Verizon relents, promises to open GPS on some WinMo phones next year
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Dec 16th 2008 5:50PM
posted Dec 16th 2008 5:50PM
Okay, so maybe the unlocking of the GPS on Verizon BlackBerrys wasn't an accident after all -- and maybe hell has frozen completely over. WMExperts is reporting an official statement released by the carrier claiming that GPS has remained locked down on many of its models simply because it hasn't met Verizon's "performance goals," which granted, sounds like a crock -- but to Verizon's credit, they're the ones getting the phone calls when things aren't working smoothly, not the phone's manufacturer. Still, when you consider that VZ Navigator runs a pricey $9.99 a month for WinMo devices, the financial motivation was certainly there to keep it locked down, so maybe customer dissatisfaction with the policy has reached a boiling point or Verizon is simply realizing that they're not milking enough money to bother. Specifically, the Touch Pro, Saga, and Omnia have all been mentioned as getting fully unlocked, standalone GPS via firmware updates in the first half of next year.[Via Brighthand]
Too little, far too late! No one cares about it because it will take a long time for anything Verizon (as far as progress goes) to come into fruition in some form or another.
--
i think it's a complete rip off how Verizon attempts to nickel and dime me at every turn. i refuse to pay $9.99 a month for something i probably wont even use all that often, especially when the phone is already equipped to do it for free from the start. On Verizon we get the same phones as other carriers but they are almost always month's late, more expensive, full of bugs and glitches, and with less features. i guess that's the price you pay for "the network".
so you're pissed because you ahve to pay for something you don't use?
just like damned near everything else - if you don't need it, don't get it. if don't get it, you don't have to pay for it. this is not particle physics... it's not that difficult to understand.
and the reason there's a charge is because people will use it, and people will pay for it. you say you won't pay for it because you won't use it, yet I can almost guarantee that the moment you see it's free you won't hesitate to download and use it.
@Tra la la
People are angry because these phones come with a built in FREE GPS receiver...and verizon is intentionally blocking this feature and force the consumer to use its own GPS nevigation system for $9.99/mo.
This is one of the main reasons why I left verizon. They nickel & dime you for everything. GPS is useful, but will I use it everyday? no... but maybe that 1 or 2 times a month i want to use it i don't want to pay 9.99/month for it. When will everything just be considered data and be bundled in with the data plan....
I recently got the iPhone and I can use whatever apps i want and its all just using data from my unlimited data plan... nice and simple.
Why does verizon always have to complicate things...
VZW doesn't nickel and dime, they simply make customers pay for service. If you look at your Iphohe plan and compare
it to a similar plan @ VZW, you will notice that you are paying $40 more for the exact same thing. So yes, VZW charges
for GPS. You don't like it? Don't use it. At least on VZW I know that all my calls go through, I don't drop, I have the fastest
mobile data speed available in the US (I have tested them all) and I know that I have optional services available if I WANT
to use them. Oh yes, sending and receiving pix/vid msgs and OTA song downloads are great too... Along w/ removable
memory and battery, my Omnia puts an Iphone to shame everytime, even w/ the GPS locked.
Having just bought an Omnia, and having until Jan 15 to decide if I want to keep it, this will make me think a little harder. The big complaint I have in this otherwise lovely phone, is that V* has needlessly blocked the internal GPS. While I had been strongly leaning toward getting a G1 Dev phone in a month, this gives me a little more pause. I still won't be able to tether my Tom Tom data services through the device, but I have yet to find a cell phone/carrier that does that properly.
Think, think, think...
I was days away from breaking my contract over the whole GPS-locking issue on Verizon.....looks like this announcement may keep me from fleeing the Verizon empire (not that they care).
Bout time we stuck it to those greedy verizon fucks. Mmmmm... you got a purty mouth Verizon.