Cell phones: Verizon still stuck in 1st gear.

Verizon still stuck in 1st gear.

I'm totally bummed that my mobile carrier (Verizon) failed to introduce any new phones at CTIA last week. I've been counting on this trade show as a guide to the future of my relationship with Verizon. I feel as if I'm stuck in the mud while other carrier offer up cool phones to their customers almost on a weekly basis. The best Verizon can offer is a few NEW services that no one asked for. A new V Cast mobile website, a mobile version of NYTimes.com, a couple more V Cast channels? Come on Verizon, you're just re-packaging the same old stuff.

I wanna get rid of my out-of-date Motorola e815 flip phone (released mid 2005), and upgrade to a fancy smartphone. Verizon has had the same 8 smartphones for sale for what seems like forever! Verizon's newest smartphone is the XV6900 which Verizon started offering about 4-5 months ago. Verizon stripped the built-in wifi out of the XV6900, so it's a "Do-Not-Crave" for me. so what am I look at? Well the iPhone is on my list as well as the HTC Touch PRO, the Nokia E71 & E61, and the BlackBerry Bold just to name a few. All of these smartphone allow 3rd party applications to be installed and I sometimes get the feeling that Verizon doesn't like 3rd party apps.

I remember last year at CES some of the biggest companies in attendance saved their big announcements until CES was over, maybe Verizon has the same plan....I hope so. I don't want to jump ship just yet without giving Verizon several more months to step up to the plate. But if Verizon can't get in the game and come up with a completely NEW line-up of smartphones by the time MacWorld 2009 starts next January, I'll have to dawn a life-vest and jump ship.