Best Verizon bluetooth phone?

Hi Chris,

I am also considering switching to Verizon and have the same issues with their phones. One "good" thing about GSM providers is the varity of phone selection. Currently I am "testing" Verizon out with their pay-as-you-go plan.

Motorola V710 has BT but only can iSync w/ USB cable. It has AMPS & CDMA bands. (I just went to Yosemite National Park and AMPS was the only thing I could picked up over there).

-Roger

How do I say his politely? I think that you're going in the wrong direction. Despite its generally acknowledged superior network coverage, I would not switch to Verizon Wireless even if it were the last provider on the planet.

Having said that, if your first priority is reception or coverage, it's hard to do better than Verizon, particularly if you frequently travel or if your geographic area is well covered. Some providers have minimal coverage, particularly in regional areas like New England. I love T-Mobile, but their coverage in New Hampshire and Vermont is, well - abysmal.

The Bluetooth implementation in the Treo 650 is standard, though Verizon has historically either failed to include or worked to defeat some profiles. You can easily synchronize with both Verizon Wireless Sync and iSync, but you need to reconfigure the default settings in Wireless Sync in order to use your smartphone with iSync. A Verizon Treo 650 does not work with iSync out of the box, though the fix is easily implemented.

I'm partial to Palm PIM applications, so for me, it's a given that the contact and calendaring are straightforward and easy to use. That said, the iSync Palm Conduit does not adequately map Palm to Address Book and iCal fields, and there is little that you can do to compensate for this issue.

Good camera? The Treo 650 camera is a modest improvement over the one used in the Treo 600, but it's still comparatively a lousy camera.

Styling? I think the Treo 650 is a clear winner.

Be sure to search the root level of the iSync forum for strings like 'Treo 650' and 'Motorola e815' and for the term 'Verizon' before you reach a decision, as what others have written here may have a substantial impact on your final choices.

I also don't like Verizon (horrible customer service, deceptive advertising - note the classaction by California users claiming deceptive advertising for disabling some of Motorola's v710 Bluetooth capabilities.)

I've always used Verizon. I'd love to switch but it seems to have the most reliable and consistent coverage especially here in the North East/Mid-Atlantic region and wherever we travel nationally. (I'm keeping my eye on Cingular; it's still problematic after the merger but the move to GSM may make it more useful internationally.)

Verizon is downright Mac-unfriendly as are all their phones. I've even considered switching from Apple because it's impossible to find a workable Apple-Verizon-Smartphone combination. You're going to give up a significant and noticeable amount of functionality and it's a personal decision as to what you absolutely need and what you can give up. (There are much better phones available in Asia and Europe but not in the US.)

Verizon Bluetooth options for our region also include LG VX8100, Samsung SCHi730, UTStarcom/Audiovox XV6600 w/camera.

I just returned my Palm Treo 650. There are major syncing problems with Address Book and iCal - categories, multiple address entries, etc. don't sync properly and certainly not reliably. (Neither Palm nor Apple are supporting the other's technology. Search these discussions and internet for more info). Third-party syncing software (e.g. Missing Sync, PocketMac) may help; I haven't tried. Some say they've had better luck syncing with Entourage and 3rd party apps. The syncing problem almost renders the whole system pointless.

Though some have problems with it, I did sync using Bluetooth; USB is quicker. I may have had a defective unit and will consider trying again, but even under the best of circumstances, people seem to have problems with Verizon's Treo 650 and Apple.

Because of the incompatibility with Apple, be prepared for hassles and inadequate support and solutions. If using Mail for email, use VersaMail (call Palm Support if you can't find it on their installation CD - it's there but hidden in a folder titled "English") instead of Verizon's Wireless Sync. I found that the email worked well for our Comcast POP accounts. Some prefer 3rd party apps like SnapperMail.

Surprisingly, the Treo's reception is NOT as good as with our other and previous Verizon LG phones. (I think almost any multifunction equipment is not going to have the best individual components but if you insist on high quality cell phones, as a phone, the Treo was okay but not great.) Speaker volume is horrendous (it's actually hard to hear in both directions). I liked the phone's alert systems. Not all Bluetooth profiles work (e.g. Ring-tones have to be bought directly from Verizon). It definitely looks good. It's easy to navigate. Internet was very easy to use (but pricey yet worthwhile at $49.99 just for the National Access unlimited data connection) and actually workable despite the small screen size. I can't imagine how it would work on an even smaller phone display(e.g. the e815). The camera is not that good. It won't take truly usable pictures and the camcorder feature was horrible - we tried it at our son's camp show. But like I said you're going to make serious compromises so be prepared.

