Whoever said, “there’s no such thing as bad press,” obviously never worked for a wireless carrier. For the likes of AT&T (NYSE: T), the kind of bad press that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has been sending them could end up hurting their bottom line by way of lost customers. That’s hitting where it hurts. In it’s defense, though, AT&T has filed a lawsuit and is starting to hit back with their own Luke Wilson-ified TV commercials. It seems that lawsuit just wasn’t enough to disuade Verizon from running their ad campaign.
The latest of AT&T’s ads shows the usually funny actor taking a more serious tone to “set the record straight.” Verizon has been on a tear about how their rival’s 3G network pales in comparison to its own. AT&T is worried that some Americans might take Verizon’s claims and depictions of AT&T’s 3G coverage maps to mean that their network just doesn’t have widespread coverage. Their answer, apparently, is to show everyone out in TV-land just how extensive AT&T’s wireless network really is.
Take a look for yourself. There’s significantly more coverage area in AT&T’s map than Verizon’s version. By the looks of it, AT&T has some impressive coverage. So, what gives? Turns out, AT&T is showing off their entire 2G/3G network, while Verizon is focusing on the 3G network. That’s not exactly apples-to-oranges. This is getting interesting…
We love seeing hot new smartphones getting their price tags slashed mere weeks after its initial launch. The latest price reduction on the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid comes from Dell.com, making it possible to put a Droid in your pocket for just $119 and a 2-year contract with Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless. The deal also applies to contract extensions, so you don’t have to wait until you’re eligible for an upgrade to take advantage of the low price.
If you like high-tech smartphones and want an Android-powered handset, the Droid fits the bill perfectly. If you’re not sure that the Droid is for you, check out our hands-on impressions and video. Keep in mind that the Droid is so far the only Android smartphone to rock the new Google Maps Navigation app.
To recap: Dell is selling the Droid for $119 with new 2-year contract (or a contract extension for existing customers), and will even ship the handset to you for free via Fedex. That’s one “hot deal,” to be sure.
This one goes out to all of you out there in Woodland Hills. In a puzzlingly region-specific announcement, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has announced that it has added a new cell site in Woodland Hills, California. Those of you living in the western San Fernando Valley will see improved 3G wireless coverage and performance on your Verizon handset.
Verizon’s press release also mentions that the carrier spent $600 million in infrastructure improvements in California during 2008. With all the back-and-forth between AT&T and Verizon these days, we can’t help but think that the $600 million figure is a jab at AT&T (NYSE: T). Although, we have to point out that Verizon is quoting numbers from a lifetime ago (which roughly equates to a year in the mobile world).
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) customers, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 is now available for your consumption. Available in both Black and ‘Smoky Violet‘ (ooooh, sounds so sultry), the Curve 8530 will set you back $99.99 on a 2-year contract after a $100 online discount. This CDMA Curve packs WiFi, Bluetooth, OpenGL ES support (3D gaming here we come..), VZ Navigator, a 2MP camera, music player and more… If your previous gen Berry has had enough, this one could be worth a look.
For more information hit up VerizonWireless.com, or head on over to your local store for the skinny.
A tough, useful little flip has been announced on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) called the Casio G’zOne Rock. It had been previously spotted on a leaked roadmap, but few specifics were available.This phone looks like it would be a hikers dream, complete with compass, walking counter, thermometer, astro calendar, sunrise/sunset and tides apps to keep you oriented in the wild. It also features push-to-talk over EV-DO rev. A, a 2 megapixel camera, and meets MIL-STD-810F-grade ruggedization for impact, vibration, water, dust, extreme temperatures and just about anything else you could throw at it. The Rock joins the Boulder and Type-S in the G’zOne family of rugged handsets, but it’s tough to draw any real differentiation between them. The Casio Rock will run you $199.99 on contract after rebates starting tomorrow – just keep an eye out on the VZ store to pick it up.
It was, gosh, way back in August when Simon reported on this one. He spotted the BlackBerry 8530 in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s internal systems, and noted that it looked like a Lavender color option was in the works.
