ATIV Odyssey Leaked!

[ny_yankees]

Like this?!

Click to view quoted image

ahhahhaha yep. Soo ugly

 

[steve_w_7]

This is a phone for all you nostalgia buffs. If you have a longing for the glory days of phone design - way back in 2010 - then this is for you! It's a real classic! It's got enough grey plastic and fake chrome to make you pine for a simpler time.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Verizon officially sucks now. They said they were committed to WP8 and a third and viable alternative to iOS/Android. In order to do that, you have to at least have one "flagship" phone.

I'm sorry, while the 8X is nice, I don't consider a $200 device with 16gb non-expandable memory, to be a hero phone. Nice yes, but top-tier, that's arguable at best for this phone.

I think the whole "it's the network" thing is getting to their heads to be honest especially considering how much they're asking us to pay each month.

Bull. Most people don't buy flagship phones.

Verizon's growth has been outpacing AT&T's despite not having the same kind of "high end" phones. Their growth last quarter was excellent and they continue to add new customers. A huge part of the reason why is because they understand most of their customers quite well.

The Nokia 810/820/822 will outsell the 920. I'd bet the 820 will even outsell the 920 on AT&T because the 820 is closer to what most people want. Most consumers do not come to forums like this or look for 1280x768 displays.

What makes a phone a "flagship" phone anyways? The 822 has the same processor and built-in GPU as the Lumia 920 or the HTC 8X. Its display has greater pixel density than a 15" laptop running at 1920x1080 (about 147 ppi compared to 214 ppi on the 810/820/822), but that is somehow subpar. Yes, 1280 by 720 or 768 is greater, but it is also a greater drain on power and most consumers really don't care. It would be a much bigger deal if the display for 10" or 20" or even greater, but on a 4" or 4.3" display is it that big of a deal?

For me, no. If I get a phone with 720p or 768p then fine, but it's not something I pine for and I am a techy. I was an early HD adopter and bought Blu-Ray in its first year of release, so I like good displays. But on a phone? 480p (DVD quality) is just fine.

So what else makes for a flagship? Seems like the flagships for WP8 all have something in common with iPhone - no expandable storage. I only need to get a 16GB microSD card in the 822 to match the 920's storage. I could buy a 64GB card and just blow the Lumia 920 out of the water. The 822 is capable of capturing more pictures, more 1080p video, and storing more music - and I can buy multiple cards to store things on. That's a huge advantage that these "flagship" phones don't have.

So what makes the 920 flagship? A camera with OIS and some very impressive low light capabilities. If that's your thing then good for you - that's your phone. I bet the 8MP camera in the 822 and the Odyssey will be fine. In fact, I'd bet the 822's camera is a match for the 8X, the other "flagship" phone.

The 920 might be a flagship because of apps, but the 822 gets the same Nokia apps - and it also gets Datasense, something everybody else has to wait for. Unless you're on an unlimited plan (and if you just switched, you're not), that's a handy feature.

The 822 has super sensitive touch. True, it doesn't have the fancier case, but I'd bet it will prove plenty durable. It has Gorilla Glass 2 as well.

So how is the 822 not flagship? It's display has greater pixel density than most tablet, laptop, and desktop displays - just not quite up to the 920. Yet it still has 7.5 pixels for every millimeter. That's better than the monitor I'm looking at right now that's running 1920x1080. I'm just trying to figure out how that's terrible. Most people won't see much of a difference on the screen, but they will notice a difference in heat generation and battery consumption. The HTC 8X has the same size battery as the 822, but I bet it won't last as long with its "flagship" display. Less storage & less battery life. Flagship indeed.

We still don't know about the Odyssey. If it has the same processor as the 822, the 920, and the 8X in a smaller package, how is it lackluster? It has microSD expansion. If it has an 8MP camera, how is it not a flagship? What if it has NFC and Qi charging? Still not a "flagship" because it doesn't have the display? The display could be 800x480, but it also could be 1280x768 (same aspect ratio). So would it still not be flagship if it is 1280x768 with a greater pixel density than the 920? Does a phone need to have at least a 4.5" display to be "flagship"? Guess that means the iPhone 5 isn't flagship.

