verizon

A leaked "end of life" list has surfaced from Verizon Wireless that takes every Windows Phones off Verizon's shelves.

According to the document the HTC Touch Pro 2 has seen it's last days (EOL 6/29/2010) while the HTC Imagio, Ozone and Samsung Omnia 2 have their days seriously numbered (EOL 3/31/2011). All of which essentially wipes Verizon's slate clean of all Windows Phones.

Verizon isn't just axing Windows Phones. Android, Blackberry and Palm devices also make an appearance on the list. However, with Verizon rumored to be giving Windows Phone 7 the cold shoulder, could this be the end of a Verizon Windows Phone?  Or is Verizon warming up to Windows Phone 7 and simply cleaning off the shelves to make room for WP7 inventory?

via: precentral.com source: phonedog.com

So even though Verizon was listed as a launch-partner for Windows Phone 7 back in February at Mobile World Congress, a rumor is now going around that they won't be carrying any devices featuring Redmond's new OS. Why?

A few days ago, BGR revealed what is suppose to be Verizon's road map for device launches for 2010/2011. It was chock full of Android and LTE information but there was zero mention of any Windows Phone 7 devices--not even the HTC Spark_W. (Dun dun dun)

Forget about the fact that BGR's Verizon roadmap also omits the following, according to MediaBistro

• There is no mention of the iPhone being sold by Verizon in 2011
• There is no mention of any Microsoft Windows Phone 7 based smartphones
• There is no mention of any BlackBerry devices
• There is no mention of any webOS based tablets from HP

...the notion is that Verizon is dropping everyone and just going 100% Android? While we have no doubts Verizon is doing a big push with Google, we find it hard to believe that they have no use for RIM's Blackberry anymore, let alone Windows Phone 7.

However, there is this quote from Engadget on June 30th talking about Verizon and the KIN:

Our source says that the fallout from this troubled partnership is that Microsoft has backed away from Verizon as a Windows Phone 7 launch partner, claiming that the first handsets you see won't be offered on the CDMA carrier -- rather that we should expect GSM partners to get first crack.

In this case, the tables are reversed with Microsoft being the one to back away from Verizon, partially due to their poor handling of the KIN (e.g. jacking up the cost on the data plan).

Our thoughts? Sure, anything is possible. Verizon is clearly in love with Android, but their "roadmap" seems incomplete to our eyes. We also think that sales make the deal and if Windows Phone 7 does well, Microsoft and Verizon will warm up to each other and work out their differences. After all, not everyone was thrilled with Android either. Finally, the lack of evidence doesn't mean we can just fill in the blanks with our own speculation. Lets wait and see what happens, eh?

We've been hearing about the code-names for awhile and now we finally get to see one. We're of course talking about Windows Phone 7 on an HTC device and this one is reportedly for Verizon (and presumably Sprint).

Rocking some current-high end specs, the device features:

• 3.7" SLCD screen (Sony's 'Super TFT LCD', nothing big)
• 3 touch-sensitive lower buttons (similar to EVO)
• 8MP camera (No dual flash, not even a single one!)
• 1GHz Snapdragon
• No HTC customizations in sight

Too early to tell if this will be a release device, what it'll be called and where it fits in with HTC's planned offerings (maybe this is an entry level device, not their flagship?)

Our take: it's exactly what we'd expect from HTC and in that regard, it's a bit underwhelming although we think it'll get the job done admirably. Still, we're sort of hoping for 'an HTC EVO moment' where we really go 'wow' instead of 'meh'.

Are our standards and expectations too high? Yup, and we're okay with that as Microsoft needs to wow us.  Your thoughts?  Is that Dell Lightning looking better yet?

Edit: Windows Phone 7 hardware specs require a flash for the camera.  Hmmm...

The other big story is that HTC does plan to offer 'Sense' or something similar to it. Quoting HTC

"Microsoft has taken firmer control of the core experience [in Windows Phone 7], but we can still innovate," Drew Bamford, who heads HTC's user experience design team, told Forbes.

"We won't be able to replace as much of the core Windows Phone experience, but we will augment it," he said

We're down with that. Now lets see what that actually means.

