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Continue reading Jitterbug comes to Verizon’s network, ‘Can you hear me now’ guy replaced by Wilford Brimley

Filed under: Cellphones

Jitterbug comes to Verizon’s network, ‘Can you hear me now’ guy replaced by Wilford Brimley originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s making some serious moves in North America at the moment — not to say that’s necessarily anything new — and the Touch Diamond2 and Pro2 are both getting love from every angle. That’s a good thing, we figure — and the parade of high-end Windows Mobile hardware continues with the Whitestone, a presumed Diamond2 variant with a 3.6-inch WVGA display and 5 megapixel cam. Test documents confirm that it’s CDMA / EV-DO, though we’re not seeing any evidence of GSM; that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not there since the FCC doesn’t care to test non-US bands, but we definitely expected to see a full report on EDGE 850 / 1900. Now that the approval’s in, Verizon, it’s your move — let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon’s HTC Whitestone garners FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Red’s flexing its 4G muscle today, announcing that it has successfully completed the first true tests on its nascent LTE network — end-to-end data calls that presumably approximate real-world usage. The action actually happened way back on July 15 in Seattle, while Boston just went down today — the two markets where Verizon said it’d be running the first trials — both on 700MHz spectrum won not terribly long ago. LG and Samsung provided the mysterious, unspecified “trial devices,” but don’t worry, Motorola fans — Verizon says they’ve got devices in the pipeline as well. Both Seattle and Boston currently have ten LTE cell sites live as the carrier trudges toward a 2010 date with destiny when it’ll take “up to 30” markets live, at which point EV-DO and HSPA will theoretically feel like trying to send packets via carrier pigeon. Progress!

Update: We just spoke with Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone to expand a bit on the trials. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Though they’re not talking speeds with these trials specifically, they’re confident in saying that everything’s in line for 7-12Mbps down and 3-5Mbps up at launch.
• The trials are being conducted on commercial LTE base station hardware, but everything else is prototype (and changing very rapidly). The end-user equipment doesn’t currently resemble anything you’d actually buy.
• Data modems will be the priority at launch, which makes sense considering the amount of industry flux with regard to voice over LTE. Though Verizon believes the solution will ultimately be some form of VoIP, there are several outstanding issues, including handling of 911 calls.
• Everything in the trial so far leads Verizon to believe that they’re on track for a 30-market launch in 2010.
• This doesn’t spell the end of EV-DO deployments — far from it. Melone says that upgrades could continue all the way through to the initial LTE launch and beyond.

Filed under: Wireless

Verizon tests first data connections on LTE network in Seattle and Boston originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So here’s some interesting insight into the wild, rough-and-tumble world of wireless product launches: Verizon announced ZTE’s AD3700 USB modem today, a product that gained FCC approval over five months ago, which means it’s probably been getting a trial by fire on Verizon’s test labs since then. You’ve gotta figure that ZTE was working on the prototype for many months before FCC approval, so all told, this launch is probably a culmination of a solid year of work, cash, blood, sweat, and tears. Don’t you feel obligated to buy it now? Anyhow, the modem runs $79.99 after a $50 rebate when it launches on the 14th, which is actually a really solid deal considering that it’ll do EV-DO in the States and HSPA around the world for 3G service no matter where your job or your whimsical vacation travel habits might take you.

Filed under: Wireless

Verizon announces AD3700 global modem from ZTE originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Which North American wireless provider do you think is telling the truth in its advertising? If you answered “none of ’em,” you’re probably right, but that’s not stopping Verizon Wireless from going to court to uphold its commercial honor, having been called out by AT&T earlier this month. VZW took the A train down to US District Court in Manhattan asking that its slogans like “America’s Most Reliable 3G Network” be validated, claims AT&T earlier said were false. We’re not quite sure why ‘ol Blue and White is getting feisty, since it’s had its fair share of issues, but maybe this is just some attempt to make the two look like they hate each other in public while exchanging sweet nothings and text messaging price hikes in private. All we know is this isn’t the first time carriers have battled over such claims, and it sure won’t be the last.

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon Wireless and AT&T engage in legal fisticuffs over ad slogans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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