Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    Verizon’s HTC ThunderBolt, iPhone 4 Are Causes for Conversation: Report

    By
    Michelle Maisto
    -
    April 22, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      People are talking about the HTC ThunderBolt on the Verizon Wireless network.

      According to SocialNuggets, a provider of “market intelligence” that it culls from various social-media sources, scores for the ThunderBolt have been rising regarding both it “Net Perception,” or how many more positive than negative sentiments are being chattered about it, and its Social Nuggets Index-a measure that combines its Net Perception score and a “Share of Voice” parameter that measures mentions instead of sentiment.

      SocialNuggets also breaks down the social conversation, as it were, to show which features are being talked about most.

      The HTC ThunderBolt “does very well in the battery life, service provider (thanks to Verizon), and its overall body design,” the company shared in an April 19 blog post. “It does OK for connectivity, while we would have expected it to perform better on that matrix since it has most of the connectivity features and certainly better than Apple iPhone 4, which performed poorly on that matrix.

      The ThunderBolt scored a high .20 regarding its battery life and operating system, respectively, and a 0.15 for connectivity on the SocialNuggets Index, according to March 2011 data. By comparison, people were talking more about the iPhone 4’s hardware and service provider. It scored a 0.24 on the former, a 0.12 on the latter, and a 0.08 regarding connectivity.

      “[The] iPhone 4 does very well in the overall hardware feature compared to others and also does better in Customer Service (thanks to Apple Stores), Reliability and Performance,” the company explained in an April 18 blog post. “However, Connectivity (lack of 4G, HDMI), Body Design and Camera certainly drag its sentiment down. Since the availability of iPhone 4 in Verizon, we have seen its Service Provider feature improve but there are still lot of negative issues that pop up in the discussions from network issues with AT&T where the majority of iPhone customers still are.”

      When Verizon Wireless introduced the HTC ThunderBolt, its first 4G smartphone to take advantage of its 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network, it boldly priced it at $250-$51 higher than just about every high-end smartphone on the market, including Verizon’s 16GB iPhone 4.

      In fairness, the HTC handset comes with a preinstalled 32GB microSD card, and both AT&T and Verizon price their 32GB iPhone 4s at $299. There’s also, of course, its 4G capabilities.

      Still, in this game there is the iPhone and there is everything else. Verizon’s gamble appears to have paid off, however. During Verizon’s April 21 earnings call, CFO Fran Shammo said that during the quarter, 54 percent of Verizon’s new customer additions came thanks to the iPhone 4 and the ThunderBolt.

      AT&T, which like T-Mobile offers the HSPA+ flavor of 4G, offers the 4G-enabled Motorola Atrix and T-Mobile offers the myTouch 4G smartphone. Sprint, whose 4G is based on WiMax technology, offers a slew of 4G handsets, including the HTC Evo 4G and Samsung Epic 4G.

      There have been debates, presented ad nauseam, regarding what constitutes 4G and a true 4G phone, as well as accusations about whether 4G devices are being sold without 4G networks turned on. (We’re looking at you, AT&T.)

      Verizon believes the ThunderBolt is above such chatter.

      “This is a true 4G device. You can put as much lipstick on 3 to make it a 4, but this is truly a 4G device with the speeds of 4G, and I think people are impressed and people will make their decisions,” Verizon’s Shammo said during the carrier’s earnings call. “Out of the gate, we’re very happy with the volume.”

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×