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story category Verizon Cripples Bluetooth on New Treo
History repeats itself...
(old news - 12:31PM Thursday Jan 12 2006)
tags: wireless · hardware
Techdirt points out that Verizon has crippled bluetooth on the Windows based Treo 700W, meaning users can't use it as an EVDO broadband laptop modem for a laptop or PDA. Verizon says the functionality might be integrated at a future date, but at additional cost. Verizon had already been sued for disabling such functionality on earlier handsets.

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  7. Verizon Officially Announces Droid
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Forums » Verizon Cripples Bluetooth on New Treo
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texans20
Weapons of Masturbation
Premium
join:2002-09-28
Texas!
clubs:

Sprint

Sprint's bluetooth handsets are not crippled, and you can use them to connect to your laptop for no additional charge (as long as you use very little data so your account does not get flagged).
itsdamntrue

join:2004-07-06

Re: Sprint

Verizon is dumb. During the press conference when the treo 700 was unveiled, someone from the audience asked why there was no built-in wifi. The palm ceo said that they didn't want to add another radio to this phone. Why didn't they remove bluetooth and add wifi? Makes no sense to me to build a brand new phone, add in wireless features, and then remove them.

AmeritecTech
Change we can believe in, 1922
Premium
join:2002-09-06
Houston, TX

Re: Sprint

said by itsdamntrue See Profile :

Verizon is dumb. During the press conference when the treo 700 was unveiled, someone from the audience asked why there was no built-in wifi. The palm ceo said that they didn't want to add another radio to this phone. Why didn't they remove bluetooth and add wifi? Makes no sense to me to build a brand new phone, add in wireless features, and then remove them.
Because users still want to use a wireless headset with the Treo.
--
"Independent thinkers tend to ALWAYS have someone Not agreeing with them. It's The non-thinkers that ALWAYS come in legions."-John Callari

Brianv5
Low Level Functionary
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Keyser, WV
Thats why I'm about to renew with sprint instead of changing to Verizon. My contract was up and I can jump ship to any vendor, but why shoot myself in the foot?
--
More power never hurt anything.

Pirate515
Premium
join:2001-01-22
Brooklyn, NY

Re: Sprint

I am happy with my T-Mobile and will probably be staying with them for the foreseeable future. The beauty of GSM is that you are not locked into any particular phone, just stick the card in and you are ready to go. You don't even have to use the phones that they officially sell, and there are hundreds to choose from. Most importantly, BlueTooth is fully functional on my brand-new Sony Ericsson K750i, and I can trade stuff via BT with my friends as I please. As long as Verizon keeps locking things in, I will not even think of becoming their customer.
--
Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies...
A MESSAGE to the RIAA and the MPAA: You shouldn't wound what you can't kill...

JoeOnSunset
Doublethink Is Doubleplus Ungood.
Premium
join:2002-11-25
Ormond Beach, FL

Re: Sprint

I feel the same way. But, the data rate with every US provider (read: TMo and Cingular) is pretty slow.

Now, as far as Verizon being worried about people using their phones at modems w/ EVDO, can't the same thing be accomplished with the USB connection? Perhaps they disabled that functionality, too. Cingular aparrently is able to detect this type of usage though and bill for it separately (that's what I read online, I haven't personally tested that very disappointing news.)
bsp0238

join:2004-12-25
Rowlett, TX
Can you hear me now? Nope my headset doesn't work.

53059959
Temp banned from BBR more then anyone

join:2002-10-02
PwnZone

verizon slow

the reason verizon is not letting people using their bluetooth to connect to evdo as a modem is because verzion has no way to charge for this, as anyone who goes to www.cellphonehacks.com knows, you can get free EVDO by getting an $8 data cable =)

AmeritecTech
Change we can believe in, 1922
Premium
join:2002-09-06
Houston, TX

Re: verizon slow

Not true. Providers can and do detect tethering.

53059959
Temp banned from BBR more then anyone

join:2002-10-02
PwnZone
i've been doing it for 11 months everyday, and i've racked up a good 47 gigs of transfer. sorry, but they don't detect squat

AmeritecTech
Change we can believe in, 1922
Premium
join:2002-09-06
Houston, TX

Re: verizon slow

Verizon may be foolish about it, but providers certainly can do it. Sprint does.

