It's official: YouTube and Verizon ink deal

Well folks, we told you just over three weeks ago about "advanced talks" between Verizon and YouTube, and it looks like as of today, the two lovebirds have just tied the knot officially. with their joint service will launch next month. However, there are a couple of points to take stock of: first, it's exclusively on Verizon, which means it's going to run on V CAST -- costing you an extra $15 a month, that is, assuming you have a V CAST-capable handset. (According to one analyst, Roger Entner, only about 10 percent of Verizon's 20 million users with such phones have signed up for the service so far.) Second, Verizon's exclusivity is only going to be for "a short time," and it's more than likely that T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular and friends have already been knocking at YouTube's door. Third, as you probably know, YouTube is a two-way street (you know, that whole "user-generated" thing we've been hearing so much about) and as such, Reuters is reporting that you'll be able to post videos directly from your handset with the use of a "five-digit short code instead of an email address." Finally, the Mercury News points out that you won't have access to all of YouTube, just what Verizon decides that you'll want via its proprietary YouTube channel. So that means you can probably forget about catching episodes of "Ask A Ninja" on your bus ride home. Still, diluted YouTube is better than no YouTube; we can almost hear thousands of freshly-bought VX9900s flipping open to check out the content already.

Read - Reuters
Read - San Jose Mercury News

[Brennan @ Nov 28th 2006 5:05PM]

wait, so Verizon will have YouTube videos on their cell phones now or what?

[OOober Dude @ Nov 28th 2006 5:10PM]

Yea apparently verizon found a New way.To Charge Customers for
another Crappy V-Cast Service..

[LJKelley @ Nov 28th 2006 5:18PM]

Verizon sucks... as does thier network. Just get a PocketPC with unlimited internet from a better network and you can watch YouTube.

I think some Symbian smartphones can have flash as well...

[riggs @ Nov 28th 2006 5:46PM]

"Verizon sucks... as does thier network. Just get a PocketPC with unlimited internet from a better network and you can watch YouTube.

I think some Symbian smartphones can have flash as well..."

seeing as you name no other company with a "better network", im going to assume you have no idea what youre talking about.

[ciq @ Nov 28th 2006 5:29PM]

Does this mean Google inked a deal with Verizon? I'm not talking about the inclusiveness of the agreement just the relationship between the two. Or is there already a setup between Verizon and Google?

[LJKelley @ Nov 28th 2006 5:56PM]

T-Mobile or Cingular for one, obviously go for Cingular for 3G UTMS and EDGE, as T-Mobile only as 2.5G EDGE.

Cingular has been researched as the most reliable network with least dropped calls. GSM/UTMS is a proven technolodgy used by over 80% of Mobiles worldwile, not like the priopatary stuff used on Verizon.

[Rev. Nathan @ Nov 28th 2006 6:04PM]

Yeah right, homie. Orb is workin' on this, and everyone is gonna be in on YouTube to go

[AndrewNeo @ Nov 28th 2006 6:06PM]

To address a few things, I'm sure 10% of Verizon's customers have signed up for it because A. not everyone has a V-Cast capable phone, my family just got new phones, theirs were LG VX5xxx (the free ones, not the Chocolate) and aren't V-Cast capable, while I got a RAZR v3m that is. And B., EV-DO isn't available in my area, or many of Verizon's coverage areas for that matter. So no V-Cast for me.

In reguard to LJKelley, while Verizon's CDMA is 'propriatary' in the sense that the CDMA technology is hoarded by Qualcomm, it's not like it's Verizon-only. If it was, why is most of Japan (including NTT DoCoMo) and Alltel over here using it?

I'm going out of town next week and intend on using the free 30 days of V-Cast service since the place I'm going to has EV-DO service. If YouTube takes off on V-Cast I might get it when they get it over in my area (or I move somewhere that has it.)

[LJKelley @ Nov 28th 2006 6:15PM]

CDMA is more propiatary in the fact the generally a phone purchased from Verizon will not work with Sprint or another CDMA carrier, because the alter the phone and tech to their needs.

GSM however allows for a phone purchased on any network to work another network (either by just putting in a new sim card, or new sim card + unlocking code). Yes, most GSM phones are locked but it is totally legal (in most jurisdictions) to unlock yourself by any tools needed. Aslo T-Mobile and Cingular and most carries worldwide give the unlock code at request should the term of the contract in which you obtained that phone be met.

As a person that has used Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and Cingular/AT&T I can comment that the GSM networks perform better than their propietary counterparts. Also if your phone does die (which has happened to me) you can switch real easy, with no phone call needed. I have also used when living abroad Orange UK, T-Mobile UK, Telenor, and Netcom. Overall the performance on GSM is better, and when I had UTMS 3G with Telenor is was amazing.

