verizon

Verizon Wireless showing up for the Nokia Lumia launch

October 26, 2011 | By Surur

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There has been rumours of a release of a new Windows Phone 7 handset on Verizon, with Nokia being a front runner candidate.

This Verizon employee, identified by his badge, floating around the Nokia World conference, adds further fuel to the fire.

Hopefully we will see a better CDMA Windows Phone 7 handset on Verizon soon.

Via thisismynext and WindowsphoneDaily.com

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New Verizon (Nokia) Windows Phone on the way?

October 26, 2011 | By Surur

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Perennial leaker MS_nerd has just tweeted that a new Verizon WP7 handset will be announced “real soon”.

Verizon only has a lone Windows Phone 7 handset, the HTC Trophy, so is certainly overdue for an update. If announced today it is likely to be a Nokia Windows Phone 7 handset, with FierceWireless posting yesterday that a CDMA handset is coming from the company.

Of course it may also be another WP& OEM trying to steal Nokia’s thunder, which would still be all good

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Microsoft hints at LTE Windows Phones in 3-6 months

October 20, 2011 | By Surur

lte Andy Lees, President of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Division, recently spoke widely about Windows Phone 7 to the Seattle Times.

Most answers were pretty standard, but one particular comment did strike me. When asked about 4G support in Windows Phone 7 he said:

"All the phones in the U.S. are 4G. What’s interesting with this release, instead of all the phones coming out on the same day, there will be a season that will carry on into the next year that will include LTE phones as well."

Presumably the first part of the sentence refers to HSDPA+, which AT&T and T-Mobile calls 4G. This will obviously not fly on CDMA networks, hence their rush to LTE.

Andy confirmed that LTE phones will be coming, and that they will be part of this wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets, which will extend into next year.

Now I may be over-interpreting, but with the Tango release, rumoured to bring LTE support, supposed to drop early next year, I suspect we will likely see a CDMA handset sport LTE first, likely on Verizon, in the first 3 months of next year. A season can not be 9 months long after all?

Are we parsing a bit too much into a throw away statement? Let us know below.

Via WPCentral.com

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LG LS831 is a Windows Phone 7.5 handset for US CDMA carriers

October 5, 2011 | By Surur

The LG LS831 has just passed through FCC. The device is known to be a Windows Phone 7.5 handset as it has shown up before in WP Bench Benchmarking rankings. The FCC entry now reveals the handset is a CDMA device, meaning it is likely heading for Verizon or Sprint in the USA.

The information should be some reassurance to CDMA users in USA, many who have been complaining that they appear to be left out of the new wave of Windows Phone 7.5 handsets coming this fall.

HTC Trophy, HTC Arrive running Mango start showing up on Verizon, Sprint shelves

September 24, 2011 | By Surur

We know the Mango update is rolling our pretty soon in US, with current rumours pointing to September 27th for both Verizon and AT&T. Now we have reports that new handsets will be sold with the OS already installed.

Via WPCentral.com we have pictures taken at the Verizon store at Broadway & 17th Street, New York of a HTC Trophy running Mango, and similarly an HTC Arrive running Mango showed up at a Sprint Store in Vegas.

Of course what we are all hoping for is brand new handsets running Windows Phone 7.5, but as usual we suspect the CDMA carriers will be last on the list to receive these.

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Verizon Mango update also coming on the 27th September

September 23, 2011 | By Surur

We believe AT&T will roll out the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update on the 27th, and now Verizon customer support appears to suggest the CDMA carrier will be launching the software update on the same day also.

Of course customer service reps are not always the most knowledgeable and accurate in the world, but the 27th seems as likely a day as any to bring all those HTC Trophies up to date.

Via WPCentral.com

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Verizon CEO Expects Third Mobile Platform to Emerge in 12 months

September 21, 2011 | By Pradeep

Even though Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is telling the fact that Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform will be the third mobile ecosystem after iOS and Android, industry leaders are still considering RIM and others are still in the race for the spot. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam considers Samsung’s Bada, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5, or RIM’s forthcoming QNX-based BlackBerry are the competitors.

