Another Line of BS from Verizon

Anyone in the mood for bonus Friday rant?  Good because I have one that I find completely annoying!  No, it doesn't effect everyone yet.  I believe it is setting a precedent that will be followed for the future though!  Read on to hear what I'm talking about and why I think it will cause you some issues in the future.  I promise that you will see why I think it effects everyone!


As many of you know, I'm an Android user and fan.  I'm not one of those extremists that believe the iPhone is a bad piece of hardware, quite the opposite in fact.  I believe that the competition between Android and iOS are very good for the consumer.  I just personally prefer the options that I have with Android that aren't available with iOS.  But that really is not the point of this rant.  The point here is the fact that once again Verizon is blocking Google's Wallet app on the Galaxy Nexus.  Many of us have gotten around by installing the app from sources other then the Google Play Store and have had success using it.  But now there is a new update that not only prevents you from using the app that is already installed but it tells you that you need to update it.  Trying to update it gives you a message stating that it is no longer available for your phone.  Many of the top sites in the mobile industry started questioning Verizon again and here is what they finally said to endgadget:

Verizon responded to our requests, but declined to add any new comment on the matter. Instead, VZW reiterated its previous statement that "Verizon doesn't block applications. Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones."

What a load of crap!  How is it possible that the proprietary hardware is not integrated into the phone that was used to introduce the app to the world?  The truth is that Verizon is working on their own app to compete with Wallet and the way they will force you into using it is by installing it as a system app on your phone.  I have no doubt about that one!

Don't believe that this will impact the iPhone?  The new iPhone 5 was just announced earlier this week  and has been available for other carriers in a pre-order status for a day or so.  The reason it isn't available for Verizon yet, I believe, is that they want some control over what apps can and can't be installed on the phone.  That is the reason that Apple originally went with AT&T to start with.  AT&T was willing to be very flexible because they needed the growth that the phone was expected to induce.  Apple decided to spread out and be a little more flexible because they had the upper hand on the carriers.  At some point, the carriers (read that as Verizon) will have the upper hand again.

I think what makes this even more annoying is the fact that Verizon just lost a battle regarding the spectrum auction a couple of years ago.  When they won the bid they agreed that they would not limit their users regarding what apps they used as well as not charging them extra for the tethering feature of today's smartphones.  This is clearly a violation of that agreement once again!  The problem is that, based on some recent judgments, you ability to sue a carrier is very limited.  In fact if I read the article correctly, you can't.

What this really boils down to is that the consumer is losing more and more control over anything.  Today the carriers can control what you do with something that you paid for, how long before they can control what sites you visit?