TECHNOLOGY: T-Mobile and ATT blamed when VZ goes down

Saturday, January 24, 2026

https://www.androidauthority.com/downdetector-carrier-reports-spike-3632489/?utm_source=newsletter

T-Mobile and AT&T also seeing an uptick in outage reports during today’s Verizon disruption
Not as many reports as Verizon, but still a bunch.
By https://www.androidauthority.com/author/taylorkerns/
18 hours ago 
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-01-15>>

*** begin quote ***

  • Verizon is experiencing a significant service outage today.
  • Other services, including AT&T and T-Mobile, have seen smaller but still significant upticks in outage reports on Downdetector.
  • Verizon has said it’s working on a fix for its own service issues today.

*** end quote ***

​I have a second phone on Google Fi, which basically costs nothing if not used.

“3 is 2! 2 is 1! 1 is none! Look for redundant capability; not redundant gear!” — a disaster recovery adage

Just an FYI.

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

CLOUD: Google is “soulless” as is Apple, Microsoft, and other Big Tech

Friday, January 23, 2026

https://www.androidauthority.com/google-one-deal-insult-illegal-3632009/

This Google One deal is a calculated insult if you ask me
It’s a loyalty tax we all have to pay.
By https://www.androidauthority.com/author/mitjarutnik/

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-01-15>>

*** begin quote ***

However, Google is no ordinary company, and it knows it. Its strategy is simple: lure users in with promos, get them hooked on the service, entrench them in the ecosystem, and then hike up the price. Google knows that once your Gmail is at capacity and you have terabytes of photos and videos stored in its cloud service, the costs of switching are too high for most people to bear. The technical pain of migrating data to a new provider is a larger hurdle than the financial pain of a price hike. It’s a brilliant business move, but it’s predatory, and it’s exactly why Big Tech feels so soulless.

*** end quote ***

Well, I, for one, am planning to move to a NAS (Network Attached Storage) and reduce my dependence upon the Cloud.

I’m also planning to leave the Apple “Walled Garden” and Google “ecosystem”.  

I cleaning up all the shoulda, coulda, and woulda projects!

“Making a list; checking it twice; gonna find out who’s naughty and nice.”

Argh!

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | CLOUD | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: Maybe a simple small phone is good for children and older adults?

Monday, January 19, 2026

https://www.androidauthority.com/mudita-kompakt-hands-on-ces-2026-3631800/?utm_source=newsletter

This tiny, e-ink Android phone is the minimalist gadget I’ve been waiting for
Say hello to the Mudita Kompakt.
By Joe Maring
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-01-14>>

*** begin quote ***

One of the more interesting smartphone trends of the last year or two has been the rise of minimalist phones; phones that are designed to be less addictive than “regular” smartphones while still keeping you connected to phone calls, texts, etc.

I saw one such device at CES 2026 last week. It’s called the Mudita Kompakt, and compared to other minimalist phones on the market today, it’s the first one I’m actually tempted to buy.

As you’d expect from a phone of this caliber, the Mudita Kompakt is a pretty simple device. It has a 4.3-inch e-ink touchscreen display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, IP54 dust/water resistance, 32GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB), and a 3,300mAh battery rated to last up to six days.

*** end quote ***

​This might be a good phone for “children” who are old enough to handle it. Unlike the politicians and bureaucrats that run schools, I think that children NEED to be able to communicate with parents and visa versa. Teachers are not above suspicion and emergencies happen. Like when my child’s bus driver missed his drop off. And, there has been (at least one or two that I remember) school shootings that were first reported by a “child” with his phone.

Heck I might ever get one as my “next” phone! Might even be perfect for befuddled old people like me?

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

NOTRECOMMENDED: Any KINDLE or ebook “purchased” from AMAZON

Monday, October 6, 2025

https://www.androidauthority.com/amazon-kindle-e-books-drm-harder-to-backup-3601341/

Your Kindle e-books just got locked down even tighter
With stricter DRM in place, your Kindle library is now even harder to back up.
By Matt Horne aka @SalvaCash
September 25, 2025

*** begin quote ***

For Kindle owners, this continues a pattern of losing personal control over purchased books. Earlier this year, Amazon removed the ability to download titles for local transfer via USB. Old versions of the Kindle Android app also no longer support downloads, which cut off another method people used for saving e-books. With this latest move, the company has tightened its grip on Kindle e-books even further.

*** end quote ***

As much as I linked my old Kindle, which I have misplaced, I can’t understand why AMAZON has locked it down even more.

Until the Gooferment cracks down on AMAZON for its FRAUDULENT practice of “SELLING” books when it’s really just delivering a “LICENSE” to you, we’re stuck with a BIG BROTHER “librarian”.

I’m tired of what I call “CONTENT FRAUD”.  I don’t know how many times in the past I’ve had to rebuy content.  Paper books, books on cassette tapes, books on CDs, and “audio” books are all the same content that we’re stuck buying and rebuying,

Never mind that Disney and Amazon do a big business in “SELLING” streaming content that you don’t have control over.

Maybe I’m just an old curmudgeon, but I’m now at the point where I’m not BUYING content where I don’t control the MEDIA that I’ve purchased.

I want my CONTENT without DRM so I can put it in CALIBRE and enjoy it anywhere anytime.  I want to burn that into a MEDIA that is virtually eternal and that I control.

