It's about time that someone wrote about the glaring differences between the recently released flagship HTC One and the previously released HTC One X.

I don't quite understand why HTC would develop two devices so similar yet so different. One is CLEARLY the superior overall device, in my opinion.

One of these smartphones I fell in love with immediately. The other one rubbed me the wrong way the minute I took it out of the box.

So which of these two HTC juggernauts is the one that captured my heart? I don't think you would guess right if I didn't tell you...

It was the One X!

As far as technical specificcations, the phones are not very far apart. Of course the HTC One has a bit more under the hood than the One X, because it is the newer phone. But not by much. The only spec that the One soars over the One X with would be screen resolution. But everything else is a close match.

That said, the reason that I love the One X is the form factor. This is a smooth, sleek, thin phone that feels incredible in the palm of your hands. It was most wonderfully crafted, with no hard edges and a screen that flows into the rounded sides like a work of art. It is also fairly light in weight compared to older HTC smartphones.

But the HTC One is a monstrously heavy device with some rather annoying design elements. First of all, it has sharp edges that do not feel comfortable in the hand. Plus it has a rounded back. Try to touch type on this thing while it's sitting on a flat surface, and you will be playing a game of see-saw with the device. Very annoying.

The most frustrating thing about the HTC One for me was the way they designed the power button and the volume buttons to be flush with the edge of the device. You have to visually search for the buttons to activate them. There's no raised dot, or any portrusion that allowsyou to "feel" your way to properly depressing the buttons. Humongous annoyance.

I have no earthly idea what HTC was thinking when they finalized the form factor of the One. I also don't understand what it is with the people who are giving this device rave reviews for its design aesthetics. I guess it's all preference.

But one thing is solidly clear to me... the One X is a fantastic phone that I would gladly purchase with slightly lower specifications over the HTC One, all due to the form factor and design materials.

What is your opinion of these two devices? Do you agree with me on my opinion about the HTC One X? Or do you believe the HTC One is the clear winner with its new design? Sound off in the Disqus comments section!

Carlton Flowers
King of Gadget Demagoguery

GET YOUR HANDS ON THE HTC ONE & HTC ONE X AT THE LOWEST PRICES!

Check out the Amazon Wireless store where you can get the HTC One and HTC One X as low as $79.99 with a 2-year contract! Click the link or pictures below to jump to Amazon.com and get your hands on your favorite HTC smartphone today!

HTC One VX 4G Android smartphone AT&T from $0.01 with 2-year contract or $499.99 without contract!

HTC One Glacial Silver Android smartphone AT&T from $129.99 with 2-year contract or $649.99 without contract!

HTC One X White Android smartphone AT&T - click the image to check on current pricing from Amazon Wireless!

You read my bipolar initial review of the HTC One (AT&T) where I covered a variety of items. But today's continuing review will only focus on one thing: text reflow

The new flagship HTC device gives us something that I consider significant that you don't get on the iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S3, and that is the ability to reflow text when zooming in on articles.

The lack of text reflow on the iPhone 4 was the final straw that broke the camel's back, motivating me to make the switch to Android. But after buying my Samgung Galaxy S2, I discovered that not all Android devices come with text reflow in the stock browser.

Personally, I can't figure out why any smartphone manufacturer would not have this feature programmed into their phones. It makes for a maddening, frustrating experience when using your mobile device to read a lot of content on blogs and news sites (which I constantly do) but you have to pan sideways to read sentences that fly off the right side of the screen.

To my surprise, the HTC One does have text reflow built in to the native Android browser. This is a HUGE plus for geeky blog readers like myself who like to zoom in making the text bigger, but reflowing and cascading the text vertically downward thus allowing you to only scroll vertically to read an entire article.

If you are a big fan of HTC hardware AND you are an avid reader who prefers using a smartphone to consume content on the web, the HTC One will get the job done for you with its crisp, brilliant display and text reflow capability.

Special thanks to AT&T St. Louis for the test device!

Carlton Flowers
Text Reflow Revolutionary

GET THE HTC ONE RIGHT NOW AT AMAZON WIRELESS! AS LOW AS $129!

For the best prices on smartphones with contract agreements, head on over the Amazon Wireless and pick up an HTC One from your carrier of choice as low as $129 with a 2-year agreement and help to support the CarltonZone Blog!

This will be a two-part review. It won't be like anything you've ever read before in a review. First off, I'm going to tell you exactly what my reaction was to opening and handling an HTC One (AT&T) Android smartphone right of the box. I won't hold back.

