Posted 11/17/09 at 09:00:34 AM by Paul Lilly

Did you think Verizon would back down from its 3G map ads after AT&T hit the wireless carrier with a lawsuit? Not gonna happen. Instead, the ads keep rolling, and so do the jabs, including one that was filed in response to the suit.

"AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon's 'There's A Map For That' advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon's ads are true and the truth hurts," Verizon's lawyers wrote in a 53-page Memorandum of Law.

The document went on to defend Verizon's position that there's no way the wireless carrier is confusing or misleading customers about AT&T's coverage because "each ad speaks of 3G coverage repeatedly, [and] the maps used in each are clearly labeled 3G."

For a 53-page court document, it's actually a fun little read, and Engadget believes that's entirely by design, pointing out that this was probably drafted with publication in mind. After giving it a once-over ourselves, we'd have to agree.

Give the PDF a read here, then hit the jump and tell us what you think.

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Posted 11/13/09 at 03:58:35 PM by Bart Salisbury

Verizon, which has so far been reluctant to enforce the copyright concerns of outsiders, has decided to partner with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and smack the bottoms of its subscribers thought to be pirating music.

Verizon told CNET: “We recognize the importance of copyright and the need to enforce those copyrights. Without that enforcement, intellectual property won't be generated at all. At the same time, it's important for our customers to be assured that they won't have their privacy rights trampled."

Verizon’s involvement will be to forward letters from the RIAA to those suspected of illegal sharing of music. The subscriber will be warned their activity is illegal, to cease the activity, and to delete any illicit music files. Verizon, unlike AT&T, Comcast, and Cox Communications, will not threaten to interrupt or terminate service.

Verizon’s move shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 2005 Verizon, despite its aggressive public stance to protect subscriber privacy, exhibited few qualms in selling out some of those same subscribers, suspected of illegal file sharing, to Disney in return for the rights to transmit 12 of Disney’s TV channels on its broadband network. Apparently, Verizon’s moral high ground is easily eroded, when the price is right.

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Posted 11/12/09 at 06:37:28 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Verizon sure isn’t letting up with their new anti-AT&T ad campaign. Likewise, AT&T isn’t letting up with their legal threats. AT&T’s latest strategy swung into action on Wednesday night when they asked the federal court in Atlanta to order the ads pulled from the airwaves.

The ads (which we’ve discussed before) compare AT&T 3G coverage with that of Verizon. AT&T claims that the maps used in the ads are misleading because they do not show AT&T’s 2.5G EDGE network, instead displaying empty spaces. In a statement AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said, “If customers think they can't make calls in the vast majority of the country ... that could do us irreparable harm."

The newest ad is holiday themed, borrowing from the story of the “Island of Misfit Toys”. Poor iPhone is a misfit because it is cursed with an inferior network… how sad. Big Red hopes the holiday season will be a good one for their new line of smartphones. Is that wishful thinking?

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Posted 11/11/09 at 07:34:07 AM by Paul Lilly

By now you've probably seen one of Verizon's ads taking shots at AT&T's comparatively dismal 3G network coverage. Even if you didn't, AT&T has, and the wireless carrier has accused Verizon of not telling the whole story and misleading the public.

AT&T contends it's unfair to show 3G coverage maps from the two carriers side by side because it makes it look like AT&T doesn't have service in most areas. The maps only depict 3G zones, ignoring AT&T's existing 2.5G network, which is sufficient for email and other tasks portrayed in the commercials. The bottom line is, the ads are accurate in terms of 3G, but neglect to tell the whole story. Is that misleading?

AT&T thinks so, and as we previously reported, the wireless carrier has dropped a lawsuit on Verizon's lap. How that plays out will be for the courts to decide. In the meantime, expect the ads to keep rolling, especially with Verizon's Droid attracting so much attention.

