Verizon relents, promises to open GPS on some WinMo phones next year
Okay, so maybe the unlocking of the GPS on Verizon BlackBerrys wasn't an accident after all -- and maybe hell has frozen completely over. WMExperts is reporting an official statement released by the carrier claiming that GPS has remained locked down on many of its models simply because it hasn't met Verizon's "performance goals," which granted, sounds like a crock -- but to Verizon's credit, they're the ones getting the phone calls when things aren't working smoothly, not the phone's manufacturer. Still, when you consider that VZ Navigator runs a pricey $9.99 a month for WinMo devices, the financial motivation was certainly there to keep it locked down, so maybe customer dissatisfaction with the policy has reached a boiling point or Verizon is simply realizing that they're not milking enough money to bother. Specifically, the Touch Pro, Saga, and Omnia have all been mentioned as getting fully unlocked, standalone GPS via firmware updates in the first half of next year.
[Via Brighthand]
