Gizmodo's Kit Eaton is bent out of shape over a document that is allegedly a set of Verizon talking points criticizing the iPhone, which in the U.S. runs only on the 3G cellular network of Verizon rival AT&T Wireless.
You can tell Kit is bent out of shape because he uses the word "propaganda" to describe a marketing data sheet. He seems upset that Verizon is debunking iPhone "myths" that have less to do with the iPhone per se and more with the iPhone service provided by AT&T.
For example, among Verizon's propagandistic claims: that while the iPhone 3G costs less than the first iPhone, the AT&T service plans actually cost more, so that total cost of the phone-plus-service is greater. This happens to be true. Also true is Verizon's propagandistic assertion that the new iPhone is twice as fast as the old one only if you're actually able to connect to AT&T's 3G network, which doesn't exist yet in large sections of the U.S. If you don't have 3G, you're using the same EDGE network as the original iPhone users.
Ditto that iPhone doesn't do audible turn by turn navigation. Eaton's comment about this is that Verizon doesn't realize that this is "just software." His implication seems to be that someone eventually will write some, and in the meantime if you need it, tough.
Verizon didn't even touch on the persistent, even enraged, complaints from some iPhone users about non-existent or dropped connections.
For better or for worse the iPhone is yoked to AT&T's network, plans, and service. Without that connection, the iPhone (as are all cell phones) is something of a stylish paperweight (and yes, I know: you can use the Wi-Fi connecion to get Internet access).
As some of the more sane comments pointed out in response to Eaton's revelation, just what is the problem with Verizon explaining the shortcomings of a rival? There are plenty of people who will buy the iPhone because it's, you know, the iPhone and they're in love with it.
The rest of us want a phone, which of course means "phone-plus-cellular-service," that meets the specific requirements, including budgetary ones, that we have to have live with every day.
Cox is a senior editor at Network World.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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Everyone focuses on the i, and forgets the phone.....
... until they have to talk to someone using the iPhone. I just finished a call with someone on an iPhone that was hard to hear with background noise and call was dropped twice. The CTO of ATT had to switch to a landline to do an interivew with Gizmodo.
It is not just Apple and ATT. The voice quality on Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile is not any better. At some point, if we want to hear each other on a mobile phone, we need to not be distracted by cool features and hold the service providers feet to the fire to fix voice. Or we can accept that we own expensive paper weights.
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