Next, I'll tell you what I expect others to think of the things I mentioned in my initial review, and who I believe would be best matched for this HTC flagship smartphone. So buckle your seatbelts, and get ready for my raw, unedited review and most honest straight-forward comments!

UNBOXING THE HTC ONE - FIRST THOUGHTS

The minute I pulled the HTC One out of the box, the first thought that popped into my mind was "this is heavy, thick, and bulky". I already knew it was going to take a lot of positives to get over the first bad impression.

The feeling of the device in my hands was not comfortable. I didn't like the sharp edges formed by the metal (or metal-like) back. It's definitely not the form factor of the One X that I thoroughly enjoyed. It almost reminded me of "retro electronics" devices. Just a bit too industrial for my taste.

After failing my initial hand grip test, I went to search for the power button. This was a solid "strike two". The button is flush with the top of the device, and not exactly easy to depress. I am so used to the portruding iPhone power button and the portruding side-mounted power button on my Samsung Galaxy S II that I wasn't really ready for this big of a switch.

The next awkward moment was figuring out how to unlock the screen. Again, after years of the "swipe to unlock" that is plain and simple enough for even someone with a lobotomy to understand, this was not easy. I don't quite like the unlock action on the Galaxy S2, but that has been improved with eh S3 and S4. But the HTC unlock, being a vertical pull, was odd.

Once in to the operating system, I was lost. Strike 3. Maybe this isn't the fault of HTC. It's probably due to my iPhone and Samsung experience. The HTC Sense operating system is different enough that I can't get manuevering around in it right off. It isn't intuitive. I had a hard enough time finding the "settings" pane. But I was totally confused with the HTC symbol sitting in the middle of the bottom of the screen where a home button should be. That's a total fail.

With only two navigational buttons, I still haven't found a way to get around with ease. I also haven't gotten used to the vertically-listed apps. I guess that's just something HTC does. And the five buttons in the home row is enough to give me a headache too. This again is due to my Apple and Samsung brainwashing.

I'm out of strikes, but strike 4 would definitely be the volume button. This is the most least desirable feature of the phone thus far. The volume rocker is flush with the side of the device. It's pretty, with its brushed metal look, but it doesn't work well. I found myself constantly smooshing the bottom edge of the case, and not hitting on the volume buttons. It is so smooth and flush with the case that you almost have to look at the phone to properly depress the up and down buttons. That's a solid fail.

The display on the HTC One is brilliant, crisp, and very high-def looking. But it doesn't go to the edges of the device like the Galaxy S4. Plus it's a couple tenths of an inch smaller. Maybe it's just in my head, but it is noticeable.

The one shining feature that I noticed within the first 10 minutes of using the device were the speakers that bear the "Beats by Dr. Dre" branding. They have incredible range, and carry such thick bass that I am in awe of how they physically made this possible.

But overall, my out-of-the-box thoughts after setting up the phone and giving it a whirl were really negative. This phone is definitely not for me. It's clunky, heavy, boxy, has hard edges, doesn't feel good in my hands, and is tough to navigate. I wouldn't even consider this smartphone versus the Galaxy S4. I'm a bit disappointed after enjoying the HTC One X as much as I did.

That said, let's move to part 2... the stuff that would make people want to purchase this phone above all the competitors!

HTC ONE - THE POSITIVES THAT VIRTUALLY GUARANTEE ITS SUCCESS

Here's another point of view that you won't believe could be coming from me, after reading the previous portion of this crazy review. But at the risk of sounding crazy, I'm gonna flip the record over and give you the "other side of the story".

The type of person who is going to totally appreciate this phone would be those who require a high build quality in their smartphones. The HTC One is the most solidly-built phone the company has broken out of the mold to date. I would say that it is on the level of an iPhone with a metal backplate.

Not only is the phone built like a solid jeweler's piece, it is just as beautiful. The combination of brushed metal, polished metal, shiny white polycarbonate, thick solid-feeling front glass, and crisp edges in its form factor make it a work of art. There's no doubts about quality when you first lay your eyes on the HTC One.

With the incorporation of Dr. Dre's "Beats Audio" in the front-facing speakers with this device, nothing will come close to the audio quality when playing music without the aid of headphones. They have worked a miracle in reporducing rich, robust sound for maximizing music enjoyment.

As for the form factor and the buttons, aesthetics were definitely kept as a high priority with the HTC One as nearly nothing portrudes from the edge lines of the device. If you run your hands around the edges of the phone, you hardly feel the volume buttons, power button, headphone jack, or micro USB jack. It is very elegantly laid out.

