Verizon finally managed to push me into the arms of the competition. I was a fairly happy voice subscriber. I tested an XV6700 way back in March, and liked it. I decided to hold off, though, since the release of the XV6800 (pictured months earlier in various tech blogs), was supposed to be imminent. I was more than content to wait a few weeks for the superior hardware while still maintaining my Verizon relationship.
Alas, this was a one-way love affair. Months passed, and not a peep from Verizon. Legal issues and/or tech problems were rumored to be delaying the XV6800. Apple launched its iPhone in spectacular fashion, and Verizon made no attempt to assert itself as a more powerful, more businesslike alternative to the flashy but limited iPhone.
Back in July, I posted XV6800: Verizon Misses Opportunity, and apparently hit a nerve among Verizon subscribers. I’ve posted about hot button topics ranging from net neutrality to Google vs. Microsoft, but I’ve never has a larger outpouring of comments here. They continue to this day, and virtually all express frustration with Verizon’s combination of slow launch and lack of communication with their customers. Most of these posters want to stay with Verizon, but have been turned off by the firm’s stonewalling.
The rumors of impending launch continued. I fed them myself when I posted that an August release was likely based on a leaked copy of Verizon’s product roadmap. That didn’t happen. Neither did the “beginning of September” or “late September/early October” rumors pan out.
Sprint released its Mogul, but I resisted the temptation. Finally, AT&T, no stranger to unexplained launch days itself, managed to release the Tilt a couple of week ago. Largely similar to the XV6800 (both are from HTC, but the Tilt has a screen that angles up like a laptop when you slide out the mini-keyboard and features a 3 megapixel camera), this unit has also been called the Kaiser and HTC TyTn 2. The AT&T version differs slightly from the direct offering from HTC, notably eliminating the front-facing webcam.
AT&T’s launch was more of a fizzle than an explosion (see AT&T Tilt: Why AT&T Isn’t Apple), but they did get the product out the door. They didn’t get it to their local stores in a timely manner, but with the assistance of an incredibly competent, helpful, and patient rep named Karen in AT&T’s business center, I managed to get an AT&T Tilt on its way to me. My order proved to be complex, due to a variety of factors that were no fault of AT&T. (Watch this space for a future rant on Equifax customer service.) Karen stuck with me, even as I was interrupted by plane flights and stymied by Equifax indifference, and got the deal done.
I’ve been working with the Tilt for a week now, and like it a lot. I’ll do a full rundown on my experience soon. Transferring my number from Verizon to AT&T was amazingly quick and painless compared to previous experience. So far, the AT&T network seems to be doing a good job for me, despite my previous belief that Verizon’s was demonstrably better.
The sad thing is that the loyal Verizon customers who are venting their frustration here and elsewhere are not asking for a lot - hard to deliver features, or ruinously low prices. They just want to be kept informed and have realistic information about release dates, features, and so on. That doesn’t seem to be too much to ask - Apple and AT&T certainly managed to do that for the iPhone.
Can you hear me now? Apparently not…
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