Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon (like most operators) has thus far been coy about its plans for rolling out voice calling services on its LTE network, in part because voice isn’t a core service of LTE — everything is simply treated as data, which means carriers have needed to mull their options and decide how (and when) to add voice into the mix. We’d gotten the vague impression from Verizon’s LTE launch event late last year that 4G voice wasn’t in the company’s 2011 plans, but it turns out that’s not true: they’ve now come out to say that the LG Revolution — announced at CES last month — will be Verizon’s first VoLTE device when it launches mid-year. Naturally, it’ll fall back to CDMA voice when you’re out of LTE range, but the move will represent the carrier’s first baby step into the 4G voice realm; it’ll offer higher sound quality than you’re used to with traditional cellular and landline calls (akin to HD Voice, we imagine) which will be one of its selling points when it launches. Every indication is that this will be a glacially slow transition — it’ll take years for handsets to support the standard on a wide scale and LTE footprints to expand nationally, never mind inter-carrier call compatibility — but it’s a big move nonetheless. Look for more news on this at MWC next week.

[Thanks, Ravi]

Verizon’s LG Revolution to support voice over LTE mid-year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you got in quick and ordered your Verizon iPhone early you might just be getting a surprise in the mail this morning. We’ve heard from a number of people that their special somethings were out for delivery, but our man Chris was the first to provide conclusive proof, freshly in the door and photographed for your viewing pleasure. Still haven’t ordered yours and are on the fence? We can help.

[Thanks, Chris]

Continue reading First Verizon iPhones now being received, FedEx now awaiting your impatient calls

First Verizon iPhones now being received, FedEx now awaiting your impatient calls originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And with that, it’s officially On Like Donkey Kong. A flood of tipsters have confirmed this morning that Best Buy stores around the nation are now accepting pre-orders for HTC’s titillating Thunderbolt. We knew good and well this day was coming, but if you’ve got $50 socked away to put towards it, today’s the day to get in line. We’re hearing from numerous stores that the phone will be available for pickup on February 14th, so feel free to pre-order two — you know, for that special someone in your life. Let us know how your experience goes in comments below.

Update: We’ve got it on good authority that new and upgrade pricing for this here handset is set at $249.99 with a two-year contract.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours

Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The day of destiny is nearly upon us: on February 10th, you’ll finally be able to get an iPhone that works on Verizon. For us in the tech media, that’s one blown-out, seemingly never-ending rumor that we never have to write about again — whew! — but for you, this could very well mark the beginning of a magical journey. Of course, there are many, many things to consider that’ll influence your decision to buy: what carrier are you on currently? Do you already have an iPhone? How much traveling do you do? Are you a vegetarian? The list goes on and on — and we intend to help you figure it all out in time for launch day. What’s more, we’ll take a look at some of your best alternatives, too, because let’s be honest: just because the Verizon iPhone is here doesn’t mean that it’s right for everyone. So without further ado, let’s dive in and get this figured out.

Continue reading iPhone 4 on Verizon: how, when, where, and whether to buy it

iPhone 4 on Verizon: how, when, where, and whether to buy it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It took Verizon only two hours of having the iPhone 4 available for pre-order to break its all-time record for first day sales of a single device. That’s in spite of the fact it only opened up pre-orders to its own subscribers and did so in the dead of night. To be clear, between 3AM and 5AM yesterday morning, more people ordered up the iPhone 4 than Verizon has been able to get through its doors on any full product launch day. Predictably, the carrier hasn’t bothered to include the actual number of devices ordered up, but judging from the server issues it was having immediately after making the handset available and the subsequent shutdown of advance pre-orders, we’ll go ahead and guess it was “a lot.”

Continue reading Verizon breaks first day sales record with iPhone 4 pre-orders — in only two hours

Verizon breaks first day sales record with iPhone 4 pre-orders — in only two hours originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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