The iPhone "nano" can be about the same size as the Zune HD and still be significantly smaller than the iPhone 3GS. Hell, my iPod touch looks significantly larger than the Zune HD.
As for Verizon, no doubt they'd want their big stupid V-check branded onto the phone, and no doubt the Fruit Comp'ny will say nay. #iphone
@jhonizzle: Yeah, I know all about the HP iPods, but that was when HP produced them, and they were etched into the backplate. AT&T couldn't get their globe logo on the iPhone. Do you really think that Verizon will have better luck with their V? #iphone
Ah, crap. I was just about to buy a GF1. I'll wait to see the specs on this. I have an issue with my DSLR because of my glasses--I can never frame the shot right. #olympusep2
It might just be for the more expensive models that get huge discounts when bought with a plan.
I mean, the Droid is probably going to be expensive without a plan. To make sure people don't buy the phone with a contract, cancel the contract, and resell the phone for cheaper on ebay, the cost of the termination fee need to be greater than or equal to the discount you're getting. #verizonearlyterminationfee
I understand that smartphones cost more and Verizon is trying to avoid losses that may occur if someone buys a smartphone, and then cancels their contract. However, they could make a tiered ETF.
I had Verizon since it was Bell Atlantic (that's over 17 years). I had four lines. I wanted to upgrade to Blackberry's when they had the buy one get one free deal. I had one line that had the upgrade available, and another line that was due in about 45 days. They refused to do the upgrade. I complained. They said they would give me the upgrade if I would give up my credits on my other three lines. I refused. I offered to give up the credit on one line. They said no deal. I said but my monthly bill will increase because I'm getting the data plan. They didn't care.
I went to AT&T, whom I had one line with. I bought two iPhones. I called Verizon so I could port my numbers. They said "are you buying an iPhone?" I told them I was. They offered me the world. I told them what had occurred. They apologized. I said too little, too late.
My service is fine with AT&T and customer service has been excellent. When my other lines come due at Verizon, I will end all of my business with them.
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: I can explain the problem there. Well hopefully anyway. In a lot of stores the reps you deal with work on commission so doing what you were asking more than not ends in them getting screwed. I know this because I used to be a sales rep and got screwed over a few times. What was even worse is that I always got screwed over when I was bending the rules to help someone. The person on the phone does not have to worry about churn or taking a loss on phones therefore they can do whatever necessary to keep you in contract. Which really sucked for us on the floor because it just made us look bad. The fact of the matter is if you don't have an eligible line, that rep cant give you a deal without taking a hit in his own wallet. I used to offer phones to people at cost if i thought that it would make them happy but that was never cheap enough for most and they thought I was still trying to rip them off. OR you may have just dealt with a bunch or jerks at the Verizon store... that is always a possibility lol. #verizonearlyterminationfee
@mablung: To give you more info, the customer service rep I spoke to told me to go into the Verizon store and speak to the manager as they would be able to give me the deal if they (the manager) waived a few things. The manager told me the customer service rep didn't know what they were talking about. I called customer service again, and they offered me the deal if I would waive the upgrade credits on my other lines. I was upet because I was a customer for 17 years and never made a late payment and never before this had I called to complain or ask for anything. I understand your frustration though. My friend worked for Verizon for years and used to tell me horror stories involving custoemrs. #verizonearlyterminationfee
@leavethegun-takethecannoli: Wasn't necessarily customer horrors. It was more the having my hands tied behind my back when CS reps over the phone were allowed to bend over backwards. The biggest problem with Verizon internally is that the various departments don't work together and are often actually competing. The customer just ends up losing out and in the end ultimately confused. #verizonearlyterminationfee
Until we know what devices this is meant for, I think some are getting a bit too emotional.
Didn't Verizon announce recently that they are offering the Sony Viao P for $299 (possibly 199 after rebate)? [www.engadget.com]
They are offering a few netbooks on discount. So if this is in response for people getting contracts then quickly terminating to get a device cheaper, then I see no problems with this. Nowhere does this state its $350 across the board.
@TKWarrior: For a reasonable hesitancy and willingness to listen before burning down the establishment....you get a heartclick. #verizonearlyterminationfee
@OCEntertainment: Thanks. I find it very humorous how people get so crazy over ETFs when most never deal with them.
