Verizon No Longer THE Carrier For Android Enthusiasts Handsets Show Up Late if They Show Up At All Wednesday Jun 05 2013 10:39 EDT A few years back, Verizon was the place to go if you were an Android user, choosing to heavily embrace and market Android phones because AT&T had locked up the iPhone exclusively. It's amazing how quickly things can change. JR Raphael over at Computer World has a good piece arguing that Verizon really has become the carrier to avoid if you're interested in getting the latest and greatest Android handset, given it has become standard operating procedure to offer new Android handsets much later than everyone else (HTC One), if they're able to offer them at all (Nexus 4). Notes Raphael: quote:
It's actually gotten to the point where anytime I write about a hot Android new device, I count the seconds from when I hit "publish" until the moment I see the inevitable disheartened comment: "Great news...except for those of us stuck on Verizon." Let's face it: With the exception of the Droid Razr HD phones last fall, pretty much every exciting Android device in recent memory has launched outside of Verizon's domain (initially, at least, if not permanently). In fact, if I were to list the devices I'd consider the best overall Android phones on the market right now, three out of four wouldn't currently be available to Verizon subscribers.
The issue goes deeper if you also consider Verizon's decision to block Google Wallet in order to give their own Isis mobile payment service an unfair leg up in the market. The problem for Android fans currently on Verizon? Verizon Wireless continues to lead nearly every customer service study for postpaid carriers, so Android fans who head to other carriers not only have to deal with worse support and service, they also have to deal with significantly smaller LTE footprints and network coverage in general. In that sense, Android fans are sort of damned if they do, damned if they don't. Still, if Verizon's earnings last quarter are any indication, the seeming decline in serious Verizon Android support hasn't resulted in any meaningful loss of customers. |
 psiu
join:2004-01-20
Farmington, MI  ·Xfinity
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psiu
Member
2013-Jun-5 8:46 am
Not just AndroidThey are way behind on Windows Phones as well.
Another really frustrating part is the way they insist on modifying phones hardware to suit them (ie the VZW logo on home button of the Note(?), or making Nokia take a different looking Lumia and make it look like every mid-range LG etc out there). | |
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Re: Not just Androidsaid by psiu:They are way behind on Windows Phones as well. WP = DOA so I can see why they are not putting much effort into it. Nothing compelling on that front - UGLY UI that is hard to use, low app selection, and just an overall poor experience. It is surprising on the Android front as VZ was a leader in that area. But then again when the overwhelming majority of your smartphone sales are iOS devices I guess you follow the users and what they want. | |
| | | psiu
join:2004-01-20
Farmington, MI ·Xfinity
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psiu
Member
2013-Jun-5 9:19 am
Re: Not just AndroidNot sure if you are trolling with that response or not, but if you're not:
I find the UI to be quite attractive and graceful (note: have a life long affection for typography and design). Simple to use, all the apps *I* need (somewhere around ~150K at this point), and a great UX.
This is coming from someone using a Trophy on Verizon -- running WP7 and it is roughly comparable to the original Nexus, hardware wise. And I would not take a new Android phone over it. Any of them.
Have you used a WP before? | |
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Re: Not just Androidsaid by psiu:Not sure if you are trolling with that response or not, but if you're not:
I find the UI to be quite attractive and graceful (note: have a life long affection for typography and design). Simple to use, all the apps *I* need (somewhere around ~150K at this point), and a great UX.
Have you used a WP before?
No trolling at all, Windows Phone, Like Metro on Windows 8 is a usability nightmare. Tiles are poor ways of conveying information. Constantly scrolling stuff like status updates and photos are annoying and almost always you end up missing what you were looking at or for. Add to that garish colors and some "flat" design cues with a huge sans serif font and you have the makings of really poor design. Everything I've seen on this design language (from Zune onward) has been really bad from a design standpoint. Flat designs = I don't have a clue and just took a 1st year approach to design: 1) Lots of white, 2) Lots of whitespace, and 3) Sans Serif font. It's just bad. | |
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Re: Not just AndroidI disagree. I hate the Metro inteface on my Windows 8 laptop and went to ClassicShell. I played with the W8 phone the HTC something and I loved it. Way better Exchange attachment support than my Iphone 5 | |
| | | | | psiu
join:2004-01-20
Farmington, MI ·Xfinity
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to itguy05
Huh.
Well, different strokes for different folks!
I mean it too -- I think having a variety of options available is great.
Not sure about W8 -- I really haven't used it yet, sounds like 8.1 might be decent on a touch enabled device. But forcing (the Metro interface) it on the desktop, I still don't agree with (and this is from a WP, Media Center, Zune using person). | |
| | | | | clone
join:2000-12-11
Portage, IN  ·T-Mobile US
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to itguy05
You didn't answer the original question, have you ever used a modern WP phone? My guess would be no.
