Great Network Won't Make Up for Boring Phones

Verizon has reach, but is way behind on sexy smartphones
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
Great Network Won't Make Up for Boring Phones
In this July 24, 2009 photo, a display of Verizon Wireless phones at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., is shown.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Verizon’s network may be the envy of its peers, but its smart phones definitely aren’t, writes Priya Ganapati. Caught off guard by the iPhone phenomenon, the carrier has taken a very cautious approach to new devices, subjecting them to a long testing process. As a result, while its competitors have carved out niches, Verizon is stuck in place.

AT&T has the iPhone, Sprint has the inside line on Palm, and T-Mobile has established itself as the Google Android carrier. All Verizon has is the popular, but critically panned BlackBerry Storm and dull BlackBerry Tour. “They recognize they don’t have compelling devices right now,” says one industry researcher, “but feel they can make up for it with network quality.” (More Verizon stories.)

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