bluebanzai writes "When hordes of people bought up the Motorola V710 upon its release a year ago, Slashdot readers may remember many impressive features including the cutting edge Bluetooth features (picture/mp3 transfer, wireless syncing) as described on Motorola's website. However, when used with the popular Verizon Wireless cell phone service provider, many Bluetooth features were sadly crippled (apart from a wireless headset) because OBEX features had been purposely disabled by Verizon. Hundreds of people donated to a hacker rewards program to unlock the full features of the phone to the tune of $3000, but was never fully successful.Well, one year later, the Los Angeles Superior Court (PDF Warning) and Verizon have announced the initial steps of a Class Action Lawsuit that appears to be influenced by the user community allowing everyone who bought it before the start of 2005 a few options for compensation--including a refund up to the purchase price of another phone which, interestingly enough, is a lot easier to hack." Settlement Good News for MotorolaV710 Owners Log in/Create an Account | Top | 186 comments | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 186 comments 0: 177 comments 1: 143 comments 2: 96 comments 3: 33 comments 4: 15 comments 5: 12 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. How about... (Score:5, Insightful) by aussie_a (778472) on Wednesday October 12, @06:01AM (#13771948) (http://gutterflycomix.com/thequeensland | Last Journal: Friday February 11, @05:09AM) including a refund up to the purchase price of another phone which, interestingly enough, is a lot easier to hack. How about Verizon just stop crippling their customers and unlock the locked features? [ Reply to This Re:How about... (Score:5, Funny) by meringuoid (568297) on Wednesday October 12, @06:36AM (#13772008) How about Verizon just stop crippling their customers and unlock the locked features?If they did that, then you could easily create your own wallpapers and mp3 ringtones on your PC and transfer them to your telephone by Bluetooth. This is obviously wrong, and the sort of thing only pirates would do. Therefore the phone company locks down the features, and you can then pay a modest sum of money for professionally-created multimedia products of much better quality. Isn't the Company great, looking out for you like that? [ Reply to This | ParentThe MONOPOLY industry. by hkmwbz (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @08:48AMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by nolife (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:05AM Re:The MONOPOLY industry. (Score:5, Insightful) by Eunuchswear (210685) on Wednesday October 12, @10:35AM (#13773179) (Last Journal: Thursday March 24, @11:10AM) Being a yurpeen I don't understand this bit:The phone would not sell because the carriers would not activate it for you because it is not one of their phones.Where I come from the carrier doesn't "activate" the phone. I just bung my SIM chip in and use it.Isn't it funny that your free market has produced monopolies that screw the customer and our regulated one has produced competition? [ Reply to This | ParentRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by Rude Turnip (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @11:11AMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by flosofl (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @11:12AMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by Woody77 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @05:51PMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by CharlieHedlin (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:37PMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by CptChipJew (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @01:41PMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by Detritus (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @02:56PMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by really? (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @02:59PMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by frank378 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @11:40PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:The MONOPOLY industry. by jasen666 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:29AMRe:The MONOPOLY industry. by plover (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:37PMRe:How about... by swthomas55 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:10AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:How about... (Score:5, Funny) by maxwell demon (590494) on Wednesday October 12, @06:36AM (#13772009) (Last Journal: Wednesday August 14, @01:33PM) How about Verizon just stop crippling their customers and unlock the locked features?They don't just cripple the phones, they also cripple their customers? I didn't know that they are that bad ... :-) [ Reply to This | ParentRe:How about... by aussie_a (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @06:41AMRe:How about... by Andrewkov (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:08AMRe:How about... by duncan (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:13AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:How about... by Alex P Keaton in da (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:39AMRe:How about... by CharlieHedlin (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:40PM815 is not that impressive anyway by wsanders (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @02:05PM thats the problem with US phone networks (Score:5, Insightful) by riflemann (190895) <riflemann AT sp DOT cactii DOT net> on Wednesday October 12, @06:30AM (#13771991) (http://www.openvoice.com.au/) This seems to be a unique problem to US mobile