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Archive for the 'Verizon Wireless' Tag

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FCC calls Verizon’s doubling of early termination fees ‘troubling’

December 23rd, 2009, 5:17 pm by

Verizon WirelessNoted: Verizon Wireless got reamed by consumers and geek sites last month when it decided to double some early termination fees to $350. Today, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the wireless communications industry, called Verizon’s rational for raising the fees  ”unsatisfying and, in some cases, troubling.”

Verizon had responded last week to FCC queries, explaining in a 77-page letter that such early-termination contracts help promote consumer choice and the use of mobile broadband.

FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn wasn’t amused. She calls out Verizon for changing the rational of early termination fees — from being tied to the cost of the phone to pay for other company expenses. In a statement, Clyburn says this: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 10 Comments »

Verizon begins offering free Wi-Fi to its mobile broadband users

December 15th, 2009, 12:30 pm by

Free Wi-FiIf you’re a Verizon Wireless customer who pays a chunk of change each month for mobile broadband, Verizon is now tossing in access to its 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots for no extra charge.

Verizon already offers free Wi-Fi to its FiOS subscribers, plus its DSL customers who spend $30 a month on service. See the earlier story, “Verizon offers some customers a bonus: Free Wi-Fi.”

Verizon hotspots include some Starbucks stores, Barnes & Noble bookstores, several hotels and more. There are nearly 1,000 places within 50 miles of The Register’s headquarters that offer Verizon Wi-Fi service. Here’s a link to Verizon’s hotspot finder: verizonwireless.com/wi-fi

To qualify, you need either a monthly Mobile Broadband account or a GlobalAccess plan. You also need a Verizon-supported device, which is either a USB modem, PC Card, ExpressCard, the Verizon MiFi portable hotspot, or a netbook or notebook. Here is a list of qualified devices: www.vzam.net.

Verizon isn’t the only one offering free Wi-Fi to its customers.

AT&T has been a leader of free Wi-Fi for its customers. It offers free Wi-Fi access at its hotspots to iPhone customers and home broadband users. It recently added 25,000 more hotspots around the globe. See the earlier story, “25,000 more places for Wi-Fi (if you’re with AT&T).”

AT&T also offers free Wi-Fi to anyone at Barnes & Noble stores. See earlier story, “Free Wi-Fi at Barnes & Noble for everyone!”

T-Mobile also offers certain customers free access to its Wi-Fi network.

Recent stories on free Wi-Fi:

Posted in: Cell phones • Wi-Fi & networking • • • • • • | 9 Comments »

AT&T service ranks lowest; iPhone users don’t mind

December 1st, 2009, 3:44 pm by

Consumer Reports rates cell phone services for 2009.Who’s got the best cell phone service in the U.S.? Hands down, it’s Verizon, according to readers of Consumer Reports.

The publication just issued its annual update on mobile service and once again ranked Verizon at the top nationwide for overall service, scoring 75 points out of 100. Second place T-Mobile scored 70.

But just because both companies did better than the others doesn’t mean everyone is happy with service. According to its survey of 50,000 readers, Consumer Reports said that only 54 percent were “completely or very satisfied” with service.

While still a majority, those aren’t very good numbers for any consumer-oriented business.

“Despite ‘smarter phones,’ more flexible plans, and faster wireless networks, cell service continues to be among the lower-rated of all the services that Consumer Reports evaluates,” the organization concluded in its January 2010 issue.

Ouch! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • • | 28 Comments »

The facts about Verizon doubling early termination fees

November 6th, 2009, 1:04 pm by

Verizon WirelessAfter being the first in the industry to pro-rate 2-year mobile phone contracts, Verizon Wireless now plans to double that fee — BUT only in some cases.

Beginning Nov. 15, Verizon’s early-termination fees jump to $350 for higher-end devices like smartphones, netbooks and other advanced devices. The current rate is half that, at $175. The higher rate kicks in only on customers who sign a new contract.

Verizon still will prorate the contract, subtracting $10 a month (all other phones are prorated $5/month). So, by the end of 23 months, affected users will still need to cough up $120. But by then, you might as well wait a month to leave without paying a penny.

Why is Verizon changing its early termination fee? To make subsidizing these expensive devices worth it to the company.

Interestingly, the new Motorola Droid is $199.99 with a 2-year contract. But without a contract, it sells for $559.99. That means you could save $10 by buying the phone, and then canceling the 2-year contract ($200 + $350 = $550). And since the new fee doesn’t kick in until Nov. 15, that means people who buy a Droid before that date and then cancel service will get it for $375 without a contract! No wonder Verizon upped the fee.

As I’ve mentioned before, anyone can test a Verizon phone for 30 days and then cancel without having to pay any early termination fee. Read my earlier story covering testing policies, I mean, return policies by the major mobile providers: “How any consumer can ‘test’ a cell phone.”

Verizon also adds that if you bring a compatible phone to its network and sign up for service, you don’t have to commit to any long-term contract.

Earlier on cell phone policies:

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • | 14 Comments »

10 things I loved, hated about the Motorola Droid

November 6th, 2009, 9:55 am by

Motorola Droid from Verizon WirelessI, for one, am very glad that there is more to mobile phones than the iPhone, which is a very nice phone. But if the world only wanted an iPhone, gadget geeks everywhere wouldn’t have much to look forward to. And today, we’re looking forward to the new Motorola Droid, on sale today from Verizon Wireless (There are 40 Verizon stores within 25 miles of Santa Ana. Here’s a store locator).

After a week with the Droid, I’m seriously digging its Google Android 2.0 operating system, which will pop up in more phones from Verizon Wireless and other carriers. While I wouldn’t call the Droid a game changer for the industry, it’s a game changer for Verizon Wireless because for the first time the company let outsiders help develop the phone. Even tinkerers who want to develop Android apps can  influence the Verizon phone in a way that was prohibited before.

The phone itself is an improvement over the original Google phone, the G1 (my current phone), with a sleeker shape and better internal technology. A 3.7-inch screen makes it the largest smartphone screen out there. The slide-out keyboard is a bonus. But, as with any gadget, I have an opinion. There are features I love, like and hate. Let me start with what I don’t like.

5 things I don’t like about the Droid:

1. Screen sensitivity: Nice big screen, but not as responsive and smooth as the iPhone. Not sure if it’s a glitch, but sometimes shortcuts I placed on the main screen did nothing when pressed. Other times, one touch popped up the application. Also, when scrolling on the Web, it can be jerky as images load. Reminds me of pre-broadband everywhere days. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Car tech • Cell phones • Gadgets • • • • • • • • • • | 34 Comments »

Where Verizon improved So. Calif. cell coverage in August, Sept.

November 2nd, 2009, 2:48 pm by

Verizon WirelessHas your Verizon Wireless cell phone been getting better reception? I just got a list of 26 new cell sites the company turned in on during August and September. Several cities in Southern California should have seen improvements. All the sites offer 3G wireless coverage, of course.

As for Orange County? Just one lucky locale (October results have not yet been released):

San Juan Capistrano - Along Ortega Highway at the Orange/Riverside County line, east to Fire Street to Upper San Juan Campground to the southwest.

A Verizon coverage map is also available here. Here is the list of the latest cell sites for the Southern California region.  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 7 Comments »

Do I have the only Motorola Droid in Orange County?

October 31st, 2009, 9:22 am by

Motorola DroidWhen you get a new gadget to play with before the rest of the world, you’ll get a lot of unwanted (or is it?) attention.  When a friend of mine found out I was playing with the new Motorola Droid this week, he immediately invited himself over. Offered to bring lunch, in fact.

He’s a good friend, so I agreed. He’s such a good friend, I let him take the Droid while he went to get food. That brought even more attention. Someone in line stopped him and asked, “Is that the.. the.. Droid? I’ve been reading about it on Engadget!”

Wrong answer! My friend didn’t reveal his sources but said he would have let the dude check it out if he had mentioned The Gadgetress!

I may not be the only one in Orange County with the new Droid, which goes on sale next Friday. But I’m willing to share what I know. What else do you want to know? Comment below!

So, day three with the Droid. Three observations:

YouTube Preview Image

The camera. It’s a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. The flash is super bright. I actually just took a picture of myself and am still seeing spots. But it’s so slooooow (watch video on right).

Unless the area is brightly lit, you won’t be getting very clear action shots with this phone — or even clear still shots in lower light. I also had little success using on of my favorite apps, “ShopSavvy,” which uses the camera to scan in product barcodes to compare prices online. Even in brightly lit Target, the camera couldn’t get a good scan, unlike my T-Mobile G1, the original Android phone. Maybe retailers are wising up and doing something sly with their lighting? Here are some photos taken with the Droid: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Gadgets • • • • • | 14 Comments »

We’ve got Verizon’s new Droid! Watch the video

October 28th, 2009, 6:19 pm by

Motorola Droid from Verizon WirelessHot new phone alert: Motorola Droid from Verizon Wireless goes on sale next week on Nov. 6. But wait no further to get a closer look. Verizon and Motorola folks stopped by my office this morning to show it off. And they’ve left one for me to play with for one week.

So, to appease the 71 readers who want me to bring back gadget coverage (you, too, can sign up HERE), I’ve got photos, a video and a short review below.

I am personally excited about this phone because I have come to heavily rely on Google Android, which powers my T-Mobile G1 as well as the new Droid. Only, the Droid is the first phone to get Android 2.0, so the software is already better than existing Google phones. Still, any Android phone has the benefit of automatic syncing with your Google account — no need to tether and wait for-ever for contacts, e-mail or calendar items to sync.

Here’s the 2-minute first look at the new phone and some features, with help from videographer Rob Whitfield:

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Brightcove video.

Ken Muche, from Verizon Wireless, and Paul Nicholson, Motorola’s global marketing director, boiled down their favorite features — I’ve included some of my own observations (Click all images to enlarge): Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • | 7 Comments »

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