"Verizon Wireless PR Guy" Promising Text Message "Ping" Today Or Tomorrow

Of course as we know from many years of experience, absolutely anyone can claim to be absolutely anything on Axinar's, and the general standard I use for such claims is, "Who would bother to make such a thing up?"

So, we have someone using the handle JNels who claims to be a "Verizon Wireless PR guy" saying, we should have a "nice 'Message Sent' ping" after pushing the "Send" button on a text message today or tomorrow.

What in the HELL is a "Message Sent ping"?

Well, I just sent a text message to someone also on Verizon and I got the usual little "Check D" indicator within 30 seconds or so of sending a text message, so either they haven't turned off delivery confirmation yet, or the delivery confirmations are coming through the Blackberry PIN network somehow, or there's something going on I am unaware of at the moment.

Speaking of Verizon Wireless, I had The Old Man in the ER last night until 1 in the bless-ed A of M because he ripped his arm open and it wouldn't stop bleeding and only the 1X network penetrates into the treatment rooms down at Good Sam.

That was PAINFUL - slower than EDGE on AT&T, but the voice network was there, boys and girls.

Okay, now back to this SMS delivery confirmation thing - since we switched, almost all of Mrs. Axinar's text messaging traffic is on the Verizon network, but she says on her Samsung Flipshot that she doesn't get delivery confirmations at all.

What do these delivery confirmations look like on other Verizon phones? Are they entirely separate text messages or what do they look like?

Verizon Wireless Discontinuing SMS Delivery Confirmation September 30, 2008

Well, it's official, gang.

I just saw a "Tweet" from the official Verizon Wireless account that they are discontinuing SMS confirmation messages effective September 30, 2008.

Oh, now that's a bummer.

We just switched TO Verizon Wireless about a month ago and I thought it was really neat that you got a confirmation when you sent a text message to someone within the Verizon network.

I guess now - or so the story goes - they've acquired so many subscribers that the confirmation messages are jamming up the network.

Either that or - it would be my guess - they are going to wait until the users start demanding their confirmations back and they start charging - you guessed it - a bare minimum of something like $2.99/mo. to bring the confirmations back.

Although - question - do any of the other wireless carriers have this SMS confirmation feature?

And, hey ... why don't Verizon Tweets have links to longer press releases??

Blackberry Storm 9530 (Blackberry "Thunder"?) Coming Soon From Verizon Wireless

Yes, it looks like the Blackberry Storm 9530 is now official as I got an email from Verizon Wireless directing me to their - I presume - official Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm 9530 site and gave me the opportunity to give them my email address and sign up for even MORE pseudo-spam about this little item.

Now, apparently this is what became of the "Blackberry Thunder" project. It's, yes, what many people have been waiting for - part Blackberry, part iPhone.

From the Blackberry we have the familiar Call, Menu, Back, and Hang-Up buttons.

From the iPhone we have - yes - a ginormous touch screen.

Yes, I am going to be descending upon Verizon Wireless retail locations as soon as they release this thing to see if Blackberry has come up with a touch screen that I can actually USE.

Some great mysteries remain though - will the Blackberry have an iPhone-type browser that you can zoom in and out with two fingers?

Even more mysterious is some copy from this "official" site that that that the Blackberry Storm will have "global capabilities". Perhaps this will be similar to the 8830 with the SIM card so you can switch over to GSM when you're traveling in Europe and whatnot.

Yes, gang, this could be a REALLY big deal.

I'm presuming it has a user-replaceable battery and, well, a camera better than what's on either the Curve or the iPhone?

I guess we will just have to anxiously await the pseudo-spam announcing its arrival at the actual stores so that the ever-ready Verizon Wireless retail reps can accost me the moment I open the door to the store ...

Related:
First Live Pics of the BlackBerry Thunder! - Crackberry
Blackberry Storm 9530 Shipping Box - Crackberry
BrewNinja demonstrates Blackberry Thunder prototype - Engadget

Verizon Wireless Ranks Highest On Network Coverage In Most Regions

Looks like Verizon has placed top or tied for the top rating for network coverage in many areas of the country according to a recent J.D. Power and Associates Survey.

Now, I'm guessing Cincinnati is actually is in the "North Central" region.

The article on J.D. Power's web site doesn't really say where the regions are.

For the North Central region, U.S. Cellular and Alltel rank highest. Alltel is in the process of being acquired by Verizon, but neither carrier is active in the Cincinnati region.

Neither AT&T nor T-Mobile, the two large GSM carriers, ranked highest in any reason.

Now this is no major surprise in this area.

About two years ago people started telling me, "Ax, you won't believe it - I switched to Verizon and I don't lose calls at I-275 & Reed Hartman or Montgomery & Kemper any more!"

Sure enough, having recently switched to Verizon Wireless myself recently there are no significant dead areas in any of the places I regularly go - with the notable exception of the Eastgate Lanes just outside of Milford, and I could have sworn I had a signal in there on AT&T (anyone out there still on AT&T who can verify this for me?)

