- Image via Wikipedia
On Friday morning, we were sitting around with our Verizon phone and discovered a new Twitter app had appeared as available. Called Tweet-Tweet, it costs $1.49 a month or $3.99 for unlimited.
Get It Now/Media Center is Verizon Wireless‘ implementation of Qualcomm’s Brew technology, and the basis for applications on most of their phones. The program locks content rigidly and prevent unapproved data to be loaded onto the phone. This is to ensure the usage of their data plan, the ala carte version of costs $1.99/MB. Verizon is known for crippling features of its firmware, such as Bluetooth file transfer and unrestricted GPS access to ensure these services must use their applications.
We have a regular Verizon phone, but have considered upgrading to an organizer phone because portable data seems to be the way things are going. The problem is phones that are not phones. Phones are now cameras, music players, internet devices…everything in your hand. Having a Swiss Army Device is not always the answer. It can’t do everything well.
The most popular phone out there is the iPhone, which has mixed, even sometimes negative reviews as a phone. It is more a multimedia and networking device. Verizon doesn’t have an iPhone killer. Part of this is the Application problem. Verizon is too locked down, and its application store is limited.
The worst part is for the phones we use. You have to subscribe to an application? And pay data charges on top of that? For all we find Apple just as limiting as Verizon, they’ve approved thousands of apps you can download, and the creation process is extremely open. We don’t mind an approval process, but Verizon is shooting itself in the foot.There are rumors this may change, but innovation is slow.
Tweet-Tweet is useful for us. It is a simple, uncomplicated Twitter application that adds some functionality to our phone. We won’t be using it all the time, as the cost would be prohibitive without a data plan. But it allows us to check up on current status while away from our homebase. But it is not enough for everyone.
Blogging… The Problem with Verizon Wireless Apps http://bit.ly/wlcm6
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
This is terrible news as I am in the process of getting a new Verizon phone, and I want one that I can actually use with Twitter and other text messaging plans. What am I going to do?
Well, the Blackberry organizer phones have some options more than the regular Verizon phones, but it is still a big problem. Try explaining to a Verizon representative you want to buy your applications, not rent them. Take advantage of their trial periods. Go to the store and play with them. Our next renewal is January. We’ll see if they come out with something new by then. They can’t ignore the competition forever.
On my Blackberry (via Verizon) I use Twitterberry, which is free. It does little other than allowing you to send tweets and to read your feed, but it gets the job done.