Hasta La Gadget!

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

Verizon Wireless just announced that they will be offering the HTC Droid DNA, which is touted to be the highest resolution Android-powered smartphone to date. What is that you said about the iPhone’s vaunted Retina Display? It is no match for the HTC Droid DNA that sports a higher pixel density, and also a far larger display at 5” with Full HD resolution support. Needless to say, the HTC Droid DNA is the flagship device of HTC, and it looks set to make its mark this holiday season among smartphone buyers.

HTC used to be on the cutting edge of smartphone offerings with their Desire range, but time has seen them lose out on other more competitive companies, with Samsung leading the pack where top of the line Android-powered devices are concerned. Well, the HTC Droid DNA will certainly drag the Taiwanese company back into contention, and hopefully it will be able to win back confidence among smartphone users who are looking to upgrade their devices later this year.

Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Tami Erwin said, “We think it’s poised to be a real blockbuster for the holidays and certainly into 2013.” Just how much will Verizon Wireless price the HTC Droid DNA? Well, it looks priced to move at $199 a pop, where you will need to sign up for a two-year contract of course. The HTC Droid DNA will go up on sale this coming November 21st, which is one day before Thanksgiving, marking the unofficial start of the shopping season.

As a refresher, the device itself will come with a generous 5” display as well as boast high-resolution image quality for photographs and video. Boasting a pixel density of 440 pixels per inch, it outdoes Apple’s iPhone 5 by far and large (which has a pixel density of 326ppi) and the Samsung Galaxy S3 at 306ppi.

Press Release
[ HTC Droid DNA headed for Verizon Wireless copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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 ]

Verizon Wireless will be playing nice with the Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system, and the first handset to roll out with Verizon livery would come in the form of the Nokia Lumia 822 – which is a variant of the stock Lumia 820. The change in model number makes it easier for folks to quickly identify with just which mobile carrier the device is on, and Verizon claims that the Nokia Lumia 822 was designed specifically for Verizon’s fast and ubiquitous 4G LTE network – which incidentally, they are also the US’ largest mobile carrier at the moment.

Specially designed for simplicity and ease-of-use, the Lumia 822 will be accompanied by exclusive Nokia features such as Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, and Nokia City Lens, helping you get around in a jiffy with a technological slant. The bright 4.3-inch display with ClearBlack technology, coupled with a fast yet efficient 1.5GHz dual-core processor, ought to pack enough processing power for the average smartphone user. Oh yeah, just in case the 16GB of internal memory is not enough for your portable storage needs, there is also a microSD memory card slot that allows you to expand that further by another 32GB.

Charging its 1800mAh battery can be done the traditional way – through plugging in a standard issue charging to get it going, but if you want to be a wee bit more future forward, there is always the wireless charging route made possible thanks to an accessory (purchased separately, of course) known as the Nokia Wireless Charging Shell. The Lumia 822 will also play nice with other accessories such as the Nokia DT-900 Wireless Charging Plate and the JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker.

In terms of imaging, the Nokia Lumia 822 will boast of an 8-megapixel shooter that has advanced Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash at the back, while the front-facing camera sports 720p HD resolution recording capability, and there are also a pair of integrated microphones for superior audio recording.

Verizon will make available the Nokia Lumia 822 in white, black and grey colors before Thanksgiving for $99.99 on a new two-year contract if you are interested.

Press Release
[ Nokia Lumia 822 announced for Verizon Wireless copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The last Casio G’zOne handheld to come our way was the Commando, a military-grade device that marked the company’s first foray into Android smartphones. Now it seems there’s another one in the works, at least if a recent FCC filing is any indication. The Casio C811 looks to be a successor to the aforementioned Commando, with its G’zOne branding and features like WiFi and GSM world phone capabilities. Notably, the FCC document reveals the phone has Verizon-flavored LTE plus NFC support, both of which lead us to believe it’ll likely be a mid- to high-end handset. Not much else is divulged from perusing the filing, but we’re sure that whatever the C811 turns out to be, it’ll be just as tough and durable as the rest of Casio’s G’zOne offerings.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon

Next-gen Casio G’zOne makes it to the FCC, reveals LTE and NFC support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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