T-Mobile launches standalone 5G network ahead of iPhone 12 launch

T-Mobile is readying its network for all of the 5G phones.

What you need to know

• T-Mobile has announced it is launching its standalone 5G network.
• It's native 5G network will cover 7,500 cities and towns in the US.
• The move comes only a few months before Apple launches its 5G iPhone.

T-Mobile has announced that it is launching its nationwide standalone architecture 5G network in the United States beginning today. The move comes only a few months before Apple releases its latest lineup of iPhones, which are expected to feature 5G connectivity.

This is some next level 5G. T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced today it is the FIRST IN THE WORLD to launch a commercial nationwide standalone architecture (SA) 5G network. The move immediately expands the Un-carrier's 5G footprint — already the nation's largest — to nearly 2,000 additional cities and towns, brings 5G deeper into buildings and sets the stage for future groundbreaking applications. In other words, SA 5G is the future, and T-Mobile is leading the charge to bring it to life.

T-Mobile had been leveraging their existing LTE networks to deploy 5G in select areas, but the new 5G architecture will be native, allowing the company to deliver faster service in more areas. Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile, says that Sprint/T-Mobile merger played a large role in their ability to launch the technology.

"Since Sprint became part of T-Mobile, we've been rapidly combining networks for a supercharged Un-carrier while expanding our nationwide 5G footprint, and today we take a massive step into the future with standalone 5G architecture ... This is where it gets interesting, opening the door for massive innovation in this country — and while the other guys continue to play catch up, we'll keep growing the world's most advanced 5G network."

T-Mobile says that, in areas where SA is turned on, engineers have seen a 30% increase in speeds. With today's launch, its new 5G network will be available in 7,500 cities in the United States.

In the near-term, SA allows T-Mobile to unleash its entire 600 MHz footprint for 5G. With non-standalone network architecture (NSA), 600 MHz 5G is combined with mid-band LTE to access the core network, but without SA the 5G signal only goes as far as mid-band LTE. With today's launch, 600 MHz 5G can go beyond the mid-band signal, covering hundreds of square miles from a single tower and going deeper into buildings than before. Thanks to T-Mobile's ongoing 5G build, and by flipping the switch on SA, the Un-carrier has immediately increased its 5G footprint by 30 percent — now covering 1.3 million square miles in more than 7,500 cities and towns across the country.

Check out the video of the announcement below:

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Apple Maps Look Around feature expands to new cities in Japan

Take a tour of your neighborhood, social distance style.

What you need to know

• Apple has expanded its Look Around maps feature to new places in Japan.
• The feature is now available in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya.
• Apple has slowly expanded the feature since its launch last year.

Look Around, the feature in the new Apple Maps similar to Google Street View, is expanding to new locations in Japan.

Reported by MacRumors, the feature has now rolled out to some additional cities in Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya.

The feature was reported as available in the new areas by Ata Distance on Twitter.

"Apple Maps Japan has rolled out Look Around for Tokyo locations in iOS 13 and later."

Apple Maps Japan has rolled out Look Around for Tokyo locations in iOS 13 and later pic.twitter.com/154u89bQLc

— Ata Distance (@Kanjo) August 4, 2020

An additional tweet mentions that Look Around is up and running in Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine.

"Also Apple Maps 2.0 map data is showing up in various locations. Here is Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine."

Also Apple Maps 2.0 map data is showing up in various locations. Here is Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine pic.twitter.com/H4K7FyLdI1

— Ata Distance (@Kanjo) August 4, 2020

Look Around launched in 2019 with iOS 13 in the fall and has been slowly expanding to cities across the globe.

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The 27-inch iMac is the only iMac with aftermarket upgradable RAM

Best answer: You can! The 2020 iMac, like its predecessors of the same size, has an easily-accessible port to allow you to upgrade your RAM for less any time you want.

• Fastest processor yet: 27-inch iMac (From $1799)
• RAM upgrade: OWC 32GB DDR4 Memory kit ($160)

The 27-inch iMac still has a backdoor for RAM

One of the biggest deciding factors for some people have in figuring out whether to buy the 21-inch iMac or the 27-inch iMac is aftermarket upgradable RAM. The 21.5-inch does not allow for post-purchase upgrades without invalidating your warranty.

