My 7135 shipped this morning, and the rep gave me permission to post her contact information. As of right now, she can ship today (that may change as inventory drops). Her name is Marti, and her number is 866/745-4679 extension 9617. Please tell her that I sent you (she's done me a couple of favors, and I'd like her to know that I appreciate them). -PatP
Thanks for the heads up on availability. I was told by one local VZW store that they would have the phones today. I called (dutifully) today and am advised that they have one demo phone but will not be stocking the phone. It is available by "special order" only - $699 full retail or "one-time good deal of $599 if you're new or out of contract. Seems to me that they would stock the phone if supplies permitted. Maybe I'll give your friend a call... can't see any value in driving to the store! Or, maybe I'll wait for Sprint's competitive model (i500) to see what price impact it may have?
Marti should be able to offer you the $499 price on a Kyocera 7135 with a two year Verizon contract. If you want a one year contract, I'd expect it to be $35 sign-up fee and $529 for the phone. She did an outstanding job for me. I've got the SPH-I300, which is the predecessor to the the SPH-I500. The i500 is a nice phone/pda, but it has a couple of problems for me. The battery life has been awful on demo units, to the point where it won't even power a demo all day! Dialing on the screen is a problem for me, since I frequently need to dial in the dark, and the screen destroys your night vision for a few minutes (and everyone around you too). -PatP