We all know that the BlackBerry Curve won’t come to Verizon for some time unless they’ve got something up their sleeve that no one is aware of. The best BlackBerry that I’ve seen as far as form and function, however, is about to hit the street on AT&T very soon and I am thinking thinking the unthinkable. If I am thinking about it, I am sure others are too…
Would you leave Verizon to get the BlackBerry Curve?
I’ve said several times that if a second GSM BlackBerry with a camera is released in the United States before Verizon releases their first CameraBerry, I would leave. Although leave may be too strong a word, I’ve got a plan that I just may implement.
At some point I am going to get an iPhone. Like for many other BlackBerry users, it has nothing to do with wanting in iPhone more than a BlackBerry. I just want an iPhone and will get one in addition to my BlackBerry. I don’t, however, really want to shell out $500 to $600 for an iPhone they day they hit the street. I would rather pick one up around Christmas time when the have a few of inevitable kinks worked out.
Here is my plan. I just may buy a BlackBerry Curve as soon as AT&T releases it. I am not going to cancel my Verizon BlackBerry, however, I will only use it for work, starting to use the BlackBerry Curve for personal use. I figure that I can grin and bear through AT&T’s service for a few months until Verizon releases something with a camera on it.
When Verizon comes out with the Curve or the Pearl v.2 or some BlackBerry with a camera on it, I will switch back to using Verizon both for personal use and for business, sell the AT&T BlackBerry Curve on eBay, and buy an iPhone so that I don’t have to worry about any cancellation fees.
or you could organize a protest at Verizon headquarters. I’d join!
That’s exactly the question I asked myself yesterday. It’s a tough one because you can’t beat Verizon’s network, but I’m really tired of waiting for them to release phones. Look at the release of the 8830 –it took me talking to 3 different people in 3 different departments at Verizon yesterday just to learn that it won’t be available to consumers until May 28, but who knows if that’s really true (if their people don’t even know). I fear a similar runaround with the Curve. The whole business model bugs me — I wish you could just buy a phone from RIM and use it with the carrier of your choice. Each carrier would be incented to be the first to support it. That’s real competition.
I hope T-Mobile gets this…it sucks that Cingular is getting all of the cool new phones bc they have the WORST service! They say they have the fewest dropped calls but that is bc half the time you can barely get a signal to make a cal!!!! I wonder when they will make an all touch blackberry…like the iphone…but i feel like that is looking wayyyyy to into the future!
I too would join in on that protest i also like the two phone plan and if I could afford it i would unfortunately im stuck with verizon. I would leave verizon for a curve if not for two things cigulars customer service is worst than verizon and i may not get enough signal from my home for the phone to work. that secure feeling of Knowing (or assuming) that youre phone will work more places than any other is very comforting and powerful enough to keep most people with Verizon and they know that although I think the pressure is mounting pressure to provide more than just a stable connection which depends on where you live anyways. if i lived in a major city I would probobly change
I will leave verizon when my contract is up in october if they do not have the pearl yet…personally, id rather have the pearl than the cruve because of size
After 13 years I left VZW over the GPS crippling issue. They didn’t even ask me why I was leaving. Thought maybe with the 8830 they would come to their senses and leave it alone but no such luck. I’ve got the ATT /Cingular 8800 with GPS and international service. Agreed that VZW network is so much better but I tired of being treated like a child by them.
i thought about it, but ended up getting a treo. go figure.
i can’t wait for verizon to catch up, but everyone i know is on verizon so the unlimited mobile to mobile for me is key. i stuck with them
Your article is very close to my thinking. I’ve been with Verizon for 5 years and will probably switch to AT&T if the Curve isn’t out with Verizon by end of summer.
Verizon, can you hear us now?
Well I just got the 8830 from verizon and i love it. We are a business client with verizon so it was released to us May 14th. It comes out may 28th to consumers but it is a great phone. im glad i waitied.
I have had Cingular-ATT for 13 years and have never had any issue with service.
Not to mention all the customers leaving Sprint…CDMA could drop like a rock in the US.
We’re an NBS customer with Cingular/AT&T and have lots of bb’s and phones on the account. Most are 7280/7290’s with a sprinkling of 8700’s. A few have begged for the 8800, and it seems now there’s a new one that will be begged for as well.
wrt customer service, I’ve been a customer of everyone over the years, from AT&T pocketnet (I was the first kid on my block with a cell phone that had an ip address, oooooh) to VoiceStream, tMobile, AT&T, Cingular, Sprint, NEXTel, you name it, I’ve had a phone from them. ALL of the companies will have a problem here and there and give bad customer service. Whether or not it happens to you is a matter of chance. I’ve had great customer service from ALL of them and I have at least one incident of bad, even horrible customer service from ALL of them.