It goes without saying that the screen is aboslutely breathtaking with the vibrance and color reporduction that HTC has built in to their latest HD technology. There will be absolutely no complaints for this device's ability to show off multimedia content.

But the biggest advantage to the HTC One as it relates to the display is the soft keyboard. The only device that even comes close to what HTC has done when it comes to ease of typing is the Nokia Lumia 920. But HTC has perfected the ease and accuracy of the soft keyboard on its device.

And unlike any other manufacturer or device, the HTC One gives a "click" sound when your finger releases from the screen (after selecting something) that almost makes you feel as if there was a super thin button membrane popping back out. Totally amazing!

The spacing of the letters on the keyboard layout are just about perfect, and the haptics gives the most comfortable balanced feeling for feedback that isn't "too much" or "too little". It's hard to describe it, but the designers definitely kept the tradition of HTC's superior soft keyboard feel.

So... overall, for people who are current HTC fans, and for those that are iPhone users switching to Android, this will be a solidly satisfying device that should make record sales for HTC. If this device has caught your eye and has done well with a test drive in your hands, you really can't go wrong.

And that my friend is the long and short of it. If I have sparked your brain into the urge of sharing an opinion, please sound off in the Disqus comments section and let me know what YOU think of the HTC One! Or anything else you'd like to yap about!

Big thanks to AT&T (the only real carrier) St. Louis for the opportunity to test and review this great device! More details to come, and a full report at the end of my test period.

Carlton Flowers
Sublime Geek Tester

GET THE HTC ONE RIGHT NOW AT AMAZON WIRELESS! AS LOW AS $129!

For the best prices on smartphones with contract agreements, head on over the Amazon Wireless and pick up an HTC One from your carrier of choice as low as $129 with a 2-year agreement and help to support the CarltonZone Blog!

I'm up for an upgrade! I couldn't be more excited to replace my current Samsung Gaalxy S II that just can't keep up with Android 4.0.4 and all of the pressure I put on it to multitask and make my life more simple. My choice for an upgrade? I'm sticking with the team and getting a Samsung Galaxy S IV.

There are several reasons why I have chosen the Galaxy S IV to serve as my secondary external brain and memory unit. I would assimilate if I could, but this is the next best thing. But the biggest reasons? Big brilliant display, touchless gesture control, removable battery, light weight, and durable construction.

Sure, the Galaxy S IV has a laundry list of other things that motivate me to get my hands on one, like the 1.9GHz quadcore processor, 2Gb of RAM, 13 Mp camera, super thin and lightweight form factor, and more.

I could bore you all with those details, but I won't. The main point is, it's the most technologically advanced smartphone on the market and comes from a trusted manufacturer that has experienced a ton of success.

Where will I pick up my Samsung Galaxy S IV, you ask? I'll be getting mine on Amazon.com for the lowest offering of any retailer. Right now, they are selling the AT&T version for only $168 with a 2-year contract for all eligible upgrades and new accounts. You can't beat that with a stick.

That actually leads me to my next revelation (that was already revealed), which is my carrier of choice: AT&T. We've got 4G LTE coverage in Central Missouri now, so I will have super fast download and upload speeds on a network that I have had no problems with whatsoever.

You can get your Samsung Galaxy S IV right here on Amazon.com and help to support the Carlton Zone blog site while at the same time, getting it for the best price available. Amazon is one of the most trusted suppliers in the nation, and they will ship the smartphone right to your doorstep. Nothing could be more simple than that!

Carlton Flowers
Galaxy Gadgetologist

GET IT NOW! GALAXY S IV ON AMAZON AT LOWEST PRICING

Grab your Samsung Galaxy S IV right now at Amazon Wireless for the best pricing possible on all major carriers when you sign a valid 2-year agreement! Click the link to jump to Amazon and join the Samsung revolution!

A recent survey from AT&T exposes a shocking new trend. Texting-while-driving among adult commuters has now surprassed the teenage class.

This is something I would never have predicted to happen, but it makes perfectly good sense when you think about the circumstances that motivate the behavior.

Before we talk about the reasons why I believe this trend exists in the first place, let's look at some of the facts that AT&T uncovered in their research:

• Nearly half of commuters (49%) admitted to texting while driving, a higher rate than reported by teens (43%)
• They are doing so more than they used to. Six in 10 commuters said they never texted while driving three years ago.
• Texting while driving despite knowing the risks. 98% said sending a text or email while driving isn’t safe.
• For many, it has become a habit. More than 40% of those who admitted to texting while driving called it a habit.

