[ColeHarris]

Well there you go, Verizon officially hates Windows Phone. Glad I switched to AT&T, 920 here I come!

[Ruined]

Yeah, like the Nokia 822, this Verizon phone is hideous compared to the original. :(

[ncxcstud]

This looks like a gray version of my Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 8 on it..

[inteller]

needs more logo...

[ny_yankees]

needs more logo...

a Verizon logo on the home screen button

[ryan.kruger]

8X and lack of options, here I come!

[mlm1950]

Wow. Sorry guys.

[odin09]

I love the look of the Odyssey. It looks just like the Ativ S just smaller. I'm not really considering Samsung myself but I think these phones are vastly underrated both in specs and looks.

[mikejets89]

Samsung drop the ball with this design thank god I didn't switch over to the dark side

[snowmutt]

The ATIV S was originally rumored for T Mobile, and was going to be the phone offered everywhere.

Then, it became the only device not even mentioned stateside.

Then, it became a Verizon exclusive, which was fine because "Odyssey" was the code name for the ATIV S while in development, and Big Red was not going to get the 920.

Now... 4.0"? A small block with none of the professional polish of the ATIV S?

Don't get me wrong- pack top end specs, high def screen and GS2 type exclusive on a 4.0" device, and you might hit a winner. Not everyone wants a 4.3" or bigger screen. But this just FEELS like a low end device, don't it? No promotion, very little excitement, hardly any leaks.


If you love Verizon's service and want a WP 8, no reason not to go 8X. If you want less expensive the 822 is going to be a great option. Unless this is full of surprises, this is a device that is going to be totally ignored.

Hope there are surprises.

[inteller]

all this is folks is a CDMA Focus 2. If it were white and sans logos you couldn't tell it apart from the ATT one. More recycled dreck from Samsung.

[inteller]

a Verizon logo on the home screen button

i was thinking a border of little check marks around the bezel and a watermark of Verizon etched into the screen.

[spiff_p239]

Seeing this doesn't even make me think twice about my decision to pre-order the 822. I'm not a huge fan of the styling at all.

[inteller]

the correct statement is you are not a fan of NO styling.

[Honestabebread]

"Verizon officially hates wP8"

Why? Because they have a low end option to compete with low end garbage Android phones? Verizon is so mean for trying to get WP8 market share. What jerks.

[snowmutt]

"Verizon officially hates wP8"

Why? Because they have a low end option to compete with low end garbage Android phones? Verizon is so mean for trying to get WP8 market share. What jerks.

IF this is a 4.0" mid range device (a ton of tech sites still are listing it as 4.8", so there is a lot of confusion), and IF it has mid-rnge specs, then you have a valid point. Despite our immense and fun bias, WP does not have the audience of Android, or even RIM, so 1 premium device and two mid-range is not a bad starting point at Verizon at all.

But the problem is that Verizon customers have been waiting so long for premium WP devices that a little disappointment at having only the 8X as a top end device is expected.

Not that we really know at this point. I still hope for a true ATIV S for Big Red, just designed different.

[The Last Byte]

The back of the device is similar to a blackberry, with the curves and all. Looks like a cool device though :P

[Honestabebread]

IF this is a 4.0" mid range device (a ton of tech sites still are listing it as 4.8", so there is a lot of confusion), and IF it has mid-rnge specs, then you have a valid point. Despite our immense and fun bias, WP does not have the audience of Android, or even RIM, so 1 premium device and two mid-range is not a bad starting point at Verizon at all.

But the problem is that Verizon customers have been waiting so long for premium WP devices that a little disappointment at having only the 8X as a top end device is expected.

Not that we really know at this point. I still hope for a true ATIV S for Big Red, just designed different.

I'm just saying its stupid to say Something like that without knowing the specs or anything. And still. Verizon has 3 models and each store will have at least 4 Reps carrying a WP8 device.

[derek533]

Verizon officially sucks now. They said they were committed to WP8 and a third and viable alternative to iOS/Android. In order to do that, you have to at least have one "flagship" phone.

