Re: A New Verizon version of the HP Elite X3 is coming in Mid-September
I just spoke with an HP rep on their enterprise sales side. He told me that there is NO "NEW" phone, but rather the same existing phone (US Version only) that has been updated to work on Verizon's network. He advised me that any existing X3's with the update should connect to the Verizon network and that all I would need to do is take the phone into a Verizon store, and advise that I wanted to connect the device. Now, at the time of this post I do not have an X3 to test this, but I did about a month ago and it did not work (I didn't actually go in to a store either). So sounds like same device just updated software. Seems to be two different stories being told; New Device and Existing Device with software update.
Very interesting. Thanks for the update @
ramtwins25. I spoke with a couple HP Enterprise sales reps a few weeks back who mentioned the same thing.
However, as I mentioned from my last update, the HP representative who reached out to me on Wednesday is the one who is actually listed as the contact on
Verizon's HP Elite X3 web page. His exact words were:
"Thanks for reaching out. The Verizon version Elite x3 received non-stock approval from Verizon a few weeks ago. We are beginning factory production now, and expect it will be available in Mid- October. The Elite x3 that has been in market for the last several months is a GSM based product so it is not compatible with the Verizon network. Any other questions you may have, please let me know.
Kevin McCutchan."
This is the second rep (who was listed on that specific page mentioned and linked to above) who has told me there is a Verizon specific "version" being released and this latest rep further went into detail saying they are "beginning factory production" of it. Furthermore, he even goes on to say the current model is a "GSM based product so it is not compatible with the Verizon network." Seems odd he would emphasize those two things. For those reasons alone I won't buy anything until this Verizon "device" is released. His verbiage seems pretty specific and he is the rep listed on the device page.
The other thing which has been
linked to on this thread and others, is that HP submitted for WiFi and Bluetooth certifications on an X3 device with a new model number (F606v) different from the original (F606). Seems strange to create a whole new model number if the plan is just to release firmware to open up the CDMA radios. It's not like Verizon is selling this directly anyways. I'm not saying the ultimate goal won't be to allow old X3's on to the Verizon network, but maybe there is/was an issue going this route, at least for now?
As more of a speculative note, I emailed the rep back since he said I could ask him anything. I asked if there was anything different with the new Verizon "version" hardware wise or if it was the same phone. No answer for two days now. He was pretty quick on my first email. I asked the first Elite X3 rep who told me of the new "version" the same thing in my follow-up email and he never answered me at all (after he got back to me in one day the first time) and it's been over two weeks now.
If I were a betting man, silence points towards "possible" internal tweaks other than CDMA radios that they aren't allowed to speak about yet. Many of the major specs are also missing from
Verizon's X3 page. Again, just speculation, but there seems to be more going on than meets the eye.
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