Aug 14

Verizon’s Fivespot gets FCC approval by way of ZTE

Posted in: hotspot, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

This actually happened a few days ago, but since we admittedly weren’t on the lookout for hot filings from Chinese manufacturer ZTE, we totally missed it until we circled back for our FCC Fridays roundup this week. That’s right: what you’re looking at above is a non-carrier-branded version of the Fivespot global mobile hotspot for Verizon that we’d broke the news on last month — and if you sift through the user’s manual in the FCC filing, you’ll see that this is indeed the same thing as the Verizon device. As a refresher, this puppy is supposed to replace the aging MiFi and offer support for triband HSPA alongside EV-DO in the event you’re dying for some 3G coverage outside the States. We’ve heard rumors that it’s been canceled recently to make room for Big Red’s LTE plans, but we’re not sure we buy it since widespread LTE coverage is still a long way out — especially in a tiny, sexy, global mobile hotspot form factor like this. And hey, with FCC approval behind ’em, why not go ahead and release it?

Verizon’s Fivespot gets FCC approval by way of ZTE originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 13

San Francisco in Verizon’s initial 30-market LTE rollout?

Posted in: 4G, lte, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, WiMAX

We’ve already heard how Verizon expects to hit the ground running on LTE, starting this November with a launch in 30 markets — New York, LA, Philadelphia, and so forth. Now it looks like you can add San Francisco to that aggressive list, if Boy Genius Report’s leak proves true. Will it beat WiMAX to the region? Your move, Sprint.

San Francisco in Verizon’s initial 30-market LTE rollout? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 13

Verizon confirms original Droid will be getting second Froyo update

Posted in: Android, droid, flash, froyo, motorola, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw
It still doesn’t add mobile hotspot or tethering functionality, but it looks like users of the original Droid will soon be getting a second Android 2.2 (a.k.a Froyo) update. That’s been confirmed by Verizon itself, which says that the second update will be following the just-released one in the “coming weeks,” and that it will let users download Flash 10.1 from the Android Market once it’s available. Details are light beyond that, but Phandroid notes that the rollout of the current Froyo update is expected to be complete around August 18th, and surmises that the second rollout will begin shortly thereafter.

Verizon confirms original Droid will be getting second Froyo update originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 13

Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010

Posted in: Android, Apple, apple tv, droid, engadget podcast, EngadgetPodcast, Google, HP, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, motorola, palm, playstation, podcast, pre, samsung, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, streak, Today's Chili, verizon, webos

It’s the Engadget Podcast….to go! Would you like a little Joanna Stern with that? Easy on the Ziegler, buddy – and 86 the Paul, please. All that plus a special toy for kids ten and under that manage to listen all the way to the end.

Update: If you’ve been unable to download the podcast in iTunes or Zune, it’s because we had a naming issue — it’s since been fixed and should download properly once the cache breaks. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel
Guests: Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: California Gurls

00:01:30 – The Engadget Show – 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7
00:01:40 – BlackBerry Torch review
00:12:48 – Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone
00:18:38 – Microsoft to open mobile games studio, develop and incubate Windows Phone 7 titles
00:24:42 – Exclusive: Upcoming Apple TV loses 1080p playback, gains apps… and will be renamed iTV
00:36:10 – iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber
00:39:49 – CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber
00:43:05 – Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader
00:43:56 – Notion Ink Adam delayed, this time investors are to blame (updated!)
01:47:00 – Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499
00:50:20 – Dell Streak on sale August 13 for $300 on AT&T contract, $550 without
00:51:14 – Off-contract Dell Streak is still SIM-locked to AT&T, wrongs still being done in the world
00:52:40 – Exclusive: Dell Thunder prototype rumbles into the wild (video)
00:57:05 – Motorola Droid 2 (and R2-D2 edition!) finally official: Android 2.2, Swype, $200 on contract
00:57:50 – Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing
00:58:30 – Motorola’s Droid 2 in the wild, looking as blue as ever
01:04:18 – Motorola’s Jha says MOTOBLUR brand will fade from view
01:05:22 – Epic 4G coming August 31st for $249.99 on contract (updated)
01:06:14 – HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation (updated with liveblog!)
01:07:35 – Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $40m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports
01:09:42 – HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011
01:11:20 – Pre designer Peter Skillman latest to leave Palm, entire senior staff now in exodus
01:14:56 – Google and Verizon announcing something policy-related at 1:30PM ET — we’re liveblogging right here
01:16:00 – Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for ‘an open internet’
01:17:00 – Google and Verizon’s net neutrality proposal explained

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Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 13

Droid 2 review

Posted in: Android, droid, Google, moto, motorola, review, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video, vzw

Even by mid-2010 standards, Verizon’s original Droid still looks and feels thoroughly modern — after all, it set a pretty high benchmark for the upper end of Android’s product portfolio when it launched late last year, and Motorola has managed to keep it updated through two major revisions of the platform along the way (in fact, it’s still just one of a very few devices running Froyo commercially at this point). That said, it’s got a handful of minor design flaws, none of which are really showstoppers in and of themselves but add up to make the phone a little less enjoyable to use than it could’ve been.

That’s where the Droid 2 comes in: a phone that’s less of an all-new, blockbuster product like the Droid X or EVO 4G and more of a genuine “version 2.0” type of effort — hence the name, we suppose — targeting some specific pain points we all experienced with the first-generation device. And just because it doesn’t have the beastly, in-your-face appeal of the Droid X doesn’t mean Verizon isn’t considering it an important device; quite the contrary, actually, rolling out a big new ad campaign and making it the first Droid model to be offered in an official R2-D2 version (and let’s be real: you can never downplay the significance of a gadget with a good Star Wars angle).

