[geeks] a cell phone that doesn't suck

[Shannon Hendrix]

On Nov 23, 2007, at 5:26 PM, Lionel Peterson wrote:

>> If I do not want to be tracked, that's my decision, and I'm willing  
>> to
>> pay the consequences if I so choose.
>
> I just heard a news reader on CNN talk about how the government can  
> track cell phone users location (to within a block even if the  
> phones are turned *off*!
>
> Uh, no. I don't think that cellphones work when they are turned  
> off... You have to be able to turn phones *completely* off on  
> airplanes, for instance...

NOTE: I'm not saying they are right, but consider:

As long as it falls below a certain emission rate, off can be defined  
as something most of us here would not define as off.

Have you actually powered a cell phone off and checked it for  
emissions, or for that matter, checked the data stream and verified it  
never sends video data without being asked?

No?  Then you don't really know.

A phone might well meet the legal/regulatory definition off but still  
be able to transmit.  There are quite a few low bit rate data  
protocols that require very little power, and I think the current cell  
phone standards include several of them.

Probably a few of us on this list could do the experiment to see, but  
it would be non-trivial, and you can forget the average joe having any  
way of knowing.

It would be interesting to do a full analysis including data decoding  
of various cells phones to collect real data on exactly what they do.   
The companies would likely freak if we were to phreak, but hey... we  
gotta know.

Aside: I've been noticing quite a few unlocked phones being sold in  
places like CompUSA.  Anyone ever buy one?  Sucks that they cost so  
much more, but then having a phone with *ALL* features turned out  
would be kinda nice.

-- 
Shannon Hendrix
shannon at widomaker.com