The reasoning smacks right in the face of logic. We as adults know better, but our actions are exactly opposite of our common sense. Is there a reason for this trend? Can we get to the root of the issue? And if so, what is the key to reversing this dangerous behavio?

First and foremost, we've all got to start with an admission of guilt. I for one am guilty of texting while driving, and I'm personally working on putting it to a stop altogether. I have backslidden several times, and have become frustrated and disappointed with myself after experiencing near-miss accidents here and therel.

I used to justify the action by thining it was okay for experienced drivers, because the law in Missouri says it is illegal for "novice drivers" (under the age fo 21) to text and drive. It's too bad the law doesn't cover the dense-headed adults like me, so my behavior continued and caused me to have a few potential mishaps.

After chastizing myself with a "what is wrong with you, stupid??? Why do you keep taking chances like this?", I would swear off texting and driving only to start up the behavior again, causing me instances of running over a rumble strip or brushing up against a curb.

The reason that I have not been able to make a once-and-for-all behavioral change is because I have not uncovered the root of the problem. Once I address the root of the problem, a permanent behavioral change can take place.

I firmly believe that I have identified root of the problem why so many commuters admit to texting-while-driving: we are far too busy, stressed out, behind on our schedules, and trying to do two things at once to catch up.

This is what motivates us to fill in the dead time while commuting by answering emails, sending text messages, and trying to "catch up" on these minor things before we arrive at our destination to deal with the stress of work.

The behavioral change that need to take place to prevent a possible fatal or injury accident from fooling with our smartphones is to look at the commuting time as a time to relax, decompress, and take relief from the stress of the day. Too many of us consider commuting as valuable captive time to "catch up" on things since we have no other distractions. But that can change.

Instead of looking at commuting time as "catch up" time for communicating, we need to implement new activities to pass the time while we are stuck in the car. It doesn't even matter how long or short of a commute you have. I only commute for 15 minutes one way each day, and I still use it as a "catch up" time to fool with my phone.

Here are a few ideas that you can use to change the bad habit of being on your smartphone while driving in the car, once and for all. Do this for two weeks straight, and a new habit will be formed. This will lesson the chance for backsliding. Fill that time with something definite, and it will stick. Here are the ideas for spending that "dead tim" in your car:

• Use commuting time to decompress, de-stress, and relax by listening to soft music, meditiation tracks, a sermon, or self-help CD. View it as your daily scheduled therapeutic session.
• Turn commuting time into your personal learning time. Get a book-on-CD series and learn about a topic that is important to you, or learn a new language. View your car time as your personal classroom time. Turn off your phone just as you would in a normal classroom.
• Listen to National Public Radio each and every morning. Get caught up on events around the world, and enjoy all of the interesting cultural stories. Instead of turning on the news at home, save your commute for listening to the news.
• Turn off EVERYTHING, radio included, and have a 15-minute "time of peace" each day so you can reflect on what you want to accomplish for the day. Use it as a time to clear your mind of clutter and worries, and just enjoy the peace and quiet. You will look forward to this time every day if you try it out.

The bottom line is, you have to create a new habit. Do something for two weeks straight, and you will have a much better chance of eliminating your need to text and drive. Instead of making a pledge to change your behavior every time you scare yourself into a bowel movement, try creating a new habit that has meaning.

Are you truly serious about making a new habit? Do you really want to avoid a potentially hazardous situation from happening when you backslide? Then put the icing on the cake by joining me in making one more change during your two-week habit forming time:

VOW TO PUT YOUR CELL PHONE IN THE TRUNK ON THE WAY TO WORK!

I am going to comit to doing this for a two week period. It's what I need to make sure that my change of habit is permanent. For all of you who know you need to make a change, I challenge you to join me in putting your smartphone junk in your trunk for two weeks in order to insure that your new habit is set in stone.

Place a comment in the Disqus comments section with your personal attestation that you will preserve and protect your two-week habit-forming initiation by putting your phone in the trunk during your commute. Let's see how many people will join.

Spread the word and save a life! Send this article to friends and family that you care about, and ask them to join in.

Big thanks to AT&T St. Louis Senior Public Relations Manager Katie Nagus for bringing this to my attention and encouraging me to spread the word!

Carlton Flowers
Technology-In-Trunk Advocate

For more information and to take the pledge for no texting-while-driving, head on over to the AT&T "It Can Wait" page by clicking the link or the picture below!