[Via Engadget and FierceWireless; Thanks, Stephen, for the tip!]

Verizon's ETF lawsuit has apparently come to a close with a California Appeals Court upholding a $21 million refund that will go to about 175,000 customers. The lawsuit came about when customers challenged Verizon's Early Termination Fees. The plaintiffs claimed that Verizon violated California consumer protection laws and similar State and Federal laws by imposing flat ETF's.

The class action settlement, originally agreed upon in 2008, was appealed twice by Verizon with the funds being held in escrow until all appeals of the case have been exhausted. Verizon could appeal to the California Supreme Court but a spokesperson for Verizon stated this ruling ended all ETF related litigation.

Scott Bursor, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, stated "Yesterday's ruling by the Court of Appeal confirms that this is a terrific settlement for Verizon Wireless customers, and now more than 175,000 of those customers will get a substantial refund."

There are no reports on how much the attorney fees in this case will be (likely millions) but the settlement breaks down to about $88 per plaintiff. They were challenging a $175 fee, which has increased since the litigation but is now prorated to comply with applicable laws. 

Verizon claims the increase and change in ETF policy is completely unrelated to the litigation.  No word if the Microsoft KIN was ever a part of the settlement agreement.

[read: nasdaq.com]

Verizon today announced the LG Fathom, a 3.2-inch horizontal slider running Windows Mobile 6.5.3. The Fathom will be available at business channels on May 27 and in stores June 3. It will cost $149.99 after the usual two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. Monthly plans begin at $39.99 for voice and $29.99 for unlimited data.

Other specs of note:

• 1GHz Snapdragon processor.
• WiFi 802.11b/g/n.
• Bluetooth 2.1.
• MicroSD up to 16GB.
• 3.2MP camera.

Full presser after the break.

If you're lucky enough to have access to Verizon's pure fiber-optic FiOS cable/internet, then you'll want to go to Windows Marketplace and check out their DVR manager.

In an effort to basically kill off TiVO, the cable companies have been rolling out their own digital video recorder (DVR) services. This freeware app basically lets you access and program your DVR remotely via your WinMo phone. A friend tells you about a show you have to watch? Fire up this bad boy, log in and set your DVR to record it.

Having used Verizon's FiOS for a few years (even played with the DVR two years ago), we like their offerings a lot and its nice to see them give some Windows Mobile love.

So we all know the brew-ha caused a few weeks ago with Skype pulling support for Windows Mobile. They basically said that the application was not good enough and paled compared to the iPhone.

Fair enough.

Then came word about Verizon striking an exclusive deal with Skype, which went into effect today for certain BlackBerry's and Android devices. People did the math and figured the Verizon deal must have had something to do with it and sure enough, we heard this quote from Verizon recently on PhoneNews:

“The fact that we’ve partnered with Verizon and the fact that we’re withdrawing these apps are related only to the extent that they’re part of our drive towards a better Skype mobile experience. What we’ve announced is that we’re withdrawing the Windows Mobile and Lite apps from our website. If you already have one of them, you’ll be able to carry on using it.“

Now a tipster at our sister site, PreCentral, has sent an internal memo (see above) regarding today's launch. At the bottom it mentions:

Stay tuned for more detail in the near future about Skype Mobile on more Smartphones and platforms such as BREW, WinMo and Palm.

So it sure sounds like, at least on Verizon, Skype will be coming back. None of this should be surprising in the least, but it's nice to have more confirmation. Plus, last we checked, WinMo carrier-exclusive programs don't stay exclusive for very long...

[via PreCentral]

At some point we're all going to have to remember that the fabled "Pink" phones from Microsoft really aren't Windows Mobile. But that day is not today. Gizmodo says it has on good authority (leaked marketing materials, actually) that the phones it previously scored are in fact the same ones we're about to see launch on Verizon.

Also, and this brings us back to our opening sentence, the phones do not run the new Windows Phone operating system. That's not a great surprise. This is something different. Giz also says this platform is all about social networking, and there will be apps of some sort.

What Giz doesn't know: An actual name. They opine that we may see more at CTI in a few weeks, so we'll keep our eyes peeled. [Gizmodo]