Hasta La Gadget!

The Verizon App Store will begin the process of shutting down for good starting in January 2013, US cellular carrier Verizon Wireless says, with plans to be fully off “all compatible Android and Research in Motion devices” by March 27, 2013. No specific reason is given for the closure, but Verizon does detail, “a whole new tech landscape” shaping its decision, and that the company is “evolving” strategy in accordance with said “new tech landscape.” No doubt that the new landscape Verizon speaks of involves the dominance of Google’s own Play store for Android, as well as RiM’s BlackBerry App World.

If you’re a developer worried about what’s gonna happen to your app, the company says you’ll retain all your app metrics, reporting, and payments throughout the closure. We’re also reassured that the developer community’s support won’t be going away in the future, post-closure, with Verizon’s David Sandberg telling Engadget, “The developer community — that website and the folks who work with developers — they’ll still be there. We’ll still be providing them with support.” The closure also won’t affect any employee positions, Sandberg says.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Verizon

Verizon App Store begins closure in January 2013, pulled from all compatible devices by the end of March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android users on AT&T and T-Mobile have been able to purchase apps from Google Play and have them billed to their mobile account for a while. Customers on Verizon Wireless didn’t have that capability, they instead have to use a credit card to pay for apps. We mentioned a few weeks ago that carrier billing was coming to Verizon Wireless for Google Play purchases.

That carrier billing for Verizon went live yesterday. This means that you can now purchase your favorite apps, music, and other content and have the purchase price added to your wireless bill each month. There are no hurdles to jump through on the user end in to set up carrier billing, you simply have to choose that payment method when you purchase an app or other content.

There are a few caveats to the carrier billing with Verizon Wireless. A billing cycle limit of $25 is reportedly being enforced. That means that each month you can’t charge any more than $25 worth of digital content to your mobile phone bill.

That’s good in some ways because if you lose your phone, whoever finds it can’t charge huge amounts of money to your mobile account. If you’re afraid a child with an Android phone on your account might take advantage of carrier billing to make unauthorized purchases, you can block web purchases for your account using the Verizon Wireless website.

[via Droid-Life]

Google Play carrier billing comes to Verizon Wireless is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Here we are with yet another smartphone that you might be interested in, especially if you are looking to upgrade your current contract that is set to expire. Of course, you will need to rock to Verizon Wireless if you want to pick up the LG Spectrum 2. The LG Spectrum 2 is a Verizon exclusive, so you are unable to pick it up from other mobile carriers in the US, and it is already available Stateside online since yesterday, while arriving at brick-and-mortar Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the weeks ahead for a surprisingly affordable $99.99 price point – after you hand in a $50 mail-in rebate and agree to a new two year contract, of course.

It is said that the LG Spectrum 2 will be able to deliver a unique wireless experience courtesy of an ecosystem of features and accessories, enabling customers to do away with pesky cables that tend to get all tangled up from time to time – especially so when you leave your cables alone. There is the special battery cover that paves the way for wireless charging, and best of all is, this is thrown into the mix for free.

You are able to share information such as contacts, maps and websites with others sans wires thanks to the built-in near-field communications (NFC) capability, where all you need to do is just tap a pair of compatible phones together, and you’re good to go. NFC is also capable of working with reprogrammable LG Tag+ stickers, creating special smartphone modes for different situations and places that you might be in, while SmartShare allows you to wirelessly view pictures and watch videos on a DLNA-enabled device.

Other hardware specifications include a generous 4.7-inch True HD display, Corning Gorilla Glass for that added touch of durability, 4G LTE connectivity, an 8-megapixel camera at the back, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 1080p HD video recording capability among others. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the operating system of choice, where it runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Krait processor, accompanied by 16GB of internal memory with a microSD memory card slot for expansion purposes. Does this sound like the smartphone for you?

Press Release
[ Verizon announces LG Spectrum 2 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Microsoft’s ultimate Windows Phone 8 event mostly expanded on a familiar story, but it did leave us a surprise twist near the end. The company confirmed that Samsung will bring its own Metro-tinged experience to Verizon through the ATIV Odyssey this December. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know on an official level: Microsoft even used a placeholder graphic rather than show Samsung’s real-world design. However, that awfully familiar-sounding name suggests that Samsung and Verizon are directly exploiting that Odyssey codename which many associated with the ATIV S. If so, we’re looking at a device that’s not at all far off from a GSM equivalent, keeping the Snapdragon S4, LTE and both 8- as well as 2-megapixel cameras. Whether or not the Super AMOLED screen dips to a slightly lower 4.65-inch isn’t as known. Even so, the ATIV Odyssey is at least another sign that Verizon will have much more than a token Windows Phone lineup this time around.

For more, check out our Windows Phone 8 event liveblog!

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

Samsung ATIV Odyssey brings even more Windows Phone 8 to Verizon this December originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon is one of the more common proponents of silly Android device names, in part through its insistence on that “Droid” prefix for some hardware. When its smartphone badges practically demand a pause for breath, you know there’s a problem. Android Central‘s purported copy of a Minimum Advertised Pricing list could show that there’s hope for the carrier yet. The chart shows the HTC DLX (6435LVW) skipping the rumored Droid Incredible X name in favor of Droid DNA — and that’s it. No superlatives, no arbitrary “4G LTE” tags to remind us of the network we already know we’re using. The 5-inch phone might have even been a reasonable launch, as the MAP shows a $200 contract price that would potentially take effect just before Thanksgiving.

Want more? Other smartphones are on the supposedly leaked MAP list as well, primarily focusing on Windows Phone 8 gear: the as yet unconfirmed Nokia Lumia 822 shows up with a $100 price and a mid-November release window, while Verizon’s take on the Windows Phone 8X is present with a $200 price and similar timing. Those who’d rather go for a Samsung phablet than HTC’s aren’t left out, either. The Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note II is on the list with a $300 price and availability that starts immediately — rather convenient, that.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Verizon

Verizon’s HTC DLX may be called Droid DNA, Windows Phone 8 devices get tentative prices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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