The SIM in CDMA,
Good morning Quincy,
<< Aren't you making this more complex than it needs to be? >>
No I am not.
As Sly and his family Stone once sang -- 'different strokes for different folks.' <g>
<< That Motorola A840 or Samsung I830 looks like it would fix your problem if ever you grow tired of taking your phone apart. >>
I eagerly awaited (and waited, and waited) for the way overdue MSM6300 powered Samsung A795 (GSM voice only, overseas only - no data) that in June 2003 Denny Strigl promised for Christamas¹ because I thought it would eliminate my need to maintain both a Verizon sub and a T-Mobile USA sub and I gave it a workout in a Verizon outlet in August 2004 when it first became available under the counter to retail customers. Unfortunately it turned out to be what I considered to be overpriced relative to its feature set, and that has nothing to do with my aversion to clamshells. It had a clumsy UI, no speakerphone, no Bluetooth -- all requisites for me in my primary mobile phone.
¹ Speaking of the transition from 5v SIM to 5v/3v didn't you find the transition from CDMA only QUALCOMM chipsets to CDMA/GSM just a tad disapointing? We are still waiting, and the Koreans are still waiting for QUALCOMM powered DBDM CDMA/UMTS chipsets, and for ROW, make that MBMM rather than DBDM
As for the A840 or Samsung I830 they are both big improvements over the A790, and I assume they run the MSM6500 with an Intel Xscale applications processor -- they may represent good value to some.
They both, however, run an obsolete and weak non-real-time OS, and I'm personally not sure why anyone who wants or needs a smartphone with a HLOS would consider one. Over the course of a phones life (minimum 2 years for me) a power user is probably going to spend as much on applications and accessories as the original investment in the device, MS Windows Mobile 5 is a big improvement over Windows Mobile 2003. I suspect that the Motorola 'Q' will do right well on Verizon and it is a very good value for its price after rebates -- but the 'Q' is not multi-mode. Regardless, if I planned to stick with Verizon I'd buy one despite the fact it does not include AMPS/800, and even though I'll no longer be travelling on business, no AMPS means no Verizon coverage in some places I go, but Cingular may have the same problem for the same reason. To both of their credits they both offer exceptional digital coverage nationally. Verizon has always had the best national coverage and capacity, IMO, and that's why I've used them for so long. Cingular went through both a technology flip and a later consolidation of several networks but they have done one heck of a tough job and they are now on a par with Verizon so far as I can tell based on inputs from associates that travel extensively in the US and use EDGE data services.
Me? I'm embarked on the Symbian OS path (v9.1 ff) using the S60 UI, and I'll accessorize my phones and my wife's starting with Bluetooth car kits around a single manufacturer, when I make the flip from Verizon to Cingular, but at the moment Cingular does not offer the new models I'm interested in. I won't be out of country in the next 4 months or so, so there is no urgency for a flip in that regard. I'm waiting for the WiFi enabled E61 WEDGE model with QWERTY keyboard although I may settle for the E62 or N80 (without QWERTY input).
One downside for me is that Symbian OS v9.1 obsolesces several hundred dollars of Symbian and/or S60 apps I've invested in, and there is not a lot of software that has yet been recompiled for it yet. Microsoft (and QUALCOMM) will of course have to bite the same bullet at some time in the future.
One of the limitations of a SIM enabled multi-mode CDMA phones today is that there are no EDGE or WEDGE enabled models and there won't be next year (requires the MSM7600 fow which I really don't see much of a market) but more serious than that relative to my wants (as opposed to needs) as it relates to the subject of my last post -- the capability to SIM swap between a data oriented smartphone, a sport phone, a prestige phone -- there is simply too limited a selection of CDMA2000 phone models available that are GSM enabled, and there won't be for some time, if ever.
When I 1st talked to a Verizon Business rep he advised they would not SIM unlock the A795 with Vodafone SIM at any point in the contract period. I don't know what there current policy is, or if anyone provides an unlocking service for the phones. In the future, unlike the past when my calls made overseas were reimbursed, I'll be going the prepaid route, and playing the SIM arbitrage game.
Best,
- Eric - |