There seems to be a Sony Errickson that uses a Symbian OS (which by reputation is a superior OS to either Palm or Mobile Windows) but none of the smartphones that use Symbian OS are available with Verizon. I may wait it out and see if either the American carriers can provide us with as good options as exist in Asia and Europe, Palm or Apple improve the sync problem, or, in my dreams, Apple comes out with an "iPhone."

Did you try the e815 yet? Anyone else have any ideas?

The difficulty with these issues is that they are viewed most often from the perspective of individual experience. On a nationwide, non-individualized basis, Verizon consistently places on top for coverage - T-Mobile consistently takes the top spot for customer service. Who am I to argue? Your experience, both localized and in the geographic regions in which you frequently travel, are probably the best measures of satisfaction for you as an individual.

While I believe that Verizon is free to compete on any basis it wishes, I do believe that examples abound of their intentional crippling of device profiles, relatively ridiculous fees for services which other providers charge comparatively little for, and a revenue-centric approach to the wireless business. Verizon subscribers do enjoy better overall coverage than other wireless subscribers according to surveys, but they pay heavily in other areas.

I know that I'm sounding cranky here, but the iSync Palm Conduit is woefully inadequate, both in its mapping of field labels and contents, the lack of group and category label transfer, far too constrictive limitations placed on address, telephone number, electronic mail and URL data - it's a mess. For users who care about only a single address - labeled HOME regardless of whether it represents a home, work or other actual address - a very limited selection of contact numbers or electronic mail address, and use no custom labels in the Address Book, it works. For others, well - all I can suggest is that you try it yourself to determine if it adequately addresses your needs.

I love my Treo, and use iCal, the Address Book, iSync and any number of Palm applications every day, but I just cannot pretend that iSync or the iSync Palm Conduit are close to adequate. When you combine this with the other glaring problems of iSync under Mac OS X, it's a little much to regard this as mature technology. This whole concept needs
i a lot
of work!

Speaking of Treo... the next generation Treo 670 might be using Windows Mobile instead of Palm OS.

I don't like Verizon. I was with them for years waiting for Bluetooth but when they finally came out with it they had crippled it. Since then I've disliked Verizon. I'm with AT&T which is now Cingular and their coverage has been far better than Verizon. I have the SE T637 and it works perfectly with iSync. No Complaints there.

Yes, the Palm Software is bad and the Conduit doesn't seem to work right. Palm needs to rewrite their software.

I'd go with Cingular and use their phones, just double check with the iSync compatiability list.

I have been using T-Mobile for years and its coverage isn't that bad. Since its using the same cell sites are Cingular over at west coast, you can check out its coverage map down to street level on T-Mobile site. I really like their customer service. Their phone selection isn't great so I bought all my unlocked GSM phones through eBay. Just stick the SIM card in and it's good to go.

SE phones are nice but somehow I didn't have much luck with the reception. My house is at an area where the signal is very weak. All the SE phones I had will have dropped call at home (T68, T610, P800, Z600). Signal "strength" is the bandwidth you can allocate...if there are lots users on the same cell site, it might be tough to improve. One thing you can do is call the customer service and complain. T-Mobile dropped my monthly fee by 1/2 until the situation was improved. Nokia 6620 was better but so far the phones work the best are Motorola T720 and Razr V3.

I know you mentioned that you don't need to access the web through the phone. Other than file transfer and hooking up BT headsets, I don't think you really need BT. I need to access the internet on the go all the time so using BT to hook up with my laptops, Palm & PocketPC with the phone is important for me. I also use it to connect a GPS to my Nokia 6620 phone. I don't use bluetooth headsets, however. After working with radars for a few years, I am not a big fan of using something close to 2.4GHz frequency right next to my head. 🙂

The only thing I don't like about these PDA + phone hybrids is that if you lose it, both phone and PDA are gone. On top of that, Treo has very high SAR rating. Anything above 1.0 gives me headache after 5 mins of talking.

In my opinion, I prefer a phone with good reception, small size so it's easy to carry (and lost ), calendar book sync with iCal and address book fits all my contacts. Oh, and BlueTooth for my unlimited GPRS connection when I am on the road of course.