To put it plainly: on the heels of the Droid, the Droid 2’s got some big shoes to fill. Let’s find out whether they’ve pulled it off.

Gallery: Droid 2 review

Continue reading Droid 2 review

Droid 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Motorola Droid 2 ripped to shreds, where’s an astromech when you need one?

Posted in: Android, droid, moto, motorola, teardown, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

It’s been less than a full day since Verizon’s Droid 2 hit shelves (or two, if you count Sam’s Club) but the fine folks at iFixit have already managed to make their phone explode into… 24 pieces, if we’re counting right. Amazingly enough, the internal construction is almost exactly the same despite Motorola’s near-doubling of the horsepower (and addition of 802.11n) inside. You’ll find a nigh-identical logic board, speaker, camera and LCD screen — not to mention the exact same battery, which means original Droid owners will have a handy swap — and what looks like the exact same steps (but Torx screwdrivers required) to take the clever puzzle of plastic and metal apart. Not that you’d necessarily want to do the same to your new handset — It’s days like this we’re glad iFixit is here to take that bullet for us.

Motorola Droid 2 ripped to shreds, where’s an astromech when you need one? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition coming September 30

Posted in: Android, droid, motorola, Today's Chili, verizon

Looks like Verizon and Motorola have finally come clean with the release dates on that sweet Droid 2 R2-D2 edition — a poster next to that demo unit at the Star Wars-themed Celebration V convention in Orlando says it’s due to arrive on September 30. Unfortunately there’s no word on how much more this thing will cost over the regular Droid 2, but hey — Artoo’s worth it, right? Check a couple more high-res shots at the source link.

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition coming September 30 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Samsung Gusto is the Latest Low-Cost Phone from Verizon Wireless

Posted in: samsung, Today's Chili, verizon
Samsung Gusto.jpg
Verizon Wireless has just announced the latest addition to their device lineup. The Samsung Gusto is quite small, with a two-inch display and a narrow profile in a flip-phone design, but it still offers the features budget-conscious consumers are looking for in a mobile device, from the serious to the entertaining.
Dynamic Voice Enhancement technology promises to reduce background noise and offer excellent voice quality. The VGA camera with night shot mode captures all of the special moments you want to share with friends. Bluetooth is included for hands-free convenience, and the phone also responds to voice commands such as voice dialing, send text, send picture, and text message readout.
You’ll also find email and a mobile web browser plus Mobile Chat and Mobile IM, and text, picture, and voice messaging options. Personal organizer functions include a calendar, contacts, alarm and world clocks, a stop watch, and a calculator with currency converter. 
The device also includes VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn directions. Driving Mode automatically increases the handset volume to high and even reads caller information aloud when a call is received. Plenty of entertainment options are available, including access to game, ringtone, and wallpaper downloads. There’s even a “fake call” feature that can help you extricate yourself from awkward social situations.
The Samsung Gusto is now available online from Verizon Wireless for free with a new two-year service contract. It will also be available shortly in Verizon Wireless stores for $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year service contract.
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Aug 11

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing

Posted in: Android, Google, in the wild, InTheWild, moto, motorola, Star Wars, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw

If you compare this shot of the bespoke R2-D2 Droid 2 to the background of Verizon’s teaser site (inset), you can see this is almost certainly the genuine article — and we knew that Verizon intended to intro this thing at the Star Wars-themed Celebration V conference kicking off today, so this is all making a lot of sense. We admit, we were kind of hoping for a graphic that was a little more… you know, R2-D2-shaped, but when it comes to astromech-themed gear, we’ll take what we can get.

[Thanks, Brian D.]

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 11

CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber

Posted in: cdma, iPhone, prototype, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili, verizon


It’s not as cut-and-dry as last night’s declaration that a new Retina Display-equipped iPod Touch is due in the next few weeks, but our man John Gruber just put up a lengthy post on the long-rumored CDMA iPhone for Verizon in which he says the mythical handset is codenamed “N92” and has reached “engineering verification test” (EVT) status. According to Gruber, that’s just one step below “design verification test,” which is what that stolen iPhone 4 prototype was — meaning the CDMA iPhone is apparently just two hops away from production. Mix in persistent rumors of large CDMA chipset orders these past few weeks and a dash of AT&T hinting that exclusivity might be over, and it’s sounding like ol’ N92 could well arrive in January as first reported by Bloomberg — perhaps at Verizon’s CES press conference. In Gruber’s words, “the CDMA iPhone is no longer a cold storage, keep-it-alive-just-in-case-we-need-it project.”

Now, Gruber is very careful to say that none of this is a sure thing, and that Apple’s CDMA work could have nothing to do with Verizon specifically; it could be for Sprint, or for various international CDMA carriers. What’s more, we definitely have our doubts about a CES announcement — we’re expecting to hear a lot about Verizon’s LTE plans at the keynote, and it would certainly be an odd capstone to launch an incredibly high-profile CDMA device at the same time. (Not to mention Apple’s historic aversion to sharing the spotlight with others at CES.) Even still, we’ve definitely been hearing noise about a CDMA Verizon iPhone from all manner of sources for months now — if this is ever going to happen, we’d say this is the last time it’s going to make any sense before both Verizon and AT&T start to get serious about 4G.

CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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