As the iPhone 4S hype has peaked and is returning back to stable levels, users from the other school of thought are getting pumped for their own massive event. Ice Cream Sandwich, and the next purely Google phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, are due to make an appearance in just two short days.
Though we’re sure to get some clarification on already-leaked specs at the debut, we might have access to launch dates and pricing just a bit earlier than that. → Read More
If you’re a non-Verizon customer who’s been considering hopping on the big red network, now is most definitely the time. A deal at Amazon could score you a $300 phone for just a penny.
In fact, Amazon Wireless is selling all its Verizon devices (which unfortunately excludes the new iPhone 4S) for just a penny if you’re a new customer signing a contract. That also includes free 2-day shipping.
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Heart set on that brand spankin’ new iPhone 4S? Sorry, but I come bearing bad news. Your window for placing a hassle-free pre-order may have just closed, hard. AT&T has extended its shipping time to 3-4 weeks, while Sprint and Verizon are fresh out of the 16GB model. In other words, it looks like you may be bundling up for a wait in line. → Read More
Well now. Samsung’s teaser video hinted at something big making its debut on October 11, but a new leak may have blown the whole thing wide open. BGR claims to have received the full spec sheet for Samsung’s long-awaited Galaxy Nexus (nee Nexus Prime), and if true, it’s a sight to behold.
Before we go forward, I should caution you to have your grains of salt at the ready. We’re about to step into some murky territory. → Read More
Good news, FiOS fans! Verizon and Microsoft have announced today that they have struck an agreement to bring live HD television channels to your Xbox 360 without any additional hardware.
Now, don’t expect to get Verizon’s full channel lineup on your console just yet — according to their just-released statement, Verizon will only be bringing “a selection of popular live TV channels to the Xbox 360.” So far, Verizon has 26 channels on deck, including MTV, Spike, Food Network, Comedy Central, HBO, CNN and Nickelodeon. → Read More
It looks as though the carriers are ready to weigh in on the Apple vs. Samsung case, with Verizon and T-Mobile both voicing their opinions over the past week. Since the original showdown in April — when Apple sued Samsung over Galaxy tablets and smartphones — Apple has had the upper-hand, winning an injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany, delaying the same GalTab multiple times in Australia, and winning a preliminary injunction on three Galaxy smartphones in the Netherlands.
After watching the events play out, Verizon and now T-Mobile have said that they play for Samsung’s team, and would like to keep Samsung’s products on their shelves. → Read More
Your cell phone knows all sorts of stuff about you. It knows where you’ve been, which websites you’ve visited, who you call most, and, depending on how many times you’ve found yourselves drunk with your cell phone handy, what you look like without pants on. But still, you can be comforted in knowing that all of that information can be destroyed with little more than a brick and a bit of unchecked rage.
But what about the stuff that doesn’t live on your phone? The other half of the wireless formula, the carriers, know a hell of a lot about you too. Who holds onto that data the longest? → Read More
Here’s a noodle-scratcher to ponder over the weekend: the HTC Vigor was supposedly going to hit Verizon as the Droid Incredible HD, but files leaked from the forthcoming device hint that the phone may not carry the Droid distinction after all. → Read More
iOS and Android are great, clearly. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have room in our hearts for a third platform. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam feels the same way, expecting a third “smartphone ecosystem” to butt in to the current Apple/Google dominated space.
Out of the various options, McAdam said he sees Samsung’s Bada, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5, or RIM’s forthcoming QNX-based BlackBerry platform to fill the spot. “The carriers are beginning to coalesce around the need for a third ecosystem,” said McAdam. “Over the next 12 months I think it will coalesce and you will start to see one emerge as a legitimate third ecosystem.” In my opinion, it’ll be between RIM and Microsoft, and I expect Microsoft to come out victorious.
Here’s why: → Read More
When the first shots of the HTC Vigor started making the rounds, I offhandedly mentioned that the funky backplate and red trim made it look like a new entry in Verizon’s Incredible series. As it turns out, that hunch may have just been confirmed, as a recently leaked release indicates that a very similar device called the Incredible HD is slated for an October launch. → Read More
There are quite a few nifty app search engines out there, but Chomp is trying to be the Google of search engines, not the AltaVista. Mobile apps are everywhere you look, but when it comes to finding the right app on the Android Market, the experience isn’t exactly enjoyable. Chomp’s iPhone app offered not only app search but personalized app recommendations as well, making the startup one of the early services to offer that mixed functionality.
