Verizon WP8 Devices?

[Honestabebread]

I have a source who is in corporate sales with VZW and works to get phones for large clients (Clearchannel, Media General, etc). He was right on VZW's big push towards Android a few years ago.

It's true that VZW is going to actively work to drive down iPhone sales. But VZW is also not a fan of the cost of Android. They have a massive marketing blitz prepared for the holidays to promote Windows Phone 8 and will be offering the highest incentives to their retail and corporate sales people for getting people to move the WP8. I've also heard that Nokia/MS and other manufacturers may help subsidize Verizon basically allowing any customer currently under contract to get a new WP8 device at the subsidized price with a two year contract that restarts at the date of purchase.

I know from another friend that works at a large marketing firm about further tie-ins that go beyond just Verizon with Windows Phone likely featured in Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy ads for the holidays.

I've heard the first device to launch on VZW will come from HTC. The Nokia will come a little later and the Samsung timing is unsure at the moment. VZW was also planning on having a WP8 prepaid device.

From what I've been told, WP8 is becoming VZW's preferred phone platform going forward. They are left on their own a lot with Android and the market is heavily fractured. With iPhone they have no choice but to play by Apple's rules. MS has sought their input for WP8 and they feel they have a real partner with MS.

My guess is it is the same for most of the Android manufacturers apart from Moto. Samsung just got stung and Microsoft offers them a lot more protection in the future than Google ever will. I think MS needs to get Samsung fully onboard with Windows Phone. The increasing Android patent infringement fees coupled with Apple's potential lawsuits over Android make WP8 appealing. Going with MS means they can keep Apple away with their cross licensing deals.

This is what i hear too. My coworkers hate Windows Phone because they think its the same OS as the Motorola Q. That along with the fact that only Motorola gets decent reception in Northern Michigan meams my store hated the Trophy. Most of them are intrigued at the idea of a Nokia phone because Nokias get great reception.

We recently changed our sales process and i did a role play with my manager and recommended the Trophy to her. She was very impressed and didnt know jack about WP7. VZW has a lot ofretraining to do

 

[scottcraft]

This is what i hear too. My coworkers hate Windows Phone because they think its the same OS as the Motorola Q. That along with the fact that only Motorola gets decent reception in Northern Michigan meams my store hated the Trophy. Most of them are intrigued at the idea of a Nokia phone because Nokias get great reception.

We recently changed our sales process and i did a role play with my manager and recommended the Trophy to her. She was very impressed and didnt know jack about WP7. VZW has a lot ofretraining to do

The Trophy is marginal for reception period. I talked to a salesman at my local Verizon store and he was interested in WP8 because it was something different. I wish I would have had my Trophy with me so I could have shown him how mine was set up. I think if Verizon pushes WP8 it is going to really help sales, hopefully like the Droid campaign.

 

[Honestabebread]

In my area most customers don't care what OS a phone is. They come in and ask about the iPhone or the Razr but after you start talking to them all they care about is reception and ease of use. The blogs make the "lack" of apps sound like a huge downside but its never once hindered a customer of mine.

 

[11B1P]

The Trophy is marginal for reception period.

Maybe where you live, but for me, my Trophy gets better reception than anything ATT has.

 

[scottcraft]

Maybe where you live, but for me, my Trophy gets better reception than anything ATT has.

Are you using the Verizon version? That's the one I'm referring to. The Motorola Droid I had prior to this and the HTC Rezound I'm currently using both are significantly better for reception than my Trophy.

 

[jfa1]

I think as we get 2g shelved completely the better reception will be on all networks!

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

The Trophy works well enough for me on reception. My brother has a Moto Razr Maxx and we get the same number of bars whenever we've compared phones and are meeting up for dinner, whatever. I also have had a few "smoked by Windows Phone" moments with him when using Local Scout, emailing, etc. He's waiting for WP8 and likes Android okay, but thinks WP7 is better for usability - he just got a deal on the Maxx and there wasn't one going for the Trophy at the time, but he has another upgrade coming from his second account in December and will likely go with WP8 then or soon after.

My upgrade comes in December as well. I bought the Trophy used because I didn't qualify for an upgrade. This is my first smartphone, though I've used them all. Android and iPhone just weren't worth my time or money. Windows Phone is a better platform and WP8 will improve that further. I'm looking forward to seeing VZW fully back WP8.

Heard last night that Verizon will have 4-5 WP8 phones by Christmas. They have also talked to MS about a LTE version of the Surface. I don't know where those talks are going, but VZW really likes the Surface and will also be pushing RT tablets as well for Christmas. Expect combo deals with RT tabs and WP8 phones coupled with VZW's new data sharing plan with tethering. VZW is even interested in Surface without LTE if people sign up for tethering to a WP8 LTE device.