Let's remember that the iPhone is still very popular. Maybe Verizon decided they wanted a WP8 to compete DIRECTLY with it from a size standpoint? Take a look at its size compared to the iPhone 4S. Hmmm, maybe Verizon is positioning a solid WP8 product as an iPhone alternative? You think someone looking for an iPhone is going to be happy that the top phone for the other guy is bigger?

Verizon wants to make the iPhone sales drop. I have heard the Odyssey is supposed to be spec'd much like the ATIV S - it is VZW's version of it. I had not heard anything about size, but it could very well be Snapdragon 1.5GHZ dual core with Adreno 225 and 16GB and 32GB variants available. I don't expect wireless charging, but I do expect NFC.

If it is those things, does that make it non-flagship?

Trust me, VZW would love to have the 920 but they will not subsidize like AT&T. Nokia is missing the boat by making that demand of them.

But to say VZW is not supporting WP8? They are rolling out the exact same number of phones as they did when they launched Droid. They will bring another to market next month with more on the way. They didn't launch WP7 until about 8 months in and then only did one phone and nothing else. That is what non-commitment looks like.

Verizon does not put most of their customers in premium phones. Most of the people that care a lot about the latest and greatest are already with AT&T and most of those who leave VZW for AT&T end up back with VZW in two years. Switchers will notice an increase in dropped calls, an increase in signal loss (AT&T still has a lot of people dropping from 4G to 3G all the way down to EDGE, especially in urban areas - it's the nature of their technology and a reason why VZW went to CDMA.

And Verizon's care for their network has put them ahead of schedule on LTE deployment. They will have LTE coverage over their whole network by next summer - a year and a half before AT&T finishes. By the time AT&T is done, Verizon will already have been turning up the speed dial on their LTE network and will begin deploying devices that will have higher top ends through use of a broader spectrum.

I'll wait and see what the specs are on the Samsung. Just because it is smaller doesn't mean its low end. It may just mean it is a the direct competitor to the iPhone that Verizon craves.

 

[ColeHarris]

"Verizon officially hates wP8"

Why? Because they have a low end option to compete with low end garbage Android phones? Verizon is so mean for trying to get WP8 market share. What jerks.

I don't mind that its low end (sort of), but just because its low end doesn't mean it has to be ugly beyond belief. Also low end phones just don't make sense anymore, why would you buy a low end phone when you can get a last generation flagship for the same price if not less? Look at how well the GS3 sold and is still selling on Verizon so why wouldn't they learn from that success and make a similarly specced phone with WP8? I get this feeling that Verizon's Executives are a bunch of 90 year old men that learned marketing and sales in the 50's, they did this same thing with WP7 they sold one low end phone and then complained that it didn't sell well (no **** Verizon!) and then blamed Windows Phone which is down right stupid! Anyways I digress, I suppose the 8X is a decent phone at least... ughhh... :dry

 

[Honestabebread]

I think most of the WP8 users are turning into Android-like spec freaks. My Trophy runs better than my LG Intuition and my wife's Galaxy S3. Windows Phone is as great as it is because it runs flawlessly on midrange hardware. The Lumia 822 is a fantastic phone, the build quality is cheap but it is a GREAT phone. The 8X is a sexy beast and in my opinion is the perfect phone. The Odyssey will probably be awesome. Even if it has a 1GHz dual core, a 480x800 screen, it'll still run better than any Android in its class.

Also, Verizon is making a requirement of 4 reps per store MINIMUM to carry a Windows Phone 8 device. We're having launch parties the day it comes out in stores. They're giving reps t-shirts and stuff to promote it. Just like we get shirts when Droid phones launch. So yeah. Verizon is supporting it. Seems like a company that grew 1.8 million subscribers in one quarter would be the source of less ridicule.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I think most of the WP8 users are turning into Android-like spec freaks. My Trophy runs better than my LG Intuition and my wife's Galaxy S3. Windows Phone is as great as it is because it runs flawlessly on midrange hardware. The Lumia 822 is a fantastic phone, the build quality is cheap but it is a GREAT phone. The 8X is a sexy beast and in my opinion is the perfect phone. The Odyssey will probably be awesome. Even if it has a 1GHz dual core, a 480x800 screen, it'll still run better than any Android in its class.

