Unlock the GPS on Windows Mobile Phones Verizon!!!

http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1515861

that's why i got a handheld garmin instead

it's not cheap, but... it's a one-time purchase for the unit. after
that, i can check my location as much as I want without paying for
anything except the electricity to run it.

and, i've been told it's more accurate than the phone GPS apps

What it sounds like is you have another app that will tap in to the
GPS antenna or whatever you want to call it. Why would Verizon allow
another sort of GPS related app to tap in to the GPS when they can
charge you for their own service?

What you just described is the essence of the customer/business
relationship.

The letter writer isn't asking for his money back - he's simply
providing feedback to Verizon Wireless about one of their products.

Without feedback, how in the world would a company know what their
customers thought about their products?

Without feedback, how would a company know there was a potential issue
with their product?

Without feedback, how would a company have the opportunity to identify
an issue and correct it? Or, better yet, improve it?

Verizon Wireless can make whatever business decisions they wish
regardless of the feedback they receive. However, to suggest that
customers not tell companies what they think about their products and
services is to cut off a vital lifeline that must be in place in order
for companies to move forward.

One huge example of this is AOL. For a long time, AOL was THE internet
product of choice for mass market consumers. Yet they fell from that
perch and fell hard. Why? Because they didn't listen to their
customers and react fast enough. Offering a "walled garden" experience
was ok for awhile but eventually their customers wanted more access to
the internet at large and provided a TON of feedback on the matter.
AOL, in their arrogance, didn't react and the result was a mass
migration away from their product. AOL had every right to keep their
product the same and not change just to make someone happy yet, in the
end, it cost them big time. And by the time they did start making
changes, it was too late and now they're really nothing but a shell of
their former selves.

It's well known that, out of all the carriers, Verizon Wireless is the
most restrictive when it comes to letting their customers enjoy the
full capabilities of their phones. At the moment, that hasn't hurt
them too badly because, frankly, the mass market consumer doesn't
really care about being able to use the native GPS on their phone nor
is there a huge market for using the phone as a GPS navigation device
as opposed to using the stand alone GPS devices which have flooded the
automobile market.

Yet, feedback like Adam's is the early warning system which should
alert Verizon Wireless that there is a growing segment of users who do
value such capabilities. And, from the sound of it, Verizon has
listened and is going to be less restrictive in the future regarding
the native GPS capabilities on their phones.

because the letter on its face sounded like he was blaming Verizon for
"crippling his phone" and calling them "money hungry" for it.


I pointed out that had he not signed on with verizon, and instead said
something to them like:

"I would sign a contract with you, but the fact that manufacturers
GPS is not available in lieu of your own navigator, I will not buy
from you"

Same goes for buying a car. You don't buy a car unless it has all the
features you want in it. Do you not do the research on a phone as well
as the service provider because its not as expensive? The principle
doesn't change in my mind, but maybe it does in the letter writers
mind because he is not spending as much money as you do buying a car.

That right there is where he went wrong.

Instead, he signed a contract, did not look into the facts of what
they offered, and called the company "money hungry" for doing so, when
he had the right in the first place to not shop their at all.

That is the point of my post.

I do believe in customer feedback to the company. I agree that it is
vital as well. I am a manager in a high-volume restaurant and receive
feedback every shift that I work.

However, more and more people are not taking the responsibility of
their right to shop where they choose by:

Not reading the return policy (I.E. target letters)
Not reading the contract (this letter)
Not doing their research (this and many other letters)

If I am committing myself to two years knowing their will be fees to
cancel, you bet I will read every single document to make sure I
understand what I am signing.

I assert the responsibility for the right to shop where I want.

The letter writer did not indicate that he was doing the same. That is
the craziness I was pointing out.

I am a Verizon customer and know that Verizon does lock out a lot of
features that are built into the phone by the manufacture. The even
put their own screens and menus on the phones. So someone with Razr
phone with another carrier has a much different UI (the manufactures)
than I do on my phone (Verizon's UI). They do lock out the GPS
functionality on many phones so you have to buy the VZ Navigator and
pay $9.99/month instead of using google maps for free.

It really doesn't matter if the OP knew about this beforehand or not.
It something he doesn't like about Verizon and as a customer (probably
locked in a contract) he has the right the express his concern.

I'm sorry, but if you had that much of an issue with "locked"
features, why didn't you purchase an unlocked phone? My husband
purchased unlocked phones for us a few years back. They worked well
and did what they were meant to do. When I purchased a phone a couple
of months back, I decided to go with a blackberry that my provider was
offering for $50 rather than purchase another unlocked phone. Why?
Because it was cheaper for me to do so and I decided I didn't need the
"locked" features.

It isn't as if the company isn't providing you with some alternative
correct? The alternative to purchase an unlocked cell phone through
the manufacturer or a 3rd party?

I'm assuming you were aware of these limitations when you purchased
the phone?

If there is a certain service you need, then you should pay for it.
This information was most likely provided to you when you entered the
agreement that for GPS service, you need "VZ Navigator".

It is selfish of them. So what? They are a business. That's how
business works.

If you don't like it, then you should certainly stop giving them your
money. If enough people stop giving VW business, then maybe they'll
change this.

Adam..you know they are not going to do this no matter how many people
ask. NYC is so easy to find your way around, you don't need any of
that!