May 13

Droid Charge to finally light up on Verizon Wireless tomorrow (update: official!)

Posted in: delay, droid, launch, lte, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Our testing of the Droid Charge got off to a bit of a rough start thanks to Verizon’s wee tiny LTE outage that just so happened to hit at the same time as the phone. Thanks (at least in part) to that, the official launch of the device was delayed, and while we still don’t have confirmation of why or just how long the delay was supposed to be, we do have multiple tips from multiple lovely readers in multiple positions at Verizon telling us the phone will be properly hitting stores on the 14th. We’re working on official confirmation but, for now, it sure looks like tomorrow you’ll be able to mosey on over to your local VZW outlet and get yourself $299 worth of LTE and OLED.

Update: We just got official confirmation from Verizon that the phone will be available tomorrow in-store and online tonight! Details in the PR below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Droid Charge to finally light up on Verizon Wireless tomorrow (update: official!)

Droid Charge to finally light up on Verizon Wireless tomorrow (update: official!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 11:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 12

Motorola Droid X2 ready for May 26 launch?

Posted in: Android, droid, froyo, gingerbread, Google, launch, leaks, motoblur, motorola, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

The skeptics in us are not ready to call this one confirmed yet, but we are beginning to see information trickle in about a possible launch date for the Droid X2. Droid-Life uncovered possible promo materials discussing the entrance strategy for the X2, in conjunction with several of the phone’s specs. These docs strongly indicate May 26 is the magic day for a full-scale assault, with early orders allowed as soon as May 19. We don’t see any major surprises in specs — there’s a dual-core Tegra 2 1GHz processor, 4.3-inch qHD screen, 8MP rear camera, and 1080p HDMI-out video, to list off the highlights — although we are excited to see Gingerbread may be in the mix here, indicated by the ever-so-subtle blue bar seen on the phone’s screen. We hope you can understand our hesitation, though, since an unproven spec sheet from Pocketnow suggests we should only expect Froyo. No way of knowing who will win this little argument, but you know which one we’re rooting for. Check out another leaked image after the break.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X2 ready for May 26 launch?

Motorola Droid X2 ready for May 26 launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 06

Review: MiFi 4510L mobile hotspot for Verizon Wireless

Posted in: 4G, lte, mobile, mobile hotspot, Reviews, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

We’ve covered a number of mobile hotspots in the past and they are basically all the same. Some of the better ones have displays or microSD card readers, but at the end of the day they don’t tend to vary much from one another. Typically things come down to two factors: carrier and price. It […]

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May 04

Isis mobile payment system to work with Visa and MasterCard, shelving plans for its own network

Posted in: att, nfc, plans, roadmap, schedule, t-mobile, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless

When AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon came together to create the Isis mobile payment system, they touted a standalone service, powered by Discover’s payment network, that would revolutionize the way we make small purchases on the move. Well, the revolution is still on schedule, apparently, but the big trio is now being said to have made a concession in reaching out to the incumbent leaders in this field, Visa and MasterCard. The Wall Street Journal cites multiple sources in reporting that Isis has turned into a less ambitious “mobile wallet” project that would seek to let you use your Visa or MasterCard account via your NFC-capable smartphone. As far as the consumer is concerned, it’s still the same swipe-to-buy proposition, but the move was apparently necessary for Isis “to avoid falling further behind” in the race to corner this developing market. We’d say it’s encouraging to see these guys showing a bit of swiftness — it’s about time the rest of the world caught up to Japan.

Isis mobile payment system to work with Visa and MasterCard, shelving plans for its own network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 02

Droid Charge review

Posted in: Android, droid, feature, Features, froyo, review, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video, vzw

We’re still shaking our heads and sighing longingly at the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy S II, a phone that wowed us in Europe but likely won’t be coming to American shores for some time — and who knows what it’ll look like when it does. But don’t get too down, dear reader, because here comes another slice of Samsung and this slab has that same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display tucked in there. It’s a little less slim, a little less classy, and a little less quick than Sammy’s latest world-conquering wunderphone, but the LTE-equipped Charge is a proper contender in its own right. Read on to see why.

Gallery: Samsung Droid Charge

Continue reading Droid Charge review

Droid Charge review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 01

Verizon doc suggests BlackBerry PlayBook, HTC Trophy and Xperia Play ‘coming soon’, prices LTE tablet data and intros 4G netbooks

Posted in: 4G, BlackBerry, blackberry playbook, BlackberryPlaybook, HTC, lte, price, pricing, RIM, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

What happened to the HTC Trophy, long overdue on Verizon 3G? How about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, mysteriously missing a Verizon release date long before Japan’s catastrophe? Will Verizon commit to carrying the BlackBerry PlayBook this year? Just how much will LTE data cost for the Xoom and its tablet friends?

We may finally have some of the answers, thanks to Verizon’s fancy new online catalog. RIM’s tablet, the PlayStation Phone and the HTC Trophy are all listed as “coming soon,” and that’s not all — both the BlackBerry Bold 9650, Curve 3G 9330 and the Droid 2 Global are all “while supplies last,” suggesting successors may be inbound. Meanwhile, tablet LTE data plans look like they’re going to cost the same as 3G ones — $20 for 1GB, $35 for 3GB, $50 for 5GB and $80 for $10GB as usual. LTE netbooks will only be able to take advantage of the two highest-priced plans, but there are a pair of them on the way, including the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion dm1 (with a 1.6GHz AMD Fusion chip) and the 10.1-inch Compaq Mini CQ10 with an Intel Atom N455 processor.

