Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with verizon

Long range bluetooth headset for use in apartment full of dead zones?

BobbyVan — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:19:43 -0800

No landline. My house is full of cell phone dead zones. I'm thinking about leaving my cell phone in a place where it gets reception, then using a Bluetooth headset for using the phone while I walk around the house. Is this doable? The longer the range and the more extensive the feature-set, the better.

I can't have phone conversations in my living room -- the calls drop all the time. It's annoying to stand at the top of the stairs to have long conversations with family & friends. I live in a duplex, and have a small backyard patio. Ideally, I'd love to be able to walk anywhere in the house without having to move the phone (and possibly drop the call). Hence the idea for a bluetooth headset.

Also, it would be great if I could take advantage of voice activated features (so I can hang up and dial someone else without physically going to the phone in the other room).

In case it matters, my phone is an LG enV2. Verizon is my carrier, and I'm located in Manhattan.

If this is a viable option? Any recommendations for a long-range, fully featured Bluetooth headset for wandering around my unfriendly to cell phones apartment?

Can't Check Text Messages on Samsung SCH-U340

phrontist — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:44:23 -0800

I just got a Samsung SCH-U340 (catchy, eh?) and I seem to have two text messages in the inbox. When I try to check them, the phone instantly shuts down and restarts (with the Verizon Logo sequence). I have tried deleting all the messages, which effects everything but the inbox (those messages remain) and doing an all settings reset (which is under the security menu), also to no avail. How do I fix this?

Is there an offline Blackberry city guide?

Caviar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:44:24 -0800

Is there an offline Blackberry city guide? I just switched from a Treo to a Blackberry, and I really really miss Vindigo. No frills, simple, fast, easy to navigate, didn't require live access to the web, and a fraction of the price of Verizon's "comparable" offering (which is also a speed and usability disaster). Yes, live web access is good, but it's still a good deal slower, and doesn't work on the subway.

I don't mind having to download a bunch of information to the card - even with Vindigo, it was only a few megs per city.

I don't need GPS compatibility, though that would be nice.

Ability to call restaurants directly from the app is strongly desired, as is the ability to SMS restaurant details.

NYC coverage is a must, other cities would be nice as well.

Does such a thing exist?

The Web at my Fingertips

sandmanwv — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:18:25 -0800

How do I most efficiently surf the web using my phone? (Using Verizon) I picked up a LG Dare today mainly since I could for cheap and since it's compatible with the $1.99/meg plan. I only want to use the internet for 4 reasons (inside): I'll use the internet to:

a) Check sports scores and stats when on the run
b) Check gmail intermittently
c) Look up quick reviews of food places when didn't do research ahead of time when walking around
d) Check air/bus/train timetables and tracking websites

What sites/methods would produce the least amount of megabyte usage and maximum speed and clarity?

I have semi good web skills, so I could set up something on my web space and use that as a bookmark. Could I set up RSS feeds?

More than one DSL connection in the same house?

Dreamcast — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:52:28 -0800

Is it possible to have more than one DSL connection in the same house? I've been sharing a DSL connection, and have decided I'd rather just purchase my own. Is it possible to have more than one DSL connection in the same house? Would I be charged an additional fee for anything (I don't know if they'd need to install a separate line or not, and if that'd cost me money)? This would be with Verizon, if it matters. Does anyone have any experience doing this, if it's possible?

I could call and ask Verizon, but I don't have much desire to talk with their customer support.

Additionally, since we also use Verizon phone services, would the "discount" also apply (one package is usually $35 a month, but only $30 a month if you have an existing Verizon phone service)?

How do I cancel my contract with Verizon?

afx114 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:54:37 -0800

How do I cancel my contract with Verizon before my contract is up? I would like to terminate my contract with Verizon and am willing to pay the $175 early termination fee, but I'd like to transfer my phone number to my new provider. How do I go about doing this? Do I simply sign up with the new provider, they transfer my number for me, and Verizon sends me a bill after the fact? Or do I need to contact Verizon first?

I have changed providers before and it was no problem, but the contract throws a wrench in my plan. I'm just looking for the quickest/easiest/painless way to do this.