Trying to clear up the clutter of your life and become more efficient in your daily tasks? You can "MOP" up your daily routine with some of these valuable resources... all online, all free!

Taken from my presentation to the Missouri State Capital chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals, this is a collection of my most used online resources to make my work life run more efficiently. And hey, this might be a super silly/corny acronym, but I came up with this on the spur of the moment and it made me chuckle. So it stuck!

Download the PDF by clicking on the link below or the picture, or right click and "save as" to a location on your hard drive. Then get to mopping.

Do you have a favorite website that you use often? We would love to hear about it! Share it in the Disqus comments section below!

Carlton Flowers
Exhalted WebGeek Pontiff

"Maximum Online Productivity" PDF download

Today we're going to take a look at the top two Android smartphones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy S IV and the HTC One. This is a close call, but I have a clear recommendation!

Many people have asked my opinion on which one of these smartphones to pick up in May of 2013. You can't go wrong with either one of these super handsets, but I'll point out a few differences and tell you why my choice edges out its chief competitor.

CPU

First, let's look at the processor. The Samsung takes a slight edge in this category with a faster core speed for the quad core processor. The average user won't notice much of a difference, so this isn't a deciding factor. If speed is critical, Samsung takes the checkered flag. For CPU speeds, they are as follows:

• Galaxy S IV CPU - 1.9GHz quad core
• HTC One - 1.7GHz  quad core

DISPLAY

Next, let's take a look at the displays. The Galaxy S IV has a slightly larger display than the HTC One, but they are both very vivid and boast brilliant color reproduction. As the current trend with Android smartphones, bigger is better, and both are excellent choices for watching multimedia content. Here are the specs on each display:

• Galaxy S IV - 5" 1920 x 1080 HD display
• HTC One - 4.7" 1920 x 1080 HD display

CAMERAS

The cameras on both of these units are outstanding. One has a much higher megapixel camera, but don't let that fool you. The HTC One may only have 1/4th of the megapixel rating as the Galaxy S IV, but it takes pictures that are just as vivid and brilliant. I have heard reports that the Galaxy S IV camera is incredibly fast, however. I'm not sure what the thinking behind such a small rear camera on the HTC One, but I don't think it will dissapoint. The only advantage here is that the Galaxy S IV can capture images with both cameras at the same time for an interesting effect. Both have great front-facing cameras. The specs are as follows:

• Galaxy S IV - 13Mp rear camera, 2.0Mp front facing camera
• HTC One - 4Mp rear camera, 2.1Mp front facing camera

FORM FACTOR

The Galaxy S IV is a smaller, thinner, lighter handset than the HTC One. But some people prefer the heavier, more solid build of the HTC One. Others prefer the lighter composite plastic build of the Galaxy S IV. For clumsy people like me, I would rather drop a Galaxy S IV. I don't think the HTC One will survive a similar drop to a hard surface, but it is still built in a way that it won't be nearly as fragile as an iPhone. Here are the specs on size & weight:

• Galaxy S IV - 8mm thick, 130 grams
• HTC One - 9mm thick, 143 grams

BATTERY

This is a category where the Galaxy S IV is the clear winner. This aspect alone gives me reason to pick the Samsung product. The batteries on both are very capable, but the Galaxy S IV packs a bit more juice. But the deal breaker for me is that the HTC One does not have a removable battery. I love the option of having the capability of popping in a spare battery with the Galaxy S IV. Here's the battery comparison:

• Galaxy S IV - 2,600 mA·h, removable
  
• HTC One - 2,300 mA·h, non-removable

OTHER SIMILAR FEATURES

Both of these incredible smartphones come with 32Gb of internal memory plus 2Gb of RAM. Both units are built to run on the 4G LTE networks of all major carriers that have coverage. Android Jellybean operating system is the standard for both, and each comes with its own version of a UI overlay. As of recent, HTC has added similar features that allow eye scrolling and smart pause for watchin videos. So there's no clear winner with any of these general categories.

One comment I have heard from Leo Laporte was that the HTC One has a slightly less durable front glass. He reported that he scratched the display while testing the HTC One, and really wasn't being haphazard with handling the unit. A screen protector could help to avoid this, but if you are one who doesn't like to mask your screen, this could be an issue.

What it boils down to is personal preference. If you are the type of person who conserves the juice in your phone, you'll do fine either way. For heavy users as myself, the lack of a removable battery will be a significant issue.