The only thing that worries me a bit on Verizon is that they do seem to have a pretty locked-down data network. To use any J2ME goodies at all (Opera Mini, etc.) you pretty much have to have a Blackberry.

However, their sound quality is TREMENDOUS. When Mrs. Axinar calls me from the saloon now on her new Samsung Flipshot I can hear her over the noise almost perfectly. She cut out REALLY badly on her old phone on T-Mobile.

Yes, Verizon does have one magnificent network - let's just hope they open it up at some point.

Verizon Offering Visual Voicemail - For $2.99/mo. - That Bites!

Looks like Verizon is finally going to offer visual voice mail, but the S.O.B.'s are going to charge $2.99/mo. extra for it.

This is in stark contrast to the visual voice mail offerings on Sprint's Samsung Instinct and AT&T's Apple iPhone, both who offer the feature with no extra charge.

Yeah ... that Verizon is beginning to worry me. With certain discounts they definitely offer more bang for the buck - particularly with the free in-network calling, but the more I check them out, the more hesitant I am to go their direction.

BlackBerry Thunder Set For October 13 Verizon Debut

Just stumbled across this tidbit that Blackberry's first touch-screen model, the "Thunder", under the model number BB9530 is set to be released by Verizon on October 13.

Fascinating if true.

I'm having some considerable difficulty figuring out why everyone is going to this iPhone-esque touch-screen format.

As a matter of fact, taking a look at this picture of this device that is clearly half-Blackberry and half-iPhone is a little disturbing.

Now, I have played with the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G for HOURS up at the local AT&T shop. In fact, were it not for the fact that I have been a loyal AT&T / Cingular / Ameritech customer for the last 12 years I'm sure they would have a restraining order on me by now.

All of these touch screen models LOOK cool as all get out - Apple iPhone, LG Dare, LG Voyager, etc., etc.

BUT, Mrs. Axinar having interrogated quite a number of her friends that have iPhones, it's confirmed that it's BLODDY IMPOSSIBLE to compose a text message to say nothing of a blog entry on the thing.

I like the way the LG Dare tried to use the vibrate function to introduce some tactile feedback to using the touch-screen keyboard, but that doesn't seem to work either.

No, gang - keep trying - there must be SOME better way to enter alpha information on these things.

Can YOUR Cell Phone Carrier Run Opera Mini?

So as I have proceded in my research on the possibility of getting a new cell phone, I've decided I probably ought to concentrate on web browsing.

Now, back a couple of years ago, Cingular (now "AT&T Mobility") was really after me to relinquish my tri-mode, tri-band phone. Of course plans were in place for the analog and TDMA networks to go dark in February of 2008, but despite the fact that I had a phone with a PRIMARY GSM mode, they seemed downright upset I had a phone with TDMA and analog capabilities.

Of course back then there was something of a competition going on between Nate Livingston and myself to see if we could find the "Ultimate Mobile Blogging Appliance". Could one actually come up with something in the form factor of a cell phone that one could use to cover a City Council meeting or a Town Hall with Mean Jean Schmidt or something of the sort?

The short answer to that question is "No" - but you could get awfully close - even back then.

What I found was this little item called the Nokia 6682 that was just about to be discontinued at AT&T. That was cool because it let me grandfather my really cheap Spiderman I calling plan. However, those S.O.B.'s did eventually make me surrender the 100 text messages/month that came with that plan to pick up their $20/mo plan that had unlimited web and 200 text messages/mo. Now they've split up that plan - $15/mo. for unlimited web and $5/mo. for 200 text messages.

Well, along the way I decided it was really cool having an "open standards" phone. At first I could download Yahoo Go! 1.0 and actually have contact synchronization - oh ... and semi-push email. That was cool as all get-out. Of course the *ssh*les at Yahoo decided to discontinue the Yahoo Go! 1.0 software. The current Yahoo Go! application doesn't look very useful at all.

However, along the way I discovered a few other things that WERE quite useful - the Mobile GMail client and the Google Maps application to be sure, but, most importantly, Opera Mini.

Opera Mini ROCKS. It was out quite a while before the iPhone and pretty much only the iPhone and maybe the Motorola Q has ever come up with a half-way decent mobile surfing application.

So the Illustrious KenDiesel tells me last night that he has downloaded Opera Mini on his Sprint phone. I got all charged up. Sprint is on CDMA the same as Verizon. A little bit of digging seems to indicate that Sprint DOES have a semi-open network when it comes to J2ME apps and whatnot, but, apparently, despite a few news stories from a few months ago to the contrary, Verizon DOES NOT.

In fact, from what I have been able to figure out, they are running some sort of off-brand Qualcomm BREW platform that's not compatible with much.

In fact, I read that Opera went ahead and ported Opera Mini to BREW but Verizon still refused to certify it.

From what little I have been able to dig up, it also appears T-Mobile may or may not run Opera Mini.

Oh what a complicated mess this is turning into.

But, yes, for now I think I'm leaning towards staying on AT&T somehow.

I'm also REAL seriously starting to think about unlocked phones.

Anyone have any experience with unlocked 3G phones on AT&T?

