Hasta La Gadget!

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, alongside smartphone leaks, admissions of data throttling and a power play at the NFC Forum, we’re introducing a new, hand-picked selection of must-read mobile stories for the week. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that’s happening in the mobile world for this week of March 4th, 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Two giants in the mobile carrier world which share the first letter in their respective names, Vodafone and Verizon, could have finally arrived at a method to “resolve” their relationship in the jointly-owned carrier, Verizon Wireless. Word on the street has it that both Vodafone and Verizon are talking to each other, with the option of either merging both entities, or to have Verizon to purchase (partly or otherwise, in its entirety) Vodafone’s 45% stake in Verizon Wireless, and this resolution is most likely to happen before 2013 is over.

Bloomberg cited unnamed sources who touted that the two mobile carriers have come to a head over leadership matters and where the new headquarters should be located. Perhaps purchasing Vodafone’s stake will be the most possible outcome, and Verizon could end up forking out as much as $115 billion in order to bring peace and order to the galaxy. I’m kidding, the scope is not that widespread, but you get an idea of the situation

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy Stellar Gets Jelly Bean Update , T-Mobile Responds To AT&T Attack Ads,

This week we’re seeing the last of the iterations of the so-called Galaxy “Nexus” as it exists on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus (made by Samsung, mind you) has since birth been plagued with talk of its mudblood-like software from the carrier as Verizon modified its contents past what Google originally intended – thus besmirching the purity of the Nexus smartphone line. Because of this Verizon-specific build, the Galaxy Nexus is last in line to receive the update to Android 4.2.2 – but here it is, ready for action!

Our good Android Community friend Cory Gunther has taken the time to write up some directions for you 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus users so you’ll have as easy a time as possible updating your smartphones to this new software. For the moment we’ve not seen any super simple OTA (over the air) update coming in from Verizon, we’re still working with a leaked build that appears – for all intents and purposes – to be the real deal. The download comes straight from Google, so you can expect a smooth ride if you know what you’re doing.

Again these directions come from Android Community where you’ll find more directions, tips, and downloads than you can handle for your Android-based devices of all kinds.

Full Install

This zip requires you to be completely stock running the last OTA update, which is Android 4.1.1 (JRO03O). This is not a ROM that can be flashed over other custom ROMs, this is an official OTA update file that needs to be flashed in a custom recovery.

Download Link
1. Download file from above
2. Boot into custom recovery (using CWM or by holding volume up/down and power at same time)
3. Install update zip from SD card
4. Reboot, enjoy more Jelly Beans!

Alternatively if you’re working with a custom ROM and just want to flash a new set of official radios – and you know what that means – you’ll want to follow the instructions below. This set of instructions includes another download, this time not straight through Google – so it’s all at your own risk. That said, modifying your phone in any way at all with the directions above or below is done at your own risk, of course – so know what you’re doing before you do it!

Radio Update

Flash the new radios in the custom recovery of your choice. You can flash the new radios over any custom ROM – but as usual I’d do a backup just to be safe. Remember, the CDMA radio takes a lot longer so be patient and it will finish in due time.

Download Link
1. Download file from above
2. Boot into custom recovery (using CWM or by holding volume up/down and power at same time)
3. Install radio zip from SD card
4. Reboot, enjoy more bars! Hopefully

Have a peek at the timeline below for more awesome Galaxy Nexus action and see to it that you check out our massive Android hub for more action into the future!

Verizon Galaxy Nexus Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update step-by-step is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We knew it would be arriving eventually on Big Red’s network, and now it’s officially only a couple days away. Verizon has announced that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet will be available to customers starting March 7 for $599. The tablet will be able to run off of the carrier’s blazing-fast 4G LTE network and will also come equipped with an S Pen.

We first spotted the Verizon tablet at CES back in January and even got our hands on the thing. While it’s mostly no different than other carrier versions that have been out and about, Verizon’s 4G LTE will certainly be a huge selling point for this slate, and the gorgeous 10-inch display will allow to stream content at glorious speeds.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the new tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 comes with a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.4GHz with 2GB RAM, and a 7,000mAh battery to power the tablet. The slate runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s Multi-view multi window mode, which allows for complete resizing and dragging of windows, similar to a desktop.

Of course, we reviewed the tablet back in August, so if you’re thinking about taking the plunge and getting the Galaxy Note 10.1 on Verizon’s network, have a look at our full review to help you decided if it’s your kind of tablet. The only difference is that you’ll be granted Big Red’s LTE, as well as the big Verizon logo on the back.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 coming March 7 for $599 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

A pure LTE world is still a long, long way off. But some countries and carriers could get there quicker than others, and indeed Verizon has revealed that it’s considering launching LTE-only handsets, with no CDMA chip, within the next couple of years. Speaking to analysts at a recent Deutsche Bank event, the carrier’s CFO, Fran Shammo, said his company’s goal is to establish voice over LTE by the end of this year and then to “start to think” about pure LTE handsets in “late 2014”. Shammo mentioned this possibility in the context of bringing out cheaper phones, and a general incentive for any carrier to leave 3G behind would be to avoid paying associated licensing fees to the likes of Qualcomm or Broadcom. If those savings eventually trickled down to us customers, and if we could breathe the clean air of the countryside without LTE dropping, then it’d certainly be an enticing prospect.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon

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Via: The Verge, CNET, FierceWireless

Source: Verizon