The advertizing after November for Droid is going to diminish and Verizon will be primarily promoting WP8 this holiday season. The Droids will still be there, but Verizon is committing to doing for WP8 what they did for Android.

I've also heard from another source that AT&T will have a blitz marketing effort for WP8. The third party marketing firm expects market saturation for Windows Phone. It is part of a larger effort to promote Windows 8.

A central theme to the Windows 8, RT, and WP8 rollout is the concept that "You're more than just a bunch of icons." They want to paint Mac, Android, iOS, and even old "icon" driven Windows machines as passe and inefficient. You can see it in the new logo. They are going all-in on the Live Tile concept. And with WP8 and the configurable sizes on the RT and PC Start screens, they also will be pushing the fact that you can make a statement with your Start screen layout.

Verizon, AT&T, and other retailers are all coordinating with Redmond to get on the same marketing page for a massive push. This is supposed to be the biggest marketing push MS has ever made and WP8 is just a part of it. Only one element is missing and saved for next year: the next Xbox.

But I know Verizon is all in. AT&T apparently is too. Sprint, as we know, is iffy, but they'll come along. Funny that they look to MS to help them now, but the expense of Android isn't something they like - too much carrier involvement, and the Apple share of so much of their profit bugs them. MS doesn't ask for that and shields manufacturers and carriers alike from lawsuits from Apple.

I think people are going to really want a Windows Phone after WP8 debuts.

 

[rkremers]

One thing that we may see, and I could be 100% wrong, but I'm not sure Verizon devices will be unveiled on 9/5. Once again, this is only a thought in my head, but because Verizon and Motorola are hosting their own event later that day to presumably talk about android-related items, Verizon may not want to talk about ANYTHING Windows Phone on the same day because it will dilute their press coverage. I hope I'm wrong, but there is a distinct possibility.

 

[PG2G]

The Verge article about the event said we shouldn't expect to see the Verizon device there.

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

Verizon FTW

Maybe where you live, but for me, my Trophy gets better reception than anything ATT has.

Agreed my HTC Trophy compared to all the phones in my family gets the best reception from Verizon. (Of course it's not 4GLTE, but for its market it has the best I've seen.)

So now we just need to crank out the 4GLTE WP8 devices on Verizon to get the people drooling.

 

[Reflexx]

Hey Mr. MacPhisto, where did you hear those things about Verizon? You don't have to be super specific. I'm just wondering if it was just a conversation with a rep, or if you knew someone high up.

If the stuff you say is true, then that's pretty awesome.

But I'm very skeptical on the Surface stuff since MS said that Surface would only be sold through Microsoft Stores.

 

[scottcraft]

The Trophy works well enough for me on reception. My brother has a Moto Razr Maxx and we get the same number of bars whenever we've compared phones and are meeting up for dinner, whatever. I also have had a few "smoked by Windows Phone" moments with him when using Local Scout, emailing, etc. He's waiting for WP8 and likes Android okay, but thinks WP7 is better for usability - he just got a deal on the Maxx and there wasn't one going for the Trophy at the time, but he has another upgrade coming from his second account in December and will likely go with WP8 then or soon after.

Agreed my HTC Trophy compared to all the phones in my family gets the best reception from Verizon. (Of course it's not 4GLTE, but for its market it has the best I've seen.)

So now we just need to crank out the 4GLTE WP8 devices on Verizon to get the people drooling.

I'm glad to hear you guys haven't had problems with the Trophy as far as reception. Between my original Trophy and the three or four replacements I've had the reception has been poor compared to the other Verizon phones I've had. I'm currently using an HTC Rezound and it is significantly better in the reception department.

 

[rkremers]

But I'm very skeptical on the Surface stuff since MS said that Surface would only be sold through Microsoft Stores.

While he isn't always right, @ms_nerd mentioned Verizon as a potential partner for Surface the day Surface was announced... It may not happen with launch devices, but eventually there will be mobile partners.

 

[cckgz4]

The Verge article about the event said we shouldn't expect to see the Verizon device there.

well that sucks

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Hey Mr. MacPhisto, where did you hear those things about Verizon? You don't have to be super specific. I'm just wondering if it was just a conversation with a rep, or if you knew someone high up.

If the stuff you say is true, then that's pretty awesome.

But I'm very skeptical on the Surface stuff since MS said that Surface would only be sold through Microsoft Stores.

