Where I live, there are areas where only an analog signal is available as close as fifteen miles from me and extending from there. Urban areas are one thing, but rural areas quite another.

Grantizzle said:

muchdrama said:

Grantizzle said:
o.k., not really. it has been oput for almost a year now in disguise. it is called the 4500. it has more features than the 4400 and it rings louder. quit your bitchin. get out there and try out some new phones.

Uh, WHO was bitching again?

i read at least three posts from people calling verizon stupid for not continuing to manufacture this phone. so, a lot of people are bitching.

Three posts. Wow, the whole world has gone mad! Mad I tell you! Suck it up and move on.

Grantizzle said:

pizpiz80 said:
The 4500 is nothing like the "the redneck phone" 4400.

i know. it is much better

Redneck? Since when do rednecks have phones?

I disagree i think the 4500 is worse than the 4400. The "please say a command" thing is damn annoying.

you can opt to turn that off. you don;t have to use all the features on a phone.

pizpiz80 said:
I disagree i think the 4500 is worse than the 4400.

The PhoneScoop user reviews agree with you, piz. The 4400 had an avg user review score of 3.77, the 4500 had 3.71. Both had around 100 reviews each.

Seems like folks in general do not seem to view the 4500 as a major upgrade.

well, as I said before, you have to get the 4500 since verizon does not offer the 4400, they can under warranty replacement, but not new.

As I said, this is not about what phone is better between the 4500 or 4400, it is about verizon concentrating on the camera phones and all digital phones. There is only a couple of choices on the trimode phones with no camera.

I suggested the LG 5550, I have seen that phone on another server and it looks like a nice phone, and it works good for the guy, and, it DOES NOT have a camera, and IS A TRI-MODE PHONE....there are phones out there that verizon could offer its customers without the camera and tri-mode, it's not like they don't exist. I am not doubting that you like your 4500, great, I might...
(continues)

trucksmoveamerica said:
The all digital network is not that good yet to pull analog completely out, they need several more towers to get that job done

1) Do you have any idea how much digital towers cost?

2) Do you think it would make sense to install a couple hundred of those out in the middle of the deserts where maybe 30 people a month go off-roading or hiking? It'd be like installing sprinklers in the middle of the street.

I would say it would make sence to put a tower where they need one. I am not saying they need to put up towers in the middle of the desert. What I am saying is that the all digital network is not good enough to go without analog yet, so, they still need tri-mode phones available. There are still places that my signal is analog and the person with the all digital phone has no signal, so untill verizon and all other cell companies fill in those gaps with digital service trimode phones need to be offered. I hope you understand now what I am saying. .

What you say is clear and I totally concur. Today I was told, however, that Verizon will be making a major announcement some time in March to the effect that many areas now serviced only by analog will be converted to digital coverage during this year. I don't know what kind of credence to put in this information, inasmuch as I've been told for two years now that digital only coverage was "right around the corner".