VERiPHONE = phony

[VERiPHONE]

I just switched from AT&T to Verizon after dropping calls every few minutes or seconds.  I feel as though I just traded in my sputtering Lamborghini for a newer more promising model only to find that although it looks great... all the parts are glued on.  NOTHING works!  

-I had no idea how cumbersome it would be to not be able to surf or retrieve email while on the phone.  Wow.  

-You canNOT merge calls.  It doesn't matter if you call them or they call you... you can't do it.  You can view the icon but it's dimly lit and isn't an option on the Verizon network.

-Have fun switching back and forth between two calls because that's the extent of their separation as when you hang up with one... it ends BOTH conversations.  There is no longer an option for ending one line.

-The real kicker is that you can't even place a call on hold either.  Wow.  Seriously?

-While you're on the phone with your ONE person you also can't correspond ANY other way, as not only is your internet disabled but so are your messages. Nice, right? 

I'm beyond annoyed.  I want my sputtering Lamborghini back... at least with AT&T all the parts functioned, even if the convos were ended prematurely.  When I called Verizon they said the've never heard of any issues with conference calls.  So either she was hired 2 minutes before my call or they hire liars.  Lame.  She said she was going to connect me with Technical Support and instead transfered me to some unsuspecting Apple Victim who had no way of explaining why Verizon can't handle the iPhone.  

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get Verizon do something about these serious flaws?  Or even any tips to get around these issues?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[tim600sl]

I understand your frustration....  Unlike you, I didn't switch from other carrier (been with Verizon forever).  I switched to iPhone from my HTC Incredible.  I gotta tell you, it was my biggest mistake.  I already sold my incredible on ebay, but I want it back!!! As far as the simultaneous voice and data, that's something that will be available with 4G, I'm sure I would like that, 'cause there were many times when I needed to use internet while on a call, and not having that option sucks!  As far as merging calls, I guess it's the iPhone and not the verizon network, after I read your post I immediately checked this option, I was able to do it on my incredible but not on the iPhone. Couple more things that I dislike about the iPhone, NO MEMORY CARD, this is big for me, 'cause I go to college and I was able to store necessary files on my droid, with the iphone i cant do that.  Another thing, I cannot find a way to transfer photos and videos (that I took with the iPhone) to my computer (of course unless I send them one by one to my email).  If there's a way to do it please let me know.  Another thing, NO BUILT IN NAVIGATION, and the only way to get a decent app is to either jailbreak, or spend at least $50. 

In conclusion, as soon as the first 4G android comes out, I'm selling the iPhone on ebay and NEVER cheat on android again!

[brichi]

I merged 2 calls last nght so not sure what you are talking about

1. was on the phone and wanted to conference in some, 

2. took phone away from ear

3. hit "add call"

4. got the person on the phone

5. hit "merge"

good to go

[Spiral]

Somebody failed to do his/her homework before switching carriers.  Most of these are all well known limitations of the CDMA network that Verizon uses. 

I personally use a conference call service (ironically AT&T) that my company pays for to manage my multi-person conversations.

[gerio]

Veriphone, you gotta be kidding...

FIrst, you have to live under a rock to NOT know that Verizon's CDMA network does not handle voice calls and data simultaeously (that means both at the same time. Just checkin"...). That's been shouted from the mountains by the AT&T guys for months, at every opportunity they get and then some. 

As for the merging calls thing, I just called two recent Verizon converts to the iPhone and asked them about the merge calls feature and hanging them up. Their response amounted to "okay, I'll play along, yes, it merges calls just fine and I can hang up one call and keep the other.  Now where's the hidden cameras??". SO YOU ain't doing something right. Sorry, I realize that this isn't the kind of "help" you were looking for. Oh, well....

And Tim, you can't get Google Maps from the app market? It came stock with my Droid X (but I'll bet you know that already...

Geri O

[tim600sl]

Geri, I think you got me wrong, I have iPhone at this moment, but before that I had the incredible, which had google maps and navigation.  iPhone does not have a decent free nagivation app.  I should have stayed with my incredible, I guess I just went with the hype.

[dbbrass]

There are plenty of navigation apps available for the iPhone.  Now granted, the one that Google throws for free to Android users is very good.  But for only 99 cents, you can get GPS Drive of which is pretty good in it's own right (voice guided costs a little more but it's really not that expensive).  And there are many other nav options which go from free to more $$... heck even Verizon has one!  The Maps app that comes with the iPhone IS Google Maps and is the same maps that the Android Nav app uses.  Note that Google holds their Nav app out as a carrot to be exclusive only to Android users.  Apple and Google are competitors after all!

[AZSALUKI]

user errors are much more common than hardware or software errors. i'm no fan of the iphone, but i'd bet a paycheck that you can conference call on it. and if you couldn't, don't blame verizon, as EVERY other smartphone, and almost every dumbphone can do it. and if you have a wifi connection, you can use voice and data simutaneously. and these days, there's an open wifi network almost everywhere. likely not in your car, but then in your car you shouldn't be talkin and on the web at the same time anyhow.

[gerio]

---

tim600sl wrote:

Geri, I think you got me wrong, I have iPhone at this moment, but before that I had the incredible, which had google maps and navigation.  iPhone does not have a decent free nagivation app.  I should have stayed with my incredible, I guess I just went with the hype.

---

Boy, I sure did get you wrong, I have no idea why I thought you could just go to the Android Market and download it. They haven't let iPhone users do that, have they...

Geri "didn't go for the hype, LOL" O

[davidr32]

I can understand the frustration of some people with new hardware... but it's frustrating to the rest of us when so much of the frustration is due to not understanding (or reading manuals about) the hardware. 

Photos:  if you have a Mac; either iPhoto or Aperture can "sync" images directly from anywhere in your library (or from the contents of a folder anywhere else on your computer). I "think" you can do the same from within iTunes, if you have a PC (must have the iPhone attached via USB cable to select the folder).

Navigation: the problem with the iPhone is not IF you can use navigation... it's picking just ONE.  I use MapQuest. It does virtually everything I used to rely on my Garmin (or car Nav'n system) for.

If you approach these smartphones (iPhone, Incredible, all of them) as COMPUTERS, which need to have at least SOME care and attention to their setup FIRST (oh, and BUY a good manual)... then you'll be MUCH happier with the experience. 

It's still going to be quite a while before these things are going to RELIABLY "auto-configure" themselves to each individual's desired setup. Plus, I get the impression that there are a lot of people out there more concerned with "getting the latest thing" than there are in "getting something done".  If your smartphone (ANY smartphone) is really "critical" to your existence, then people ought to give a LOT more thought to bouncing around between wireless companies, and handset suppliers.  If it's simply "discretionary money", well, then I suppose all of this is simply part of the overall entertainment!