I've heard it from a guy in corporate sales for VZW who I've gotten info from before that proved true on the Droid end. He has access to VZW's lineup for Christmas shopping season right now and it is WP8 centric. Verizon is less enchanted with Android right now because it requires more maintainence on their part and costs more to support. Apple is too demanding and Google doesn't care. Microsoft, however, has been much more interested in establishing a real partnership with the carrier on support, advertizing, and rollout.

The stuff on the Surface has more to do with VZW's desires, not what MS plans to do. My guess (and this is based on what I know) is that we will see a strong Windows RT push on the tablet side from VZW and other carriers. The same issues exist for Android on tab as they do on phone and the same issues exist with Apple for the iPad on cell networks as for cell phones. There clearly will be a lot of variety in the RT tablet and W8 tablet marketplaces. We've been seeing many of these devices be unveiled the last few days.

But Verizon specifically launched its new device sharing data between devices with a clear aim to increase tablet usage and sales. They want to drive up data usage and get most people into higher data consumption packages with LTE devices. Surface was the first RT tablet that they saw because their phone partners had not shown them anything yet, but Surface got them excited.

This bit is also speculation, but I think that is why Surface was shown so early. It probably will not be a high volume product, but it will serve to get people looking at RT tabs and Intel W8 tabs as well. It also will challenges OEMs to do better. And it will be available at MS Stores or through MS online, but I doubt others will get to sell it. Yet that doesn't mean Verizon or AT&T can't sell a LTE data package with tethering that will work with your Surface using your phone as a wifi hotspot - and it could be Android, iPhone, or whatever.

But Surface DID catch VZW's attention and it may have helped to convince them to make a push to move RT tablets to work on their network.

 

[psiu_glen]

My Trophy has worked okay in general for reception, though compared to the OG Droid it definitely suffers a bit...but the usability of the WP interface blows away any Android and iPhone usage in real life by far.

The voice commands for search/local scout/texting always amaze anyone I'm with since they work flawlessly and get useful answers NOW. Have smoked iPhone and Android's both For a phone built on 2009 technology that's pretty dang good!

edit: PS, what is Northern Michigan when you say it? We travel up to the Keweenaw to see our families so we are biased when it comes to that term

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

My Trophy has worked okay in general for reception, though compared to the OG Droid it definitely suffers a bit...but the usability of the WP interface blows away any Android and iPhone usage in real life by far.

The voice commands for search/local scout/texting always amaze anyone I'm with since they work flawlessly and get useful answers NOW. Have smoked iPhone and Android's both For a phone built on 2009 technology that's pretty dang good!

edit: PS, what is Northern Michigan when you say it? We travel up to the Keweenaw to see our families so we are biased when it comes to that term

That's the biggest thing is usability. I'm with VZW, so it was Trophy or no Windows Phone at all. My brother's got a Razr Maxx and the only thing I'm envious of is that massive battery it has (3000+ mAh in a small body), but I routinely find things faster. People with Android and iPhone have been amazed when I've shown them the People Hub and how it works. And the Live Tiles always impress.

My brother will be getting a WP8 device as will every friend I've shown my Trophy to. Some will be leaving Apple and others Android, but all were convinced of Windows Phone's superiority with just a few minutes using my Trophy. And the app gap is closing as well, with all the WP7 apps functional on WP8 and the new code base of WP8, I think this platform will do nothing but grow in a big way.

 

[Honestabebread]

My Trophy has worked okay in general for reception, though compared to the OG Droid it definitely suffers a bit...but the usability of the WP interface blows away any Android and iPhone usage in real life by far.

The voice commands for search/local scout/texting always amaze anyone I'm with since they work flawlessly and get useful answers NOW. Have smoked iPhone and Android's both For a phone built on 2009 technology that's pretty dang good!

edit: PS, what is Northern Michigan when you say it? We travel up to the Keweenaw to see our families so we are biased when it comes to that term

I live in the Cadillac/Traverse City area. Not the UP although I may transfer to Marquette or Houghton.

 

[astraith]

I think if the big red is really gung to push Windows phone, they need to create a Droid like brand. One brand, shared by Nokia, HTC, and anyone else making a WP8.

 

[psiu_glen]

I live in the Cadillac/Traverse City area. Not the UP although I may transfer to Marquette or Houghton.

They have 4G LTE up there, AT&T just got 3G (!!!) into Marquette last year lmao. If they ever get coverage into Lake Linden it will be great up there. I need to dig up the pics with GPS info I took on my Droid a couple years ago...middle of the woods, in a ravine...pulling 2Mbps down on my Droid. Love the VZW coverage up there.