Dear smart and wise internet friends...
I have a question...
SO there's the "big news" about the Google Phone going on since the weekend.
I'm a huge fan of Android (Google's mobile OS), and I really like my G1.
But the Google Phone was supposed to change the game.
And all the details about it really make me less enthused by the moment.
Because it's just another goddamned cell phone, and it's looking very likely that you still have to punk out to one and only one of the cellco's to get the damn thing to work. Because the data connection is on the network frequency for T-Mobile.
Which brings me to my question, oh hive mind...
Since my cell phone is basically just a two way radio, and it can sure as hell register on other networks for calls (ask me about the roaming charges sometime), someone explain to me why in the blankity-blankity can't you buy a cell phone that will work on any of the data frequencies? I can tune my radio and get all kinds of different stations. And with the right oscillator (tuneable) I could broadcast on any of those frequencies. SO why exactly can't someone make a carrier-agnostic freaking cell phone?
Now - Let me define some terms here lest I get bogged down in comments that don't answer my question - I know the difference between CDMA and GSM, so I know that there will never be a truly agnostic phone because of the packet handling. I also understand perfectly that cell phone companies take a loss on many phones to tie you into a contract whence the revenue stream...which is kind of why I'm asking. Did you know that in the civilized world there is no CDMA? And that you buy handsets and minutes ala carte?
SO there's the "big news" about the Google Phone going on since the weekend.
I'm a huge fan of Android (Google's mobile OS), and I really like my G1.
But the Google Phone was supposed to change the game.
And all the details about it really make me less enthused by the moment.
Because it's just another goddamned cell phone, and it's looking very likely that you still have to punk out to one and only one of the cellco's to get the damn thing to work. Because the data connection is on the network frequency for T-Mobile.
Which brings me to my question, oh hive mind...
Since my cell phone is basically just a two way radio, and it can sure as hell register on other networks for calls (ask me about the roaming charges sometime), someone explain to me why in the blankity-blankity can't you buy a cell phone that will work on any of the data frequencies? I can tune my radio and get all kinds of different stations. And with the right oscillator (tuneable) I could broadcast on any of those frequencies. SO why exactly can't someone make a carrier-agnostic freaking cell phone?
Now - Let me define some terms here lest I get bogged down in comments that don't answer my question - I know the difference between CDMA and GSM, so I know that there will never be a truly agnostic phone because of the packet handling. I also understand perfectly that cell phone companies take a loss on many phones to tie you into a contract whence the revenue stream...which is kind of why I'm asking. Did you know that in the civilized world there is no CDMA? And that you buy handsets and minutes ala carte?