Earlier this week when I turned on my ZTE Axon 7 phone, I noticed an update was pending. I took a look at what the update was all about and the information shown on the update screen informed me that it was the long awaited Nougat update.
Out of the other Android phones that I still use either occasionally or regularly (Nexus-4, OnePlus One, & BlackBerry Priv), my ZTE Axon 7 is the only phone to officially receive the update for Nougat. I decided to accept the update and after a seamless download/installation, my ZTE Axon 7 received Nougat (Android 7.0).
Daydream seems to have been enabled on my ZTE Axon 7 and I noticed that I was also able to install Netflix VR, Google VR Services, and YouTube VR onto my Axon 7. Unfortunately I don't have a VR headset yet so I have not been able to test it but this gives me more incentive to purchase a VR headset or try the Google Cardboard that I got last year.
I've used my Axon 7 intermittently this past week and I don't notice much of a change with Nougat installed on it. My daily driver phone is currently still my OnePlus One along with my BlackBerry Passport) so this might be one of the reasons why I don't notice much of a change with my Axon 7. I did test out the split screen and I don't see myself really using this feature on my phone. However, I can see myself using it more on a tablet size device but unfortunately none of my Android tablets have Nougat installed on them. After installing Nougat on my Axon 7, the menus appear slightly different but not different enough that they presented me any issues.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday, February 6, 2017
Roam Mobility Review/Thoughts
I've been using Roam Mobility for a few years and I thought that I would write my thoughts/review on their service.
Roam Mobility is a US SIM card designed mainly for Canadians traveling to the US that allows for unlimited calling (Canada/US), texting (Canada/US), and data options. It also allows for data only plans. I primarily use Roam Mobility for the data only plans since I have a grandfathered unlimited calling/texting/data US prepaid plan which cost less than Roam Mobility's unlimited daily plan.
Roam Mobility has gone through some changes since I've been using them but this blog entry describes their current service. Currently in order to keep the SIM card active, the subscriber must purchase a daily plan or data plan at least once every 12 months. At one point, it was 12 months and then lowered to 6 months but currently it has changed back to 12 months.
The daily plans is purchased beforehand and can be scheduled to start after a traveler arrives in the US. It is purchased via credit card. Their different plans are purchased via their webpage and charged directly to the traveler's credit card. The daily rates range from $4.95+taxes per day for unlimited calling (Canada/US), texting (Canada/US), and data to $2.95+taxes per day plan for unlimited texting (Canada/US) and unlimited 2G data. Even though the data is unlimited is throttled to 2G after the 4G/LTE daily limit is used up (~500MB/day). The taxes depend on the customer's home province. They also have a $3.95+taxes per day plan for unlimited calling/texting (Canada/US) for those customers who don't require data. 2G data is sufficient for instant messaging and e-mailing but it is too slow for any streaming and personally I would say that it is also too slow for web browsing. I would say that it is also too slow for using the Facebook app on the phone.
As mentioned, I will generally only purchase their data only plan since I find their unlimited plan to be more expensive than my prepaid US grandfathered daily plan. There are also sometimes when I go to the US (or a family member goes to the US) and doesn't want an unlimited plan. For example, paying $4.95+taxes for a day when you will only make a few calls a day and speak for roughly 10 minutes costs over $0.50/minute when there are certain prepaid plans that can cost as little as $0.05/minute. I found Roam Mobility's data plan to be good but in the US city that I was visiting, their service wasn't the best. I believe that they use T-Mobile's network since I also had a T-Mobile phone with me and I had roughly the same reception on my Roam Mobility phone as I did with my T-Mobile phone.
Roam Mobility used to offer telephone support but they no longer offer telephone support. When they did offer telephone support, I found their support to be very good. Their support now is only available via webform. During my last trip to the US, I tried to get support via their webform and I have found Roam Mobility to be unresponsive. During my vacation/trip to the US in January 2017 (which is why I didn't update my blog during that time), I had issue with their service and logged in a request on the day that I arrived in the US and even after getting back one week later, I have still not heard anything back from them (beyond getting a ticket/reference number). Based on my lack of response, if you have issues during your trip for service that you prepaid for, you might continue to have issues until you come back to Canada.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
Roam Mobility is a US SIM card designed mainly for Canadians traveling to the US that allows for unlimited calling (Canada/US), texting (Canada/US), and data options. It also allows for data only plans. I primarily use Roam Mobility for the data only plans since I have a grandfathered unlimited calling/texting/data US prepaid plan which cost less than Roam Mobility's unlimited daily plan.