The trick is to do enough business with them to get a good sampling.
i have been with cingular for over 6 years now and i think they are great. i have an 8800 and it works flawlessly. Never had any problems with service, except for when blackberry service went down for everyone. i wouldnt trade in my 8800 for the curve or anything else. only time i need to upgrade is when they come out with a blackberry with wifi AND gps.
If I didn’t need Verizon in our subway system (flawless reception even in the deepest stations), I’d leave. No doubt. Their sales cycle for devices and history of crippling really annoys me to no end…if their damn network weren’t so good.
im a verizon customer about to get my first BB. I thought about switching to get the Curve, but don’t want to pay out of my contract. Looks like I’ll just go with the 8830 – the only reason I was drawn to the curve is because I hear the 8830 has a sub par keyboard/media applications. Is this true?? Can anyone with an 8830 give me words of encouragement.
Consumers can order the 8830. A friend of mine called two days ago and the person put the purchase right through for her. She will have it today or tomorrow. She will be getting a rebate from RIM for $100 as well that the Verizon rep told her about. She is a current Verizon 8703 customer, but not a business customer (i.e. regular consumer). After her new every two discount and the discount she got because of the employer that she works at she ended up paying about $120 plus tax.
That’s kind of what I’m doing right now! I have the 8800 on AT&T for personal and a tiny bit of Business use , and then have a strictly business line on Verizon using the LG VX9400.
When the Curve drops i’m going to pick it up, and then sell the 8800 to one of my workers. I’ll wait as well for the iphone to have all the bugs worked out of it. When that happens I’ll pick one up and sell my Curve! Lets just hope Verizon has a Curve like device in there lineup. Otherwise I’m stickin with AT&T and doing away with Verizon all together. Like I said in a previous post, AT&T is not that bad at all!!!
Funny – I was thinking about doing something very similar to what Rob detailed.
However, I was going to keep my Vzw line for personal use, dropping down to the cheapest plan, and get a new line with AT&T so I can get the Curve for business BB use. It also helps that my company gets 50% off phones with AT&T! 😉
I don’t really want the iPhone unless/until they up the storage space to at least 20gb. I know that will add to the size and weight of the phone, but 8gb just doesn’t meet the storage requirements for all the media I want to put on it.
I have been using the Curve for a few weeks now and it is definitely worth switching for. If you are a blogger it simply is the best gadget available, by far. Check my blog for daily photo blogs straight from my Curve.
I left Verizon because they screwed me with a contract. Would I go back for a device? Hell no!
Though the curve is dayum perty!
I’ve wanted to leave Verizon for a while now. The problem is IN Network mobile to mobile. Almost everyone I know is on VZW, so switching to AT&T would force me to double my plan costing me a minimum of $20 extra a month as I would have to up my minutes from 450 to 900.
would you believe this? i called up vzw, i’ve been a customer since mci worldcom days early 90’s… i asked them how much for the 8830 and they said that it would be $519.99… i was like, “what”? so i asked what if i extend my contract for another two years, surely there would be a discount… “nope – you’re not allowed to renew your contract in the middle of a term”… needless to say i was outraged. if i cancelled my contract, signed up for a new one i probably wouldve gotten a discount.. they are just dumb.
When vzw announced the 8830 i was psyched… a couple days later, the curve – you guys dont have to guess where i’m going once the curve comes out… what bothered me the most is that they have the balls to charge $520 for a blackberry.. amazing
“In a minute…”
I’ve been with Verizon for about 10 years, and am about to drop them. I’ve got to get over to a GSM platform for international travel.
Yeah, I see that they’re calling the 8830 a world phone and putting GSM in. Check the fine print – it’s only dual band GSM and won’t work in the Americas. So – no data access while roaming in Mexico.
Another advantage – with GSM, I can pick up a cheap prepaid phone and swap the sim card when I’m headed someplace that could be hazardous to the phone’s health (on the water, etc.).
i was talking to a verizon rep about the 8830 and she said that suprisingly enough… the 8830 is gonna be the cheapest she’s seen. she dont know why but she said it was gonna be around $360 retail.
and i say around just because i had seen her out and about and she didnt know the EXACT price because she obviously want at verizon at the time.
I very much want a Curve, but I won’t leave Verizon for ATT/Cingular. Besides the coverage, but every single CS experience I’ve had with Verizon has been flawless. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky, but I’ve been with them for 7 years now, with the exception of a 9 month interruption when I lost my mind and tried Cingular.
