Wow. D Train, I seriously hope you're not a member of the customer service department, and you're almost certainly not a member of the marketing department. I like how, in the process of rebutting my statements, you essentially prove that all of my arguments are correct.

Your assumption that everyone who has all Bluetooth profiles enabled is essentially using everything beyond the Handsfree profile to commit felonies and make (what you seem to deem) the tragic mistake of using anything other than Verizon's provided packages to do things like navigate underscores my statement that Verizon and its employees often seem to insist that they know what is best. My statement about the crippling of GPS was a direct shot at the BlackBerry 8830. Sure, I could use your VZNavigator service (for a monthly fee), or, if your company hadn't crippled the GPS receiver, I could have used a number of other solutions, such as the brilliant Google Maps, FOR FREE. And that's what Verizon is scared of. It's the FOR FREE part.

So my statements stand. Don't insult my intelligence by suggesting that the crippling of Bluetooth is in the interest of protecting the rights of content holders. It's the desire to lock down a revenue stream that drives these actions. And we all know it. In addition to what other posters have mentioned (trouble transferring photos taken on the phone, etc.), it's, AGAIN, VZW's insistence that they know what is best for their customers that floats to the surface, and not any of these other ridiculous arguments.

THANKFULLY, there remains some semblance of choice, and as such, I actually switched from using VZW for years to T-Mobile (I have a BB 8320). Sure, Verizon had an amazing network with excellent service, and I thought the customer service was top notch. But the carriers, in subsidizing and locking down their phones, are insisting that consumers view the handset and services as a package. And as such, the sum of Verizon's package sucks. Do some people just want a phone that works, with no bells and whistles? Sure; and maybe Verizon is good for them. It was for me for a number of years. But now I want more, and the perceived arrogance of your company annoys the living **** out of me. So I've spoken as loudly as one man can, and taken my business and money elsewhere.

Normally I don't respond to these sorts of things, but I felt the need to point out the fallacy of your statements.

D Train:

I think the gist of these arguments is that Verizon is a greedy company. The crippling of Bluetooth (and I think you're wrong, this is the sort of thing people - in my experience - use often) forces you to use Verizon's network to send pictures, to buy ringtones, to move files, and buy Verizon's proprietary packages to use tethering (not in all instances, but in some, for sure). Of course, all of these things cost more, either as a per use fee or a premium package. Let's not even get into the issue of Verizon crippling GPS on the 8830 or the fact that the VZW UI isn't now and has never been the prettiest and/or functional UI out there.

The real problem, demonstrated, I think, by your comments here (I'm assuming that you're a VZW employee since you used the pronoun "we"), is the feeling that Verizon seems to think that it knows what's best for its customers. We obviously don't use Bluetooth, so why not cripple it to make money off everyone. Never mind that you've implicitly admitted that the crippling of Bluetooth is a common complaint, and therefore, something you would think VZW would address. Nope, it's still, "We know what's best, so shut up and take it."

Thanks for your insight, but...

SWWWWWWEEEEEEETTTT!

Hm, I think I would like the bluetooth speakers...

OK, so no one has said anything about the other widgets on the phone. What about the weather and the stocks? Has anyone found any way to access the filesystem on the iPhone? I know it seemed, on first pass, as if BT and iTunes would not allow you to see anything, but has anyone tried pushing a file to the phone?

Also, in the process of posting this comment, I managed to double-post my comment in the win an iPhone post. Go figure. So much for my far-flung free iPhone dreams.

I'm looking forward to hopping in my iPhone and taking it to the market to get a gallon of milk.

Wait, it doesn't do that? Will it download porn?

Awesome!