Consumer Reports offers scathing critique on Verizon iPhone 4

Apple Insider ^ | January 14, 2011 | Daniel Eran Dilger

[Swordmaker]

Consumers Reports publishes a "Do Not Buy" Blog on the Verizon iPhone4 because there will be a better one coming out in six months . . . does not say the same for other phones—PING!

Please! No Flame Wars!
Discuss technical issues, software, and hardware.
Don't attack people!
PLEASE! Don't respond to the Anti-Apple Thread Trolls!
IGNORE THEM!!!

Apple iPhone4 Ping!

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[thecodont]

Thanks for the heads up! Good to wait until they get the bugs out.

[Yo-Yo]

I wouldn’t guarantee that the Verizon iPhone 4 will be “junkware” free.

That’s so unlike Verizon, who will cripple features on phones just so they all work the same, and make it more difficult to backup contacts, transfer sound or photo files, without using Verizon software and network.

[mnehring]

I’ve seen two major critiques pretty much copied and pasted on blogs all over the place. 1. With CDMA you can’t use voice and data together. That is technically true, however, there are ways you can use voice and data together- one, if you have a WiFi connection or two, you can use things like GPS nav while talking on the phone (at least with my Droid I can do that). I believe the regular multi-tasking on the iPhone 4 works no matter what network you hit, it is based on what is in the phone.

2. ‘Global phone’ capabilities. AT&T has been dumping some comments implying you can’t use this anywhere but the US. In most of the Americas, some of Europe, and Asia, CDMA works fine. I’ve used my phone in Mexico, Canada, Czech Republic, and Japan without issues. It also implies that a phone from AT&T is automatically global. It isn’t. They have their phone locked where you can’t just swap out SIM cards for local carriers unless you jailbreak your phone. Also, not all GSM networks are the same. So both types have issues with global roaming and both have ways to do it.

I plan to try an iPhone out as soon as my contract is up (still using BlackBerry for work..)

[Keith in Iowa]

The writer is in bed with an AT&T PR flak.

[null and void]

Golden Iggle got a job at Consumer Reports?

[mnehring]

I wouldn’t guarantee that the Verizon iPhone 4 will be “junkware” free.

My Droid came with three pieces of what considers 'junkware'. An app that I can access and manage my account, a link to their media store and a link to their app store. It took all but a couple of seconds to delete the latter two, the first is actually pretty useful. I think this is an overrated complaint.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>I wouldn’t guarantee that the Verizon iPhone 4 will be “junkware” free.

It will be. Because Apple requires it. Verizon can make things available via the App Store. there won’t be anything pre-loaded on the phone.

[VanDeKoik]

“Consumers Reports publishes a “Do Not Buy” Blog on the Verizon iPhone4 because there will be a better one coming out in six months . . . does not say the same for other phones”

Because this story is about the iPhone4, an existing phone from last year, just going to a new carrier when people know that Apple brings out one every year around spring?

Or did you seriously take that as CR saying that because “other” phones are all lousy and the next one will be lousy too so why bother?

[mnehring]

I think so.. I’ve seen these same accusations bantered about for a few weeks when the rumors about verison and the iphone started peaking- before anyone knew a single detail about the phone.

[Keith in Iowa]

All the negative stuff on the blogosphere & now these kind of articles stinks of AT&T trying to do whatever it can to retain subs - they are going to take it in the shorts - big-time.

[oh8eleven]

[Verizon] makes it more difficult to backup contacts, transfer sound or photo files, without using Verizon software and network.
I'm a dinosaur - using an LG VX8300 for three years now - and I do all the above via my PC with Bluetooth and BitPim.
Your results may vary.

[OCCASparky]

Works for me—my Verizon “new every 2” doesn’t come into play until August.

[grey_whiskers]

Mrs. Whiskers is due to get a new cell phone from Verizon. Personally, would you recommend a Droid X or an iPhone4?

(She will be using it at work in connection with e-marketing materials, and explicitly NOT for "Facebook" type stuff.)

We are in the Minneapolis metropolitan area and don't do much remote stuff except extended bike rides...

Thanks!

g_w

[Dr. Sivana]

The below is a repeat from a post I made in July:

I stopped taking them seriously around 1972, when they rated some car unacceptable because there was a twist in the shoulder belt when connected to the lap belt.

When there was a LOT of measurable difference in small electronics and appliances, and the features list was small enough to cover in a short article, CR might have made more sense. An Emerson table radio really was better than a Grundig or an Arvin.

In reality, many of today's electronics components are all coming from the same factory in China, regardless of the brand name slapped on it. More of the decision making is best made by which feature set you like rather than the actual stuff inside.

Now in the case of smartphones and computers, CR is way out of its league. They don't use computers the way a magazine prepress artist, a corporate database developer, or a developer does. They apply the same attitude that they did to those Arvin table top radios, with an extra dash of Political correctness shifting the scales.

The same could be said about their attitude towards cars. They rated the Honda NSX over the Corvette, even though the Corvette actually won the performance tests, because of the Honda's looks. Excuse me? I have to buy a magazine to find out which car's looks I prefer? (They also didn't figure out the Honda's propensity to chew up $500 tires.)

CR is an idea whose time has come and gone. Go to Smartphone sites to find out about smartphones, Tom's Hardware about computer builds and news, Edmunds and others for cars. And try to dig up the 1966 Consumer Reports Buyers Guide if you still want to know the ways in which a Zenith or Magnavox 23" Black and White console runs rings around the Admiral or Philco.

[alancarp]

Neither - stall until you can get a 4G phone... since the contract is 2 years, waiting a few more months is well worth the irritation you’ll have of for a long time otherwise.

[Tempest]

Samsung Galaxy S thank you. I actually like to use phones to make phone calls with sometimes...

[Myrddin]

Junkware? The author lost any credibility of objective
reporting with that gaffe. The 3g network does
make it a non-candidate for replacing my Droid.
The previously stellar 3g service enjoyed on my
Droid in San Diego is unreliable and falls back to 1x
much of the time since the December launch of
LTE.. Streaming audio is useless on 1x. A 3g iPhone
would be a victim of. the same poor network. I’m
waiting for an LTE based smartphone.

[umgud]

I like my Droid-X, so I’ll hang on to it and wait for them to bring out a Dick Tracy watch.