Fix Your Smartphone

I had to fix mine, maybe you do, too.

Fix #1: Delete Old Texts, Call Logs & Emails:
This should be done on a regular basis, not just if you're having problems..

Fix #2: Clear the Phone's App Cache
Remove excess non-essential information that may be slowing down your phone by clearing the phone's app cache. To do this, go to:

• Settings
• Applications
• All
• Select Apps
• Clear Cache

Fix #3: Check Your Phone's Memory Card
Your phone may have too small of a memory card.  You may be able to replace it with a larger card, some phones can handle cards up to 32GB. Then, make sure all apps that can be saved to a memory card are saved to the card rather than to your phone.

Fix #4: Delete Old Apps You are No Longer Using
Many apps are using resources even when you're not using them.

Fix #5: Turn Off Your Phone Occasionally
Turn off your phone (and then turn it back on) at least once a week, once every other day would be better, every day isn't too often. Like computers, a smartphone operates better after it has been rebooted. This is especially true if you're entering/exiting your home coverage area.  Data services perform much better after a restart! From time to time it would make sense to pull the battery out, if you can.  This totally resets the system and memory without losing any data.

Fix #6: Don't Keep You Phone in the Fridge
Seriously, phones don't like temperature extremes. Don't leave your phone sitting in a hot or cold car for a long period of time. The change in temperature and humidity when bringing it back into a heated or air conditioned building can create condensation that can cause corrosion and other problems that may damage your phone's internal parts.

Fix #7: Get Better Versions of Your Most-Used Apps
Consider buying the paid version of these apps. The free versions can make your phone slower & battery drain faster due to ads that are constantly downloading and tracking software that may running continuously.

Fix #8: Up Your Apps
Make sure the apps in your phone were created by a reputable developer and have a good rating in the store for your device. Remove any that don't. You may have an app that could be hurting your phone's performance & compromising your security. Avoid using an app with less than a 3 star rating. Also, if you notice a sudden decrease in performance, delete the most recently-downloaded apps.  One of them may be causing an  issue.

Fix #9: Use a Task Killer
You can manually turn off apps, learn how to do it in your phone.  You can also use an Advanced Task Killer app.  Make sure it is properly downloaded and set up correctly. This will kill apps running in the background, improving performance.

Fix #10: Read the Manual
Yes, this may the most painful step to take, but your phone's manual could address issues you may be having and how to prevent other problems.  Manuals can be downloaded online.

Fix #11: If You Still Have Problems, Start Over
If you’ve tried these steps and your smartphone is still acting up, you can do a factory reset. This will clear the phone’s information and switch it back to the original factory settings.  Careful, this will wipe your phone clean of everything you added.  There are online resources to back up your phone directory and critical data before taking this drastic step.

Viya Covers USVI on Combined Networks

Last fall we reported on Choice Wireless of US Virgin Islands acquiring Innovative Mobile.  That looks like a pretty good idea.  Then they changed the name of the combined network to Viya Mobile.  That's looks a pretty good idea, too.

RELATED: Open Mobile Hooks up with Sprint

The Caribbean isn't quite as exciting as the mainland markets, but with Choice Wireless expanding by acquisition, it's great to see small carriers getting together in the fight for survival.  This also means visitors to the islands should also have better service.  Viva la Viya!

We Had to Give Back Your States

With so many pages among the Mountain Wireless Cellular Networks (well over 500) we cut back our state review pages because fewer people cared, or seemed to, on such locally-based information.  Then we got a sudden demand for the old pages and found that nobody wanted the new "compact" reviews.

RELATED: Local Wireless Reviews: A Guessing Game?

Once upon a time we had a web page dedicated to each state and the cellular carriers that operate in them.  As the carriers consolidated, each state's page began to look like the others.  So we consolidated the state reports into one set of pages, and the actual carrier reports to another.  Suddenly we had readers looking for the entire rundown in their state (or a state where they would be traveling),  not just some generic list.  Our reviews provide some of the only details available for the smallest carriers in the US and it turned out to be a resource still in demand.

I had Scott look in his files for the old reviews but most of them had to be reconstructed.  Some states (like Hawaii) have absolutely no interest, but others, like the Virginias, have quite a bit.  With continuing wireless consolidation, we expect there will be more states looking like Hawaii, but for a couple dozen others they keep on coming...so we'll keep reviewing.

T-Mobile Has 5G for All of Us

Up until now, the majority of wireless thinkers thought 5G would be implemented on very high frequencies over very short distances.  Now T-Mobile says they'll be supplying 5G for mobile users on their lowest frequencies, over long distances.  A few years ago we would have responded with skepticism but T-Mobile has followed through on so many outrageous ideas, how can we poo poo this one?

