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Verizon Agrees to Shorten Exclusivity Period to Six Months

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another reason for me to hate verizon even more.

the_eraser

Jul 17, 2009, 7:14 PM
By doing this (in a passive/aggressive way) they'll be forcing AT&T to follow, so that they don't look bad. I hope AT&T doesn't fall for this and actually extends the contract with apple for at least 5 more years.
Verizon wants the iphone so badly that they are doing anything they can, even if it takes to sell their soul (in this case their exclusivity agreements) to get it.
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HawkeyeOC

Jul 17, 2009, 7:34 PM
the_eraser said:
By doing this (in a passive/aggressive way) they'll be forcing AT&T to follow, so that they don't look bad. I hope AT&T doesn't fall for this and actually extends the contract with apple for at least 5 more years.
Verizon wants the iphone so badly that they are doing anything they can, even if it takes to sell their soul (in this case their exclusivity agreements) to get it.


No 😲 Actually it's a smart move to voluntarily do something before the govt. comes in and mandates it. Who wants more rules and regulation?
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cellman09

Jul 18, 2009, 12:18 AM
I bet he wants free health care to !! Obama this Obama that Change!! Yeah right all we have left is change give me the dang bills ! I say letting the govt is making this country a bunch of socialist which sucks
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murmermer

Jul 18, 2009, 8:10 PM
eh, it will blow up in their face when people revolt and put them on trial for treason- when 75% of the country DOES NOT want Government health care- we should put them on trial and find them guilty
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bluecoyote

Jul 17, 2009, 10:56 PM
AT&T, unlike Verizon, has phones (at least -a- phone) people want, and one Verizon wants. If Verizon had the iPhone and AT&T was stuck with some POS like the LG Voyager, AT&T would pretending to be the good guy here as well.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 12:13 AM
the voyager is not a comparable phone to the iphone, nor is it marketed as such.

You know, if you actually knew what you were talking about, you might make sense every once and awhile.
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 12:54 AM
Maybe if you spent your free time thinking while reading my posts you'd know I was using this dichotomy between devices as an example as to the 'exclusive phones' Verizon and AT&T get.

You can replace 'LG voyager' with any Verizon-exclusive phone and it'd be just as apt of a comparison. Of course none of them compare to the iPhone- nothing Verizon has does.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 12:58 AM
I know this is really hard for you to understand...

But the iphone is an exclusive phone. The biggest selling point of the iphone is it's OS, software developed by a company known as "APPLE" who is infamous for how quickly they will attack any other company that even hints at borrowing their code. You think Verizon's picky with their UI? That's most likely a huge reason why the iphone isn't with verizon. getting the two companies to compromise would mean one of them would have to give up control, and APPLE sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

There WON'T be a phone that competes directly with the iphone, there never will be. Just like you cannot have a phone that competes directly with a Blackberry.

That being said, there is no ...
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 1:07 AM
"Software developed by a company known as "APPLE" who is infamous for how quickly they will attack any other company that even hints at borrowing their code. "

So you're telling me that Apple functions like a normal software company. What the hell is your point?

"You think Verizon's picky with their UI? That's most likely a huge reason why the iphone isn't with verizon. getting the two companies to compromise would mean one of them would have to give up control."

Ok... so is your point that Verizon should be allowed to copy Apple's UI? Oh awesome, why don't they just get some chinese company to just knockoff the entire iPhone as well!

I don't think anyone cares that Verizon is picky with their UI, moreso that Verizon's UI is to...
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:13 AM
No, I am saying that unless a company copies the iphone's UI pixel for pixel, nothing will compare to it because the selling point of the iphone is the UI. So no matter how functional, how amazing a new phone is, it is still comparing apples to oranges.

I'm not saying that companies can't make phones that are just as good, or better (to certain customers) than the iphone, I am just saying, you can't compare it.

Read an essay called "In the Beginning was the command line" sometime by Neal Stephenson. Apple is successful because they sell their UI as an experience. That is why APPLE products are difficult to mimic. you can copy the form as much as you want, but in the end it comes down to the UI. This doesn't make them superior, thi...
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 1:19 AM
Actually, we have things called "human interface guidelines," where people actually sit and observe the way people use and interact with things. Believe it or not it's not all subjective voodoo- in fact, using this amazing power we're able to figure out that some designs are actually better than others!

