Apr 27

IDC: LTE Equipment Market to Pass WiMAX by 2011

Posted in: lte, networking, Sprint, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless, WiMAX, Wireless

LTE_4G.jpg

For next-generation 4G cellular networks, WiMAX may have a decent amount of current buzz, but it’s not likely to last. That’s the conclusion from research firm IDC, which is predicting that spending on LTE equipment will exceed that of WiMAX-related spending by the end of 2011.
Over 100 operators around the world currently support LTE, including nine of the top 10 largest carriers, and over a dozen networks are expected to go live this year alone, IDC said in a statement.
While some challenges remain, particularly with regard to a given carrier’s level of commitment to the platform as well as some spectrum-related issues, “LTE’s ability to reduce data delivery costs is fundamentally driving the technology forward,” as well as its ability to complement existing 3G networks in the interim, according to the report.
Verizon Wireless is expected to be first out of the gate with LTE in the U.S. later this year. Last month, Cisco announced it was pulling out of the WiMAX base station market, and now favors the LTE standard.
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Apr 26

Google updates Nexus One page, tells Verizon customers to get a Droid Incredible instead (update: the Verizon Nexus One is dead)

Posted in: Android, availability, Google, NeXus, nexus one, NexusOne, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless

Now this, this is all kinds of silly. Google has been busy updating its phone sales site, and the latest word for Verizon Wireless subscribers encourages them to look at the “similarly feature-packed” cousin of the Nexus One, the Incredible. Importantly, what’s missing from the new wording is the “coming soon” tag, suggesting that for all intents and purposes the Nexus has been obviated by the arrival of the Incredible. In a separate blog post updating us on carrier partnerships, Google again reiterates its mini-advert for the new HTC phone on Verizon while keeping mum about the Nexus One’s future. A true CDMA variant of le superphone should still be coming wearing Sprint regalia, but it’s disappointing to see Google use such doublespeak techniques. Is the Verizon Nexus canceled or not?

Update: We just heard back from Google — the Verizon Nexus One is dead; long live the Incredible. Here’s the official statement:

We won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.

Now, that’s certainly reasonable, given the similarities between the Nexus One and the Incredible, but here’s a question: given that the Incredible runs Sense on top of Android, isn’t the closest Verizon analogue to the Nexus One experience actually the Droid, which runs stock Android 2.1? Considering Motorola’s recent moves away from Google, maybe this is a sign of something deeper.

Google updates Nexus One page, tells Verizon customers to get a Droid Incredible instead (update: the Verizon Nexus One is dead) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 26

Verizons Google Nexus One May Be Dead

Posted in: Android, Google, HTC, nexus one, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

HTC_Incredible_Verizon.jpg

Back in January, Google said they would release their Nexus One smartphone for the Verizon Wireless network. Up until this week the phone was listed as “coming soon” on Google’s phone sales page.
But it looks like the Nexus One’s time may have passed. In a blog post on Google’s site, the company says, “In the US, if you’ve been waiting for the Nexus One for Verizon Wireless’ network, head over to http://phones.verizonwireless.com/htc/incredible to pre-order the Droid Incredible by HTC, a powerful new Android phone and a cousin of the Nexus One that is similarly feature-packed. It will be available in stores on April 29th.”
Similarly, any mention of the Nexus One for Verizon has been scrubbed from Google’s sales page, replaced by a small ad for the Incredible.
The Incredible is in many ways a better phone than the Nexus One, so on one level this isn’t surprising. But if the Nexus One is indeed toast, this is a blow to Google’s strategy of creating a ‘phone first’ marketplace with the same phones available on all US carriers.
 
UPDATE: A Verizon spokeswoman referred us to Google since it “was their decision and should be theirs to comment. We didn’t cancel the phone, nor was there ever a plan for Verizon Wireless to sell the phone in our stores or online. Google announced its plan to offer a CDMA Verizon of the phone said said it was for our network,” she wrote.
 
UPDATE 2: In a statement, a Google spokesman confirmed that Google “won’t be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC.”

 

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Apr 26

BlackBerry Bold 9650 announced, targets Tour owners’ big complaints

Posted in: BlackBerry, breaking news, BreakingNews, cdma, RIM, Sprint, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

RIM has a longstanding track record of refining its hardware with near-surgical precision — from one generation of BlackBerry to the next, you almost always see a very careful, deliberate evolution, from the Storm2’s revamped SurePress tech to the Bold 9700’s optical pad and countless examples in between. “Evolution” is exactly how we’d describe the CDMA- and GSM-equipped Bold 9650, the Tour’s spiritual successor that ditches the old name to join forces with the remainder of the Bold line. Dimensionally, the Bold 9650 is a dead ringer for the Tour — it’s still 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.56 inches — but it packs on two-tenths of an ounce worth of weight in exchange for oft-requested WiFi support and an extra 256MB of internal storage (it’s now up to 512MB total). The other big difference, of course, is the replacement of the dodgy trackball with an optical pad, continuing a trend that has now permeated throughout virtually all of RIM’s lineup. Look for the Bold 9650 to hit American carriers — presumably both Verizon and Sprint — in May. Follow the break for a second shot and RIM’s full press release!