Today, while doing my usual morning rounds, I noticed a pic of said device, and I’ve included it for you above. Nothing game changing here, but it is at the very least good to see the Verizon branding at the bottom… Rumor has it the 8530 (in black and lavender, aka ‘violet’) is going live on Verizon November 20th… Wait… that’s tomorrow! Hold on tight and let’s see what we get!
So, you might have heard that AT&T (NYSE: T) is suing Verizon for misrepresenting them in the “There’s a Map for that” ads that attack AT&T’s coverage. AT&T tried to “set the record straight“, but Verizon (NYSE: VZ) continues to hold firm, and has even gone so far to say that AT&T only launched the lawsuit because “the truth hurts”. Oh, snap. Verizon is refuting the temporary restraining order that AT&T is demanding for the ads, on the basis that AT&T has apparently admitted that the coverage maps used in the ads are entirely accurate, and the comparison Verizon makes is apt. AT&T’s angle is “Verizon has stepped over the line of legitimate comparative advertising,” which sounds really wishy-washy to me. It looks like this whole situation is quickly degenerating to a PR slap-fight, and will probably result in nothing productive in the long run (however entertaining the drama may be).
Want some extra cash to blow at Walmart? What if I told you Wally World was giving away $100 gift cards with any BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) purchase from November 14th through the 21st? According to the good folks at Gizmodo, that’s exactly what is going to happen.
The new deal will be both valid in-store and online, but will require your purchase come complete with a 2-year contract. If you were planning to pick up a new BlackBerry anyways, the 14th through the 21st would be a good time to do it. $100 in your pocket to blow on holiday gifts or just treats for yourself could never be a bad thing.
Below is the list of BlackBerry devices up-for-grabs at Walmart:
You see this little snippet of a photo of an HTC smartphone? This may just be an image of the rumored Verizon (NYSE: VZ)-bound HTC Passion/Dragon’s display. The photo comes bundled with new speculation that has the big-screened Android phone bringing its 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera and Android 2.0 OS to Verizon Wireless sometime in the middle of December.
How do we know this is the Verizon Wireless HTC Dragon? We don’t know anything for sure at this point. But we do know that the clock widget comes from HTC’s Sense UI, so the handset is definitely HTC hardware. The high resolution fits in nicely with what we’d expect from a 4.3-inch display rocking 800×480 pixels. And, to top it off, BGR has confirmed that the pictured handset is headed to Verizon Wireless. Mid-December seems to be the date to mark on your calendar, but we’ll update you as we get more detailed info.
The Motorola Droid might be getting the lion’s share of the media hype right now, but if the HTC Dragon hits Verizon Wireless before the holidays, it’s going to be hard to keep fawning over the Droid. The Dragon sports a larger display, a 5-megapixel camera, the same Android 2.0 OS, and Sense UI as a bonus. Sure, the Droid has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but will that be enough to woo consumers away from the Dragon?
It’s becoming almost trendy to hate on AT&T (NYSE: T)’s 3G network, and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless is pushing hard to make the trend stick. So hard, in fact, that AT&T filed a lawsuit to stop Big Red’s “theres’ a map for that” TV ad campaign in its tracks. The lawsuit is still in it’s early stages, but the threat of legal backlash hasn’t stopped Verizon from going all-out with a new TV ad that has an iPhone look-alike hanging out with all the wayward toys on the “Island of Misfit Toys.” Funny? Definitely. But, those “misfit toys” bring up all kinds of creepy memories from our childhood.
Whoever said, “there’s no such thing as bad press,” obviously never worked for a wireless carrier. For the likes of AT&T (NYSE: T), the kind of bad press that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has been sending them could end up hurting their bottom line by way of lost customers. That’s hitting where it hurts. In it’s defense, though, AT&T has filed a lawsuit and is starting to hit back with their own Luke Wilson-ified TV commercials. It seems that lawsuit just wasn’t enough to disuade Verizon from running their ad campaign.
This one goes out to all of you out there in Woodland Hills. In a puzzlingly region-specific announcement, Verizon (
Want some extra cash to blow at Walmart? What if I told you Wally World was giving away $100 gift cards with any BlackBerry (
