AT&T has hired Luke Wilson to point out the differences between their service and Verizon. AT&T tried to file a temporary restraining order against Verizon for playing the “there’s a map for that ads.” But AT&T lost the injunction. Instead AT&T is doing an eye-for-an-eye approach by pointing out the flaws of Verizon’s network. Above is one of the many videos I’m sure we’ll see over the holiday season where AT&T rips on Verizon.
Verizon has responded to AT&T’s lawsuit claiming that the “There’s a map for that” line of advertisements are true. AT&T claims that the Verizon’s map is false and has been seeking a restraining order against the ads.
“AT&T now is attempting to silence Verizon’s ads that include maps graphically depicting the geographic reach of AT&T’s 3G network as compared to Verizon’s own 3G network because AT&T does not like the truthful picture painted by that comparison,” states the filing by Verizon.
AT&T normally does not respond to advertising from competitors but in Verizon’s case they are making an exception. AT&T called Verizon’s ad “blatantly false and misleading” when talking about data coverage. AT&T pointed out the actual facts in a press release.
Some of the facts include:
- 233 million people, or 75% of the population in the U.S. is covered by AT&T’s 3G network
- 301 million people, or 96% of the population in the U.S. is covered by the EDGE network
- 303 million people is covered by AT&T’s GPRS network which covers talking, texting, and basic website access.
AT&T also decided to ruffle a few Verizon feathers by calling out the smartphone market. “Unlike Verizon, AT&T offers the most popular smartphones in the industry,” stated AT&T in the press release.
Verizon is doing to AT&T what Apple did to the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. Its about time AT&T fights back in order to convince their customers that the high price of having an iPhone is worth it.
Broadpoint AmTech Inc. analyst Mark McKechnie estimated that 100,000 Verizon Droid mobile phones were sold over the weekend. In terms of specifications the Verizon Droid was intended to challenge the iPhone. The iPhone remains as king when it comes to selling the most number of units on an opening weekend, but clearly the Droid has made an impact on mobile phone competition. At least more so than the Palm Pre when comparing opening weekend unit sales.
When the original iPhone first launched, it sold about 270,000 units on the opening weekend. However the original iPhone had a much higher cost. And then iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S had about 1 million units sold on their respective opening weekends, thus creating the benchmark that many other mobile companies are striving for. The Palm Pre sold about 50,000 units on their opening weekend which was a record sales day for Sprint. If the Verizon Droid did end up selling 100,000 units in the opening weekend, then that means that about 50% of the company’s inventory has been bought.
What does this mean for the telecommunications market in general? What this means is that the iPhone has a small rival which may just help Verizon retain some of their customers from switching to AT&T. The Android Market will see an increase in sales too. It will be a fraction of the sales that Apple makes on the iTunes App Store, but we will definitely start hearing some developer success stories about how much they made from the Android Market in the near future.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) may increase their early termination fee to $350. As you know Verizon recently started selling the Droid, a high-end Android powered Motorola phone. This may be the reason why Verizon is jacking up the prices. The rumor of the increased early termination fee was started by a leaked document on BGR. The early termination fee will decrease $10 per month. Once you’re in Verizon, you’re not leaving without burning a hole in your wallet.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is suing Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) because of the “There’s a map for that” ads. The reason why AT&T is suing them is because of false advertising and deceptive trade practices. The Verizon “map” suggests that AT&T customers are out of touch.
AT&T said that they sent Verizon a notice asking them to stop running ads that their customers are out of touch in areas that do not have 3G services. Verizon removed the words “out of touch” from their ads and added “voice and data services outside 3G coverage areas.”
However AT&T customers still have voice and data services out of 3G areas but the data connection is slow. AT&T did not specify how much in damage they want in return and they are also asking for a restraining order from Verizon to keep running the ads.
Best Buy Mobile announced that they are pre-selling the Verizon DROID today. The phone will be available on November 6. The DROID is the first phone on Verizon to run on the Google Android operating system. By ordering the phone through Best Buy, customers are able to avoid mail-in rebates and instant savings. Best Buy is selling the phone for $199.99 with 2 year activation.
“We’re excited to feature this new device for our consumers, as it represents the latest and greatest in mobile technology,” stated Best Buy Mobile President Shawn Score in a press release. “Bringing the DROID to Best Buy Mobile expands our already unmatched assortment of smartphones allowing customers to compare high-end devices like the iPhone 3GS, HTC Hero and DROID all under one roof. The fact that customers can purchase the phone first at Best Buy through the pre-sell is an added bonus.”
The DROID has a 3.7″ screen, 5 MP camera with autofocus and image stabilization. The camera also has dual-LED flash and DVD-quality video. The DROID is the first phone to have Google Maps Navigation.
