Hasta La Gadget!

To say that the launch of Isis has felt drawn out would be a mild understatement. The alliance first signaled its intentions two years ago, detailed its first markets one year ago and faced a last-minute delay. All the ducks are finally in a row, however, and residents of both Austin as well as Salt Lake City can tap to pay (or score discounts) at the “hundreds” of locations that accept NFC-based purchases through American Express, Capital One, Chase and Isis’ own cash card. Launch day brings app- and SIM-enabled access for nine devices spread rather unevenly across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon: only the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is confirmed working for Verizon subscribers, while the rest are divided more equally between multiple Samsung Galaxies and HTC devices like the Amaze 4G and One X. Over 20 phones should be Isis-aware before the end of the year. It’s a potentially strong start to one of the few truly cross-network mobile payment systems in the US, but we see a long road ahead before Isis gives Google Wallet some jitters — there’s legions of banks, cities and stores needed before Isis is widespread, and we’re not counting on that ever-elusive universal hardware support.

Continue reading Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile

Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s Droid Incredible 4G LTE gave us a pleasant surprise by providing a capable Android phone that didn’t have to be supersized. It’s gone largely untouched since its mid-year introduction, though, which makes a new and imminent update all the more important. The upgrade’s biggest trick is support for Isis mobile payments that more officially throws Verizon’s hat into the NFC payment ring. Anyone living beyond Isis’ coverage will still want to check for the update when it’s ready — the patch switches on global roaming, allows remote technical support, makes Tango video chats useful and improves LTE connection quality. No matter what you’re looking for, Verizon’s tendency to start over-the-air updates within days of posting documentation leaves a likely short wait before the most recent Droid Incredible gets a breath of fresh air.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Verizon

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE update to bring global roaming, Isis wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re tapping away on our brand-new smartphones — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of August we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — you can hit up the hub page right here!

It’s a good time to be a student. Last year, there were some solid picks, but it was still very clear that those willing to scrimp and save a little longer had a much better experience. This year, it’s a people’s revolution. Thanks to cutthroat competition, there are some exceptional phones out there, even for those of you hoping to avoid eating ramen noodles for a month. Software has taken a leap forward too, with many phones now offering a vital way to remember when that term paper is due… or to procrastinate at the pub. We have nine choices of phones in our shortlist, spread out across three categories to serve everyone from the I-just-need-a-phone freshman to the overloaded doctoral candidate. While you’re eying the selection, don’t forget to enter our giveaway and potentially ease the burden — who knows, you may get a phone you want rather than the one dictated by your student loan.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: smartphones

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s hard to underestimate the value of brand loyalty. Just ask Verizon Wireless. It’s with satisfied Incredible and Incredible 2 owners in mind that the carrier is promoting the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, a 4-inch, $149 device that — as you may have guessed — rides along VZW’s fast LTE network.

Interestingly, the Incredible 4G LTE is landing at a time when many consumers might have preferred, say, the HTC One X. In fact, though, Verizon’s decision to instead update the Incredible (also made by HTC) introduces a rather enviable proposition to Verizon customers. Remember that in a short matter of time, the Samsung Galaxy S III will soon make its debut at Verizon, at which point, it’s expected to become the network’s premiere smartphone. Still, its large size will deter many shoppers, and when viewed through this lens, the Droid Incredible 4G LTE begins to make sense. Put simply, it’s a compact handset that stands as the antithesis to the assumption that size equals power. While the handset doesn’t quite approach the capabilities or elegance of the One X (or the One S, for that matter), the latest Incredible is a worthy successor and deserves consideration as your next smartphone — regardless of your current provider. Read on to learn why.

Continue reading Droid Incredible 4G LTE review: Verizon gets an excellent smaller-sized Android phone

Droid Incredible 4G LTE review: Verizon gets an excellent smaller-sized Android phone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, you are in the market for a spanking new smartphone (preferably from the Android side of things), but have yet to made up your mind whether the Samsung Galaxy S3 is going to be your next big purchase? Well, I guess since you have yet to arrive at a particular decision, you might be interested to know that Verizon Wireless will be offering the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE from July 5th onwards. Yes sir, this means you can take the entire July 4th off to think over the decision before making a new 2-year commitment with Big Red.

First announced earlier this year at the CTIA Wireless show, the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE will be available in a couple of days’ time, be it via online channels or at a brick-and-mortar setup. Just what does the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE pack? Without much further ado, let us dive into its system specifications right after the jump.

The HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE will run on the latest version of HTC Sense 4, which for newcomers would mean HTC’s branded user experience, which has been cleverly integrated with Google’s mobile operating system, running on top of Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich so that you can have a truly enhanced mobile experience while enjoying the latest Android features.

As the name suggests, this particular smartphone will allow you to roll along with the power of 4G LTE speeds, and the amazing 8-megapixel camera ought to leave you with nothing but smiles thanks to a quick activation process from the home screen, ensuring that no more randomly cute shots will miss your radar when you come across it. Not only that, HTC Video Pic lets you capture HD quality video and shoot pictures simultaneously without having to choose between the two.

All of the images and videos capture can be uploaded to social networking sites in a jiffy, thanks to 4G LTE speeds. Make sure your area has such network coverage before you make a commitment!

Your ears will also be treated to Authentic Sound, thanks to Beats Audio which is an enhanced auto tuning technology that enables you to hear music the way the artist intended his or her listeners to. Beats Audio will work well regardless of whether you are enjoying audio or video playback.

A 4-inch super LCD qHD display, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, a front-facing camera, a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a microSD memory card slot rounds off the list of features. You can pick up the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new 2-year contract.

Press Release

[ HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE to arrive this July 5th on Verizon Wireless copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]