[mythtv-users] Mobile Video Player Recommendations (MPEG4)

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Fri Jan 26 16:58:23 UTC 2007


On Jan 26, 2007, at 9:43 AM, Dylan Semler wrote:
>
> Any mobile phone has to operate on somebody's network, and the
> problem with a lot of the fancy units (like the iPhone) is that they
> want to lock you in to a particular vendor, usually not the best one
> for you.
>
> From my understanding, one of the reasons that the OpenMoko is GSM  
> (as opposed to CDMA) is that the network providers have much less  
> control over the handheld devices.  I feel like as long as it has a  
> valid SIM card from any GSM carrier, it should work.

Well let's try and not let this devolve into a discussion of phone  
networks (if it hasn't already) but it depends on what you mean by  
"work".

A GSM phone from a different provider can "work" only if there is an  
agreement between the two operators, and you might wind up paying  
roaming charges of some sort.

>
> In the same sense, shouldn't the iPhone work with T-mobile (or any  
> other GSM carrier), if you have a T-mobile SIM card?  I'll admit  
> that I'm on Verizon so I'm not too sure about how the SIM cards work.
>

The SIM card simply holds the information that identifies the phone,  
information that is hard-coded into CDMA or TDMA phones like the ESN.  
The card can also hold information such as your phone book. So  
changing phones that use SIM cards is a simple matter of changing thr  
card and you don't have to bother the provider, but changing phones  
on Verizon means having to deal with them, changing the ESN  
information and perhaps transferring your phone book information.

GSM is a technically superior system in just about all ways, but  
Verizon's CDMA network has far better coverage because they have more  
resources and have been at it longer. If you live in a metropolitan  
area it might not make much difference in coverage but here in the  
boondocks it is a big factor.

I often get into areas where the only service available is old analog  
service, which a lot of newer phones can't handle.


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