Stacking up Moto Z2 Force availability and deals

Depending on what network you're tied to or even where you're buying your phone from, the price of a Moto Z2 Force and the perks that come with it vary.

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Bixby voice now working on US Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ units

The launch of voice commands for Bixby marks a crucial trial for Samsung — did it get syntax all worked out and will it be truly useful?

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Even US Cellular’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge get official Nougat before US unlocked variants

US Cellular, America's fifth largest mobile carrier, follows in the footsteps of the "big four" with OTA Nougat updates for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.

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Galaxy S8 and S8+ are officially released to ‘global markets’, and there’s no carrier branding on US variants

Samsung's "global" rollout of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ officially begins in the US, Canada, Korea and Puerto Rico, with more markets to follow soon.

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The LG G6 sucks, but kinda only in this one aspect… | #PNWeekly 248

We discuss that aspect as well as our review process for lacking coverage in that specific aspect and, of course, Burger King. All in this week's show!

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Apple leads J.D. Power’s latest smartphone satisfaction rankings, Samsung is a very close second

Apple is the unsurprising winner of a 2017 J.D. Power smartphone satisfaction award, followed as closely as mathematically possible by Samsung.

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Sprint and US Cellular complete LG G6 US availability puzzle with even more gifts and lower pricing

Up for pre-orders already through Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, the LG G6 will be cheapest at US Cellular, coming with a huge freebie from Sprint.

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AT&T, Verizon and US Cellular reportedly gear up for Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) debut

To help with ambitious J-series sales goals this year, Samsung will allegedly release the Galaxy J7 (2017) across three important US carriers.

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T-Mobile M&A chatter could dominate US telecom news in 2017

The way that Morgan Stanley sees it, T-Mobile will either be the taker or the taken this upcoming year.

The Un-carrier, which has gone through an extended bout of growth, has been the hottest item in the consolidations market these days as Verizon and AT&T gobble up media companies by the boatload. So, what can number three T-Mobile do to size up?

Analyst Simon Flannery believes that while the most “attractive outcome” will see Sprint take Big Magenta over, even with a favorable FCC under the anti-regulation intentions of the Trump presidency. Barron’s also said T-Mobile could also buy out US Cellular, though US Cellular might be doing just well on its own, thank you very much. Plus, T-Mobile would have to work on converting US Cellular’s CDMA towers as it had to for its MetroPCS merger.

Outside of intra-industry mergers and acquisitions, cable companies could make waves in the wireless sector with a T-Mobile move. Wireline TV providers might be able to patch up subscription cutters with such a move. Sprint, given its eccentric SoftBank ownership, might make a brash counteroffer in response and AT&T and Verizon might be kept on their toes with another combined wireless/wireline player in the field. Even fiber-based internet providers, the biggest independent company as of this stage being Zayo, could make it TMUS a bigger differentiator.

Plenty of options and a long four years ahead…

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US carriers detail Note 7 discharge update and why Verizon didn’t announce a date

While 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 units in the United States have been put away from public consumption, Samsung wants push that number to 100.

It has officially announced that devices not deactivated through a product refund or exchange will receive a software update that will cut off the charging and connectivity functions starting December 19. But delivery of that update has been left to cellular carriers — and one of them has refused to carry the update out.

An SMS text from US Cellular indicated that it will be the first to push forward with the deactivating update, sending first seeds out on December 15. In the case of T-Mobile, it stated that the update will roll out starting December 27. AT&T will follow on January 5 while Sprint will push out the same package from January 8.

Verizon has refused to push the update because it believes that the update may pose an “added risk” to Note 7 owners who still happen to be using the phone and have not been able to, for one reason or another, switch away from it.

“We will not push a software upgrade that will eliminate the ability for the Note7 to work as a mobile device in the heart of the holiday travel season,” said Vice President of Global Corporate Communications Jeffrey Nelson, “We do not want to make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation.”

As already noted, AT&T and Sprint have pointedly set their update dates to well after when the new year begins.

Samsung and the carriers continue to offer incentives for customers to exchange their Note 7 units for another phone or get a refund.

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