Also, Verizon is making a requirement of 4 reps per store MINIMUM to carry a Windows Phone 8 device. We're having launch parties the day it comes out in stores. They're giving reps t-shirts and stuff to promote it. Just like we get shirts when Droid phones launch. So yeah. Verizon is supporting it. Seems like a company that grew 1.8 million subscribers in one quarter would be the source of less ridicule.

I know, right? AT&T picked up just 678,000 subscribers in that quarter - Verizon grew at almost three times AT&T's rate. Their LTE advertising is extremely effective and they have about 35% of their users moved over to LTE at this point. Verizon has had three quarters of huge growth.

I think that's why AT&T has kicked in the subsidies. Verizon is running ahead on LTE deployment because of their huge customer gains. This gives them more capital to deploy. AT&T is having to eat into their margins to attract customers by offering phones for prices that are too low. If a million people pick up the Lumia 920 for $99 when AT&T could and should have been charging $199, that is $100 million in lost revenue and probably about $40 million that will not go to their network.

AT&T played this same game with the iPhone, though the didn't directly subsidize it, they gave Apple profit shares that basically amounted to it. Their network fell behind and struggled. And when the time came for LTE deployment, guess who had the capital to do it?

If not for Verizon pushing, I doubt AT&T would have even rolled out LTE yet. But Verizon didn't subsidize phones heavily, invested in spectrum, and built a vast and robust network. That's why they keep adding subscribers. AT&T had 1.3 million in the second quarter and then plummeted to 678,000. They only added 726,000 subscribers in Q1.

So AT&T added 2.704 million subscribers in the first three quarters. VZW added 734,000 (Q1 is always the slowest - Jan to March), 1.2 million, and 1.8 million - so 3.734 million. Verizon has added over a million more subscribers than AT&T this year. AT&T's third quarter was terrible and likely the reason why they decided to do the 920 subsidy. But they're robbing Peter to pay Paul. This type of move may set back their LTE roll out.

And Verizon continues to plug on with their "mid-range" phones and superior network. And their very generous discounts, I might add (I get 20% off due to my employer).

Verizon knows what they're doing.

 

[Joelist]

And lest we forget, Verizon not only has far and away the largest and best performing network but their future plans are also much more advanced than the other carriers - think "VoLTE".

As to the Odyssey, its design language lines up with the design language of the entire Verizon smartphone line - businesslike and somewhat subdued. The 8X is really the only "candyphone" they are offering. All of their Windows Phones offer top end specs. The Snapdragon S4 is the gold standard of phone/tablet CPUs, the displays are pretty good even at worst and the cameras on both the 920 and 8X are best of breed.

 

[jaethos]

So is this it from Samsung for Verizon this year? I haven't yet pre-ordered an 8X yet specifically due to wanting to know more about this phone before I did so. It's obvious from the relative dimensions that this is a smaller screened phone and while anything over 4" is good enough for me, I've yet to see a 4" screen with anything greater than a 480x800 screen res. An HD screen is a requirement for me, so anything without is instantly disqualified. I really want expandable storage, but the screen is more important, so I'm just wondering if I should just go ahead and order the 8X.

It's a shame, if Verizon had gotten the ATIV S I would have chosen it over the others.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

So is this it from Samsung for Verizon this year? I haven't yet pre-ordered an 8X yet specifically due to wanting to know more about this phone before I did so. It's obvious from the relative dimensions that this is a smaller screened phone and while anything over 4" is good enough for me, I've yet to see a 4" screen with anything greater than a 480x800 screen res. An HD screen is a requirement for me, so anything without is instantly disqualified. I really want expandable storage, but the screen is more important, so I'm just wondering if I should just go ahead and order the 8X.

It's a shame, if Verizon had gotten the ATIV S I would have chosen it over the others.

Umm. iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 all have 4 inch screens (or smaller) and all have better than 480x800. Now, Samsung have yet to do so, but I'm sure they can produce them.

It's possible that it could just be a version of the GS3 mini. But the specs make me think it may be something to directly take on the iPhone - coupled with talk that the internals are supposed to match up with the ATIV S and the other WP8 devices.

 

[derek533]

Wall of Text Snip*

I think most of the WP8 users are turning into Android-like spec freaks. My Trophy runs better than my LG Intuition and my wife's Galaxy S3. Windows Phone is as great as it is because it runs flawlessly on midrange hardware. The Lumia 822 is a fantastic phone, the build quality is cheap but it is a GREAT phone. The 8X is a sexy beast and in my opinion is the perfect phone. The Odyssey will probably be awesome. Even if it has a 1GHz dual core, a 480x800 screen, it'll still run better than any Android in its class.

