Trent W. Buck wrote:
Andrew McGlashan wrote:
...........snip is feature. I was wondering about this -- why can't phone transceivers just switch frequency? I built an FM receiver from a kit once, and you changed frequency by screwing an iron core into a wound wire coil. If you screwed it past the radio stations you could get the telly audio.
The only reason I can think of that a cellphone's transceiver couldn't do the same thing, is 1) the FCC are scared of consumers using (pre-built) programmable transceivers to "shoot down planes and stuff"; and 2) it'd cost the hardware vendor an extra twenty cents per unit.
Well as a naive bystander the following additional possibilities occur 1/ extended transmission has the possibility of interfering with other peoples reception; whereas extended reception only has the possibility of intrusion on restricted broadcasts 2/ by restricting features there is the possibility of 'upgrading ' and selling another version of the device ! .......the concern for the cellphone'ss shareholder ? 3/ perhaps the feature would not be welcomed by telco's, who need to support the device; an example of such a feature would be 'voice-mail' on the mobil device, which would seem to be trivial to implement; but would definitely NOT be favoured by telco's. ....... the concern for the telco shareholder ? -typed with crossed fingers in fear that: (a) the eeePC battery will die or (b) the 18 AH inverter will do the same whilst waiting for the power to come back, as they replace the old analogue meters with digital, in this block of flats ! regards Rohan McLeod