Sorry, but I’m not LICENSING anything anymore.

# – # – # – # – #

P.S.: While on the topic of really free “BOOKS” I use:

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | NOTRECOMMENDED | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RECOMMENDED: I am moving from LASTPASS to BITWARDEN

Monday, August 25, 2025

https://www.androidauthority.com/lastpass-password-manager-alternatives-3587020/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyauthority&utm_term=Daily%20Authority

5 password managers you should use instead of LastPass

  • Tired of security scares? Ditch LastPass and switch to a password manager you can actually trust.

By Karandeep Singh  —  August 17, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Bitwarden is my default recommendation to anyone looking for a reliable password manager. It has everything you’d expect from an app built to handle your most sensitive data. Its free tier is one of the most generous out there, it’s available across platforms, and it even offers self-hosting if you’re feeling adventurous. The premium individual plan costs just $10 a year — an easy recommendation for the extras it brings.

Even if you stick with Bitwarden’s own servers for storage, you know your data is safe because it’s open source and independently audited. Plus, migrating your data from LastPass is a breeze using the included tools. The interface might not be as slick as its pricier alternatives, but it’s perfectly functional, and its safety upsides far outweigh any minor aesthetic caveats.

 *** end quote ***

I agree.

What more needs to be said?

One “feature” that’s a negative is that if you rerun an import, then you’ll gt duplicates.  With no easy way to delete except one at a time.

Argh!

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | RECOMMENDED | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: Now DROPBOX introducted the “dropbox dustbin”

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

https://www.androidauthority.com/dropbox-password-manager-discontinued-3582689/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyauthority&utm_term=Daily%20Authority

Dropbox says it’s time to find a new password manager as it prepares to shut down service

  • Time to say goodbye to Dropbox Passwords.

By Ryan McNeal 21 hours ago
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-07-31>>

*** begin quote ***

  •     Dropbox Passwords users will no longer be able to add new passwords on August 28, 2025.
  •     The mobile app is scheduled to stop working on September 11, 2025.
  •     The password manager will be fully discontinued on October 28, 2025.

Dropbox Passwords users will soon have to find a new password manager to store their passwords, usernames, and other sensitive data. The company will be shutting down the service in the next couple of months.

Dropbox has announced that it is preparing to sunset its password manager. According to a help center document, the decision was made so that the company can “focus on enhancing other features in our core product.” The full service is scheduled to be discontinued on October 28, 2025, but the shutdown will be carried out in phases.

*** end quote ***

“Sunsetting”?  Argh!  Call it what it is “shrinkflation”.

Why they ever pursued it is beyond me.  

And, they don’t suggest BITWARDEN which is basically free.

Is OnePassword or Lastpass an affiliate link?

Argh!

— 30 —

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: eSims introduce a single point of failure

Thursday, April 17, 2025

https://www.androidauthority.com/esim-vs-physical-sim-experience-3539851/

I was ready to ditch physical SIMs forever — then my toddler threw my phone off a balcony

  • I was ready to declare physical SIM cards obsolete until disaster struck!

By Adamya Sharma

April 5, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Just before writing that wholly different article, my iPhone 15 Pro, on which my primary number was registered as an eSIM, met a dramatic end. While on holiday, my toddler decided my phone would look cool skydiving from a ninth-floor balcony. Spoiler Alert: It didn’t stick the landing. Not only did the iPhone’s screen shatter to pieces from one corner, but the grade 5 titanium frame literally tore from the antenna band. Not to mention the internal damage to other crucial components.

After mourning the loss and explaining to my child that phones aren’t actually meant to fly, I faced a new problem. I needed a new phone. And fast. Apple told me the phone can’t be fixed and will need to be replaced. Shedding tears of desperation, I swallowed the bitter pill and coughed up to buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

But here’s the catch. You can’t just pop into a store, grab a phone, and swap out the SIM anymore when you’re only using an eSIM. Sure, transferring an eSIM is usually as easy as scanning a QR code, but what happens when your old phone’s display is completely dead?

*** end quote ***

Never thought about this.  Clearly, there needs to be a backup solution for an eSim.

I’m waiting.

—30—

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

IPHONE: IOS telling other iphones to reboot and lock up?

Thursday, November 14, 2024

https://www.androidauthority.com/confiscated-iphones-reboot-en-masse-3497803/

Mobile
Feature or bug? iPhones confiscated by cops reboot en masse

  • iOS in the BFU state is significantly more secure, making unauthorized data extraction much more challenging.

By Mahmoud Irani
5 hours ago

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-11-08>>

*** begin quote ***

TL;DR

  •     iOS 18 is reportedly causing confiscated iPhones to reboot after a day of inactivity or disconnection from the cellular network.
  •     After restarting, these iPhones seemingly send signals to other nearby iPhones to trigger the same behavior.
  •     It’s unclear whether this is a new iOS 18 security feature or merely the reboot bug that impacted certain iPhones a while back.

*** and ***

The company has long offered system-level features that prevent thieves and law enforcement officers from easily accessing user data on a locked iDevice. 

*** end quote ***

Well this seems like a good feature, since thieves seem to be everywhere and not all police have to obey a Fourth or Fifth Amendment rights, if they have them in their jurisdiction.

It’s a good admonishment to Users to restart their phones when thieves or police are about,

FWIW

—30—

Leave a Comment » | iphone | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj