I was given similar HORRIBLE information from customer service. Not surprising that Verizon didn't equip them with knowledge needed for when I called to ask why this happened. I was told that "search engines cost money". Not entirely sure what that means. First help desk call told me it was "totally RIM's decision, Verizon has nothing to do with it". I asked the woman if she was 100% sure and she said yes.
Called again, was put on hold for 10 full minutes (I jot down these times while on a call) then was directed to tech support wihtout being told where I was going and when I dialed 0 for the operator, it said "Good bye" and the call disconnected.
Finally I spoke to someone, got the run around, no REAL apology. Just a lot of "I understand why you are frustrated"
VZ: Stop sending things arbitrarily to our phones. Don't just push things. Give us a heads up. you are a COMMUNICATION company, please communicate to your customers.
I'll be shopping a new wireless carrier after my contract expires. Shame, because I've had a verizon phone since '98
Hi, all,
First, Happy Holidays to all. Now to business. I have been monitoring the discussions (and there are a bunch just on these forums) concerning the limitation of Blackberry users using the Blackberry Browser to only Bing as a search engine. I am just trying to see what is affected and who is affected so maybe we can figure a way around the problem.
From what I am able to gather, the devices affected are on the Storm and Storm2. I have not seen anyone to my knowledge post with the problem with a Tour or any other device. So, can this be that the 'Bing-only' search option is affecting devices running 5.0 OS? Curious to hear from some Curve 8530 users since those devices use the 5.0 OS. Since I own a Tour, I thus far have not been affected by the problem. I am running the latest 4.7.1.61 OS from Verizon. I also upgraded (again this week) Blackberry Messenger (BBM) to the latest 5.0.0.57 version. I had read somewhere a user thought the BBM upgrade caused the change to his/her search options being changed in the Browser. Not sure on that one, but downgrading to one of the earlier versions of BBM might restore the engines if that was the problem. Previous versions can be found on Blackberry's web site. I really doubt that was the problem, though.
I will be looking around and trying to come up with an answer that might help some of the affected users. In the mean time, if you use your Backberry for searching the internet and do not like the results of Bong...errr Bing, you can always temporarily do a manual search from Google's search page or even other search engine's main page. To go one step further, you can completely disregard the Blackberry Browser and install Opera's mini browser. The latest version is 4.2, however there is a beta 5.0 release that users can download to test, but I have found the 4.2 more stable on my Tour. That way there, for now, Blackberry users can show their protest by not even using the Blackberry Browser at all until the problem is resolved.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all,
Sincerely,
Doc
Yes, Verizon is getting paid by Microsoft for this, we get to be miserable, read more on website link below....
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/19/verizon_snuffs_google_for_bing/
Simple solution, if you don't like it, cancel your contract and don't pay the ETF!! Let Verizon take everyone to court, Their the ones Who broke their own contracts by CHANGING YOUR SERVICE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION. Been thru this before and they had to pay if you remember. They can push what ever they want to your phone, but can't Change your Service without notification or they are in breech of contract. In which case YOU can cancel without ETF Fee.
Doc, there is now a new release of Opera Mini 5 Beta 2, released within the last two weeks. I had tried the first one, and uninstalled it, but this one is a keeper. Try it, I think you"ll like it!
Merry Christmas!
I D/L it this morning and it seems more stable than the prior beta. I hope some of the Verizon users affected by the Bing-thing will try it. I have found that the Opera version 5 beta 2 offers two search engines by default. I don't think as of now you can add or change to the list of search engines. In the stable release of Opera 4.2 you have at least four options and can add to the list of search engines if you want. I'm sure this option will become integrated into future releases of Opera 5. That leads me back to the purpose of this thread, Verizon users can use Opera or any of the other comparible browsers on their Blackberry and not have Bing thrust in their face as an only option.
Doc
My Tour still has all the original search options in the bb browser, Google is my default. VZN pushed a Bing install icon without my consent. Is there a way to completely delete the icon? I have the rogue icon hidden in a folder now and I did not activate the installation of Bing. I don't want my bb violated by Mr.. Softy. Why is VZN pimping us out! Can the security settings be set to prevent these types of pushes or at least give us the option to decline?
I hate this! Very sleazy of VZW, and I HATE BING! Before this change I just didnt prefer to use it, but now I HATE IT.
I admin PCs at work, I sometimes let an IE install slip through without changing the default search to Google, but from now on I will NEVER ALLOW BING (or LIVE on older versions) to go through. I am tempted to block bing at the DNS level.
Technically I could switch our corporate account to another comany to. Our monthly bill is between $5K and $7K. Thats certainly not VZWs biggest account, but not their smalleset either.
I hope somoene uses the BB JDE sofware to code an "app" that is just the old bowser start page re-created (with no Bing, but the ability to add others, like Google.) Can BB JDE get bookmark and history from the browser? If so it should not be to hard for a hobbiest to code....
BOO HISS - BAD BING - BAD VZW
Message to and response from Verizon Support...
Q: Why did Bing! install icon appear on my bb tour without my consent to install? How do I delete the icon? How can I prevent future pushes of unwanted app icons?
A:
Thank you for contacting our Verizon Wireless website. I am sorry to learn that you are having difficulty with your Verizon Wireless service, and am eager to assist you with information regarding this issue.
We're a proud supporter of Microsoft's Bing search engine. As you have already experienced, on a couple of select Smartphone’s (Storm 2 the most prominent), we've changed the VZW-supplied web menu to make Bing the default search engine. If you prefer another search engine, simply type in the URL of the search engine you prefer, mark it as a "favorite".
Regarding the ability to opt-out of receiving updates for your device from Verizon Wireless and RIM, there is not a way to do so. However, when you receive the request to accept the update, you are able to hide the icon that populates as a result of the request. When you have followed the below instructions, you will no longer see the request to update your device. Please see, below:
Hiding Icons:
1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button.
2. Highlight the desired icon (e.g. Browser) then press the Menu button.
3. Select Hide.
Un-hiding Icons:
1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button.
2. Highlight any visible icon (e.g. Messages) then press the Menu button.
3. Ensure Show All is enabled. If necessary, select Show All to enable the option. A Checkmarked box indicates that the option is enabled. If Show All is not available, there are no icons currently hidden.
4. Highlight the hidden icon (e.g. Browser) then press the Menu button. A hidden icon will appear gray and transparent.
5. Select Hide to disable the option. A Checkmarked box indicates that the option is enabled.
After reviewing your account and features, we have refreshed all the system settings and have noted that you need to do your *228 feature, option 2, now and approximately every 30 days, hereafter (though it has been updated as recently as 12/12/2009, it is currently outdated):
1. Please dial *228 into your phone and send like a phone call. Choose option 2 when prompted.
2. Listen for the intercept to tell you when this has been accomplished, successfully.
3. If the phone does not reset itself, automatically, please turn it off and turn it back on, manually.
4. Make a test call.
I hope that you find this information helpful, as it has been a pleasure assisting you today. I make it my personal goal to resolve all of your concerns and sincerely hope that you feel I have done that today. Should you feel your current concerns are not fully resolved, please call us at 1-800-922-0204 from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and we will happily address them for you. In addition, you may find various self-help options at http://support.vzw.com/clc/. Also, more helpful information pertaining to the function of your Verizon Wireless Blackberry device can be found at www.blackberry.com. I appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Verizon Wireless.
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