Roam Mobility has gone through some changes since I've been using them but this blog entry describes their current service. Currently in order to keep the SIM card active, the subscriber must purchase a daily plan or data plan at least once every 12 months. At one point, it was 12 months and then lowered to 6 months but currently it has changed back to 12 months.
The daily plans is purchased beforehand and can be scheduled to start after a traveler arrives in the US. It is purchased via credit card. Their different plans are purchased via their webpage and charged directly to the traveler's credit card. The daily rates range from $4.95+taxes per day for unlimited calling (Canada/US), texting (Canada/US), and data to $2.95+taxes per day plan for unlimited texting (Canada/US) and unlimited 2G data. Even though the data is unlimited is throttled to 2G after the 4G/LTE daily limit is used up (~500MB/day). The taxes depend on the customer's home province. They also have a $3.95+taxes per day plan for unlimited calling/texting (Canada/US) for those customers who don't require data. 2G data is sufficient for instant messaging and e-mailing but it is too slow for any streaming and personally I would say that it is also too slow for web browsing. I would say that it is also too slow for using the Facebook app on the phone.
As mentioned, I will generally only purchase their data only plan since I find their unlimited plan to be more expensive than my prepaid US grandfathered daily plan. There are also sometimes when I go to the US (or a family member goes to the US) and doesn't want an unlimited plan. For example, paying $4.95+taxes for a day when you will only make a few calls a day and speak for roughly 10 minutes costs over $0.50/minute when there are certain prepaid plans that can cost as little as $0.05/minute. I found Roam Mobility's data plan to be good but in the US city that I was visiting, their service wasn't the best. I believe that they use T-Mobile's network since I also had a T-Mobile phone with me and I had roughly the same reception on my Roam Mobility phone as I did with my T-Mobile phone.
Roam Mobility used to offer telephone support but they no longer offer telephone support. When they did offer telephone support, I found their support to be very good. Their support now is only available via webform. During my last trip to the US, I tried to get support via their webform and I have found Roam Mobility to be unresponsive. During my vacation/trip to the US in January 2017 (which is why I didn't update my blog during that time), I had issue with their service and logged in a request on the day that I arrived in the US and even after getting back one week later, I have still not heard anything back from them (beyond getting a ticket/reference number). Based on my lack of response, if you have issues during your trip for service that you prepaid for, you might continue to have issues until you come back to Canada.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
Monday, January 16, 2017
My thoughts on the ZTE Axon 7
I had pre-ordered the ZTE Axon 7 last year and I've been using it for the last few months along with my Blackberry Priv, OnePlus One, and Blackberry Passport. I thought that I would mention what I like about the ZTE Axon 7 and what I disliked about it.
I was looking for an Android phone which I could use instead of my OnePlus One which is starting to show its age and I was considering the OnePlus Three and the ZTE Axon 7. At the time, a lot of reviews that I was seeing/reading online were comparing the OnePlus Three and the ZTE Axon 7. The main reason I went for the Axon 7 was due to the support for a microSD card (which the OnePlus Three doesn't have). I wanted a device that supported microSD cards since I often store videos on my phone so that I have easy access to them without having to redownload them or delete the videos already on my device to put room for the newer videos. The ZTE Axon 7 does this.
While the OnePlus Three supports 2 SIM cards just like the ZTE Axon 7, the ZTE Axon 7 will only support 2 SIM cards or a microSD card and a SIM card. For the Axon 7, you will need to decide whether you want the dual SIM support or the microSD support at any particular time.
The sound is amazing on the ZTE Axon 7. I'm not an audiophile but in my opinion, it has the best sound support (both using headphones as well as using the phone's external speakers) out of the phones that I've tested/used.
One menu option that I like on the Axon 7 which I've rarely seen on mainstream Android phones except those phones which were rooted is the ability to power off the phone automatically at a certain time.
The ZTE Axon 7 is the first phone that I purchased which uses the USB type C connector. Within the box, there is an adapter which you can plug into the phone if you only have a standard micro-USB charger with you at the time. Included with the Axon 7 which I found unusual is a screen protector as well as a plastic case.
