Hasta La Gadget!

Given Nokia Siemens’ commitment to getting the technology rolled out with carrier partners on the double and the fact that Nokia’s tie-up with Qualcomm for S60-optimized HSPA and LTE chipsets will bear fruit in 2010 — not to mention the fact that multiple carriers will be deploying LTE over the next two years — it only stands to reason that Espoo would have LTE devices in the pipe sooner rather than later. Indeed, the company has now gone on record saying that it’ll have “data intensive” LTE gadgets launched next year, though they’ve failed to go into the nitty gritty details of what kind of devices those might be. That could very well be where this new rumor comes into play, though: TheStreet.com is claiming that there’s chatter of a Verizon / Nokia partnership that would see a serious full touchscreen multimedia phone launched to help inaugurate Big Red’s LTE airwaves — and considering that Nokia has ramped up its Verizon-branded product portfolio over the past year and publicly cheered on the carrier for choosing LTE over WiMAX or UMB, it’s not all that difficult to believe. If the rumored device comes in a brown pleather wallet, count us in.

[Via Phone Scoop, thanks papari]

Read – Nokia bringing LTE in 2010
Read – Verizon partnership?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless

Nokia says it’ll have LTE devices by 2010, Verizon partnership in the works? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Right on — well, the predicted — schedule, LG’s unique Versa handset hits Verizon Wireless stores nationwide. We’ve specced, reviewed, and generally fondled this set enough to give us a pretty warm fuzzy feeling about it and if you’ve about made up your mind by now, plonk that cash down. Pricing is set at $199 on a two-year, $269 on one-year (both after online $50 rebate), and a whopping $449 if month to month is more your thing. Admittedly, while cool and we’re really digging where it fits in the market, it is still a feature set and the off contract price is a bit heavy. If anybody has been dying to get their hands on this phone or picked one up today, do let us know what you think.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon’s LG VX9600 Versa hits store shelves today originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Wireless is the target of a new class action lawsuit that alleges the carrier misrepresented a “metropolitan commuter transportation district” tax charged to New York consumers, according to RCR Wireless News.

“[The] defendant stated in its monthly bills to consumers, as well as in other places, that this charge was a tax that defendant is ‘required by law to bill customers,'” the suit claims. “In truth, [the] defendant was under no legal obligation to bill customers for this amount, since that charge is one that is imposed on wireless providers, not on consumers.” Included in the suit was a copy of a recent bill that showed the 44-cent tax, along with various other 911 and tax-related surcharges.

The suit went on to point out that Sprint never charged this tax to customers in the same area. A Verizon Wireless spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit, saying “This is just silly. It’s a tax on wireless customers, and we’re billing it correctly.”

The truth is that many of the extra taxes on our wireless bills are purposely misleading. With a few exceptions, none are required—despite what the carriers want you to think. For more details, check out our comprehensive guide to cell phone surcharges on Smart Device Central.

At least on this Gregorian calender sitting here in the office, March 1st is still a few days off. True though that may be, it hasn’t stopped at least one LX9600 (or Versa, if you prefer) from getting unboxed from its Verizon Wireless packaging. There’s no indication of what truck this fell off of, nor if these phones may actually go on sale a few days early, but one thing’s for sure — this unboxer definitely did the honors in a high school cafeteria. Classy, no?

[Via phoneArena]

Filed under: Cellphones

LG Versa finds its way out of a Verizon box originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon went a step beyond simply revealing its LTE infrastructure partners at MWC this week (they’re Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson if you’re curious), announcing that it’ll actually have live networks in action by the end of the year. Two lucky to-be-named cities will be recipients of the 4G action — which sounds suspiciously similar to Sprint and Clearwire’s current WiMAX situation — where the company will get a better sense of the data rates commercial users can expect. Speaking of commercial users, they’ll be added into the mix come next year in 25 to 30 to markets. With a clear path for continued HSPA evolution up to double-digit Mbps under its belt, AT&T is pretending like it’s not feeling the heat here — but there’ve got to be a few beads of sweat forming on executive foreheads at this point.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Verizon launching LTE trials this year, commercial network in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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