53059959
Temp banned from BBR more then anyone

join:2002-10-02
PwnZone
perhaps, but this article isnt about sprint. everyone who does it on cellphonehacks.com (hundreds) never gets caught.
chesney09
Premium
join:2004-07-26
Redford, MI
clubs:

Why does this just not surprise me?

Amazing.. You pay 500 for a piece of crippled hardware.

Typical Verizon. If they can't charge you for it, they won't let you use it.

I am sure there will be hacks you to add in functionaility just liek the E815 and the V710

fegul
Premium
join:2004-08-23
united state

Re: Why does this just not surprise me?

said by chesney09 See Profile :

Amazing.. You pay 500 for a piece of crippled hardware.

Typical Verizon. If they can't charge you for it, they won't let you use it.

I am sure there will be hacks you to add in functionaility just liek the E815 and the V710
I hacked my e815 the night I got it. No more issues, no more rip off.
--
|Networking Help|My Blog|Fegul.com|

kamm

join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
·T-Mobile US

Re: Why does this just not surprise me?

said by fegul See Profile :

said by chesney09 See Profile :

Amazing.. You pay 500 for a piece of crippled hardware.

Typical Verizon. If they can't charge you for it, they won't let you use it.

I am sure there will be hacks you to add in functionaility just liek the E815 and the V710
I hacked my e815 the night I got it. No more issues, no more rip off.
Yeah but it's ridiculous they force you to do this.

fegul
Premium
join:2004-08-23
united state

Re: Why does this just not surprise me?

It is ridiculous. I'm not paying $200 for a gimp phone.
Jonbo298

join:2004-01-12
Council Bluffs, IA

Re: Why does this just not surprise me?

Yeah, I know how it feels. Unfortunately Verizon sucked me into a good deal back in April of last year or so and well...now regret the 2 year commit since even though their service is great, crippling things worse then when I had Sprint.

If verizon's act isnt any better in a year or so and contract time expires, I'll probably consider switching back to Sprint since I at least have the freedom to put what I want on my phone and vice-versa.

visio

join:2001-08-29
Clifton, NJ
hah of course you're not... its $500

Smartphone
Price: $399.99
with 2yr agreement

Online Discount
Price reflects
$100 savings.
Grnbeano

join:2001-11-30
Dallas, TX

Re: Why does this just not surprise me?

Try Nadda, Zip, Zilch, Big GoosEgg:D:D

Laughing

@megapath.net
I didn't pay anything and didn't sign a new contract.
moonpuppy

join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

And this is a shock how?

Verizon has been doing this for years.

They may have the better network but their phones are always crippled.

CPM

join:2001-08-24
Miami, FL

Re: And this is a shock how?


Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

This is a myth. Sprint has the most complete network in the country. I think SPrint has like 65,000 towers to Verizons 40,000.

Sprint blows verizon away in Michigan thats for sure. The amount of time spent in digital roam with Verizon while Sprint is in full network digital should be a crime.
stonecolddsl
Linux Junkie

join:2004-01-07
Sarasota, FL

Re: And this is a shock how?

No Alltel is the US largest cell network. More towers than any other company. And by the way the sprint prl looks alltel is the preffered roaming partner of sprint.

djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Glen Ellyn, IL
clubs:
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·T-Mobile US
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE

Re: And this is a shock how?

said by stonecolddsl See Profile :

No Alltel is the US largest cell network. More towers than any other company. And by the way the sprint prl looks alltel is the preffered roaming partner of sprint.
LoL! Alltel.. Right... I have not heard of alltel since i lived near tampa. We don't have them around here.
--
"I'm not bright, big words confuse me, I have the attention span of a rodent and Wanda loves me anyway! And that should be enough for you!"____When you do things right, people won't be sure you done anything at all..

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI


1 edit
Alltel has under 15 million users while Sprint has 44 million.

In Michigan Alltel is relegated to obscure boonie areas in the north part of the state.

