AT&T Launches 5G Friday; VW EV-300 Mile Range; Tech Still City-Centric; Massive List of Netflix Secret Categories

AT&T will roll out 5G service in a dozen US cities Friday, becoming the first carrier to get the new higher speed cell service up and running. According to axios.com, there’s a catch (of course.) The service will only be available by mobile hotspot…with 5G capable phones not due out until next year. The blindingly fast service will initially be available in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Houston; Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla.; Louisville, Ky.; Oklahoma City; New Orleans; Raleigh, N.C.; San Antonio; and Waco, Texas. In the first half of 2020, AT&T said it plans to add service in parts of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. The hot spot isn’t cheap…$499 with data service running $70 a month for 15 Gigs of data.

With the present US Administration looking at relaxing regulations to help out the oil and coal industries moving to make gas vehicles cheaper, the car makers can see the writing on the wall, and all are going full throttle toward electric vehicles. Engadget.com reports that VW’s I.D. EV will give you 300 miles of range on a charge, and will sell for the price of a modern Golf diesel, which ranges between $24,000 and $32,000. The ID will be unveiled next year, and be out by 2020. VW says they will have a Tesla-like ordering system, where you can ‘build’ your car online, and get it spec’ed out like you want it, within the parameters of offered options.

With both Amazon and Google announcing big expansions into the New York City area and near Washington, D.C., and Apple announcing a new facility that will make them the largest employer in Austin, TX, a new study is out showing…surprise…tech continues to be even more concentrated in major cities. Geekwire.com says a study by the Brookings Institution shows that the top 10 cities producing the biggest share of digital services account for 44.3% of ALL tech jobs. Nearly half the new tech jobs between 2015 and 2017 were in the top 10 cities…and just FIVE cities captured 34% of all new digital services job growth: San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. At least when it comes to jobs, the digital divide between urban and rural areas is continuing to widen, and shows no amount of slowing.

So, you REALLY want to Netflix and chill. How about an absurdly long list of secret categories spanning Action and Adventure to Zombies…and some really random stuff in-between…like Dramas Starring James Earl Jones or Campy Independent Action and Adventure. Here’s the link…and be patient for loading, it really is hundreds of categories! https://bgr.com/2018/12/18/best-netflix-series-top-10-secret-categories/