Let's be honest here. Most people paying ETFs have nothing to do with bad phones or service, namely because they are waived in most cases (ie: moving to a location with poor reception). There are so many people out there that get a heavily subsidized device and flip it (or their previous unit) for profit even despite an ETF. I've known people that do this regularly to actually pay for their cell bill! Or its the guy that wants the latest and greatest on another network. You signed a contract, so if you want to stay cutting edge then you have to pay for it.
So what are carriers supposed to do? People are quick to cry foul about ETFs then go about paying $100+ service plans. Not to say plans will get cheaper after something like this, but I'd like to see Verizon and AT&T compete with Sprints or T-Mobile's new pricing. Is this the first step? One can dream.
Don't like ETFs? Buy the phone at cost. Can't afford it? Then do some damn basic research to find out which carrier is good in your area. Anyone who gets a phone based only on features, and not on the actual usability on the carrier is a moron anyway.
I left Verizon because I had terrible service in my area. When I told them that, they agreed to waive the ETF pending dtermination of low reception. Nearly three weeks later they called me back and confirmed the signal was terrible and agreed with waive the ETF and the final months' bill (as it had no usage during their alleged test, I'd already gone to T-Mo).
Sounds like a sweet story, except for six months later, I found out they'd left my account active. They kept billing it, yet didn't send me a bill or paperwork of any kind, and it had gone into collection. So, about $500 they claim I owe them on a service I'd canceled, with a phone I no longer own.
Long story short, fuck Verizon. They are absolutely, 100% criminals. They will patiently wait to fuck you over at their earliest convenience and rape your wallet. #verizonearlyterminationfee
@met2art: Wow, I'll be sure to avoid them. I've had my troubles with T-Mobile's billing a couple of times over the few years I've had the service, but nothing that a simple phone call couldn't remedy that same day. #verizonearlyterminationfee
@Kaiser-Machead: I haven't had any trouble with T-Mobile billing (knock on wood), and everything else about them has been exceptional. I really wanted out of Verizon, and I needed a G1. :) I'm glad I didn't listen to naysayers. #verizonearlyterminationfee
The fact that they don't even spell out Early Termination Fee but rather abbreviate it with ETF pisses me off. It shouldn't be an accepted term and therefore it should not be assumed that people know what ETF is. It's sad enough they exist. They are a little late with this new policy anyway, everyone already jumped ship to the iPhone long ago.
Mark Wilson promoted this comment
Edited by PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: at 11/04/09 9:03 AM
PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: was starred
PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: was unstarred
@Xeno: So....last weekend I went to get my first 360, and being cheap, I went and got a used unit from Gamestop. First unit froze every couple of minutes and wouldn't read my Forza 3 discs (the whole reason I got a 360), and the second one didn't have HDMI. So after returning 2, I just got a full refund.
My lesson here, don't buy used. I'm either doing this or getting one of the Elite units. I have a 20GB HD, but boy would a 120GB be nice. #xbox360
seriously. i made the mistake of buying a refurbished 360 elite. turns out it wasn't refurbished by MS, and the warranty seal was broken, so when it E74'd on me i was shit out of luck. #xbox360
The question is could Apple come out with an update to the iphone just 6 months after the 3GS? I think so, for 3 reasons.
1. To me the 3GS was really more a speed bump than a real next generation update. So this would be an update to the 3G from 1.5 years back.
2. This could be the iphone being released to Verizon
3. At the pace Android phones are being released and the progress of the OS, in another 6 months the 3GS will feel and may actually be dated. #iphone2010
@Serpentor reads Gizmodo: people will *freak* *out* if they bought a "new" iphone only this summer and another "new" one comes out at christmas. it'll be the $600 to $400 price drop all over again. I don't think there's any way apple's doing this. #iphone2010
@JohnnyGTO: +1. That's the reason I don't have cable.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind being able to pick and choose 15 shows for say $20 (any network). I don't watch a lot of TV, but the convenience of watching whenever I wanted, without DVR'ing it would be a godsend. #apple
I just want a convenient way to get a good enough quality picture time-shifted but still available the same day without having to jump through a million hoops and have to pay through the nose. #apple
@Identity (reclamation): You and me both, brother. I have a sinking feeling that when they do finally figure that that is what people want, need and are actually doing they'll charge us out the wazoo and it'll be close to what cable is, unfortunately. Cable Co. is not giving up that money without a fight. #apple
11/07/09
As for Verizon, no doubt they'd want their big stupid V-check branded onto the phone, and no doubt the Fruit Comp'ny will say nay. #iphone
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About as real as this, I presume. #iphone
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I mean, the Droid is probably going to be expensive without a plan. To make sure people don't buy the phone with a contract, cancel the contract, and resell the phone for cheaper on ebay, the cost of the termination fee need to be greater than or equal to the discount you're getting. #verizonearlyterminationfee
11/04/09
I had Verizon since it was Bell Atlantic (that's over 17 years). I had four lines. I wanted to upgrade to Blackberry's when they had the buy one get one free deal. I had one line that had the upgrade available, and another line that was due in about 45 days. They refused to do the upgrade. I complained. They said they would give me the upgrade if I would give up my credits on my other three lines. I refused. I offered to give up the credit on one line. They said no deal. I said but my monthly bill will increase because I'm getting the data plan. They didn't care.
I went to AT&T, whom I had one line with. I bought two iPhones. I called Verizon so I could port my numbers. They said "are you buying an iPhone?" I told them I was. They offered me the world. I told them what had occurred. They apologized. I said too little, too late.
My service is fine with AT&T and customer service has been excellent. When my other lines come due at Verizon, I will end all of my business with them.
I won't lie though, Verizon does have better reception. #verizonearlyterminationfee
11/04/09
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Didn't Verizon announce recently that they are offering the Sony Viao P for $299 (possibly 199 after rebate)?
[www.engadget.com]
They are offering a few netbooks on discount. So if this is in response for people getting contracts then quickly terminating to get a device cheaper, then I see no problems with this. Nowhere does this state its $350 across the board.
I'll wait until all the info drops before breaking out the pitchforks. #verizonearlyterminationfee
11/04/09
11/04/09
Let's be honest here. Most people paying ETFs have nothing to do with bad phones or service, namely because they are waived in most cases (ie: moving to a location with poor reception). There are so many people out there that get a heavily subsidized device and flip it (or their previous unit) for profit even despite an ETF. I've known people that do this regularly to actually pay for their cell bill! Or its the guy that wants the latest and greatest on another network. You signed a contract, so if you want to stay cutting edge then you have to pay for it.
So what are carriers supposed to do? People are quick to cry foul about ETFs then go about paying $100+ service plans. Not to say plans will get cheaper after something like this, but I'd like to see Verizon and AT&T compete with Sprints or T-Mobile's new pricing. Is this the first step? One can dream.
Don't like ETFs? Buy the phone at cost. Can't afford it? Then do some damn basic research to find out which carrier is good in your area. Anyone who gets a phone based only on features, and not on the actual usability on the carrier is a moron anyway.
11/04/09
Sounds like a sweet story, except for six months later, I found out they'd left my account active. They kept billing it, yet didn't send me a bill or paperwork of any kind, and it had gone into collection. So, about $500 they claim I owe them on a service I'd canceled, with a phone I no longer own.
Long story short, fuck Verizon. They are absolutely, 100% criminals. They will patiently wait to fuck you over at their earliest convenience and rape your wallet. #verizonearlyterminationfee
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My lesson here, don't buy used. I'm either doing this or getting one of the Elite units. I have a 20GB HD, but boy would a 120GB be nice. #xbox360
11/03/09
seriously. i made the mistake of buying a refurbished 360 elite. turns out it wasn't refurbished by MS, and the warranty seal was broken, so when it E74'd on me i was shit out of luck. #xbox360
11/03/09
1. To me the 3GS was really more a speed bump than a real next generation update. So this would be an update to the 3G from 1.5 years back.
2. This could be the iphone being released to Verizon
3. At the pace Android phones are being released and the progress of the OS, in another 6 months the 3GS will feel and may actually be dated. #iphone2010
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Honestly, I wouldn't mind being able to pick and choose 15 shows for say $20 (any network). I don't watch a lot of TV, but the convenience of watching whenever I wanted, without DVR'ing it would be a godsend. #apple
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