Also, Verizon is making a requirement of 4 reps per store MINIMUM to carry a Windows Phone 8 device. We're having launch parties the day it comes out in stores. They're giving reps t-shirts and stuff to promote it. Just like we get shirts when Droid phones launch. So yeah. Verizon is supporting it. Seems like a company that grew 1.8 million subscribers in one quarter would be the source of less ridicule.

Another Wall of Text Snip*

I think alot of us on Verizon gave them a free pass last generation because we all knew WP7 was a gamble with it being a new, and un-proven OS. The Trophy no doubt, has been a great phone for me and I honestly have zero complaints about it. Would I have liked a bigger screen and better camera, sure. But for all intents and purposes, it has served me well.

Listen guys, I really do appreciate all the inside information, so to speak, that you have provided and your contributions to this forum. You guys are why all of us like coming here because there's good, reliable information in a courteous environment. Please don't take anything I said against Verizon personally as I've had nothing but a good experience with them.

Here's my main point, we were advised through the various blogs that Verizon's brass was extremely committed to WP8. You guys have even mentioned so right in this forum. If you truly step back and remove your loyalty to Verizon, and just take an overall glance at the market, it's easy to see why a lot of us are saying that it doesn't seem this way.

Let me explain what I mean by this: At launch, there are presently three phones and variations of devices that are getting released: Lumia 920, 820/822/810, and the HTC 8X. All of these devices are available on ATT. Only two of these devices are available on Verizon and the two that are, one is $100 more than it's main competitor on ATT, and the 822 is an uglier version of the 820 on ATT (IMO). Between the two carriers, there seems to be no distinction with the 8X other than the fact that Verizon's appears to have wireless charging and ATT offers an 8gb version.

So looking as a whole, at the entire WP8 market at this state of the game which is barely in it's infant stages, it does appear as though ATT is the one carrier who is truly committed to offering the most choices with WP8 presently. Also, having the "flagship" or "hero" device standing alone with no other carrier offering it whether fair or not, does show a huge commitment on ATT's part to making sure that WP8 succeeds as ATT no doubt has a butt load of money on the line.

I also think the sales figures will tell the story about the mainstream buyer. What sold the most last quarter? iPhone, GSIII? Both of those are top-tier aka "flagship" phones so the idea that the mainstream market mainly buys mid-tier phones doesn't pass the smell test.

These are all my opinions though and you know what they say...Take care guys and thanks again for the all the info you have provided.

 

[Ruined]

I think most of the WP8 users are turning into Android-like spec freaks. My Trophy runs better than my LG Intuition and my wife's Galaxy S3. Windows Phone is as great as it is because it runs flawlessly on midrange hardware

While it is true WP8 does not require huge resources, and also true that the launch phones will run smoothly and most apps well, the major problem with Verizon's lineup is that for a power user none of the phones offer the balance of hardware specs and capacity to endure a 2-year contract with a next-gen phone.

I'll use your Trophy as an example. I have one, too. It is 16GB like the HTC 8X. It is also near full. So if I bought an 8X either I have to delete half the apps I bought (undesirable) or install no new apps (equally undesirable). Therefore the 8X does not work as a solution for me (and many others). If HTC had added a MicroSD slot, it might be a different story.

Well, the Nokia 822 has a MicroSD slot you say? But it also has a low screen resolution. Why should I settle on low resolution for the next two years when obviously there is better available?

That is where the ATIV S came in - it filled the gap of nice big screen + large storage capacity: a flagship device that can last for the next 2 years. It was assumed this would be launching on Verizon's service because the Apple/Samsung lawsuit essentially outed it ahead of time. It looked nice too.

However, it appears that Verizon instead plans to take the midrange Samsung 'Marco' design from that lawsuit and released that instead with name 'Odyssey.' 4" screen with terrible design modifications. Hence, the massive disappointment.

