries to bring the candy bar phone design back into fashion by adding some 4G chops that at least make the Nokia 6300 4G and Nokia 8000 4G usable as social media handsets.

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The whole 5G thing is becoming more of a story with the launch of some exciting new mobile phone models designed to take full leverage of the new wireless connectivity. As a new 5G smartphone pops-up with each passing day, we are seeing all prominent network carriers stateside doing their bit to ensure you have 5G coverage no matter what part of the country you’re in. While these are early days and everyone’s just working on increasing their portfolio – it seems appropriate to know, which of the top-tier carriers have what 5G plans you can choose from to get on from the word go.

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Today's entry in our ever-expanding exploration of 5G connectivity checks the most basic question: Do I need 5G? This question can be answered by looking at the world's transfer from 3G to 4G, and 4G LTE. In short: There's a significant amount of time between now and the point at which you'll absolutely NEED your next smartphone to have the ability to connect to 5G data.

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Acer revealed new TravelMate laptops, a Chrome Spin, and a Chromebox machine all ready to roll for business in 2020. Three new TravelMate notebooks were revealed with with 11th Gen Intel Core processors, 4G LTE, and MIL-STD 810G military durability standards made with "commercial users" in mind. The Chromebook Spin 513 and the Chromebox CXI4 were revealed with both standard and Enterprise editions.

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Just a day after the launch of iPhone 12 lineup on October 13, OnePlus revealed the sole OnePlus 8T which will complete the Chinese tech company’s lineup for this year, since there is no Pro model for the 8T. Both the phones are going to be available from October 23 and will compete to lure in prospective buyers. The pricing for the two smartphones is neck to neck, while iPhone 12 demands $799 for the base model, OnePlus 8T comes for a slightly lower $749 tag – virtually there is just $50 setting these two devices apart. So, a comparison of the specification and features of these close competitors – the iPhone 12 and OnePlus 8T was imminent.

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