Hasta La Gadget!

Hot on the heels of AT&T’s happy earnings tidbits yesterday, VZW’s latest figures also show that it’s raking the money in nice and regular. Total operating revenues in Q2 were $27.5 billion — that’s up half a billion on Q1 2011 and 6.3 percent on Q2 2010 (on a non-GAAP basis). The Big Red claims 2.2 million net additions to its wireless customer base, contributing to a 6.6 percent year-on-year increase in wireless service revenues and a 22.2 percent increase in wireless data revenues.

Company execs were especially pleased with the sale of 2.3 million iPhones during the spring, despite the iPhone 5 “being delayed by more than a quarter.” Unfortunately they didn’t clarify whether the next iPhone was really delayed, or just likely to arrive later than they expected. LTE phones and dongles also proved popular, shifting 1.2 million units and helping to boost Verizon’s average revenue per unit. Together, LTE and iPhone devices accounted for 69 percent of new additions. Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg summed it all up as “one of Verizon’s best quarters since the 2008 economic downturn.” You’ll find the full earnings report after the break.

Continue reading Verizon has best quarter since 2008, thanks largely to iPhones and LTE

Verizon has best quarter since 2008, thanks largely to iPhones and LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We had our hands on a raw version of the Droid Bionic way back at CES, but two listings on Amazon for desktop and car docking stations, uncovered by Android Central forum posters, may give the clearest look at the phone so far. As you can see in the shot above of the desktop dock Motorola’s slab appears to have a chrome ring running around the outside, while the dock itself has a 3.5mm audio out, HDMI output and USB ports. There’s no price or release date listed for either accessory but if you’ve been lusting over the beast and its rumored specs we’re figuring some quiet time with these shots is just what the doctor ordered — check after the break for a shot of the car dock and the back of the desktop docking station.

Continue reading Droid Bionic’s secrecy betrayed on Amazon, by simple dock listings

Droid Bionic’s secrecy betrayed on Amazon, by simple dock listings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3G wireless is now less a privilege than a right, and and with any luck our 4G networks will be similarly self-evident soon. Verizon is doing its part, flipping the switch on 28 new LTE markets today. This boosts the total number of covered areas to 102. Added highlights include: Colorado Springs, Colorado; Augusta, Georgia; Louisville, Kentucky; and Hilo, Hawaii. Meanwhile, folks in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas, San Antonio, and Seattle can now roam a little further from city center without losing LTE. The full list is after the break, but if you’re feeling lucky just go ahead and enable everything on your handset. We’ve got our fingers crossed for you.

Continue reading Verizon flips the switch on 28 new LTE markets, Louisville Sluggers now available with 4G

Verizon flips the switch on 28 new LTE markets, Louisville Sluggers now available with 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MyTouch 4G Slide is one of TMobile's most recent smartphones to hit the market. (Photo courtesy TMobile)

T-Mobile introduced on Wednesday a new financing plan for purchasing devices over an extended period, as well as a price reduction for one of its smartphone plans.

With T-Mobile’s new layaway plan, customers make an upfront down payment on a particular smartphone, with the amount varying depending on the model. Afterward, customers pay a monthly EIP — or equipment installment plan — typically anywhere between $5 and $15 monthly, again depending on the phone purchased.

Additionally, T-Mobile is expected to announce a $20 price drop for its mid-tier smartphone plans, according to information obtained by CNET. The plan includes unlimited monthly minutes, SMS messages and data, with escalating prices for larger caps on high-speed data access. If you exceed your monthly data amount, T-Mobile throttles your speed — essentially slowing your connection down — until the next billing cycle occurs. Unlike AT&T, however, the company doesn’t charge overage fees for exceeding your monthly data download limits.

T-Mobile’s fluctuating pricing structures keep the company a competitive force in today’s wireless carrier landscape. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon all offer similar plans to T-Mobile’s, but at ten dollars more than T-Mobile’s supposedly forthcoming one. T-Mobile also takes the lead of many lower-cost cellular services like Metro PCS with its installment plan. It’s essentially a compromise for customers who don’t want to sign up for a plan, but also don’t want to pay for an unsubsidized phone at full price (usually upwards of $400 to $600 for today’s smartphones).

Of course, all of this is subject to change. In March, AT&T submitted its bid to buy Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile, which would make AT&T the largest wireless provider in the United States if the acquisition were to be approved by the FCC. Sprint is railing against the deal, which would place Verizon squarely in second place for nationwide wireless services, marginalizing Sprint’s market presence. If the deal goes through, one could potentially expect pricing plans to change dramatically.

T-Mobile breaks down savings on its new plan compared to that of its competitors below:

T-Mobile's data chart offers a breakdown of a sample plan, and savings compared to other carriers. (Photo courtesy TMobile)

T-Mobile’s new plans will launch on Sunday, July 24, for U.S. customers. The lower rate wireless plans will come with the usual stipulation of agreeing to a two-year contract.

Big news for Big Red-eyed fans — the Droid 3’s finally made its dual-core, qHD, global 3G surfin’ ways official at the carrier’s retail outlets. You can pick this QWERTY slider up now for $199 on a two-year contract, or just go whole-hog and pay $459 with no strings attached. It’s not the operator’s top of the line offering, nor is it the increasingly mythical Bionic, but it should satisfy your Android needs. Click the source to order the latest in the Droid’s lineage.

Droid 3 on sale now at Verizon Wireless originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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