Europe+USA (GSM) for any VZW Android PDA any time soon?

[CrimsonApostle]

I am considering getting a Motorola Droid from VZW, but since I go to Europe a few times a year (which may increase) I have been looking around (and daily google news alerts), but it does not seem anything is on the horizon. Has anyone heard any solid rumors about one?

I have 6 months on my contract left, but Verizon sent me mail saying I was eligible for a discounted new phone, so hopefully this is true.

Have a BB Storm now, but don't really like the lack of a keyboard. And like a lot of things about the Android OS. And I am locked into Verizon (only one that comes in where my boat is moored) at least until 4G gets rolled out in a few years.

That deal from Verizon claims to expire Dec 31, but I have to imagine its available after that (online the price is also $200 which includes a $100 online discount). So I was planning on waiting until Jan 11, because the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is Jan 7-10. Not sure how much Verizon or their phone vendors care to make a splash at this show, but someone else (who claimed to be from Verizon) said to wait a few weeks, so this lines up well too.

 

[CrimsonApostle]

.... in case it matters, I am not interested in anything smaller than the Moto Droid, and has to have a physical keyboard.

Hopefully FatedDistress gets back one of these days and can fill us in. But my default will certainly be to wait until January 10.

 

[FatedDistress]

I am considering getting a Motorola Droid from VZW, but since I go to Europe a few times a year (which may increase) I have been looking around (and daily google news alerts), but it does not seem anything is on the horizon. Has anyone heard any solid rumors about one?

I have 6 months on my contract left, but Verizon sent me mail saying I was eligible for a discounted new phone, so hopefully this is true.

Have a BB Storm now, but don't really like the lack of a keyboard. And like a lot of things about the Android OS. And I am locked into Verizon (only one that comes in where my boat is moored) at least until 4G gets rolled out in a few years.

That deal from Verizon claims to expire Dec 31, but I have to imagine its available after that (online the price is also $200 which includes a $100 online discount). So I was planning on waiting until Jan 11, because the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is Jan 7-10. Not sure how much Verizon or their phone vendors care to make a splash at this show, but someone else (who claimed to be from Verizon) said to wait a few weeks, so this lines up well too.

Verizon has proud themselves to be on the CDMA network for all the years in service. Phones cannot operate on GSM and CDMA simultaneously there for VZW would have to replace their CDMA network with GSM and that would take millions and there is no benefit to that (You can have a phone that is CDMA and GSM but I will get to that below). CDMA is the most secure civilian wireless communication technology and VZW appreciates and loves the technology...so any rumor to replace or even add a GSM network would be exactly that, a rumor.

GSM and CDMA phones - Now one thing that VZW is trying to do is expand their Global Devices so that one in your situation can take the device internationally and use it with a VZW sim card and
"roam" on local GSM towers. One other option is to have the device unlocked so you can use an international sim on your device.

Comment on 4G - VZW will be releasing LTE (Long Term Evolution 4G) next year, sometime between 1st and 2nd quarter of 2010.

Comment on Upgrade - If you have an upgrade today you will have one tomorrow. It will not disappear just because you don't upgrade right away.

Try the Blackberry Tour, it's a world phone, full physical qwerty keyboard, doesn't do as much as the Droid but it might be what you are looking for.

 

[CrimsonApostle]

Thanks HUGELY for your replies!!!

GSM and CDMA phones - Now one thing that VZW is trying to do is expand their Global Devices so that one in your situation can take the device internationally and use it with a VZW sim card and "roam" on local GSM towers. One other option is to have the device unlocked so you can use an international sim on your device.

Thanks, would be super to have a USA CDMA VZW phone that could swap in a GMS SIM when in Europe..... which VZW phones can do that???? I would LOVE to know current (and likely very-soon) phones that could do this!

Comment on 4G - VZW will be releasing LTE (Long Term Evolution 4G) next year, sometime between 1st and 2nd quarter of 2010.

I am in a fairly rural area, so I am not counting on LTE@VZW to be there for me until 2013. Care to disagree?

Comment on Upgrade - If you have an upgrade today you will have one tomorrow. It will not disappear just because you don't upgrade right away.

Right, I called VZW today ... the said that my upgrade won't disappear.... the phone may change in price (methinks this is usually downwards) but the eligibility to upgrade with incentives does not go away after Dec 31.

Try the Blackberry Tour, it's a world phone, full physical qwerty keyboard, doesn't do as much as the Droid but it might be what you are looking for.

Not for me, thanks .... I would like the bigger physical keyboard and the bigger physical screen.

Again, MUCHO thanks for your inputs to this thread!

 

[RichP]

The Blackberry Storm/Storm2/Tour and I think the HTC Imagio are the current VZW Smartphones that have GSM capabilities.

I used my Storm on a Europe Trip in June and it worked great...I was wondering if I could get by with just Wifi on a Droid type phone for my next trip(using Skype for calls).

There is no Verizon Android World Capable phone...yet.

 

[RobertS975]

Many of us are patiently waiting for Verizon and the manufacturers to introduce a global capable CDMA/GSM phone with the Android OS. Anything new in this regard?

 

[RobertS975]

Just a bump to let the Android makers and Verizon know that many of us are still waiting for a global capable Verizon Android phone!