Verizon to offer ‘up to’ five LTE handsets by next May, Android tablets from HTC and friends

Verizon had already said that it anticipated launching its first LTE handsets in the first half of 2011, but as we’re rounding third base toward the launch of Big Red’s first commercial 4G markets, it’s shedding a little more light on how it thinks this’ll all go down. Basically, wireless chief Lowell McAdam says we can expect “up to” five handsets by May of 2011, exactly a year from now — which could mean anywhere between zero and five, as far as we’re concerned — and that Motorola, LG, HTC, and RIM are all in the running to serve up that first volley of hardware. What’s not clear is whether these will make voice calls over CDMA exclusively (a la EVO 4G) or if they’ll be compliant with the IMS-based (and GSMA-friendly) voice the company expects to eventually roll out on top of its LTE network, but either way, it’s good news.

Turning our attention to Verizon’s recent tablet hullabaloo, McAdam says that although “there’s no reason [the company] couldn’t have an iPad,” the first tablets it offers will be Android-based — yes, “tablets” plural — and that most of them will launch in the fourth from companies “including Motorola, Samsung and LG.” Interestingly, this dovetails rather conveniently with an NVIDIA-powered Motorola tablet with Verizon branding that was briefly (and quietly) shown off at CES this January, so we wouldn’t be surprised if that was the unit we ended up getting. None of these devices might end up with the iPad’s name recognition, obviously, but an LTE-powered Android tablet with HTC’s good design sense certainly can’t hurt.

Verizon to offer ‘up to’ five LTE handsets by next May, Android tablets from HTC and friends originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Ally review

You know, not every smartphone has to be putting down maxed-out hardware. That’s a lesson that Nokia is certainly taking to heart, concentrating many of its latest efforts on lower-end Symbian devices that it hopes will capture entire new swaths of users that’d otherwise be buying dumbphones with half the functionality (and far less than half of the revenue potential). In the world of Android, though, recent devices like the EVO 4G, Droid, Droid Incredible, and Nexus One have admittedly caused us to grow accustomed to the idea that we should all be using blazingly fast processors and huge WVGA displays.

In reality, of course, Android is an extraordinarily scalable platform; there’s a whole world of hardware (and around $200 of on-contract pricing) below today’s latest round of “superphones.” At $100 on a two-year deal, the LG Ally sort of typifies what we’d expect out of a midrange Android device right now — a gap-filler that can capture users seeking a Droid experience on a Kin Two budget. So does it hold up in the day-to-day grind, or are you going to be begging for a Droid by day two? Let’s find out.

Continue reading LG Ally review

LG Ally review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Cellphone Exploded In My Face [Explosions]

Reader Corey relays his explosive tale, filled with luxury coupes, detonating phones and chemicals in the eye. More »

4G shocker! The good people of Boston enjoy Verizon’s trial LTE network

You know what makes us happy? Pizza. But a close second has to be 4G technology, which makes us truly envy the Bostonians who were treated to a sample of Verizon’s trial LTE deployment in the friendly confines of a downtown pizza joint last month. Big Red filmed the event — and while the whole thing comes off a little bit like a carefully-orchestrated PR stunt, it’s hard to argue with nearly 10Mbps down and over 2Mbps on the upstream. That’s good stuff that should have Sprint, Clearwire, and the rest of the players on notice — assuming Verizon’s network holds up under the crushing pressure of commercial availability once thousands of rowdy Harvard students start hammering it, of course. Follow the break for the full video.

Continue reading 4G shocker! The good people of Boston enjoy Verizon’s trial LTE network

4G shocker! The good people of Boston enjoy Verizon’s trial LTE network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time Warner and Verizon bring TBS, TNT content to FiOS TV Online

Verizon gave some FiOS subscribers access to on-demand content from TBS and TNT in its FiOS TV Online trials way back in August of last year, but the company has just now announced that it’ll finally be launching the service for all FiOS TV customers sometime next month. That will thankfully be a free service, and will give you on-demand access to shows like The Closer, Southland, and Lopez Tonight in “HD video quality” within 24 hours after they air on television. As before, Verizon is also saying that it is working with other networks including CBS, MTV and Fox News to bring additional on-demand content to FiOS TV Online, but it’s not going any further than to say that content is coming “soon.” Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Time Warner and Verizon bring TBS, TNT content to FiOS TV Online

Time Warner and Verizon bring TBS, TNT content to FiOS TV Online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft and Verizon say Kin’s monthly pricing isn’t crazy, when you think about it

Whatever you think about the Kin devices themselves, the one thing most folks can agree on is that their monthly pricing is more than a little out of step with their target audience — except for Microsoft and Verizon, that is. Speaking to Computerworld, Microsoft senior product manager Greg Sullivan and Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney both raised the issue of the Kin’s ability to backup to the cloud when defending the high monthly price ($30 for data on top of a standard phone plan), with Sullivan saying that once customers “realize the value of this, they’ll realize it’s a great deal.” On another note, Sullivan also used some interesting language when discussing the possibility of app downloads for the Kin, saying that “over the longer term” Microsoft will be “merging” the Kin and Windows Phone 7 platforms and adding downloadable apps. Now, that’s not a radical departure from what we’ve heard from Microsoft before, but “merge” is a curious choice of words, isn’t it?