The things that I am not crazy about with the Axon 7 is that even though according to a lot of reviews that I've read/watched, it doesn't have a lot of bloatware and is somewhat similar to stock Android, personally, I don't think it is as "stock" as my Blackberry Priv or my OnePlus One. Comparing it to a Samsung phone which Samsung customizes dramatically, a lot of people will probably find it to be similar to stock Android. Whereas I agree that the Axon 7 is more "stock" than a Samsung phone, personally I was annoyed by some of the options missing which I have on my Blackberry Priv and my OnePlus One. One of the things that I found missing from the Axon 7 is the multi-user support that is available in my LG Nexus-4, OnePlus One, and Blackberry Priv. A lot of people probably don't use the multi-user support but because I sometimes lend my phones, I like the ability to easily switch between users so that they don't install applications under my profile. Another option that is available on these phones which is missing from the Axon 7 is the lock screen message where I often put my name and contact information in case someone finds my phone and wants to contact me.
One other thing that I noticed is that because the keys (back, home, & recent) are non-illuminated capacitive keys, certain Android apps that offer a menu option next to these keys when they are screen keys is no longer available.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
I was looking for an Android phone which I could use instead of my OnePlus One which is starting to show its age and I was considering the OnePlus Three and the ZTE Axon 7. At the time, a lot of reviews that I was seeing/reading online were comparing the OnePlus Three and the ZTE Axon 7. The main reason I went for the Axon 7 was due to the support for a microSD card (which the OnePlus Three doesn't have). I wanted a device that supported microSD cards since I often store videos on my phone so that I have easy access to them without having to redownload them or delete the videos already on my device to put room for the newer videos. The ZTE Axon 7 does this.
While the OnePlus Three supports 2 SIM cards just like the ZTE Axon 7, the ZTE Axon 7 will only support 2 SIM cards or a microSD card and a SIM card. For the Axon 7, you will need to decide whether you want the dual SIM support or the microSD support at any particular time.
The sound is amazing on the ZTE Axon 7. I'm not an audiophile but in my opinion, it has the best sound support (both using headphones as well as using the phone's external speakers) out of the phones that I've tested/used.
One menu option that I like on the Axon 7 which I've rarely seen on mainstream Android phones except those phones which were rooted is the ability to power off the phone automatically at a certain time.
The ZTE Axon 7 is the first phone that I purchased which uses the USB type C connector. Within the box, there is an adapter which you can plug into the phone if you only have a standard micro-USB charger with you at the time. Included with the Axon 7 which I found unusual is a screen protector as well as a plastic case.
The things that I am not crazy about with the Axon 7 is that even though according to a lot of reviews that I've read/watched, it doesn't have a lot of bloatware and is somewhat similar to stock Android, personally, I don't think it is as "stock" as my Blackberry Priv or my OnePlus One. Comparing it to a Samsung phone which Samsung customizes dramatically, a lot of people will probably find it to be similar to stock Android. Whereas I agree that the Axon 7 is more "stock" than a Samsung phone, personally I was annoyed by some of the options missing which I have on my Blackberry Priv and my OnePlus One. One of the things that I found missing from the Axon 7 is the multi-user support that is available in my LG Nexus-4, OnePlus One, and Blackberry Priv. A lot of people probably don't use the multi-user support but because I sometimes lend my phones, I like the ability to easily switch between users so that they don't install applications under my profile. Another option that is available on these phones which is missing from the Axon 7 is the lock screen message where I often put my name and contact information in case someone finds my phone and wants to contact me.
One other thing that I noticed is that because the keys (back, home, & recent) are non-illuminated capacitive keys, certain Android apps that offer a menu option next to these keys when they are screen keys is no longer available.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
Monday, January 9, 2017
Netflix Region Restrictions
I posted a few blogs regarding such services as Blockless and Unblock-Us which will allow users to pay a monthly fee and then use their DNS service which would trick Netflix into thinking that the subscriber was in a different country. Last year in the early part of the year, Netflix took aggressive action to stop these services and VPN services from working on their services. Unblock-Us will still work with some television broadcaster's websites (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) and allow subscribers to watch videos/episodes from their websites but since I'm subscribed to a separate VPN service, I opted not to continue my subscription to Unblock-Us.