The Quest For A Decent Cell Phone

Well, Mrs. Axinar got to comparing notes and we realized that our cell phone contracts are both up at the end of the month.

Now I'm on a grandfathered plan at AT&T that I got around the time of Spiderman I - 250 daytime minutes, 3500 night & weekend minutes for $30/mo., plus a package of 200 text messages and unlimited data that I picked up a few years back for $20/mo. This is running through a Nokia 6682, which actually is a pretty capable phone, but it doesn't have 3G.

Mrs. Axinar is on T-Mobile and is thinking of switching to their "myFaves 600" plan - 600 "Whenever" minutes, unlimited nights & weekends, unlimited calls to the five numbers she calls most for $49.99, then 400 Domestic text messages for $4.99/mo.

So the group math is my $50/mo. + her $55/mo. for a total of $105/mo. before all the nasty taxes.

Now, after a tremendous number of phone calls to Verizon Wireless, we found out we have access to a group discount, so we can get a "Family" plan with 700 minutes and unlimited text messages on both lines, then an additional "V.Cast" package for me for a total after discount (but before taxes) of just short of $105/mo.

Sounds like a deal, right?

Only problem is - I can't find a phone I like.

Now one of my original reasons for wanting to get a new call phone in the first place is that Yahoo Go! stopped working on the 6682 quite a while ago. Unfortunately the new version of this application doesn't seem to do contact sync and doesn't even seem to have a good way to access and work with your Yahoo contacts online so the main reason for getting the thing seems to have disappeared. The Yahoo Go! application also doesn't seem to work on any of the Verizon phones, so this would appear to not be an issue any more.

It's also questionable at this point whether or not Opera Mini will run on Verizon, although, from what I have seen, the built-in browsers on some of these Verizon phones look pretty capable.

The biggest problem is most of the reviews bite the big one.

When I stopped up at the local Verizon company-owned store, I was accosted by one of the reps as usual and he was trying to herd me in the direct of the LG Dare and was telling me how he could get us up and running TODAY and then switch the numbers over when the contracts expired.

Now I took a look over at the date-sorted CNET reviews of the LG Dare and, although a great number of people seem pretty impressed, the bad reviews are REALLY bad.

Basically the LG Dare looks to be an attempt to compete with the iPhone. Actually it's touch-screen does seem to be a little easier to use, but it worries me not having a full keyboard anywhere on the thing.

Speaking of the iPhone, I did start to calculate out what it would cost to move to a "Family" plan on AT&T:

$70/mo for a 700 minute plan with rollover (might come in handy on heavier months), 200 text messages for me for $5/mo., $15/mo. for 1500 text messages for Mrs. Axinar, then $15/mo. for MEdiaNet Unlimited for me. Total: $105/mo. again.

BUT, again, I'm having trouble finding a phone.

There is of course something like an unlocked Nokia N95 that would set me back more than $400. Doesn't sound like a good first option, although it is the closest thing to the 6682 I have seen.

There's the iPhone, but that's $130/mo. for the 700 minute plan ... way over the $105 we have sticking with our separate plans. Then there's this issue of the iPhone not having a user-replaceable battery. Not good.

Now - no question about it - the UMTS voice system for 3G is the CLEAREST signal I've ever heard by a long shot, so I'm thinking maybe the Motorola MOTO(TM)Z9.

But even from the main CNET review of the Z9 I can see there's trouble - for instance the memory card being under the battery hatch. The user reviews are pretty good, however.

Now there are Sprint, T-Mobile, and Cincinnati Bell Wireless to choose from. I've always thought Mrs. Axinar sounded like the inside of someone's colon on her T-Mobile phones, so I've been leaning against them. Mrs. Axinar used to work for Sprint and used to get hit for trumped-up roaming charges on Cincinnati Bell Wireless years ago so we've been leaning against them. T-Mobile and Cincinnati Bell Wireless of course don't have 3G either.

So, pretty much, we may be completely an utterly toast on this endeavor and may simply have to sit back and wait until something better comes out.

Hopefully at least T-Mobile will let Mrs. Axinar change her rate plan and go month-to-month ...

Verizon Wireless Preparing To Broadcast ALL Your Business

Here's one that I'm sure is going to get the attention of my favorite conspiracty theorist friend.

Word is getting around that Verizon Wireless is sending around a notice that, unless you specifically opt out, if you are a Verizon Wireless customer they are going to start sharing your call records with half the planet.

Apparently there is a phone number, 1-800-333-9956, you can use to opt out of this sharing of "Customer Proprietary Network Information" (CPNI), but there is other language in the notice that some customers are getting that says, "If you do not want us to collect, transmit or use such information about you for the above purposes, you should not use the services; by using the services, you expressly authorize us to use your information for these purposes."

Now, I am not a Verizon Wireless customer, so I have not seen the notice first hand, but there is a copy posted online.

Somehow I'm thinking there are going to be people having fits left and right about this one come tomorrow morning.

Yep ... I thought my conspiracist friend was getting overly jumpy about these various software packages that "phone home" and not is looks like our cell phone vendors are going to start using our own calling records against us to try to sell us crap ...

Lovely ... just lovely ...