Microsoft and Verizon say Kin’s monthly pricing isn’t crazy, when you think about it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s $100 Ally crashing Verizon stores on May 20th, pre-orders start tomorrow (update: now with specs)

We had a hunch that LG’s Android 2.1-based Ally would see its first customers on May 20th, and Verizon Wireless has finally opened up and confirmed as much this morning. The Iron Man 2-infused smartphone — which we spent some time with yesterday — will be available in all VZW stores beginning May 20th, with pre-orders going live for phone and web customers tomorrow. We’ve already given you the rundown when it comes to specs (they’re after the break for those with memories shorter than their shoelaces), but now we’re able to confirm that it’ll sell for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. A well-specced Android smartphone for under a Benjamin? Not bad, LG.

Update: Nothing in particular to write home about, but LG has just unveiled the Ally’s nearly complete spec sheet. [Thanks, Rey E.]

Continue reading LG’s $100 Ally crashing Verizon stores on May 20th, pre-orders start tomorrow (update: now with specs)

LG’s $100 Ally crashing Verizon stores on May 20th, pre-orders start tomorrow (update: now with specs) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon CEO: ‘We’re Working With Google on a Tablet’

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Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam says that his company is working closely with Google on a tablet computer. The tablet will be based on the Android operating system.

While neither Verizon or Google would confirm the hardware partner, McAdam mentioned Google in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “We’re working on tablets together, for example,” he said. “We’re looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience.”

By “archives”, we guess that McAdam means Google’s rather long list of products and services. Between Google’s books, map, email, chat, latitude and other products, it would be pretty easy to stock a tablet with all that it needs initially.

McAdam hinted that the Verizon tablet would come about in a similar way to the Droid phone, with Google’s OS, third-party hardware and Verizon’s data network. Don’t expect it too soon, either. Admitting that Verizon has been “handicapped” by its CDMA network, McAdam said new devices would be available to run on the company’s new LTE 4G network early next year.

Another tidbit from the interview: It looks like Verizon will be shutting down unlimited, per-device data plans in favor of a “bucket of megabytes.” These data-capped plans would be shared between devices — a tablet, a cellphone and an e-reader, for example.

This is exciting stuff. It looks like Apple will be facing stiffer competition in the tablet market than it ever did in the iPod market. With Android tablets now confirmed, and an HP/Palm tablet all but certain, hopefully consumers will see the benefit of all-out tablet war.

Verizon, Google Developing iPad Rival [Wall Street Journal]

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LG Ally works its Iron Man cred, leaves a few loose ends to tie up

We’ll admit it, we really can’t find anything straight-out “wrong” with the LG Ally. Maybe we could muster up a few matters of taste to gripe about, but it really does seem to be a pretty solid QWERTY Android slider. But unfortunately for LG, Verizon, and the good people at Stark Industries, we’re having a lot of trouble stomaching this handset for the mere fact that we’re up to our eyeballs in Android these days; nobody here has bothered to do anything different. When your only claims to fame are a few pixel tweaks on the home screen, categories in the app drawer, and an augmented reality Iron Man app, you’re running the risk of… well, that’s just it, you aren’t running any risk at all. Sure, including a “limited edition” Iron Man comic with every phone sold is a nice touch, but it won’t help you much in two years (or two months) when everybody you know has a better phone than you.

At least LG managed to best the Droid’s landscape QWERTY, with some well-defined keys and decent, clicky action, though the unfortunate layout and an oddly inconsistent key shape keeps that from saving this phone. Specs-wise it’s just what we had been hearing: Android 2.1, a 3.2 megapixel camera (with a flash), a nicely side-accessible microSD slot for the included 4GB SD card, and that mid-range Qualcomm MSM7627 processor. Hopefully Verizon can announce a bargain basement price (we’re figuring $99 or less is a shoe-in), otherwise we want that GW990 back pronto. No word on release date, either, but we should be learning more tomorrow.

LG Ally works its Iron Man cred, leaves a few loose ends to tie up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Ally up for preorder on Thursday, launching on May 20?

We should know a whole lot more about this situation at an Iron Man 2-themed LG event taking place later today, but BGR appears to have scored full details on LG’s upcoming Android-equipped Ally for Verizon along with a couple key dates. Most importantly, it sounds like the landscape QWERTY slider will be available in “all channels” (read: telesales and brick-and-mortar stores) on May 20, preceded by an online pre-order this Thursday, May 13. It’s got Eclair, a 3.2 megapixel cam, 4GB microSD card in-box, and a Qualcomm MSM7627 core — the same midrange silicon that powers the Moto Devour. Against the Droid, this bad boy appears to slot just underneath in the range, but a little choice never hurt anyone, did it?

LG Ally up for preorder on Thursday, launching on May 20? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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