[Jamar @ Nov 28th 2006 7:10PM]

I'm pretty sure that DoCoMo doesn't use CDMA. It's called PDC.

[JAG @ Nov 28th 2006 7:48PM]

Uh! Whats next? Charging extra for browsing Yahoo or Google? Since when do the telcos think is OK to charge extra for the same content that is/was free? Only really, really dumb people will subscribe to this service.

[Chris K @ Nov 28th 2006 7:57PM]

Sprint users with unlimited internet and aplam treo 650 700p can do this already with Kinoma Player 4 installed ... you can even search... its sweet...!!!

-CK

[AndrewNeo @ Nov 28th 2006 7:57PM]

To Jamar: Wikipedia says so.
JAG: So, how exactly are you going to be able to watch YouTube for free on your phone, under normal circumstances? And you're not 'paying extra', you're paying for the V-Cast service which is extra. (Charging for extra features is always okay to telcos!)

[flamer's grill @ Nov 28th 2006 8:08PM]

Hey, I have a PPC-6700 on Sprint and I can already view YouTube. Unfiltered, too. And I get all the advantages of the combined coverage areas of Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular and Alletl, including data roaming on everyone except Verizon. For cheaper! And my ev-do is faster! AND CHEAPER! AND IN MORE PLACES THAN VERIZON!

This will still appeal to the masses of kids who have Verizon phones under their parents family plans, though. Probably a smart movie for Verizon.

[Vince @ Nov 28th 2006 8:10PM]

Docomo uses UMTS (or their FOMA variant of it) for 3G, and PDC for 2G. The Japanese network Au runs a CDMA/EV-DO network.

Qualcomm is the major patent holder and supplier in UMTS technology, so at least UMTS is as proprietary as CDMA and EV-DO.

You can migrate phones on a CDMA network, but the handset has to be registered by the network you are migrating it to, and would probably need to have some settings changed to do more than phone and SMS. This really isn't much different than what you have to do on a GSM / UMTS network anyway, so whatever.

YouTube on V-cast will probably be nice, but will probably only be a novelty for all but the biggest YouTube addicts.

[Mark @ the Nokia blog @ Nov 28th 2006 11:24PM]

When the Nokia N95 comes out, you can watch youtube in its built-in web browser using existing web connection. No extra charges per view, no restrictions, just like visiting youtube.com in your computer.
http://thenokiablog.com/2006/11/26/youtube-or-flash-works-fine-on-the-nokia-n95/

[Tachion @ Nov 29th 2006 12:18AM]

First off, CDMA isn't propiratary (sp?) in any sense. Much of the rest of the world that isn't Europe uses either CDMA or CDMA and GSM, just like here in the US (check out Verizon's roaming page if you don't believe me... Isreal, the Caribbean, much of South America, China, HK, Taiwan, etc. all use CDMA).

Second, the reason they can charge you extra for V-Cast is because streaming video uses a LOT more bandwidth than the tiny WAP 2.0 browser used to view Yahoo, so you're basically paying for increased bandwidth usage.

Third, the Smartphone argument is downright stupid. I can also go an buy a Smartphone on Verizon (i.e. the Q) or a full-fledged PocketPC phone and browse pretty much any site I want, including YouTube. I can guarantee you that for the non-Smart/PocketPC phones on other networks you do or will need to pay extra when a service such as V-Cast launches.


And as for what carrier is better? Arguing about that is pointless. Each has its pros and cons, so use the one that is best for you.

[Xavier @ Nov 29th 2006 9:24AM]

youtube is so massive and cool because ITS FREE why should we get charged twice for a service we are already paing for, cause we pay for the connection fee, now we have to pay to see the videos WE upload. So now we have to pay to get our content up and borwse it,so they can get rich at our expense, what do we get in return; crappy service, slower downloads. THIS SUCKS ASS. I want royaltee fees for all my videos in youtube then if they are gonna be charging custemers.... how about that verizon

[chosters @ Nov 30th 2006 3:30PM]

But, PlayLinc is giving away an Alienware EVERDAY to people that are using the service. I would say it is basicaly like Steam mixed with Xfire! The coolest thing about this, is that it can even play console games (yes, you XBOX and PlayStation girls and boys), and you can host servers on just about everything, right from your systems. Anyway, there is a contest for a until next month to win a FREE Alienware PC , all you have to do use Playlinc once a day, and you are entered into the daily drawing! It says on thier site, there is also a $40k Trackmania tournament going on.

[trigatch4 @ Oct 5th 2007 11:42PM]

I wonder if any features of the new Verizon Voyager took partnerships like this one with YouTube into consideration when building and designing it's features?