One would have thought, with the lessons that Verizon appeared to have learned from missing out on the iPhone success, that they turned a corner with respect to it’s customers. A number of articles have suggested that they “get it” now — that the nickle and diming approach may protect the bottom line, but that such behavior engenders more frustration with customers than it may be worth. Reports surfaced that Google had a strong influence in the design of the Motorola Droid and that Verizon was NOT going to be “interfering” with the OS in any way. It was a breath of fresh air to existing Blackberry customers considering the new Droid.
Now it would appear that the news was too good to be true as the $15.00 charge to use Microsoft’s Active Sync — and by extension using your phone to sync with Microsoft Exchange servers — is the strategy to milk as much as possible from its customer base. It’s a bit like having someone offer to buy something you are selling without haggling the price down, realizing you could have asked for more money, then reneging on the deal asking for more money.
Here’s an interesting take on this potential roadblock for business users.
However, Droid, with its “iDon’t, Droid Does” advertising campaign, has the iPhone squarely in its crosshairs. The iPhone uses Microsoft’s ActiveSync technology to connect to Exchange, bypassing the need for an extra server like Research in Motion’s BES. This connectivity is inclusive with its $30 unlimited data plan. Droid also uses ActiveSync, so why does its data plan cost 50 percent more for the same functionality? Surely if Verizon is seeking to steal business customers from AT&T, it should make an attempt to be cost competitive.
Original news story
Motorola has added a cradle accessory for the Droid phone being released on November 6th. The simply-named “Phone Holder” is intended to be either dash or window mounted in your vehicle in order to provide the same vantage point as dedicated GPS devices available today.
I’ve read a number of opinions about how the new GPS navigation offering from Google is going to have only slight impact on the GPS manufacturing market. While there are some reasonable points to these arguments — hard to use the phone while it’s being used as a GPS, necessity of a data connection to pull down maps which makes the feature nearly useless in low coverage areas, search and rescue needs — I believe the impact will be a lot more serious than people think. The pounding that Garmin and TomTom took on the stock market in recent days lends weight to this possibility. If the navigation functionality offered by Google and the Droid is even moderately good, I can’t imagine how GPS makers can survive without getting into the mobile phone market.
Phone Holder Accessory
Multimedia Dock
Some initial reports when the Droid was revealed last week stated that the multimedia dock was included in the Droid package, while others are claiming this is a for-purchase accessory.
Billshrink.com, breaks down what the use of a smart phone will really cost you over the course of a now standard two-year contract. Phones and carriers used for the comparison include the Apple iPhone 3Gs/AT&T, Palm Pre/Sprint, MyTouch/T-Mobile, Droid/Verizon. Missing from the comparison are any calculations for app purchases or average cost of the best selling apps on respective app stores.
Original article
The folks over at phonearena.com have a mole deep inside the caverns of HTC who is feeding them juicy info on the coming HTC Droid Eris. Actually, I’m sure it’s a little less insidious than that. The Eris is expected to sell for 100 bucks cheaper than the Motorola Droid though it will ship with a display that’s somewhat smaller. Head over and check out leaked, top-secret, national security killing images.
phonearena.com article
eWeek is reporting that Best Buy is offering customers an instant rebate with the purchase of a new Motorola Droid and a 2-year Verizon contract. Verizon is offering the $100 rebate to make the pricing of the new Droid phone competitive with the offering from AT&T for the iPhone. Rebates will be issued in the form of a pre-paid debit card that you would still have had to wait several weeks for. Best Buy is hoping to incentivize potential customers by giving you the rebate on the spot.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are right around the corner and customers will certainly be looking at the Droid as a potential gift for family members, significant others, or even friends. Best Buy’s move is a nice perk that could lure consumers to buy from them instead of Verizon as we hurdle toward the holiday season.
eWeek article
