Can You Read My Lawsuit Now?

For Christmas, Jamie's brother (the straight one) got me a wireless Bluetooth headset for my Moto mobile. This is my first experience with the revolutionary technology, and I've been quite pleased with the tiny, featherweight earpiece, even if its neon blue strobe makes you look like a Borg while using it.

Many, however, are upset that Verizon limited the BT functionality of this phone (the only one Verizon carries) to headsets, disabling the widely praised file-transfer and contact-info-swapping capabilities. One user has offered a bounty for hackers who find a way to restore the bowdlerized Bluetooth to its full promise. So far, the phone company seems unmoved by customer complaints, since crippling BT permits Verizon to sell the same capabilities on a per-use basis using its extremely profitable "GetItNow" service.

Enter the lawyers. The WSJ reported this week that users have filed a class action against Verizon for deceptive advertising in touting the v710 as a Bluetooth phone without delivering the goods. (Motorola was not sued, since they produced the phones to VZW's specifications.) As Ben has recently discovered, intense competition has lowered basic service fees, so mobile providers are increasingly turning to text messaging, photo transfering and other services offered at per-use charges to fill their coffers. This isn't a secret -- it's a business plan.

Honestly, any savvy consumer should know exactly what the cell phone companies are doing. (The limitations of the v710 were widely reported before the phone was released.) Asking courts to save mobile users from themselves misplaces our faith in an insidious governmental paternalism. The solution is education and self-help: stop using these expensive services, complain to your provider, and seek out competitors who offer discounts, and the market will fix itself soon enough.