I prefer the lighter, thinner design of the Samsung Galaxy S IV because I am accident prone. Others might like the stronger, "heavier" build that gives the impression of better quality. But the heavier they come, the harder they fall. Add to that the issue with the battery removal, and I give the slight edge to the Samsung Galaxy S IV.

But again, you can't go wrong with either of these smartphones. The HTC One is still a beautiful, well-built phone with several superior capabilities than most other Android phones. So I give them both a green light. You'll just see me packing a Galaxy S IV with two spare batteries if you catch me out on the streets.

What is your opinion of these smartphones? If you are due for an upgrade, or if you've just bought one of the two of these smartphones, I'd love to hear why you chose one over the other. Share your thoughts in the Disqus comments section!

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Lover Supreme

GO SHOPPING NOW FOR THE BEST PRICING ON SMARTPHONES AT AMAZON!

Hit the link above to check out the Samsung Galaxy S IV and the HTC One on all major carriers in the Amazon Wireless Store! You'll get the best pricing on both of these units with a new 2-year contract with super fast shipping

Okay folks, the topic of today's SoundCloud podcast is the following question: "Which is easier to use? Android or iOS?"

This question has come up from time to time, and the answer used to be a resounding iOS. But that's not necessarily true anymore.

"Tune in" to the podcast and hear my reasons why this discussion is a moot topic. You might be surprised to hear what I have to say about this.

I'm an Android fan who has 2 Apple iOS devices on the side. What do you carry in your pocket? Which operating system appeals to you, and why?

Sound off in the comments section and let the world know!

Carlton Flowers
Geek Podcaster Supreme

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone, you might have been one of many people who got "soft-bricked" by the latest Android update to version 4.0.4 this month. I was one of them.

Listen to the audio and I will tell you about how I originally thought I damaged the phone, what my phone did when it got stuck into a "boot loop", and what I had to do to save it. You'll also hear about the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of certain things on my phone after I erased it.

As a nice bonus, you'll hear my opinion about the life of Samsung smartphones and how they conflict with the carrier's contracts. Enjoy the podcast, and share your thoughts in the Disqus comments section!

Carlton Flowers
Podcaster Supreme

I'm enjoying surfing the net on my home computer at speeds upwards of 28Mb/s. It's fantastic. I never thought I'd be enjoying such high speeds.

To my surprise, the Mediacom company is offering 2 packages that are even faster that what I currently have: a 50Mb/s Ultra, and 105Mb/s Ultra Plus.

That's insanely fast, as far as I'm concerned. Just a few years ago, the techie prognostocators said we'd never see Internet speeds of even 50Mb/s like Europe, because the US is too spread out and we don't have a majority dense tightly packed city population like they do with a great copper wire network.

But as awesome as it sounds to surf at 105Mb/s on your home computer with Mediacom, they might be obsolete within a couple of years. Chances are, they are topped out on how far they can go with increases in speed packages.

To get the Ultra Plus 105Mb/s package, Mediacom had to do a lot of hardware upgrades to their network. They worked hard on updating modems, switches, and the fiber optic lines. But they also had to find a source of available bandwidth to run the data.

From what I know, I believe this came from decomissioning 2 different sets of available bandwidth from their analog television channel offerings. They had to trade out the use of those frequencies, and add them to the existing 2 frequency ranges that they were already using in order to create the 105Mb/s package. Each range has a capability of pumping out roughly 25Mb/s of data.

Long story short, it looks like they are topped out. All the while, the big mobile network providers are rolling out LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G service across the nation, with no wires, providing download speeds as high as 54Mb/s. Which do you think has the most capability for expansion? The topped-out big fat wire from the cable service provider, or the wireless LTE network?

Things will get interesting once we see the full rollout of LTE service right here in my home town. Once AT&T (my provider) tweaks the system and can reproduce the super high speeds that we already have in St. Louis and Kansas City, I might run out of reasons for keeping my cable modem.

The only stumbling block will be data charges. Can a mobile service provider dole out enough data for download at a reasonable price that can compete with the cable company? Right now, the answer is no.

Even at the lowest level for Mediacom, called "Launch", you get 150Gb of total data to download for your 3Mb/s service. Each package increases the amount you can download for the month, ending at 999Gb with Ultra Plus.

As we know, the cell service providers like capping us greedy data downloaders off at 250mb, 3Gb, and 5Gb. That pales in comparison. This could be the saving grace for Mediacom's high speed cable internet service... for now.

Carlton Flowers
Data Hog