In February, Chomp expanded its service to Android, by developing some patented technology to make Android app search a cleaner, easier, and less painful process. (You can read MG’s coverage here.) Then, in May, Chomp partnered with Verizon to offer an app search engine for the mobile network operator’s mobile app marketplace, V Cast. → Read More
The Droid Bionic has been a long time coming. It was originally announced back in January at CES and it’s now September, but we’re willing to forgive the incredibly annoying wait for that dual-core LTE magic. Especially since it’s been all but officially confirmed that we’ll be seeing the Bionic on shelves on September 8. → Read More
As far as Verizon devices are concerned, the Droid Bionic probably holds the crown for “Most Anticipated Handset,” but newly leaked shots of the HTC Vigor may steal a bit of that spotlight.
Rumored to be the newest addition to Verizon’s LTE line up, the Vigor sports a name that’s downright ancient in comparison: it was first spotted in a trademark application from 2009.
The Vigor made waves earlier this month when an ersatz version was spotted on a Dutch retailer’s website, but the real deal sports a less angular body that matches up nicely with HTC and Verizon’s design language. Specifically, with its funky textured back plate and red camera trim, the Vigor could easily pass for another entry in Verizon’s Incredible series. → Read More
The upcoming iPhone 5 will almost certainly be a single phone that supports multiple networks, namely CDMA (such as the one used by Verizon or Sprint in the United States) as well as GSM (which is used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S.).
This has been rumored before, and even at one point half confirmed by a Verizon executive, but nothing like some good old evidence from the field to turn a rumor into a near-certainty. → Read More
Verizon has updated its already awesome V CAST video app, which will henceforth be called Verizon Video. The updated app will work with select 4G LTE and 3G handsets on Verizon’s network, and offer access to a number of major broadcast and cable channels. → Read More
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Droid HD. The previously unseen handset was known to be floating around, thanks to its EXIF data making a quick appearance on Flickr, but the Droid HD is ready for a bit of spotlight.
The Droid Bionic has been enjoying its share of attention for months now, even as its release date keeps getting pushed further and further back. Now that we have a good handle on when we can get one, the Bionic is starting to pop up in photoshoots left and right. Engadget got their hands today on what are by far most detailed shots of the Bionic taken to date, but the Droid HD was there to steal the show.
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Well, look what we have here. Turns out that CEO Sanjay Jha of a little company called Motorola wasn’t lying when he said the long-awaited (like, really long-awaited) Droid Bionic will hit Verizon shelves in September. September 8, to be exact. At least, that’s what this leaked Verizon document is telling us.
And that’s not all it had to say. → Read More
So let’s say you walk into a Best Buy looking for a new tablet. You walk up to the guy in the blue polo and tell him what you’re looking for. After taking you to the tablet section, he whips out a handkerchief and blindfolds you. “They’re all really good!” he promises. “The one on the left is $499, the one in the middle is $549, and the one on the right is an even $600. Which can I wrap up for you today?”
It sounds ridiculous, but that’s essentially you’ve been shopping around for Internet service providers: blind as a bat, unless you want to trust their ads. But now, for the first time ever, the good old FCC has compiled data from 9,000 average Joe Americans over the course of a month. The goal: to gauge the speeds offered by ISPs in the real world, not just in their advertisements. → Read More
Have you been itching some Verizon 4G love in a package that’s just a hair more portable than their also-just-announced HP Pavilion dm1? I know I haven’t, but Verizon has just announced their first 4G capable netbook, the Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr all the same. → Read More
Breaking up is hard to do, but T-Mobile and Radio Shack seem to be handling the split rather well, all things considered. After Radio Shack alleged that T-Mo materially breached the terms of their agreement, the two have gone their separate ways. Or at least, they will on September 15. This is more of the awkward, still-living-together phase.
In the mean time, Radio Shack has moved on to the hot red head, signing a deal with Verizon. T-Mobile, on the other hand, is looking more like the desperate dumpee, hooking up with none other than the infamous and quite unexpected 7-Eleven. What a rebound, am I right? → Read More
