Hasta La Gadget!

Motorola’s Droid X is real. Really, really giant. And it looks like video is going to be how Verizon pushes the 4.3-inch screen: VCAST, a Blockbuster download service, HDMI out and DLNA compatibility. Did I mention it’s gigantinormous? More »

You might have figured that the recent update to Android 2.1 would’ve given Verizon’s Droid Eris a few months of additional shelf life, but alas, it was not to be; the phone is no longer available from Verizon’s online store, and we’d assume that any remaining inventory in the field will dwindle to nothingness in the coming weeks. If anything, it seems like the device — basically a tweaked Hero — would be able to effectively soldier on indefinitely for $50 or so on contract, but maybe the carrier’s intent on keeping Android a higher-end affair for the time being. And hey, with the Droid X and Droid 2 coming any week now, we suppose it’s getting pretty crowded anyhow. Ultra-cheap original Droid, anyone?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Verizon’s Droid Eris goes on permanent vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The unlimited data plan party could end soon. Verizon Wireless has hinted it is likely to follow AT&T and restrict the amount of data consumers can suck in through their phones.

“We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate,” Verizon’s chief financial officer John Killian told Bloomberg.

For nearly 90 percent of smartphone users, new pricing plans are unlikely to make a big difference in how they use their phones, says Chetan Sharma, who runs a consulting firm focusing on telecom issues. But for super-users, this could signal a change in how smartphones and apps are designed.

It could force developers and entrepreneurs to take a second look at how data is delivered and optimized.

“So far,  the ecosystem hasn’t paid attention to delivery efficiency,” says Sharma. “Content developers rarely care how much data is being transferred over their app. Now there’s room for technology that can help change that.”

Wireless service providers’ decision to do away with unlimited data plans plans runs orthogonal to what smartphones makers are doing. Smartphones today are in a race to offer more storage, along with the ability to shoot high-definition videos and photos. And they encourage you to share, uploading those files to YouTube and Flickr. Add to that video chat capability, especially over cellular networks, and there’s more stress than ever on the network.

“It was unsustainable,” says Sharma. “It couldn’t have gone on forever.”

After Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, it unlocked a world where users spend more time surfing on the phones, playing with apps and watching YouTube clips than talking on their phone. A Consumer Reports study found that the average iPhone user consumes 273 MB of data per month. About 4 percent users in that study gobbled an average of 1 GB per month.

Sharma estimates an average iPhone consumer uses about 600 MB a month, while a smartphone user who’s not on the iPhone or using an Android device takes in about 300 MB of data monthly. Unless, something changes, that data consumption will only go up, especially with the introduction of more powerful smartphones, straining the network’s capacity, he says.

With the iPhone, AT&T has been the first to feel the pain. In response, earlier this month, AT&T introduced a tiered pricing structure for data. Instead of a flat monthly fee of about $30 for unlimited data, AT&T users will now pay $15 a month for 200 MB, or $25 a month for $2GB. (See what AT&T’s limited data plans mean for you.)

Verizon is not changing the status quo just yet. The company has hinted it will introduce tiered data pricing plans as it opens up its LTE or 4G network. 4G data cards on the Verizon’s network could be launched later this year, followed by the first 4G smartphone next year, estimates Sharma.

A Verizon spokesperson declined to comment on when the company plans to introduce new data pricing plans.

“Unlimited pricing works well when you are trying to create demand,” says Sharma. “But now carriers are facing the reality that while their data revenue is fixed, their costs keep going up.”

Last year, approximately 70 percent of data traffic on wireless networks came from data cards. This year, smartphones will pretty much account for all data requests, says Sharma.

“The iPhone has catapulted the whole data issue to the forefront.”

See Also:

• 3G iPad’s ‘Unlimited’ Data Plan Survives Torture Test
• AT&T Adds iPhone Tethering, Kills Unlimited Data for iPad
• O2 Cuts Unlimited iPhone Data to Just 1GB in UK
• What AT&T’s Limited Data Plans Mean for You
• Cap My iPhone? Try This Instead, AT&T

Photo: (DJOtaku/Flickr)

Looks like Verizon and Motorola are coming clean with the Droid X a little earlier than planned — it just appeared on the official Droid page, complete with confirmation of that 4.3-inch screen size. Interestingly, rolling over the image reveals a box that says it has a “720p screen,” which would be crazy — especially since the Droid X prototype we played with had what looked to be the same 854 x 480 resolution as the original Droid, although we couldn’t confirm it at the time. A true 720p screen res would also be far denser than the 800 x 480 panel on the EVO 4G, so we’re thinking Verizon actually means 720p out over HDMI, not anything else. We’ll see though — the official launch event is still set for June 23, and we’re still waiting to find out about the slider Droid 2, so there are a lot of potential surprises still to come.

Update: We just confirmed that the Droid X prototype we saw had an 854 x 480 display, so we’ll have to see if Motorola and Verizon have a serious surprise for us come Wednesday — we know at least one Engadget editor who’s crossing his fingers.

Update 2: Sure enough, Verizon has changed the ad to read “Captures 720p” instead of “720p screen,” so that would basically confirm the 854 x 480 display. A nerd can dream, though! See the revised site after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading The Droid X gets real on Verizon (update: 720p video capture, not display)

The Droid X gets real on Verizon (update: 720p video capture, not display) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not interested in waiting until the 23rd for Verizon’s big announcement? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered right now! The Motorola Droid X has probably been one of the worst kept smartphone secrets in recent memory, but after spending two hours with the phone we sort of see why. In short, it’s pretty awesome. Call it a superphone or a mega-smartphone, but the 4.4-inch handset is absolutely Verizon / Motorola’s answer to the HTC EVO 4G, and makes the Droid Incredible look like a bench warmer. What do we mean? We’ll let you see for yourself just after the break in a breakdown of exactly what this phone is all about — and in a video or three of it in action. Oh, and on your way down, make sure to feast your eyes on the gallery, too.

Continue reading Exclusive: Motorola Droid X preview

Exclusive: Motorola Droid X preview originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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