I'm sorry, while the 8X is nice, I don't consider a $200 device with 16gb non-expandable memory, to be a hero phone. Nice yes, but top-tier, that's arguable at best for this phone.

I think the whole "it's the network" thing is getting to their heads to be honest especially considering how much they're asking us to pay each month.

[derek533]

a Verizon logo on the home screen button

Like this?!

[ny_yankees]

Like this?!

Click to view quoted image

ahhahhaha yep. Soo ugly

[steve_w_7]

This is a phone for all you nostalgia buffs. If you have a longing for the glory days of phone design - way back in 2010 - then this is for you! It's a real classic! It's got enough grey plastic and fake chrome to make you pine for a simpler time.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Verizon officially sucks now. They said they were committed to WP8 and a third and viable alternative to iOS/Android. In order to do that, you have to at least have one "flagship" phone.

I'm sorry, while the 8X is nice, I don't consider a $200 device with 16gb non-expandable memory, to be a hero phone. Nice yes, but top-tier, that's arguable at best for this phone.

I think the whole "it's the network" thing is getting to their heads to be honest especially considering how much they're asking us to pay each month.

Bull. Most people don't buy flagship phones.

Verizon's growth has been outpacing AT&T's despite not having the same kind of "high end" phones. Their growth last quarter was excellent and they continue to add new customers. A huge part of the reason why is because they understand most of their customers quite well.

The Nokia 810/820/822 will outsell the 920. I'd bet the 820 will even outsell the 920 on AT&T because the 820 is closer to what most people want. Most consumers do not come to forums like this or look for 1280x768 displays.

What makes a phone a "flagship" phone anyways? The 822 has the same processor and built-in GPU as the Lumia 920 or the HTC 8X. Its display has greater pixel density than a 15" laptop running at 1920x1080 (about 147 ppi compared to 214 ppi on the 810/820/822), but that is somehow subpar. Yes, 1280 by 720 or 768 is greater, but it is also a greater drain on power and most consumers really don't care. It would be a much bigger deal if the display for 10" or 20" or even greater, but on a 4" or 4.3" display is it that big of a deal?

For me, no. If I get a phone with 720p or 768p then fine, but it's not something I pine for and I am a techy. I was an early HD adopter and bought Blu-Ray in its first year of release, so I like good displays. But on a phone? 480p (DVD quality) is just fine.

So what else makes for a flagship? Seems like the flagships for WP8 all have something in common with iPhone - no expandable storage. I only need to get a 16GB microSD card in the 822 to match the 920's storage. I could buy a 64GB card and just blow the Lumia 920 out of the water. The 822 is capable of capturing more pictures, more 1080p video, and storing more music - and I can buy multiple cards to store things on. That's a huge advantage that these "flagship" phones don't have.

So what makes the 920 flagship? A camera with OIS and some very impressive low light capabilities. If that's your thing then good for you - that's your phone. I bet the 8MP camera in the 822 and the Odyssey will be fine. In fact, I'd bet the 822's camera is a match for the 8X, the other "flagship" phone.

The 920 might be a flagship because of apps, but the 822 gets the same Nokia apps - and it also gets Datasense, something everybody else has to wait for. Unless you're on an unlimited plan (and if you just switched, you're not), that's a handy feature.

The 822 has super sensitive touch. True, it doesn't have the fancier case, but I'd bet it will prove plenty durable. It has Gorilla Glass 2 as well.

So how is the 822 not flagship? It's display has greater pixel density than most tablet, laptop, and desktop displays - just not quite up to the 920. Yet it still has 7.5 pixels for every millimeter. That's better than the monitor I'm looking at right now that's running 1920x1080. I'm just trying to figure out how that's terrible. Most people won't see much of a difference on the screen, but they will notice a difference in heat generation and battery consumption. The HTC 8X has the same size battery as the 822, but I bet it won't last as long with its "flagship" display. Less storage & less battery life. Flagship indeed.