Sadly its Cingular who is the largest...Sad because they have an inferior technology (GSM).
jfwjxn

join:2002-03-26
Portage, MI

Re: And this is a shock how?

Actually, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Alltel OWNS and operates the largest network. They may not have the most coverage or the most users, but a lot of Sprint's, Verizon's, and Cingular's coverage comes through roaming agreements or affiliates.

en102
Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME


1 edit

Re: And this is a shock how?

I would agree that Alltel Wireless may have the largest coverage area on its native network. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that they have the most cell sites, or highest amount of customers. The best way to see what your 'native coverage' is to check the low pre-paid packages. I think these are outdated, as Alltel did purchase Western Wireless if I'm not mistaken

»www.alltel.com/personal/wireless···X500.gif
»onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-p···ougo.gif

As far as licensed coverage - nobody has higher than Sprint.
»people.ku.edu/~cinema/wireless/spcs.gif

Since Alltel doesn't own anything in California, they're useless to me, which leaves with the following:

Cingular Wireless (somewhat pricey, but good corp discount) - on the positive - its GSM
T-Mobile - great network in Calfornia
Sprint - Good in city network, roaming elsewhere, good corp discount
Verizon Wireless - wouldn't touch them with a 20' pole after my last experience with them.
Nextel - I works decently. Horrible battery life on handsets. Extremely limited coverage in Canada.
stonecolddsl
Linux Junkie

join:2004-01-07
Sarasota, FL
·Rapid Systems, Inc.
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: And this is a shock how?

em102 the prepaid map does not show the coverage that has been added buy the western wireless merger or the towers bought of cingular and the markets bought off from cingular during the ATT merger they are old maps. mainly because alltel has not updated anything on there prepaid

en102
Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

Re: And this is a shock how?

Did I not state that in my post ?
stonecolddsl
Linux Junkie

join:2004-01-07
Sarasota, FL
·Rapid Systems, Inc.
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Verizon Online DSL

Alltel has the largest nation wide footprint. Mainly do to buying towers off Cingular after the ATT merger and then they bought Western Wireless. They might not have the most customers by far but they have the most towers and the most native coverage of any wireless provider.

P.S. Alltel owns both cdma and gsm towers and most of its money is made by it roaming agreements with Cingular/Verizon/Sprint. Enough said.

en102
Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME

Re: And this is a shock how?

While I'm not sure if Alltel has the most towers. Those 200' towers can cover large areas out there in the midwest where in cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. there's typically a cell site (tower?) every 3-4 city blocks, and some indoors and underground.
I think during the early stages of the merger, Cingular had somewhere close to 50,000 cell sites.

Paulg
Displaced Yooper
Premium
join:2004-03-15
Neenah, WI
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Midwest

Hey... alltel is a major player here, one of 2 choices here..

I guess that makes me backwoods

Yes, i did already know i lived in the sticks
--
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponant.

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

Re: And this is a shock how?

You already know that the Keweenaw is the backwoods.

Pepe777

@71.228.x.x

ROTFL

Yet another not-so-well-thought-out post.

Please enlighten us all on how GSM technology is so inferior? You do realize GSM & CDMA are essentially merging technologies very soon. In a nutshell, GSM will be the back end architecture of the next generation of wireless, while CDMA will be the air interface.

I am awaiting your responses to the other thread about automobiles...

-P

captnrr

@il.us

You cant compare a PCS network against a cellular network. It takes twice as many towers to run a PCS network as compared to a cellular network. So if Verizon has 40,000 towers Sprint would need 80,000 for comparable coverage. Most of the sprint network around me is alone I70 and they use telephone poles every two miles for about 30 miles. You get off the main drag you have no service.

djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Glen Ellyn, IL
clubs:
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·T-Mobile US
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE

Re: And this is a shock how?

said by captnrr :