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9650 announced, targets Tour owners’ big complaints

BlackBerry Bold 9650 announced, targets Tour owners’ big complaints originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 26

Confirmed: Droid Incredible’s multitouch support is better than the Nexus One’s

Posted in: Android, Google, HTC, multitouch, nexus one, NexusOne, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video, vzw

You might recall that fascinating video a while back showing the Nexus One’s touch sensor getting all discombobulated when the tester’s multitouch fingerwork started to get a little too fancy, and now, Android Central has confirmed that Verizon’s Droid Incredible doesn’t suffer the same fate — but why is that, exactly? Android and Me is reporting that the Droid Incredible and EVO 4G both employ an Atmel maXTouch sensor with unlimited touch support — a relatively new product launched in late ’09 — whereas the Nexus One is using Synaptics’ older ClearPad 2000, which was designed to top out with simple two-finger gestures like pinch zoom. The upshot? Complicated multitouch games might end up being less playable (or downright unusable) on the Nexus One, but the silver lining is that HTC’s gone ahead and rolled out better components for its latest round of devices that should prevent this from being a problem going forward. Follow the break for Android Central’s video of the Droid Incredible multitouching circles around the Nexus One — figuratively speaking, of course.

Continue reading Confirmed: Droid Incredible’s multitouch support is better than the Nexus One’s

Confirmed: Droid Incredible’s multitouch support is better than the Nexus One’s originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Neowin.net  |  sourceAndroid Central, Android and Me  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 25

Droid Incredible comes with ‘limited introductory offer’ of 2GB microSD

Posted in: droid, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless

All in all, we thought the Droid Incredible was a pretty nifty phone, but in our full review we still called out a couple ways Verizon and HTC could make it a little more… well, you know. It seems Verizon has taken one of our suggestions to heart, because we’ve just learned the company will ship new phones with a 2GB microSD card. No word on how long the promo offer will last or whether existing pre-orders are included, but we hear at least one early adopter got left out. We’ll have to see if more speak up… like you, for instance. Let us know in comments if you get shortchanged.

[Thanks, Shawn M.]

Droid Incredible comes with ‘limited introductory offer’ of 2GB microSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 22

Microsoft Kin specs update: 600MHz processors, ambient sensors

Posted in: Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless

Surfing Facebook for Kin info? That’s so last year. The cool kids are members of the “upload generation” — meaning they wait at gdgt for Microsoft employees to upload the specs. This week, social marketing director John Starkweather did just that, and now we know that both Kin One and Kin Two will sport a 600MHz processor and EV-DO Rev. A when they come to market in May, as well as light and proximity sensors. Bluetooth remote and headset profiles are to be had alongside Microsoft Exchange, and there’s support for H.264, MPEG-4 and WMV video files. Last and assuredly least, the phones aren’t technically Verizon-exclusive in the US; the last remaining customers of Alltel will also get their chance to show off tragic, angst-filled lives.

Microsoft Kin specs update: 600MHz processors, ambient sensors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceKin One (gdgt), Kin Two (gdgt)  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 21

Motorola Devour graced with update, bug fixes are the main story

Posted in: Android, Google, moto, motorola, Today's Chili, update, upgrade, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

Alright, Devour users, we know the very first thing you want to know is whether this is Android 2.1 we’re dealing with here — and sadly, the answer to that is a forlorn “no.” That said, it looks like this update is going to tidy up a whole bunch of stuff for you with improved call performance, better UI response time, stability enhancements, a handful of minor email tweaks, better audio over headsets, and updated Google apps. As usual, Verizon and Motorola are rolling out this OTA in phases, so if you haven’t gotten it yet, just hang tight and see what the Firmware Fairy brings you over the next few days.

Motorola Devour graced with update, bug fixes are the main story originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Via @MotoMobile (Twitter)  |  sourceVerizon  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 21

Droid Incredible arrives early for a few lucky, smug pre-orderers

Posted in: droid, HTC, Today's Chili, unboxing, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video

While the new Verizon Droid Incredible isn’t supposed to arrive until April 29th, a few blessed pre-orderers are getting their units early. From the sound of it, there was a glitch in Verizon’s system that was allowing some phone orders to be shipped right away — sadly, that apparently has since been plugged. Interestingly, the boxes these are being shipped in so far just say “HTC Incredible,” not that it’s any surprise that the Droid Incredible moniker was a late-in-game addition. Of course, cries of “fake!” rang out in the forums, so one of the recipients (appropriately self-dubbed “SoSmarmy”) posted a video of the phone booting up for all to see. Check it out after the break. Not seething with envy yet? Perhaps you should re-read our review of the new flagship Android handset.

[Thanks, Aaron]

Continue reading Droid Incredible arrives early for a few lucky, smug pre-orderers

Droid Incredible arrives early for a few lucky, smug pre-orderers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 19

Samsung, Verizon Unveil Reality (the Phone, not the Concept)

Posted in: Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless
Samsung_Reality.jpg
Samsung and Verizon have announced the Reality, a feature phone with a 3-inch, 240-by-400-pixel touch screen and a horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The Reality will feature Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, a 3.2-megapixel camera, on-device photo editing including Dynamic Canvas (which apparently supports flash animations in pictures), and stereo Bluetooth.
The Reality will also feature support for social networking services, as well as VZ Navigator, Verizon’s Mobile E-mail, Mobile Web E-mail, and Corporate E-mail (formerly RemoSync) which hooks into Microsoft Exchange. 
Look for the Reality in either black or red on April 22nd for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year customer agreement. As is increasingly becoming the case, Verizon will require a $9.99/month 25MB data package with the Reality.
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