Rev –
Yo Rev – You've gotten finally to what for me is square one of any phone, smart or not. The SIM card. Any phone I carry must have the ability to change its SIM card, so that I can use the network where I go. In the US, I have a contract with T-Mobil, but when traveling, I can purchase a local SIM card, my familiar phone continues operating. Thus, I was mobil in Australia, Poland, Hungary, Germany and the Czech Republic this year, using inexpensive SIM cards dedicated to networks in those countries. The iPhone's essential flaw is this inability, and Google has taken note. Those Apple profits are not assured indefinitely. Sure, 800,000 apps are cool, but how many of those are essential? 10? 50? Doesn't this remind of the speed wars of just yesterday: my processor can run rings around yours. How important is that now? Actual calls, vs text messaging? Real or virtual keyboard? Mattered a lot when we weren't used to them, now not an issue, save for crackberry addicts, and how long will they hold out? The reason we have this US network testosterone contest is that each of our companies has had to build out costly systems. They recoup their investments with onerous contracts reminiscent of 18th century indentured servitude. Were all that investment put into one bucket, a GSM network, think of the flexibility and reliability we all would have. And how many fewer handsets would be dumped each year into landfills, along with their precious minerals, available to manufacturers from vanishingly limited suppliers. Where there are GSM builds in Europe, used phones are a robust market, one can use a 10-yr-old Nokia with the same clarity as today's rocket model. Rev, you could buy an ancient phone to use in Canada, instead of a new one for the limited purpose of making calls there; and would not have to incur roaming charges. Get the point? CDMA is the Pong of today, outdated. If I recall correctly, even Verizon is exploring GSM. PS, this is why I use Macs: they last longer, at least at my hand. I therefore slow the rate at which I dump electronic parts into the environment. OK: I also find them simpler to use. --- On Tue, 12/15/09, Rev. Stewart Marshall <[email protected]> wrote: From: Rev. Stewart Marshall <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [CGUYS] Consternation over Computer Constipation (including Mac's) - help! To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 8:43 AM This is what is being rumored at this point. Stewart At 12:16 AM 12/15/2009, you wrote: > Is it possible that we could just buy this phone from Google online, switch > the SIM chip from our current carrier and cellular plan into it and off we go. > Since I have no contract in force ... it expired ... that would mean I would > never need another contract ... unless I was to change carriers etc. > > Could this be the first break in the US cellular monopoly and eventually lead > us to a cellular situation as in a lot of the rest of the world, where you > buy a phone and a chip and off you go... buying more minutes as necessary? > > db Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:[email protected] Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org Ozark, AL SL 82 ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