Apple is successful because they hire people who understand these studies! They aren't always 100% perfect, but more often than not they nail it. Palm did an exceptional job software wise with the Pre, and Google did for most parts of Android. And it's not just Apple, other phone companies such as Sony Ericsson usually did a good job paying attention to proper interface design and input methods.

But Verizon definitely ha...
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:29 AM
I am a big fan of APPLE OSX over pretty much any other OS. But there are a lot of features that you're not considering.

Blackberry has Path Dependence for their devices. They have expensive, specialized software programs that allow companies to use their phones for VPN communication. a signifigant redesign of the UI would cause a lot of issues, not to mention make the thousands of programs developed for the blackberries obsolete.

Apple feels it as well. This is the third generation of the Iphone that features the same UI, OSX has gone through 4-5 major revisions while still keeping essentially the same look for the same reason.

Palm was a dying fish, they needed to go for something totally new to survive. That last chance allow...
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 1:46 AM
All good points!
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ecycled

Jul 18, 2009, 10:28 AM
sounds like a good case for apple to make 2 phones
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Kryger

Jul 18, 2009, 11:17 AM
no. iphones for at&t only kthnxbai
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 11:38 AM
Actually, having the iphone on another network might help ATT because it would show that the phone itself has issues and it's not just the network it is on.
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Kryger

Jul 18, 2009, 1:48 PM
doubtful people already know that at&t doesnt have as good of service in the US as verizon but the iphone makes up for that. keeping the ihpone will keep customers. each company should just have their own high grade phones for just their own company. sprint has the pre (which is coming to at&t soon XD) verizon has like 5-6 LG phones and at&t has the iphone. it should stay that way
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 12:54 AM
What's wrong with the LG Voyager? It seems to me to be a pretty well rounded handset, in my opinion the Voyager, ENV, and Dare are Verizons best handsets.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a fanboy of any wireless company. Though the only wireless company I have ever been with is Cingular/ATT.

I am an honest consumer, not a fanboy. I just had to say that since I'm making a positive comment about Verizon.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:01 AM
You said something positive about verizon.. you obviously have the "can you hear me now" guy tattood on your arm and pray to the Verizon UI every night.

🤣

Honestly, I don't know why people bash the ENV line as much as they do. People fall in love with that phone in my store (disclaimer, I do work for them, but I'll never say that they are the best carrier for everyone)

The reason Bluecoyote doesn't like the phone is because they are a fanboy of the APPLE verizon. If the phone doesn't have a lowercase "i" infront of it, it is inferior to them.. I have no idea why this is the case, but different strokes I suppose.
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 1:07 AM
So as far you think the Voyager is a good handset? I like the name a lot, I think the name Voyager is so futuristic, because of it's association with Star Trek.

Anyway I thought that comment was pretty damn funny comparing being a Verizon fanboy to a religion! ! !
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:14 AM
Yeah.. I know it's kinda stupid, but I wanted the g1 when it first launched, not because of any features, but because the thing reminded me of something from startrek. Along those lines, I really like the look of the new alias.. it has that retro-futuristic look to it imo.

I swear if they ever made a phone that looked like one of those communicators I'd buy one.

I liked the Voyager. I have the EnV2 myself because I drop my phone... a lot. so a touch screen would be bad for me. I'm most likely getting the tour in a few months because I need a smartphone soon and sadly I don't think we'll get a Android phone by that time. The HTC Hero.. that looks like a slick piece of art.
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 1:28 AM
Yep, Alias looks pretty cool.
Really the only feature I'd like that my phone doesn't have is a physical keyboard. I have the Nokia N95-3, recently I've been eyeing the E75. But recently I've been busy hustling down debt. I need to move on with my life and leave my 20's behind me and be debt free, heck yeah!!!
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:35 AM
Very nice. I'm moving soon, and once that happens I plan on really working to pay down my debt. new store is in a much better area, and I'll be managing it, so hopefully it means I'll be able to push more money into my loans.
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 1:42 AM
Oh, I'm kinda doing things the other way around, debt-free 1st, then move back home (Ct) where I !! BELONG !! But that's not going to be for a while cause it's very, very important to me that I do go home the right way! So hopefully I won't lose/break my N95 anytime soon so I won't have to spend $$$ buying a new one.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:47 AM
I'm actually moving a bit further from home.. but in this economy, I'll go where the jobs are. Couldn't really start a paydown here cause sales were really slow, and like an idiot, the first thing I did when I got out of school was blow my money on stupid stuff and not put it away for paying down the loans. Live and learn I guess though.

