Hasta La Gadget!

Did you have a Verizon phone sans data plan, but get billed for data anyhow? Verizon Wireless is dropping $90 million to make things right next month. The company will refund 15 million cellular customers who were wrongly charged for internet use, in the form of $2 to $6 credits on their next bill — unless the fiasco already caused you to leave, in which case you’ll get a similar check in the mail. The New York Times reports that the FCC pressured Verizon into this settlement following hundreds of complaints, so it looks like the squeaky wheel may have won this round. If you can call Verizon treating you to the equivalent of a latte a “win,” of course. Read Verizon’s full statement after the break.

Continue reading Verizon agrees to refund customers $90 million for wrongful data charges

Verizon agrees to refund customers $90 million for wrongful data charges originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, so now we understand Verizon’s intentions to hastily roll out LTE service to NFL cities. The NFL, which has sided with Sprint over the years when it comes to cellular distribution of content, is apparently in even deeper talks with newfound partner Big Red in order to get its prized content into even more hands. As the idea of watching NFL games on-the-go because more and more sensible, the league is apparently mulling the decision to distribute games (and potentially more) on the next big thing. You know, tablets. Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s senior vice president of media strategy, recently said the following: “The NFL will be on a tablet. It’s a question of what shape or form. We are currently talking to Verizon about it.” VZW declined to comment on the rumblings, but it’s really not a shocker — the carrier’s doing everything it can to get a live LTE network here in the States, and inking a deal with America’s most popular sporting league would obviously bring in boatloads of revenue. The real question is this: what tablet is the NFL eying, and if it’s not the Samsung Galaxy Tab, what’s Verizon’s second tablet going to be? Inquiring minds would love to know.

NFL ‘currently talking’ with Verizon to distribute programming on tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Fascinate’s ride at the top of Sammy’s Android lineup for Big Red might be a short one — a very short one. Feast your eyes on this monster, said to be the rumored SCH-i400 Continuum, whose biggest claim to fame would be the addition of a secondary OLED display below the main. What might you use it for? Well, it’s called the “Ticker,” and it’ll show notifications and RSS updates (and judging from that picture, weather conditions, too). Naturally, one of the selling points is that you can access basic phone functionality and information without having to fiddle with the normal UI or turn on that big, power-sapping primary display; in fact, the Ticker will automatically turn on when you grasp the bottom of the phone. The Continuum’s also got a microSD slot on the side (accessible without a battery pull) and a dedicated camera button, and judging from one of the shots we’ve got, it might be Galaxy S-branded. Follow the break for a couple more shots!

Continue reading Exclusive: Samsung Continuum for Verizon has double the displays, double the fun

Exclusive: Samsung Continuum for Verizon has double the displays, double the fun originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just how badly do you want Star Wars branding on your Droid 2, eh? You’d better want it bad, because Verizon has just announced that it’ll be charging $249 for the privilege of owning an R2-D2 Limited Edition — with a $100 mail-in rebate on contract, which means that you’ll actually be paying $350 up front. Then again, for that dinero you get not just the funky-looking phone but a Star Wars-themed dock and a box custom-designed to look like carbonite (Harrison Ford not included, we presume). You’ll also get a variety of custom live wallpapers, sounds, photos, widgets, and a “binoculars app,” which we imagine is some sort of digital zoom tool. Conspicuously missing is any sort of indication that this features the rumored 1.2GHz processor from the also-rumored Droid 2 World Edition, so the wait for that news continues. CTIA next week, perhaps.

On a related note, other Verizon customers with Android 2.1 (and higher) devices will be able to access a special Empire Strikes Back app and related content for a one-time charge of $2.99, which will include a trivia app to test your muster as a George Lucas fangirl or fanboy. Meanwhile, look for the phone to go live on this Thursday, September 30. Follow the break for the full press release and a couple more pics!

Continue reading Verizon Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition lands September 30 for $249

Verizon Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition lands September 30 for $249 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s getting awful close now, eh? Merely hours after hearing that Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kits were splashing down in select Verizon Wireless locations, in flies a foursome of images proving as much. Of course, we still can’t promise you that these fellows will be available for the taking a moment before the 30th of September, but if you know someone at Big Red, at least there’s a chance he / she may be able to get you a sneak peek starting now. Or, you know, you could just peek the gallery below.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kit makes emergency landing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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