EV-DO

Mobile
April 27, 2011
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The faster they are, the harder they fall: Verizon suffers major 4G LTE outage

By on April 27, 2011 at 8:21 AM.

The faster they are, the harder they fall: Verizon suffers major 4G LTE outage

Verizon Wireless’ speedy 4G LTE network hit another milestone on Tuesday night: its first major outage. BGR has confirmed what dozens of tipsters have been telling us all night via email — Verizon’s LTE services are currently unavailable across the country, and they have been unavailable for several hours now. We’ve confirmed the outage here in New York City with our Samsung DROID Charge and have noticed that Verizon’s 3G network also appears to be unavailable. There’s no official word from Verizon Wireless on the outage, so it’s unclear how long it will last.

UPDATE: Verizon posted the following to its official Twitter account: “We’re aware of an issue with the 4G LTE connections and our network engineers are working to resolve quickly. Investigating 4G LTE network issue; ThunderBolts making voice calls, may get slower 1xRTT data.”

119 Comments
CTIA
March 23, 2011
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Sprint’s Kyocera Echo hands-on! [video]

By on March 23, 2011 at 8:00 PM.

Sprint’s Kyocera Echo hands-on! [video]

We stopped by Kyocera’s CTIA booth to get a second tour of the dual-screen Echo from Sprint. The device, which will be available on April 17th for $199.99 with a 2-year agreement, really does have some innovative features. Applications and games that are optimized for the echo can leverage the second screen to display an enormous, thumb-friendly keyboard, provide more on-screen information, and enhance game-play. Kyocera assured us that the hinge on the device is ready for battle, and should stand up to most of the use and abuse inflicted by teens and tweens — the two main groups the phone will be marketed towards. The hinge itself was a bit finicky when we handled the device, however. Hit the break for more, including a video, and don’t forget to check out our Kyocera Echo photo gallery.

More →

51 Comments
Mobile
January 10, 2011
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Why I’m not switching to the Verizon iPhone: The SIM card

By on January 10, 2011 at 2:33 PM.

Why I’m not switching to the Verizon iPhone: The SIM card

I’ll admit it, while I have most aspects of my life under control and normalized, there is one, tiny section that seems to have complete control over me: my obsessive, compulsive need to switch mobile devices. In the grand scheme of things that I could project this obsessive tendency on, I suppose phones are fairly benign. So ladies and gentlemen, the reason I’m not switching to a Verizon iPhone? The thought of not having a SIM card gives me the shakes. More →

290 Comments
General
October 4, 2010
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Verizon announces Fivespot global, mobile hotspot

By on October 4, 2010 at 10:07 AM.

Verizon announces Fivespot global, mobile hotspot

Today, Verizon Wireless announced the availability of the ZTE Fivespot global hotspot. The internationally-compliant mobile hotspot will support the following frequencies: CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev. A/Rev. 0: 800/1900 MHz, WCDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz, and GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. The device will be available starting on October 7 for $99.99 with a 2-year service contract (after a $100 mail-in rebate).Available domestic and international data plans offered will be as follows:

Domestic

  • $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and $0.10/MB overage
  • $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance and $0.05/MB overage

Prepaid Mobile Broadband plans are also available:

  • $15 for 100 MB (one day of use)
  • $30 for 300 MB (one week of use)
  • $50 for 1 GB (30 days of use)
  • $80 for 5 GB (30 days of use)

International

  • $129.99 monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage), 100 MB allowance in select countries ($0.005/KB after allowance)
  • $219.99 monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage), 200 MB allowance in select countries ($0.005/KB after allowance)
  • GlobalAccess Pay Per Use for occasional use must be purchased with a $59.99 Mobile Broadband service plan in the United States. The Pay Per Use rate is $0.002/KB in Canada, $0.005/KB in Mexico, and $0.02/KB in more than 200 other destinations.

The device will work in over 200 countries; 120 of them with 3G speeds. More →

30 Comments
Rumor
July 28, 2010
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ZTE Peel for the iPod Touch passes through the FCC on its way to Sprint

By on July 28, 2010 at 5:10 PM.

ZTE Peel for the iPod Touch passes through the FCC on its way to Sprint

The ZTE Peel 3200, a Sprint-branded sleeve with mobile hotspot functionality and EV-DO connectivity, was spotted at the FCC. The curious device sports a sleeve-style form factor that appears to be ideally suited for the iPod Touch. Details are sparse on the device but it is clearly a mobile hotspot with integrated GPS and support for up to 5 Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Any Sprint users out there who would consider using this with VoIP as an alternative to an AT&T iPhone?

Thanks IGOD!

[Via Phone scoop] More →

68 Comments
Exclusive
July 14, 2010
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Verizon Wireless systems undergoing upgrade to allow 4G devices?

By on July 14, 2010 at 11:31 AM.

Verizon Wireless systems undergoing upgrade to allow 4G devices?

VZW 4G System UPgrade

According to a new tipster of ours, yes. Apparently emails have been sent to some higher-up employees at Verizon detailing a systems upgrade. The purpose of the upgrade, you ask? Apparently to make it possible to provision and activate 4G devices. A direct quote from the email looks like this: “The ESN/MEID field will be changed to Device ID effective Sunday to prepare for 4G devices coming on.” This could mean a little quicker deployment of Verizon’s upcoming LTE network, but it’s entirely possible they are just getting their ducks in a row. You know, so you can start ruling the air.

79 Comments
General
July 8, 2010
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Samsung N150 netbook with international 3G now available from Verizon Wireless

By on July 8, 2010 at 7:02 PM.

Samsung N150 netbook with international 3G now available from Verizon Wireless

samsung-n150

We gave you advance warning that the Samsung N150 was slated to land with Verizon Wireless and now it has finally arrived. Starting today, you can snag a a Sammy netbook with an Intel Atom N450 1.66 GHz processor,10.1 inch 1024×600 LED backlit display, 1GB DDR2 memory, Intel GMA3150 graphics, 160GB HDD, Bluetooth 2.1, Windows 7 Starter, and most importantly, integrated 3G (CDMA/1X/EV-DO Rev. A: 800/1900 MHz; UMTS/HSPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) with SIM support for international travelling. As always, a mobile broadband plan is required for the N150 and will set you back $60/month for a 5GB, $40/month for 250MB, or between $15-50 for a prepaid plan. The N150 can be purchased fromVerizon Wireless retail stores for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement or online for a promotional price of $29.99 fter a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. More →

6 Comments
General
July 1, 2010
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Rumor: Apple has a CDMA iPhone, just needs Verizon to ink a deal

By on July 1, 2010 at 3:01 PM.

Rumor: Apple has a CDMA iPhone, just needs Verizon to ink a deal

verizon-wireless-iphone

Today, The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple wrote an interesting article that should give a lot of confused people some perspective on this whole Verizon iPhone business. Not surprisingly, Dalrymple reports that Apple already has a fully functional CDMA iPhones, lurking in the shadows of 1 Infinite Loop, that is ready to go into production at a moment’s notice. The problem, according  Dalrymple, is that Apple and Verizon have yet to finalize a deal. Having the iPhone hardware lying on a shelf waiting to be mass produced is beneficial for both companies; as it won’t have to scramble to make up for lost time once the deal is struck. Apple also has a long history of developing products well in advance — a good example of this was its Intel-compatible version of OS X. So why then did Bloomberg so confidently report that Verizon will have the iPhone in January? That could simply be a negotiating tactic, something which would not at all be out of the ordinary. More →

171 Comments
Featured
June 30, 2010
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Motorola DROID X review

By on June 30, 2010 at 1:47 PM.

Motorola DROID X review

Motorola-DROID-X-1

Ah, yes 4.3-inches of sensual haptic, multitouch glass strapped to a 1 GHz processor, 8 megapixel camera, and so much more. The Motorola DROID X is the latest and greatest Android handset to be unleashed upon the U.S. market, and it will be making its debut on America’s largest network — Verizon Wireless — on July 15th. We’ve been using, abusing, and confusing our review unit for just over a week, so lets jump right into our review. Buckle up and hit the break. More →

164 Comments
Breaking
June 29, 2010
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Bloomberg: Verizon launching iPhone in January

By on June 29, 2010 at 3:17 PM.

Bloomberg: Verizon launching iPhone in January

verizon-wireless-iphone

Verizon Wireless will be selling the iPhone in January, according to a report filed by Bloomberg. Representatives from both Apple and Verizon did not comment on the matter, but Bloomberg is extremely confident about this one having verified it with two sources “who declined to be named because the information isn’t public.” Let’s just hope this Verizon iPhone has a better antenna system than the iPhone 4 as we know it. More →

121 Comments
Retail
June 28, 2010
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T-Mobile Vibrant: $199.99 on July 21st

By on June 28, 2010 at 2:59 AM.

T-Mobile Vibrant: $199.99 on July 21st

t-mobile-vibrant

The Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant has been a long time coming, but today an official release date and pricing were finally announced. As of July 21st, T-Mobile will be selling the Vibrant for $199.99, that price of course assuming a new 2-year contract. T-Mobile might have a bit of a tough sell on its hands considering that AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and even U.S. Cellular will be offering the Galaxy S in one form or another, but T-Mobile has a trick up its sleeve: anyone who purchases a Vibrant will get a free copy of The Sims 3 Collectors Edition, and a 2GB microSD card pre-loaded with Avatar. Triple win, right?

More →

34 Comments
General
June 28, 2010
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Verizon enters the Galaxy S fray with the Fascinate, U.S. Cellular tags along

By on June 28, 2010 at 1:02 AM.

Verizon enters the Galaxy S fray with the Fascinate, U.S. Cellular tags along

Galaxy-S-GT-I9000

AT&T has the Captivate, T-Mobile has the Vibrant, and now Verizon Wireless has the Fascinate, it’s very own iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S. Featuring the same 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera and 1GHz Hummingbird processor as its siblings, the Fascinate also has a six-axis motion control for an enhanced gaming experience, Swype virtual keyboard, and comes pre-loaded with Bing Search and Bing Maps. U.S. Cellular also announced that it will be jumping on the Galaxy S bandwagon, although what its model will be named and what most of its tailor-made features will be are still a mystery. Then again, so are its price and release date. All we know is that it, just like the Fascinate, will be available this Fall. More →

23 Comments
Exclusive
June 27, 2010
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Samsung Haven for Verizon Wireless gets detailed

By on June 27, 2010 at 12:40 PM.

Samsung Haven for Verizon Wireless gets detailed

verizon-samsung-haven1

Always on the lookout for the latest Verizon featurephone? Samsung and Verizon are gearing up to launch a new one on July 29th. The Samsung Haven features no camera, so it is aimed at the business/corporate crowd, three programable emergency contact buttons, voice dialing, and, not too much else. Oh, we forgot. To completely push you over the edge, the Samsung Haven has something called “speakerphone” as well. We’d be shocked to see this go for more than $29.99 with a 2 year agreement, and anything over $49.99 would be possibly reprehensible. We have a gallery ready to rock if you’re interested in finding out more.

Click on over to our Verizon Wireless Samsung Haven document gallery!

34 Comments