Kyle Thomas

The Website of Kyle Thomas (KyleWith)

iPhone Multi Mode Network Chip

While listening to MacBreak Weekly I found out some good news for our hopes of getting an iPhone on a CDMA (Bell) network.

Nowadays chip manufacturers are making multi mode chips for phones. Before we knew about these chips we all assumed it would take Apple a lot of work to create a completely separate iPhone for a CDMA network but now it shouldn’t.

What they can do is solely use this one chip and program half of them as GSM and half as CDMA. This one chip also supports all the proper frequencies for all the providers on CDMA & GSM there for only creating slightly more work.

The negatives about this chip are only minor but I wouldn’t care! First, because the chip supports multi modes you can expect it to cost slightly more than a normal one. Possibly an increase of $10-$15. Second and also because it is multi mode the battery life may not be as good as it is now, that is unless Apple can come up with an even more efficient battery and processor.

We are getting closer folks, soon enough we will have an iPhone available here in Yellowknife. Whether it is Rogers or a CDMA supported iPhone!

My iPhone Plan

If you live up here in Yellowknife and are any type of Apple fan you know that you can not have an iPhone up here on Rogers because there is no Rogers service up here.

Well I’m going south for the next 9 months and than again for another 8 after a short stint at home. What does this mean, well it means I could get an iPhone. I will be in an area that has Rogers service and am trying to make the decision about whether or not it is a good idea to actually get an iPhone.

See I could get one and get a 2 year plan which is roughly the amount of time I would be down there. Everything could be hunky dory. I would be able to do all the amazing things that it is capabile of doing. E-mail, Youtube, Music, Movies, Video Camera, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

The problem is the in between. I will be home for summer which is about 3 months and would have a useless phone. The one and only option I need to look into is calling up Ice Wireless, the only GSM network up here, and ask them what their roaming fee is (if they even support it). If the roaming fee is more than reasonable (which I’m will to bet it would be) I may see about getting a pay as you go sim card from them. I don’t know if they have them and I don’t know if I would have to jailbreak my iPhone to make it work.

I would also still be paying the monthly charge from Rogers while up north. As you see I still need to do some research to figure out if it is worth it. I hope it is because I would have so many uses for an iPhone.