There is a chance, I guess, that Verizon could release both phones, but only one was presented at the WP8 launch... In my honest opinion, Verizon does not currently appear to offer a flagship windows phone 8 device. HTC 8X is close, but the limited space and some of its other missing features cause it to miss that mark by a tad.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Here's my main point, we were advised through the various blogs that Verizon's brass was extremely committed to WP8. You guys have even mentioned so right in this forum. If you truly step back and remove your loyalty to Verizon, and just take an overall glance at the market, it's easy to see why a lot of us are saying that it doesn't seem this way.

Let me explain what I mean by this: At launch, there are presently three phones and variations of devices that are getting released: Lumia 920, 820/822/810, and the HTC 8X. All of these devices are available on ATT. Only two of these devices are available on Verizon and the two that are, one is $100 more than it's main competitor on ATT, and the 822 is an uglier version of the 820 on ATT (IMO). Between the two carriers, there seems to be no distinction with the 8X other than the fact that Verizon's appears to have wireless charging and ATT offers an 8gb version.

Which one is $100 more?

The HTC 8X with 16GB is $199.99 on contract with AT&T. You can go to their website and check it out.

The 822 is $50 more than the 820, but it has 16GB instead of 8GB and Gorilla Glass 2 instead of not having it. I think the phone looks just fine. Is the 8X nicer looking? Sure. Is the 822 an eye sore? Not to me. I like its looks, especially in gray.

And, as you said, the Verizon version has wireless charging for the $199.99. The AT&T does not. Maybe they aren't committed enough to WP8?

So far we have yet to see any US carrier announce for the ATIV S. We have VZW announcing the ATIV Odyssey, but we don't know the specs yet.

How is Verizon not committed? They have the HTC 8X for the same exact price as the same 16GB model through AT&T. AT&T does have a $99 model, but it is the 8GB model that has ZERO capability to expand. I think we really need to question AT&T on this one. Why even bother offering the HTC 8X at all when you have the 920 at $99 with more storage and wireless charging? Who in their right mind would buy an 8GB HTC 8X when they can get a 920 for the same price?

So looking as a whole, at the entire WP8 market at this state of the game which is barely in it's infant stages, it does appear as though ATT is the one carrier who is truly committed to offering the most choices with WP8 presently. Also, having the "flagship" or "hero" device standing alone with no other carrier offering it whether fair or not, does show a huge commitment on ATT's part to making sure that WP8 succeeds as ATT no doubt has a butt load of money on the line.

AT&T is willing to subsidize the 920 at staggering levels. Their customer pick up rate last quarter was about 1/3 of Verizon's. Verizon's LTE advertising and expansion of their network is causing people to leave them. They are guaranteeing sales for Nokia and giving them a lot of money in the process.

I said it somewhere else, but AT&T is spending money that should go to their network and instead using it to subsidize phones to try to attract customers because they have fallen behind Verizon AGAIN. Verizon spends about $6 Billion a year on network infrastructure. AT&T had to drop $20 Billion last year just to cover for all their dropped calls and data drops - and they still haven't caught up. It is common on AT&T to have LTE drop all the way down to EDGE. They still have spotty 3G service, especially in larger cities where the HSPA technology doesn't work as well.

So AT&T goes back to what they have done in the past to try to bail themselves out - subsidize cutting edge phones to lure a few suckers in who will pine for Verizon while they're under contract.

AT&T's only advantage is the 920. That's it. The HTC 8X is the SAME PRICE. The 822 is more expensive than the 820, but it also has two important upgrades in the Gorilla Glass and the 8GB internal storage upgrade.

If the 920 were selling for $199-249, the price it should be at, then no one would be complaining.

I also think the sales figures will tell the story about the mainstream buyer. What sold the most last quarter? iPhone, GSIII? Both of those are top-tier aka "flagship" phones so the idea that the mainstream market mainly buys mid-tier phones doesn't pass the smell test.

But the iPhone only has a screen the size of the Samsung ATIV Odyssey. The iPhone must therefore not be a flagship phone. This is my point AGAIN. What are the Odyssey specs? If it is Snapdragon dual core 1.5GHZ, Adreno 225, 8MP camera, microSD expansion, 16 or 32GB internal storage, Gorilla Glass 2, NFC then how is it not flagship? What, just the resolution? What if it uses one of Samsung's new HD AMOLED displays? Even if it is "only" 800x480 on a 4" screen, I still don't see how this is a mid-level phone. Same with the 822. It has the SAME SPECs as the 920 minus the 768p display and the 8.7MP camera with OIS. Yes, you need a backplate for wireless charging. But it also has expandable storage. And if it weren't for the heavy subsidy on the 920, no one would talk about Verizon's weak offerings.

