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Verizon Crippled Bluetooth Features in Motorola V710
djdoubles writes "Apparently Verizon Wireless has put firmware with crippled Bluetooth features in the new Motorola v710 phone. A lot of people have been anticipating a Bluetooth phone from Verizon, only to be disappointed by lack of OBEX. Verizon says they have no plan to add OBEX because it doesn't fit their business model--greedy bastards. PC Magazine doesn't have very nice things to say either. More discussion here."
It's not only the bluetooth support that is lacking. The colors in the camera are really bad to!
oh... and you can use iSync with the usb cable, just not over bluetooth
I've been quite happy with this phone since my purchase of it a month ago, I wish it had full Bluetooth support and I was told only yesterday by customer service that an update will be out in 3-4 weeks to enable full Bluetooth support.
Syncing of phonebook here I come!
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This isn't the first time Verizon Wireless has crippled a phone. Motorola's T720 phone was also the victim of a nasty hack. The T720 was designed to use Java and Verizon uses Qualcomm's Brew for their Get It Now service. Java was stripped from the phone, not to mention other features like being able to recieve pictures via SMS Messages or the builtin web browser.
I use Telus (Canadian provider) and they did the same to me with an Ericsson T206. They don't actually tell you that they've fucked up the phone - you have to find that out for yourself. They decided it was more profitable to remove the ringtone composer that Sony put on the phone, as well as the ability to send ringtones via SMS, leaving only one option for getting new ringtones - buy them on the Telus website for $1.50 each. Rat bastards.
do not read this line twice.
You can very easily use the phone as a modem for Laptops and PDAs over bluetooth. I've successfully browsed the web w/ a Tungsten T3 without a hitch. That particular profile is included in the BT setup of the phone right now.
posts here discusses info from motolora saying stating that file transfer is coming in an update in early Sept. First reference is post #6, but it is talked about after that.
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1)Only GSM phones use Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. IIRC, ATT Wireless, T-Mobile, and Cingular use GSM (IANAAmerican so I could be wrong)
2) CDMA providers activate your phone by entering the Electronic Serial Number into their system. Sometimes you can pull a fast one but generally they will not activate a phone you purchased yourself
I have a Motorola V600, and have had it for months. It's a GSM phone, and I use it through Cingular, but there are versions of the v600 from At&T Wireless and T-Mobile. It's a great phone, and bluetooth works flawlessly in every profile, it's not crippled at all. My buddy from work, after seeing my phone badly wanted a bluetooth phone, and almost switched to Cingular just for this phone, but when he heard the v710 was coming out for Verizon, he stayed put and waited...
Well he got the phone and is pretty furious that he's paid all of this money, and the only functionality he gets out of it is the use of his Bluetooth headset. There are rumors floating all over saying Verizon crippled it, or that it's a firmware issue and will be fixed with a firmware upgrade but who really knows? Verizon does and that's about it.
My Moto v600: Cingular, perfect bluetooth functionality, and runs java and isn't locked down.
Verizon v710: Not working bluetooth, runs this BREW which they use to lock you in by making you pay for every ringtone or game.
There are thousands of free games and ringtones out there, but Verizon wants to make as much money off of their "precious customers" as they can. The bottom line is it's bad for business if you have unhappy customers. The demand for Bluetooth and all of the features of the v710 was there, and Moto provided it, only to have it crippled by Verizon. Don't blame Moto that's for sure. When you pay close to $300 because you want all of the gadgets in a phone, you expect them to work.
My advice? Get a v600 and switch to GSM.
I'm a happy v600 owner, and will never think twice about my purchase.
"I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin"