Verizon's letter to the FCC
(Credit: FCC)A few weeks after the FCC sent an inquiry about its early termination fee (ETF) increase, Verizon has replied back with a seven-page missive of its own in defense of the fee hike. If you recall, Verizon increased its ETF from $175 to $350 specifically for "advanced devices," which we assume means smartphones like the Droid.
Verizon claims that the ETF allows the company to offer the phones at lower upfront prices and to reduce its losses if the customers do break their contracts early. Even with such a fee increase, Verizon claims it would still be losing money, since the carrier does prorate the ETF the longer you're in the contract (never mind that you still owe $120 in ETFs if you quit in the 23rd month). Verizon also points out that additional revenue from the ETFs is useful to keep its broadband network strong (a dig at AT&T, perhaps?). The company answers the FCC's questions about ETF awareness by saying it is making it very clear to customers, with advertising and marketing material.
We were hoping that we would get at least a lowering of the ETF out of all this, but it seems that Verizon is holding strong to its fee increase. It's the FCC's move next, to see if we can get any kind of reprieve at all.
Source: Verizon's response to the FCC via Phonescoop
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
We don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the Motorola Droid was the hottest Android phone to be released in 2009. Of course, the Verizon Wireless ads attacking AT&T and the Apple iPhone did a lot to bring attention to the smartphone, but it wasn't all hype. The smartphone delivered with excellent performance, an attention-grabbing 3.7-inch WVGA touch screen, and the benefits of Android 2.0, including Google Maps Navigation.
With the combination of clever marketing and just being a solid device all around, the Droid has quickly become one of CNET's most popular smartphones and more than 1 million units are expected to be sold by the end of the year.
Perhaps you're one of the thousands who purchased the Droid and are enjoying all that the smartphone has to offer. However, to help you get even more out of the device, we've rounded up some of our favorite accessories and apps for the Droid, as well as some frequently asked questions about various features, tips and tricks, troubleshooting, and more. Of course, this is just a sample of what's out there, so if you have any favorite accessories or tips that you want to share with other fellow Droid owners, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
Accessories
Motorola Droid accessories
Cell phone accessories blog
Software update
Android 2.0.1 for Droid users coming soon
Applications
Yelp
AndroidStats
Fring VoIP
Cooking Capsules
Photoshop for Android
Slacker Radio
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Personal Assistant
Facebook
Droid FAQ
All about the Droid
The Droid and hands-free calling
A ton of cell phones and smartphones are released in a year's time. Trust us, we've seen most all of them. However, not all handsets are created equal and some are more popular than others. If you're curious to see which handsets people are clamoring for, well you're in luck. We've compiled a list of the top 10 popular cell phones and smartphones for 2009 and put them into a pretty slideshow for your viewing pleasure.
As you peruse the gallery, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the list is based on the most-viewed products to date by CNET users in 2009, and not just those released this year. As such, you'll find a number of older products on the list since they've obviously been on the site longer than the newer ones. Also, many of the models were highlighted on our Top products list.
All that said, it's pretty interesting to see what's still popular these days. Check it out for yourself and see if your phone made the list.
Motorola Droid
(Credit: CNET)Verizon just informed us that Google released an SDK for Android 2.0.1 Thursday, which means those who have a Motorola Droid can expect a free over-the-air upgrade to their phone in the "coming weeks."
Some updates include an improvement to the camera's auto-focus and the phone's voice reception. There's still no news on the exact dates the new firmware will be rolled out, but we look forward to it all the same.
On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.
It's been a long time since I've devoted an On Call to reader questions, but e-mails about the Motorola Droid have poured in following the device's debut last month. Some have offered nothing but effusive praise for the handset, while others have raised concerns. I've included a sampling of e-mails from the latter camp below. And be sure to catch my follow-up to a previous Android post at the end of the question-and-answer session.
Q: I think you described switching to Google Android quite well. I like the Droid, but I'm thinking of waiting for a GSM version. Will there be a GSM version and do you think that Verizon Wireless will carry it?
- Tandon55
A: A GSM version of the Droid already exists. The Milestone, as it's called, is almost identical to the Droid except that it has pinch-and-zoom multitouch. We're not sure why it has the extra feature--believe us when we say we're not happy about the disparity--and neither Verizon Wireless, Google, nor Motorola is offering an answer. The Milestone will land first in Europe and Germany, but it won't come to Verizon Wireless. Verizon uses CDMA, which is an incompatible technology to GSM, and Verizon already carries its own version of the phone. ... Read more
Motorola Droid
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)Shortly after we posted our Motorola Droid review, we received quite a few e-mails from CNET readers who were concerned about the phone's inability to support hands-free voice commands and dialing. Indeed, the readers were correct and Motorola's support forums continue to buzz with user complaints regarding the issue.
As part of our original Droid review we did not test whether the handset supported hands-free voice dialing. We apologize for that, but we've now updated the review to reflect our findings.
Below is the passage from the review:
Unfortunately, the Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing or commands. In order to use the Voice Dialer feature, you first must select the icon from the main menu (you can move on a shortcut to the home screen). After speaking your command, you then must confirm it via a prompt on the touch screen. Though we found the voice dialing feature to be quite accurate--it successfully picked up a command when we were a few feet away--it is not an ideal scenario for people who need to completely hands-free. We hope this omission is corrected in a future software update.