I didn't get a chance to try the E815 yet. However, most of the Motorola phones have the similar phone book & calendar. I didn't like the phonebook much either because I can only search by the first letter. It only has two options, either display all the numbers/email or the primary ones. It is bad when most of my contact has more than 2 phone numbers plus e-mail address. Calendar only works as alarms for me...just make sure I don't forget about the meetings.

If you want to try Motorola phones, RAZR might be a better choice. Fry's sell them in stores for 99 bucks and 1 year contract (Cingular). Actually Nokia 6620 isn't too bad. Phone book and calendar are much nicer than Moto. The screen is readable under direct sunlight and you can install softwares like Salling Clicker on it to remote control your Mac through Bluetooth. I really like the Nokia but still ended up using RAZR instead because I just can't get any signal in the lab with that phone.

Every phones are different when it comes to reception. My old Nokia (forgot the model #...the one folds out keyboards) had great recptions at home but I returned that one and got the Moto A630 instead. A630 reception was miserable so I sold that one to my friend and bought the RAZR. Maybe SE 710a has better reception than the ones I have. I am not sure about Cingular but T-Mobile let you return the phone in 14 days if you don't like it. I would try them out at places you will be using it the most.

There is a good site to see the reviews for cellphones, 74 reviews for that 710 alone!
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/

Chris -

I've looked at the coverage maps for Cingular, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless and it seems hands down that Verizon's coverage is still leagues ahead of the other US carriers. And for me, that's of primary importance. I want both broad coverage across the US and uninterrupted coverage in NorthEast/Mid-Atlantic region and across PA & OH.

re: Treo 650

I fogot to mention Treo 650 resets a lot. It’s a known problem. You’d think it would be annoying but honestly, it didn’t bother me. (It didn’t seem to reset during phone calls which would have been frustrating.) I just started went back to the app or internet and started again.

If your serious about the Treo 650, run a search and look at the threads on these discussions e.g. Topic: Treo 650, Tiger, but which carrier
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@@.68b689a1

My current thinking is abandon Palm all together and switch to Entourage. I didn't want to get off your topic in this discussion so I posted a query seeking information at: http://discussions.info.apple.com/.68b7beb5

Did you see this thread about bluetooth phones?
Jim NY'er in exile, "Mobile Phone/Bluetooth Success" #51, 10:56am Aug 18, 2005 CDT

No it doesn't sound like you need Bluetooth. The USB connection for syncing is also faster. (I however need Bluetooth so I can have a potentially lethal source of radio waves next to my brain from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.)

If Verizon isn't a limitation, I would like to look into Nokia's phones. I got a very basic Nokia 1100 GSM dual band this summer for use in Asia and loved it. (Search these discussions - there's more on Nokia.) (Though not glamorous, we really like the LG phones we've used with Verizon - the receptions been great.)

FYI:

Cingular’s coverage ( http://onlinestorez.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/wireless-phone-plans/cell-ph one-plans.jsp?catid=2206800009)
Click on View Map

Verizon’s coverage ( http://www.verizonwireless.com:80/b2c/store/controller?item=planFirst&action=vie wPlanOverview) Click on “Americas Choice Map”

T-mobil’s coverage: http://compass.t-mobile.com/Default.aspx

I bought all my unlocked GSM phones through eBay. Just stick the SIM card in and it's good to go.

AV8ORS -

Do you know if that would work with Cingular? Did T-Mobile or would Cingular let you buy just the SIM card or do you have to buy a phone and remove the SIM card from it?

Did you buy a quad band or a dual or tri band GSM making sure that of the 2 or 3 bands, the 2 US ones were included?

I have the Treo 650 and Verizon. I used to have Cingular.

I love the Treo because it allows me to have my contacts and their addresses and it's very versatile. My only complaint is that if you don't want the data package then you have to be very very careful not to turn anything on that uses it. Otherwise it will be very expensive paying for data if you don't have an unlimited plan. They also have a little known 5MB/mo free plan if you ask for it.

As for coverage I think they are mediocre. I'm sure it all depends on where you are, but I find that I don't get coverage in my own house. They are glad to troubleshoot it but if they find a tower near you and you still don't get coverage, they say it's too bad.

I had trouble with getting my Treo to sync properly with my Mac, but now it's working. I think I had a unique problem however. I do use Address book and iCal. It's not great but it does sync most things.

I do wish people would think more about macs when they make devices like the Treo.