Verizon’s XV6800 Release Date: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

Based on my recent conversations with Verizon employees, I think XV 6800 is going to be released in or around November.

Now, please keep in mind that no Verizon manager has come right out and said to me, “Luthar, I assure you that the XV6800 is going to be released in November of 2007 for the Christmas season.”

Absolutely no one has said that!

What I am saying is based on my assessment of nonverbal cues given to me by Verizon employees in lengthy conversations with them. Essentially my prediction is based on reading between the lines in the talks that I have had with Verizon reps.

One Verizon manager, probably in a position to know, said to me clearly, “If I knew the release date of XV6800, I would not be able to tell you.”

I respect that. That’s just being honest with the customer.

But I am more than just a customer. I am an analyst and a professor. I watch the technology scene and try to figure out what is going on. That is what I do.

It’s my business to know what technologies and products are coming out and how these will be impacting organizations and their work environment and quality of life.

My interest in XV6800 is both personal and professional. It’s personal because my old Verizon phone is pretty busted up. Since it is several years old, I am eligible for a discount on an upgrade to a new phone.

For professional reasons, I want to upgrade to XV6800 because it is going to have the latest windows Mobile 6.0 operating software and the windows applications I use at work everyday. Further, the built in Outlook in XV6800 will allow me to synchronize it with my Microsoft exchange server at work. This means that I will be able to get student e-mails and those of other professors on my XV6800.

I don’t know if that is good or bad. I do know that I need a new phone. I am not interested in music or mp3 players and stuff like that. So the iPhone and other gimmicky and fancy looking overpriced phones are out.

I need a phone that gets the job done. For me that is XV6800.

Now, what I am writing today is based on conversations I had with Verizon employees a couple of weeks ago. Things could have changed since then.

I have seen rumors on the net that the XV6800 is going to be released in September, meaning this month! Some are saying the release date is September 17.

However, I am sticking for now with my intuitive prediction based on assessment of nonverbal cues and reading between the lines in my conversations with Verizon employees.

I predict that the XV6800 will be released to regular customers sometime in November before the start of Christmas sales season. Perhaps, from Verizon’s marketing perspective, before or during the Thanksgiving holiday may be the logical time to release the XV6800.