What would be truly revolutionary is if they (and other carriers) stop trying to control every aspect of the user's experience and really just be the data pipe. For example, stop trying to sell ringtones, operate second-rate music services, and such nonsense, and start making devices that users can control. Verizon is pretty bad about this now - my dad's phone had links for maybe five places to buy ringtones from, but I bet it won't let him make his own. Eight or so years ago I had my PC set up to be the answering machine on my land line, and its greeting was a WAV file that I recorded with all kinds of neat recording tricks. Why can't I do that now and upload it to my voicemail? Why can't I walk into my house and let my phone sync its contacts with my computer over my wireless network? Why should I pay my carrier a monthly fee to backup less than one megabyte of contacts data when I can put 2 gigs on a thumb drive? With an internet connection at home, I can do whatever I please with my computer - use whatever online services I want, install what I want, customize what I want. My cell phone should be the same way. I hope this is a step in that direction.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nate @ Nov 27th 2007 9:37AM
What would be truly revolutionary is if they (and other carriers) stop trying to control every aspect of the user's experience and really just be the data pipe. For example, stop trying to sell ringtones, operate second-rate music services, and such nonsense, and start making devices that users can control. Verizon is pretty bad about this now - my dad's phone had links for maybe five places to buy ringtones from, but I bet it won't let him make his own.
Eight or so years ago I had my PC set up to be the answering machine on my land line, and its greeting was a WAV file that I recorded with all kinds of neat recording tricks. Why can't I do that now and upload it to my voicemail? Why can't I walk into my house and let my phone sync its contacts with my computer over my wireless network? Why should I pay my carrier a monthly fee to backup less than one megabyte of contacts data when I can put 2 gigs on a thumb drive?
With an internet connection at home, I can do whatever I please with my computer - use whatever online services I want, install what I want, customize what I want. My cell phone should be the same way.
I hope this is a step in that direction.
elgee02 @ Nov 27th 2007 12:46PM
"my dad's phone had links for maybe five places to buy ringtones from, but I bet it won't let him make his own."
All VZW phones have exactly one and only one place to purchase ringtones, and that is through the Get It Now - Music & Tones menu.
And most VZW phones allow you to use your own ringtones. I been doing it on my enV with no problem.