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Interesting Verizon Article

If in fact this is true, and I am inclined to believe it is this isn't a surprise for anyone that's been with VZW for any length of time. I was with them for 22+ years and over that time I found considerable crippling, extras, add-ons and other crap I had to pay for just to make the handset usable. They literally nickle and dime you to death.

Honestly, other than a few glitches for the past 1.5 years I have been totally pleased with Sprint's coverage and feature set. Yes they have some pre-installed bloatware on their handsets but nowhere near what VZW pushes. Plus the absolute unlimited data plan on the handset and I can do anything I want to without fear of a cap.

Thankfully, the number portability act (which VZW vehemently fought) brought them more customers.

With their acquisition of Alltel there's really no need for them to offer anything extra with their handsets and plans. They don't care about a small cadre of pissed off *Droid users.
 
I agree with everything you said Oddball. I left VZW years ago after their crippling of phones. The thing these days is that people want options. For VZ to continue doing this may indeed send people packing for other networks.

To me, this alone would be reason to bail:

That means no seamless integration with Gmail. No Google Latitude. No multitouch in the map app, either. And in place of the free and fantastic turn-by-turn Google Navigator app, Verizon installed its VZ Navigator service -- a feature which costs $10 a month to use.
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They are nothing but a greedy company and I pity the folks who don't do research when their contracts are up and see that not all carriers do this kind of crap.
 
Normally, I could care less if VZW makes a ******ed decision like that, since it doesn't affect me on Sprint, but.... I think this could hurt Android as a whole, considering the VZW Android phones are responsible for most of Android's recent popularity.

Better hope the rooting community for the Droids are all over this. I'm pretty sure all of Verizon's bloatware can be removed. Even the DroidX, with it's secure bootloader, can flash custom ROMs now, so all they need is a stock ROM with all of the MS + VZW bloat removed, and google replaced.
 
It's interesting that Verizon seems to be "going against" Google considering they are using the Google OS. It's like they are taking a stand or something. This article may offer a clue: "Having already gotten under the skin of wireless carriers by offering free text messaging and other ancillary services, Google has now raised the stakes by offering free phone calls within the U.S. and Canada using a phone application now built into Gmail."

Why Google Voice Spells Trouble for AT&T and Verizon
 
And as bad as that is, there's now a rumor that Verizon will be doing this again. On every single one of its Android
 devices.
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Would VZW be in violation of the customer contract by foisting these kinds of changes to the apps and OS with the existing phones?
 
The sky is not falling, people.

Debunk: Bing not replacing Google on all Verizon Android devices -- Engadget

Also, just to clarify a few other things that were posted... on the very few Android phones that will ship with Bing, such ass the fascinate, it can be removed with other bloatware after rooting.

Plus the absolute unlimited data plan on the handset and I can do anything I want to without fear of a cap.
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That all depends.. if you're on Wimax, then there is currently no cap. If you're connected via 3G, the 5GB cap remains. Source: Todd Rowley, Sprint's VP of 4G, speaking at MobileBeat 2010.

Thankfully, the number portability act (which VZW vehemently fought) brought them more customers.
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The kicker is that it's also allowed them to lose them more customers than they've been adding. Also, it bears mentioning that Sprint was adamantly opposed to WLNP and was taken to task by Sen Schumer for using WLNP to exploit its customers. Overland Park estimated its costs related to WLNP to be $50 mil/year. Yet, the surcharge they implimented well prior to the WLNP dealine yielded $105 mil/year.
Schumer Chides Sprint For Levying LNP Surcharge | Telecom Policy Report | Find Articles at BNET

With their acquisition of Alltel there's really no need for them to offer anything extra with their handsets and plans. They don't care about a small cadre of pissed off *Droid users.
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Considering that the wireless industry is trending toward being predominantly smartphone based, and Android is experiencing phenominal growth, quite the opposite seems to be true. Verizon is pushing Android (seemingly at the expense of the rest of their lineup) like no other carrier.
 
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