CT is a nice area. Only was there briefly, but I enjoyed it. As much as it frustrates me, I'll always consider PA my home. Kinda like that annoying uncle that randomly curses at the paper boy. Annoys the crap out of you sometimes, but it's something you wouldn't want to trade.
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 2:05 AM
So your from Pa? Where do you live now? I'm in Lv. Yeah, I've had bad spending habits over the yrs also, 61in HDTV, over 600 DVDs & Blu-Rays. But on the 25th of this month it will be 4 full months since I've had a charge on my credit card. My goal is to be completly debt-free sometime in the last 3 months of next yr.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 2:08 AM
Moving near the Wilkes Barre area, in coal country right now.
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Jayshmay

Jul 18, 2009, 2:13 AM
I looked @ Wilkes Barre, Pa on Google Maps, doesn't seem to be any places nearby that I actually know. Only place I've ever been to in Pa is Hershey, Mom took me there when I was a kid.
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 8:50 AM
It's still kinda in the middle of nowhere, but there's more to do there than here (here, not even the bars are that good). it is near Scranton though (the fictional location of the Office). The place has an actual coffee shop though, so I'm happy about that.

Hershey is a nice area, but the stores we have there are already well established.
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Gadget Junky

Jul 18, 2009, 12:21 PM
Menno said:
I swear if they ever made a phone that looked like one of those communicators I'd buy one.


Motorola Krave? Looks just like the old school communicator, clear flip and all. Just put it on speaker, and blammo: instant Star Trek!
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 12:53 PM
no, it needs to have a gold tone flip, and make that electro cricket noise.
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Gadget Junky

Jul 18, 2009, 3:59 PM
Someone hear can make it chirp. The gold tone can be done with window tint.
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 1:11 AM
"The reason Bluecoyote doesn't like the phone is because they are a fanboy of the APPLE verizon. If the phone doesn't have a lowercase "i" infront of it, it is inferior to them.. I have no idea why this is the case, but different strokes I suppose."

Is that some defensive mechanism you use to defend crap products?

Let me break down the LG Voyager here...

Physically speaking of the hardware, we're not talking about a bad device. What is bad is the fact that for what was essentially a phone priced at the same price as an iPhone or even Blackberry curve you've got something with a pathetic application framework. Unlike even most "dumb phones," you have a phone incapable of installing any sort of useful application, and the application...
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:41 AM
you cannot add google maps to any Verizon dumbphone because they run on BREW, a OS that Google does not have software for. (on top of the fact that verizon didn't unlock BREW GPS yet. If Google released a BREW version of the software and you still couldn't get it, then we might have an issue.

Most of the applications you are complaining about not being able to get arn't programmed for BREW. Verizon recently announced that they would start transitioning to Java, which should open up their platform to companies like google.

Considering they announced that they were working on a cross platform appstore, I'd expect that this is where they are heading. I'd expect to see Java enabled phones before you even see widespread 4g phones.

You...
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bluecoyote

Jul 18, 2009, 1:45 AM
"you cannot add google maps to any Verizon dumbphone because they run on BREW, a OS that Google does not have software for"

And who chose this crappy platform? Exactly.

"Your issues are with the Verizon UI, not the phone.. or rather the LG UI since they were the company that really developed it for Verizon."

Exactly they are, though LG's UI is terrible in its own right.

"The iphone and blackberry require a $30 a month data plan, the voyager did not. If the voyager did require a data plan, it would only be $15 a month. Not everyone who wants a touch screen needs some huge app store, or a smartphone."

