[snorkel]

Verizon cripples the OS on their phones so that no content can be downloaded to the phone other than what Verizon sells. In fact Verizon even locks out USB and Bluetooth file transfers from the phones I've tried. I don't see how a company with that kind of business model can be a useful host of the iPhone platform. It'll be interesting to see how they cripple it.

[Timothee]

I doubt that Apple will let this happen. I have had a couple phones with AT&T and they were crippled too: every single thing links to a store (wallpapers, ringtones, apps...); but they don't have a single thing on the iPhone, not even their logo.

Apple tends to not deliver something if it's not ready for prime-time and I would expect them not to have a phone with Verizon if Verizon insists on adding stuff. Plus, I would think it would increase the chances of people jailbreaking the phones, thus removing a big chunk of revenue from app sales for Apple.

[seren6ipity]

If Verizon cripples the device, jailbreaking will provide Apple an opportunity for revenue from app store.

[cjbos]

I had a verizon blackberry that wasn't crippled that way.

I think they might be more open with smart phones with a data plan than non-smart phones though

[iron_ball]

I have a Windows Mobile Verison smartphone, and I can fiddle with the data all I want. It takes third-party apps to back up EVERYTHING, or edit the registry, but that shouldn't be surprising. Plain ol' Windows ActiveSync is enough to go in and monkey with the filesystem at will.