Spy radio access hardwired within OMAP ???


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PandoraAdmirer

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I read the current article "Secret 3G Intel Chip Gives Snoops Backdoor PC Access" (privacy gone, regardless of OS, if this is indeed true!) and in the comments some guys mentioned that AMD is no better than Intel in that regard and gave an article from 2000, entitled "TI, AMD plan to collaborate on 3G-enabled wireless chips", and they named their project... guess what... OMAP!

This rang a bell! Ain't that the system, used in the Pandora?

Is the Pandora in danger of being hardware remote accessed?

And for the positive part: If it had indeed a 3G connection "in the shadows", would there be any chance utilizing it for the OS?
 
Technically the same project, but I'm almost 100% positive there's nothing to worry about. The OMAP in the Pandora is the processor name, it doesn't have any wireless capability at all. If it did, the testing EvilDragon had to put it through for EC and FCC would have discovered it. The wireless chip in the Pandora is completely distinct from the OMAP processor. It looks like in the article, back in 2000, AMD and TI were colaborating to produce a 3G device which included both AMDs stuff and TI's OMAP processor line at the time. That doesn't mean the OMAP has the 3G, just that it was to be used in such a device.

Even if it did have a 3G wireless, it would need to be the specific frequency for wherever you are (and given the OMAP chip is sold globally that is a decreasing likelihood), require an IMEI to connect to the network, a phone number (networks aren't in the habit of giving away millions of free numbers that will never be used), and finally (most importantly perhaps) an antenna. No antenna means even if it does have a 3G chip built in with all that other stuff, you would have to be standing right next to the tower in order to get anything even close to resembling a signal.

The tin-foil brigade is strong on this one. There's no conspiracy here: TI had a processor technology, AMD had memory technology, they said "hey, if we put our stuff together we can produce some kick-ass cell phones". And they did. The 3G is a separate chip in the device, not encorporated into the processor. Putting 3G into a processor would be stupid for a LOT of reasons.
 
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