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HTC One to debut on Verizon later this summer

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,

HTC One Verizon

This morning, Verizon announced that it will begin carrying the HTC One later this summer. This news means that, soon, the HTC One will be available on all four major carriers here in the US, matching other major phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5. Verizon has not announced any specific date or pricing (although we'd have to think it would be $199 with two-year contract,) nor any potential hardware differences, but that information will likely come sooner rather than later.

Be sure to check out our HTC One video review for more on this fantastic smartphone.

Read More | Verizon Twitter

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HTC Droid DNA: The best smartphone display ever for $199 on Verizon

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,

HTC Droid DNA

If having a smartphone that has the best specs on paper is your thing, you're gonna wanna sit up and pay attention to the HTC Droid DNA smartphone. The Droid DNA will launch on November 21st on Verizon Wireless, and pre-orders start today. What makes the Droid DNA the undisputed champion of the spec race? Well, for starters, it has what is unquestionably the best display ever seen on a smartphone to date. It's a 1080p 1280 x 1080 display, packing the same number of pixels into it's 5-inch LCD panel that you'd find on your HDTV at home. That equates to 440 pixels-per-inch, blowing away Apple's 326ppi found on its iPhone Retina display.

The Droid DNA will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean when it launches in ten days, and will be powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB RAM. Naturally, being part of Verizon's flagship Droid line, it'll be a 4G LTE smartphone. Beats Audio with HTC Sense 4+, wireless charging, and a new Super LCD 3 panel round things out here. You can pre-order your Droid DNA today while we work on getting a review unit in-house.


AT&T launches LTE in Seattle, Portland right before iPhone 5 launch

AT&T LTE Seattle Portland

If there's one feature to sway AT&T iPhone customers over to Verizon, it's the fact that Big Red has launched LTE in a ton of markets while AT&T plays catch-up. Tonight, AT&T closed the gap a bit with the launch of its LTE network in both Seattle and Portland, two major metropolitan areas that may have otherwise seen a hefty exodus when the iPhone 5 launches this Friday. Being that Gear Live is based here in the Seattle area, we started getting reports from a bunch of readers that their Lumia 900 devices were all of a sudden showing LTE connectivity. Sure enough, we confirmed it with our own unit, and AT&T followed up with a press release letting everyone know that LTE was now live in both Seattle and Portland areas. Readers are seeing speeds as high as 22Mbps down and 12Mbps up.

We've reached out to AT&T for information on just how large the LTE deployment is in these two metropolitan areas, as Verizon definitely has the entire greater region in each area covered in LTE.

Read More | The Verge

Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE details leak: Android 4.0, 4.3-inch display

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Rumors,

Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE

Looks like the Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE device has been leaked with pics and specs galore. What can you expect from the former XT907 Verizon device? How about a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box? Yeah, we know, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has been out for a couple of months, but that's how it goes with Android. Other features include 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 3-megapixel front camera, 8GB internal storage (expandable with a microSD card,) and NFC. You get the same industrial Kevlar design that's found on the Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR MAXX, which is actually nice. We expect it to be officially unveiled on September 5th.

Read More | Engadget

Samsung Galaxy S III review

Samsung Galaxy S III review

The Samsung Galaxy S III is more than just another Android device launch. Arguably, this is the first phone of 2012 that has the right mix of hardware and software that make it a worthy upgrade from any other device. For Samsung, it's the new company flagship device for the year, much more so than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which is a fantastic phone in its own right.)

This is the device that Samsung has always wanted to make. Based on the latest publicly-available version of Android, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (yeah, we know 4.1 Jelly Bean is right around the corner,) Samsung has built its own custom Android apps to run on the device to bring exlusive features to its handset. We're talking about S Voice, S Beam, S Memo, Direct Call, Smart Stay, and more. Purchasers in the US and Canada even get 50 GB of Dropbox storage for free (Verizon and AT&T buyers not included, sadly.)

That's a lot to take in, and ultimately the question is, does the Galaxy S III live up to the hype? Join us in our full Samsung Galaxy S III review as we answer that very question.

Click to continue reading Samsung Galaxy S III review


Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX Ice Cream Sandwich update roll-out starts now!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Software,

Droid RAZR MAXX Android 4.0 update

Motorola said a while ago that the Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX would get an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade by the end of the second quarter. Well, it came down to the wire, but starting today RAZR owners will start receiving the Android 4.0.4 update. In addition to the new ICS feature set, the upgrade will also enable the Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX with Global Ready mode, making the Verizon's first 4G LTE devices with that distinction. Go ahead and check for an update.

Read More | Motorola

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE ready for Verizon launch

Droid Incredible 4G LTE

Verizon has officially announced the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE, and it's everything we expected it'd be. From the name alone, you know that this is the latest in the Droid Incredible line, powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, bringing with it Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 4-inch Super LCD qHD display, and HTC Sense 4. An 8 megapixel rear camera is on board, as well as a microSD slot that'll accept up to 32 GB of storage (although, we don't have details yet on onboard memory just yet.) Last, but certainly not least, this is the first Droid Incredible to pack a 4G LTE punch. You can pick one up in the coming weeks.

Read More | Verizon Wireless

Motorola Droid 3 spec leak: dual-core, 4-inch qHD display

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

Motorola Droid 3 leak

What we've got above is a leaked image of the Motorola Droid 3, but that doesn't really tell us much about what's happening on the inside of the device. However, TechnoBuffalo is saying that they've got the goods, and if they are to be believed, this'll be a nice upgrade over the current Droid 2 smartphone. The display here is reportedly a 4-inch qHD screen, and inside there's a dual-core processor (similar to the Droid X2,) front-facing camera, and 8 megapixel camera around back. The other pertinent detail here is that the Droid 3 won't be packing a 4G LTE chipset.


Verizon to charge $20 per month for iPhone personal hotspot

iphone personal hotspot

One of the features touted during the Verizon iPhone announcement was the inclusion of Personal Hotspot. This allows you to use the iPhone as a Wi-Fi router, which in turn lets you connect up to five other devices to your Verizon data connection. The one thing they left out, though, was price. Today, Verizon filled in that gap with the announcement that the iPhone personal hotspot feature will cost $20 per month. That's in addition to your calling and data plans. No bid surprise there though, as that's the same price they charge on all their other smartphones with the same feature. The nice thing about this, though, is that when compared to AT&T, Verizon gives you more value for the dollar. AT&T only allows Bluetooth and USB tethering, and only to one device at a time. Further, you don't get any additional data for your $20. With the Wi-Fi hotpsot, you get up to five devices at once, and you also get a dedicated 2 GB of data specifically for tethering. Each gigabyte over the limit will cost an additional $20.

Are you planning on picking up the Verizon iPhone?


Verizon forcing $30 unlimited data plan on new smartphone customers

v cast android

Verizon Wireless will cease offering its monthly 150MB data plan, which costs $15, and by default will require all new smartphone users to adopt its existing $30 unlimited data plan.

During Verizon's fourth quarter earnings call on Tuesday morning, chief operating officer Lowell McAdam said the company was scrapping its $15/month 150 MB data plan this month.

A Verizon Wireless spokesman declined to offer any more details but confirmed Verizon would continue its $30 unlimited MB plan.

The announcement deals a direct blow to the original Apple iPhone carrier, AT&T, which had to scrap its unlimited data plan last summer. AT&T's metered data plans begin at $15 a month for 200MB. At the time, AT&T argued that 98 percent of its smartphone users consumed less than 2GB per month, and 65 percent consumed less than 200MB per month.

Click to continue reading Verizon forcing $30 unlimited data plan on new smartphone customers


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