We have moved into the 2nd half of December and still no word on the Odyssey.
The funny thing is, you can search on Amazon and order screen protectors and cases for the phone, but Verizon still seems to think that hiding the specs of the device, status of release and pricing information is somehow beneficial as opposed to actually marketing the product or at least releasing some information to keep a minimal buzz going.
While I ordered a HTC 8x for my son, I am not personally a fan of beats audio and really do need an SD card slot so this phone is not for me.
The 822 meets my hardware needs, but there is something about the phone itself that just makes me go... meh... but in the end, if the Odyssey turns out to be a dud or a no-show, it is probably what I will end up with, assuming I stay with a WP8 device, as my dream of a 7" tablet/cell phone combo is not likely to become reality.
So before I pull the trigger and budget my upgrade + accessories for next month... a little information would be nice.
Agreed.
I have been off contract with Verizon for over a year but still paying each month for my samsung phone. (a basic non-smartphone) that slides out to a keyboard. I have been ready for a smartphone since windows 8 finally came out but the 8x and 822 either lack the memory or have a less desirable screen size.
I have been holding out for the odyssey hoping verizon will come out with a better windows 8 phone but with no feedback from them I am sorely getting temped to jump to AT&T for the lumia 920. Verizon really dropped the ball in not having a good flagship type windows 8 phone on release day. The 8x doesn't quite meet that because the lack of an expandable memory slot.
In the same boat. Been off contract for many months on a tired, buggy Moto Android device. Waiting for the Samsung Odyssey, but am losing patience. Got my hands on a Nokia 920 over the weekend and am considering going back to AT&T to get it if there is no announcement soon. Not interested in the 822 or 8x.
Me too. The 920 beats the Samsung in the camera department anyway. We have three lines on our family contract, and we're all getting pretty damn impatient to get new phones. We've been waiting for the Samsung, but the arrogance shown by the lack of information coming from Verizon is getting to be pretty annoying. Until now I've tried to avoid AT&T, but they're starting to look pretty good right now. Verizon, your time is running out.
Agreed with you guys above. Has anyone else also seen where in some sites they seem to be implying that the VZW Odyssey might actually have much differerent specs than the ATIV S? Screen more along the line of the 822...I'm not sure why? But I still really dont understand why the hold up with regard to this particular phone? I hvae to believe that the holdup is all on the VZW side of the house, not with Samsung. I'm still holding out. I've been using the HTC Trophy when VZW first released the new Windows Phone. So I really enjoy the system, I'm just not all that happy with how most of the current phones are specced out.
Notice how most "high end" phones now lack sd? I read on one site that the reason was the availability of "cloud" storage and 4G here in the states....thats not always the case. So I'd really enjoy seeing a high end phone with that sd slot. I might have gone ahead and gone for the HTC 8X if it had had the sd slot, and not sure about waiting the 3 months just to see if the 920 will come to VZW. COME ON VZW...get with the program!
I'm inclined to think that they have so much vested in android that they dont want to hurt that side of their business.
Anyway...I guess its back to waiting....Maybe I should just switch over and go with the 920....
Also waiting on more than just rumor on the supposed Microsoft Surface Phone.....
the carriers would obviously prefer no sd slot so you are forced to use the cloud, which will require more data use. look at the htc DNA. amazing specs and would have been my choice, hands down......EXCEPT for the fact that there's no external storage and only 16 gigs internal (only 11 formatted for use!!!). however, i wouldn't say that all of the "high end phones" are moving in this direction. the note II, gsiii, and razr hd all have them, which is why i'd take any of them over the DNA (i went with the note ii), and if i wanted a windows device, this is also the reason i would go with the htc over the samsung, if the samsung won't have an sd slot. hopefully, it will have at least 32 gigs. 16 just isn't acceptable (with no sd option) in 2012, or really 2011 for that matter. i've got nearly 20 gigs just in music alone. i simply can't get a phone that i would have to stream my music to from the cloud. that may have been acceptable when we had unlimited data, but not now. i don't want to transition from constantly monitoring minutes, to constantly monitoring my data.
Mmmm..perhaps...but I believe that most of those phones were already in production if not about to head out. I fully agree with you on the rest, but am still inclined to think that about some of the more upper tier phones.