We still don't know about the Odyssey. If it has the same processor as the 822, the 920, and the 8X in a smaller package, how is it lackluster? It has microSD expansion. If it has an 8MP camera, how is it not a flagship? What if it has NFC and Qi charging? Still not a "flagship" because it doesn't have the display? The display could be 800x480, but it also could be 1280x768 (same aspect ratio). So would it still not be flagship if it is 1280x768 with a greater pixel density than the 920? Does a phone need to have at least a 4.5" display to be "flagship"? Guess that means the iPhone 5 isn't flagship.

Let's remember that the iPhone is still very popular. Maybe Verizon decided they wanted a WP8 to compete DIRECTLY with it from a size standpoint? Take a look at its size compared to the iPhone 4S. Hmmm, maybe Verizon is positioning a solid WP8 product as an iPhone alternative? You think someone looking for an iPhone is going to be happy that the top phone for the other guy is bigger?

Verizon wants to make the iPhone sales drop. I have heard the Odyssey is supposed to be spec'd much like the ATIV S - it is VZW's version of it. I had not heard anything about size, but it could very well be Snapdragon 1.5GHZ dual core with Adreno 225 and 16GB and 32GB variants available. I don't expect wireless charging, but I do expect NFC.

If it is those things, does that make it non-flagship?

Trust me, VZW would love to have the 920 but they will not subsidize like AT&T. Nokia is missing the boat by making that demand of them.

But to say VZW is not supporting WP8? They are rolling out the exact same number of phones as they did when they launched Droid. They will bring another to market next month with more on the way. They didn't launch WP7 until about 8 months in and then only did one phone and nothing else. That is what non-commitment looks like.

Verizon does not put most of their customers in premium phones. Most of the people that care a lot about the latest and greatest are already with AT&T and most of those who leave VZW for AT&T end up back with VZW in two years. Switchers will notice an increase in dropped calls, an increase in signal loss (AT&T still has a lot of people dropping from 4G to 3G all the way down to EDGE, especially in urban areas - it's the nature of their technology and a reason why VZW went to CDMA.

And Verizon's care for their network has put them ahead of schedule on LTE deployment. They will have LTE coverage over their whole network by next summer - a year and a half before AT&T finishes. By the time AT&T is done, Verizon will already have been turning up the speed dial on their LTE network and will begin deploying devices that will have higher top ends through use of a broader spectrum.

I'll wait and see what the specs are on the Samsung. Just because it is smaller doesn't mean its low end. It may just mean it is a the direct competitor to the iPhone that Verizon craves.

[ColeHarris]

"Verizon officially hates wP8"

Why? Because they have a low end option to compete with low end garbage Android phones? Verizon is so mean for trying to get WP8 market share. What jerks.

I don't mind that its low end (sort of), but just because its low end doesn't mean it has to be ugly beyond belief. Also low end phones just don't make sense anymore, why would you buy a low end phone when you can get a last generation flagship for the same price if not less? Look at how well the GS3 sold and is still selling on Verizon so why wouldn't they learn from that success and make a similarly specced phone with WP8? I get this feeling that Verizon's Executives are a bunch of 90 year old men that learned marketing and sales in the 50's, they did this same thing with WP7 they sold one low end phone and then complained that it didn't sell well (no **** Verizon!) and then blamed Windows Phone which is down right stupid! Anyways I digress, I suppose the 8X is a decent phone at least... ughhh... :dry

[Honestabebread]

I think most of the WP8 users are turning into Android-like spec freaks. My Trophy runs better than my LG Intuition and my wife's Galaxy S3. Windows Phone is as great as it is because it runs flawlessly on midrange hardware. The Lumia 822 is a fantastic phone, the build quality is cheap but it is a GREAT phone. The 8X is a sexy beast and in my opinion is the perfect phone. The Odyssey will probably be awesome. Even if it has a 1GHz dual core, a 480x800 screen, it'll still run better than any Android in its class.

Also, Verizon is making a requirement of 4 reps per store MINIMUM to carry a Windows Phone 8 device. We're having launch parties the day it comes out in stores. They're giving reps t-shirts and stuff to promote it. Just like we get shirts when Droid phones launch. So yeah. Verizon is supporting it. Seems like a company that grew 1.8 million subscribers in one quarter would be the source of less ridicule.