[geeks] Looking for a Mobile Phone

[gsm at mendelson.com]

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 02:05:36PM -0400, Phil Stracchino wrote:
>Yeah, I hear you.  I'm given to understand the GSM voice codec is the
>worst of all of them.  I'd actually consider Verizon for wireless
>service if they had a prepaid plan that was competitive with T-Mobile's,
>now that their network is theoretically open to non-Verizon-crippled phones.

The original GSM CODEC was about the same as long distance telephone calls
of that era (around 1980). It has long since been replaced on cell phones
with the EFRC (extended full rate codec), which is much better. 

Since the original GSM CODEC was licensed by Microsoft and by now is off 
patent, everyone uses it for VoIP. This is not the CODEC that cell phones
use. When EFRC first came out, you could set your phone not to use it at all,
and cells could turn it off for the call. 

It used less battery power, so turning it off was one of those things
that circulated as the "hidden reserve battery in your Nokia phone". :-)

VoIP systems use it because it takes up the equivalent of 14.4k bits per second
with very little processor overhead. 

>I want a *phone*, dammit, not a bling contest entrant.

I use a cheap Alcatel phone, which is fine but it is right handed, and I 
use my phone in my left. When held in the left hand the "ignore call" button
is directly under my thumb, while I have to bend it an uncomfortable way to 
press the "answer" button. :-(

Geoff.

-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM