Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon execs have been clear as crystal that unlimited smartphone data will follow the dodo — perhaps as soon as summer of this year — but in the meanwhile you can drink your fill of the best as the HTC Thunderbolt will launch this Thursday with an unlimited LTE data plan. While we’ve no guarantees how long it will last, or whether you can grandfather the $30 monthly option into bigger and better devices down the road, it does open up a whole new avenue of opportunity for the Thunderbolt. Considering that Verizon’s 4G USB modems top out at 10GB of LTE data for $80 a month, the HTC handset just became the most powerful, affordable MiFi you could possibly own. Assuming battery life is decent, of course. Find the full PR below.

Continue reading Verizon offers unlimited LTE data plan for HTC Thunderbolt, don’t expect it to stick around

Verizon offers unlimited LTE data plan for HTC Thunderbolt, don’t expect it to stick around originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The Motorola Droid 2 and Droid X are both headed toward their one-year anniversaries this summer, which has pretty much become the culling hour for a smartphone of any creed these days. Their successors, ingeniously titled the Droid 3 and Droid X 2, have seemingly made an appearance over at HowardForums, courtesy of longtime forum member wnrussell. He’s also kindly provided imagery of a heretofore unknown device, called the Targa, which promises Verizon 4G LTE and has a protrusion on its rear that looks to be dedicated to accommodating an outsized camera sensor. It reminds us most of Motorola’s XT720, though it sports a chrome outline to its body similar to what you see above on the purported Droid 3. Click past the break to get an eyeful of this Targa device and its Droid X 2 brandmate.

Continue reading Motorola Droid 3, Droid X 2 and LTE-equipped Targa pictured?

Motorola Droid 3, Droid X 2 and LTE-equipped Targa pictured? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 02:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  HowardForums (Droid 3), (Droid X 2), (Targa)  | Email this | Comments

After being jilted on Valentine’s Day, you’d think we would learn. But having tasted the goods, we couldn’t help but get suckered in by every HTC Thunderbolt launch date rumor — only to have our hopes dashed each time its release was inexorably pushed further and further back. Now, a leaked email and an HTC regional sales manager’s tweet (whose account has subsequently been deleted) claim our lust for Verizon’s first 4G handset will finally be quenched on March 17th. HTC posted on Facebook that the official launch date will be announced “soon, ” and four days from now would certainly qualify. We just hope Best Buy and Big Red realize they face a legion of disappointed (and drunken) St. Patty’s Day revelers should they delay Thunderbolt delivery day yet again. Let’s hope the luck of the Irish finally gets us our LTE.

HTC’s Thunderbolt coming March 17th: survey says… yes! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Droid Life, Android Central, HTC (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

No blockbusters here — nothing that’s going to give you much insight into an exact launch day for the Thunderbolt — but Verizon CTO Tony Melone made a few comments about its LTE handset launches at a financial conference yesterday that border on the interesting. Asked whether the company was facing any challenges in getting the phones solid and ready for commercial consumption, Melone responded by saying that they’re “facing is what you would expect, and that is a new technology, you are working through issues. And [they] anticipated that, and [they] are pleased at how [they] are working through issues.” In the same breath, he reminded the audience that Verizon had said the phones would be coming in the first half of ’11 all along and that hasn’t changed — so they’re not late by a long shot. Pressed on whether battery life specifically was a concern for the Thunderbolt, Melone said that he thinks the juice “will be acceptable to consumers.” Considering what we’ve been hearing about recent firmware revisions on the test units, we’re hopeful he’s right — Verizon has a reputation for testing the crap out of devices prior to release, after all.

Verizon CTO: ‘working through issues’ with LTE phones, still on track for first half launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  ZDNet  | Email this | Comments

Ringo and co. said it best, and now Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Rostelekom are getting a little help from their friends. Er, friend. Or maybe it’s the other way around? At any rate, the first four have just signed a deal with Yota to build out a nationwide LTE network that’ll work across the board. Rather than forcing each operator to do their own thing, the four in question will now have the option to buy 25 percent stakes in Yota; according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, this unified effort will enable Russia’s economy to reap the benefits of a widespread 4G network while other nations (ahem, America) fight to see whether it’ll be WiMAX or LTE taking the lead. If you’ll recall, Yota was actually one of the first carriers on the planet to serve up commercial 4G, but last year it decided to make the switch from WiMAX to the suddenly popular LTE. The goal here is to have LTE in 180 cities with a total population of more than 70 million citizens by 2014, and we’re told that those situated on Little Diomede may actually be the first to get LTE in Alaska. Kidding. Maybe.

Continue reading Russia’s major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout

Russia’s major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Yota, Reuters  | Email this | Comments