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Posted 11/08/09 at 03:55:22 PM by Jason Barry

Despite AT&T’s lawsuit against Verizon, more commercials go live bashing AT&T’s coverage. They aired three new commercials this weekend featuring the allegedly dismal 3G coverage of AT&T’s service.  The new Verizon commercials are holiday focused, featuring Santa’s elves and the iPhone that got sent to the Island of Misfit Toys.

AT&T is suing Verizon in the state of New York for misrepresenting its 3G network in the “There’s a map for that” commercials that debuted a month ago. Their claims are basically that the colors of the maps (red or blue with a light gray background) confuse the customer into believing there is NO service outside the blue spots on AT&T’s map.

Verizon has since altered the ads with fine print and some verbiage changes, but the colors of the maps remain. Fine print withstanding, I can’t imagine AT&T (or its lawyers) will be happy about these ads. Perhaps they should hire Justin Long to do “I’m an iPhone” commercials.

Check out the commercials after the jump.

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Posted 11/06/09 at 08:26:38 AM by Paul Lilly

Not digging Droid's price tag but are still intrigued by the device? Maybe Droid's little sibling -- the Droid Eris -- is more of what you're looking for.

For starters. Verizon is selling the Droid Eris for a single C-note (after $100 mail-in-rebate) when you sign up for a two-year commitment on a voice plan with an email feature or email plan. Throwing down a Benjamin on the Droid Eris nets you a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and trackball interface, a 5MP auto focus camera, 8GB of memory (via an included microSD card) expandable to 16GB, Bluetooth, WiFi, integrated GPS, full HTML browser with Flash Lite capabilities, and of course Google's Android OS along with a 7-panel home screen.

But the real question is, how does Eris stack up to its bigger brother? It comes clocked at 528MHz, compared to Droid's 550MHz processor, and it ships with Android 1.5 (Donut) instead of 2.0 (Eclair). You'll also sacrifice a physical QWERTY keyboard by stepping down to the Eris.

So what do you think, are the trade offs worth the lower price tag, or is it Droid or bust? Hit the jump and sound off!

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Posted 11/03/09 at 07:33:11 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Verizon thought they were so clever. Big Red’s recent “There’s a map for that” adverts seem to have ruffled some feathers over at AT&T. Now AT&T has filed a federal lawsuit against Verizon for false advertising. The issue comes down to the maps shown in the commercial.

The ad compares 3G coverage areas for the two wireless providers side by side. The red Verizon map, of course, looks much more filled in. AT&T’s map looks sparse by comparison. What many less savvy consumers might not follow is that this is only showing AT&T’s 3G, not EDGE. While Verizon’s entire network is 3G, AT&T still has significant areas covered only by slower EDGE service. AT&T claims that the ad leads people to believe that AT&T does not have coverage at all in the un-highlighted areas.

Indeed, the original version of the ad said that AT&T users outside the highlighted area were “out of touch”. Verizon removed that line and noted that non-3G voice and data were available, but AT&T still wasn’t happy. It’s not really an enviable position for AT&T to be in. They have to argue that Verizon should be making it clear that the AT&T network is available in more places – it’s just very, very slow. Everyone settle in, this might be entertaining.

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Posted 11/02/09 at 07:18:30 PM by Ryan Whitwam

We all rubbed our eyes in disbelief when Verizon announced they would be releasing a fully open handset, the Motorola Droid. Not only did it have WiFi, it had free GPS! This was not the Verizon we all knew. Some of the more pessimistic among us were waiting for the other shoe to drop, and now it has. A Verizon rep has confirmed that using the integrated Microsoft Exchange support in the Droid will mean an extra $15 fee each month.

This boosts the monthly cost of data to $45 instead of the standard $30. Verizon also plans to offer a $50 per month data-only plan for the Droid. Verizon indicated this fee just brings the cost in line with smartphone plans for corporate email seen on Blackberrys. "The Droid is primarily a consumer phone," said Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney.

All things considered, it may be a fairly minor point. Nevertheless, it seems like a very Verizon thing to do. If you were planning on getting the Droid, does this give you second thoughts? How many of you use Exchange accounts daily?

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