Switched On: Getting real about a phone that’s not (part 1)

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

In the short history of smartphones, handsets carrying all but one of the major operating systems have been available to multiple U.S. carriers. That exception is iOS, for which the iPhone has been the only model. Of course, the iPhone’s close cousin, the iPod touch, is available regardless of carrier (or service fees, for that matter), and has sometimes been referred to as “the iPhone for Verizon users.” Ultimately, though, it’s not. While the iPod touch provides access to a dizzying array of functionality that will likely expand this fall, its lack of an integrated cellular radio and attendant voice calling features means that it cannot assume that primary role in one’s digital life in the same way that many smartphones have.

For this reason, the notion of a Verizon iPhone remains one of the hottest rumors in the industry, with many assuming that it would cause a fundamental shift in the competitive landscape. But there are many reasons that a Verizon iPhone may take years to arrive — if it ever does — and may not create nearly the disruption that it has on AT&T.

Continue reading Switched On: Getting real about a phone that’s not (part 1)

Switched On: Getting real about a phone that’s not (part 1) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shocker: Verizon says Droid Eris won’t get Froyo

Though the HTC Droid Eris soldiers on in user pockets in a variety of guises, Verizon has unsurprisingly decided to disavow future updates for the canceled device. Carrier spokespersons told Computerworld that the Eris won’t see Android 2.2. “We have other options in Android devices, so this is part of the normal evolution of our portfolio,” a spokeswoman reportedly said. While we didn’t really expect Verizon to pull a T-Mobile and support phones that died even before the original G1, we have to imagine there’ll be a few ruffled feathers at that particular choice of words. No one likes to be told to buy a new device in order to get a software update. On the plus side, we expect XDA-developers will get a few new members this week, the better to unleash the potential of future neglected devices for us all.

Shocker: Verizon says Droid Eris won’t get Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 to be GSM-only until first half of 2011

Well, damn — Verizon told us earlier that it wouldn’t be carrying Windows Phone 7 devices until 2011, and now Microsoft’s twisting the knife by confirming that its new platform will be GSM-only until the first half of 2011. So much for our dreams of a 4G Windows Phone 7 device on Sprint, we suppose. Product manager Greg Sullivan told CNET that trade-offs had to be made in order to meet the schedule and GSM was prioritized since it’s used worldwide, but that CDMA devices would be available early next year. Of course, we’ve also heard that the failed Kin project soured the Verizon / Microsoft relationship and that’s why AT&T is the “premier carrier” for WP7, but either way, it’s down to Ma Bell and T-Mobile to get this thing off the ground now — and we’ll say right now that launching CDMA devices with the current Windows Phone 7 spec list later into 2011 isn’t going to do anyone any favors.

Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 to be GSM-only until first half of 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Tablet to Debut on Big Four U.S. Carriers

Samsung is milking the launch of its 7-inch tablet called the Galaxy Tab by trickling out a little bit of news about it every other week. After announcing the Galaxy Tab’s launch in Europe earlier this month, Samsung held a press conference Thursday to say the device will be available in the U.S in the next few weeks.

The Galaxy Tab will be available on all the four major wireless service providers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. There’s still no word on pricing or exact shipping date for the Galaxy Tab. The devices, which support 3G and WiFi, will arrive in time for the holiday shopping season, says Samsung. A Wi-Fi only version of the tablet will be available in the future.

The Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and has a LCD display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. At 0.8 pounds, the device weighs just about half as much as the iPad. It also supports Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1 so it can display web pages that run Flash — something the iPad can’t. The Galaxy Tab will run many Android Market apps in full screen and those that are not scalable will be framed and centered on the screen at 800 x 400 resolution.

Another feature that U.S. customers of Galaxy Tab will get is the Media Hub, a mobile widget that will allow users to download and rent movies.

The Galaxy Tab will come with three accessories: a $100 keyboard dock, a $50 desktop dock, which will double as a charger, and a $100 car and GPS dock.

See Also:

Photo: Samsung


Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab headed to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon

That’s right! Once again, Samsung’s gotten all four of the major US carriers in its court — and just as we’d heard, the 7-inch Galaxy Tab will be heading to Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile sometime during the October / November timeframe. We wish we had more to share on the availability part, but Samsung’s leaving that and the pricing announcements to the carriers. (We do know that the keyboard dock will cost $100 and the desktop dock $50.) We got to check out the US version of the Galaxy Tab earlier today, and its raw specs — 1GHz Hummingbird, Android 2.2, 7-inch, 1024 x 600 WSVGA resolution display, front and rear cams — were exactly the same as the one we previewed last week at IFA. However, Samsung tells us that TouchWiz will be tweaked slightly for the stateside crowd — it won’t have the Reader or Music hubs, but will have the social networking apps and a new Media Hub. There will also be preloaded carrier apps — for instance, AT&T’s version will come with its Connection Manager. Obviously, we can only hope that Verizon’s wised up and isn’t planning to totally Bing-out its Tab. No word on an unlocked or WiFi version hitting the US, but apparently it’s being talked about internally. We’ll be bringing you some more hands-on shots soon and trying to dig up more on pricing, but hit the break for the full press release.

Updated: Samsung just confirmed that a WiFi-only version will come at some point…

Continue reading Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab headed to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon

Official: Samsung Galaxy Tab headed to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon won’t sell Windows Phone 7 until 2011

Uh, oh, looks like Verizon has indeed distanced itself from Microsoft after the Kin debacle: the carrier confirmed to Bloomberg Businessweek today that it won’t offer any Windows Phone 7 devices at launch this year, instead waiting until 2011 to support the new OS. That certainly ties right in with AT&T’s claims that it’ll be the “premier carrier” for Windows Phone 7 and the flood of Blue-tinted device leaks we’ve seen, but it also leaves Microsoft in a seemingly tough spot to start — we haven’t heard more than the slightest whisper about WP7 devices on Sprint or T-Mobile yet, and until we do it’s going to be the iPhone and WP7 head-to-head on Ma Bell while Android continues to dig in everywhere else. We’ll see — this launch can’t come quickly enough.

Verizon won’t sell Windows Phone 7 until 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhoneScoop  |  sourceBloomberg Businessweek  | Email this | Comments

Verizon to light up LTE network in 30 ‘NFL cities’ this year

We already knew Verizon was planning to hit one third of the country with LTE this year with plans to expand dramatically after that, but things are starting to come into sharper focus: the carrier today said that it’ll light up 30 “NFL cities” with 4G by the end of the year. Now, there’s only 32 teams, so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out where that’s going to be — and considering the plan is to hit “major metropolitan areas,” we’ll go ahead and guess Green Bay isn’t on the list, even though the Packers are by far the best team in the league. (Buffalo and Jacksonville also spring to mind — and let’s not forget that the NFL still isn’t in LA, despite Ari Gold’s best fictional efforts on Entourage.) The plan is to first upgrade each cell site’s backhaul connection to Gigabit Ethernet so they’ll have the necessary bandwidth to support the 5-12Mbps down and 2-5Mbps up speeds with 30-150ms latency promised for Big Red’s LTE network at launch. Ambitious, but hey — we’d love nothing more than to be streaming the Super Bowl over LTE when all’s said and done.

Update: As many of our beloved commenters have pointed out, there are technically only 30 NFL markets, as New York has the Giants and Jets and the Raiders and 49ers play across the bay from each other. LTE for everyone, then? We’ll have to wait and see — and we’ve got a feeling a few Oakland residents might take offense at being lumped in with their neighbors across the bridge.

Verizon to light up LTE network in 30 ‘NFL cities’ this year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon gearing up for Android V Cast App store?

We’re guessing Verizon has been pretty happy with the results of its V Cast App store for BlackBerry, as it looks like the carrier’s now accepting submissions in the Android category for software that’ll propagate its eventual marketplace on that mobile platform. According to a purported letter obtained by Android and Me, Big Red has been sending out letters to developers extolling the virtues of using its store in lieu of Google’s: no testing fee, 14-day turnaround, carrier billing (with the promise of an eventual subscription billing option), 70 / 30 split favoring the developer, etc. Froyo is the flavor of choice, and the only version of Android that’ll be supported from the onset — so that includes both flagship Droids, Droid Incredible, and Droid X. Verizon’s Developer Community Conference is the end of this month (21st and 22nd, to be exact), and we imagine the skinny will be gotten by then.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Verizon gearing up for Android V Cast App store? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Does website points to imminent Froyo update for Droid X… but what does it mean?

Just as Paul Vasquez would have us do, we’re questioning the true meaning behind a curious page that has popped up over at the Droid Does website — a very authentic portal that Verizon Wireless itself has been pushing for nearly a year. Put simply, the splash page details “great news!” surrounding a heretofore unannounced Android 2.2 update for the arguably gigantic Droid X. In fact, we’re even told about all the amazing features that Froyo brings, but alas, our own X has yet to get any sort of notification from Big Red. The image you’re peering at above was purportedly texted to a tipster from VZW, but unfortunately, the links led to the previously referenced splash page rather than a download. Still, we’re guessing that this means a bona fide release is just around the corner — Verizon’s already a few weeks late at this point, so hopefully the finishing touches are nearly done.

[Thanks, Kellen]

Continue reading Droid Does website points to imminent Froyo update for Droid X… but what does it mean?

Droid Does website points to imminent Froyo update for Droid X… but what does it mean? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon to announce Samsung Galaxy Tab on Thursday?

We pretty much assumed this would go down at Samsung’s event on Thursday, but now we’ve got more confirmation Verizon will indeed carry the Samsung Galaxy Tab — check out this leaked screenshot from the employees-only VZWeb system. Details are light, but it looks like Froyo and Flash 10.1 will be preinstalled along with “a number of exclusive apps” to differentiate it from the rumored versions coming to AT&T and Sprint — we’d say Skype fits the bill quite nicely here, as does the thanks-for-telling-us-it-costs-$10-per-month NFL Mobile app with live game streaming and the RedZone channel. Unfortunately, it sounds like we’ll have a bit of a wait for pricing and availability details, which will be released “over the coming weeks,” and that’s really all we want to know — if this thing requires a two-year contract we’re thisclose to calling it a dud out of the gate. We’ll see, we’ll see — Thursday’s only two days away.

Verizon to announce Samsung Galaxy Tab on Thursday? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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