I’d consider switching to the 8830, but that keyboard scares me. I’m a recovering Treo user and one of the reasons I switched to the 8703 is because of the keyboard. The BB 8830 just looks like a BlackBerry version of a TReo phone.
To the person who complained that Verizon wouldn’t allow them to break contract: I somewhat sympathize, but a deal’s a deal. All carriers make it pretty clear that they’re not going to give you renewal price when you’re in the middle of a contract. It sucks, it’s wrong, but it is what it is.
Tried out my friend’s 8830 tonight. Nice device. The “pearl” instead of the wheel bothers me a little as it seems a little flimsy. The screen is great. The unit looks killer; really impressive. All shiny and silver. I do think I like the feel of my 8703 keyboard better though.
Nice device, but my “new every two” is not up until January and the device did not blow me away enough to drop the money on it when I am pretty happy with the 8703.
Eric – Do you know where your friend ordered it from? By calling VZW directly, going into a store, or through her company? Thanks.
I don’t think Verizon really cares if they offer a Blackberry with a phone or not. Most of its BB customers are Government and business and these customers either don’t care or don’t want a camera. Verizon probably figures any one who wants a smart phone w/camera is using crappy Win mobile anyway.
Re #16- I just called vzw to purchase an 8830 and they told me that they cant sell it to me yet, as I am not a business customer…
Dude, I would leave Verizon for a 2 dollar bill, and I would NOT complain after I
was told it didn’t exist.
I would be very happy just to NOT be a Verizon customer anymore.
Don’t you mean a 3-dollar bill? 🙂
There is no question that Verizon is slow on the trigger regarding releasing new phones. It also makes me ill as to their pompus attitude regarding their customers and being so tight with their information. How can anyone strategically plan what they are going to do and pick out a phone that is best for their needs. They really drop the ball as to obtaining new phones & being on the cutting edge compared to T-mob, Cingular & even Sprint. As a result they keep their customers in the dark and give them phones that are 6-12 months old compared to other carriers. NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!! If they didn’t have the best network they would be in HUGE trouble. They are putting all their business eggs in one basket – NETWORK. Period
Anyone know if I can get the 8830 (woohoo new every two!), keep my existing family plan, and tack on a data plan? I saw there is a 59.99 data plan but is there anything cheaper? my first bb. Thanks.
I keep asking myself that, but everyone i know is on VZW.
Plus, my contact has expired and I am waiting for this phone so I can use my “new every two” credit.
DAMN YOU VERIZON
I have had it with Verizon’s choices…the 8830 is nice…but with tmobile I could get an excellent international network on an older model blackberry…so they just made a better mousetrap that the old one was just as good based on server…My contract runs out in October 2007…I am now willing to pay the disconnect of $175 for a Blackberry with a camera elsewhere…I will never understand why Verizon with their network still offers an antiquated choice of phones and is not more cutting edge with both they could rule the market…but they will lose me come August without a Blackberry Curve type phone in the horizon…patience is running thread bare..
Yup, my contract with Verizon is up in the Fall and I’ll leave if they don’t have the Curve by then.
Vote on this issue here:
http://www.ivoted.org/polls/?t=50
Verizon is busy twiddling its thumbs, lost in its own network. (“Can You Hear Me Now?‖> NO…)
Regarding hellskitchenhottie new BB, I have to tell you I use T-Mobile. Their BB plan is only $20 compared to Verizon of $50 or more. I have used T-Mobile for several years and have very few problems with reception, but I must admit Verizon does indeed probably have the best reception bar none, but you pay a lot for that. If I was to take my T-Mobile BB plan and get the same plan with verizon, my monthly cost would go from $65 to $118, is it worth it? As pointed out, other carriers do indeed release more inovative cell phones. My luck with Nextell, Cingular, ATT has not been very good customer service but more importantly too many drop calls. I cant remember the last T-Mobile drop call, anywhere I have traveled.
I left VZW after 10 years, even though I renewed my contract about a year ago. It was worth the $ 175.00 to get the Pearl and have GSM rather than having to rent a phone everytime I go overseas. The pearl is great and I have yet to have an issue with service.
I would not wish to leave Verizon, but the curve is evreything that I would need in a phoen and would highly consider it if Verizon would not have this phoen for quite some time. I need a phoen with the camera and navigation. I have a Verizon Blackberry now and love it, but it does not have all the features I need for my everyday routine. So My answer would have to be yes..I would!