The 27-inch iMac, on the other hand, is the only iMac that allows for aftermarket upgrades to RAM. That means you can buy additional RAM any time you want, long after you've bought your new iMac, and install it yourself. It's fairly easy to do. We also have a guide that shows you how to replace the RAM in your 27-inch iMac.

Apple-installed RAM can come with a hefty price tag. You may not need more than 8GB of RAM to start but will want to upgrade to more a year from now. You may want a different supported brand of RAM than what Apple puts in the iMac by default. You're good to start with the lowest RAM and upgrade later when you're ready.

I've done this with two 27-inch iMac computers. Each time, I postpone a RAM upgrade until I need it, which gives me time to save up a little extra cash and keeps me from spending money unnecessarily.

The 21.5-inch iMac is still off-limits

Back in 2012, Apple shut off aftermarket RAM upgrades for the 21.5-inch iMac. RAM was relocated under the logic board, so it was no longer accessible without having to take apart the entire iMac.

These days, if you want to attempt a DIY RAM upgrade on the 21.5-inch iMac, you'd need a lot of experience and a special upgrade kit, something like the ones iFixit sells. Of course, doing so will void your warranty, so it may not necessarily be worth the risk.

If you decide to go with the 21.5-inch iMac, I highly suggest configuring it with the most RAM you can afford at the time you purchase it.

Order now

27-inch iMac

From $1,799 at Apple

Apple's 2020 iMac is the fastest it's ever been

If you're ready to upgrade your iMac, now is the time. With a brand new, faster 10th-generation Intel processor and SSD hard drive, your new iMac is running at top speed.

Some RAM options

OWC RAM for Mac

$160 on Amazon

The perfect upgrade for the iMac is 32GB of RAM. Not too much and not too little and OWC is best in its class.

Crucial RAM for Mac

From $27 on Amazon

Upgrade your iMac RAM with the most trusted brand in its class at a price you won't lose sleep over.

Timetec Hynix RAM for Mac

From $59 on Amazon

Timetec's RAM offers the best value for the price. If you want to max out at 32GB, TimeTec offers it at about $30 less than the competition.

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#MeTooSTEM founder admits to creating Twitter persona who “died” of COVID-19

Enlarge / Twitter drama erupted over the weekend when a much-beloved online persona supposedly died of COVID-19 complications—only to be exposed as a fake account/catfishing scheme by controversial neuroscientist and #MeTooSTEM founder BethAnn McLaughlin. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images)

A segment of science Twitter was rocked over the weekend by the discovery that a long-standing, pseudonymous online member had died of COVID-19-related complications. But grief quickly turned to shock, hurt, and anger when the deceased turned out to have never existed. Rather, it was a sock puppet account that we now know was created and maintained by BethAnn McLaughlin, a neuroscientist and founder of the #MeTooSTEM advocacy group whose Twitter handle is @McLNeuro.

"I take full responsibility for my involvement in creating the @Sciencing_Bi Twitter account," McLaughlin said in a statement provided to The New York Times through her lawyer. "My actions are inexcusable. I apologize without reservation to all the people I hurt. As I've reflected on my actions the last few days, it's become clear to me that I need mental health treatment, which I'm pursuing now. My failures are mine alone, so I'm stepping away from all activities with #MeTooSTEM to ensure that it isn't unfairly criticized for my actions."

This certainly isn't the first time a fake persona has manifested on social media. Way back in 2003, controversial American Enterprise Institute scholar John R. Lott Jr.. was outed by The Washington Post for creating a sock-puppet online persona, "Mary Rosh," purportedly a former student, and using it to mount spirited defenses of his work online. In 2017, there was the case of "Jenna Abrams," who boasted 70,000 Twitter followers; the fake persona was so convincing that she managed to spread a viral rumor that CNN's local Boston station had accidentally aired 30 minutes of pornography late one night in November 2016.

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California will test a stretch of highway paved using recycled plastics - Roadshow

The system uses ground-up old asphalt mixed with a polymer binder made from recycled materials, and may be even more durable than traditional processes.

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HEALS vs. CARES vs. Heroes stimulus packages: Key differences between the proposals - CNET

How will the first stimulus package and the next one differ? We sort out which benefits you might actually get this time around.

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Spider-Man to join Marvel's Avengers game, but only on PlayStation - CNET

Sorry, Xbox owners.

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