New phone/carrier recs.

decrescendo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:06:55 -0800

It's come the time to buy a new cellphone. I have a RAZR V2 and it's falling apart. My Verizon contract is up in November. Should I re-up with Verizon and stay on my family plan or should I break off and/or go to another carrier? And what phone should I look into? All I know is that I do not want a huge fold out QWERTY keyboard like a 16-year-old girl with a Sidekick and probably do not want a Motorola. I'm on a family plan with two other lines and I burn between 450 and 1000 minutes per month. It's cheaper for me to stay on the family plan, share minutes, and pay my parents as opposed to paying Verizon for my own line. I've noticed that most carriers have 450 and 900 minute plans. So I would assume I would have to get the 900 minute plan.

I need to get a new phone and my contract ends in November. I dislike a majority of the Verizon phones so that brings up the issue of moving to another carrier? I would like to somehow sync my contacts from my Address Book on my Macbook Pro and download pictures from my phone through a USB or similar connection. Other than that, there really isn't a huge need for anything else. Email would be a luxury but it's not necessary (I have a Gmail account).

Which carrier do you recommend I move to if I should leave Verizon. I have not had an issue with Verizon but it simply comes down to the phone selection. I'm a single 23-year-old aerospace engineer and I would like to buy a phone I actually like, even if its a tad pricey.

I could afford an iPhone even though I would not totally enjoy paying that much upfront and monthly. However, it would play pretty well with my new Macbook Pro. I'm sure there are other fantastic and cheaper phones out there. The Blackberry Pearl and Samsung Instinct come to mind even though one is on Sprint and the other is on every carrier.

Overcharged by Verizon

klik99 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:15:15 -0800

Verizon charged me for DSL service I haven't been using for the last ten months. I used to live in MA and had Verizon DSL. Before moving down to GA I called verizon to cancel.

But every single month, $40 has been automatically deducted from my account. I didn't notice this until recently because I also have a verizon wireless account and I thought the charges were from there.

Verizon says they don't have any record of me cancelling the account, and can confirm that there has been no data transfer on it since last august, but that I was paying to keep DSL service available, not paying for actual data transfer.

I am pretty sure that this is their fault, and I talked to someone in management who offered me a refund of the last month. I feel I deserve a refund for more than one month, but I have no idea how to go about it. Verizons phone call system is set up in a way that prevents the customer from talking to anyone who really knows the situation.

I was thinking of disputing the charges with my bank (Bank of America) but I don't know the exact procedure of what happens internally when I do that.

This really burns me up - I did cancel but somehow it got lost in the tubes somewhere. Mistakes happen but why do I get the full brunt of the mistake?

But that's not the question I'm asking - the question is: What is the best course of action, and if it's disputing it with my bank, what happens when I tell them I dispute the charges?

Thanks,
/andrew

Cancelling voicemail feature on verizon

seekingsimplicity — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:31:35 -0800

I am a verizon cell phone customer and just got rid of our landline. We are a family of 5. Three teens. I hate getting voicemail. Should I cancel this feature on my cellphone? Do any of you run your life just fine without voicemail? My kids all text me. For example, a friend just called me and left a message to call her back. I do not want to call her back! If I did not have voicemail I would not be obliged to call her. I know it sounds like I am mean but I just hate the phone. Any ideas?

Help me pick the right cell phone!

HuronBob — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:23:48 -0800

Please help me choose a new cell phone, I need to replace a broken phone. Details-My plan is Verizon, I have no desire to change providers. I'm eligible for the "every two years" upgrade. I use a Mac (OS 10.4). I would like the phone to have the following features: small as possible, qwerty keyboard (screen or hardware), web access (email, weather, news), can sync contacts and calendar with my mac. I DON'T need a camera (still or video), or mp3 player. And, of course, I want to spend as little as possible. I've been cruising the Verizon site and reading reviews for about a week, and can't determine what is going to be the best phone for me...

I hate Verizon, would I love Time Warner?