Because if you had, you would know that Windows Phone 8 is very highly usable. I've used every mobile OS platform out there, and it's no better or worse than iOS, Android, or BB10. Just different. And I have to disagree about the design language. It's very fluid and looks great. Coming from an admitted ex-Microsoft hater, I picked up a super-cheap WP8 Nokia (Lumia 521) just to play with, and I'm shocked at how much I actually *like* the device. Maybe the home screen is very flat, but the tiles are a very easy way to see the information you want to see at a glance. You can change the theme, so the "garish" colors change based on what you want them to be. This changes across most apps, too.
On iOS, you get no information on the home screen. On Android, you have to hope and pray that there is a home screen widget for whatever app you need, and then hope that it actually works and/or displays the information you want. WP8 tiles just work, are very customizable and intuitive. The only thing I would change are the lock-screen notifications, but that's a minor complaint.
Maybe for the hipster "design" crowd, it's bad. We know they won't use anything but an iPhone, anyway, so who cares about them? But for everyone else who doesn't base their smartphone purchase on whether or not they used Sans Serif, WP8 is a perfectly capable mobile platform that provides some competition to Android and iOS, and more competition is always a good thing. | |
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Re: Not just Androidsaid by clone:You didn't answer the original question, have you ever used a modern WP phone? My guess would be no. Your guess would be correct. I can't get over the disgusting interface that is more confusing than anything else out there. quote:
On iOS, you get no information on the home screen. On Android, you have to hope and pray that there is a home screen widget for whatever app you need, and then hope that it actually works and/or displays the information you want. WP8 tiles just work, are very customizable and intuitive. The only thing I would change are the lock-screen notifications, but that's a minor complaint.
Why do I need information on my home screen that is most likely outdated, changes too frequently and ends up making me launch the app anyway? Had Facebook, weather, and other widgets on Android. Horrible. Facebook widget made me miss most status updates and such as it was too slow to update. Much better to go into the app. Weather, same thing - even with GPS "updating", I could be in new cities for hours and it would not update. Tell me how switching pictures or flipping Groupon deals (all gleaned from the WP Demo site) is good? When I miss that pic, I still need to go into the app. So I'm still checking Facebook, Flickr, Groupon, etc. What did I gain? Nothing is the answer. And the usability is horrible. With the default screen how do I make a call? The phone icon that may or may not be there? How do I text message? How do I see my apps? How do I get to my contacts?It's not apparent to do those things on WP. With Android, the app drawer helps. You have icons and text that tell you what to do. With iOS, the visual cues (dots) tell you to scroll left and right. Where is that on WP? Where is the cue to swipe right to see an app list? I could add more but you get the hint. It was the same thing with Zune - usability nightmare. quote:
But for everyone else who doesn't base their smartphone purchase on whether or not they used Sans Serif, WP8 is a perfectly capable mobile platform that provides some competition to Android and iOS, and more competition is always a good thing.
Has nothing to do with it.. Most can pick up an iPhone or an Android and immediately know what to do and how to do basic things. With Windows Phone they are left scratching their head. Why would people want to use something that really doesn't work well or leaves them confused? It's the same BS MS tried when going for the ribbon interface in Office. Not a good switch and most users don't like it at all. But unlike in Office, people have a choice in phones and, surprise, the vast majority don't choose Microsoft. Shows they are doing something wrong. Hopefully Ballmer will not realize it and MS will be relegated to their rightful place in the technology Has-Been hall. | |
| | | | | | |  LightS
Premium Member
join:2005-12-17
Greenville, TX |
LightS
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 12:00 pm
Re: Not just AndroidSounds like you've had a lot of issues that are user errors.
I'm an Android/iPhone user, and I bought my (now-ex) girlfriend a Lumia recently. Anyways - I really liked the phone. It was NOT a disgusting interface. It's really nice. Use it for longer than 10 minutes in a store and you'll love it.
As far as widgets go, etc - I've never had ANY issue using widgets & them not staying updated. You can always change the refresh frequency that determines it. You want real world info? Have them update every minute, or at least every time you unlock the screen. Widget you like doesn't do that? Sucks for you. I recently bought Beautiful Widgets and I love it. | |
| | | | | | |  Woody79_00I run Linux am I still a PC?
Premium Member
join:2004-07-08
united state |
to itguy05
said by itguy05:said by clone:You didn't answer the original question, have you ever used a modern WP phone? My guess would be no. Your guess would be correct. I can't get over the disgusting interface that is more confusing than anything else out there. quote:
On iOS, you get no information on the home screen. On Android, you have to hope and pray that there is a home screen widget for whatever app you need, and then hope that it actually works and/or displays the information you want. WP8 tiles just work, are very customizable and intuitive. The only thing I would change are the lock-screen notifications, but that's a minor complaint.
Why do I need information on my home screen that is most likely outdated, changes too frequently and ends up making me launch the app anyway? Had Facebook, weather, and other widgets on Android. Horrible. Facebook widget made me miss most status updates and such as it was too slow to update. Much better to go into the app. Weather, same thing - even with GPS "updating", I could be in new cities for hours and it would not update. Tell me how switching pictures or flipping Groupon deals (all gleaned from the WP Demo site) is good? When I miss that pic, I still need to go into the app. So I'm still checking Facebook, Flickr, Groupon, etc. What did I gain? Nothing is the answer. And the usability is horrible. With the default screen how do I make a call? The phone icon that may or may not be there? How do I text message? How do I see my apps? How do I get to my contacts?It's not apparent to do those things on WP. With Android, the app drawer helps. You have icons and text that tell you what to do. With iOS, the visual cues (dots) tell you to scroll left and right. Where is that on WP? Where is the cue to swipe right to see an app list? I could add more but you get the hint. It was the same thing with Zune - usability nightmare. quote:
But for everyone else who doesn't base their smartphone purchase on whether or not they used Sans Serif, WP8 is a perfectly capable mobile platform that provides some competition to Android and iOS, and more competition is always a good thing.
Has nothing to do with it.. Most can pick up an iPhone or an Android and immediately know what to do and how to do basic things. With Windows Phone they are left scratching their head. Why would people want to use something that really doesn't work well or leaves them confused? It's the same BS MS tried when going for the ribbon interface in Office. Not a good switch and most users don't like it at all. But unlike in Office, people have a choice in phones and, surprise, the vast majority don't choose Microsoft. Shows they are doing something wrong. Hopefully Ballmer will not realize it and MS will be relegated to their rightful place in the technology Has-Been hall. please tell me your trolling....its obvious you haven't used Windows Phone 8 for any kind of extended time else you wouldn't be saying this. 1st let me get to metro, I vehemently hated it and Win 8 at first on the Desktop, but after actually giving it a chance and using it for a while i understand why Microsoft designed it the way they did, and its a step in the right direction. The start menu and the standard desktop was becoming antiquated, it DID NOT meet the needs of today's mainstream users....Win 8 does. People hyped up the hate, but like myself in the past that hate was more focused on not liking change rather then the OS and GUI itself. The GUI is more fluent in Win 8. The charms bar put search and all your programs a single mouse move away....you no longer have to click through control panel, etc to get to things with Win 8. If your a hotkey user, then Win 8 is even more user friendly to you. As for Windows Phone 8...it has bar none the best GUI out of any smartphone out there. the reason its sales are just beginning to climb is because mainstream users are just now beginning to see it in front of their faces and they like how easy it is to use. My sister has been a hardcore Apple junkie since the 1st Iphone, and after using my Nokia Lumina 920, she says a Windows Phone will be here next phone. Comparing the iOS and Android GUI to Win Phone 8 is like comparing a pinto(Android/iOS) to a Mercedes(WP8) WP8 looks so much better. As for hard to use WP8? your joking right...1 swipe to the right gives you an entire app/settings menu from a-z, holding down the back arrow allows you to multi-tasking through different apps open at the same time. The fact WP8 is touch based...you know...actually takes advantage of gestures and swipes...my goodness its such a bad thing GUI's are evolving into the 21st century! iOS and Android GUI has become stale, bland, and downright boring even with custom roms...Android UI looks like Gnome compared to Windows Aero Glass...I know which one I would prefer...and I love Linux, use it daily. Most can pick up a WP8 and have it figured out in 5-10 minutes...after that....its money and much easier to use then the other 2 mention....even the app menus and settings menus are much better laid out, and all the settings in WP8 have nice long descriptions telling you what each setting does. I think you need to let go of the Microsoft hatred bud. Look I hated Metro on the desktop at 1st, but after using it for awhile, I came around. Microsoft was nice enough to allow start menu replacements for those that want them, I guess you can't please everyone these days. As for WP8, yes it might not have as many apps yet, but its also much newer and they are growing by the day. I will say this...the WP8 Facebook app is far better then either Android or iOS, left swipe to photos, etc...and it has yet to crash or close on me even once in the 4 months I have had my Lumina...it just simply works.... Its one thing to hate Microsoft, its another to utter out falsehoods and fud about a product you obviously have never used extensively...I don't see the big deal about Win 8 being a usability nightmare either, at one of my offices...8 average PC users got comfortable with it in less then 3 days, in fact many of them prefer it over Windows 7....just because you don't like it, doesn't mean other people don't. WP8 is a fine platform that has a bright future, and Win Blue is coming soon to further expound that success. | |
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Re: Not just Androidsaid by Woody79_00:please tell me your trolling....its obvious you haven't used Windows Phone 8 for any kind of extended time else you wouldn't be saying this. I HATE THE UI - IT IS BAD TO ME. So of course I would not use it. Played with the emulator on line and WINDOWS PHONE IS HORRIBLE. Not OK, not good, but HORRIBLE. Doesn't get any clearer than that. quote:
The start menu and the standard desktop was becoming antiquated, it DID NOT meet the needs of today's mainstream users....
Didn't hear any mainstream users clamouring for Metro. Didn't hear many saying how bad the desktop was/is. But hear LOTS of complaints on Metro. quote:
My sister has been a hardcore Apple junkie since the 1st Iphone, and after using my Nokia Lumina 920, she says a Windows Phone will be here next phone.
That's nice. quote:
Comparing the iOS and Android GUI to Win Phone 8 is like comparing a pinto(Android/iOS) to a Mercedes(WP8) WP8 looks so much better.
Hardly. What about the WP8 is better than iOS? Not much other than Live Tiles and they are annoying. quote:
As for hard to use WP8? your joking right...1 swipe to the right gives you an entire app/settings menu from a-z, holding down the back arrow allows you to multi-tasking through different apps open at the same time.
And how is that obvious to the user? That's the issue - things are not obvious as there are no visual clues. quote:
iOS and Android GUI has become stale, bland, and downright boring even with custom roms...Android UI looks like Gnome compared to Windows Aero Glass...I know which one I would prefer...and I love Linux, use it daily.
Hardly. The market has spoken and iOS and Android are the winners. And Gnome is progressing nicely. Although I'm liking KDE more and more (I do Linux too). quote:
I think you need to let go of the Microsoft hatred bud.
I will when they make a product worth purchasing. quote:
Its one thing to hate Microsoft, its another to utter out falsehoods and fud about a product you obviously have never used extensively...
When it is so bad you don't want to use it, that makes it fair game. It is a bad paradigm and OS. quote:
I don't see the big deal about Win 8 being a usability nightmare either, at one of my offices...8 average PC users got comfortable with it in less then 3 days, in fact many of them prefer it over Windows 7....just because you don't like it, doesn't mean other people don't.
WP8 is a fine platform that has a bright future, and Win Blue is coming soon to further expound that success.
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| | | | | | | | | pnolte
join:1999-10-21
Chino, CA |
pnolte
Member
2013-Jul-16 8:23 pm
Re: Not just AndroidITguy05 you are just an apple fanboi and if it does not say apple on the box it sux.. we understand.. you can go now | |
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to itguy05
Ehhh moved from an iPhone to WP and love it. Even the die hard Linux guys I know have talked about how much they like the interface and one of them still uses a clamshell phone because he thinks both Google sold out and isn't true OS.
Any new OS phone is going to be hard to break the Android iOS hold on the market. I believe WP is making a very quiet but successful market penetration. What they've done on the phone is 100% right.
I don't like Metro on the desktop, but they hit the phone out of the park. WTG MS. Keep it up. | |
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| |  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Zoom 5341J
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to itguy05
Re: Not just AndroidNot so sure. WP are picking up steam. The phones themselves actually seem pretty nice. Metro on the desktop PC is kinda meh but I like Windows 8 overall.... except I'm having some driver issues (Buggy W8 drivers).
WP sales are growing. Sure it's a distant third but they are growing. | |
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to psiu
Funny I felt the same but NYtimes bloger just did a small piece on verizon sales increasing because of windows phone. I only have the intenal verizon link so it could be all Puff. Here is the text though
Windows Phones Gain Some Traction on Verizon Wireless
By BRIAN X. CHEN
NYT Blogs
Tue, 4 Jun 2013
English
266 words
© 2013 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved
There is hope yet for Windows Phone, the smartphone operating system that could.
Microsoft’s mobile operating system, first introduced in 2010, has barely gained any traction on its own home turf, the United States. And it has only had moderate success overseas. But a new report suggests that Windows Phone may finally be gaining some momentum in the United States.
Kantar Worldpanel, a research firm, issued a report on Monday that found that Verizon’s growth last quarter was fueled by healthy sales of phones running the Windows Phone software system. “For Verizon, Windows share rose from 0.2 percent in the three months ending April 2012 to 6.8 percent by the period ending April 2013,” Kantar said in its report. Most of the Windows phones sold were Nokia’s Lumia devices, Kantar said.
That number is still small compared with iPhones on Verizon’s network. Last quarter, of the 7.2 million smartphones that Verizon sold over all, four million were iPhones. Still, 6 percent growth for Windows Phone is significant in the American wireless market, where it seemed that the iPhone and Samsung’s Android phones were taking every penny of profit.
* At Best Buy, Lumia Is Selling O.K. but More Slowly Than Android
* AT&T Plans Marketing Deluge for Nokia Windows Phone
* A Best-Selling Phone? It’s Not Just a Good Phone
* Motorola Introduces First Phones of Its New Google Era
* AT&T to Introduce Shared Data Plans in August | |
| | |  aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA ·Verizon FiOS
Asus RT-N56U
Asus RT-N65
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aaronwt
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 9:33 am
Re: Not just Androidsaid by mikesterr:Funny I felt the same but NYtimes bloger just did a small piece on verizon sales increasing because of windows phone. I only have the intenal verizon link so it could be all Puff. Here is the text though
Windows Phones Gain Some Traction on Verizon Wireless
By BRIAN X. CHEN
NYT Blogs
Tue, 4 Jun 2013
English
266 words
© 2013 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved
There is hope yet for Windows Phone, the smartphone operating system that could.
Microsoft’s mobile operating system, first introduced in 2010, has barely gained any traction on its own home turf, the United States. And it has only had moderate success overseas. But a new report suggests that Windows Phone may finally be gaining some momentum in the United States.
Kantar Worldpanel, a research firm, issued a report on Monday that found that Verizon’s growth last quarter was fueled by healthy sales of phones running the Windows Phone software system. “For Verizon, Windows share rose from 0.2 percent in the three months ending April 2012 to 6.8 percent by the period ending April 2013,” Kantar said in its report. Most of the Windows phones sold were Nokia’s Lumia devices, Kantar said.
That number is still small compared with iPhones on Verizon’s network. Last quarter, of the 7.2 million smartphones that Verizon sold over all, four million were iPhones. Still, 6 percent growth for Windows Phone is significant in the American wireless market, where it seemed that the iPhone and Samsung’s Android phones were taking every penny of profit.
* At Best Buy, Lumia Is Selling O.K. but More Slowly Than Android
* AT&T Plans Marketing Deluge for Nokia Windows Phone
* A Best-Selling Phone? It’s Not Just a Good Phone
* Motorola Introduces First Phones of Its New Google Era
* AT&T to Introduce Shared Data Plans in August
wait.. how is an increase from a .2% share to a 6.8% share only 6% growth. That would be a gigantic amount of growth if the article is actually true. It would be a 34 times increase. 3300% | |
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to mikesterr
Saw that article but I can't get Kantar's page to load to read the actual report. However it will be interesting to see what Verizon says when they release numbers.
If WP was selling so well, MS would be talking sales numbers which they are not, so it's got a long way to go... My guess is it will not go anywhere. People are rejecting Metro on the desktop and will reject it on the phone space too. | |
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to mikesterr
said by mikesterr:Funny I felt the same but NYtimes bloger just did a small piece on verizon sales increasing because of windows phone. I only have the intenal verizon link so it could be all Puff. Here is the text though The two pieces of news may, in fact, be related. Verizon used to be the big champion of Android. So they didn't really care about Windows Phone. Now, apparently Verizon has become very lackadaisal with regard to Android support. But Apple is now up to 40+% share, and is getting dangerously close to market dominance. So Verizon finally gives Windows Phone some marketing support, and it finally starts selling on Verizon. The third news link in your Verizon internal newsletter is particularly apt: said by mikesterr:* A Best-Selling Phone? It’s Not Just a Good Phone | |
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to psiu
Verizon is stepping on Nokia's Near Field ability in the WP Wallet too. When I called about why I can't use NF in wallet, I was told Isis was the only thing that came up as an option in the help files. When I asked if Isis was available for WP, I was told 'No'.
So not only are they disabling the phone's ability to use the built in wallet in the OS, they don't offer a replacement. | |
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 guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Lakeland, FL
kudos:5
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More Karl Ain't Verizon BSVerizon was the first carrier to have the new HTC DNA, which I have, its only second to the Samsung S3 at the time ( bought last fall ), They have the S4 and others now, so this article is just utter BS
Karl, why don't you find some thing else to go piss on, Verizon wireless is number one for a reason, sorry you have issue with that. | |
| |  ptrowskiGot Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT
kudos:5 |
ptrowski
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 10:23 am
Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSIt's not BS, they are usually a month behind or more on Verizon. There's no disputing that. The One will be sometime in the summer. Plus the won't get the Nexus 4. So how is this all BS again? | |
| | |  88615298
Premium Member
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness |
88615298
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 10:56 am
Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSsaid by ptrowski:It's not BS, they are usually a month behind or more on Verizon. There's no disputing that. The One will be sometime in the summer. Plus the won't get the Nexus 4. So how is this all BS again?
Verizon is behind because they are testing the AWS radios in these phones. See Verizon is rolling out LTE over AWS spectrum later this year which will double capacity. Which means Verizon will have a combined 20 MHz for downlink and 20 MHz for uplink on LTE on those devices,. compare that to the other carrier. T-Mobile and Sprint only have as little as 5 MHz in some areas. Gee I wonder which carrier will have less issues? | |
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Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSsaid by 88615298
Verizon is behind because they are testing the AWS radios in these phones. See Verizon is rolling out LTE over AWS spectrum later this year which will double capacity. Which means Verizon will have a combined 20 MHz for downlink and 20 MHz for uplink on LTE on those devices,. compare that to the other carrier. T-Mobile and Sprint only have as little as 5 MHz in some areas. Gee I wonder which carrier will have less issues?
now that is BS and everyone knows it. the S3 came out 1 month later than everyone else. The s4 came out a month later. Verizon could give to craps about the end user all they want is your money. I live in an area that there service SUCKS. I needed a microcell to use my home connect lol. I switched to ATT and dont have that problem now. I will say verizon does have the better overall network but for me att is king right now. The sad thing for verizon they have a tower 1 mile from my house but its pointed the wrong direction. | |
| | | | | 88615298
Premium Member
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness |
88615298
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 2:45 pm
Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSsaid by GLIMMER:now that is BS and everyone knows it. No it's not look it up. Verizon IS rolling out AWS for LTE starting this year. FACT. The S4 IS capable of using AWS. FACT. So is the Lumina 928. FACT. And so will the HTC One. FACT. In fact all future phones will have to be AWS capable. FACT. I'd rather wait a month or two and get a phone that works the best over LTE. Honestly what's the big deal. Most of the people can't even upgrade yet. I can't upgrade until July 2014 so do I care if the HTC One comes out now or in 3 months? Nope. So the S4 came out 3 fricken weeks later. Big fucking deal. Whoooh 3 weeks. That affected maybe 3% of customers. That had to wait at most a whopping 3 weeks. Seriously? The HTC One will be out in less 3 weeks anyway. Since no one will able to get a discount upgrade between Sept 1st and Dec 31st I suspect Verizon will want to make sure the phone has a couple of months to sell. | |
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Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSum verizon has been testing AWS since spring of 2012. Verizon is working hard for VOLTE right now also. The s4 was delayed not over a chip in the phone. I know for a fact there have been verizon htc ones around since before the 1 launch. Verizon was waiting to see if the phone would sell. | |
| | | | | | | 88615298
Premium Member
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness |
88615298
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 5:10 pm
Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSsaid by GLIMMER:um verizon has been testing AWS since spring of 2012. Verizon is working hard for VOLTE right now also. The s4 was delayed not over a chip in the phone. I know for a fact there have been verizon htc ones around since before the 1 launch. Verizon was waiting to see if the phone would sell.
Wrong but keep thinking that. | |
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| | | jimk
Premium Member
join:2006-04-15
Raleigh, NC ·Time Warner Cable
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to 88615298
said by 88615298:Verizon is behind because they are testing the AWS radios in these phones.
T-Mobile and, to a lesser extent, AT&T are *using* the AWS radios in these phones and they didn't feel the need to delay the release by a month. Also, Verizon is shipping these with AWS support disabled, to be enabled by a future update. | |
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| LightS
Premium Member
join:2005-12-17
Greenville, TX |
to guppy_fish
Normally I agree with Karl, but this time I don't.
Personally, I don't pick a carrier based upon how swiftly a phone is released. I could care less about the HTC One. I just bought a Galaxy S4 & love it. I had a Galaxy Nexus before that (goign to try to sell it soon, actually) and loved it as well. Sure, OTA updates are slow, but frankly I could care less as long as I'm past 4.1 because I love Google Now.
I have Verizon for a few reasons - 1) grandfathered unlimited..
2) best coverage here, esp. with LTE
3) work discount.. | |
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Re: More Karl Ain't Verizon BSI have to agree with you on the poor coverage for ATT in Greenville. I live in Quinlan and the service out here on the lake is great on ATT. Like you, I am staying with ATT due to grandfathered unlimited, but really would never move to Verizon anyway as I do not like the fact that they lock their phones down to much. I am just waiting to get the Samsung S4 from Google so I don't have to root and run a custom ROM to get rid of the bloat. | |
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delusion ftl to guppy_fish
Anon
2013-Jun-5 12:31 pm
to guppy_fish
The HTC Butterfly (the real name of the DNA) can only be legally sold by Verizon in the USA. So Verizon wasn't first per se, they are the only carrier that can sell it. So equally as valid, you could say they were the last carrier in the U.S. to sell it.
When you look at multi carrier phones (no carrier exclusive), Verizon often comes in last in release time. Or they never come in (like in the case of the galaxy sII, or the HTC one X/S/V). And often they come in last in releasing software updates on multi carrier phones.
That was the point of this article. | |
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kaila
join:2000-10-11
Lincolnshire, IL |
kaila
Member
2013-Jun-5 9:13 am
Verizon is fat and happy.....With non-compete agreements with cable, a near completed LTE rollout, and the lucrative state of wireless right now (and VZ's position in it), why spend any excess calories rushing to put phones to market for paying customers?
Yet another sign of what lack of competition brings. | |
|  pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Andover, NJ
kudos:1 |
Getting Too Big For Their Britches! | |
|  morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 |
morbo
Member
2013-Jun-5 9:17 am
Leaving Verizon for this very reasonI stayed with Verizon for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus device because I wanted the pure Android experience. I'm leaving Verizon because Verizon they did not provide the Nexus experience. They also made installing and updating Google Wallet incredibly difficult for most users.
Verizon has big ambitions, but I'm not going to keep paying them top prices for their bad behavior. | |
| 88615298
Premium Member
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness |
88615298
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 9:38 am
The article is bunkThe S4 and the HTC One were delayed for 2 reasons.
A) Supply shortages by the manufacturer( hardly Version's fault ) and
B) So the phones could have the ability to use the AWS spectrum Verizon is deploying later this year for LTE. Would these same complainers rather have the phones sooner and no AWS ability? Having AWS spectrum radios seems like a extra BENEFIT to me. Can the other version of these phone use it? NOPE. | |
|  tiger72SexaT duorP
Premium Member
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
kudos:1 |
tiger72
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 9:48 am
The premise seems false.I'm pretty sure Android enthusiasts stick to GSM networks because they can bring any phone they'd like. G1? HTC Magic? Nexus One? Nexus S? Galaxy Nexus? Nexus 4? All GSM-only or GSM-first. CDMA is an afterthought because CDMA strangles customer choice. You want to use a phone that the carriers don't sell (like, say, a sony handset) then you're gonna be an ATT or TMO subscriber so you can use those handets. | |
| | ·Optimum Online
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Re: The premise seems false.Yeah it's really more about the underlying technology than anything else GSM will always see newer phones sooner, but that's never really changed, their have always been great android phones you could import from say the UK, which often shares our bands AT&T always had an advantage by being GSM, they just took awhile to start showcasing it, and getting the good phones in the store because of their iPhone exclusive. | |
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·Verizon FiOS
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The landscape is changingLook anyone who has had Verizon (I've had them since the Cell One days) knows they are fascists with their network and devices (they didn't used to be), but maybe in their eyes that is value add. I think it is a hangover from the Bell days. The problem is that it's not just 3 phones anymore, 2 new phones comes out every week. And that means that Verizon is going to stop mucking up the software and concentrate on apps otherwise it's going to lead to lawsuits and dissatisfaction.
The biggest move Jobs made was that he dictated to the carriers (mostly) that Apple is in charge of the drop, not the carriers. And you see having closed hw/sw how brilliantly that has worked. They call it "proprietary", but guess what open source is s**t because whatever choice you make is still a choice. My iphone just works, Nexus 4 while a brilliant phone still had a crapload of bugs that Google seems to permeate and I have no sense that they will ever be fixed. Google is in the ad business, the phones are a means to an end. Apple is in the hardware business, and their quality shows.
So yes Android is like your funky cousin, and is looks like Samsung is the winner here. Now they just need to stabilize the line and offer up a regular update cadence and game over.
Now with subsudies going the way of the dodo bird, this is going to put a big crimp on highend phones, and open a whole new mid-market and that means that the droid vendors will have to step up and actually support the software on their devices or they will go away too. Apple will be dragged in. I choose Nexus for now, because I feel it has an upgrade path, and that means that outside of my corporate phone NO VERIZON.
I for the life of me have no idea why these hardware vendors just don't start charging a subscription so they can ratchet up their quality and provide lifecycle management for these phones. This is really an O/S now, so let's see a support subscription model.