As for the data vs sd card issue? I wish I still had the link, but it referenced someone over at HTC as to why the DNA didn't have it and the HTC Butterfly (Japanese release of DNA) does. Apparently he/she cited the above reasons I stated for the DNA not having the sd slot. It was just an overall assumption (possible incorrect, but...... who knows). Look at the iphone5, no sd...the two premier Windows 8 phones..the HTC 8X and the Nokia Lumia 920 also...no sd (the ativ s/odyssey isnt out yet in the US and I've seen 2 different sets of specs for it), and the HTC DNA...also no sd slot.
But again, I completely agree with most of what you said. 8, 16, even 32 gigs is not truly just acceptable anymore. With most apps (applications, programs) taking up more and more memory, plus music, vids, pictures, etc... and on top of that not everyone has access to 4G or can afford it, or cloud services, or common place wifi. That said I really think that a micro sd slot should be a standard feature on smartphones.
Too, one set of specs Ive seen has the samsung odyssey with great specs and an sd card slot...the other one not so great specs...it seems like a lot of phones that come to the us (not all, but some) keep getting "tuned" down for some reason....i suspect the carrier in some places... Sad truth here, is that a lot of folks that get smartphones arent all that tech oriented and do look at the specs, although they may not understand what they mean...so for MSFT to fall behind sure doesnt help push Windows Phone 8 down the road.
In any event, I certainly hope that they will soon offer more choices regarding Windows Phone 8, as I really enjoyed (am still) my HTC Trophy with Win Phone 7, despite my GREAT disappointment at MSFT cutting Win Phone 7 out and for all intents and purposes dropping it by the wayside.
I'd really love to see the rumored Microsoft Surface Phone (or Xbox Phone), and some of the specs that are being rumored.
if the platform takes off, then they will offer much more choice. it has yet to prove itself though (as far as demand goes). it's like anything, if people want it, they will make it. android became so popular so fast, that within a 2 years you could pick from a couple dozen models across all carriers. if microsoft can bite into the market, there will be plenty more windows phones to choose from, but until then, it willbe limited.
as far as the iphone goes, they have never had an sd slot, which is one of the many reasons i would never own one. my theory was always that apple did this to sell more memory to you directly (here...give us $100 more and you can have 32 gigs instead of 16), rather than allowing you to by a 16 gig class 10 micro sd for half that cost. the iphone has always been considered one of the nicest smartphones by the general public. so while i agree with you when you say "tuned down," i think the average user doesn't necessarily consider the lack of sd slot "tuned down." in fact, many people probably just consider these devices without it to be more like the iphone.
there's also been a handful of androids in the past with no sd slot so this isn't new. it seems to be pretty common on the windows phones though? however, nearly all of the higher end androids are still launching with sd slots. the note ii and razr max hd are both brand new and both have it. i'm sure the build and form factor comes in to play once in a while, as well as cost, but to me it just seems like most phones still have the sd slot, and for whatever reason, very few of them just don't. either way, it's a plus to verizon if it doesn't (which is another reason i won't buy a phone without it) since they not only sell you the larger data required for cloud based storage, but will also be glad to sell you part of their own cloud service....lol!!!
I have been waiting for the Odyssey as well. The other phones, that don't allow for a microsd, don't do it for me, they have insufficient memory onboard for my use. The cloud cannot currently be used in an airplane (at least most airplanes.)
The Ativ S Odyssey, based on the specs that we know (that still aren't confirmed) is what I think I am looking for... - and who knows how different it is from the UK and Austrian versions recently released.
There was a rumor that the Odyssey would be free with a contract; perhaps the reason its delayed is to get the Christmas sales before its brought out. Given how late it is in the month, I am beginning to suspect this is the case.
So I'm thinking post-Christmas sale.
There is definitely a money grab going on. They're hitting the gullible users first with the no SD card phones to sucker them into the higher data charges from streaming. Verizon played this shell game before. They released the Droid charge with an SD card then when the new top of the line came, the Galaxy Nexus to replace it, it didn't have an SD. That was at the same time they killed the unlimited plans. That was not a coincidence.
US cell companies are nasty operators, Verizon has been among the worst of them in this regard, especially in disabling features on phones and then charging you for services to replace those features. They used to disable the Bluetooth transfer on camera phones (even if you bought the phone outright) then charge you per picture to offload them. How's that for scruples?
The reason none of the new windows phones have an SD slot is because its a shell game by the networks. We'll see the new Samsung after Christmas after they've already milked all the gullible guinea pigs.
As for the iPhone not having an SD, you can get it 64 gig flavor already. Even the Samsung SD phones cap at 64. 32 onboard, 32 max on the SD reader.
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