matt.wronka.org

Mobile telecom carriers run networks that allow phones (and other devices) to connect to them. When mobile (cellular) phones first starated becoming massively popular, each handset had to be keyed with specific values before it worked with a carrier, and therefore it made sense for these carriers to also sell the handsets for use with their network. At some point in the 1990s, the network/subscriber-specific values were moved to a removable chip which could be moved between compatible phones. This meant that telecoms only needed to sell these chips, and subscribers could get their phones from any source.

Let me summarize what is conservatively calculated as a metric fuckton of articles in the past week: Verizon is saying that it is doing what the rest of the world has been doing since the 90s--at best, the specifics aren't out, and knowing Verizon they probably won't go the tried and true route in favour of some BREW-like abomination. The only other new piece of news is that Verizon will let people write programs for their phones, presumably without the massive licensing costs associated with BREW--like people already can for almost every other phone on the market since they have a standard J2ME interpreter, or native APIs like Symbian devices.

So there's nothing earth shattering, nothing "progressive", and no "industry revolution" beginning--it started over fifteen years ago!

Now what finally got my dander-up was one particularly uninformed article. This article is talking about two distinctly different topics. In one case, how Verizon has announced that it will let its subscribers use non-Verizon-purchased phones on their network--similar to how the rest of the world functions since the introduction of SIM cards. It then goes towards the argument of the Jesus Phone upon shifting ground, positing that AT&T will follow in Verizon's footsteps by unlocking Jobs' toy to be used outside of its network.

Let me now recap this article. Verizon says it'll do what AT&T already does. Will AT&T follow Verizon's move by doing something unrelated? Maybe AT&T will start handing-out tickets to the circus with a three-year contract (instead of making you call their customer service number for the show).

How consumer desire to use the Apple toy on other providers could lead AT&T into an openness move is lost on me, and the author of the article didn't even try rationalizing this statement..