To get equal functionality you need to pay $10.00/mo for VZ Navigator, $10.00/mo for VCast Video (which is equivalent to the free...
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 1:51 AM
vznavigator is only needed if you want something like Telenav (also 10 a month). VZnavigator isnt the same thing as google maps. the 10 for vcast is for the data, not the podcasts. You can sync podcasts to the phone if you wish to do so.

why blow 200? the same reason people blew 600 on the iphone (plus $30 a month) when it was first released. yes, it can do a lot of cool stuff, but a lot of people bought it simply because they wanted a touch screen, and it looked cool. Never underestimate how much someone will spend on their toys.
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Gadget Junky

Jul 18, 2009, 12:27 PM
F*ck the iPhone, give me a Touch Pro or a Touch Pro 2 anyday. It does everything the iPhone does and has one thing going for it that the iPhone doesn't: You can get it from almost every provider.

BTW, I work for VZW, and hate most of the company. Most certainly no fanboyism here. I've had, and sold them all. They all suck in some areas, and rock in others. To be honest, TMO is the most user friendly of the top 5, with Sprint a close second (can't believe I said that, but they do a ton for their smart phone customers).
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Mektah

Jul 19, 2009, 8:30 AM
One stop putting winmo phones in the iphone category. You can group the Pre and the Androids with the Iphones if you like, but never WinMo phones.

Iphones, andriods, and pres are for kids, silly ppl who have nothing better with their time than play silly applications like shake the baby and rolling a ball into a hole. Oh and dont forget the compass/magnet. IT's a gimmick. Sadly its a trend that is spreading.

Apple for now will not go to anyone other than ATT for their phones because ATT is not in a position to negotiate. ATT needed a flagship phone to boost them into competition they were desperate. Tmobile had its own thing going with HTC (and still does) Verizon was too restrictive and Sprint was well sinking. If the iphone does ...
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Versed

Jul 20, 2009, 4:20 PM
Mektah,
I somewhat agree with you, I do think in a few years, iphones will be like ipods, a commodity item for sale.
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ecycled

Jul 18, 2009, 10:35 AM
lol there are a ton of i### phones on nextel, I bet he thinks those are inferior too.
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sofa_king_good21

Jul 20, 2009, 6:41 AM
The Iphone is the ONLY phone saving AT&T. If they didnt have that it would be a wrap for them.
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cellman09

Jul 18, 2009, 12:20 AM
Verizon passed the first time do you really think that they are doing this to make ATT Follow? Your crazy ! The only thing going for att is the iphone! No I-phone = loss of customers! I would take any phone on verizon any day of the week vs having att at all
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Menno

Jul 18, 2009, 12:47 AM
ATT and Verizon are being investigated by the government because of 1) exclusivity agreements 2) stupid customers.

By voluntarily changing the way agreements are made, they are making it that much harder for the government to mandate changes.

This isn't about them wanting the iphone. This is about them telling the government to shut up and spend some more time actually doing their jobs instead of trying to micromanage things outside their field. You'll notice that this deal is only for small regional carriers, so even if ATT follows point for point, their precious iphone is safe from the "big bad red." Which is a great thing for them, because they would go into the negative real fast without that phone.
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Multi-Tasker

Jul 18, 2009, 9:19 AM
the_eraser said:
By doing this (in a passive/aggressive way) they'll be forcing AT&T to follow, so that they don't look bad. I hope AT&T doesn't fall for this and actually extends the contract with apple for at least 5 more years.
Verizon wants the iphone so badly that they are doing anything they can, even if it takes to sell their soul (in this case their exclusivity agreements) to get it.



YOU HAVE MUST BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!! Apple first came to Verizon to sell the IPhone. There was many things that played into Verizon not accepting the device, but one of the key components was that Verizon wanted to TEST the phone. Apple said take it the way it is, Verizon passed on it. Take a look at the hist...
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glinc

Jul 18, 2009, 2:43 PM
iPhone or not, I hope it doesnt come to verizon. The tour is much better than that piece of crap that can't multitask lol having to close every single application to be able to run another thing.
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Versed

Jul 18, 2009, 6:31 PM
glinc said:
iPhone or not, I hope it doesnt come to verizon. The tour is much better than that piece of crap that can't multitask lol having to close every single application to be able to run another thing.


If VZW, was offered the iPhone right now, they would take it, the same holds for Sprint and TMO. It has nothing to do what you think about the iPhone, if you like or not. And yes I know Apple came to them first. But that was then and this is now.
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Azeron

Jul 18, 2009, 11:20 PM
If AT&T followed Verizon's lead to the letter then it would still only make the Iphone available to carriers with 500,000 or fewer customers, no?
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