Sorry guys (Verizon), while I prefer your network for my business, I can't tolerate you as a consumer so go pound sand. | |
|  IowaCowboyIowa native
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA
kudos:1 |
They launch iPhones on timeThey always launch iPhones on time, although they are hard to get on launch day particularly the iPhone 5 since its the first in the iPhone fleet to support LTE. | |
|  bobjohnson
Premium Member
join:2007-02-03
Spartanburg, SC
·T-Mobile US
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Anyone know why?What is with the biggest, most profitable carrier not releasing phones even close to the competition? There is obviously a reason that has nothing to do with the time to develop their junkware and such for the newer models. Maybe the manufacturers are holding them up because of all the devices being exclusive to VZ. I have a feeling it's not just them not wanting to carry the phones. | |
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Verizon's changed reup program is frustratingI was hoping to make it to my 20 month mark with a Galaxy Nexus, then flipping over to something new. But Verizon was kind enough to change their policy to renew only when the contract is up. I guess keeping up with the changing dates was too much for them, but now when my contract is up, i'll be shopping around for a carrier for the first time in 16 years. If they want me to pay full price for a phone, then I don't want VZ Bloatware and a locked phone. | |
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Re: Verizon's changed reup program is frustratingYou can take your GNEX and port it to PPC for $55 a month until you figure it out. Yes will only have 3G but at least you get to stay on Verizon while you work it out. | |
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Re: Verizon's changed reup program is frustratingPPC can only activate 3G only phones I think, LTE uses a different system with sim cards that I am pretty sure PPC can't activate. | |
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wkm001
Member
2013-Jun-5 1:29 pm
This is exactly why...I purchased our Verizon Galaxy S3s on Craig's List. We are not in a contract and AT&T just launched LTE in my city two weekends ago. Now I can sell our current phones and buy new ones for AT&T. With the AT&T MVNO's getting access to LTE we might save some real money. | |
|  linicxCaveat Emptor
Premium Member
join:2002-12-03
United State ·CenturyLink
 ·DIRECTV
·TracFone Wireless
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linicx
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 3:17 pm
Boo HooYears ago Verizon was the only go to vendor in many rural areas. AT&T took notice and is now competitive in those same areas with a signal that is as good or better than Verizon. I got tired of the bs from both, and jumped off the high priced forced bundling to Tracfone. I bought a reconditioned LG that fits my needs and surprise! It runs Windows platform over GSM, and very well I might add. | |
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I think It's becase of what they pay to the phone vendorVerizon getting HTC one finally this summer, and the only reason why is HTC is no longer charging verizon same to carry the phone.
I think verizon is trying to stick it to the phone manufacturers.
I imagine the thought is, we have the best network so HTC, and APPLE, and Samsung, you will charge what we want to pay you.
It worked for them with iphone, they didn't carry the first iphone because apple wanted way too much of the profits. Jobs admitted verizon was his first choice not AT&T but the deal couldn't be worked out. Only when apple negotiated a cheaper deal did they pick up the iphone. So even though they aren't first to market with the latest and greatest. They get it cheaper when they do. Of course they don't pass that on to the consumer so its all profit. | |
| BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
EARTH |
BiggA
Premium Member
2013-Jun-5 7:06 pm
True storyI'm glad I'm no longer behind on AT&T. The first few generations of Android on AT&T were really painful. | |
| |  Alcohol
Premium Member
join:2003-05-26
Climax, MI
kudos:4 |
Alcohol
Premium Member
2013-Jun-6 6:53 pm
Re: True storysaid by BiggA:I'm glad I'm no longer behind on AT&T. The first few generations of Android on AT&T were really painful.
AT&T gets the best phone line up, including windows phone and android. | |
| | | BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
EARTH |
BiggA
Premium Member
2013-Jun-9 8:16 am
Re: True storyNow they do. Not in the first couple of generations. Although in reality, the lineup on all carriers is effectively the same now. SGS 4 vs. iPhone 5. | |
|
 Vumes
join:2009-01-04
Beaverton, OR |
Vumes
Member
2013-Jun-5 9:17 pm
No Love for the Blackberry?Blackberry anyone? lol  | |
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and droid users get updates 6 months laterDon't forget verizon doesn't update it's droid phones until 6 months after it is released for everyone else.
I'm hoping the next phone I get from verizon is a pure google phone where the updates come directly from google not verizon. | |
|  cork1958Cork
Premium Member
join:2000-02-26 |
cork1958
Premium Member
2013-Jun-6 5:38 am
Neither Verizon or AT&T will ever be........THE place to go, for me!! In fact, Wish both would be broken up and sold off in small chunks!!  | |
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Newbie Chime In?In my area I have two choices AT&T or Verzion. I worked in tech support for more years than I care to count. With Windows or should I say Microsoft in general it's the constant fixes to plug holes and glitches going all the way back to DOS.
Iphone you are tied to Apple for almost anything you do? It's like you are at there mercy for whatever whim they have at the time. And for a old F??? like me the phone is to small without any choices.
So I have gone the way of Android I'll admit I'm still learning. What I do like is it's a system more open to the people we need more of this. All of the masses of young talent can contribute which is how it should be. But in todays world its all about the $$$ not the greater good | |
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