Verizon Brews a Virus

Until my Droid Incredible received the FroYo update, I had forgotten why I left Verizon those many years ago.  Now, I remember.

Verizon crippled the use of Google maps in order to get people to pay an extra $10 a month for VZ Navigator.   I wanted the Google experience then and I want it now.  So, I was greatly disappointed when I finally got my FroYo goodness to find that whenever I connected to my phone to my computer for those simple drag’n’drop file transfers that make my old iPhone green with envy, I now got not just a Verizon pop up trying to get me to download their software onto my computer, but Verizon hijacked my computer and took it to a web page touting that service.  And it did it every cotton pickin’ time I hooked up my phone to my computer.

Revenge of the Googler.  A little Googling lead me to this post by Adam3914.  I show it here as my continuing battle against corporations that use their position of power to exploit their consumers.  SHAME on you Verizon.  Your phone service is great, but your disrespect of you customers is deplorable.  And, yes, I know that Verizon is not the only carrier to strip features from their phones or an OS in order to peddle their goods.  They are, however, the only ones I know of to purposely install what I would consider to be a virus on what otherwise is a perfectly good phone.

So, without further ado, and a thank you to Adam3914.  Here is the cure:

dial ##7764726
Hit Call
Type Password 000000 (that’s 6 zeros)
Hit Feature Settings
Choose CD ROM
Click Disable
Hit menu, commit modifications (it will say no item changed)

There.  That’ll show’em.  Right?