plus 1 ... decibel !

wtf?? ... i think i pissed my pants while reading this.

Actually, my wife and son will probably perish, but at least I'll know that my email and bookmarks will be redundantly backed up by Google.

Just to clarify: I have signed NDAs and can verify that there are at least two soc's (specifics intentionally omitted) with integrated applications and baseband processors with all of the aforementioned capabilities.

For regulatory documents, try a search on FCC regulations for radio-interference generating devices. For processors with an integrated baseband radio, you can't (normally) find documentation.

That is, not unless 1) you plan on manufacturing units in the 10s of thousands, 2) you sign an NDA and have some background checks done, or 3) happen to 'find' the docs on certain russian / chinese websites.

Exactly.

Most people have absolutely no idea that an entirely proprietary RTOS runs the baseband processor of their mobile phones, and that this RTOS has direct hardware access to all of the peripheral IO devices and sensors (GPS, microphone, data modem, etc). In many cases, the RTOS firmware is encrypted. In almost all cases it is more or less impossible for "the average consumer" to reprogram the baseband processor.

It does not matter whether you run an unlocked Android phone with whoever knows how many Cyanogen mods. I highly doubt that Cyanogen has deciphered, disassembled, reprogrammed, reassembled, and reencrypted any baseband firmware images at all.

All baseband firmware is proprietary as regulated by most governments. Well... except for OsmoconBB :)

This is essentially the same thing as wiretapping, which has been a legally regulated capability for telco's for decades. Keep in mind, that wiretapping also 'transmitted' location information, but since the location information was known a priori by the sender and receiver (of the tap), then it could be omitted from the communication channel (zero information gain).

When internet usage boomed, governments also regulated that ISPs must have the capability to 'tap' your internet connection (also from home), which is why ISPs are now regulated to log everything that users do for several months.

Cellular wiretapping is essentially a combination of voice, location, and data monitoring. The location information is encoded by which cell towers acknowledge your IMEI (and GPS receiver coordinates). Nothing has changed in the least about who has control over the infrastructure (except here). Users of Free Software on communication devices can at least have SOME control over the backdoors - i.e. who can turn on your GPS receiver remotely or force a firmware upgrade over the air. Unfortunately, most of the important software that has anything to do with communication is still proprietary, and locked (encrypted?) in the baseband processor stack on most mobile phones and wireless communication devices. For older GSM mobile phones, some users have the option to swap out the baseband processor stack and run OsmoconBB.

Until cellular voice / data / location information can be sufficiently anonymised there is really little difference about which technology Big Brother uses to monitor you. Keep in mind that you (the sender / receiver) can often be tied back to a specific IMEI number or MAC address (and even communication pattern).

ifconfig hwaddr 00:11:22:33:44:55 <=> iwconfig hwaddr 00:11:22:33:44:55 <=> imconfig imei AA-BBBBBB-CCCCCC-D ?

Let's hear it for redundancy!

The average consumer would already know this if they spoke about "4G" with anyone from the academic community. It isn't here yet.

And then there is of course the lack of 1.3 GHz memory bus speed. Yeah... that might also be a biggie, although ARM might win due to interconnect distance alone if a licensee ever decided to get in the high-speed memory game. Package-on-package, baby.

"Itanium relies on the compiler to optimize code at run-time."

I definitely would NOT buy an Itanium unless they change the compiler to optimize code at compile-time.

I'm cloud bursting. Keeps me in shape.

Captain's log. Star date 1234567.
While exploring the surface of planet Z today, I met an interesting life-form. He introduced me to his girlfriend. You can probably guess the rest.

For the reasons you mentioned specifically, but also for a couple of other reasons stemming from lots and lots of contract work, I actively choose NOT to remember how I did X six months ago. Realistically, if most of us remembered "off the top of our heads" every algorithm devised over the last 6 months, then we probably wouldn't have much left in the way of short term memory for e.g. devising new algorithms, interacting effectively with human beings, you know - important things.

I guess that might matter in the (insert single-digit number here) country / countries that actually recognize (these) software patents. The rest of us are free to do what we want with / for free software ;-)