Having just had my first experience with the Verizon Global Travel Program, I felt compelled to write about it to warn future potential participants of the program. I want to stress that my company will no longer be participating in the program until their selection of phones are updated. Instead we will be purchasing a used Droid 2 Global phone for use with any future international trips.
For those unfamiliar with how Verizon's international cell phone rental program works, Verizon Wireless allows any of their customers with cell phones that are not globally supported to temporarily rent a global phone while they travel overseas. The service costs $20 shipping plus global calling rates for the line in question. While most recent Verizon phones will work throughout the world on their CDMA network, you'll have a hard time getting any calls through in GSM-dominated Europe.
It is for that reason that I recently requested an international cell phone through Verizon's rental program. One of my users is travelling throughout Europe for three weeks on a cruise. She currently has an HTC Thunderbolt, which is not compatible on a GSM network.
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Red: You might get a CDMA call through.
White: GSM coverage. |
Nonetheless, I had heard success stories of renting international phones through the Verizon Global Travel Program in the past, and seeing as I didn't have too many other options, I gave Big Red a call.
As always, their support staff was very friendly and extremely helpful (one of the perks of dealing with a business account). The whole application process took about 5-10 minutes total. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until it was time to select a phone. Seeing as my existing user already owned and was familiar with her HTC Thunderbolt, I requested an Android-based international rental. They informed me that they had the Droid 2 Global and would put me on the reservation list. Sure, the Droid 2 Global launched about a year and a half ago, but at least it was the platform my "mature" user was familiar with... Seeing as there was a month between when I called and when I actually would need the phone, I thanked the rep, ended the call, and thought nothing of it... Until this came a few days ago...
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| This is not the Droid I was looking for. |
The LG Fathom VS750. This ancient (2 years old) relic was a nightmare from the moment I powered it on. After taking a solid two minutes to boot, I realized I was in trouble from the moment I saw the windows logo. This phone, while globally capable, was definitely not an Android. It was running on the archaic Windows Mobile 6.5 platform, with which I had little to no experience. Initially trying to flip through the menus was extremely difficult as the screen basically needed you to punch it before it realized it was being touched. Eventually I gave up messing with the touch screen and resorted to using the buttons on the flip-out keyboard.
Once I got a handle on the navigation, my first order of business was to restore the user's contacts. The instructions that shipped with the phone suggested using Verizon Backup Assistant. Twenty minutes and a few Google searches later, I found out that
the LG Fathom doesn't support Backup Assistant. Fortunately I was able to import the majority of the user's contacts when I connected the phone to Exchange Active Sync, but anyone who didn't have their contacts saved in Gmail or Exchange wouldn't be able to import them if they received this phone.
Once I verified that calling and emailing were working properly, I attempted to give the user a quick crash course on her new phone. Needless to say, it didn't go so well. She wanted to know where
Talk to Me Cloud was installed and how to get to
Angry Birds for her plane ride. I showed her the Windows Market and their terrible translating programs that were available for $59.99, and explained to her that most (if not all) apps she was used to were not available on this platform. She begrudgingly accepted this explanation and took the phone home to play with it.
The next day she asked how to get the GPS software working properly. Since there was obviously no
Google Maps on a Microsoft phone, I spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out how to get VZ Navigator Global installed on the device. Eventually I gave up and called Verizon Wireless back, asking if there was any way to possibly get global GPS navigation installed on the phone. After another 20 minutes on the phone with the Verizon tech on the other end clicking through the phone menus as well, he informed me that the
LG Fathom doesn't support VZ Navigator Global. I thanked him and ended the call.
If anyone from the Verizon Global Travel Program is reading this I beg you to consider getting rid of this horrible device as soon as possible. These days people rely on so much more than simple calls and emails to get around. I for one know if I were going to Europe I would value a translator app and a functional GPS the same as calling and email capability, if not more so. If my phone were able to successfully translate on the fly I could at least ask to borrow someone else's phone to make an emergency call and GPS would ensure I never got lost.
The bottom line is, if you need an international cell phone for a trip and you know you need more than simple calling and email capability, don't go through the Verizon Global Travel Program unless you're absolutely sure you're getting exactly the right phone you want. Instead, see if a friend has a globally capable phone and ask if they'll call Verizon and switch devices for the duration of your trip. You can even go on Craigslist and buy a Droid 2 Global for less than $50... That's what I'll be doing. Either way, it's not work risking getting stuck with the Fathom.