Verizon only offered TWO Droid handsets when they released it and they did commit strongly to it. They will expand their offerings as well.

I also would not be surprised if they have fewer problems than what AT&T has had. They may have already contacted MS and HTC about the 8X reboot issues. Unlike AT&T, Verizon cares about handsets actually being functional. AT&T cares more about making a splash. I know they have spent much more time testing than the other carriers. But that's Verizon - they always test much more than anyone else.

The fact that Verizon is not waiting 8 months to commit and they have three plus phones in the pipeline tells you something. That is a lot for Verizon when they roll out a platform because they like to make sure the platform works first. Let AT&T's customers suffer from the new tech. Verizon prefers customers have a smoother experience.

 

[Ruined]

Verizon is doing much better than last generation, but still appears as if they will fail to carry a true flagship phone this year like the Nokia 920 or the ATIV S - assuming the leak is all VZN will be getting from Samsung.

That is the crux of the problem, not much can be done to explain it away as each of the devices Verizon offers up has a 'fatal flaw' so to say to a power user.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Well, the Nokia 822 has a MicroSD slot you say? But it also has a low screen resolution. Why should I settle on low resolution for the next two years when obviously there is better available?

I wonder if you could tell the difference between the screens if you didn't know which was which.

The AMOLED display on the 820 I saw at the AT&T store looked better than both the 920's display and the 8X's despite "low resolution". With nearly 8 pixels per millimeter, there is only so much difference the eye can truly see. And that "low res" display has greater pixel density than you are likely seeing on your laptop or desktop screen.

This drive for super HD on tiny screens is just ludicrous. I can see the difference jumping from 480 to 1080 on a larger screen, but on a small screen going from 480 to 768 is insignificant. It's like going from 720 to 1080 on a 20 inch display - not too drastic of a difference. And the contrast on the AMOLED display is more compelling to me than the washed out LCDs on the 8X and 920.

What's next? My 5" display can do Cinema 4K? I'd rather save the battery power to actually do things on my phone.

The Lumia 822 not only can have expanded storage, it also gets better battery life than the 8X or the Lumia 920. Over 1 hour of extra talk time. 10 hours of music playback time more than the 920. 160 hours of more standby time.

Looks like that low res display that most people will think looks just fine helps to make the phone last longer. And the battery can be easily replaced during the length of the contract since its not unibody, so as it loses its ability to hold a charge you can easily do something about it.

Take a look at the 820's screen next to the 920. You'll be amazed at how unspectacular the 1280x768 display is in comparison. It's nice - don't get me wrong, but it's not an astounding difference maker.

 

[Gaichuke]

Take a look at the 820's screen next to the 920. You'll be amazed at how unspectacular the 1280x768 display is in comparison. It's nice - don't get me wrong, but it's not an astounding difference maker.

I did this kind of comparison recently. When in the homescreen, the difference surprisingly wasn't very noticeable. I guess that's due to the graphic design in Metro UI.

But then I opened the browser...

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I did this kind of comparison recently. When in the homescreen, the difference surprisingly wasn't very noticeable. I guess that's due to the graphic design in Metro UI.

But then I opened the browser...

Did the same. And still not noticeable. The text is softer around the edges, but that's about it. The contrast on the 820 is noticeably superior.

One of the things on the 920 is that it doesn't seem to display whites very well - they seem like light shades of gray.

 

[pavlovscow]

Did the same. And still not noticeable. The text is softer around the edges, but that's about it. The contrast on the 820 is noticeably superior.

One of the things on the 920 is that it doesn't seem to display whites very well - they seem like light shades of gray.

Mac, I also am glad you provide feedback on theses boards, but my experience is very much that of Derek533.

Verizon has the best network. We get it. They put their money into the network rather than subsidize for the hottest phones. Okay, that's why we stay. That doesn't change the fact that of the phones "exclusive" to Verizon, the vast majority of early adopters and reviewers find them underwhelming.

