Verizon Does an About Face, Offers BlackBerry Tour to Existing Customers
Behold, the power of bad press! Verizon is now set to offer pre-orders of the upcoming BlackBerry Tour to existing customers in the very near future.
While yesterday had Verizon reps telling us that the Tour would only be available to new customers or Verizon customers at the end of their contracts, the site has since been updated:
Existing customers will be able to upgrade or purchase the BlackBerry Tour on this site very soon. Please check back with us tomorrow.
There we go, that makes a lot more sense. [Verizon via Boy Genius Report]
Verizon Customers Under Contract Can’t Order BlackBerry Tour
Here's something for our hefty "WTF, Verizon?" file: The BlackBerry Tour, soon to be Verizon's top phone, cannot be pre-ordered by existing customers under contract who want to upgrade. What's worse, upgrades may be blocked even after the phone's release.
On the pre-order page, Verizon notes that, "Pre–orders not available for upgrade orders at this time." So if you're stuck with a years-old Curve 8330 or Pearl and want at least a current-gen BlackBerry, you'd better hope you've finished your contract. Even if you're eligible to upgrade to every other phone Verizon offers, you'll be blocked from nabbing the Tour. Oddly-named Verizon customer service agent "Markelvus" confirmed that the only Verizon customers allowed to pre-order the Tour are those whose contracts are completed.
Even stranger, Verizon customer service rep "Alexis" (who refused to provide me with her last name) stated that existing contract customers may not even be allowed to upgrade to the Tour when it's released. She said that such customers will be notified when upgrades are available, but that she does not know when that may be, and it could be well after the phone's July 13th release date.
She said, and I quote, "There is not a clear explanation on why existing customers are not able to order this device now. I am not sure when you are able to order it."
Those mid-contract upgrades cost Verizon money, so on kind of a cold, reptilian level, we understand the reason for the rule. But there's also a little thing called "not screwing your customers," and Verizon seems to have a tough time grasping that one. The Tour will be the most desirable phone in Verizon's lineup upon its release (and while we like the Tour okay, it's definitely not in the same league as the Pre, iPhone, or Hero), and yet they're keeping their contracted customers from ordering only this one device.
Sorry, Verizon customers. We feel your pain, we really do. We're getting tired of applauding Verizon's network while bashing absolutely everything else they do. At what point is staying with the Big Red no longer worth the hassle?
Sprint Getting the Blackberry Tour on July 12th
Verizon isn't the only carrier getting the Blackberry Tour on July 12th; Sprint is also getting it on the same day. Just like at Verizon, it'll be $200 with a new contract. Can you feel the excitement in the air? I can.
Confirmed: BlackBerry Tour Coming to Verizon July 12th for $200
We suspected this before, but now we've got a confirmation in the form of a pre-order page: Verizon is getting the BlackBerry Tour on July 12th, at a $200 price point. Now, Verizon users, go forth and pre-order. [Verizon]
Blackberry Saves Man from Falling 700 Feet (And Dying)
David Fitzherbert was skiing down a glacier in Switzerland when the snow gave out and he dropped 70 feet before being trapped somewhat securely between two rocks...thanks to his Blackberry.
The Blackberry, seated in his breast pocket, added the extra bit of thickness that made the difference between plummeting another 700 feet and waiting 2 hours for a rescue chopper.
While Fitzherbert hardly walked away unscathed—he suffered hypothermia, a broken jaw, nearly "ripped off" nose among other ailments—he was able to call his wife from the hospital...on the very phone that saved his life. [The Sun Thanks gitemstevedave!]
Impor Blackberry di STOP
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Perangkat telekomunikasi rilisan Research in Motion (RIM), Blackberry terancam tidak lagi bisa diimpor masuk ke Indonesia setelah Departemen Komunikasi dan Informatika (Depkominfo) menyatakan dalam beberapa pekan ke depan akan secara total menghentikan pengajuan permohonan sertifikat Blackberry yang merupakan syarat untuk bisa masuk ke pasar Indonesia.
“Prosedur yang ditempuh Departemen Kominfo dalam beberapa minggu ke depan akan total menghentikan pengajuan permohonan sertifikat BlackBerry. Ini sudah dilakukan secara transparan, terus berkelanjutan, profesional, dan adil,” kata Kepala Pusat Indormasi dan Humas Departemen Kominfo, Gatot S. Dewa Broto, di Jakarta, Minggu.
Ia mengatakan telah memenuhi permintaan RIM yang ingin melakukan “feasibility study” terkait bentuk kantor yang akan di buka di Indonesia (aftersales office, representatif office, atau bentuk lain).
Pihaknya juga telah memenuhi permintaan RIM agar agar Departemen Kominfo melakukan penertiban terhadap produk BlackBerry ilegal .
Gatot menyatakan sejauh ini Departemen Kominfo bersama Ditjen Bea Cukai, Ditjen Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, dan aparat kepolisian telah dan terus melakukan upaya penertiban terhadap segala perangkat telekomunikasi dan tidak semata-mata hanya perangkat BlackBerry.
“Namun demikian pada sisi lain, Departemen Kominfo telah mengambil sejumlah langkah secara prosedural sebelum rencana pelaksanaan penghentian total pemberian sertifikat BlackBerry dalam waktu dekat ini jika RIM tidak memenuhi permintaan Departemen Kominfo,” katanya.