You cant compare a PCS network against a cellular network. It takes twice as many towers to run a PCS network as compared to a cellular network. So if Verizon has 40,000 towers Sprint would need 80,000 for comparable coverage. Most of the sprint network around me is alone I70 and they use telephone poles every two miles for about 30 miles. You get off the main drag you have no service.
Sprint and Verizon actually both use the same technology. They use cdma for voice while cingular and t-mobile use gsm. u.s. cellular uses cdma also.
--
"I'm not bright, big words confuse me, I have the attention span of a rodent and Wanda loves me anyway! And that should be enough for you!"____When you do things right, people won't be sure you done anything at all..

djdanska
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-21
Glen Ellyn, IL
clubs:
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·T-Mobile US
·A + Net
·Mediacom
·RCN CABLE

Click for full size
T-mobile's info. On a recent presentation. (01/09/2006)

wifiedalready



EVDO SUCKS

why do people buy such services? You wanna buy something expensive, keep those gas stations in business buying premium gas when you don't need it.

Using someone's wifi is MUCH better, and relatively unrestricted. Verizon is shooting themselves in the foot by not innovating, they are dropping the ball. They are not in the sweet spot even with fiber anymore. Not answering competitive services with comparable products or products that beat best offers by competitiors is just plain asking for trouble down the road in customer churn. Contracts expire, customers get angry, and get rival's service. Ensuring sprint will make money (ie go to the bank) for some time to come.

In reality, I hope a company comes out with a wireless data service that uses voip and gets rid of all cellular based regulations, PERIOD. No more per minute expense, no more ripping the customer off for extra features, etc. Unlimited plans that are closer to REALITY, not sprint's $199 unlimited plan, but REAL bandwidth to spare. 5 megabit symmetric, PER USER, and able to be used MOBILE!! NO regulatory fees, municipality surcharges, taxes, federal subsidy, etc, etc, etc. This is what stifles innovation of the technology. Almost all of telcom has their hand out for a slice of the pie... just to do business. Verizon has no incentive to do better.

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

Re: EVDO SUCKS

Using someones wifi is illegal.... doesnt stop me though at times.
patcat88

join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

You know there is a finite amount of air spectrum you know? Now do you UltraWideband that is transmited in the gamma ray frequency so you can have your bandwidth? or be frying under 20w of radio transmitter power because every light post, house, mailbox, utility pole has a cellphone transmitter?

armara65

So much for that

My Sprint contract is up at the end of this month and my plan was to switch to Verizon and buy this phone. So much for that. I can't get away from Sprint, and I can't get a fully functional phone.

kamm

join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY

I hope they will lost the case...

... and get severe fine to pay. It'd be nice to see the court finally helps the customer, not the greedy corporations.
ominae

join:2003-05-11
Columbus, OH

Re: I hope they will lost the case...

there is a settlement pending that is supposed to be resolved this month (1/19/06 if i'm remembering this correctly). i have a v710 and if approved they are supposed to send instructions on how to send the phone back for a refund. of course, this doesn't include the headset or any of the other accessories i purchased for the phone. i'd be wary anytime verizon offers bluetooth. they are trying to protect their revenue at the consumer's expense. i figure if i spend $500 for a phone it damn well better do what the manufacturer advertises.

dru

join:2000-09-14
Corona, CA

Re: I hope they will lost the case...

If I recall correctly, the settlement covers the V710 and any V710-unique accessories (extra batteries, holsters, chargers, etc).

I'd assume Bluetooth headsets were not be included since those work with any BT phone including those offered by other companies.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast

said by ominae See Profile :

there is a settlement pending that is supposed to be resolved this month (1/19/06 if i'm remembering this correctly).
Heh... I'll bet you the settlement will be a $5 off coupon for this Treo LOL. Class action suits are such BS.
said by ominae See Profile :

i'd be wary anytime verizon offers bluetooth. they are trying to protect their revenue at the consumer's expense. i figure if i spend $500 for a phone it damn well better do what the manufacturer advertises.
Well, at least now that its known that this phone is crippled hopefully fewer people will buy it. But I know I won't have any sympathy for someone who forks over $500 for the phone and then complains when the Bluetooth doesn't work.
--
Rove / Rumsfeld 2008!

dru

join:2000-09-14
Corona, CA

Re: I hope they will lost the case...

said by pnh102 See Profile :

said by ominae See Profile :

Heh... I'll bet you the settlement will be a $5 off coupon for this Treo LOL. Class action suits are such BS.
Actually, the settlement in this case was fairly substantial. If I recall, you could either take full credit on returned V710 equipment towards a new agreement at Verizon's current promotional price or elect to end your service with no early term penalty.