RELATED; T-Mobile Jumps Over Another Hurdle

Verizon announced last week that they will supply 5G through a fiber backbone to multiple customers accessing the last mile on 5G wireless.  It made sense last week.  Now it seems a bit short-sighted if T-Mobile can supply 5G to all of us wherever we want.  This is a lot of bandwidth on not a lot of spectrum, but the seed is planted, so let's see what sprouts.

Tello's Birthday Party: FREE Stuff!

We're honored to be invited to Tello's first birthday party.  Tello has made it's way into our hearts, and our favored Prepaid List, with their rock-bottom prices and their "Build-Your-Own-Plan" feature.  To celebrate, Tello is offering a 90% Off deal for newcomers, valid between May 4-10, 2017, for any plan of $10 or more.

Tello will also honor its current customers, especially those who have been there since day one. Customers who joined Tello in May last year, and are still active today, get a special, custom-made Free surprise! (Let us know what it is) Also, all existing customers get a 25% off discount for any plan over $15 that is changed/renewed/purchased for the first time between May 5-8, 2017, using the code, 1BDAY.

They're also having a giveaway with Tello’s Facebook contest, between May 2-5, 2017 for a chance to win a FREE iPhone 7. I need to add that we're not being paid for this post but we sure do appreciate having Tello as an advertiser.

US Cellular's Backup Plan

US Cellular is one of the more popular among our Wireless Noise subjects, and we were reminded after our article on Verizon's lack of a viable value-oriented wireless choice, that US Cellular has even less.  US Cellular has not been competitive with their Prepaid product, possibly because they can't offer as much coverage as larger carriers.  We think they can, and more importantly, they should.  Like Verizon, US Cellular's best competitor should be themselves.

RELATED: US Cellular Goes Unlimited

US Cellular has an advantage with their less-restrictive ownership.  They can be much more creative in their combinations of their own network bundled with roaming partners.  They even cut a deal with Google Fi, a potential competitor.

US Cellular continues to expand their network, they recently purchased some new 600 MHz spectrum.  They also need to take a broader view for their customers who want to save a few bucks, without leaving open the barn door.  Hey, US Cellular could buy US Mobile to give them a bargain outlet. but we hear Virgin Mobile might be available...or at least not being used.

Verizon Has No Backup Plan

Now that Verizon has reported a first-ever net loss of wireless customers, we want to check on their backup plan.  Oh...we don't see one.  Let's look at the competition.  AT&T has both a Cricket and a GoPhone.  T-Mobile has MetroPCS.  Even Sprint has a Boost and a Virgin.  Each of the other "Top 4"  have a prepaid version for value-oriented customers to fall back on, where Verizon claimed their Prepaid was TracFone.  We thought that was short-sighted.  Now it's blind-sided.

Verizon is losing wireless customers to the competition when they could have been losing customers to themselves.  They tried to revive their own prepaid brand, but it's too little, too late. Are they afraid they might dilute their product?  We don't think they should be baking up a "Verizon Lite," but they do need a Plan B.

RELATED: Verizon Gets an Attaboy

Last week Verizon announced a deal to lay more fiber.  Now it looks like before they add more fiber to their diet, they need to unblock their wireless pipeline. Fortunately, Verizon is moving in the right direction by expanding their network bandwidth and swimming into the 5G depth of the pool, but don't lose those of us at the other end of the pipe.  OK, it's a good thing they threw us an Unlimited bone, but figures say we want more.  Let's hope TracFone doesn't really become Verizon's prepaid division, they're one of the disruptors stirring these wireless waters.

T-Mobile Jumps Over Another Hurdle

It was little over a year ago we noted that T-Mobile had overcome our biggest objection to sign up as T-Mobile customers.  They had purchased a large chunk of 700 MHz spectrum, and had actually built cell sites using those frequencies giving them more, and better, coverage than ever.  Now that they have purchased another large swath of spectrum in the new 600MHz band, we would expect them to pretty much cover the entire US (yes, Alaska and Hawaii as well) as well as...or, egad, better, than other carriers.

We don't usually give credit to carriers for new coverage until it actually happens and in this case we will add our usual dose of caution: we won't be using this new spectrum until we can get 600 MHz-capable phones.  They're coming, and T-Mobile claims they'll start using their newly-acquired space later this year.  Yes, this is possible, but to fully use this new spectrum, a few hundred TV stations have to move their on-air TV channels, which could take years.  Also, 600 MHz isn't the best wireless coverage band, but it fits well into T-Mobile's spectrum portfolio even though it doesn't address those elusive "5G" needs.  The part we like the most is what happened in several areas with their 700 MHz bands: coverage in rural America.

RELATED: T-Mobile Acquires More Good Spectrum

The next thing we have to endure are all the stories that will state that now T-Mobile becomes an even better takeover candidate, or merger partner with Sprint.  Aw, c'mon.  That honor belongs to Dish and Comcast, the other big 600 MHz auction winners.