Submitted by Tsaot on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 23:04
Posted in
All I can seem to type recently is rant material. Maybe I need to start looking for the good in my life instead of the bad.
In any case, I'm mad a Verizon.
In the next month or two I'm going to be booted off of my dad's cellphone plan to make room for my younger siblings. I need to get my own plan as a result. I've known for months that this was coming up so I've been watching the different coverage maps, cellphone releases, and data & texting plans. What I've found is that I really need to stick with Verizon. My house is on the edge of Sprint's coverage map, so no go there. AT&T has too much bad press and all my friends that have had it have switched away (that is except for the Apple fanboy). The same goes for T-Mobile.
So here's the rub with Verizon: phone selection. It's crap to put it bluntly. I'm looking for a multi-touch PDA/smart-phone. Verizon has zero. Every single one of their smart-phones are WM 6.x candy bars with either resistive touch or no touch screen at all. This is not what has been promised for nearly two years now. On December 4, 2007 C-net reported that Verizon was planning on carrying phones using the Google Android OS. In June, C-net again reported that Verizon was planning to offer an Android OS phone by then end of the year. Nothing has come of it.
Palm and its new WebOS had two phones now either out or coming out on the Sprint network. Verizon has promised that it's going to have the Palm Pre in early 2010. Well whoop-de-doo, Verizon's going to get a new 1 year old platform just in time for everyone else to upgrade to the next. Seriously, what is the problem Verizon?
Fed up with the empty promises, I contacted Verizon to inquire as to where the new innovative were. I told them I wanted an Android or WebOS phone, something that had an OS newer than Windows Mobile 6.1. Here is their response:
Dear [Tsaot],
Good morning, my name is Irma, and I am happy to assist you with your inquiry regarding equipment options.
There are several wireless phones being tested for functionality and reliability with our network. Verizon Wireless will not offer a product or service unless it meets the high standards our customers have come to expect. Verizon Wireless is constantly improving the services, features, and wireless phones we offer to our customers for their communication needs. I am unable to provide information regarding which equipment is being considered or approximate release dates, as this may raise expectations that may not be met.
You may also receive free e-mail updates as to when new products and services are available. To receive your free e-mail update, please click on the following link to view the "E-mail Updates" page of our website: [link redacted as it appeared to be specific to this email]
My goal was to address your concern regarding equipment options the first time you contacted us via our website. I hope I have accomplished that for you today. We appreciate your business and thank you for being a valued Verizon Wireless customer.
Sincerely,
Irma Verizon Wireless Customer Service
This email has left me with nothing but questions. It seems to imply that being a Verizon phone is a privilege given to a select few. Tell that to my Moto Q9m. The only thing I've ever liked about it was the excellent keyboard. The message management software, music playing software, web browser, and exclusive multimedia home screen are all pieces of junk. But lets analyze this some more. As I said, an Android phone was promised nearly 2 years ago. T-Mobile's G1 wasn't released until October 2008. This means that and Android phone Verizon could test has been available for almost a year now. Given the amount of time passed, I think it's safe to say that the HTC Dream did not pass Verizon's rigorous testing.
I think it's safe to say that nothing innovative will ever pass Verizon's testing process. They turned down the iPhone, they let someone else take the plunge on the Android, and seem to have passed up the WebOS. This leaves me with a hard choice. Do I stay on the network that hosts my family's cell phones and either keep my old phone or get one I never wanted, or do I switch networks to something inferior to get a better phone. I don't know quite yet, but it's not a choice I look forward to making.
In any case, I'm mad a Verizon.
In the next month or two I'm going to be booted off of my dad's cellphone plan to make room for my younger siblings. I need to get my own plan as a result. I've known for months that this was coming up so I've been watching the different coverage maps, cellphone releases, and data & texting plans. What I've found is that I really need to stick with Verizon. My house is on the edge of Sprint's coverage map, so no go there. AT&T has too much bad press and all my friends that have had it have switched away (that is except for the Apple fanboy). The same goes for T-Mobile.
So here's the rub with Verizon: phone selection. It's crap to put it bluntly. I'm looking for a multi-touch PDA/smart-phone. Verizon has zero. Every single one of their smart-phones are WM 6.x candy bars with either resistive touch or no touch screen at all. This is not what has been promised for nearly two years now. On December 4, 2007 C-net reported that Verizon was planning on carrying phones using the Google Android OS. In June, C-net again reported that Verizon was planning to offer an Android OS phone by then end of the year. Nothing has come of it.
Palm and its new WebOS had two phones now either out or coming out on the Sprint network. Verizon has promised that it's going to have the Palm Pre in early 2010. Well whoop-de-doo, Verizon's going to get a new 1 year old platform just in time for everyone else to upgrade to the next. Seriously, what is the problem Verizon?
Fed up with the empty promises, I contacted Verizon to inquire as to where the new innovative were. I told them I wanted an Android or WebOS phone, something that had an OS newer than Windows Mobile 6.1. Here is their response:
Dear [Tsaot],
Good morning, my name is Irma, and I am happy to assist you with your inquiry regarding equipment options.
There are several wireless phones being tested for functionality and reliability with our network. Verizon Wireless will not offer a product or service unless it meets the high standards our customers have come to expect. Verizon Wireless is constantly improving the services, features, and wireless phones we offer to our customers for their communication needs. I am unable to provide information regarding which equipment is being considered or approximate release dates, as this may raise expectations that may not be met.
You may also receive free e-mail updates as to when new products and services are available. To receive your free e-mail update, please click on the following link to view the "E-mail Updates" page of our website: [link redacted as it appeared to be specific to this email]
My goal was to address your concern regarding equipment options the first time you contacted us via our website. I hope I have accomplished that for you today. We appreciate your business and thank you for being a valued Verizon Wireless customer.
Sincerely,
Irma Verizon Wireless Customer Service
This email has left me with nothing but questions. It seems to imply that being a Verizon phone is a privilege given to a select few. Tell that to my Moto Q9m. The only thing I've ever liked about it was the excellent keyboard. The message management software, music playing software, web browser, and exclusive multimedia home screen are all pieces of junk. But lets analyze this some more. As I said, an Android phone was promised nearly 2 years ago. T-Mobile's G1 wasn't released until October 2008. This means that and Android phone Verizon could test has been available for almost a year now. Given the amount of time passed, I think it's safe to say that the HTC Dream did not pass Verizon's rigorous testing.
I think it's safe to say that nothing innovative will ever pass Verizon's testing process. They turned down the iPhone, they let someone else take the plunge on the Android, and seem to have passed up the WebOS. This leaves me with a hard choice. Do I stay on the network that hosts my family's cell phones and either keep my old phone or get one I never wanted, or do I switch networks to something inferior to get a better phone. I don't know quite yet, but it's not a choice I look forward to making.