In the future, we will report on hands-free voice dialing in our smartphone reviews. As more state and local areas pass laws mandating hands-free driving, such capability will only grow more important.
We have special guest Damian Koh from CNET Asia joining us on today's show. He answers our questions about the cell phone market in Asia, and surprisingly, he tells us he actually envies us for the phones that are available only in the U.S. We also discuss the Motorola Droid, Verizon's AT&T-bashing ads, Samsung's Bada, and more.
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
News
Initial Motorola Droid sales look good
New Verizon ad calls iPhone 'misfit toy
Verizon reveals Casio G'zOne Brigade
T-Mobile to phase out MyFaves
Samsung launching its own mobile OS
Reviews and features
HTC Droid Eris
Nokia 3711
Samsung Flight
LG Chocolate Touch VX8575
Twitter Peek
RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700
Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS prizefight
Upcoming reviews
Samsung Convoy
T-Mobile Tap
Samsung Mythic
Jabra Stone
For many smartphone manufacturers and carriers, the Apple iPhone is the great, white elephant in the room. Though they might not want to acknowledge it, the iPhone has certainly changed the game and for better or worse, it's become the gold standard to which a lot of people compare other touch-screen phones.
While most of the competition might be content to let their products speak for themselves, Verizon has made a bold move by single-handedly calling out the iPhone and AT&T in its iDon't and "There's a map for that" TV commercials. The ads are certainly entertaining to watch, but are they actually true? Did Motorola really create an earth-conquering smartphone in the Droid?
Well, we decided to find out in our own Motorola Droid vs. iPhone 3GS Prizefight and while we won't spoil the ending here, we will say it was our closest smartphone Prizefight ever. Check it out for yourself and be sure to take advantage of our new commenting system right on the Prizefight page to leave your remarks. Apple, Android fanboy/girl alike, we're sure you'll have plenty to say. It all goes down right here.
The Droid doesn't do everything.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)One of the latest misconception to make its way around the blogspehere was that the Motorola Milestone features multitouch functionality whereas its Droid counterpart does not. As it turns out, Verizon's first Google Android smartphone does offer multitouch, just not in the same capacity. What's the difference and, more importantly, who made the decision to water down this feature for the Droid?
Made popular by the iPhone, pinching and pulling has become the preferred method for zooming in on a smart phone. While Verizon's Droid handset is built using the same Android 2.0 OS as the Milestone, users are left using a less-accurate double-tap.
The Milestone has multitouch built directly into the Android framework while the Droid relies on APIs that come with the 2.0 SDK. That means that it's up to app developers to implement the features.
For reasons unknown, however, Google hasn't integrated the capability into apps such as Google Maps. Though it could be added into future updates of select titles, the question remains: Who decided to leave basic multitouch off of Droid?
... Read more
A young Wilson G. Tang celebrates his 68th birthday.
(Credit: CNET/The 404)Wilson G. Tang is happily celebrating his 25th birthday tomorrow, so we take a few minutes at the beginning of today's episode of The 404 podcast to congratulate the man on making it this far. Can you believe this fool has only been on Earth 25 years? I always assumed you could tell Wilson's age by counting the highlights in his hair, but the consensus is that Wilson is certainly an old soul.
He also brings in a very special birthday present that he got from his boo-bear this morning: a brand new Apple Mac Mini to add to his Apple museum brewing at home! Don't tell Wilson, but we've also arranged for a naughty Steve Jobs look-alike to pop out of his mooncake later tonight.
iMEvil iPhone Soundboard App
(Credit: TechPad Productions)Speaking of scary things, just because Halloween is over doesn't mean you can't still creep out your friends with this new iPhone app from TechPad productions called iMEvil. On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, Jeff manages to get his hands on a free copy of David Sobolov's (the voice talent behind Halo Wars, Call of Duty 4, Diablo III, Unreal Tournament 3, and more) soundback app that has 32 hilarious lines like "Prepare yourself to serve me" and "I'd buy that for a dollar."
Since we're all about giving here at The 404, Mr. Sobolov and Tech Pad Productions were nice enough to provide our listeners with 5 free codes (normally priced at $1.99 in the iPhone App Store). If you'd like a free download, e-mail us at THE404{AT}CNET[DOT]COM and put only "iMEvil" in the subject and we'll pick five random winners to announce on Monday. Good luck!
In the spirit of all things Apple, we present to you the typical dating profile of the average iPhone user. A new study from Retrevo reveals the absurdity behind what makes iPhone users tick. Among other things, one in five iPhone owners has admitted to watching "adult material" on an Apple gadget, which happens to be twice as many as the average BlackBerrian. And well...judging by Wilson's constant fixation on his iDrone, we ain't too surprised.
Many more stories to get to that won't fit into this blog post, stuff like this Twitter-only handset and the most impractical, irresponsible, and dangerous accessory ever for your laptop, so be sure to check out today's full episode.
Have a great weekend, everyone, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILSON!
EPISODE 462
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
... Read more
