What, the "Net10" branding didn't tip you off that this is a low-end phone? :)

AFAIK, LiMo is not "Linux" as most people know "Linux." LiMo doesn't carry with it the attributes of free, open-source, openness, hairy flower hippies dancing in the park, Richard Stallman, or third-party application accessibility. (Wow, that was some free association.)

For instance, MOTOMAGX is LiMo, and MOTOMAGX is about as locked down as any RTOS you ever did see.

LiMo is about manufacturers being able to bring devices to market more quickly by using a relatively standardized software platform. That software platform can be encrusted with every lock and restriction known to humans before it is released to the individual public. So say yay, yay, Nucleus and P2K are going away, but watch out before you make any generalizations about what LiMo handsets will look or feel like.

Not that you did, Chris - I'm just saying.

If you really want to know, the MVNOs are CDMA because Sprint is the only physical carrier in the US to offer a decent MVNO deal. AT&T will not offer data to MVNOs, making a data-focused MVNO a pretty poor fit for them. T-Mobile doesn't do MVNOs at all, because they're spectrum constrained as is. Verizon will be MVNOing like mad when its "any device" plan comes on line, but they're also CDMA.

Voce did an MVNO off AT&T, voice only. TracFone/Net10 also has a voice only deal with AT&T.

It's not that CDMA is a "choice," it's that CDMA is the *only* choice if you're an MVNO who wants data.

900/2100 HSDPA? No, in fact, you do not like us.

Thanks for the shout-out, Erica. I read and respect your work and was very happy to see this response.

Many of your concerns are inherent to the size or shape of the iPhone, which isn't likely to change. But what I was trying to get across in my column is that issues #5 and 6 are just bad engineering, and they're something Apple can improve. If we pressure them to do so. But sound quality issues often get buried in the discourse over the iPhone.

I'm hoping that if you, and me, and Consumer Reports, and CNET, and everyone else who's concerned about the iPhone's sound quality keeps this issue in the public eye, Apple will improve the product.

Oh, and to people who say "just get a Bluetooth headset" (and I recommend the Plantronics 520 and Aliph Jawbone) I'd say "it'd be better to fix the core problem than to have to mandate a workaround." Anyway, the iPhone's problem isn't just sound quality - it's also RF (hold it next to a Blackberry Curve or Motorola RAZR2 to see) which a Bluetooth headset can't help.

Necessary disclaimer: I think the iPhone is an amazing, impressive and radical device. It does so much so well, that we gave it a four-star rating even despite the phone call quality problems. So sorry if you want to peg me a hater, because I'm not - I'm just seeing both the strengths and the faults of what is, after all, Apple's first phone ever. (I mean, heck, remember Mac OS X 10.0? It didn't even burn CDs.)

Sorry, "ShortFuse."

What part of "WCDMA" do you not understand? GSM is a TDMA technology. WCDMA is a CDMA technology. LTE, at least what we expect, will be an OFDM technology.

EDGE is an evolution of GSM.

WCDMA HSDPA is an evolution of WCDMA UMTS.

But between those levels there's a hard break in technologies - you have to install all new radios and there's a different IP portfolio you have to deal with. Qualcomm owns about 20% of the WCDMA patents, for instance.

Actually, Nokia is a huge player in WCDMA, and they're fighting with Qualcomm in a bloody battle over licensing fees for WCDMA IP.

Not all CDMA is US-version 850/1900 EVDO 1xRTT CDMA2000. Most of the CDMA in the world is WCDMA.

You guys do know LTE is not GSM, right? They're organized by the same standards body, but they're different technologies. LTE also isn't WCDMA. It's something new. If I understand correctly, LTE will require a brand new buildout of E-UTRA OFDM radios which are different hardware from the existing GSM TDMA radios and the UMTS WCDMA radios.

In other words, a portfolio of GSM towers does not help you with LTE. LTE will be a totally new technology that has to be built from the ground up, much as AT&T had to build their WCDMA network from the ground up, as WCDMA is a replacement rather than an evolution from EDGE.

LTE - air interfaces in general - has nothing to do with phone locking, either.

I'm sorry. I know you want to hear that this means Verizon is joining some sort of happy-clappy cuddly world GSM community. But that just isn't the case. This is just a radio access technology. Verizon can very easily superimpose whatever business model they want over that technology.

Also, you guys do know that Qualcomm will have a significant IP portfolio in LTE, right? LTE is based on OFDM, and Qualcomm's Flarion acquisition ensured they'll be a player there.

Apple intends you to get your video from one of two sources. Publicly, buy it from the iTunes store. Privately and unspoken, rip it yourself. If you're ripping it yourself, ripping it into H.264 is just as easy as ripping it into DivX.

Really, the only reason you'd be SO DESPERATE for xvid support is if you're illegally downloading stuff.

A2DP sounds awful. Trust me, it's scientifically provable. Apple has really high minimum standards for audio quality, so while I like my wireless headphones too, I can understand their perspective in waiting until chipset manufacturers start implementing SOUNDabout Lossless or something similar.