Verizon Wireless Bluetooth Phones???

Nokia 6255i I don't know if it will be out by Mar 2005?
I don't know why that many CDMA phones that do bluetooth. Alot of GSM phones have it. I am sure someone out there knows why that is the case.

Here is the first Bluetooth phone for Verizon. Bluetooth phone.
about all it can do is download 5 ringtones and few other things.

 

This may come out early next year:

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=570

 

Currently, Verizon believes that limiting Bluetooth is in it's best interest. By forcing you to pay for Picture Messaging and/or the upload service, they make money. I believe they will continure to limit functionality so long a customers are willing to pay for their services in order to get pictures off the phone.

 

The Motoroal 270c is an old phone that is long since discontinued. The Audiovox is a PocketPC device which means it will probably be at least $300 with a 2 year contract.

 

here is the 6600.

 

I'd say much more. PDA Phones are starting at $500.00 - $700.00 unless it's something old like the Audiovox Thera or Kyocera 7135.

 

The only reason I want Bluetooth is so I can have a freaking wireless headset. I don't need any features but the wireless capability. I hate my headset and it's wire.

 

The v710 works fine with BT headsets (mine's an HS810). The v710 also works well as a BT modem for my Palm T2 and my Mac iBook.

 

If that's your only concern, you can get the V710 now with the wireless headset. Most people are not happy with the wireless aspect of BT on VZW. I keep on hearing from a friend who's on Cingular that he beams his address book and other things from his Mac Powerbook to his V3 Razr.

 

if thats what you want to do with bluetooth I suggest you switch carriers. Like crood said Verizon likes to cripple bluetooth capabilities on their cell phones and this practice will most likely continue onto all of their bluetooth phones in the future. So in order to transfer your pictures to a computer you will most likely need a non-verizon phone.

 

Transferring files & such over Bluetooth threatens an established VZW revenue source - specifically, GIN. So VZW takes the only step it can to protect it's revenue stream by locking down OBEX on the V710 (and future phones). Cingular & TMobile are starting to get into the content business, but whereas the V710 is VZW's first real attempt at a BT-enabled phone (no, the T270 doesn't count), Bluetooth-enabled phones have been available from the GSM carriers for some time, and as such there's a larger and more vocal user community that would balk at BT restrictions. It might not stop the GSM carriers from trying, but I doubt they'd be successful.

I was content with the restrictions on BT file transfer, so long as I was still able to use the TransFlash card on the V710. But as VZW becomes more entrenched in the content business, DRM is going to become more important, which is part of the reason VZW is, based on the version of the updated firmware going around, trying to disable audio file transfers via TF. Fair use be damned if there's profit to be had! But the more VZW meddles, the more I'm tempted to ETF out and port my number to the Orange & Blue splat. I'm just waiting to see how the V635 pans out.

 

Well said. I've got 19 months to go on my VZW contract (and, in general,
I like my V710) but if Verizon hasn't learned its lesson by then, I'm changing
carriers (after 10+ years as a loyal BAM/VZW customer).

For me, it's not about ringtones or even photos (although that's an issue), it's that in the pursuit of controlling those potential revenue streams they're limiting the functionality of simple things that ought to work transparently, like phonebook and calendar sync, and beaming phonebook-entry "business cards". And the apparent mindset that lets them do that for short-term gain, doesn't augur well for their future direction.

My phone is part of a system that includes laptop, desktop, and PDA systems, and will likely include other systems (e.g., car hands-free and navigation devices, office phone dialers) in the future. These all should work together and share information (hopefully) seamlessly. Putting artificial roadblocks on bluetooth undercuts the potential for that technology to give me the kind of system I want in the future. And that's a point of view that makes VZW sufficiently less interesting as a provider, that all their quality of service doesn't balance it in my eyes.

As a first attempt, the V710 is an interesting development from VZW. What will really matter is whether their future offerings take bluetooth in a more open direction, or close the holes they left. Right now all I'm hearing about the new firmware on this and other boards suggests that they're still thinking they can get away with owning the whole system. I don't agree, and I plan to vote with my money when the time comes.

 

You can already get it with through business accounts...should be out in all sales channels this month...

 

I share your perspective 100%. I'm very happy with my V710 right now. It does everything BT related I need it to. Pairs with my Palm Tungten T2, pairs with my iBook and works with my HS810. Perhaps I will need more functionality in a year and a half when my VZW contract expires. If VZW isn't providing it and "The Bar" has been raised high enough where I get comparable service where I live/work/travel, I'll jump without reservation.

