Verizon Accessories

The holidays are over and everyones back to their daily grind. Those of you out there who were lucky enough to get the BlackBerry Storm over the holidays must be settling in nicely with your new RIM device. It takes a while to get used to but once you master it, it might as well replace your best friend right? Interestingly enough, I must say that the BlackBerry Storm is still generating a lot of buzz. Part of the reason is because this is the first device that RIM has launched with a pure consumer market in mind. Business is business and this device can serve as a workhorse but when it comes to web browsing, multimedia, music and more, the BlackBerry Storm seems to be a winner in everyones book. The other reason its still generating a buzz is the way in which Verizon Wireless has tackled the marketing of the hot touch screen phone. They are selling this one for an amazingly low price and for someone who is looking for a new contract or is getting ready to renew, it is a great product with amazing technology for a fraction of what it really costs.  Regardless of critics, the BlackBerry Storm is here to stay and will be a major device for 2009 to compete with the iPhone and the G1 and whatever else is expected to launch this year.  So, like I said, if youre one of the lucky ones to have gotten a Storm recently, enjoy your device. By now, you must be a pro at it and probably forgotten all about how difficult it was to get used to in the beginning. And dont forget to protect your new smartphone with a case or keep its battery life extended....

Spend some time in a retail wireless store and youll soon realize that people dont want to part with their money so much. Whether at Verizon Wireless or AT&T or any other carrier, customers are generally all the same. They have come to expect a deal by getting a free phone or an almost-free phone. Well, the problem now is that most phones are more than just phones.  Todays smartphones can parallel your desktop to some extent and provide you with an organizer, MP3 player, and cloud computing among other capabilities. So why do we expect for these phones to be given to us for such a discount when they are actually worth so much more? Some people predict that the days of giving out free phones are coming to an end. Thats because wireless carriers are already heavily subsidizing the smartphones they sell. One reason they are doing this is to gain more customers, of course. More importantly though, they all know that revenue from data plans can be very profitable in the long run so subsidizing doesnt seem so bad. As far as the device manufacturers are concerned, theyre in a rat race.  They have to continue to discount their handsets to get them into the hands of mainstream and middle class consumers and for that to happen the price has to be just right. Apple set precedence in 2008 when they lowered the price of the iPhone 3G to $199. Now it seems any smartphone hitting the market at anything over that price is setting itself up for automatic failure.  On the flip side, the problem with consumers is that they dont realize the value of a smartphone and the actual cost of the device. Smartphones retail for anywhere from $400 to $1000 without a contract. Thats really expensive right? But not if compared to say if you walk into a Best Buy to get a new laptop in that same price range. Smartphones are starting to replace laptops so why not give them the same value consideration that we would with a computer and realize that we will all have to pay for that mobile convenience?

The price of LG Dare has dropped down to a shocking $99.99 at Wirefly. Thats good news for those of you out there interested in getting this device. I dont know how long this offer is going to last but check it out for yourself. Of course, a 2 year contract is required but never the less this deal seems to be very good. The Verizon Wireless stores and website are still selling the device for $129.99.

RIMs BlackBerry Storm, whether you love it or hate it, has become one of the most talked about devices this year. While many tech gurus have written negative reviews about RIMs first touch screen phone, RIM has been pleased with its sales and claims that it is "Verizons best-selling device." This all leads me to wonder what is actually going on... I was at my local Verizon Wireless store recently and spoke with the manager on duty. He said that the device is indeed very popular but people are still having a hard time learning how to use it. Most importantly, non-enterprise consumers are interested in the device for its uniqueness in that it is a BlackBerry but also a touch screen. So say what you will but the people have spoken. Even with its hiccups and slow operating system consumers are willing to give the BlackBerry Storm a chance. Also, it doesnt hurt that it is available exclusively on the nations #1 network - Verizon Wireless.

Theres a lot of early adapters of the RIM BlackBerry Storm out there already which is a good thing. However, many of you are still trying to get used to that darn keyboard right? Well, the good news is that you dont have to feel alone now.  I was just down at the local Verizon store and the manager was telling me that a lot of people are still struggling with the Storms touch screen. So much so that they have instituted a free training class, usually held most mornings, to help customers out on getting started and tips with using the touch screen.

 Just in time for the holidays! Sprint and Verizon now have one of the all-around great smartphones for free, the Palm Centro. Sprint has it avalable in pink, red, and black, and green while Verizon is only doing the blue version. The phone is free with a new Verizon or Sprint contract. You can find the Verizon free phone offer here, and you can also check out other companies offering the Centro at a  lower-than-usual price. Sprints offer is available on their website. The centro is a good smartphone, its like the Toyota of cellphones. Its not exactly as luxurious as others,  but they do look nice and work even better. The centro is good for text messaging, e-mailing, and it sports a 2.2" touchscreen. It would be a great gift for someone this holiday.

Visual Voicemail is the latest technology in getting your messages and its a great feature to have. So, if you want it for your new BlackBerry Storm from Verizon Wireless, yes it is offered, but for a price. A $2.99 monthly charge will give you the Visual Voicemail feature.  That doesnt seem like a lot right now, but for a  year thats $36. It all comes down to is it worth it for you? Visual Voicemail allows you to navigate to specific messages without having to go through the whole list. You can see who called you and respond back to the ones most important first. Its a great feature to have but at $2.99/month in this economy I can think of better things to spend that money on. I think they should not have made this as a special add-on feature. They should have given it for free, like with the iPhone 3G. When carriers start charging separate fees for these add-ons, it really irks me.

  Verizon Wireless decided to drop the price of the new Samsung Omnia touch screen smartphone this week, and now the device is only $199.99 with a 2 year contract. The phone, which was just recently announced, most likely took a price drop to help it compete better with the iPhone at AT&T and T-Mobile G1. Those two phones are priced at $199 and $179 respectively. The Samsung Omnia is a touch screen Windows Mobile based smartphone. The device is hitting the stores on December 8. 

By Wireless Week Staff WirelessWeek - November 21, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account has been improperly accessed by Verizon Wireless employees, the carrier confirmed. Reports about the improper access surfaced yesterday, while Verizon first contacted the Obama transition team Wednesday. “This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account. The account has been inactive for several months. The device on the account was a simple voice flip-phone, not a BlackBerry or other smartphone designed for e-mail or other data services,” Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam said in a statement. “All employees who have accessed the account – whether authorized or not – have been put on immediate leave, with pay. As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.” “We apologize to President-elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day,” the statement concluded. No billing information or voice mails were compromised, according to a CNN report. Obama is known as an avid BlackBerry user but was observed using multiple phones during his presidential campaign. He may relinquish all personal use of a cell phone for security reasons while president. It is not known which company or companies supply wireless service to the campaign and the transition team.

Verizon Wireless is apparently doing one-on-one demos for a select few people pre-Storm release, and tomorrow Im going for one of these hush-hush meetings. They really dont want the word to get out about this. Its going to be a 30 minute demo where they will walk me through the device and answer any questions that I might have. Right now I have the iPhone and am seriously thinking about converting over to the Verizon network and the new BlackBerry Storm. Its a big change, I know, so lets see how it goes.  Ill blog after my meeting tomorrow with all the juicy tidbits.