Verizon nabs the Blitz: someone has thought of the children

This one has been in the works for a while, but Verizon has appropriated UTStarcom's TXT8010 my-first-QWERTY phone for tweens and dropped it onto an unsuspecting market with the new "Blitz" moniker. The slider phone will run you $70 with a two year contract, is available now, and includes a few perks like VCAST Music, a microSD slot, 1.3 megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth to keep your jaded child interested.

[Serge @ Aug 25th 2008 10:09AM]

I saw a kid at the downtown Boston apple store the other day; must have been 12 years old, 14 max. he had a 16gig iphone, and he was at the genius bar asking if the apple care covers scratches to his 160gig ipod classic that he dropped.

even though i realize that this kid was obviously a spoiled brat with parents far to rich to do any 'real' parenting, doesn't this crappy phone insult children's intelligence? just because they are younger does not mean you can try and push a hideous blue pos on them that resembles blackberrys of 2002.

[Richard @ Aug 25th 2008 10:15AM]

Wow... have a bad childhood?

Maybe the kid is just *really* good and doesn't screw up. Maybe his parents like to reward that behavior with electronics he is interested in. That's how mine were.

[Serge @ Aug 25th 2008 10:33AM]

if you are suggesting that rewarding a kid for positive behavior with $650 dollars worth of gadgets, then they must curb-stomp his face every time he is punished; assuming their positive reinforcement is equal to their negative punishments.

[fred @ Aug 25th 2008 10:43AM]

Yeah, the nerve of these bastards. Dont they know that Apple deserves their money more and they, if they were decent parents, would make their child and Apple happy, by buying the proper device for him?

Seriously your post was beyond bizarre.

[Maestro @ Aug 25th 2008 10:52AM]

Bitter...party of 1.

[Richard @ Aug 25th 2008 10:55AM]

"if you are suggesting that rewarding a kid for positive behavior with $650 dollars worth of gadgets, then they must curb-stomp his face every time he is punished; assuming their positive reinforcement is equal to their negative punishments."

Maybe he mows lawns as a part-time job? Maybe he saved up and bought them himself? Not everything has to be twisted into some sort of negative story. You seem really unbalanced. I weap for your children, or potential children if you don't have any yet.

[Serge @ Aug 25th 2008 11:08AM]

no, you're a towel!

you guys are missing my point: this phone looks like crap and probably is. if you are going to get your kid a phone, why not get him/her a decent phone.

i was making the example of the kid in the apple store to show that you don't have to make a phone look like it belongs in toys'r'us to appeal to young kids.

as for that kid, i know he was a spoiled brat because he acted like it. it doesn't take much to figure out a kid and what his parents are just by observing him for a short time in a public environment. are all kids with iphones spoiled brats? absolutely not. but that one was.

[El Taco @ Aug 25th 2008 11:18AM]

I have a 32 gig ipod touch and an LG Dare, which is are about the same cost, and I'm 14. Don't assume they're spoiled, because I saved up my money ($30 a month plus a little extra money here and there, which is less than what most of my classmates get) to get those things. The only thing my parents paid for is the plan on my Dare, which is a nationwide basic family plan with 700 minutes (the minimum) to share with my sister plus I have only 250 texts and I have to pay for my own insurance since I lose stuff easily. I'm not spoiled, it's just a matter of priority. What would I rather get, 4 wii games (which I bought the wii with allowance money and all the games) that I'll never finish, or an LG Dare? Maybe that kid is like my and has his priorities straight.

[Ryan @ Aug 25th 2008 12:30PM]

So does Applecare cover scratches on a dropped 160G iPod Classic?

[nano2e @ Aug 25th 2008 12:35PM]

Gentlemen please....his post makes sence if you put it to the tune of "Werewolves of London"...

[TareX @ Aug 25th 2008 1:13PM]

Whenever my mother told me "We can't afford that" at a toy store, I became a better person.
I'm sure many of my friends had amazing gadgets, but I was happy with my gameboy after an entire year of straight A+'s. The best punishment for parents who buy iPhones for their kids is to wait 10 years and see what failures their children grow up into.

[Phoenix @ Aug 25th 2008 1:48PM]

...I'm a 15 year old with an HTC Kaiser on a $80 a month contract (18 months).... I've had them since I was 14.