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:44:02 -0800

Thinking of moving my landline and DSL service from Verizon to Time Warner in New York City. I'd be interested to hear about other experiences, as well as any other suggestions people might have. I am sick of Verizon. Really, really, very very sick of calling them and having no one be able to help me with simple stuff like paying my bill. I cannot deal with them anymore. And I'm not locked in with them, so I want to cancel my landline and DSL and move my service elsewhere. I called Time Warner, and here's the deal I can get:

Cable: $29.95 for 6 months, 44.95 after
Digital Phone: $39.95 forever, and I can move my phone number (although I don't really care about that)

Right now I pay around $95- $30 for internet and $65 for phone. The phone is a home office line and is paid for by my company, so I need it. I do not want cable TV. Any reason I shouldn't switch to Time Warner? How is the customer service over there? Is it worse than Verizon? If it's any better AT ALL, it would be worth it. Are there any other options for phone and internet service? I have tried Vonage for my phone line and was not happy with it.

Dead zone begone.

LGCNo6 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:33:36 -0800

How can I convince a wireless provider to eliminate my dead zone? The dead zone in question is right along the Delaware River (literally right on it), in an area that is surrounded on all sides by coverage by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. T-Mobile is about 10 miles away. However, the problem is that property ON the Delaware River, along pretty much the entire length of the Delaware from Calicoon, NY to Port Jervis, NY, is out of range for all the wireless providers.

Verizon currently comes closest to offering service at my place, but it's not quite there. I'm willing to switch my cellular service to any company that offers workable service, so I want to know what I can do to persuade them to boost their signal/put in a new cell in my area.

Bonus points if you've been successful at doing this.

Help me find the right phone for me

JMOZ — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:06:54 -0800

Help me find the perfect (for me) Verizon Wireless phone. I'm not sure, but I think I might want to cross into smartphone land.... I did search around, an I did find this question from last month, but my wants, needs, and desires are quite different from the previous questioner.

Also, I know the iPhone is beautiful, but I would like to stay with Verizon Wireless, so that doesn't do me a lot of good. I know my CDMA phone choices are a bit more limited, but I'm wondering what helpful MeFi'ites might have some helpful opinions.

Things I need:
- A phone which is NOT made by Motorola. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I'm not ready for #3; my RAZR v3m (on the verge of dying; thankfully, my "New Every 2" is coming up) is an unreliable piece of junk, and it's not the first crappy Motorola phone I've ever had. I give up on them.

Things I would like:
- WiFi access to the Internet while traveling
- The ability to sync with Google Calendars, preferably without paying some ungodly amount every month. I don't care if it's via computer or over the air.
- A decent interface for email, especially gmail and my imap-based work email.
- Possibly a usable wireless web feature. I'm not really sure if I'd use this or not. I tried it on my RAZR once, but I gave up on it, possibly because it was largely unusable. Certainly, I'd like to be able to use the internet in a nice way over WiFi without lugging around my computer.

Things that would make me incredibly happy but probably won't happen (?):
- The ability to view PowerPoint files and, more importantly- output them to a projector in a usable way. (via an external adapter to VGA? via a TV-out?) Being able to give lectures off my phone would make me a very happy professor.

Things I don't care about one way or the other:
- Music player
- Quality of camera (I'd like one, but I don't care how good)
- the ability to view TV/videos

Purchase price isn't a top concern, but I certainly prefer to spend less rather than more. I'd also love opinions as to how necessary data plans are; I'd rather than spend $50(?)/month if I don't really need to.

Finally, I will go into a store to look at these phones in person, but I prefer to know what I'm looking at before I go in. Thanks in advance!

Verizon or AT&T in NYC?

whoiam — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:19:30 -0800

What's the best wireless phone service for the NYC area? I'm as fed up with Verizon as the next guy, but my limited experience with an iPhone in Manhattan left me with dropped/missed calls and very intermittent access to maps, etc. (unless already cached). Putting aside fun features that usually work, and imagining your life depended on receiving or making a phone call, which network would you choose?* *Please speak from experience with a carrier and nevermind the silly games they play (e.g., crippling bluetooth, etc.); I simply need a service that doesn't miss or drop calls.

Help! Verizon FIOS and Actiontec router keeping me from MetaFilter

yhbc — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:46:01 -0800

Help me, AskMe, you're my (last) hope. The Actiontec wireless router that Verizon insists is the only thing they can give me to use for our home FIOS service is keeping me from accessing MetaFilter at home. Obviously, I'm submitting this from work, which I would MUCH rather not do.

