Hasta La Gadget!

Been wondering why Verizon would seek to curb its unlimited data plans with bogus restrictions? Wonder no more. Jennifer Byrne, a business development executive director at Big Red, has shared with us the shocking stat that early data usage from Droid X owners is five times what other smartphones are suckling down. Clearly, the jumbo screen is being used to the fullest by those lucky enough to get an X when they wanted one, and Verizon is (outwardly, at least) really, really excited to see such keen use of its network. Enjoy it while it lasts, Droidsters!

Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s Droid X is hit among consumers, having sold out at most Verizon stores, but for some customers the phone’s display has been an issue.

Some Motorola’s Droid X phone users are experiencing flickering of their display, horizontal and vertical bands in it, and at times a blackout of the entire screen.

But those problems may be fixed soon, says Verizon.

Verizon has issued a statement to say only “a very small number” of users are facing the issue. And help for them is on the way.

“Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless,” a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Engadget.

Motorola announced the Droid X on June 23 and the phone hit retail shelves on July 15. The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) has a 4.3-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor. The phone launched with Android 2.1 operating system, but is expected to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo in the summer.

Droid X’s debut has left more than just users with display problems unhappy. Last week, Android geeks found that Motorola has made difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. Motorola has said that its combination of a specialized bootloader and custom “eFuse” chip will allow the phone to start up when approved software is installed, squashing hackers’ hopes that they can quickly get custom ROMs on the device.

Meanwhile, check out this video of a Droid X user whose phone screen started flickering after the device was woken up from its sleep mode.

See Also:

• Review: Motorola Droid X
• Hands On With the Motorola Droid X
• Motorola Upgrades the Droid With Droid X
• Droid X Debut Leaves Hardcore Android Fans Leery

Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

We’re being told that Verizon has a pair of devices that it’s identifying as “e-readers” on the roadmap for September of this year, but what’s really interesting is that they’re called “Entourage.” It’s possible there’s no association to the company of the same name, but we’re kind of thinking that the carrier has hooked up with the makers of the oddball Edge for these devices — especially since we know they both share an affinity for Android. We don’t know the specifics of the units other than the fact that they’ll be 7- and 10-inch tablets — presumably sans the Edge’s crazy dual-display design, though we can’t say for sure. Verizon has yet to play the e-reader game the same way Sprint and AT&T have with the Kindle and Nook — and of course, we’ve no doubt they’d love a viable iPad competitor. Who’s buying?

[Thanks, RBF]

Verizon getting two e-readers / tablets from Entourage in September? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re being fed some information on Verizon’s launch strategy for its first commercial 4G markets today; the bad news is that it’s looking like you’ll have to wait until the holiday shopping season, but the good news is that they should have a surprisingly decent footprint at launch. Specifically, we’re hearing that two data cards (presumably including that LG VL600 USB stick) will kick things off on November 15 with over 30 markets around the country — including biggies like New York, LA, Chicago, and Philadelphia — alongside ten airports, perfect for you globetrotters on layovers. It was nice little exclusive period there, wasn’t it, Sprint?

[Thanks, RBF]

Verizon’s LTE network launching November 15 with two data cards and over 30 markets? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All’s not well in Creepy Red Eye land, if reports out of several cell phone forums can be believed — a number of early Droid X adopters are documenting serious graphical or possibly electrical problems with the handset’s giant screen. While we don’t know how widespread the issue might be quite yet, symptoms include rapid flickering and vertical banding over all or part of the 4.3-inch LCD. Several forumites claim to have already had their phones replaced, in some cases being told the defect was a common problem in their respective launch day batches. We’ve contacted Verizon for confirmation and hope to have a response soon; in the meanwhile, see video examples of both issues after the break, and let us know if you’ve seen similar glitches in comments below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Some Droid X handsets have defective screens? (video)

Some Droid X handsets have defective screens? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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