Chris Dunphy

About Chris Dunphy

Chris has been a full-time technomad since 2006, and currently splitting time exploring North America by boat and RV with his partner Cherie. A lifelong geek, he was one of the founding editors of 'boot Magazine' (still going strong as 'Maximum PC'), and before hitting the road full time he was the Director of Competitive Analysis for mobile technology pioneers Palm & PalmSource. Keeping up on mobile technology is a passion for him. Chris is one part of Technomadia (view their personal Mobile Internet Setup) and co-founder/host of the Mobile Internet Resource Center.

CONFIRMED: T-Mobile Eliminating One+ International Plan – The Last Official Unlimited Mobile Hotspot Option!

UPDATE: We have received further confirmation directly from T-Mobile’s Media relations team that the One Plus International add-on is indeed being eliminated, and this is being done to “reduce complexity” based upon customer feedback: The ONE Plus International add-on option will be retired on Friday, Aug 10. Customers who have International will be grandfathered and […]

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DirecTV Now 2.1 Update Fixes HDMI Out – And Now Streams “Data Free” on AT&T

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  • / By: Chris Dunphy
  • / In: News Alerts
    • / Comments: 2

We’ve long recommended using HDMI output from smartphones to allow for big screen streaming using unlimited on device data. This is a clever way to avoid hotspot data usage limits that make using tethered Smart TV devices (Apple TV, Roku, Samsung, Chromecast, etc…) while mobile a recipe for blowing  through your entire monthly hotspot usage […]

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KVH Introduces TracPhone LTE-1 For Improved Offshore Cellular Connectivity

KVH Industries is best known for providing TracVision satellite TV receiver domes for the RV and marine market, as well as for its popular TracPhone global satellite voice and data service that is often found providing connectivity on mega-yachts (with the budgets to match). But now KVH is introducing its first cellular-powered system, for cruisers with […]

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New AT&T Plans Announced: “Unlimited &More” Brings on the Streaming Bundles

UPDATE: The new AT&T plans went live this morning (June 28th) – and we’ve been digging deep into the fine print. A few interesting discoveries: You can only change between the free premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, Pandora, Amazon Music, or VRV) that come with the &More Premium plan once every twelve months. This seems […]

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FCC Repeal Goes Into Effect – Network Neutrality Rules Are Officially Dead

Despite some last minute congressional wrangling to slam on the brakes, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s “Restoring Internet Freedom Order” proposed in December (read our in-depth coverage at the time) went  into effect on Monday. This brings an official end to the FCC’s Network Neutrality rules, which were rolled out in 2015. But what does this […]

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Urgent FBI Warning: Should You Reboot All The Things?

The internet is abuzz this Memorial Day weekend about an urgent warning put out by the FBI encouraging everyone to reboot their routers to help disrupt an ongoing Russian cyber attack. The warning is pretty straightforward: “The FBI recommends any owner of small office and home office routers reboot the devices to temporarily disrupt the […]

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New Satellite Messaging Options: Garmin inReach Mini, Somewear Global, Globalstar Sat-Fi2, & SPOT X

Every technology enabled nomad dreams of being able to be connected from absolutely anywhere (when they want to be). But unfortunately, things get tricky as you travel to places where Wi-Fi hotspots turn cold and even boosted cellular fails to dial in a single bar of service. Satellite broadband gear is the answer for some […]

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AT&T Promises FirstNet Will Help Double LTE Network Speeds Nationwide

In the aftermath of the attack on September 11th, 2001, some began to call for a unified communications infrastructure that would make it easier for first responders of all types to communicate – even across jurisdictional boundaries, and even when public networks might be overloaded or damaged. To this end – in 2012 Congress authorized […]

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Engaged At Last: Sprint & T-Mobile Announce Plans To Merge

The on-again / off-again flirtation between Sprint & T-Mobile that has been a dramatic thread throughout the cellular world for years has reached a major milestone today with a joint video announcement from T-Mobile CEO John Legere and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. They may not be married yet, but the engagement is official. Sprint & […]

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Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS Service Promises Increased Surfing Speed & Privacy

On April Fool’s Day earlier this week, internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare announced a new free public DNS service designed to improve the internet for everybody: “Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet. We’re excited today to take another step toward that mission with the launch of 1.1.1.1 — the Internet’s fastest, privacy-first consumer DNS […]

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New Cellular Boosters from SureCall: Fusion2Go 3.0 & FusionTrek

Cellular booster manufacturer SureCall has been around for a long time (since 2001), and has built up a solid reputation for providing boosting primarily intended for larger commercial buildings. SureCall also produces home and mobile boosters, but the past few SureCall mobile boosters have left us a bit underwhelmed. SureCall’s original line of mobile TriFlex LTE boosters […]

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BREAKING: AT&T Unlimited “Enhanced” Plans Dropping Support For Mobile Hotspots!

UPDATE (March 1st, 2018): Details Confirmed As expected, AT&T updated its website this morning with the new “Unlimited Enhanced” plans – and all the leaked details we reported on earlier this week have indeed come to pass. The major reported downside is indeed real – there are NO MOBILE HOTSPOTS allowed on AT&T’s new “Enhanced” […]

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Now Shipping: Winegard ConnecT 2.0 Roof-Mounted Wi-Fi & Cellular Router

Winegard has a great reputation as the leading provider of both satellite and over-the-air TV antennas designed for RV use. But despite some initial excitement, we ended up being underwhelmed by Winegard’s 2016 entry into the RV internet gear market. The original Winegard ConnecT was expensive, the cellular version was tied to a very limited […]

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SpaceX Launching First Two “Starlink” Broadband Internet Satellites – This Weekend!

UPDATE (March 30th, 2018) – FCC Approval Granted, With A Catch! As expected, the FCC this week approved SpaceX’s request for a license to move forward with it proposed Starlink satellite constellation, granting SpaceX permission to: “Construct, deploy, and operate a proposed non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system comprising 4,425 satellites for the provision of fixed-satellite […]

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Verizon To Begin Locking Phones, Starts Down Slippery Slope

One of our favorite things about Verizon: unlocked phones. Unlike with most other carriers, all Verizon LTE devices are sold unlocked – and without jumping through any hoops you can swap SIM cards to use these devices internationally, or on any other compatible domestic carrier. But according to Verizon – this trait has made Verizon […]

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