 

Dan - you seem to have some pent up (although probably understandable) anger towards your service provider. I'm curious as to why - were there billing problems? Were you not able to get signal on the Island? (And have you noticed any improvement since the CingulATT merger?) I ask this because, while the fact that all of your friends are on VZW is certainly one valid reason to switch, if you're otherwise satisfied with the SERVICE (meaning signal quality, primarily), you might want to give Cingular another chance. You should at least check out the signal quality on VZW (with a friend's phone, etc.) before you port over.

Also, right now you're paying $40 for 1000 peak, 1000 mobile to mobile, and (presumably unlimited) night & weekend minutes. That same $40 at VZW is only going to buy you 400 peak, albeit with unlimited mobile-to-mobile, night & weekend. That's something to consider if you do a lot of peak-hour calling.

As far as Bluetooth phones...you're probably going to be disappointed. VZW views BT as a massive threat to their revenue streams (ie: GetItNow), and on the V710 they have only enabled the Handsfree, Headset and Dial-Up Networking profiles. And if what I've been hearing is accurate, look for VZW to lock the phone down even further in the near future. (Right now, the fact that OBEX is disabled can be overcome using the Transflash card, but VZW is likely to lock that down too.) The GSM carriers give their BT users a lot more liberty - but I've posted about that at length in another thread.

Just some things to consider.

 

You mean the LG VX7000 right?

It's a tough call. Most of the problems of the V710 stemmed from the camera and TF slot. Overall, the complaints seemed to have died down.

Although they're both big phones, I don't think you'll go wrong with either of them.

 

I don't understand how Verizon can see Bluetooth as being a threat to revenue generated from such things as ringtones, wallpapers, etc. Bluetooth has been around in Europe for years, most mobiles now come with Bluetooth as standard now, and customers still spend vast sums of money on content from the networks.

Bluetooth has become particuarly popular over the last year or so because of laws in several European countries banning the use of a mobile whilst driving, so many people have bought Bluetooth headsets.

 

Verizon sells services to transfer pictures, ringtones, and address book backups. That's how they see BT as a threat to revenue. It's not just about buying new content, but transferring existing content. In addition, they have contracts with their GIN partners where they have to block this access (or so they say). Their few BT phones do allow for headset use.

 

It is not only Verizon. Sprint also crippled bluetooth in the LG PM-325. It seems CDMA carriers have something against bluetooth.

 

@crood

Many people use bluetooth to transfer content between handsets in Europe, but as I said before, they still spend money on buying new content.

Personally I use Bluetooth a great deal, not only for transferring files between handsets, but also to my PC. I also use Bluetooth to connect to the internet through GPRS whilst travelling and I reguarly use a Bluetooth headset. How did we ever manage without it?

 

See, that's the thing. BT has been around longer in Europe. In general, US companies (both telecom and otherwise) have been slow to adopt it, so there's been no great rush to BT on cell phones in the States. The GSM carriers have had it longer because many of their phones are the same as those sold in Europe and Asia. The selection of CDMA phones, used by Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and other carriers, is almost entirely exclusive to the US. You may find similar-looking phones in Korea, but I promise you the feature sets will be different. Sprint and VZW have never viewed Bluetooth as a priority, and with BT now gaining popularity, they see it as a threat to their revenue-generating services. I can't explain why they don't look at the data from Europe, but that's the choice they've made.

 

@Critic

Samsung have only recently begun to include Bluetooth in their handsets, the lack of Bluetooth has always put me off Samsung, but they seem to have realised that people want it at last. Bluetooth was never very popular in Japan and Korea and this is probably part of the reason Samsung haven't included Bluetooth in their handsets until now.

IrDA is becoming something of a relic in Europe due to Bluetooth's popularity. Personally I very rarely use IrDA, but it is nice to have it all the same.

I have read a lot of comments from Americans, which say that the hardware they have access to is behind that available in Europe and Asia, but I consider the lack of services in the U.S. to be one of the factors holding back hardware development. For instance, one of the UK networks, Orange, provides cinema vouchers to its users through their mobiles, one just takes one's mobile to the cinema to get a discount. This service promotes the use of data services and thus prompts customers to buy handsets capable of utilising such services.