The latter was perhaps more attractive when the "ballot" form was distributed a few months ago. As one who bought a V710 within a week after they came available, the term will be nearly over if/when the deal is approved. If no preference was given then something like a $50 credit towards Verizon accessories would be issued.

If you're keeping Verizon service anyway, might as well take the credit towards a RAZR or pda phone. Bluetooth will still be crippled, but it's better than just $100
with the "new every two" credit.

ropeguru
Premium
join:2001-01-25
Bridgeport, WV
clubs:
·VOIPo

Figured this would happen....

THey have already been sued over this once and lost. You would think they would learn. Although on that law suit, they advertised certain capabilities but then disabled them.

Corporations these days really need to grow up and let users have what they want.
--
FWD#: 223611

See 7 replies to this post
gatchel

join:2000-11-28
16465

try

changing e2 to e3....

AmeritecTech
Change we can believe in, 1922
Premium
join:2002-09-06
Houston, TX

More of the Same

Verizon loves to cripple their phones. Its like their specialty.
cghh

join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA

Re: More of the Same

said by AmeritecTech See Profile :

Verizon loves to cripple their phones. Its like their specialty.
I think VZW would like to remove all builtin functionality from phones that they cannot charge for (Bluetooth file transfer, media players, calendar, alarm clock, calculator, etc) and replace them by $$ GetItNow applications. The current drive toward requiring that phones they support use their own UI helps in this effort. Like removing the MP3 support on the new LG phones, stating that the plan is to put MP3 support in their VCast application.
moonpuppy

join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

Re: More of the Same

I wonder if GAGIN still works.

en102
Canadian, eh?

join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME

I agree with you 100%
I expect that Verizon Wireless will have vendors meet their specifications on the handsets for everything from features to menus. This never used to be an issue, however, in some ways, VZW has not kept up with the features available on the phones (yeah, they do sell VCast, but they cripple the MP3 players as well!). If Verizon can resell these already included features as options, they can obviously make more money.

VCAST Music Disables MP3 Playback

Monday, 1:02 PM source: Phone Scoop

Phonescoop has confirmed early reports that the VCAST Music upgrade for the VX8100 disables MP3 playback on the phone, at least when mp3s are saved directly to the memory card. Verizon clearly stated the music player would support mp3s stored on users' PCs. We have not been able to test this yet, but it is likely that Windows Media Player on the desktop transcodes the MP3 to a WMA file before saving it to the phone. If this is not the case and the phone is still capable of playing back MP3s without transcoding, they still can only be added to the phone's music library through the desktop. It is impossible to force the phone to add MP3 files to its music library from the device.
phantom6294

join:2002-02-27
Abingdon, MD
·Comcast

Why Verizon Lost...

The reason Verizon lost the lawsuit with regards to the v710 is that they ADVERTISED that files and pictures could be transferred between the phone and a laptop WIRELESSLY (via Bluetooth). Thus, since they had crippled the Bluetooth and the file transfer capability was not available, Verizon got sued and rightfully lost; false advertising.

As a result... Verizon stopped advertising file transfer capabilities and you will notice that on any phone that has Bluetooth they have a disclaimer that the phone ONLY supports Headset Profiles and does NOT support OBEX type file transfers.

Unfortunately, there really isn't much that can be done since Verizon does not wrongfully/illegally advertise features of the phone.

That said... I am still VERY disappointed that Verizon crippled the Bluetooth on the new Treo 700w.

cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27
·Verizon FIOS

Extortion

Me: Hi, GM, I'd like to buy a hybrid.
GM: Sure. We can sell you a car that has a hybrid feature. But you'll need to pay a premium to have that feature activated from our dealership you acquire the car from.
Me: WTF? I can get a hybrid that works from Toyota or Honda.
GM: Yes you can. But it won't be supported at our dealerships.

ok. Bad analogy. But still, I pay $$$ for a tool that is crippled from the manufacturer for the reseller/VAR??? I wonder if suing Motorola AND Verizon is needed here.


