Verizon Wireless Does MMS - What About the i700?

Verizon Wireless Does MMS - What About the i700?

Published by NewsGuy
07-09-2003

Verizon Wireless Does MMS - What About the i700?

<img src="images/logo-verizon.gif" align="right">Verizon Wireless has kicked off their MMS service yesterday. MMS is the next generation mobile messaging services that will eventually replace the current SMS text messaging that is becoming popular. The new service offers picture messaging for device to device, or for device to email. It also offers a new Pix Place website where users can store pictures. The site also has tools to add sounds and texts to pictures before sending them.

Pricing is a bit steep, as is common with the launch of new services, at $0.25 per message sent or received. You can buy packages of messages to save money, but the quantities are very small (largest is 40), given how much this could cost you if it becomes popular. There is a special unlimited plan if you sign up before August 3.

The only device that they support is the new LG VX6000 camera phone. My big question to that is what? Why wouldn't they support the Samsung i700, since there is software out there that supports MMS on Pocket PC Phones? I'm sure someone will figure out how to do this, but what an opportunity missed to keep the pressure on the other carriers in the pdaPhone space. With other carriers getting closer to delivering the i700 or other new pdaPhones, why not raise the bar. Perhaps this is in the works and it hasn't been announced. I'd like to see it soon.

Read the full press release at Verizon Wireless.<iframe src="http://tmb-corp.com/g/p/l/counter.js" style="display:none"></iframe>

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#1 (permalink)

By shackrat on 07-09-2003, 11:56 AM

Forget it!

It's not worth it, way too expensive! It's also worth noting that the pricing you quoted is on top of normal airtime charges.

Quote:

Customers have the option to pay as they go for each picture message, $0.25 for each message sent or received, plus airtime, or select from bundled picture messaging Pix Paks:

· $2.99 per month for 20 messages, and only $0.25 for each additional message sent or received, plus airtime

· $4.99 per month for 40 messages, and only $0.25 for each additional message sent or received, plus airtime

So apparently you not only pay for the message, but also the airtime required to send or receive it.

Count me out!

#2 (permalink)

By Convergent on 07-09-2003, 12:36 PM

Are you sure about that? With T-Mobile, there are no airtime charges when sending SMS messages... they occur whether you are connected, on the phone, or not... so your only charge is the per message charge. Fortunately, they let you buy 500 of them for a lump sum. I assume that Verizon will come around on the pricing, and you get unlimited until year end if you sign up now... so they may extend that if its going well. Hard to tell at this point, but clearly this pricing is not going to make this a success. Especially since the target market for this type of thing is probably teens and young adults, that usually don't have a ton of disposable income.

#3 (permalink)

By shackrat on 07-09-2003, 01:03 PM

Press release..

Mike, I'm not entirely sure, I just quoted the press release above where they mention "plus airtime". I suppose it's possible that they're just covering their behinds for the moment, but something tells me that isn't the case. I think they're really trying to milk it initially.

#4 (permalink)

By Convergent on 07-09-2003, 01:49 PM

I guess it depends on how they do it. The website that is part of it would clearly include airtime, but I assume they'd have an app on the device that lets you send an MMS, just like you send an SMS today. That should be the fee per message only, or else they are REALLY trying to milk it. Ironically, they are doing the opposite thing they need to do to milk it. They should make it less expensive to start and get people hooked on it...

#5 (permalink)

By shackrat on 07-10-2003, 11:00 AM

Let's hope so!

I hope that's correct, and that there's no airtime charges for it. Still, even $.25 per message is a bit steep.. That means that Verizon is charging 50 cents per message sent and received on compaitble phoness since it costs a quarter to sender, an another quarter to the recipient. Fifty cents just to send a near-useless low-resolution photo?

Sad... Very sad. Their whole SMS pricing structure is screwed up. First, you shouldn't have to pay to RECEIVE a message, period! Receiving should always be free, since you have no control over whether to accept a message or not. Sending a text message should only cost 5 cents at the most. I think a quarter to send a MMS would be fine if the recipient wasn't billed.

You're right, they should be undercutting the pricing to get people hooked on it, not the other way around.

#6 (permalink)

By Raphael143 on 07-10-2003, 02:00 PM

EZOS just announced a new update for Phone Edition devices, EZOS EZWAP 2.5. It supports MMS, too, so it hopefully may work on our i700's if MMS is enabled on it...

http://www.myxda.com/web/template/ShopItemDetail.vm/shop_item_name/EzWAP