Mind you, the catalog’s URL explicitly mentions “2011 Winter,” so it’s quite possible that “soon” won’t be as soon as you’d like, but to get a peek at all the goodies, check out the gallery below or shoot on over to our source link.

Gallery: Verizon Winter 2011 online catalog

[Thanks, Thump3rX17]

Verizon doc suggests BlackBerry PlayBook, HTC Trophy and Xperia Play ‘coming soon’, prices LTE tablet data and intros 4G netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 May 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 30

HTC Thunderbolt getting new radio firmware, according to Verizon doc

Posted in: 4G, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, lte, ota, software update, SoftwareUpdate, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, update, upgrade, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Looks like AT&T isn’t the only carrier patching cellular connectivity issues this month — a Verizon document suggests that we’ll be getting some brand new radio firmware for the beleaguered HTC Thunderbolt. The handset not only fell victim to Verizon’s LTE outage but has had 3G data and CDMA / LTE cycling issues since day one, so we’re hoping this latest baseband will bring at least a modicum of relief for affected speed demons across the country. What we don’t know is when this patch might show up — we thought the Xoom’s security update would be imminent, but those documents were unceremoniously pulled.

HTC Thunderbolt getting new radio firmware, according to Verizon doc originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 29

Verizon says it will put location warning labels on all phones sold

Posted in: att, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw
See that rather ominous warning label above? That’s a new sticker that will soon be placed directly on the screen of every new device Verizon Wireless sells. Contrary to what you might suspect, however, that’s not being done in response to the most recent iPhone 4 tracking fiasco. The label was revealed in a letter to Representatives Ed Markey and Joe Barton, who themselves sent a letter to Verizon (and the three other major carriers) on March 29th inquiring about a New York Times story that raised concerns about how carriers collect and store personal location data. As for the other carriers’ responses, they apparently aren’t going as far as Verizon has with its warning label, but they do mostly echo Verizon’s response in other respects. They all say, for instance, that personal data is secured by a variety of means and stored only as long as needed (which can apparently vary by carrier, though), that they don’t rent or sell personal information, and that they request customer consent before accessing location data. Despite those assurances, however, Rep. Markey says he’s still left with a “feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty,” and he’s pointing a finger at third-party developers in particular, who he says must be held “accountable.”

Verizon says it will put location warning labels on all phones sold originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 28

Verizon iPhone Sales Bump Apple to No. 3 US Phone Manufacturer

Posted in: iPhone, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

Verizon iPhone 4

The NPD group released new numbers this week to show that the winter launch of the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless managed to rake in enough sales to boost Apple to the number 3 spot among US phone manufacturers of any type. Apple comes in at 14%, trailing LG (18%,) and Samsung (23%.) In comparison, Android’s market share declined a bit from 53% to 50% across all manufacturers due to the availably of the iPhone for Verizon Wireless customers.  
Research in Motion (RIM,) the makers of BlackBerry mobile phones, saw its market share drop five points, and now ties Apple at 14% with its numbers continuing to decline. NPD also noted that the fact that the iPhone is now on two carriers – the nation’s largest ones, to boot – also cemented the iPhone 4’s place as the best-selling single phone in the US. Second to the iPhone 4? The iPhone 3GS on AT&T, which has seen a price drop to $49 in the wake of the iPhone 4’s launch on Verizon Wireless. 
With this week’s launch of the white iPhone 4, those numbers are likely to continue to rise. NPD claims that many new iPhone customers coming out of the woodworks are a combination of first-time smartphone buyers, Verizon Wireless customers who wanted an iPhone but didn’t want to switch to AT&T, and to a lesser extent, converts from BlackBerry or Android phones. 
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Apr 28

Verizon freezes Droid Charge launch indefinitely, blaming ‘unexpected delays’ (update)

Posted in: 4G, Android, cellphone, delay, droid, froyo, launch, lte, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, samsung, smartphone, Today's Chili, us, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless

Can’t say we’re surprised by this, but turns out Verizon’s decided to delay the launch of its Samsung Droid Charge — originally scheduled for today — at the very last minute. According to an internal email we obtained, the blame’s on “unexpected delays” and no new date has yet been set. This makes sense, considering it wouldn’t do Verizon much good to launch a new 4G Android when its LTE service is still down (for over 24 hours and still counting). Ah well, this 4.3-incher better be worth the wait.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: We’re hearing reports that LTE is gradually being restored across the states, and our own Myriam Joire also sees 4G connection in San Francisco. That said, at this stage it’s unlikely that the Droid Charge will resume launch today.

Update 2: Apparently the folks at Target aren’t picking up what Verizon’s putting down, as a tipster has told us it’s releasing the Charge today as planned. Picture’s after the break.

Continue reading Verizon freezes Droid Charge launch indefinitely, blaming ‘unexpected delays’ (update)

Verizon freezes Droid Charge launch indefinitely, blaming ‘unexpected delays’ (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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