Yes, I hacked my moto (has bluetooth icon on back) to enable BT features (like syncing) to my Mac. Used a PC to do it. Skruw U VZW....

See 12 replies to this post

shaner
Premium
join:2000-10-04
Calgary, AB

Now wait a second...

Why can't you use the usb cable for DUN? Why does it have to be done through BT?

I agree it would be absolutely stupid for any EV-DO handset to not have some sort of DUN capability.

UglyDork
Premium
join:2002-01-09
Buffalo, NY

Re: Now wait a second...

I was thinking the same thing. My Treo is through Sprint, but I still use the USB sync cable along with pdanet to get on line.
--

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

Re: Now wait a second...

That very setup is what I'm using to type this post.

I found the BT DUN to be unreliable in comparison.

Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable


1 edit

Money money money.... money

Consumers are like cows and Verizon (as well as other Bells) are milking us for everything. (wait until the "milk" runs out... IT WILL!)
Although a phone has functions from the factory, why enable it for free when there is money to be made.
After all, we need to make sure the CEOs get their multi million dollars a year and millions of dollars in "bonuses."
It isn't about consumers needs or wants.
--
Adelphia HSI*6000/768*Linksys BEFCMU10 v4 modem*Linksys WRT54G WAP/Router

veloslave
Geek For God
Premium
join:2003-07-11
Pleasant Hill, CA

Yeah yeah yeah

They did the same thing to the I730 but the hack was out within days... just like the one for the treo will be.
--
Mom was right...I need more FIBER>
ronmax8

join:2001-02-07
Clarksburg, MD

who cares

:p;) I switched from Sprint to verizon and got the samsung i-730, after using this phone for almost 3 months there is no way i'm going back to sprint or att ever. 3 months of no droped calls, a phone that works just about everywhere including the DC area Metro trains. There is no real advantage of using your phone as a modem since while you are doing so you can't make or recive phone calles. for $59 per month i got the KPC 670 air card and now I could do both at the same time. Those phones are for people that need them for work and not for people who just like to have a toy.

Jon Geb
Wal-Mart Sucks

join:2001-01-09
Howell, MI

Re: who cares

Are you saying that verizon hasnt disabled BT on the I-730 for data transfer?

veloslave
Geek For God
Premium
join:2003-07-11
Pleasant Hill, CA
·PHONE POWER
·SONIC.NET

Re: who cares

said by Jon Geb See Profile :

Are you saying that verizon hasnt disabled BT on the I-730 for data transfer?
No.... but I am saying that there is a free fix

www.pdaphonehome.com

Go to the I730 page
--
Mom was right...I need more FIBER>
itguy05

join:2005-06-17
Camp Hill, PA

V710 Debacle

Got me looking at alternatives....

Went to ATTWS where I got a cool T637 that worked flawlessly and ATTWS' network had matured well.

Stitched to Cingular and got a V551 that works flawlessly and is not crippled. The network is much better than Verizon (who makes their claim based on their own tests, not a 3rd party), the phone works, and is not crippled in any way.

Vote with your wallet - Cingular's network is as good as, or better than Verizon and the phones are not crippled.

Not to mention, running Windows on any device (computer, phone, PDA) is insane. It's not fit for any device.
phantom6294

join:2002-02-27
Abingdon, MD
·Comcast

Re: V710 Debacle

Well... in my experience... Cingular's network is worthless. I was living in Texas and was moving to New Jersey. I came up to look for apartments and every time I tried calling with my cingular phone... it would sit there and say 'connecting' for about 30 seconds. Half the time it would finally make a call, the other half the time nothing would happen, and it would cancel the call. Customer Service claimed that the delay was because my account was based in Texas..................................... apparently, I sounded really dumb that day. My experience wasn't much better in Texas. At least three times, my call was dropped and I got thrown into someone else's phone call; they would hear me for a split second but then they couldn't, but I could hear both sides of the other conversation. Plenty more instances of dropped calls even with strong signals.

