[Replicant] Which smartphones comes without baseband processors?

[Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli]

On Fri, 6 May 2016 14:17:27 +0200
David Hedlund <public at beloved.name> wrote:

> Question 2: Have anyone yet made a list of smartphones without
> baseband processors that can be used as candidates Replicant?
Are you really looking for smartphones-size devices without basebands?

Or would a baseband that can be physically disabled by the main
processor okay?

You might find some tablets supported by Replicant without one.

However if you can trust enough the code that is running on the main
processor, having a smartphone where the application processor can
physically disable the baseband might be more convenient.

However if that code is changed (typically if someone compromises your
smartphone), the modem could be running without you noticing it.

It might be interesting to document, for each models:
- if they have versions without basebands.
- What kind of control we have over the baseband: can it be powered off
  at runtime physically? do we have to ask the modem for it? Is it
  always on, even when the phone is supposedly off, but the battery is
  connected?

For instance, on the Galaxy S3, the main processor asks the baseband to
disable itself, so here we suppose that the main processor can't
disable it.

However on the GTA04 recent revisions, if my memory is good, the modem
can be disabled by a GPIO.

On the A3 version, the modem is always on due to some electronic design
defect. To power it off you have to remove the battery.

Denis.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 819 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <http://lists.osuosl.org/pipermail/replicant/attachments/20160510/456c12fc/attachment.asc>