Verizon brought in the new router last month to fix a problem we were having with the TV channel guide. It fixed that, and everything else internet-related seemed to be working just fine - we can send and receive email and access the internet, but I couldn't reach any of the MetaFilter sites. I first tried all the standard fixes - deleted my cookies, turned off my firewalls - and got nowhere. I asked the admins by MeMail from work, and they didn't have any further suggestions either. I also spent a few hours on the phone with a couple of Verizon reps, who insisted that the router was working properly and the problem must be with either my computer at home or the website I was trying to reach.

Here's where it gets really weird. I did some poking around on my own in the router menu, and finally found a Security Log that listed a large number of blocked "Outbound Traffic" events. The error message for each was "Blocked - NAT out failed" and the details given were "First packet in connection is not a SYN packet". Most (but not all) of these failed connections were to IP address 74.53.68.130 - which is MetaFilter.

Since I was now way over my head technically, I wrote mr_crash_davis for advice. His response was so helpful (albeit still over my head), I'll quote it in full:

Well, for a TCP/IP handshake to occur, three things have to happen:

The client sends a SYN to the server.

In response, the server responds with SYN-ACK.

The client sends an ACK back to the server.

So, it seems obvious that your attempt to connect to MeFi is dropping its SYN somewher along the line. Since this all happened post-router change, it also seems obvious that it's dropping in the router. Now the question becomes 'Why is the router dropping the SYN portion of the TCP/IP handshake, and only to this one site?'

A bit of Googling turns up a number of sites where people with Verizon FIOS are having this issue, so at least you're not alone. Most of them have narrowed it down to either a NAT port forwarding problem or a problem in the "advanced filtering" section of the router. A suggestion on a few sites is to try an upgrade to the router firmware, here: [link]

I'll do some more poking around and see what else I can find.

Armed with this additional information, I spent several more hours on the phone with several different Verizon reps. They insist the browser is upgraded with the most recent firmware. They tried configuring the router several different ways, and even had me download Firefox just to be sure it wasn't a browser issue. Nothing worked. The next-to-last technician I got had me do a hard reboot of the router with a paperclip - that looked like it was going to work, since when I got back on I was able to call up, briefly, the MetaFilter home page, but when I tried to switch to any other page (including the login page) it hung up again. Checking the Security Log confirms it was the same error - First packet in connection is not a SYN packet.

The last person I spoke with tried everything again, and then called Actiontec for assistance. To my great consternation and dismay, the official word now is "yes, it's something to do with the router, but they don't have a fix for it, and we're not the manufacturer, so we don't support it. However, that's the only router we can provide you to support your FIOS network."

This did not make me happy. I was told I still have the option of bypassing the router and plugging the internet cable directly into the computer if I should ever want to visit that website that's not working, but that really doesn't sound appealing to me. However, since I would much prefer visiting MeFi at home and not the office (I am a self-employed attorney, and was keeping myself logged out at work precisely so I didn't waste too much time here during the day), that may be the only way I'll ever get to participate on MeFi again, at least until we get a new internet provider at home or Actiontec upgrades their routers.

To sum up:

It's not a cookie issue, or a firewall issue.

It's not a browser issue - the same thing happens in IE and Firefox.

Email is working, the internet is working - it appears that some domains are throwing the same error, but all of the .metafilter ones are.

Finally, there is definitely a connection between my computer and MeFi. The Verizon techs had me "ping" the site, and it returned a ping. That led one tech to insist that the problem was that I had been blocked by the website itself (the admins assure me that isn't the case!) The problem is solely in the Actiontec wireless router, which for some unknown reason is failing to complete a back-and-forth connection with MetaFilter (and possibly other sites as well).

So - does anyone else have any suggestions? Ever heard of or had this problem or a similar one before? As I say, you're my only hope.

Debt charged off and reported without asking me for payment

0xFCAF — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:16:38 -0800

Is a company required to make a good faith effort to collect on a debt before reporting it as charged off? Do I have any recourse for my credit report? I seem to have the opposite problem of everyone else on the internet - I can pay my bills, and collectors won't start calling me.

Here's the full story: About three years ago I moved and neglected to change my address with my cell phone provider (Verizon). Since I stopped getting bills, out of sight, of mind, and I didn't pay for about two months. When I tried to make a call and got redirected to their billing department, I realized what I had done. Their automated system offered a total amount due (about $150 if I recall) and I paid it using a credit card over the phone. I switched to automatic credit card payments and continued to have uninterrupted service with Verizon for another two years, at which point I closed my account and switched to a different provider.

