File Complaint with FTC against Verizon for locking GPS on Omina (& other phones)

[MrOmnia81]

Originally Posted by phullofphil

What i wwas saying was that yes ther are a lot of companys offering unlocked gps. I am just saying they dont have to. Its a business decision to make more money and get more market share. The satalites are maintained and new ones are put up so it does cost us mone as a whole and just saying the digital thing cause like if the government made it a law that we have free gps than it could cost us a lot tax money. Verizon maybe made a mistake by not unlocking but and they may know it but that would be a lot of money spent and the fact they pay a lot more that we did for the phones. We do not really know all the facts anyways to warant a complaint. We just might look really dumb and ignorant. Heck with the omnia two coming out fairley soon its a lost cause any way. Oh and Somebody does pay for thos gps chips and poop does roll down hill. We do end up paying for everything verizon does. With the vz navagator you only pay to use it but you never know and i hope not but we just might pay for it afterall. Do you really know what your paying for when you send in your bill.

I wouldn't say that. VZW could give two craps about the phone. They make money off the contract. If your spending $160 monthly for two years or ($3,840)... that far outweighs the price of the phone. Do you really think they care if they sell you a phone for $99 or $200 with a manufacture price of $549? It's not like these phones have Pentium 4's and accelerated graphic cards in them. You can by a laptop for $549 and use skype. So trust me, they did not pay anything close to $549 per phone especially when taking into consideration these phones were purchased in bulk nationwide and assembled in china. They aren't losing anything. And gps chips don't cost a lot. They only are designed to lock on to gps satellites. Anything other than that is software related where it utilizes that gps signal.

[MrOmnia81]

And I can completely sympathize with those who are upset. If you are of one the ones paying $3,840 over a two year period... Wouldn't you expect to have (out of the box) the full capabilities that the phone lists? It's not like when you pay for Data byte usage that they say you can only download html from the verizon website..and you cannot go onto the www other than the verizon website without acquiring more charges... which can be done if they track the origin of packet headers. But this is insane and so is locking the gps radio in any given phone.

[pdub73]

and this ridiculous thread lives on...its like a roach...

[phullofphil]

[QUOTE=brandogg;975452]
This is the same reason that Microsoft has to include other web browser software and ISP providers when you buy Windows - they all take you to the same internet, just like all GPS devices hook you up to the same satellites,

Than tell me than how does google make money. Yes the internet is free and so is gps satalites kinda but advertisements pay there profits. And accessing gps is different than damanding a free tool to read the signal. Feel free to build your own gps and it will be free. Look at apple they do ofer gps but really you a are supopsed to use only apple aproved software. It seemes they are changing policy and ther is changes going on. The app thing is crazy. I think by unlocking gps it will make it so verizon can make money still but not have to test and make them themself. . Almost no overhead with mostly proffit. I believe verizon is keeping track on what happens in the forums on the leeked rom. We are a huge free recource of information on bugs and what not that actually free. Most people i bet even after its unlocked will still pay for a gps program. naavagator has free upgrades and is realy not that bad of a deal. I dont use it enough to want it.

[bike1dad2]

Ladies and Gentlemen, why so much fighting. Really, IF you want GPS, flash with the hack. IF you want VZW to release an update, don't hold your breath. IF you want to complain, contact the FTC. IF you want to gripe and moan, . . .

The update will happen when it happens or it won't. No matter how you got into the contract with VZW, which sales person lied to you, or if you simply were not educated: You are in a contract until it is either broken, changed, or time elapsed. Spending so much of your energy serves no one and it doesn't solve the issue at hand.

[htcman724]

here's a quick and easy solution to your problem knowing the verizon only uses vzn which sucks and costs you 10 bucks insted ofgetting all upset and filing a bogus complaint that will go now whare cause you really don't have a ligit case JUST SWITCH COMPANIES

[brandogg]

Yes, Google makes money from ads, and Verizon makes (**** tons) of money from our monthly phone bills.

[Adrynalyne]

I understand why people are upset, but I do not sympathize.

They went in, signed a contract, and bought a phone. It is their responsibility to find what limitations the device has imposed on it, and what the contract terms are.

Ignorance is never bliss.

[tmellen]

I'm happily using GPS on the cooked rom, but when I bought my Omnia, both Samsung and Verizon were advertising it with GPS (Samsung is still advertising it with GPS, and no "*only with vznavigator" catch phrases either). VZ took it off their adverts, but many people were still told it would be usable with third party apps by sales folk.

I can see where they'd be pissed. I just used my 6800 still when I needed gps, and waited. Both phones have it now, woot!

[tmellen]

Come to think of it... I recall when my company got Worldwide edition Blackberry 8830's, the GPS in those was disabled by VZW, and also would only work with vznav.