Also, as far as Cingular's network having "more bars in more places"... at my dad's house in the Blue Ridge Mountains... I don't get a Cingular signal for a area with about a 30 mile radius. My new verizon phone... full strength DIGITAL signal... even in valleys.

I have a friend who has cingular and on average, we have to call each other back at least 3 times during a 20 minute phone call because, assumingly, cingular's network dropped the call. I cannot recall a single incident where my verizon phone has dropped a call.

The final draw with me and Cingular was when a customer service supervisor FLAT OUT LIED TO ME. I terminated my service right then and there. It cost me the $150 to cancel since I was still under contract, but in the long run, I will end up in the positive.

So, in MY experience... Cingular's network isn't worth it nor is the customer service worth it. So, I voted with my wallet... and left Cingular. My Verizon v710 works everywhere I have taken it... and it always works. I certainly disappointed about Verizon policy towards Bluetooth... but ultimately it is a phone... and if I can't make phone calls... what's the point?
itguy05

join:2005-06-17
Camp Hill, PA

Re: V710 Debacle

Funny you mention NJ - I travel to N. NJ (outside NYC) and S. NJ (Philly/Cherry Hill) and my Cingular phone has better service than any Verizon phone. As a matter of fact, I forward my work Verizon phone to my personal Cingular phone for better service. We won't even discuss the poor call quality of an overloaded CDMA system.

And travelling the PA Turnpike usually results in numerous drops for Verizon. With my Cing. phone, I often have 45-1hour conference calls driving the turnpike. No dropped calls, no major issues.

Are you sure your dropped call issue is not Verizon? I've had NUMEROUS occasions of VZW dropping the call with full signal. It's because of the way CDMA works and requires very tight power control - move your head and bamo, you can loose the call.

Either way, you have to use what works for. Verizon stopped working for me a long time ago. And since I have both services, I can compare both.
phantom6294

join:2002-02-27
Abingdon, MD
·Comcast


1 edit

Re: V710 Debacle

Are you sure your dropped call issue is not Verizon?
Fairly sure... at the time, I still had my cingular phone and the call would drop with my cingular phone and verizon phone; so I surmised the problems was at the other end of the call which was always Cingular. Call another friend who uses Verizon and we could talk for hours with crystal clear audio.

I probably should have mentioned I tend to think the phone itself can at times be the true culprit. Two different GSM phones on Cingular's GSM may provide vastly different performance... and the same difference in performance from two different CDMA phones on Verizon's CDMA network.

For exmaple, the first phone I had with Cingular was a Nokia 3360 (got it spring '02) and was very reliable. I eventually moved to a Nokia 6340i and went through three phones (in a year) and always had problems. My friend had Cingular and also had a 6340i and also had his phone replaced four times in a year and always had problems. Cingular employees always mentioned the 6340i seemed to be 'lemon' phone. I eventually moved to a Sony-Ericcson T637 but had problems with the network in Texas and it's DUN profile never would work with my Inspiron 8600 and built in Bluetooth. My Motorola v710 works flawlessly with DUN on the same laptop.

So... in the end, this is power of competition. I had trouble with Cingular's network, hardware, and customer service, so I voted with my wallet and discontinued my service. I have been impressed with Verizon's network, both reliability and coverage, extremely impressed with their customer service, and though they do cripple some bluetooth features, the hardware has been extremely reliable. For now... Verizon will keep my business.

