Verizon Wireless Pulls Plug on BlackBerry 8830 GPS Features
And Some Other Ways the Company Has Nickel and Dimed Their Customers
Every BlackBerry 8830 Smartphone was made with an autonomous GPS receiver. Meaning it is able to calculate its location relying solely on GPS satellites, with no input from cellular towers at all. In theory a BlackBerry8830 user could stroll around the planet Earth, receive a complete GPS system at no extra charge and not even sign up for Verizon service, at least that's how the manufacture intended it to be.
Hey now! Verizon is not giving any "freebies" to its customers! Being the obedient dollar extracting corporation they are, Verizon has killed the GPS at its roots, by shutting down the software on each Blackberry 8830, leaving their customers in a sea of darkness and confusion, inextricably lost without directions.
Blackberry has remained a fly on the wall regarding this issue. Although Blackberry and Verizon are completely separate companies, they exist in a symbiotic data/service relationship. So in order to appease its master, Blackberry RIM has been tight lipped about the problem, hoping it doesn't get out to the public. However, BlackBerry is advising its customers to contact Verizon and enable the GPS function on their handsets. No word if anyone has been successful as of yet.
Evidently the communications Juggernaut believes that denying the basic rights to enjoy the full range of features on handsets is part of a sound business model. This is evident by the growing list of complaints against Verizon Wireless, some of which have matured into class action lawsuits. In January of 2007 Verizon blocked most features of their Bluetooth enabled phone, the V710. The issuers of the lawsuit were claiming the company falsely advertised full Bluetooth support, implying full support for these other profiles. Only to discover computer connections were disabled by the provider because Verizon did not want their customers using 3rd party (meaning potentially free) services for ringtones, pictures or games. After all, Why would Verizon remove their customers digital dog collar when the same services were offered through them for an inflated charge. The issue was finally settled when Verizon offered a $25 credit to its customers or an option to cancel their subscriptions at no additional charge.
Verizon also crippled Bluetooth on their Palm Treo 700w after discovering this function could be used as a modem for a laptop, preventing the phone be used as a modem because once again, Verizon makes no money if their users do this. Verizon really likes to break the functionality of phones it sells. Verizon is also fresh off an uproar for removing MP3 playback functionality from some of its other handsets. The company disabled the mp3 function on its advertised "Mp3 phones" via a firmware upgrade after discovering customers could put their own mp3's on the phone.
All this sidestepping and penny pinching has left many users bitter and disgruntled. Verizon must cease pulling the plug on basic features and live up to a higher standard. Can you hear me now? Doubtful.
http://forums.crackberry.com/f61/rim-says-8830-gps-autonomous-1921/
http://news.techdirt.com/news/wireless/article/5948
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070723/104637.shtml
http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2007/07/verizon-gets-me.html
Published by Dr. Phil
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10 Comments
Post a CommentTo: blackberrysDo
How can you get to those engineering screens to unlock the gps.
i have a verizon 8830.
what to do
please email to burner18@gmail.com
thanks in advance
The Blackberry GPS could be enabled without charge from the Engineering Screens, they are best compared to the BIOS configurations of PC's and the 8800 antennas were just as strong and agnostic as a Sprint 8830 but disabled inside the ES's.
Activating the ES's doesn't void a BB's warranty nor is it illegal and back when Verizon kept the GPS locked until I unlocked it for a friend who victoriously called their customer service department to gloat until they were warned of "severe penalties.....blah, blah..." /the CSR even hinted they would remotely "relock" the GPS which is impossible on a BB operating system.
I have had that same reaction, but when I think about it(the phone) then I am not really disappointed or surprised by these actions. One, I figure it supports a persons job no matter how imperfect the company may be. Plus, I got an employee discount in association with who I work for. So, no I am not really complaining just slightly something or another.
Preach it brother. The worst part for me is NOT the extra money Verizon is trying to make on Navigation services. It's all the fun apps out there that use GPS are useless on the Verizon Blackberry. It's one thing to make an extra 10 bucks a month, but to make my other programs useless (programs that have nothing to do with Verizon) is just bad business. As soon as my Verizon contract is up, I'm going over to Cingular or T-Mobile. I'll get the same Blackberry device, but with a functioning GPS.
I wish I would have read this information before I purchased a blackberry from Verizon. I have had their service for that last 15 years.It had changed names several times, but ultimately it became verizon. I purchase this phone to have all the capabilities advertised. I then come to find out that the unit is sold without a Sim Card. When i attempted to utilize the GPS and WiFi I receive a notice that i dont have a Sim card. I called verizon and they informed me that I had to purchase a Sim card to have the GPS. Did that, and still cannot get the GPS. Will not be extending the contract.
Clearly your phone is crippled looking at all those typos.
I am outraged and unhappy that FTC and other government agencies are not paying attention to providers like Verizon who have poor business practices like crippling a device to force customers to use their services for a fee. All other providers like AT&T, Sprint offer unblocked features. GPS is a technology that should be made available to all customers. Verizon is holding its customers hostage and Blackberry does not have the guts to dictate on the features of its devices. Blackberry should learn from Apple on how iPhone was setup with AT&T. All 8830 current users have no guts to speak up or accept the fate dictated by Verizon.
I cannot fathom why every Verizon 8830 customer is not outraged that Verizon has disabled the GPS that is integral to the Blackberry 8830. Obviously this was done for no reason other than greed - to charge same customers $10/month for a similar service.
This is an ethically questionable thing for Verizon to do. Their defenders remind me of stereotypical spousal abuse victimes - suggesting we don't deserve any better treatment.
The ONLY reason I have a Verizon 8830 is that it is a corporate issue phone. Had I had any say in the purchase I'd have certainly steered us clear of Verizon for this reason alone.
I was sucked into this...I was told by Verizon sales when I purchased this phone that I would have FULL GPS as part of the deal. This will be my last contract with Verizon (3 seperate phones), and when it is done I will ditch both the disappointing crippled Blackberry 8830, and the Verizon Wireless service. Next phone = IPHONE, which actually does what Apple says it does. Verizon is a bunch of liars and cheats...as the Tappet Bothers say..."DO WE CHEAT EM AND HOW". I am very interested in any class action based on this...
Typical verizon anticompetetive bs. I have never owned a verizon phon that did not have one feature or another disabled, and thereby selling phones that are designed and advertised one way, at reduced functionalit. By the way, this message was typed on my crippled 8830.