Boy Genius Report gave the hands-on treatment on the Motorola Droid. Based on the screenshots I’ve seen, it looks very similar to an iPhone and the sliding QWERTY keyboard reminds me of a Sidekick. Below are some of the specs:
- Android 2.0 operating system (as predicted)
- Almost as thin as an iPhone 3G S and very thin QWERTY sliding keyboard
- Capacitive display
- The phone is made out of metal and rubber. The keyboard has a soft-touch rubberized finish.
- Each phone will have a desktop charger that comes with it. The charger turns the phone into a Multimedia Station by displaying the local weather and time.
AT&T has poached a lot of customers from Verizon Wireless because of the exclusive Apple iPhone contract. The iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3G S have been the hottest smartphones selling on the market over the last few years. Motorola has also felt the pain of losing customers to the Apple iPhone too as their sales have decreased substantially. Given that Verizon and Motorola have both been feeling the pain, they teamed up with Google to launch a new smartphone called the Droid. The Droid is expected to arrive in late October or early November.
As the three companies are preparing to launch the Droid, a video has been released in order to get the hype going. The video knocks on all the features that the iPhone lacks such as the lack of a keyboard, background application capabilities, and a high resolution flash camera. The Droid commercial points out the lack of the features starting with the expression “iDon’t.” And everything “iDon’t,” Droid does. Based on how intense the video looks, I’d say Apple should be concerned. This video has a “we’re not messing around this time” vibe towards the end.
The Droid is expected to be powered by the TI OMAP3430 core which is also used by the Palm Pre and iPhone. The Verizon Droid will be using the Android v.2.0 operating system. Google expects at least 18 devices to be powered by Android by the end of 2009.
Apple may have decided to reject Google Voice, but Verizon Wireless plans to embrace the application. Google and Verizon have an Android partnership and the results of this deal will appear in the next few weeks. The first two Android powered phones will be available on Verizon later this year.
“In Verizon, somehow, the leadership has decided to embrace a very different philosophy, which works very, very well with the Internet,” added Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the conference call. Verizon and Google started their partnership discussion about 18 months ago. Verizon was the third telecommunications company to launch a phone on the Android operating system. T-Mobile and Sprint were the first two companies. Verizon is the largest wireless carrier based on the number of subscribers.
iRex Technologies, Verizon, and Best Buy have made a partnership. Best Buy will sell the iRex DR800SG in their stores with unlimited Verizon 3G data speeds. The DR800SG will cost $399 and have an 8.1″ touchscreen.
E-books will be downloaded from the Barnes & Noble online store. The e-bookstore also has 1,100 newspapers from Newspaper Direct. The 3G connection is powered by Qualcomm Gobi radio technology. Best Buy will be selling the DR800SG next month. The e-book reader also comes with a stylus as pictured above.
Above is a picture of the Samsung Rogue SCH-U960 (Glyde 2). This phone has a slide out four-row QWERTY keyboard, 3.0 megapixel camera with flash, Full HTML browser, and uses the TouchWiz UI. This phone has one-touch access for accessing popular social networking services sch as Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook. This phoen also has access to V CAST VOD and V Cast Music. The Rogue also has SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, etc. Games that are pre-loaded on this phone include Need For Speed Undercover, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Tetris, and Dice.
The Samsung Intensity has a 2.1″ display with QWERTY a sliding keypad. There is also a mobile web browser, music player, 1.3 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Multishot, Self Time, and Shutter Sound selection. This phone is also compatible with V Cast Music. However over-the-air downloads are not available for this phone.
The Samsung Rogue can be bought for $99.99 with $100 mail-in rebate and a 2 year customer agreement. The Samsung Intensity is available for $29.99 after $50 mail in rebate and 2 year customer agreement.
Verizon recently launched a new USB modem called the UMW190. This USB modem will work anywhere in the world. And Verizon promised that this modem will give them a 3G Internet connection everywhere too. The modem works on a dual-band CDMA/Tri-Band UMTS/HSPA and quad-band GSM. The modem will cost $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and two year agreement.
T-Mobile and Sprint have their hands on the HTC Touch Pro2, but don’t count on Verizon to be one of the only players to be left out. The HTC Touch Pro2 will be available for you to pick up at Verizon stores for $199 starting September 11. This price includes a 2 year contract and a $100 rebate.
Verizon Wireless is expected to get the HTC Desire 6200 soon. A source with PhoneArena spotted sent over a screenshot from Verizon’s inventory system. The HTC Desire 6200 will be powered by Google Android. The Desire 6200 is expected not to be branded as HTC. It is more likely that the phone will be branded as a Verizon mobile device.
