My Friend Rob NLN (No Last Name)

So, I was having an email exchange with my friend Rob, a proud AT&T Blackberry Bold user, about the new Blackberry coming to Verizon sometime soon: "Verizon + 9630 = the best Blackberry experience on the planet." He pointed out that there is no Wi-Fi on the 9630, which I agreed bit.

Without further ado, his response (please note: Rob gets to travel more than you and I):

It doesn't just bite, it's a deal breaker. Think about this. I'm on the Eurostar recently, under the English Channel, in the Chunnel. Is there a phone signal? No. What am I doing? Using the wi-fi to plan my day in Paris and catching up on email and sending instant messages. What are you doing? Looking out the window and commenting on how dark it is in the Chunnel. Just like Verizon is keeping you in the dark. Next scenario in the not to distant future at all. You're on a flight to fill in a destination. What are you doing? Spending nine dollars for a boxed sandwich because you don't know when you'll land, where you'll eat or for that matter, what's going on in the world on the ground except for what you see in SkyMall. What am I doing (and the rest of the non-Verizon civilized world)? Checking WorldMate to confirm our arrival and gate. Scheduling transport and making a restaurant selection, catching up on email and reading the latest news along with anything else we want to do on the internet. Well, if it's a day flight, maybe you're also looking out the window and commenting on how it's lighter out than it is in the Chunnel. How can Verizon call themselves the best network? Easy. Simply make the definition of network so narrow that it has to be good. Voice communication is passé. People want data connectivity. Hell, if you want to hear my voice, I'll send you a wav file or whatever it is. If I were a Verizon customer and they were coming out with a phone like that but cutting off my balls, I mean not including wi fi, I would be fucking LIVID!!! They've compromised the customer. Hopefully you have a cell signal and will receive this because if you don't, well, it aint getting to ya via wi fi. Oh, by the way, what's the difference between the dead people in Mumbai hotel terrorist attacks and live people? Live people were able to receive outside guidance and information via wi fi on their phones, etc., to successfully get them out. Bang. Bang. Bang. You're dead you Verizon fuck.

I think this is Rob's way of saying that exclusive arrangements between phone manufacturers and service providers is the only thing keeping said service providers from having to depend on customer service to stay in business. And if that doesn't generate some comments, I don't know what will...