What is 5G?

It depends.

Briefly, there are actually 3 bands being used with 5G technology.

The 5G low band (600-700MHz) can cover hundreds of square miles with service that ranges from 30 to 250 megabits per second (Mbps) in speeds. That frequency also readily penetrates buildings; think old analog TV signals.

The 5G mid band (2.5/3.5GHz) can cover a several-mile radius that currently ranges from 100 to 900Mbps. That frequency is close to Wi-Fi so think about what Wi-Fi can penetrate, e.g. interior walls and brick but not so much concrete.

Finally the 5G high band (millimeter wave/24-39GHz) works within a one-mile or lower radius to deliver roughly 1-3 gigabits per second (Gbps) speeds. That frequency won't penetrate your hand! This is pretty much only useful in arena type scenarios, e.g. football games.

So the speeds of the low and mid band signals are Ok (250Mbps) to nice (900Mbps) but the real high speed band is very limited in penetration. Think too that to get 900Mbps to even one device will require a gigabit backhaul.

Oh, and not all "5G" phones (don't get me started on AT&T's "5Ge") have radios in all three bands.

Double oh, not all "5G" carriers use all three bands.

Don't rush into 5G mobile phones.

Lenovo Tab M8 FHD

That's one of the worst product names I've come across.

You'll remember that I wasn't thrilled with the Amazon Fire HD 8.

[It] would be tolerable if it was blazingly fast but it's not. 

It only has 1.5 GB of RAM so apps are constantly restarting. The launcher "fix" works by letting the Amazon launcher run then running the alternate launcher so you get a noticeable flash every time you press the Home button. 

I'm just not sure.

So I came across the Lenovo Tab M8 FHD for $120 and went for it. There are several variants. In addition to the FHD there's an HD model with lower resolution.

It's pretty much everything that the Amazon Fire HD 8 isn't.

LAUNCH	Announced	2019, September
	Status	Available. Released 2019, October
BODY	Dimensions	7.84 x 4.80 x 0.32 in
	Build	Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame
DISPLAY	Type	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	8.0 inches (~76.5% screen-to-body ratio)
	Resolution	1080 x 2160 pixels, 16:10 ratio (~189 ppi density)
PLATFORM	OS	Android 9.0 (Pie)
	Chipset	Mediatek MT6761 Helio A22 (12 nm)
	CPU	Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
	GPU	PowerVR GE8320
MEMORY	Card slot	microSDXC (dedicated slot)
	Internal	32GB 3GB RAM
		eMMC 5.1
MAIN CAMERA	Single	13 MP, AF
	Features	LED flash
	Video	1080p
SELFIE CAMERA	Single	5 MP
	Video	1080p
SOUND	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes
COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
	Bluetooth	5.0, A2DP, LE
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
	Radio	FM radio
	USB	microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
FEATURES	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery
MISC	Colors	Iron Grey, Platinum Grey

I don't think it will be getting regular security updates nor Android 10.

Still good enough for a bedside table.

Windows as a Service

Oh, you didn't know that Windows was a service? Just keep reading.

Windows users have been complaining about a problem with the search box for months. There was even an out of band cumulative update (archive.is) offered for it in January 2020. I thought that this was the search box in Windows Explorer but it's not.

The search box in question is the one that shows up on the taskbar. That's one of the first things that I disable on a Windows 10 installation.

So I turned it back on and looked to see what build I had.

Since I'm not using it I wasn't familiar with the various build numbers.

The point here is that Microsoft is capable and is, in fact, updating the build of Windows Search over the Internet WITHOUT notification nor interaction. Read this Computerworld article (archive.is) about the details. And there's more here (archive.is) with examples of dynamic changes.

Folks, that's called "Windows as a Service."

What else is Microsoft updating silently?

That's not what I signed up for.

Acer Spin 1

I'm a sucker for bargains.

I've got several laptops and several tablets but I haven't really ever had a TOUCH laptop.

When this Acer Spin 1 came up for $149, I just couldn't resist it.

It has:

• Processor: Intel® Pentium® Silver N5000 Quad-Core (Up to 2.7GHz)
• Display: 11.6" HD (1366 x 768) Widescreen LED-backlit Multi-Touch
• 4GB LPDDR4 Onboard Memory
• Hard Drive: 64GB eMMC
• Audio: Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Built-In Digital Microphone
• Ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI® 2.0 port with HDCP support, 1 x 3.5mm combo jack (headphone/speaker), 1 x DC-in jack for AC adapter
• Webcam: Webcam (640 x 480)
• Wireless: Intel Wireless-AC 9560 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi which can deliver up to 1.73Gbps throughput when using 160Mhz channels (Dual-Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• Up to 10 Hours Battery Life
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Dimensions: 11.46" (W) x 7.95" (D) x 0.67" (H)
• Weight: 2.76 lbs
• Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 605 supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 12

I upgraded to Windows 10 Pro and installed Microsoft Office 2016 Pro.

I wish it had a fingerprint reader. I wish it used USB C charging.

But for $149!