I was subscribed to Unblock-Us DNS service as well as a VPN service and both services stopped working with Netflix. I opted to keep my VPN service since there are other uses for the VPN service that I subscribe to beyond using it with Netflix and it has all the features of Unblock-Us DNS Service and offers me the additional benefit of encryption when I'm using public hotspots.
I generally always connect to my VPN service whenever I use my Android tablet, my laptop, and my Android smartphones and even when I select my home country for my IP address, Netflix will load and show the show catalogue for that country but when selecting the show/movie/video to watch even if that show/movie/video is available in my home country, a message will appear stating that I'm using an unblocking service or proxy and Netflix will not work. For more information, it refers me to http://www.netflix.com/proxy.
With the amount of videos/shows that are currently in my personal Netflix listing, currently I haven't investigated some options of bypassing the home country restriction. These services might work for the short term and because of the amount of videos/movies/shows that I've added to my personal Netflix list, I just don't feel that it is worthwhile at this point for me to pay the extra fees to gain additional offerings. I also access to CraveTV and TMN application which gives me more than enough things to watch without paying an additional monthly fee to get the offerings from a different country.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
I was subscribed to Unblock-Us DNS service as well as a VPN service and both services stopped working with Netflix. I opted to keep my VPN service since there are other uses for the VPN service that I subscribe to beyond using it with Netflix and it has all the features of Unblock-Us DNS Service and offers me the additional benefit of encryption when I'm using public hotspots.
I generally always connect to my VPN service whenever I use my Android tablet, my laptop, and my Android smartphones and even when I select my home country for my IP address, Netflix will load and show the show catalogue for that country but when selecting the show/movie/video to watch even if that show/movie/video is available in my home country, a message will appear stating that I'm using an unblocking service or proxy and Netflix will not work. For more information, it refers me to http://www.netflix.com/proxy.
With the amount of videos/shows that are currently in my personal Netflix listing, currently I haven't investigated some options of bypassing the home country restriction. These services might work for the short term and because of the amount of videos/movies/shows that I've added to my personal Netflix list, I just don't feel that it is worthwhile at this point for me to pay the extra fees to gain additional offerings. I also access to CraveTV and TMN application which gives me more than enough things to watch without paying an additional monthly fee to get the offerings from a different country.
If you have any comments/questions regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section below. Please note that the comments are moderated and any comment containing a URL link (whether embedded or not) will automatically be flagged as spam and will not be posted.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
I haven't written a blog entry in over a year (last blog entry was in December 2015 for my Moto-360 watch). I still wear/use my Moto-360 watch. I had the back plate repaired prior to the 1 year warranty expiring with what I consider to be a manufacturer's defect in the design of the Moto-360 watch. I'll probably write a blog entry of this in 2017 in greater detail.
During my absence from posting/updating my blog, I tested/purchased a ZTE Axon-7, continued to test/use my Blackberry Passport, Blackberry Q10, and Blackberry Priv. I've also tested a NetGear AC763S Wireless Mobile Hotspot which I'm hoping to be able to write about in 2017 provided that I have the time. I also purchased a few other electronic items and/or gadgets during that time as well as purchased some applications that I would also like to write about on my blog in 2017.
With some of the things that I purchased or talked about in early blog entries/reviews, I'm also hoping to be able to create a new blog entry with my updated thoughts or changes to these products in 2017.
Hopefully I'll be able to maintain the pace of one blog entry/review per week in 2017.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I haven't written a blog entry in over a year (last blog entry was in December 2015 for my Moto-360 watch). I still wear/use my Moto-360 watch. I had the back plate repaired prior to the 1 year warranty expiring with what I consider to be a manufacturer's defect in the design of the Moto-360 watch. I'll probably write a blog entry of this in 2017 in greater detail.
During my absence from posting/updating my blog, I tested/purchased a ZTE Axon-7, continued to test/use my Blackberry Passport, Blackberry Q10, and Blackberry Priv. I've also tested a NetGear AC763S Wireless Mobile Hotspot which I'm hoping to be able to write about in 2017 provided that I have the time. I also purchased a few other electronic items and/or gadgets during that time as well as purchased some applications that I would also like to write about on my blog in 2017.
With some of the things that I purchased or talked about in early blog entries/reviews, I'm also hoping to be able to create a new blog entry with my updated thoughts or changes to these products in 2017.
Hopefully I'll be able to maintain the pace of one blog entry/review per week in 2017.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
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