I checked my credit report recently and found that I had a ~$30 item from Verizon listed as "Charged Off as Bad Debt". This item originated about five months after I originally paid off what I thought was the due balance on my account.

In the intervening three years, I was never contacted by a collection agency nor Verizon about the amount supposedly due. They certainly could have - they had my address and obviously my phone number, but it seems they made no attempt to inform me of this debt or collect on it. They certainly could have just deducted it from my credit card since I had automatic payments set up. Now it's the only bad thing on my credit report and I'd like to get rid of it.

Assume for the purposes of this discussion that I really don't care if the $30 is legitimate or not, and that I'm willing to pay it + interest to get rid of the item on my credit report.

General questions I'm tossing out:
* Is it OK for companies to report a charged off debt without even trying to collect on it?
* Will Verizon even accept payment on something "charged off" ? If so, will that change the status of the report?
* Can I get this completely erased by any means?
* Is the dispute process with the credit reporting agencies something that might actually work in this case?
* How much is it actually affecting my credit score?

Text Message Indicator on outside of phone?

cjorgensen — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:38:34 -0800

Soon I will be able to get a new cell phone on my contract with Verizon. My current phone, a Samsung A930 is a clamshell style, and it doesn't display whether or not I have a text message when it's shut. Are there any phones out there of the clamshell design that display a small envelope or other symbol on the external display? I have looked at several online, but in pictures it's difficult to tell if they provide this feature and many manuals say the external display shows something like signal, battery life "and more." I'd love to know what the "and more" is! Thank you very much for your help.

I need a new old DSL modem!

ScarletPumpernickel — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:07:00 -0800

Help me find and buy a working Fujitsu/Orckit Speedport DSL modem in Los Angeles for use with Verizon DSL. DSL abruptly stopped working after many years of solid service. No reconfiguration of any kind. Stopped during heavy rain, which always seems to cause cable/phone probs in L.A.

Verizon puts me through variable isolation and troubleshooting by the numbers. Says the modem is most likely kaput, but won't replace the Fujitsu. They want to move us to ATM, cutting off our service for an additional week to ten days (!)

So I want to buy a replacement cheap crappy Fujitsu modem and get back to my surfing. I found several on ebay, but I'm going to end up waiting 7-10 days for delivery.

So who can sell me one in Los Angeles, fast?

Fujitsu/Orckit Speedport DSL modem (model ORfast-R3-A-SA-Br-POTS-US)

Thanks!

Computing capabilities of a generic cell phone?

ElfWord — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:42:02 -0800

What are the computing capabilities of a generic cell phone? With Verizon opening up their network to allow 3rd party devices access, I'm interested in finding out what the computing capabilities of a generic(not new but not ancient) cell phone are. How much computing power do they have packed in there?

Essentially, I'm thinking that rather than building custom devices to access Verizon's network, an entrepreneur might be able to order cheap cell phones wholesale, get rid of any pre-existing software on the phone, and write new functions that use its processor, mic, speaker, and possibly camera(if cheap camera phones exist) to.... well, do something. I'm still brainstorming potential functions, and knowing what sort of limits on processing power a cell phone CPU has would be a big help.

Switching to Sprint - should I?

pretzel — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:34:12 -0800

My cell phone contract with Verizon is up and I'm thinking of switching to Sprint. Should I? My contract with Verizon is up and I want to get a smartphone, Palm OS or Windows Mobile, but the thing that's always held me back is the price. I didnt want to spend $80-100 a month for a voice+data plan on Verizon.

I've been looking around at carriers and for the most part the deal is the same - pay a few hundred for the phone and then a $60+ monthly for the service. Then I find out about a)the Sprint SERO plan for $30/mo, which sounds great, and b)the Palm Centro is released. $100 (after rebate of course) and $30/monthly would work for me!

Sounds great, huh? The unknown for me is Sprint in general. I've only had Verizon (over 10 years) and have no problems with their service - where I live and work (southern Connecticut, New Haven area) I always have a great signal and no drops. I don't travel much, mostly between NYC and Boston or Cape Cod, but mainly I'm around the New Haven area.