phone markets. Why the hell do they require the phone company's own phone?In any other part of the world, you buy your own phone from wherever you choose (even another country) and just plug in a sim card from your chosen provider and it just works.If any provier here tried to pull those tricks, the market would take care of the problem very quickly.Is GSM actually getting any foothold in the US market? [ Reply to This Re:thats the problem with US phone networks (Score:5, Interesting) by ianbnet (214952) on Wednesday October 12, @06:44AM (#13772030) This is not so much a uniquely US problem, as a uniquely Verizon problem. Their CDMA network is huge, but T-Mobile and Cingular are just two examples of nationwide GSM networks, complete with SIM-unlocked phones. Verizon has great coverage across the US, but for the technically inclined or anyone wanting "cutting edge," they're rarely the best choice, with outdated, locked phones and limited, expensive data capabilities.Still, it's great to see them getting their due. Their attempt to lock up basic features in the US market is ridiculous, and hopefully this practice will end soon. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by bhtooefr (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:43AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by afidel (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @11:42AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Buran (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @03:24PMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by bhtooefr (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @05:35PMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Derlum (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @08:53AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Frank T. Lofaro Jr. (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @04:37PMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Cyn (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:06AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by wangmaster (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @10:48AM3rd party unlockers by Kadin2048 (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @11:31AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by billg@microsoft.com (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:23AM Re:thats the problem with US phone networks (Score:4, Interesting) by plover (150551) * on Wednesday October 12, @12:29PM (#13774247) (http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Friday October 07, @11:50AM) the V3 RAZR is a great phone,I've had one for a few months now, and I'm at least as disappointed with it as my buddy is with his Verizon V710. First, and most on-topic with this discussion, the bluetooth stack is incredibly buggy! If I try to use OBEX to browse its files, I can sometimes get files in and out of the phone, and sometimes not. And virtually any time I use OBEX or connect from any Windows XP machine (three different machines, three different manufacturer's Bluetooth devices) the Bluetooth on the phone goes south, and it will refuse to even acknowledge a headset afterwards. I need to pull and replace the battery to get it to come back.And my complaints go much further. The phone does not support OBEX browsing of other phones (like my Sony-Ericsson T637 could do.) It does not support 24/7 discoverability, restricting it to 60 seconds max. It does not support an "advanced headset profile" (again like the T637) where it doesn't establish the Bluetooth headset connection until a call is made, allowing me to use Bluetooth networking even in the presence of a powered up headset. That's a very important feature with a hands-free car kit. Overall, bluetooth functionality on this phone is on a par with the V710 - a lot of promise, but nothing delivered.And then it suffers from all the other endemic Motorola problems. It has the world's worst address book application, which cannot handle the simple task of storing multiple numbers per contact, instead creating new contacts for each number. It also suffers from a byzantine one-touch speed dial reconfiguration mechanism. Their whole speed dial thing is still based on the "order" in which numbers are stored, so if you want to change speed dials you have to first renumber the old record, then renumber the new record into its place. And it takes it about a minute to boot -- I have no idea what can be taking it so long. Finally, even though the phone is perfectly capable of shooting video, (there are mods to turn it on) it's not available out of the box.There are some really good features on the phone though that I do like: battery life is very, very good. Audio quality is excellent. The camera is a crisp 640x480. Voice dial recognition has impressive performance, especially in the noisy environment of my car using the handsfree kit. And of course it's small and light. But overall, it's far short of a "great" phone. I was much happier with my T637. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by mediocubano (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @11:54AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by d99-sbr (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:39PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:thats the problem with US phone networks by SimilarityEngine (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @06:47AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by 6*7 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @07:04AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by SimilarityEngine (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:12AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:thats the problem with US phone networks (Score:5, Informative) by ForestGrump (644805) on Wednesday October 12, @06:50AM (#13772049) (http://livejournal.com/users/fgrump123 | Last Journal: Friday August 26, @04:14AM) Yes, GSM is getting a foothold in the US market. I myself have been with Cingular/ATT (both GSM) for almost 5 years now.Like CDMA carriers, GSM isn't problem free.For example, if you buy a GSM phone, it is most likely locked to the carrier you bought it from. Why do they do this? Because most phones are either "free" or "discountted" with the signing of a contract.Now, I figure they lock phones for 3 purposes:1. If your family member destroys their phone somehow, your "locked" phone won't work because they have a different carrier. Thus, they'll be forced to buy a new phone.2. So you can pay their roaming/international charges when you travel (because a locally bought SIM doesn't work on the locked phone).3. Profit!Thankfully, unlock codes/reflashing can easily be done if you know where to find a code calculator, or willing to buy a $10 data cable.GrumpUnlocked Siemens S40, Mot V400.Unlocked half my family's nokia phones. [ Reply to This | Parent Re:thats the problem with US phone networks (Score:4, Funny) by karnal (22275) on Wednesday October 12, @09:59AM (#13772822) (http://www.mulletsgalore.com/) The way your sig played into your comment was priceless:GrumpUnlocked Siemens S40, Mot V400.Unlocked half my family's nokia phones.--still looking for a wife... [ Reply to This | ParentRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by SilverMane69 (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @10:10AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Frank T. Lofaro Jr. (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @04:56PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Not just US, UK too by gilesjuk (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @06:53AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by dan the person (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @07:28AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by DDLKermit007 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @07:27PMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Adlopa (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @07:35AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:thats the problem with US phone networks by indytx (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @07:46AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by Brobock (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:25AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by 93 Escort Wagon (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:03AMRe:thats the problem with US phone networks by AK Marc (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @03:42PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. The REAL winners (Score:3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 12, @06:35AM (#13772005) are the lawyers with (fta) 6.3 million dollars + 60k expensesseems everyday to a lawyer is like winning the lottery except you win every time !now all they need to decide is which to buy , a speedboat or a Lear jet..hmmmm decisions decisions [ Reply to Thissteps to profit (for lawyers only) by jurt1235 (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @08:19AMRe:The REAL winners by squiggleslash (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @08:41AM Verizon is horrible about this (Score:5, Interesting) by fmwap (686598) on Wednesday October 12, @06:39AM (#13772016) Verizon has consistantly pissed me off since I got their service, they've killed Kannel [kannel.org] on their network, upgraded to prevent hacking the GetItNow service, and the only way to add custom anything is to locate an impossible to find cable & hack it usingBitPim [sourceforge.net] Sure, you CAN add custom photos and ringtones, which I might do if I had to pay ONCE for, but Verizon charges a monthly fee just for having them on your phone. It's a blatent ripoff and I got tired of being fucked by Verizon. I don't have any input on them crippling bluetooth, but frankly it doesn't suprise me. This company is a shit providor and I don't understand why anyone has their service. I'm sure they will offer better Bluetooth enabled devices, with many new features, as long as you pay X amount per month to have them enabled, and a fee for using them, and the fee for airtime, and the activation fee, and ... [ Reply to ThisRe:Verizon is horrible about this by man_of_mr_e (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @06:53AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by bhtooefr (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:50AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by frank378 (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @02:40PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Verizon is horrible about this by Skater (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:53AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:02AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by fmwap (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @12:13PMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by buttersnout (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @10:32AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by mlyle (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @05:13PMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by ivan256 (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:34AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by SaDan (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @10:48AMRe:Verizon is horrible about this by ivan256 (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @10:55AM2 replies beneath your current threshold. I got the mailling (Score:5, Insightful) by bblazer (757395) * on Wednesday October 12, @06:40AM (#13772018) (http://www.spaltedboard.com/ | Last Journal: Friday October 22, @11:48PM) I bought 2 of these phones from Verizon and was so upset with the situation I cancelled the service even-though I had to eat the cancellation fee. In the settlement mailing there are 3 options.1) Current Verizon customers that want to keep the phone and the service may get a $25 credit to their bill.2) Current customers who want to keep their service but not their phone may send it in for a refund.3) Customers who cancelled their service and paid the cancellation fee can get a refund of the fee.I am not sure why they just don't enable OBEX?! That is what everyone wanted in the first place. [ Reply to ThisRe:I got the mailling by Takeel (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:20AMRe:I got the mailling by Overzeetop (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:08AMRe:I got the mailling by data1 (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:01PMRe:I got the mailling by CharlieHedlin (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:57PM Fix the Blackberry please (Score:3, Interesting) by The Mutant (167716) on Wednesday October 12, @06:46AM (#13772034) (http://www.you-suck.com/mutant) I've got a Blackberry 7100t, and it supposedly has Bluetooth. But the OBEX implementation is crippled as well, and only supports headsets.I've heard that RIM did this because of security implications; maybe so. But it said Bluetooth on the box, not partial Bluetooth. [ Reply to ThisRe:Fix the Blackberry please by anothy (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @09:10AM Nice, weak microphone addressed by Lameware cool (Score:3, Interesting) by WarmNoodles (899413) on Wednesday October 12, @06:47AM (#13772038) I own a V710, and Beside the FA's observation that lameware nerfed Bluetooth functionality, my main complaint is that people can not hear me when I use the device.The complaint was personally confirmed as a common grief experienced by V710 Verizon phone users.The solution which did not work was to reset the phone using the stencil.Glad I'll be able to get something for the piece of junk.I stopped using the phone about 6 months ago due the bad microphone sound quality.I would pick the 3rd option on the claim form. I hope they offer a phone of equivalent function and price/value.The first claim form option was for $25 which in no way near covers the $430 cost of the junk phone.Another complaint is that when I purchased a replacement, Verizon had no way of transferring Contact phone #'s to another phone.--Avian flu dosen't kill people, people kill people. [ Reply to ThisRe:Nice, weak microphone addressed by Lameware coo by thc69 (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @07:36AMRe:Nice, weak microphone addressed by Lameware coo by Andrewkov (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:15AMRe:Nice, weak microphone addressed by Lameware coo by matth (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:37AMRe:Nice, weak microphone addressed by Lameware coo by WarmNoodles (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @04:44PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. This is still bogus... (Score:5, Interesting) by Chanc_Gorkon (94133) <jmclaug3NO@SPAMcolumbus.rr.com> on Wednesday October 12, @06:53AM (#13772055) Why don't they just enable OBEX file transfer, syncing and basically give you all features of a phone with bluetooth?? Why should they have to hack the replacement phone either?? Verizion is just screwed up on a great many things. Why must I pay 79 bucks or even 59 for 1XRTT or even EVDO?? Can't they have a unlimited plan that's a little more economical? How come I can get a GPRS connection via T-Mobile for HALF of Verizon's 1XRTT?? If they would just look at the POTENTIAL market, they could definitely lower thier price.Also,with regards to EVDO, they SHOULD allow you to plug the card into that switch unit(forget the name of it). IF Verizon did this, then some people just might use this as thier ONLY connection to the web. When at home, plug it into the switch, when on the road, take another switch or just plug it into the laptop. Verizon could make TONS of cash if they were to do this, however they want to FORCE you to do things their way because they are afraid the network may not be able to handle it or some other stupid reason. [ Reply to ThisRe:This is still bogus... by sirwired (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:15AMRe:This is still bogus... by mr_rattles (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:37AMRe:This is still bogus... by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:44AM I wish I was that lucky (Score:5, Interesting) by Tidal Flame (658452) on Wednesday October 12, @06:56AM (#13772059) (http://tidalflame.net/) I was just in Japan for two weeks, and everyone there over the age of 5 has a really awesome cell phone. Being a techie, I got a bit jealous, so I decided I'd buy a new one when I got back. I needed to switch providers anyway as my old provider was really ripping me off. So, I get back, read up on providers and such. I eventually decided that Virgin Mobile worked best for me, since I don't use my cell phone a whole lot but do find it a useful gadget. Their rates are pretty good for people who don't need to use their cell phones every day. Now, here's where I screwed up: I did a Google for "Virgin Mobile" to see what kind of features the plan offered. This of course brought up the Virgin Mobile USA website. I live in Canada. There's no obvious indication on the site that it's the Virgin Mobile USA site, so I figured it was just a general Virgin Mobile site. These days most corporate sites redirect you to the appropriate page based on where your IP is located anyway, right? So I'm looking at the features and I see that they have internet access and instant messenger support, among other things. So I go out and buy a phone (Audiovox CDM8910). Not a top of the line model, but it's got a camera, superphonic ringtones, and all that. Pretty nice, I think. Of course, to my horror, when I open the package there is no data cable. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Instead, I discover, Virgin wants me to pay 50 cents per picture to get my pictures off of the phone, up to $4 per ringtone to download new ringtones (normally I wouldn't mind, but the phone's default selection is pathetic - none of them are suitable for anything, really), and up to $2 per picture to download new "wallpapers." Yeah right! It is possible to purchase a data cable for this phone, and I've done so. The problem is that there's no software that really supports the phone, and of course the phone's firmware is completely undocumented... so I CAN get my pictures and upload new ringtones without paying Virgin's outrageous fees, but because of the shoddy, undocumented firmware, there's a good chance I could completely wreck my phone in the process. I doubt I'd have an easy time of getting a replacement, either... Honestly, the cell phone market in North America is absolutely pathetic. I'm sick of being locked in by providers and being promised features that I don't receive. To be fair, I should have been more careful about my research in this case, but I'm sure several Slashdotters have experienced similar letdowns with cell phones. A lot of people seemed to think that the "Cell Phone User's Bill of Rights" was ridiculous. Maybe it was. But we all know that when North American cell phone providers aren't outright lying to their customers, they're crippling the phones they provide so that the only way to make use of all of the technology in the phone you buy is to pay outrageous fees. [ Reply to ThisRe:I wish I was that lucky by indytx (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @08:04AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. CDMA and SIM card question (Score:1) by amerinese (685318) on Wednesday October 12, @07:01AM (#13772073) i realize that the current market is setup (with phone subsidies) so the carriers have incentive to keep you from using phones with another carrier.but is there any technological barrier? is there any reason that cdma cell phones couldn't be paired with SIM cards? [ Reply to This Re:CDMA and SIM card question (Score:5, Informative) by tomreagan (24487) on Wednesday October 12, @07:13AM (#13772098) i realize that the current market is setup (with phone subsidies) so the carriers have incentive to keep you from using phones with another carrier.but is there any technological barrier? is there any reason that cdma cell phones couldn't be paired with SIM cards?no, there is no technological barrier. further, some people believe that the importance of supporting next-generation provisioning and wi-fi/3g roaming will lead more of the carriers to support gsm on their networks. you could easily support the gsm provisioning/billing/roaming features on top of a cdma transport. in fact, i believe that some cdma phones with gsm/tdma chipsets built-in for global roaming have been announced/discussed.it will be interesting to see how long verizon can maintain this technological provincialism. based on their dominance in the marketplace, i would imagine they'll be able to maintain for some time. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:CDMA and SIM card question by bhtooefr (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:54AMRe:CDMA and SIM card question by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:58AMRe:CDMA and SIM card question by confusedwiseman (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:55AM2 replies beneath your current threshold. have they learned their lesson? (Score:2) by boomerny (670029) on Wednesday October 12, @07:08AM (#13772086) Will this change Verizon's stance on bluetooth connectivity? I hope so, because I am long overdue for a new phone and have been waiting for the CDMA RAZR. I'm afraid what Verizon may do to the bluetooth and even the mini-usb port on the razr, since they've already replaced the entire Moto GUI with the new standard Verizon interface(this even meant removing the menu button from between the soft keys). Unfortunately in my area if you're not on Verizon you'll have spotty service, I know people with Cingular who do not have coverage in their own homes. [ Reply to ThisRe:have they learned their lesson? by bluebanzai (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @09:08PM Greed IS Verizon's business model (Score:4, Insightful) by digitaldc (879047) on Wednesday October 12, @07:30AM (#13772127) "Q. Well, these features are available in phones from many other carriers, and people feel cheated.A. Verizon does business unlike any other carrier, and we make no apologies for that. ... [Those features] don't work with our business model. Every customer is certainly entitled to their own feelings. "'we make no apologies for that' =Translation= We do what we want, when we want, and you do not matter.'don't work with our business model' =Translation= It is much more profitable for us this way'Every customer is certainly entitled to their own feelings.' =Translation= F You!!! [ Reply to This Yay Free Market Capialism! (Score:2) by Tryfen (216209) on Wednesday October 12, @07:42AM (#13772158) (http://www.bluemole.co.uk/) If the US had gone down the GSM route - without messing around with the band allocation - you wouldn't have this problem.Over here is "Socialist Europe" I can buy a phone direct from the manufacturer and use it on any