I have no idea. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

Here's the thing. I was chatting with a colleague that works for RIM (yes, he has a playbook). He was explaining the design iterations for a recent blackberry device that has come under some fire in the media. Apparently, the device specs prior to release were quite different than the actual device at release based on carrier intervention.

It would appear that in the end, US carriers have a huge say in how a device ends up -- quality and specs. This likely explains the number of the Galaxy S variants and other phones from other manufacturers as well. This may also hint at why Nokia has never been 'big' in the US as it seems that they don't seem to tailor their devices specifically to carriers.

So in the end, look to individual carriers for answers.

I would love to see a day when the cellular modem is modularized out of the handset in an easy-to-insert micro-sd-like card under the battery. In this utopia, phones become generic devices that can be used freely in any situation.