Would I be ok with Sprint, in terms of voice (and data) coverage? Is there some sort of "catch" with SERO being so cheap and all? I've also heard about issues with Sprint's customer service. Is it really any differnent than Verizon's? I have had relatively few problems with Vzw's billing or customer service and rarely have to call them.

Put it this way, I'm happy with Verizon and I would stay with them if their smartphone/data plans were cheaper. but am I going to be unhappy with Sprint?

Old, Fraudulent Debt Comes Back

cell divide — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:55:04 -0800

How to deal with an old, fraudulent, debt? About 10 years ago, someone racked up $750 worth of phone calls on my phone line. When the bill came, I reported it to Verizon (who was then called Atlantic Bell, I think), and told them the calls were not mine. After a lot of back and forth, they asked me to write a letter explaining my position, which was that I didn't make the calls, don't even know anyone in Italy, and don't know who could have done so. After writing the letter, I never heard from them again, it never showed up on my credit report, etc. I have had Verizon service in a different state for 5 years.

Well, 10 years later, I receive a collections notice from a collections agency for the original amount. How should I proceed?

How do I improve my crappy cell phone reception in my apartment?

zembla3 — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:07:16 -0800

I have a Samsung SCH-A990 cell phone with Verizon Wireless. For the past few months, I have been getting terrible (sometimes non-existent) reception in my apartment. I used to get slightly better reception. My roommate has the same carrier (different phone) and gets much better reception. I have contacted Verizon several times about this and have found them to be totally unhelpful. I'm wondering whether getting a new phone or changing my number would help the situation. (I have a Long Island area code but live in Brooklyn.) I'm not sure why my reception has gradually worsened over the past few months, unless it's all those pesky condo towers going up in my neighborhood. I've tried dialing *228 to update the signal, but that hasn't really helped. Fyi - my apartment building materials haven't changed. It's still your standard concrete facade.

Begone, oh red bars.

roygbv — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:19:01 -0800

My Motorola L7c is with Verizon, and I hate the interface. Like, big time. I've been scouring the internet for flash/flex solutions, but nothing simple will come up. Help! The Verizon firmware sucks. Plain and simple. It is slow, choppy, ugly, and cripples my phone's features. I am sick to death of it.

I was told that I could simply "flash" new firmware over the firmware in my phone, but to do that seems far too difficult. I've seen howardforums.com, been through a whole lot of threads about which firmware is best, etc, etc, but I have found nothing with easy to follow instructions (and ideally the download-able material) for my L7. It seems impossible because either the software is just too damn hard to find, or because the procedure of "flashing" is huge and ugly complicated.

Hoping to find help from someone with experience in this matter - bonus points for any links or references for good software for this. I have access to both a Windows machine and my Macbook Pro. I also have cords. And, hopefully, enough patience.

I need a new verizon phone

ZackTM — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:27:49 -0800

Verizon Wireless phone that isn't obnoxious for 2007? I need to buy a new phone from Verizon Wireless because my current one is broken and my plan is about to renew. I actually like Verizon's service, so I'm stuck using their phones. I already have a blackberry for work that I love so I don't need a super-smart phone. What I'd like is a durable, well-designed phone that doesn't cost very much and isn't flimsy. Bonus points if i could actually use it as an MP3 player for tracks ALREADY ON MY COMPUTER (I'm not paying Verizon to download songs for my phone). I've had good experiences with LG, they are usually very functional.

Recommend if I should buy it via Verizon with my renewed service contract discount or if I'd get a much better deal buying it on ebay or elsewhere

Cellphone for CEO

birchhook — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:52:57 -0800

What Verizon cell phone should I choose for my non-techie, but curious CEO? My boss came to me today to have me pick out his next phone. He has to stay with Verizon, that's non-negotiable. He's been using the free flip phone that came with his plan. He's been using his computer as his single tech center and feels he's somewhat ready to branch out. He is very concerned about the technology ruling him. He tried a pda a couple years ago and really disliked it. He's thinking it would be good to have his calendar, "maybe email, (even more hesitantly) maybe entering information." He's also concerned with appearing executive and up to date. And finally, he really doesn't want something very bulky - he hates things in his front pockets (but he carries his current phone there) and he doesn't even wear a watch.

Oh and one more related item: Verizon is supposed to get the Blackberry Pearl in November according to the Boy Genius Report

Thanks