I'm intelligent and phones are my passion and what I want to work in when I'm older. This level of phone is an investment for me, and i understand that until my contract is up I can't envy the newest phone.

OK it's not the same, but not all kids with good tech are spoiled.

[Amazed @ Aug 26th 2008 11:53AM]

@El Taco

You are the most articulate 14 year old I have ever encountered ( I subbed at high schools during winter breaks in college )

*applause*

[Jordan @ Aug 25th 2008 5:01PM]

I worked as a camp counselor over the summer and bought myself a Motorola z6c and a 16gb Creative Zen. I also purchased myself a 60GB Playstation 3 in April 2007, which I saved up for eight months for. By the way, I'm 15 now. Does that mean I'm spoiled rotten too?

...on a different note, kids who get paid for their existence (allowance) are spoiled. I do random jobs for my parents every once and a while, which is my only source of income during the school year.

[AG @ Aug 28th 2008 2:35PM]

Wow, alright so maybe the kid wasn't spoiled, that wasn't Serge's main point but it seems everyone is focusing on that instead of what he was trying to point out: spoiled present or self-bought, the iPhone is a much more advanced device then the Blitz; and you don't have to assume anyone under 18 is a moron by pandering to them with this product. Having said that, I've played with the phone and its pretty cool. In fact, I had no idea it was being marketed as a tween device since it functions the same as any other Verizon phone.

[wcnghj @ Aug 25th 2008 10:11AM]

Heh, on prepaid it's only $99. I'd be skipping the contract on this one.

[tande @ Aug 25th 2008 10:44AM]

Yeah but then you've got use it pre-paid for 6 months so you can't use it with your normal contract.

I was wanting to get the pre-paid one as a filler phone to use between the dying flip I have now and the BB Thunder/Storm/Lighting/Whatever so I'm glad its availible to post pay people now.

[wazzupalex @ Aug 25th 2008 10:16AM]

BabyBerry anyone? Actually quite cute. Millions of school kids are now free to spread salacious gossip from under their desks at three times the speed of predictive texting. Lawd Elpus!

[Michael Scrip @ Aug 25th 2008 12:37PM]

Too bad most kids now have real Blackberries. I work in dance studios... and I see tons of pre-teens with BB pearls.

[Richard @ Aug 25th 2008 10:17AM]

Phone looks cool! My first QWERTY was a little Motorola that looked like a pager, but it flipped open to revel the keyboard and a monotone screen. Only had speakerphone on it and of course, no camera.

This is definitely much better than my old phone.

[gonintendo @ Aug 25th 2008 10:18AM]

why is the screen off center?

[Randavance @ Aug 25th 2008 10:20AM]

I hate tweens with cell phones.

I personally think the bluetooth is overkill if this really is targeted for the youth. It's mainly used by people driving, at least here in New Jersey where it's now illegal to hold a hand held device while behind the wheel.

[TDG01 @ Aug 25th 2008 10:34AM]

I don't understand this marketing to "tweens"....to me that thing looks like a little tykes play thing a 3 year old would be happy with....I have two 9-year olds and a 12-year old....there is no way in the world they would want this over say, an ENV2...also, let me add that the stereotype of kids with electronics, specifically cell/smartphones, being spoiled brats is ignorant. Are there spoiled kids with iPhones, you bet. But there were spoiled kids before cell phones ever existed, and there exists a bunch of kids with nothing, that are more bitter, nasty, and ungrateful than those that have. At the levels of accessibility now a days, these devices are commodities more than elite status symbols... IMO, raise your kids right and reward them with what you can and what you feel they deserve.

[holla06 @ Aug 25th 2008 12:53PM]

yeah the marketing to tweens is crazy. but hey that's business, get money where ever you can says the big corporate company.

[Freakin Ijit @ Aug 25th 2008 7:33PM]

> I don't understand this marketing to "tweens"...

Hanna Montana is marketed to tweens.

Hanna Montana is a BILLION dollar enterprise.

Tweens Rule!

[cantankerous @ Aug 25th 2008 10:48AM]

so verizon's kiddy phone has A2DP and the friggin iphone doesn't??

nice!

[El Taco @ Aug 25th 2008 11:20AM]

ya its ridiculous right?

[Joppa @ Aug 25th 2008 1:27PM]

MMS too.

[Richard @ Aug 25th 2008 1:48PM]

Cut and paste?