network, if that's what I want to do.Instead you have half-a-dozen incompatible phone standards, poor coverage, restricted phones and dreadful service.Sometimes cooperation and capitalism go hand in hand. [ Reply to ThisRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by squiggleslash (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @09:02AMRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:18AMRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by squiggleslash (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @10:37AMRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:16PMRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:25AMRe:Yay Free Market Capialism! by anothy (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @12:23PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. Why only before 2005? (Score:2) by matth (22742) on Wednesday October 12, @07:56AM (#13772186) (http://www.matthoppes.org/) I purchased by crippled v710 in June of 2005, why on earth am I not entitled to some sort of compensation?!?! [ Reply to ThisRe:Why only before 2005? by spinfire (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:30AMRe:Why only before 2005? by matth (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @08:34AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. European cellphones (Score:2) by freaker_TuC (7632) <freaker AT xsrv DOT org> on Wednesday October 12, @08:08AM (#13772209) (http://zkboi.deviantart.com/ | Last Journal: Sunday June 20, @02:31PM) I do not know how the cellphone market is in the States but here in Europe you can buy a cellphone at any shop, put your sim card in it and the phone just works. Wether it is Nokia, Motorola or the oldest Ericsson; it will always work. If you buy a phone with reduction (like 50 euro for the phone with subscription) there is mostly a SIM LOCK on the phones which prevents another provider sim card to be put in the phone without unlocking.I've never seen or heart about any phones being crippled (in the literal sense) that badly. I'd feel royally f*cked if I'd get a phone like that.I even wonder, does Verizon even announce the crippled functions on their cellphones? Because if you go to the manufacturers website you get a phone with full specs - are these specs also similar on the operators website(s)? Such wouldn't be even legal in Europe and would be called "misleading information before sale". [ Reply to ThisRe:European cellphones by Carrot007 (Score:2) Wednesday October 12, @10:29AM I like the phone but.... (Score:2) by matth (22742) on Wednesday October 12, @08:13AM (#13772227) (http://www.matthoppes.org/) Don't get me wrong, I like my v710... but here are my list of issues, for which reason I am taking it back to Verizon Saturday to try to get it fixed...* When plugged in to charge will say "Unable to Charge"* If I open the phone to turn an alarm on, then close it, the backlightstays on (that's normal), however, if I now plug the phone in to charge it,the backlight never goes off (or into it's reduced brightness mode).I have to wait untilt he backlight goes off, THEN plug the phone in.* The camera says "BUSY" when I try to use it. BUSY?!?! Who else is usingmy camera?!* The phone locks up totally when I try to access the camera.* After opening the phone, if I close it, after the timeout period, thetext will go off the phone, but the backlight remains on, draining thebattery.* After being on for several days, the phone begins to run sluggish,especially when accessing audio files, recording voice, or taking pictures. [ Reply to ThisRe:I like the phone but.... by spinfire (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @08:35AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. T-Mobile and Motorola (Score:2, Informative) by qazwart (261667) on Wednesday October 12, @08:18AM (#13772246) (http://www.weintraubworld.net/) I got my cell service from T-Mobile. Not only are they a GSM provider (and I can even get a phone from them that works outside of the U.S.), but they don't disable their Bluetooth at all.I am fully able to transfer files back and forth between my computer and my Motorola RAZR phone. I even sync my addressbook between my phone and my computer (and it was one of the big reasons I went T-Mobile and bought this particular phone).I bet you could probably go to Japan, get one of those ultra-cool phones they have there, then use it with T-Mobile in the U.S.BTW, I think it is a very bad sign that the U.S. is no longer the first country to get the latest technilogical doodads. Heck, we're not even one of the first. A lot of the really high tech stuff never even hits the U.S. markets. Many tech firms are beginning to treat us like a third world market. It's not just cell phones, but video game consoles, and even watches. [ Reply to ThisRe:T-Mobile and Motorola by jhsiao (Score:3) Wednesday October 12, @10:31AMRe:T-Mobile and Motorola by Frank T. Lofaro Jr. (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @05:03PMRe:T-Mobile and Motorola by tushar (Score:1) Wednesday October 12, @11:36AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. What about me? (Score:1) by midmopub (922286) on Wednesday October 12, @08:20AM (#13772250) Why the January cut off date? Verizon continued to sell these V710 phones up until the new Motorola E815 rolled out recently. I purchased to V710's in August in fact without knowing about the limited functionality.I guess I am just out of luck. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Phones... (Score:1) by EddyPearson (901263) on Wednesday October 12, @08:30AM (#13772292) (http://www.unitymail.co.uk/) I never heard about this, pretty underhand! No doubt Verizon took a nice cut from selling those handsets before they mentioned that most of it would work :p [ Reply to This v276 next?