Visually, the 822 and the Leaked Odyssey photo are taking design cues from 2 to 3 years ago: chunky and rounded edges. These aren't phones I want to show off at my work. I work in mobile game development. I will be mocked for supporting WP phones. The only phone my company doesn't buy for me is Windows Phone. I get them all. Is it too much to ask for modern designs? Verizon chose these "unique" designs to differentiate themselves. They don't compete with the thin, light, devices from iOS and Android. That is Verizon's decision. I flat out don't understand, if they are asking for a unique design, why it can't at least be something that is more progressive. 9/10 people would not point at the Odyssey or 822 when asked to show you a sexy device.

Yes, screen resolution does matter. Yes I can tell the difference on a smaller device than my TV. As a game developer we want the game to look as good as possible. I worry about WP growth as a gaming platform, if the majority of the people on the nation's second largest network don't perceive windows phones as classy high end devices. Nobody bought games for blackberry either. So it could be that Verizon is trying to support that market. They know their business but I would be disappointed if that becomes the case. Why else put solid chips in there.

I'm rambling, so here is my point. Verizon's selection of Windows phones seems targeted at budget minded people looking for a reliable device to make calls and stay connected in Today's modern age. They are not targeted at early adopters.

As an early adopter I don't feel that we get to experience the best devices on the best network. I want my phone to both be a status symbol and be relevant in 2 years. The HTC 8X is the closest but its the only one that isn't unique and doesn't feel like a choice of equal measure to the others. It also doesn't compete well against the iPhone 5 or Samsung g3. A Nokia 920 or a Samsung ATIV S could have changed that.

Since Verizon didn't, we Windows Phone fans and early adopters have a justifiable complaint. We don't have Windows Phone options that compete against the best on the market, and Verizon's decisions regarding phone selection seem to cater to casual phone users rather than the vocal phone enthusiast that frequents windows phone rumor forums. Unfortunately I got my hopes up again, that Verizon would lead the way. Instead, they seem to still be playing it conservative. Maybe if the Droid DNA doesn't sell well, Verizon can negotiate a contract with Samsung or Nokia for their top tier phones.

 

[Honestabebread]

This is somewhat unrelated but Verizon's 4G roll out completion has been bumped up to June 2013. So 100% 3G/4G overlap in 7 more months. So exciting.

 

[Joelist]

I think we have a bad case of excessive speculation in this forum about the Odyssey.

Look at the picture and look at the Ativ S - the display is virtually the same size (the difference is in height and only about half the size of a small WP8 Live Tile). It's probably a 4.5 inch display and probably using the same screen technology as the Ativ S (so expect 720p).

Inside it will have the S4 Krait as all the new WP8 handsets so far are shipping with Krait. And Krait is the gold standard in mobile CPUs at present. Looks to have expandable memory and the other tricks too. So it is definitely a top tier phone as is the 8X.

If you want to call out anyone in all this as foolish it should be Nokia. They should not have taken the money from AT&T for the exclusive on the 920 - getting a foothold in Verizon is far more important than some immediate cash from AT&T. HTC understands reality - that is why they added wireless charging at Verizon's behest to the 8X. Verizon is the key player in the whole WP8 drama in the US - they are far and away the largest and most robust network and have the biggest subscriber base. If WP8 gets a successful foothold in Verizon the growth will come.

 

[pavlovscow]

I think we have a bad case of excessive speculation in this forum about the Odyssey.

Look at the picture and look at the Ativ S - the display is virtually the same size (the difference is in height and only about half the size of a small WP8 Live Tile). It's probably a 4.5 inch display and probably using the same screen technology as the Ativ S (so expect 720p).

Inside it will have the S4 Krait as all the new WP8 handsets so far are shipping with Krait. And Krait is the gold standard in mobile CPUs at present. Looks to have expandable memory and the other tricks too. So it is definitely a top tier phone as is the 8X.

If you want to call out anyone in all this as foolish it should be Nokia. They should not have taken the money from AT&T for the exclusive on the 920 - getting a foothold in Verizon is far more important than some immediate cash from AT&T. HTC understands reality - that is why they added wireless charging at Verizon's behest to the 8X. Verizon is the key player in the whole WP8 drama in the US - they are far and away the largest and most robust network and have the biggest subscriber base. If WP8 gets a successful foothold in Verizon the growth will come.

Definitely not happy with Nokia's decision, but someone at Verizon picks the phone designs. And the nicest way to put it is 'conservative'.