Gizmodo
Verizon Wireless just pulled back the curtain on its Open Development "Any App, Any Device" initiative, but the conference itself was developer oriented and heavy on the jargon. Here we boil it down to what really matters:
• Can I port a phone from Sprint?
• Will I finally get to download third-party apps?
• What new powers do developers have?
• Why the hell is Verizon doing this?
All that and more in plain English. So if you want to know why you should care that Verizon is finally opening its infamously tight-assed but superior network, well, here you go...
1) Can I move my old Sprint or Helio phone—or get really crazy and bring a Korean CDMA phone—over to Verizon Wireless?
Sure, as long as they run on the same CDMA frequencies as Verizon's network—800 and 1900MHz, are the North American CDMA bands. After Verizon certifies a submitted model of handset or PDA, all you'll have to do is register it on Verizon's website (a process similar to iPhone registration). So porting your beloved Ocean or Mogul should be no problem.
Better yet, you'll be able to buy third-party stuff outside of Verizon stores and still get service: a lot of major players are extremely interested in the open network, including Toshiba, Ericsson, HP and Motorola among others. The whole thing starts in the "second half" of the year—hopefully sooner than December.
2) What can developers do now that they couldn't do before?
Developers can build devices and applications that run on Verizon's network without going through most of Verizon's red tape. As David McCarley, executive director of technology, said, "Anything that can take advantage of an IP address is in play." The specs for open devices are basically just industry standards with a few "Verizon supplements."
Though it's going to be hard for a dude in his garage to build the next wunderphone, a small company with mobile knowhow can develop and get their iPhone-killer certified and on Verizon's network with minimal interference. For a developer, certification takes four weeks, followed by four weeks of testing for a "best practices" sticker. Eight weeks is not very long.
3) What's the deal with applications? Is it really going to be "anything goes"?
Pretty much. Tony Lewis, VP of open development, told us, "We're not restricting any applications because we're not looking at them." That includes VoIP and P2P. Of course, he adds, Verizon is "always going to protect the network, so if something is a hog, we're gonna know the device is doing something." They won't look at packets, perhaps, but they'll count 'em.
Contrary to speculation, open devices won't be running in their own sandbox in the network—they'll be on the same ballfield as Verizon's own devices. So you really can run any app, but if you start crashing someone else's party, they're going to shut your shit down.
4) What's in all this free love for Verizon?
Tony Melone, Verizon's chief technical officer, told us that the open development platform is going to be a "substantial part of our business." But why? "We talk about a concept like Intel Inside. We want something like 'Verizon Wireless inside.'" They want to see people building devices that simply work with Verizon's network, and are labeled as such, the way today gadgets are identified as being compatible with Wi-Fi routers. The difference is, Verizon intends to be everywhere. And of course it will cost money to hop on. All of this openness means heavy subscription fees, naturally.
5) What about new networks, like the upcoming 4G network called LTE?
You might recall a small hullabaloo over Verizon's announcement that its 4G network was going to be LTE, which is a GSM-based network like AT&T's, and also like Verizon's European co-owner Vodafone. Melone says they chose LTE because "really believe LTE is going to be the VHS of 4G technologies." (Glad to see someone learning from all these format wars.)
Verizon's current CDMA and EV-DO network will stick around for quite a while as you might expect, even after Verizon achieves "significant penetration" with LTE in mid-2010, so there will actually be multiple networks. Devices developed with today's CDMA/EV-DO specs won't be dumped after Verizon makes the move to newer, faster hotness. And of course, the open policy will go for the fast LTE network as well.
6) Is this all really BS, or does it put Verizon on par or even ahead of the GSM carriers?
The move to opening the network is pretty genuine as far as we can tell in this preliminary stage. Of course, the pudding might taste different when it hits our plates, but we don't think they'll deviate too far from the recipe they're touting.
After all, GSM operators like AT&T and T-Mobile have always had a degree of openness. Verizon is in a way just catching up. When we ask how this is better than GSM, the standard reply is that Verizon's network is, technically speaking, more awesomer. There could be additional differences down the line, though, because Verizon is pushing open development in a huge way, and putting up an impressive amount of resources up to make it happen. Expect the same "openness" talk from AT&T in the coming weeks, however. Not so much out of the goodness of their hearts—this is just what it takes to survive in the new mobile world. [Verizon Wireless]
Comments
I'd like to try that Sprint LG Rumor on Verizon and see how it does.
I'd love a QWERTY for texting, but the Voyager is quite large for a pants pocket.
But will they let you port off of their network. Will they unlock their devices?
I recently left Verizon for ATT, basically because I wanted a phone that could do the thing I wanted without all the bs Verizon stuff. I settled on an HTC 8525 for a balance in function, use and price.
strider- I used to think the same thing, but switching to the 8525 was an even bigger block. Took about two weeks to get used to, and I fixed the problem of smaller jeans pockets by buying a couple pairs of carpenter jeans. The phone fits snugly in one of the hip pockets that I otherwise never used.
Can I move my old Sprint or Helio phone-or get really crazy and bring a Korean CDMA phone-over to Verizon Wireless?
This is pretty useless. Not many companies outside of the USA even use CDMA. The only 'major' one that does is Japan's Au network. But I seriously doubt Verizon is going to let you do even 1% of the cool stuff those Japanese phones do on their network.
iPhone?
If you're dreaming of bringing a Korean CDMA phone over to Verizon, you'll have to work for it. Korean phones are identified by MIN/MDN (don't ask me how) instead of ESN so the ESN isn't on the back of the phone; you'll have to do some digging with BitPIM or something to find it.
Well, i'm not the quickest with cellphone tech.... so i have one question.
I'm on Verizon and i'm very curious about the iPhone. Will i be able to purchase an iPhone and use it to replace my current phone?
(Not saying i will, because i love my Q, but the curiosity is there... and just having the option would be pretty badass.)
This seems to me to be a last-ditch push by Verizon to keep their silly CDMA network from becoming completely obsolete in a GSM world. Basically they're saying "look, we're like GSM, you can buy an unlocked phone and use it on our network", except you can't if you ever leave the US or want a really cool phone like an N96.
Then they'll go to LTE 4G and they'll probably try to close things up again.
I don't care what they do in the technological world, I just think they owe it to mankind to take the "Can you hear me now?" commercials off the air. Wake me when they make that announcement.
@satoru: Maybe you haven't heard of SK Telecom? They're pretty major- so major that they've set up shop in the States. Y'know, Helio?
And on the topic of AU- none of those phones will work in the States due to an ESN incompatibility. Look at the ESN on a Japanese phone and compare to the ESN on an American phone. Yeah.
To all the iPhone questions, the answer as usual is NO. The iPhone is GSM and won't work on the CDMA network (and never will, I'd imagine). It's like playing a blu-ray disc on an HD-DVD player. They look the same, but are completely incompatible.
But will they allow their regular handsets a full Bluetooth profile now, and not the "Headset only" bs?
@Y2KGTP: @WildWon:
"Sure, as long as they run on the same CDMA frequencies as Verizon's network-800 and 1900MHz, are the North American CDMA bands."
I'm sure someone will correct me if im mistaken, but I dont think the Iphone can run on CDMA, only GSM.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the iPhone is no.
CDMA has it's advantages, but it sucks that Sprint, Verizon, and a few regional carriers are all that use it. As a Sprint SERO user with a Mogul and RevA, it's GREAT speed. I'd love an iPhone, but integrated GPS + RevA is way to hard to give up right now...Plus I pay a LOT less than Verizon costs...
@nucwin83: Goooood question. I forgot about that little bluetooth catch of Verzion.
@Le0nidas: Ah, gotcha. Hmm, well i'm *hoping* someone will correct you ;)
@drewdraws2: Correct! unfortunately :(
I want an iPhone damn it. And I will NOT use ATT
@drewdraws2: Oh i didn't see you answered before the other gent. Sadly, thanks for that answer.
Most dummies realize that GSM is the legacy network not CDMA. Have you ever noticed that WCDMA and HSDPA are replacing GSM? LTE is neither GSM nor CDMA based. LTE is based on OFDMA. Good luck.
@imTheKing: unlock and go with t-mobile???
ok so im looking at the palm centro from sprint. i know i cant switch the phone over from sprint it verizon, but will i still be able to use sprint tv for nfl mobile??
anyways the sprint all in plan is really tempting 99 a month for unlimited everything.
verizon's plans are just to expensive for me
im still a little confused on all of this will i have 2 bills for 1 phone now??
1 from sprint for their sprint tv ect and one from verizon??
@nucwin83: I hear you, I'm switching at the end of my contract because of the headset only bluetooth, total crap!
With Verizon going LTE, LTE being on the GSM upgrade path, AT&T will probably going LTE as well. So perhaps then you can get your precious iPhone. Assuming that there will be a iPhone with a LTE reciever in it compatable with the 800, 1900, and the probably needed 700 mhz bands. So need to wait it out. Until then GSM does not play with CDMA.
I phone would be a cool choice, but I like my Palm Centro. It would be great if I could move that over to Verizon and get EVDO on it in my area. For some reason Sprint won't bring EVDO to the third largest city in Arizona.
@shaniac:
I'm pretty sure that's not up to Verizon.
I don't think Verizon devices are so much locked into Verizon's network by Verizon as they are locked out of other carriers networks by the other carriers.
If Sprint decideds to open their network, I can't think of anything that Verizon could do that would prevent you from using a Verizon branded device on Sprints network.
What I really want is the opportunity to use a phone without the crappy feature crippling Verizon software slapped on it.
I wonder if this means that they will enable the GPS for any application on the blackberries. Sure would be nice to use google maps with real GPS instead of just using the triangulation stuff.
this more or less deals with all of the restrictions verizon has been pushing too hard over the years.
let's hope that sprint matches verizon's offer. pantech's SKY phones are fucking nuts, and i wouldn't mind importing one.
@strider_mt2k:
You do realize that the Rumor and the Voyager are about the same size, no?
There really is very little difference in size between the two if you compare them.
Now if the big evil V would quit blocking google maps' access to the gps chip in the freakin' blackberries. vznavigator is nice and all, but I don't need to spend 10 bucks a month for some robo-bitch to tell me where to turn.
@WildWon: Moto Q is the worst phone EVER made. Period.
@nucwin83: That was the first question I had.:/
@Y2KGTP: @WildWon: @drewdraws2: WHAT THE FUCK IS AN IPHONE?!?
So... Can I get Verizon to "unlock" the functions on my Motorola that they have disabled? It would be nice to use the phone as it was designed.
Before looking at bringing new phones over to Verizon, I want to look at the phones that are already part of Verizon in a new light... This opening up for development could be looked at as a chance to remove some of Verizons' GUI limitations on current phones.
...Thoughts?
@MikeSWelch: - "WHAT THE FUCK IS AN IPHONE?!?"
[www.apple.com]
@dead_red_eyes: wow.... that went way over your head...LOL
While the network is good and all...I just hate that I can't find any great phones that use CDMA frequencies. Everything I find that I really want is for GSM...
Does this mean I'd have to:
1. import a phone from Korea
2. send it to Verizon for 8 weeks
3. pray that they don't find some little thing that doesn't meet their terms
or is it likely they'll just preemptively ok most current CDMA phone models that are compatible with their networks?
Also, just a suggestion, but maybe you should put in parentheses "no, the iphone won't work in this instance" every time you talk about anything that isn't GSM.
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