Hi Bruno, I got a hold of your inquiry because it was reposted on the Replicant mailing list, and I decided to take the liberty of giving you my input on this subject.
> Do you know if there is a basic phone with 100% free software that I > could use on Verizon's network in the USA? > I'm more or less tied to > Verizon because of their excellent signal where I live, but my > Samsung basic phone is the only device I own that runs non-free > software and I want to get rid of it. I have to disappoint you in that the chances of a libre phone working with Verizon's network are practically nil. If you truly wish your phone to run 100% free software, then it would have to include the baseband, and I am not aware of anyone who is working on any kind of libre baseband implementation for the proprietary CDMA radio interface used by Verizon, which is completely different from GSM. And even if you would be satisfied with a phone that is only half-free (free smartphone AP subsystem talking to a proprietary baseband) - to me personally such a "half-free" state is of no value, no better than having your teen daughter say "oh, no worries, I'm only half-pregnant" - but I know others have different tastes - even such a "half-free" state is unlikely to be attained on Verizon. The reason is that smartphones made for Verizon (with Verizon-compatible basebands) are different in hardware terms from their standard GSM counterparts, and the AP (application processor) part will almost certainly have some differences too, even if they are gratuitous. For example, Replicant supports international GSM versions of Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3, but there is no chance of it working on an SGS2 or SGS3 made for Verizon: it's a totally different hardware beast. Heck, even GSM versions of these phones that were sold with USA carrier branding are not supported because they are gratuitously different hardware, hence one has to seek out and obtain an international version that is "not approved" for USA (but works w/o approval). Unless some miracle happens, the only way you'll ever be able to have a 100% libre phone while remaining in USA would be if you switch from Verizon to T-Mobile 2G, i.e., GSM. If your current location within USA does not have usable T-Mobile 2G coverage, then you may want to consider relocating. I personally use a cellphone with a baseband chipset that only supports GSM/2G (still running the phone manuf's original proprietary fw for now, but my own libre fw is expected to become practically usable real soon now), I use T-Mobile as my SIM card provider, and I get excellent coverage throughout Southern California, from Los Angeles to San Diego. HTH, Mychaela P.S. See www.freecalypso.org for more info regarding libre phones for GSM that work with T-Mobile 2G. _______________________________________________ Replicant mailing list Replicant@lists.osuosl.org http://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant
