<![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone - Gizmodo Comments]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone - Gizmodo Comments]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @frigg: if AT&T didn't have a 5 year exclusivity deal, i'd say yes.

also, i hope sprint follows suit. i'm not leaving them for as long as i get service discounts, and korea has some crazy-as-hell CDMA phones i'd love to import.

also, in theory, any phone from a verizon MVNO or sprint MVNO will work with this too, so if you want, say, the pantech ocean, you aren't stuck paying helio prices.

rimplestultskin

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @hughjass: Well, if your place of employment doesn't allow cameras the StarTAC III's going to be the best phone you'll be able to bring in.

jamar0303

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @jamar0303:
Who wants a StarTAC III? No camera, no external LCD. Sure, it has a 240×320 screen and GPS, but that's not going to make up for it.

Anyway, well I'm just happy to hear this news. With both Sprint and VZW on board with this, we'll finally be getting somewhere.

packetsniffer

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @raulr: Japan does indeed run CDMA (KDDI does it) but EVDO runs on 2100MHz, so you're not getting anything better than 1xRTT (and even then, except on a couple of phone models, the Tx/Rx is reversed so they're incompatible; as well, Japanese ESNs are different from US ESNs- Japanese ESNs use 5 A-Z letters followed by 6 numbers).

And for Chametner- China has CDMA, but it uses R-UIMs. Phone's not going to work unless it's been flashed with Korean or US firmware because it will look for the R-UIM upon bootup and not boot when it can't find one.

And in general- hallelujah. Motorola makes some great phones in Korea that they absolutely refuse to release in the US (StarTAC III for one), and this would fix that little issue.

jamar0303

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> If... and that's a big IF, besides having good service it would be nice to have a good phone unsteady of a crappy razer.

theshortguy

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> The release says any app, any device. Are there any details on applications? Will we finally be able to download any BREW application, click on live links in the WAP browser? If so this is a step in the right direction.

As for CDMA phones in other countries China also has CDMA.

I look forward to seeing other devices using this network, including tracking for pets and real-time displays of traffic and weather, the ability to make reservations, buy movie tickets etc. in my car. (Not while driving of course).

chametner

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> come on meizu now just release a unlocked cdma minione that works on the 800/1900 MHZ bandwidth

utube2007

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @frigg: I don't think so. I'm pretty sure Apple signed a contract with AT&T to keep the iPhone GSM only for a few years. Can anyone else confirm this?

I would really like to find someway to use the iPhone with Verizon, or at least some kind of hope before I just break my contract and jump ship.

2-7offsuit

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> You may be able to use Helio phones with Sprint service already as it is a Sprint MVNO.

Can someone who can answer for us if Korea uses the same CDMA frequencies as the US carriers do?

Shuft

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> Its interesting that, what, a month ago Sprint said they'd start unlocking phones to which everyone said, "who cares I still can't take it to another carrier". Now the other carrier has stepped up.

I wonder if helio is going to jump on this. You'd think they could just mark up phones to a point where they could turn a nice little profit and start heading in that direction.

tande

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> Those "shove off" letters that Sprint delivered to long standing customers that called in a little too much? All gearing up for handing their customerbase over to the lowest bidder.

Many people were blocked from Sprint service, despite their paying their bill in full every month, as a big "thank you" to its loyal customers.

Sprint has bad customer retention these days.

Kendra

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> About time one of the carriers admitted that they're just a "dumb pipe" company. 0 value add.

Noobs-R-Us

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> Well I Live In Arizona + Cold Enough To Wear A Jacket = Hell Has Frozen Over!

The Apocalypse Grows Near!!!

raven1

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> ahh yes... now i'm off to cetizen.com to choose my next phone (after I learn how to read korean)

Soulxside

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @Monty: Yeah, Google should tell them!

Guizzy

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @frigg: I highly doubt that would come to pass before January of 2012 since the iPhone is an exclusive with AT&T for five years.

While I am unsure of the exact date the agreement was signed or whether the five years began on the date of signing or device shipment I am pretty sure the contract won't close out before Jan. or 2012.

cgiddings

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> My only question is this: Can I take a Sprint Blackberry Pearl with the full GPS and port it over to Verizon? Because I'm willing to pay the full retail costs to use the Pearl on Verizon's network as long as I can have the real GPS, and not that VZNav crap.

thejrah

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> So, how about an alltel phone. I loved my nokia 6255i Damn Alltel, they costumer service was crazy and they couldn't even switch my account from one market to another when I moved across the country. . . Oh wait im having a spell> . . back to verizon. . this sounds exciting.

redragonn

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> What the heck are the folks at Verizon drinking these days? Are they actually trying to become a nice wireless phone company? Someone better explain to them that they will never make money being the nice guy.

Monty

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> I think this may be the first time I've felt warm-n-fuzzies for Verizon. As a customer who is off-contract, this might actually keep me with them. I'm sure the Devil's in the details and that when confronted with the reality there will probably be some adjustments, but I like what they're saying so far. Let's see if they can walk the walk.

weatherman

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @raulr: Softbank and NTT Docomo are on 2100mhz WCDMA UTMS

hypnotik_jello

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> I thought Japan was W-CDMA/HSxPA. At least it is with NTT Docomo. That would not be compatible with Verizon as it's more of a GSM flavored 3G. Not sure about KDDI.

raulr

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @JJ910:
Not really, because they don't operate on CDMA. Very few countries actually do. The one country you can get very high-end CDMA phones would be S. Korea. They have some of the most advanced phones on the planet.

raulr

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> do you think Apple has secretly simultaneously co-developed a CDMA iPhone, just as they secretly simultaneously co-developed OSX to run on intel, and at some point down the road the CEO of Verizon will trot onto the stage at Macworld, man-hug Steve Jobs, and they will announce that a CDMA iPhone now works on Verizon?

frigg

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> For someone like me who is preparing for a degree in mechatronics engineering, this is huge!

The cost to bring a telecom device to market is huge, but this could actually make it feasible for someone with technical knowledge to develop the hardware, run google's Android software, and put a device out there without needing to sell 100,000 units.

To say I am excited about the possibilities is an understatement.

JoeKing

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> Japan is CDMA, but they use the 2k frequency. (US is 800/1900), so, not likely unless I'm missing something, but they are CDMA.

nachobel

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @Falconfire: Actually that's not quite true. KDDI's au service using CDMA2000 EVDO revA, though I'm not sure that they use the same frequency as verizon.

hypnotik_jello

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> This is a great leap forward for wireless carriers, but why do I get the feeling that not much will change initially? I can see it now. I purchase a Sprint phone at FULL PRICE since I'm not getting Sprint service, then am forced to sign a new 2-year plan with Verizon b/c of the new hardware.

ryetronics

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> @JJ910: Nope since neither uses CDMA.

Falconfire

]]> <![CDATA[Verizon Says You Can Port From Sprint, Build Your Own Phone]]> So can I GO TO Japan and German and bring those phones here? Maybe there's hope for us to be in sync with the technology available in Europe & Asia. This is the biggest question if you ask me.

JJ910

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