Hasta La Gadget!

We knew it was coming, and just like its relatives the Onyx and the Gemini, yet another unreleased model has managed to escape the confines of RIM’s Waterloo headquarters. This time, however, it’s the Storm 2, which we’ve heard has been internally codenamed “Oden.” We’ve also caught wind that this model pictured is of the GSM flavor, and yes, it’s indeed packing WiFi in addition to GPS according to one of our sources. As far as that rumored “new approach to text entry,” it sounds like the keyboard has been tweaked but isn’t a radical departure from the first generation. From the photos, it seems that RIM has advanced in the war on buttons and axed the bottom four in favor of some touch-sensitive controls. The real improvements, however, appear to be under the hood, as the whole device reportedly runs much faster and smoother than the current model. We can’t confirm these specs, but with the Tour coming this summer, and the Storm 2 hopefully making an appearance before the holiday shopping season, looks like you Verizon BlackBerry fans might not have to be that jealous of your GSM brethren after all. One more pic after the break.

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm 2 gets pictured early

Filed under: Cellphones

BlackBerry Storm 2 gets pictured early originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been following Novatel’s MiFi with bated breath since its December announcement, and the totally pocketable 3G / WiFi router has finally graced a US carrier. Though it’ll ultimately come in a variety of physical designs, bands, and radio technologies for different carriers and parts of the world, the MiFi 2200 for Verizon naturally packs CDMA with EV-DO Rev. A, which means uplink speeds should be reasonably speedy to go along with your 1Mbps-plus downloads. Obviously, the concept of a credit card-shaped object connecting up to five WiFi-enabled devices to high-speed internet from wherever the road takes you is an incredibly intoxicating one — but does the MiFi 2200 deliver? Get the whole story over on Engadget Mobile!

Filed under: Wireless

Verizon MiFi 2200 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 May 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was hardly a secret ’round these parts, but Verizon Wireless is finally ready to confess to that MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot we’ve heard so much about. Like the Novatel unit it’s based on, the device harbors 802.11b/g and EV-DO Rev. A radios, and can share a 3G Verizon connection with up to five different WiFi devices simultaneously. Battery life is pegged at four hours of active use, and 40 hours of standby on a single charge. Data plans include a $40 monthly subscription for 250MB and 10 cents per MB overages, or $60 for 5GB and half the overages price. If you want to forgo the subscription and pay full-price for the MiFi, you can pick up a 24 hour “DayPass” for $15 — any way you slice it, you’ll be paying good money for the privilege of using the thing. The MiFi 2200 itself hits stores May 17th, and will run you $100 after a $50 rebate.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Verizon debuts MiFi 2200 portable EV-DO router originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 May 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t have a formal unveiling for Motorola’s Verizon-bound A4500 world phone just yet, but an operation manual and some snapshots of its dress rehearsal from the FCC should suffice in the interim. From what we glean, it supports CDMA for VZW’s network and quad-band GSM for SIM-packing Vodafone customers and other overseas roaming needs. No points for design originality (Q9, anyone?), but it does boast a wealth of good features including two megapixel camera, EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile (presumably 6.1), and a biometric fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. Not that we expected you to be eagerly anticipating this one, but we’d venture to say a cameo in the FCC means it’s on track for release some time in the near future.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola’s A4500 world phone caught in the FCC covered in Verizon tattoos originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yo, T-Mobile, you guys might want to speed that Snap / Dash 2 / whatever along, because you’ve got a few carriers nipping at your heels with their own WinMo-based portrait QWERTY models fresh out of HTC’s foundry. There’s a whole jumble of codenames and model numbers used to identify this thing, but basically, you can look at the XV6175 as Verizon’s answer to the GSM-powered Snap and S522 — a device that’s been seen in Sprint’s roadmap as the Willow and in various regulatory agencies as the Cedar (ridiculous, yes, we know). We don’t have any better idea of when it might launch, but in the meanwhile, feast your eyes on this render we’ve unearthed — and enjoy the Verizon logo-free bezel while you can, because we’ll bet you a bazillion dollars that’s not lasting.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC’s XV6175 for Verizon outed in render form originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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