Verizon BlackBerry Pearl Launch Date Announcement

I agree. I assume there is some strategic marketing reason for dragging out the launch of this phone and the useless teaser site they posted, but I am failing to see the benefit. Clearing they know the demand is out there and there is no need to pimp the phone out any more. I mean really, who hasn’t heard of the BlackBerry Pearl by now.

Likely they are on a schedule that some analyst pulled out of their @$$ and are sticking to it. They seem to be promoting the Juke pretty hard, so they are probably allowing time for that phone in the spotlight before they switch to the Pearl. That is the way old, slow corporations work – never wanting to do too much at once.

It is hilarious how many different dates I have heard for the launch of this phone (because somewhere, someone knows the real date). It seems like each day, there is a post with a new date. The good news is that all the dates seem to be in November. Hmmm… think I will through another new date out there. I think this phone will launch on or before November 30th. Oh wait, are we playing Price-Is-Right rules??

After my visit today to the Verizon store, the rep says around the holidays for the Pearl.

verizon sheep, oop’s, mean customers will get the BB Pearl when verizon says so, and not a minute before. As verizon customers the public pining away will cause verizon to make you wait even longer to again show you who’s boss. It also takes time for verizon to take the BB Pearl and cripple it down to verizon customer standards.

hellno,

What makes you think ATT or TMO are any different than VZ? Do you think they release the phones they get thinking, “well, we really should wait a little longer, but because we like our customers, we’ll release the phone a little early”? Get real. ATT and TMO release the phones when they are ready to do so.

The fact that there is rampant speculation all over the net about the release date and eager anticipation by VZ customers does not mean that VZ is hoarding phones or attempting to show anyone “who’s boss.” It means that VZ has a consumer base willing to put up with the purported crippling of features (which doesn’t bother me in the slightest) and an often lengthy wait for the release of new handsets in exchange for higher quality service.

And don’t give me any of the “your just a fanboy” garbage. I have had ATT, TMO, and VZ and it has been my experience that VZ has the best actual call quality (clarity of calls and fewest drops). I don’t like paying VZ’s high prices but I do it because I appreciate quality.

ned,

don’t get your “fanboy” panties in a bunch, no need to justify to us and yourself why you let yourself get screwed by verizon, yet still continue to pay them and put up with the endless anti-consumer culture. You (and other sheep) pay verizon to provide a service and it’s rather high prices, yet “it doesn’t bother (you) in the slightest” that verizon cripples both your handset and your freedom? All for providing a service that is provided by others just as good if not better than verizon, without all the crippling and restictions? hmmmm you certainly called it right “your just a fanboy”.

It’s not good for consumers and it sure as hell not good for RIM when verizon removes functions and cripples others and handsets.

At&t, t-mo, and others ARE very different, they have had multiple handsets from RIM’s 8000 series of BB’s available to their customers for over a year now, AND they support the standard, open, global family of GSM technologies. Also look ma, no handset crippling from them. But relax even though verizon is also late to handset party they too will also soon be upgrading their technology to standard, open, global GSM, getting them up to speed with at&t and t-mo.

Hellno,

You rant the same complaints over and over again. You seem to be well read and intelligent, but continue to miss the point.

1. I have used VZ, TMO and ATT (I have also had Sprint [before the merger with Nextel] but never Nextel alone or Alltel). MY EXPERIENCE (not yours, not Robb’s, not anyone else’s) has been that VZ provides the best phone call quality. I choose to use a cell phone provider that provides me what I consider the best phone call quality. How that makes me a “fanboy” is beyond me. To me, that makes me an educated consumer.

2. VZ anti-consumer culture? How so? By selecting what services they want to sell? Anyone, including you, who disagrees with VZ’s choices is free to use the inferior services (again in my estimation) that are available from ATT, TMO, or Sprint. Lest you forget, VZ is a business. If they can sell goods “a la carte” instead of wholesaling features, then why shouldn’t they? Simply b/c you are unhappy about it? Or because their competitors give away money they could be earning? How is that anti-consumer? It sounds to me like a successful business model. Moreover, most of the items they “cripple” are things are done better by other technologies — GPS service through Garmin or TomTom, music on my Ipod, etc. So why should I care if they want me to use VZ Navigator? I don’t need the service, so I don’t pay for it. It’s hard to “get my panties in a bunch” over crippled services that I don’t use or care about.

