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'The Truth Hurts': Verizon Zings AT&T in Advertising Spat

carmenodie said:
like little boys fighting.
Verizon has a point but they don't have the iphone. They are smarting from all the defectors running to at&t for the iphone. Now Verizon has the Moto Droid but c'mon. That is a step back from the iphone which is a power house product right out the box. I don't have a freaking V cast product like all them smart phones on Verizon. The moto droid doesn't have an app store or a multimedia ecosystem like the iphone and they won't get ine either. Why? Cause Verizon pimps all their phones.
I have the iphone and I'm not leaving at&t.
Also, did you hear all the noise coming from the net about how Verizon has increased their early termination fee. It is now $350.00 bucks. Go over to engadget(I'm not spamming) to read the article. WTF! Yeah, Verizon is really trying hard to keep the suckers on their network.
Oh, did you also hear how NASA is using the iphone as a chemical sensor? The iphone is more than what Apple has us to believe it is. It is a revolutionary product far beyond that rebranded, gimmicky trash coming down the pike from them tired cell phone vendors.
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Holy hell! from they way you're arguing this, you'd think someone is refusing you your toy!

So now that your tantrum is out of the way, lets get some facts straight.

The Motorola Droid is a Google Experience phone. Do you know what that means? Verizon is hands off. Verizon tried controlling all of the features of their phones, but they have relinquished control since the days of the RAZR.

Android does have an app store, and while it is not as vast as Apple's app store, quantity =! quality. There are 2 devices on the market that can use the Apple app store, whereas the Android app store has multiple phones on multiple networks. Give it time, and we'll see whos app store wins.

You do know that ETF stands for 'Early Termination Fee', right? ETFs aren't a problem if YOU DON'T BREAK YOUR CONTRACT. Verizon doesn't want to be shafted by the people who get crazy subsidies and then cancel their service! Just because AT&T is fine with it doesn't mean the other carriers should be.

The chemical sensor thing? Thats one of your master points? Its a handheld device with a decent SDK. I don't see why that makes it special.

The iPhone is getting old, my friend. Same interface, form-factor since it was introduced. People are tired of it, and especially tired of AT&T

The iPhone may be your savior device, but when it can't hold a call due to AT&T crap service, its not much of a phone; it just becomes the "i"
 
CQd44 said:
geeze, chicago and you still get dropped calls?

I've only had one dropped call with t mobile and it was out of the blue. I wasn't driving or in the boonies or anything either. I called back and continued my conversation.
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Yes, downtown Chicago is terrible reception, always dropping the signal. The GPS also becomes very unreliable. 3G nor Edge work properly. It often oscillates between the two networks and No service.

Elsewhere in the city the reception is a bit better but it often drops calls and is super slow.
 
sanford said:
That's pretty much the point I was making: You have to pick the best phone on the best carrier for the area in which you'll use the phone most. For some people the phone matters more, for some the service type and coverage.

But a $350 contract cancellation fee is outrageous. I'd not sign for that, ever.
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This.

I live in an area with excellent 3G coverage. One dropped call inside a department store in a year in a half. Never understood all the AT&T hate until my wife traveled to New Jersey for her job. H-O-L-Y H-E-L-L what terrible 3G service. Call quality was dismal, calls dropped two or three times every night, and many time she sent text messages saying the phone wouldn't even dial out. If we had to be relocated to NJ for her job, we would drop our iPhones for Droids in a heartbeat.
 
Xavier said:
.. AT&T still has better phones though. Verizon, please do something about that (Yes the Droid is nice)
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Have you looked at Verizon's smartphone lineup lately? They've come a long way in a very short time. There's almost too much choice now.

  • Touch Pro 2
  • Imagio (with mediaFlo TV)
  • Droid, Eris.
  • Storm 2.
  • Omnia 2 coming.
  • Palm Pre and Pixi early 2010.
  • Strong rumor says HD2 with Android coming by end of year.

Several of those are combo GSM+CDMA phones, and all except the Pixi have WiFi.

We could also soon see the first new third party phone under Verizon's open device policy... the Saygus Android phone with video calling.


.
 
3G coverage

Gees... Forget 3G, I'd like it if AT&T's EDGE coverage could reach my granddad's house, where the family will have Thanksgiving dinner.

Two years ago, my dad and I felt cool with our iPhones... until our cousin's got texts and phone calls. and none of our "web apps" worked any more.
 
reckless2k2 said:
The problem herein lies that Verizon does have better voice and data coverage across the US. It can be easily verified comparing maps. I have personal experience with both and can say that Verizon is better.

Unfortunately, Verizon doesn't have nearly as many phone offerings and the prices trend higher. The real issue is that Verizon doesn't have the iPhone. I mean we are in a Mac forum talking about the iPhone. I've always stood behind that fact that if Verizon got the iPhone, I may switch. The may is really more dependent on how much the overall charges are going to be. I'm sure AT&T does the overall prices better which is definitely a consideration that must be taken into account with overall cost of doing business.