[tiuk @ Aug 25th 2008 10:49AM]

Nice to see more and more cheap qwerty phones. Not everyone needs a smartphone, but many can still benefit from a keypad.

[Brett @ Aug 25th 2008 10:50AM]

Portrait slider with little wasted front space? I love it. Now if someone could come up with a smartphone with the same form factor and some good hardware behind it, I'd probably own one.

[Al @ Aug 25th 2008 2:49PM]

Are you being sarcastic?

Lets see, Samsung has the old i730, i830 both on Sprint and Verizon. On gsm networks there is SGH-i760, the i620, i640 and so on.

[Blake @ Aug 25th 2008 11:27AM]

My little brother and I were just discussing how he wanted a new phone. He loved the Dare but its just too expensive for someone his age. I just showed him the Blitz and we both agreed its perfect for him. Good one verizon!

[FourthNail @ Aug 25th 2008 12:01PM]

My 12yo daughter's gone through a couple lower end phones that I've bought until she bought herself a refurbished Treo. Treats it like it was gold and has not dropped it yet. Something to be said for valuing what you invest in I guess.

[cwj @ Aug 25th 2008 12:34PM]

I find adults with iPhones bratty.

I find middle-aged ppl with iPhones...strange. They always seem to me like they're trying to figure out how to use it.

Lessee...

blend
doom
crysis
rickroll
first
robot overlords

(seacrest: out)

[inteller @ Aug 25th 2008 12:54PM]

ATT needs to pick one of these up. I'll be damned if I turn over a Blackberry to a tween.

[TareX @ Aug 25th 2008 1:16PM]

Serge I see your point... I guess most of us -including myself- where responding to a totally different matter.
More of a reason why this phone isn't for children is the lack of a 320X240 screen... for GBA roms :)

But genetics say if parents are stupid enough to buy him this phone, he'll be stupid enough not to notice.

[Serge @ Aug 25th 2008 1:43PM]

well put

[Jack @ Aug 25th 2008 2:18PM]

This was on a Verizon Wireless "Zone" site a month ago.

[AlphaTeam @ Aug 25th 2008 2:30PM]

What happened to the FireFly?!

[CyberBeach @ Aug 25th 2008 5:02PM]

Yeah, when we were kids we had to walk 6 miles through the snow to get to school each day, and chop firewood to earn the money for schoolbooks...

No wait, that was Abraham Lincoln.

[Vincent @ Aug 25th 2008 6:24PM]

ewwww. this thing looks like something that a 4 year old would play with.... I mean, they could have just gone with regular colors. honestly, we don't need phones made for kids.

[Rafael Illan @ Aug 26th 2008 1:26AM]

i remember when i was a tween the mobile device i had was a walkie talkie, not very good range and voice quality sucked. my dad had a tandy backpack cellphone that looked something like this http://www.oreillynet.com/etel/blog/images/old_mobile.jpg. so yes i have a little of a hard time giving a tween a cellphone so that he or she can text me to bankruptcy.

[Zboy613 @ Sep 21st 2008 2:34AM]

Text you into bankruptcy? It's called a $10/month unlimted sms/mms plan (for you prepay folks, that's $20/month as of the 30th of this month). That bundle plan has saved my wallet. Between my and the Mrs, we are somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 messages a month.

As for the phone, yes it's a decent phone. Though with that being said, it's also utter crap. Working with this phone on a daily basis for prepay, it's unbelievable that VZW would put this phone out and then drop the ball on it being fully functional. Speaking solely for prepay, this phone is not capable of purchasing Get It Now ring tones or using the mobile web. We've been told that this is the status for at least the rest of the year. Normally, I'd say this is a plus because at least this way your kids wont be buying ring tones all day long on your dime except for the fact that the phone will allow you to ATTEMPT to purchase said ring tones and will charge you for them but will give nothing in return and force you to be on the phone with a representative to get your money back.

[sean @ Aug 26th 2008 12:18PM]

i think it looks pretty cool if i was younger im 13 now and i have a palm centro

[Phoenix987 @ Aug 26th 2008 10:58PM]

Hmm, yes, let's make it even easier for the teenagers with cell phones to text us out of house and home.

It's kinda pathetic that friends of mine are able to send 2500 texts a month. If they got one of these they'd probably send twice as many...

Looks easy to use, which I guess is the point.