Or perhaps I misunderstand you. Are you suggesting that VZ’s business practice is in violation of any existing laws? I.e., the federal anti-trust statutes? A state anti-competitive business statute? A state fraud statute? As far as I know, what they are doing is not engaging in a monopoly, nor are they being deceptive in restricting features on the phone. So, as far as I can tell, no laws have been broken.

3. Why should VZ care about RIM? RIM is a business also. It can choose not to do business with VZ. It can negotiate the terms under which it does business. If it must deal with VZ and can’t negotiate better terms, then that is RIM’s problem, not VZ’s and not mine.

4. Again, so what if AT&T, TMO and others have more available RIM handsets? Which handsets to offer is a business decision made by VZ and RIM. Who are you to decide for them? If you or anyone else wants a handset that VZ does not offer, then by all means, use another carrier. But how does VZ’s limited handset selection equate to anti-consumer practices? You state it does (“it’s not good for consumers”), but don’t explain how or why.

5. VZ’s upgrade to the GSM standard will only be soon if you define soon to be in the next few years. My guess is that most people will have at least one more new handset before the switch to the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. It’s not going to be “soon.” This kind of network switch doesn’t get rolled out in a day and probably won’t be effective for at least 3 to 5 years. That is a long, long time to wait. And, as I’ve said on this blog before, if the LTE is better than what VZ has now, I’ll be glad for the switch and the first on the new bandwagon. But until it’s been proven to me that the call quality won’t deteriorate, that I won’t drop calls, that I won’t miss messages (all things that have happened to me when I was with ATT/TMO), I am not going to rave about the LTE system.

The reality is, hellno, that your blind admiration for the GSM system makes you more of a brainwashed “fanboy” than I could ever be. I am willing to consider GSM. If and when it improves beyond the CDMA standard, I will be happy to switch. My concern when choosing a cell phone provider is (1) quality of phone service, (2) quality of phone service, and (3) quality of phone service. After that, I consider the cost. Then I look to the handset and features. You appear to reverse that order of importance when you decide to stay with ATT and TMO — which is absolutely your choice and there is nothing wrong with it. It simply isn’t my choice.

Perhaps after a good long hard look in the mirror, you will realize who is the sheep.

kristina,

8130 is a slightly newer version of the 8100 (which has been out for over a year) only which has been available for the standard, open, global, GSM networks. There is little change between the two other the the 8130 runs on closed, proprietary cdma. The 8130 will have autonomous gps, but verizon doesn’t allow it’s customers to use that technology on “it’s” phones and they will remove/cripple it before consumers get their hands on the 8130. The other changes are more or less slight upgrades, so there is alot of truth to those in the know who claim the is little new that the verizon 8130 will offer beyond what a year plus old 8100 has. Besides that GSM carriers are already getting the “Pearl 2″ 8120. verizon customers should be happy about the 8130 as many GSM customers with 8100′s can tell you, it’s one of RIM’s best BB’s, and will easily be the best phone in verizon’s pittyful handset offering.

Wow everyone has no clue when the release date is and verizon is obviously not telling their reps when! They are all across the board from tomorrow to the end of the month. Being a marketer it is clearly a marketing scheme to boost the hype of the phone by not giving out a launch date and I really don’t think they will give one. They will have it for sale on the web and then a week later in the stores. Personally, I think their marketing plan of keeping quiet and leaking possible dates is some what genius. It gets everyone talking about it and the word spreads like wild fire even to people who don’t buy new phones all the time. I know I have talked with friends who aren’t even interested about it because thats what consumers do when they are excited for a product to be released.

Now, as a consumer I want to know the fricken date already. I’m frustrated that no one has a confirmed date, not even my close friends who are high up in the verizon world. If they don’t know, I really have a tough time believing that anyone knows anything other than what verizon has been leaking out purposely. I really hope tomorrow is the day it goes onsale online. I have been waiting for this thing since June when I first heard that it might come out on CDMA.

Would someone on this post comment on the Pearl vs. Curve? I’m a current VZ subscriber, don’t really want to change to ATT, but thought the Curve is a better phone than the Pearl. What is your opinion?

It’s up on Verizon Wireless’s site RIGHT NOW for preorder.

You can buy it NOW in stores. I actually touched one and was about to buy it last night Nov. 2nd but I decided to wait. Awaiting my employers apporoval for reimbursment.