The reason I switched from Verizon was because of the higher pricing. And this was before the iPhone. The device works well in the areas that I need it. If I started traveling regularly again, I'd have to jump back to Verizon.
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Verizon I had 52 phones to choose from, ATT 49

I think Verizon has better phones but that is as much of a personal choice/preference as whitey tighties vs boxers

ATT may have overall lower prices but with lesser coverage saving a couple of bucks doesn't do me any good when I can't use my phone.
Dollar for Dollar Verizon was $3.74 cheaper with 3 regular phones.
 
kryptonianjorel said:
Holy hell! from they way you're arguing this, you'd think someone is refusing you your toy!

So now that your tantrum is out of the way, lets get some facts straight.

The Motorola Droid is a Google Experience phone. Do you know what that means? Verizon is hands off. Verizon tried controlling all of the features of their phones, but they have relinquished control since the days of the RAZR.

Android does have an app store, and while it is not as vast as Apple's app store, quantity =! quality. There are 2 devices on the market that can use the Apple app store, whereas the Android app store has multiple phones on multiple networks. Give it time, and we'll see whos app store wins.

You do know that ETF stands for 'Early Termination Fee', right? ETFs aren't a problem if YOU DON'T BREAK YOUR CONTRACT. Verizon doesn't want to be shafted by the people who get crazy subsidies and then cancel their service! Just because AT&T is fine with it doesn't mean the other carriers should be.

The chemical sensor thing? Thats one of your master points? Its a handheld device with a decent SDK. I don't see why that makes it special.

The iPhone is getting old, my friend. Same interface, form-factor since it was introduced. People are tired of it, and especially tired of AT&T

The iPhone may be your savior device, but when it can't hold a call due to AT&T crap service, its not much of a phone; it just becomes the "i"
Click to expand...

LOL at the iphone getting old, is that why Apple can't keep up with demand, is that why the iphone has the highest satisfaction rates in the industry. How many of your Droids has Verizon told, why won't they tell us. I bet you they didn't even outsell the first generation iphone numbers on AT&T in the US and that was a 600 dollar phone!
 
AT&T sucks but still...

ChadJK said:
LMAO! Too funny and too true. AT&T sucks so bad. The fact that Apple fanboys are so obsessed with owning an iPhone that they will break contract with their existing carrier to sign on with the WORST carrier in the US is just really sad.
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I know this is blatant troll bait, but the reality is that I like the iPhone quite a bit and I've found the network to be sufficient. I'm not thrilled with the coverage but generally it works where I need it to work. It's certainly no worse than my previous experience with T-Mobile which I'd been loyal to for years until I switched to the iPhone.

Having said that, if Apple ever signs a deal to bring the iPhone to Verizon, I'm gone. Right now I realize it's largely a hardware issue more than anything else. But with new chips available from Qualcomm that can run on both the Verizon and AT&T infrastructure, I'm optimistic that I can have some freedom to choose my network.

Frankly, so far as it goes, my problems with AT&T haven't been about the network per se. It's been about their policies which largely extend from their poor network infrastructure. Specifically, their slow movement on getting MMS operational (not critical, but their hackey work around before was horrible), and their refusal to allow iPhone tethering. I used to be able to tether on T-mobile and while it was slow, it at least got me basic Internet service pretty much anywhere.
 
AT&T is the worst carrier but yet they have 80 million plus subscribers and are gaining more every quarter. If it wasn't for Verizon buying alltell, At&T would be in the lead for subs, yeah so much for being the worst carrier.
 
Goona said:
LOL at the iphone getting old, is that why Apple can't keep up with demand, is that why the iphone has the highest satisfaction rates in the industry. How many of your Droids has Verizon told, why won't they tell us. I bet you they didn't even outsell the first generation iphone numbers on AT&T in the US and that was a 600 dollar phone!
Click to expand...

[citation needed]
 
Beric said:
Good for Verizon. Let's see what AT&T has to say to that.

Glad to be a Verizon user.
Click to expand...

I am also glad to have a very reliable network. The iPhone is a great device, however I am very happy with my new Droid. I am also satisified with my 3G coverage on Verizon. Whenever I have signal (which is most of the time even in very rural areas) 3G is lit up on my phone.

It is possible that AT&T works better for some people in some areas, but I'd say overall Verizon is being honest with these commercials. AT&T is going to go away from this lawsuit with mud on their face. It seems they can't handle the truth.
 
It is nice that they are fighting over something important. This can only help the consumer.

Is it even possible that enough cell towers can ever be built by anyone to actually ever really work? Maybe cell service as we know it has to be replaced by something else that could actually work.
 
Goona said:
AT&T is the worst carrier but yet they have 80 million plus subscribers and are gaining more every quarter. If it wasn't for Verizon buying alltell, At&T would be in the lead for subs, yeah so much for being the worst carrier.
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Verizon had to sell a portion of those customers to AT&T!!!! Are you ignorant?

Goona said:
Keep deluding yourself fanboy!
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Verizon's whole map is 3G. He's 100% correct here, my misinformed friend
 
kryptonianjorel said:
[citation needed]



No, its not relevant. Best you put your laptop away during recess or you may have it taken away! Don't think I didn't warn you
Click to expand...

How many of your precious Droids have been sold, why isn't Verizon telling us, meanwhile I can provide you with the number of iphones sold in the first weekend by Apple, all we have are estimates with the Droid and it still falls shorts of the number of first generation iphones sold, get a clue!
 
At my house:
Verizon: 3-5/5
AT&T: 0/5 (Would not even make call)
Sprint: 0-1/5
T-Mobile: ???

Verizon was measured with a 5 year old phone. 5/5 with a new one everywhere
AT&T was measured with a iPhone 3GS
Sprint was measured with a pile of junk winmobile thing with 20 min standby battery life
T-Mobile is unknown
 
less bars in MORE places.... AT&T!!!

I live in the NYC area, got the original iPhone back in the old days, been with AT&T even longer and for the most part things worked fine. I recently upgraded to the 3GS, absolutely love the phone, and starting to get pretty annoyed with AT&T's spotty service. It went from being an okay network to absolutely horrible. Just this past weekend, driving along the Westside Hwy aka waterfront with no buildings to block reception, and my call dropped 4 times... 4 times within the space of 10 minutes :mad:

AT&T should have prepared looong in advance for the iPhone. Love it or hate it, from the first time the iPhone was shown everyone knew it was a revolutionary device that would be the new yardstick others would be measured against, yet AT&T took the wait and see approach instead of having the foresight to beef things up. Now that iPhones are selling in NYC, Chicago and San Francisco like m&m's they're choking and struggling to keep up. They always seem to be behind the damn curve.

If I were AT&T I would patch the remaining holes in their abysmal 3G network in high population density areas, skip spending billions to get 3G from sea to shining sea and start deploying 4G, Verizon is launching 4G "this year" in select cities and I see history repeating itself when "4G map for that ads" surface.

Lastly, Verizon is not completely out of the woods, the main reason they made those ads is because they're hemorrhaging alot of their customers to AT&T because of the iPhone, they had first dibs on the iPhone and rejected it, so the truth does indeed hurt for both those sorry fools.
 
I never saw anyone with the original iPhone complain about lack of simultaneous voice/data connection (except for myself). One advantage to CDMA 3G over EDGE is data interrupt, which would allow calls to come through in place of data. My EDGE iPhone always sent calls straight to voicemail if there was an active data transfer.

With regards to 3G GSM, yes, you do get voice/data which is nice, but it also overloads capacity even if someone is only making a voice call on 3G. With CDMA, the cell tower can have separate allotments for voice calls and data sessions.

Not taking sides as I've had all 3 iPhones (and use Apple everything else) and now have a Droid and a Storm 2. They all have their advantages or else there'd only be one phone, one carrier.
 
Goona said:
How many of your precious Droids have been sold, why isn't Verizon telling us, meanwhile I can provide you with the number of iphones sold in the first weekend by Apple, all we have are estimates with the Droid and it still falls shorts of the number of first generation iphones sold, get a clue!
Click to expand...

I'm not a detective, so I'll let the clue thing slide. Why is it you think that the number of units sold matter in this circumstance? You keep going back to that; are you trying to compensate for something?

When the iPhone came out, I would have loved to get it for verizon. The AT&T contract, while great in the beginning, has really come back to burn Apple. People keep leaving AT&T because of the bad service and dropped calls. Their iPhone experience has been ruined by AT&T. That'll stick in people's mind if the iPhone comes to verizon.
 
Mike2128 said:
I never saw anyone with the original iPhone complain about lack of simultaneous voice/data connection (except for myself). One advantage to CDMA 3G over EDGE is data interrupt, which would allow calls to come through in place of data. My EDGE iPhone always sent calls straight to voicemail if there was an active data transfer.

With regards to 3G GSM, yes, you do get voice/data which is nice, but it also overloads capacity even if someone is only making a voice call on 3G. With CDMA, the cell tower can have separate allotments for voice calls and data sessions.

Not taking sides as I've had all 3 iPhones (and use Apple everything else) and now have a Droid and a Storm 2. They all have their advantages or else there'd only be one phone, one carrier.
Click to expand...

Errrrm who cares if they didn't complain then, we are talking about now. It's now advantage that is present with AT&T, and Verizon doesn't have it with their network.
 
Technically I know Verizon will most likely come out on top in this. I can also see where AT&T is coming from, but probably w/o legal standing. The general population is pretty stupid when it comes to technology. I guarantee there are tons of people who think those maps represent coverage, even people who think 3G=cell phone service. Verizon is using that to their advantage and legally they have their bases covered.

In a way AT&T left themselves vulnerable to this attack.

Advertisements taking advantage of consumer ignorance will become more and more common as the world becomes more complex and dare I say people become more and more stupid and passive. Companies will be able to craft campaigns that get one somewhat true point across on a simple level, while on another more technical/complex/less understood level cover themselves legally.

Not saying it is true in this case, but this does have a potential negative. Using this lack of consumer knowledge on very technical issues, corporations can falsely (but of course covering themselves legally with language not understood by the consumer) attack a competitor that has decided to use a different business model or technology.

Please do not try to interpret this post as Verizon vs. AT&T. I'm just commenting on the advertising tactic itself. This tactic has always been used, but I feel our technical world is making it easier to accomplish.
 
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