3G? What about CDMA?

[Ben Burdette]

Steven ** wrote:
> I don't see how GSM is much less "closed" of a network protocol than
> CDMA (the interchangeable SIM cards being the big difference).  The
> GSM chip is the most locked down hardware on the Neo.  A CDMA chip
> would be no different.
>   
Actually the situation here IS very different, because of that 
interchangability.  With a GSM phone, its the SIM that allows you on the 
network.  You can (theoretically at least), go down to the T-Mobile 
store and get their bottom-of-the-line 20$ phone, then take it home and 
put the SIM into your neo, with T-Mobile being none the wiser. 

With CDMA, you will not be able to use your phone on their network 
unless they say ok.  This means I can't use my old CDMA sprint phone on 
my new verizon account.  If I switch back to sprint, my verizon phone 
won't work anymore.  If openmoko was CDMA but sprint and verizon decide 
they don't like the openness of the openmoko phones, you're SOL.  GSM 
gives the users choice as to what phone they want to run, and takes that 
choice away from the carrier.

> As far as the aims of the Openmoko project, I don't see how CDMA
> conflicts with that.  I thought one of the aims of Openmoko was to
> show people the benefits of opensource, mobile computing.  It seems
> odd to give people choices over everything but the service provider.
>   
You can choose any service provider you want - as long as they are on 
GSM.