Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen HTC’s Windows Phone 8X in many colors and also many carrier variants — it’s already made its way to AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, and many other operators worldwide. Even though there’s already been a heavy dose of coverage on this device, our work isn’t quite done yet: Verizon’s version has finally graced our reviews desk, which means it’s time for us to explain how it differs from the global model, and how it measures up to the competition. The phone will be available in black, red and blue for $199 with a two-year commitment, a $100 markup over the Nokia Lumia 822. Is it worth the difference in price? Join us after the break as we discuss the merits — and demerits — of Verizon’s newest Windows Phone flagship.

Continue reading HTC Windows Phone 8X for Verizon: what’s different?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, HTC, Verizon

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The Samsung Galaxy Note II is ready for action on Verizon’s 4G LTE network now, and what better way to usher in a new version of the device that’s also out on several other networks than to do some speed tests and processor benchmarks? The big differences between the Samsung Galaxy Note II on Verizon and the competition’s carrier networks is the speed at which it accesses data, the cost of the data therein, and of course the Verizon-specific apps (mostly for tracking your data and your data costs.) Other than that it’s the same cool Galaxy Note II experience you’ve gotten used to on T-Mobile, AT&T, and internationally.

Before you go any further, be sure to check out our two big reviews of this device already up in the archive: Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [International], Samsung Galaxy Note II Review [T-Mobile]. You’ll also want to see our several hands-on posts in the timeline at the end of this post. To start the Verizon party you’ll be interested to know that yes, indeed, it does go very, very fast in the data department:

Have a peek at the app selection here as well – you’ll find that in addition to Google’s collection, you’ve got Samsung’s offerings as well as Verizon’s add-ons as well. On the whole, this is a pretty average amount of apps you’ll be finding on a new smartphone from Verizon.

Benchmarks ring true with the rest of the Galaxy Note II family – extremely hefty and easily amongst the top smartphone devices on the market today, even with its massive display. The biggest competitor in the near future for this device in the benchmark department is the LG Nexus 4 – very possibly surpassing the Galaxy Note II with its Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor due to its unlocked and hackable nature as well as its smaller display – keep watch!

Have a peek at an average battery lifespan here as well to get an idea what a regular day of 4G LTE and a massive bright and high definition display looks like as well. Note that this is regular usage, not the usage of an ultra power-user.

As for the rest of the hardware you’re looking at today, you’ll find the same lovely specifications as the rest of the family – Samsung Exynos quad-core processor at 1.6GHz, a massive 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel HD Super AMOLED display, and 2GB of RAM. Inside you’ve got 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot that’s able to work with microSD cards up to 64GB in size. On the back of the device you’ve got an 8 megapixel camera, on the front you’ve got a 1.9 megapixel camera, and this device works with the same fabulous Samsung S-Pen stylus that makes this Samsung competitor extremely unique.

The competition for this device is without a doubt the HTC DROID DNA, the other gigantic smartphone device on Verizon. The Samsung Galaxy S III is right around $300 with a 2-year contract attached while the DNA is right around $100 less – and with one whole heck of a lot of significant differences aboard. You’ll want to check out our full HTC DROID DNA Review to make sure you’re making the right choice in the end!

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II hands-on with speed tests and benchmarks is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung’s first Android-powered camera has been out on the market for a few weeks now on AT&T, and we’ve already put the new device through its paces. However, it looks like Samsung will release the Galaxy Camera on Verizon at some point, thanks to the product page that lists the camera as “Verizon 4G LTE connected.”

Essentially, the Verizon version of the Galaxy Camera looks pretty much identical to its AT&T brethren. However, there is no mention of a CDMA radio in the spec list, which may mean that the cellular capabilities of the device will be completely useless unless you have a 4G LTE plan, but now that Verizon’s LTE is in over 400 markets, you’ll be hard-pressed to not find LTE service in your area.

The Galaxy Camera comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, and features a huge 4.8-inch TFT display with a 1280×720 resolution. The camera features an incredible 21x Zoom (23mm-483mm) and a 16MP sensor, as well as all the handy amenities you’d want, like WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. It also doesn’t hurt that it has a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm chip inside running the show.

There’s no details as to when the Galaxy Camera will launch on Verizon’s network or even how much it will cost, but we’re guessing it’ll be the same $499 for the AT&T version. That’s certainly not cheap for a compact camera, especially for a point-and-shoot device, but the benefit of Android built-in along with LTE connectivity seems pretty worth it to us.

[via The Verge]

Samsung Galaxy Camera confirmed for Verizon is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve been hearing about new capabilities for emergency 911 services for years, but it looks like the industry is ready to move as one to make text-to-911 a reality across the US. The Big 4 wireless carriers, as well as The 911 Association and the Association for Public-Safety Communications Officials International has submitted an agreement to the FCC that outlines plans to work together on standards, procedures and technology deployments that will provide a “seamless introduction” of the tech across the US.

They’re not guaranteeing it will be available everywhere in two years, but the specific signposts noted are support for bounce-back notifications by June 30th, 2013 that tell texters when the service isn’t available in their area and a “commitment” to nationwide rollouts by May 15th 2014. So far, efforts to make your thumbs more useful in an emergency have been disjointed, but a concerted effort by industry giants should let you avoid busy signals and dropped calls at the worst possible time sooner rather than later. Check out a press release from the group, as well as a word from the FCC, which will consider the proposal on December 12th, after the break or the agreement itself in PDF form at the source link.

Continue reading Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile agree to collectively push text-to-911 capabilities by 2014

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Source: Voluntary Text Commitment (PDF), FCC

If you can believe it, 4G LTE has been around for two long years already. It only seems like yesterday when Verizon and HTC announced the carrier’s first-ever 4G LTE device, the ThunderBolt, but here we are today with LTE becoming the grand successor to 3G data. To celebrate the moment, Verizon has provided us with a few statistics that are pretty amazing.

Verizon boasts that 46 LTE devices have been introduced so far, and that the service is available in over 440 markets that covers over 250 million people across the US. Verizon also boasted that nearly 11 million customers are using the carrier’s 4G LTE network. That’s obviously a far cry from the 250 million that LTE blankets, but nevertheless, 11 million people is still a lot.

Those 11 million customers using 4G LTE are also responsible for more than 35% of Verizon’s data traffic. And lastly, over 140 companies are working with Verizon Wireless engineers, and 17 organizations participate in Verizon’s LTE in Rural America program. Verizon is clearly on a roll here, and it seems they can’t be stopped.

Again, it’s kind of insane that it’s been two years since Verizon launched their 4G LTE network. Other carriers like T-Mobile have yet to even launch a 4G LTE network, and AT&T is somewhat behind and has some catching up to do if they wants to keep up with Verizon. So, if you’re wanting the carrier with the biggest LTE network, Verizon is the one to go to.

Verizon celebrates two years of 4G LTE, provides some amazing statistics is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.