Sejumlah langkah yang telah dilakukan di antaranya mengundang Kedutaan Kanada dan RIM untuk duduk bersama melakukan pembahasan bersama Departemen Kominfo pada tanggal 15 Juni 2009. Pihaknya juga mengundang beberapa penyelenggara telekomunikasi (PT Telkomsel, PT Excelcomindo Pratama, dan PT Indosat), Departemen Perdagangan, dan Departemen Keuangan (dalam hal ini Ditjen Bea Cukai) untuk mengkonsolidasikan sikap pihak Indonesia pada tanggal 22 Juni 2009.
“Penyelenggara telekomunikasi dan instansi pemerintah lainnya tersebut mendukung rencana kebijakan Departemen Kominfo,” katanya.
Gatot menambahkan, pihaknya juga telah mengundang Asosiasi Importir dan Pedagang Telepon Genggam (ASPITEG) yang sejumlah anggotanya mengimpor BlackBerry.
“Para importir dan pedagang tersebut mendukung rencana kebijakan Departemen Kominfo. Kesempatan tersebut juga digunakan Departemen Kominfo untuk menyampaikan informasi awal bahwa Departemen Kominfo sedang mempersiapkan surat edaran yang akan diedarkan ke berbagai pihak terkait tentang rencana penghentian total pemberian sertifikat BlackBerry secara total,” katanya.
Ia menekankan, dengan upaya-upaya itu pada dasarnya Depkominfo sudah melakukan berbagai tindakan secara sangat hati-hati dan sudah mempetimbangkan hubungan ekonomi dan perdagangan antara Pemerintah Indonesia dan Pemerintah Kanada yang selama ini sudah terjalin sangat kooperatif dan bahkan membawa manfaat.
“Bahkan ketika asosiasi tersebut menghendaki agar sejumlah anggotanya diakui keahliannya dalam melakukan layanan purna jual sendiri, Departemen Kominfo tidak otomatis menyetujuinya dengan alasan karena juga harus menghargai tingkat keahlian dan standard kelayakan layanan purna jual yang ditetapkan oleh RIM,” katanya.
Menurut Gatot, bagaimanapun juga RIM berhak untuk menetapkan stantard minimal keahliannya. Hal itu, katanya, perlu dijelaskan agar tidak timbul kesan Departemen Kominfo hanya sepihak dalam menetapkan rencana kebijakannya, karena RIM pun juga diberi hak dan kewenangannya.
“Hanya saja, sekali lagi, kepastian pendirian service centre tidak boleh terlalu lama. Untuk mendirikan service centre secara fisikal memang butuh waktu, tetapi yang penting kepastiannya dulu secara legal formal. Dan di samping itu formatnya juga bisa mengambil bentuk yang beragam, termasuk di antaranya bermitra dengan pihak lokal mengingat kemampuan SDM cukup banyak yang memenuhi kualifikasi dengan tinggal menyesuaikan pada standar kualifikasi RIM,” demikian Gatot S. Dewa Broto.(*)
dikutip dari antara
Unconfirmed: BlackBerry Tour Coming to Verizon July 12th, Sprint on July 20th
Boy Genius Report found in an internal site that Verizon's soon to be fleshing out its rather anemic smartphone lineup with the BlackBerry Tour on July 12th for $200 after contract. Update:
This lines up pretty nicely with what we already know; we knew the Tour was coming soon, and Sprint has already set the price of the upcoming BlackBerry at $200.
Update: We've also learned that Sprint will be getting the Tour on July 20th, presumably at the same $200 price after contract signing.
So this is still unconfirmed, but we don't see any reason to doubt it. Cheer up, Verizon users! [Boy Genius Report, Inside Sprint]
John Hodgman: “Barack Obama Is the First Nerd President”
John Hodgman, now perhaps best known as the PC in the "I'm a Mac" ads, spoke at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner about nerds, Trekkies, and President Obama's favorite "name-brand smartphone [he] shall not name, for contractual reasons."
In this video you will learn of our President's enthusiasm for comic books, see a photo of him imitating a statue of Superman, and watch him flash the Vulcan sign.
Indeed, John Hodgman. It is an exciting time to be a nerd. [Collegehumor, Thanks Julian!]
Barock Obauma Loves His BlockBerry
You know you've made it when a shady Chinese company uses your image without permission to sell a crappy knockoff of a phone nobody really liked all that much in the first place. [Cloned in China via Coolest Gadgets]
Hello! There Are More Than Just iPhones In This Universe!
The spotlight this week may be pointed at the iPhone 3GS—and with good reason—but it's not the only flavor of smartphone ice cream. Here's a quick path to more info about all smartphones (and no dumb ones!)
• The four big carriers, the four best smartphone platforms, the best information you're going to get on the subject anywhere: Smartphone Buyer's Guide: The Best of the Best
• Got a few smartphones already in mind? We probably reviewed them:
Palm Pre (WebOS)
iPhone 3GS
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry Storm
T-Mobile G1 (Android)
T-Mobile myTouch 3G (Android)
Samsung Omnia (WinMo)
Note: There's no Nokia Symbian smartphone on this list because at the moment in the US, there's no handset we feel confident to recommend.
• Since surfing the web is one of the biggest reasons to choose a smartphone—and one of the biggest differentiators between smartphones—it's worth it to glance over the Mobile Browser Battlemodo, and its little sister, the Windows Mobile Browser Battlemodo.
• If you've already whittled it down to Palm Pre vs. iPhone 3GS, check out our roundup of reviews and news stories for each: Pre vs. 3GS: How To Make the Right Decision. Or you could just skip to this sweet flowchart.
• OK, OK, so you're set on that durned iPhone, but which one? The $99 3G? Or $199 step-up 3GS? $100 is a lot to think about (even if it amounts to less than two months of actual service): 3GS vs 3G Feature Chart Comparison