Hasta La Gadget!

It wasn’t that long ago that we were jonesing for a Nexus One on Verizon. What HTC gave us instead was the Droid Incredible, with the same 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and gorgeous 3.7-inch AMOLED display — not to mention a better camera (8 megapixel vs. five), 8GB of built-in flash storage, an optical trackpad, HTC’s Sense UI on top of Eclair, and a dash of funky industrial design. The Incredible was an impressive phone with a lovely camera, marred only by questionable battery life and lack of supply, forcing HTC to build a Super LCD-equipped model to satisfy demand. Judging by the popularity of the Incredible, it came as no surprise that following HTC’s announcement at MWC, the Incredible S eventually became Verizon’s Droid Incredible 2. With a 4-inch Super LCD display, global CDMA / GSM radio, front-facing camera, updated internals (including 768 MB of RAM), trick capacitive buttons, and a Froyo-flavored serving of Sense, the Incredible 2 seems like a worthy successor to last year’s Incredible. Does it live up to our expectations or is it just another fish in the crowded sea of Android? Does it significantly improve upon the original formula or is it merely a refresh? Hit the break for our review.

Continue reading Droid Incredible 2 review

Droid Incredible 2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The world of smartphones changes mighty quickly, and if you blink, you’re bound to miss the latest and most delectable devices. That’s where we come in, to provide timely roundups of everything your friends expect you to know, along with the insight that you crave. To bring you up to speed, in our December buyer’s guide, at first blush you might have thought we were doing an overview of the best Android phones on the market. That’s because of our 16 highly-esteemed handsets, a whopping 13 of them had Google’s operating system at the core. As you’ll see, the landscape has changed somewhat, and these new contenders that have come out swinging.

We’ve broken down this buyer’s guide by mobile carrier, each including the best handset money can buy, our favorite QWERTY alternative, and the most well-rounded budget phone available (with $79 as the absolute ceiling). For smaller US providers, we’re providing a single selection, though we’re confident it’s a good one. You’ll definitely be presented with some difficult choices, but that’s merely a testament to the abundance of stellar phones that aggressively compete for your dollar. With that said, let’s dive in — it’s roundup time.

Continue reading Smartphone buyer’s guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more!

Smartphone buyer’s guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xoom owners might still be waiting for an LTE upgrade, but it does look like 4G netbooks and tablets could be hitting Verizon’s network pretty soon. The carrier, known for its stringent testing standards, has cleared Novatel Wireless’ E362 module to run on its network, paving the way for devices with embedded 4G radios. In addition to LTE, the module is compatible with CDMA and HSPA+ / UMTS technology — a safety net for people outside the 55 markets (soon to be 147) where Verizon is serving up 4G service. Okay, so with no word on pricing or product launches, an onslaught isn’t exactly imminent, but when it happens we’ll try not to say “told you so.”

Continue reading 4G netbook onslaught imminent as Verizon clears Novatel LTE radio to run on its network

4G netbook onslaught imminent as Verizon clears Novatel LTE radio to run on its network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s been telegraphing its intent to drop unlimited data plans for nearly a year, and despite the fact that LTE smartphones launched with all-you-can-eat options, those plans haven’t changed one bit. Reuters reports that Verizon will finally nix the megabyte buffet this summer, replacing it with a fully tiered data pricing scheme, though CFO Fran Shammo also floated the idea that tiered data could open up an avenue for family data plans. We’ve never really enjoyed sharing minutes, so we doubt counting our kilobytes will be much fun, but we suppose there’s always room for Verizon to pleasantly surprise us with a really low price for mobile web browsing. Right? By the by, Fran also reiterated claims that the next iPhone will be a global device, and said that when it launches on AT&T, it’ll hit Verizon stores at the very same time.

Verizon finally killing unlimited data plans this summer, says it’ll get iPhone 5 at same time as AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Soon” just got a lot more explicit: May 26th. That’s when the HTC Trophy arrives on Verizon Wireless, finally bringing some Windows Phone to the carrier and setting up for what will be a very busy day. Do you want some dual-core hotness in the Droid X2? Maybe some LTE lovin’ with Netflix in the form of the LG Revolution? Decisions, decisions, but those who go the way of Microsoft will find themselves touching a 3.8-inch WVGA display powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 16GB of onboard storage. It’s $149.99 after the requisite contract fuss and mail-in rebate, small price for a phone that’s been officially deemed ready.

Continue reading HTC Trophy officially set to launch on Verizon May 26th

HTC Trophy officially set to launch on Verizon May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 10:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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