A few days ago I landed in England and, expecting little, slipped an old UK SIM card into my phone. I’d bought it when living in London five years ago, and hadn’t used it in over a year. But to my amazement it was still active — as was the money I’d added to its pay-as-you-go account sixteen months earlier…and then I received a friendly text message informing me that my data costs were… → Read More
Verizon Communications is preparing a $100 billion cash and stock bid to take full control of Verizon Wireless from Vodafone Group, reports Reuters. Verizon’s board is expected to discuss the potential buyout next week ahead of its annual shareholder meeting. → Read More
Nokia looks like it’s hoping to turn up the volume of its Windows Phone-based Lumia smartphones in the US by signing another carrier to its cause. Bloomberg is reporting that Nokia and Verizon have struck a deal that will see the carrier offer the Lumia 928 starting from next month. The deal has not yet been made public but Bloomberg said two people familiar with the situation confirmed the plan. → Read More
Verizon said today on its earnings conference call that it had activated 4 million total iPhones during Q1 2013, of which half were LTE devices and half were 3G. That means 50 percent, or around 2 million were iPhone 5, with the remaining 2 million making up iPhone 4 and 4S devices. → Read More
Verizon reported its Q1 2013 earnings today, including revenue for the quarter of $29.4B and EPS of $0.68. The results were mixed, topping expectations in terms of earnings per share, and falling slightly below prediction in terms of revenue estimates, according to Yahoo!’s analyst consensus. → Read More
It’s been a long time coming, but Verizon Wireless customers should soon have another high-end Windows Phone 8 device to lust after. After the handset was spotted both in both the FCC’s and Verizon’s systems, noted leaker @evleaks has come through yet again with a new image of the upcoming Nokia Lumia 928 (formerly known as the “Catwalk”). → Read More
AT&T has announced a deal with Verizon Wireless that will allow the company to continue to build out its 4G LTE network in the U.S., through the acquisition of 700 MHz spectrum from Verizon Wireless. The 700 MHz band was originally used to broadcast analog TV channels, but the transition to digital TV made them available for auction in 2008. Verizon won Block A during that auction, along with… → Read More
The iPhone was Verizon’s top-performing smartphone during its most recent quarter, the company revealed during its quarterly earnings call today. All told, Apple’s smartphone made up 63 percent of Verizon’s smartphone device sales for the quarter, with 6.2 million sales out of a total of 9.9 million for smartphone hardware. Of the 6.2 million iPhones sold, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that half… → Read More
Verizon has just put out its Q4 and full-year earnings for 2012, and the top-line figure for the carrier is that it has reached the $30 billion operating revenue mark for the first time in the company’s history. This follows on from a strong performance in its newer, non-legacy lines of business, specifically Verizon Wireless and its FiOS TV and broadband services. → Read More
With Microsoft pulling out of the Consumer Electronics Show and Apple nowhere to be seen, the show has become a huge opportunity for other companies to have their major onstage moment. With more than 150,000 people in attendance and millions of people watching remotely, it’s the opportunity of the year for a company that isn’t known for its press conference prowess.
You know. Like Verizon. → Read More
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam’s keynote speech this afternoon at the Consumer Electronics Show was all about the big challenges facing different industries (and indeed society as a whole), as well as the ways that Verizon technology is helping. At one point, for example, he declared, “4G LTE proves the case that innovation in networks is the foundation for innovation across the… → Read More
Samsung’s ATIV Odyssey has been a real noodle-scratcher of a device ever since its existence was first hinted at during Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 launch event. Well, consider that particular veil lifted — Samsung had a near-final version of the Odyssey to play with here at Digital Experience in Las Vegas, and I took the secretive little guy for a spin. → Read More
Samsung just announced that its Galaxy Note 10.1 is headed to Verizon with 4G LTE connectivity. And if that weren’t enough, the S-Pen-enabled tablet will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
If you are unfamiliar with the GalNote 10.1, it brings the screen real estate of a tablet to the creative power afforded by the Galaxy Note smartphone. By including support for the Wacom-esque S-Pen stylus… → Read More
Veteran music streaming service Rhapsody has been around for over a decade. It’s managed to survive in a turbulent (and oftentimes) crowded market, even as it has been eclipsed in popularity by services like Rdio and Spotify. In fact, Rhapsody was the first on-demand service to offer unlimited access to a substantial catalog of music for a flat monthly subscription fee, paving the way for startups… → Read More
Redbox Instant by Verizon, the up-and-coming joint venture that’s preparing to take on Netflix, is now live in Google Play. The service won’t be publicly launching until early 2013, according to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, however. But Redbox recently told GigaOm that a beta test would begin in December – and, apparently, it’s beginning today. → Read More
Verizon updated its FiOS Mobile application for iPad, which now streams 75 channels of live TV. Unlike some of the mobile experiences Verizon has released in the past, the new application doesn’t require you to install software on your Mac or PC to act as the intermediary – instead, everything streams directly from the Verizon router in your home. → Read More
HTC and Verizon’s brief presentation wrapped up not long ago, which can only mean one thing — nearly all the members of the press leapt from their seats and made a beeline for the demo units for some precious hands-on time. → Read More
If you think Sandy’s slow, steady passing is a sign of good things to come, think again. It’s going to take days (at the very least) to restore power to many of the 7 million+ people living in darkness, and cell service is expected to get worse before it gets better.
According to the FCC, 25 percent of cell towers in ten states were disrupted or damaged during the Hurricane. Landline outages… → Read More
Hurricane Sandy, what may essentially be the biggest storm to hit the North Eastern seaboard in history, is barreling toward us, through the Atlantic, at this very second. It’s estimated to cause between $2.5 and $3 billion in wind damage alone, and has already claimed dozens of lives on its way to the States.
To that extent, the nation’s major wireless carriers want you to know they’re ready… → Read More
Nokia today officially announced that it will be offering the Nokia Lumia 822 as part of its “Fall portfolio,” bringing the Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia 820 variant exclusively to Verizon’s network. This version offers wireless charging, an 8 MP camera on the back and 1.2 MP camera on the front, as well as LTE support and switchable shells. No word yet on specific availability or pricing. → Read More
Last week, we got a peek at HTC’s J Butterfly Japan-only Android phone, with a huge 1080p 5-inch display that manages a crazy 440ppi pixel density, and today, Android Central is claiming a new North American HTC flagship phone coming to Verizon will offer the same screen on our shores. The HTC DLX, as the report claims it’s called, appears to share both design and spec cues with the J Butterfly. → Read More
The Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD have pranced their way across a stage or two, and they’re even the stars of a new commercial, but today you’ll get to go face-to-face with the hot new Googorola phones at a Verizon store for $199 and $299 respectively.
This also marks the beginning of a new price cycle for the carriers, which seems to be starting at Amazon Wireless, where the $199… → Read More
Verizon posted strong Q3 financial results earlier this morning, and pegged much of its success on its robust wireless business. Smartphones (as always) played a key role in driving Verizon’s wireless performance, but how exactly did the carrier’s smartphone sales break down this past quarter? → Read More
Telecommunications giant Verizon has just released its Q3 2012 earnings, and posted double digital growth for the third consecutive quarter. Wireless service revenues accounted for a good chunk of income on the backs of record high profit margin. Verizon reported $29 billion in total operating revenue (up 3.9% over last year), as well as diluted earnings of $.56 per share, up from $.49 per share… → Read More
AT&T and T-Mobile have already pulled back the curtains (well, mostly) on their stock of Nokia Lumia Windows Phones, but rival carrier Verizon has remained awfully quiet on the matter. That may soon change though, as a pair of newly leaked images point to the existence of a Lumia 820 variant meant for Verizon’s airwaves. → Read More
It’s been less than two years since Verizon first lit up its 4G LTE network, and there’s little question that it’s been growing at a quick clip. To wit, Verizon Wireless CTO Nicola Palmer at MobileCON in San Diego announced the carrier will light up its 400th LTE market (Marquette, Michigan) on October 18, well ahead of the “end of the year” timeframe the carrier previously forecasted. → Read More
Apple rolled out a carrier update for Verizon customers suffering a bug that caused the iPhone 5 to use cellular data while connected to Wi-Fi, and now Verizon is officially alerting customers that it’s available and that they won’t be charged for the error. This fix should help some of those affected by Wi-Fi issues on the iPhone 5, although there is some indication that other problems still… → Read More
Verizon has officially told the AP that the SIM slot on its iPhone 5, which shipped unlocked, won’t be re-locked later on, as was the case with the initial shipment of Sprint iPhone 4S devices sold last year. That means that Verizon iPhone 5 owners can effectively use their devices with any GSM carriers around the world, including AT&T in the U.S. → Read More
TiVo announced today that Verizon will pay it a total of $250.4 million in compensation through July 2018 in order to settle an ongoing patent dispute between the two companies. The companies will also be looking at future combined distribution of streaming video services through Redbox, of which Verizon has a key stake, and TiVo’s DVRs. → Read More
So here’s an interesting predicament that I’ve found myself in today. As you know, the iPhone 5 pre-sale begins at 12:01 Friday morning. I’m ready to pre-order like every other geek, but I can’t. Here’s the gist of it.
I was in Mexico last month, and before I left I added international data roaming services for two of my lines. Pretty standard for me, since I travel a lot. Those additions… → Read More
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Boston, MA
Disrupt Europe: Berlin Hackathon
Berlin, Germany