The carriers are beginning to coalesce around the need for a third ecosystem,” said McAdam. “Over the next 12 months I think it will coalesce and you will start to see one emerge as a legitimate third ecosystem.”

TechCrunch’s Jordan Cook thinks it will be between RIM and Microsoft, and expect Microsoft to come out ahead.

Noting that messaging alone will not save Blackberry he observed “messaging in Windows Phone Mango is absolutely killer. Each contact is its own thread, and whether you’re chatting it up on Facebook, in texts, in emails, basically anything, Mango threads it all together into one cohesive conversation. Add to that speech-to-text capabilities and Mango is an easy sell.”

Maybe that’s why 44% of buyers are considering Windows Phone 7 handsets…

Source: Techcrunch

(Note: The article has been modified to correct a misunderstanding about the attribution of a quote. Surur)

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Is the Samsung Omnia 7 coming to USA with a front-facing camera in tow?

September 8, 2011 | By Surur

The Samsung Omnia 7 is one of the most attractive Windows Phone 7 handsets, and so far could be found mainly in Europe.

Now a dual mode GSM/CDMA version of the handset, the SGH-i708, has just passed though the FCC sporting a front facing camera.

The handset sports an extra button on the left of unknown purpose, and has a 2000 mAh battery, but otherwise seems to be the same Samsung Omnia 7 we know and love.

The handset may be coming to Verizon or Sprint, where I suspect it would have done well earlier in the year. However, despite the handset never being available in USA, we are in a global village, and I believe most potential Windows Phone 7 users will know it is an old design, which rather suggests either laziness on Samsung’s side or a massive delay.

Would our CDMA-using readers still buy the handset? Let us know below.

Rumour: Multiple Nokia Windows Phones coming to USA, but not Nokia Sea Ray

August 9, 2011 | By Surur

Nokia Sea Ray not coming to USA?

The (unofficial) Nokia Blog is spreading a rumour that, despite some evidence to the contrary, the Nokia Sea Ray is not in fact coming to USA.

That does not however mean USA would be bereft of Nokia Windows Phone 7 handsets, recently revealed as a major priority for the company.

According to The Nokia Blog’s sources T-Mobile and AT&T are both getting Windows Phone devices that are in the affordable range. Meanwhile Verizon is getting a different Windows Phone of the more high-end variety, which should cheer users unhappy with the relatively pedestrian specs of the Nokia Sea Ray.

Of course if such a wave of handsets were to come to USA it will likely mean they will not be arriving this year. Would our readers in USA prefer a Sea Ray now or to wait for a better Nokia handset later? Let us know below.

Thanks Sean for the tip.

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HTC Trophy rated ahead of all Android phones on Verizon

July 14, 2011 | By Surur

We have already seen some research saying Windows Phone 7 handsets have great customer satisfaction rates, and we can see this in action even more directly by looking at Verizon’s phone store, when phones are listed by customer rating on their website.

The HTC Trophy scored a solid 4 1/2 stars, ahead of all Android and Blackberry phones and the 16 GB black iPhone 4.

Given these real world customer satisfaction rates I think recommending a Windows Phone 7 phone to a friend or relative is as safe as an iPhone, and certainly better than subjecting them to the bugginess of an Android phone.

Thanks Guy for the tip.

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PCMag’s salesman against WP7 research is premature

June 13, 2011 | By andrewbares

PCMag recently made the bold statement that cell phone sales representatives were pushing customers away from buying a Windows Phone. From a tiny sample of only four retail stores, PCMag claimed that “retail salespeople aren’t enthused about selling Windows Phones”.

To make things worse, their claim was based off ”research” findings which showed that only half of the stores they visited actually pushed people away from Windows Phone 7! They even said themselves that the AT&T employee was “enthusiastic about WP7 devices”. In the T-Mobile store they visited, the employee praised WP7 for being highly regarded by techies. Only in the Sprint and Verizon stores did the representatives push Sara away from Windows Phone 7.