shutrbug

join:2000-10-18
San Jose, CA
LOL! I was playing with the Motorola Q in the M$ booth at CES and it hung completely while I was entering text in a message. The M$ rep who I was chatting with couldn't reboot it. He put it back on display in its hung state.:D
HeinePaul

join:2003-07-18
Las Vegas, NV

cell phone hack site

I went looking for www.cellphonehacks.com and found nothing. As I'm considering dropping my Treo 600 from T-Mobile, which does allow me to use it (using PDAnet, third-party software) as a modem for my laptop, but at only GPRS speed.. barely 20K throughput, I'm looking at Sprint's rebadged HTC phone/pda. Here in Las Vegas, we can choose between EDGE from Cigulair and Sprint's version, and I've heard horror stories from both company's subscribers. So, I want to see what "aftermarket" hacks can be done to both. Do you have suggestions as to where to look? I'm not wild about overseas sites, as some seem to be loaded with toxic spyware.
itguy05

join:2005-06-17
Camp Hill, PA

Re: cell phone hack site

Last time I was in Vegas, I was very less than thrilled with Verizon's performance. I was carrying both an ATTWS and Verizon phone. The ATT phone blew the Verizon phone out of the water in 98% of the areas I used it in....
jdmatl

join:2000-04-27
Deerfield Beach, FL

said by HeinePaul See Profile :

I went looking for www.cellphonehacks.com and found nothing. As I'm considering dropping my Treo 600 from T-Mobile, which does allow me to use it (using PDAnet, third-party software) as a modem for my laptop, but at only GPRS speed.. barely 20K throughput, I'm looking at Sprint's rebadged HTC phone/pda. Here in Las Vegas, we can choose between EDGE from Cigulair and Sprint's version, and I've heard horror stories from both company's subscribers. So, I want to see what "aftermarket" hacks can be done to both. Do you have suggestions as to where to look? I'm not wild about overseas sites, as some seem to be loaded with toxic spyware.
If you want to to attach EVDO from a phone to laptop, BlackBerry 7130e from Verz offers this as a feature. it isn't a Treo, but you can use the EVDO via a laptop...or so they claim!

kamm

join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
·T-Mobile US

said by HeinePaul See Profile :

I went looking for www.cellphonehacks.com and found nothing. As I'm considering dropping my Treo 600 from T-Mobile, which does allow me to use it (using PDAnet, third-party software) as a modem for my laptop, but at only GPRS speed.. barely 20K throughput, I'm looking at Sprint's rebadged HTC phone/pda. Here in Las Vegas, we can choose between EDGE from Cigulair and Sprint's version, and I've heard horror stories from both company's subscribers. So, I want to see what "aftermarket" hacks can be done to both. Do you have suggestions as to where to look? I'm not wild about overseas sites, as some seem to be loaded with toxic spyware.
TMO is conducting live EDGE (~200-300kb/s) tests in several cities - they will upgrade their speeds soon this year. I suggest you to hang on like I do - it's dirt cheap for $19.99 and they said they won't raise the price after EDGE upgrade.

pa555
Seconds Last

join:2001-05-11
Monrovia, CA

Click for full size
That link worked for me!
I tried the link and it worked for me. Try it again or with a different browser.

Paul

drjekel_mrhyde

@68.249.x.x

verizon do this with their phones also

I have a razr from cingular its can use bluetooth or usb with a the program that motorola(mpt) has that go with the phone that lets you get wallpaper, ringtones and mp3s for free in the verizon razr they blocked that feature so their customers can keep paying for ringtones and wallpapers from them (verizon)

gball
Master Yoda
Premium
join:2000-11-28
South Bend, IN
clubs:

boooo

Verizon has really good coverage in my area but a year ago when I was looking to sign a new contract I found out the v710 through verizon was crippled before I signed a 2 yr. I went ahead and switched to Cingular and although their coverage isn't as good I can use any phone I want really and the phones they do offer are not crippled.

I personally will never use Verizon because of this. They simply don't want you putting your own pics or ringtones on the phone when they can charge you through their Get It Now crap...
YD

join:2003-02-23
Morristown, NJ

Re: boooo

I can transfer via bt. photos to my nextel phone, but not ringtones or even simple text like directions or a shopping list!

I'm shopping for a new provider, not because of that, but because I don't have signal where I work in Chatham, NJ (this is costing me time & money).

Are there any other providers besides cingular that don't cripple their phones?

RR Conductor
RailRoadDude
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA

Typical Verizon Arrogance

This comes as no surprise, Verizon is at their arrogant ways again.
Forums » Verizon Cripples Bluetooth on New Treopage: 1 · 2


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