Is Verizon Getting Desparate For New Simple Feature Phones?

[ErnestT]

Just noticed that 2 of last years model phones are now on the website. The Casio Exilim and the Verizon CDM8975. Looked at the reviews and they were all last years. Wonder how long these have been sitting on the shelf?

[MsCagney]

No, they aren't desparate.  Just throwing some older phones to us bottom-feeding, non-data users.  Now they can say that there are "more" simple feature phones to choose from.  Now isn't that nice.

[iThane]

Pretty pathetic if your asking me.

Just because we don't use all the "special features" or even care to use the internet on a screen too small anyways, we're offered "upgrades" that sound more like "down grades" to me. so they have a few with qwerty keyboards, but is the screen any bigger than a quarter? ive used my envy touch for, i dont know, about a year know. the only time i ever open the browser, is when my phone unlocks in my pocket and starts pushing random buttons. I would maybe use the internet if i were stuck on a deserted island, but then again, i doubt i would get much 3G service out there..

[M91-30]

you'd be surprised, I got full cell service on top of a mountain in the german alps once..

[SydneyK]

Ha! They just discovered some boxes in the stock room. I did notice a lot of BlackBerrys that haven't been for sale for months are back on the site too.

Even though I am currently a BlackBerry user, I agree wholeheartedly. I would be perfectly happy with a simple feature phone ... if only you could find one with a decent camera. Seriously, 1.3 mp? Hello Kitty cameras are better than that. Why not just give them all  VGA cameras, which are 0.3 mp.

And I'm not carrying around a digital camera and a phone. I like taking pics on the go and sending to friends right away. So my choices are to use a smartphone or switch carriers.

[gvbdad]

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SydneyK wrote:

Ha! They just discovered some boxes in the stock room. I did notice a lot of BlackBerrys that haven't been for sale for months are back on the site too.

Even though I am currently a BlackBerry user, I agree wholeheartedly. I would be perfectly happy with a simple feature phone ... if only you could find one with a decent camera. Seriously, 1.3 mp? Hello Kitty cameras are better than that. Why not just give them all  VGA cameras, which are 0.3 mp.

And I'm not carrying around a digital camera and a phone. I like taking pics on the go and sending to friends right away. So my choices are to use a smartphone or switch carriers.

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So get a 3G multi media phone. It is only  33 cents extra per day.  

[M91-30]

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SydneyK wrote:

Ha! They just discovered some boxes in the stock room. I did notice a lot of BlackBerrys that haven't been for sale for months are back on the site too.

Even though I am currently a BlackBerry user, I agree wholeheartedly. I would be perfectly happy with a simple feature phone ... if only you could find one with a decent camera. Seriously, 1.3 mp? Hello Kitty cameras are better than that. Why not just give them all  VGA cameras, which are 0.3 mp.

And I'm not carrying around a digital camera and a phone. I like taking pics on the go and sending to friends right away. So my choices are to use a smartphone or switch carriers.

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I have yet to see a smart phone with a camera I can consider good enough to replace even my simple point and shoot backup camera. I pay close attention to image quality, and have seen blackberry, omnia 2, and many other phone pictures, none of which are good enough for me to admit I took the resulting picture. I must say, my omnia 2 takes decent video, and at times will surprise me with a passable picture, but not on a regular basis.

[stephanieleemin]

A lot of times when those phones get put on the website it's because vzw still had stock and chose to sell them because they have them, of course. What else are they going to do with all of the shipments of new phones? It's basic business.

Vzw, just like any cell phone carrier, doesn't make the phone. They don't even decide what goes on it most of the time besides their vzw enhanced features (app catalog, my verizon etc). They work things out with the manufacturers as to which phone they want and then purchase them in bulk. Then, the vzw software is flashed onto the phones and stocked on vzw shelves. It's as simple as that.

Yes, a lot of the feature phones don't have a great camera, but you get what you pay for. The better the phone, the better features it will have. The HTC Incredible has an 8MP camera which is similar to my digital camera that I got this last year. The Kin Two also has an 8 MP camera. As time goes on, it's going to be tough to get a feature phone or even a multimedia device. Phones are becoming more like computers, with their own operating systems. And it's only going to get better...

[gvbdad]

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M91-30 wrote:

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SydneyK wrote:

Ha! They just discovered some boxes in the stock room. I did notice a lot of BlackBerrys that haven't been for sale for months are back on the site too.

Even though I am currently a BlackBerry user, I agree wholeheartedly. I would be perfectly happy with a simple feature phone ... if only you could find one with a decent camera. Seriously, 1.3 mp? Hello Kitty cameras are better than that. Why not just give them all  VGA cameras, which are 0.3 mp.

And I'm not carrying around a digital camera and a phone. I like taking pics on the go and sending to friends right away. So my choices are to use a smartphone or switch carriers.

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I have yet to see a smart phone with a camera I can consider good enough to replace even my simple point and shoot backup camera. I pay close attention to image quality, and have seen blackberry, omnia 2, and many other phone pictures, none of which are good enough for me to admit I took the resulting picture. I must say, my omnia 2 takes decent video, and at times will surprise me with a passable picture, but not on a regular basis.

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Time to look again, 8 mega pixel cameras on a cell phone should be well above your expectations.  If it's not, then you need a professional camera and not a phone

[SydneyK]

Thanks, everyone for the advice. Let's get back to the topic of this thread, which is simple feature phones. I'm afraid I've hijacked it with my camera talk (sorry, ErnestT!).