And remember that this was only four stores. My medium sized city has 10 AT&T stores alone! Therefore, PCMag’s results should definitely be taken with little significance.

However, I decided to take things into my own hands and help increase the amount of research by visiting some stores myself.

A day ago, I visited a T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint store. I had hidden cameras with me, hoping to document the experience on video, but the store employees didn’t give me permission to use the film footage. Nevertheless, here is my experience: Continue reading →

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PCMag confirm cell phone sales people against Windows Phone 7

June 9, 2011 | By Surur

Cellphones sales reps are turning potential Windows Phone buyers away.

PCMag has done a secret shopper on some carrier cell phone stores, presenting as a customer looking for a Windows Phone. Near universally the shopper was guided away from the handset they wanted to an Android handset in the main.

They write of their experience:

At AT&T, the salesperson was a recent iPhone to Android convert. She was enthusiastic about WP7 devices, saying that Netflix was on WP7 and not available on her Android, and looked embarrassed when she walked me over to AT&T’s unkempt WP7 display shelf. The newest WP7 phone, the HTC HD7S, didn’t have a demo device. The only live demo I saw was an LG Quantum with a damaged screen (below right).

Next at a T-Mobile kiosk, the only WP7 device on display was an HTC HD7. The salesperson said the WP7 platform was well-regarded by techies, but that he couldn’t personally recommend it as he carried an Android device. He was obviously more knowledgeable about the Android platform, and eventually the session turned into an iOS-bashing fest.

At a Verizon reseller kiosk, a salesman clearly tried to deter me from buying a WP7 device altogether. Not only did not he appear to know the fundamental difference between Windows Mobile and WP7, his kiosk didn’t even offer WP7 devices and said you’d only find WP7 demo products at a few of Verizon’s big retail stores.

"Honestly, only 1 out of 500 customers comes in here asking for a Windows phone," he said. "Verizon won’t roll them out to kiosks until it performs better on the market."

At Sprint, a salesperson was impressed by my insistence on trying a WP7 device (Sprint has only on Windows Phone 7 model, the HTC Arrive), but still tried to sell me the Android-powered HTC Evo (like the one he held). When I told him I’d rather wait for another WP7 phone to hit Sprint, he tried to convince me to return on June 24 for the HTC Evo 3D.

Although he said he liked the WP7 platform, he told me, "We sell what people want. There hasn’t been much demand, but I think it’s growing. Just yesterday somebody came in looking for this phone."

While PCMag attributes the issues to poor training and carrier relations, we prefer to look at solutions. The answer is simple – Microsoft should offer bounties for salesmen selling the most Windows Phones. It will likely be a whole lot more effective than any multi-million dollar marketing campaign which brings buyers into stores just to be turned into Android customers by sales reps.

Read the full PCMag article here.

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HTC Trophy for Verizon: Video Review

June 8, 2011 | By andrewbares

The HTC Trophy is Verizon’s first Windows Phone 7, and with the Trophy, every major carrier in the United States now has a Windows Phone device. Verizon’s Trophy is CDMA of course, and it features 16 GB of storage instead of the usual 8 GB, which is a much appreciated bump in storage space. Watch our video review embedded above, or continue reading below for the written review!

Overview

The HTC Trophy is a fantastic Windows Phone device that Verizon users should gladly welcome. It does have a few downsides like poor call quality, a below-par camera, and a standard LCD screen, but when you experience all the positives like the absolutely solid hardware, perfect screen size, and an overall fun user experience, those disadvantages can slip into the back of your mind.

Hardware

The specs are the usual first generation Windows Phone 7 specs (1 GHz processor, WVGA capacitive screen, etc), but the Verizon version has 16 GB of storage which is a nice touch. The phone is very thin (0.47″) and feels incredible in your hand. It’s not too big, not too small, and feels like it was meant to be held by you. The visual design of the phone looks excellent too. The entire phone seems very solid. There aren’t any complaints about the phone’s hardware. Continue reading →

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