Droid Charge - 2/2 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

May

[Update: Now It's Official] Samsung DROID Charge To Finally Hit VZW Shelves Tomorrow

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), News, Verizon Wireless

If you have been patiently waiting for the first 4G LTE DROID to hit Verizon's network after last month's 4G outage that delayed the original release, you'll be pleased to know that your wait ends tomorrow, as the Samsung DROID Charge is finally set to hit the shelves of Big Red.

The DROID Charge has been subject to heavy criticism due to its high price tag and lackluster hardware (read: lack of a dual core processor), and even got a not-so-great review from our own David Ruddock. Regardless, this will most likely be the new flagship device for VZW, but it's going to have a tough hill to climb if it wants to successfully compete with any of the previous DROIDs.

Apr

[Instructions] How To Root The Verizon Samsung Droid Charge

Posted by Justin Case in Charge (i510), Development, News, Samsung, Tips & Tutorials, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: May 7th, 2011

Neither z4root nor SuperOneClick is currently working on the Charge (though I'm sure someone will come up with a one-click method soon enough), but guess what - Gingerbreak sure does. Follow these instructions, and you should have root and full /system unlock on your Droid Charge in a few minutes. Credit goes to the Exploid Crew and unnamed testers.

No custom recovery, such as ClockworkMod or RA, is available yet, but it is surely going to arrive very soon.

Pros

Permanent root
Read/write access to /system
The bootloader is factory unlocked, so no additional fiddling is required
All Droid Charges survived testing
No data wipe is needed

Cons

Voids warranty
Could brick your phone if you aren't careful

Android Police and Team AndIRC disclaim all liability for any harm that may befall your device, including, but not limited to: bricked phones, voided manufacturer warranties, exploding batteries, etc.

Apr

HTC ThunderBolt vs. Samsung DROID Charge: Battle Of The Specs

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), HTC, News, Samsung, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Verizon's pair of LTE handsets are sure to confuse some shoppers - though one is from Samsung (the DROID Charge) and the other from HTC (the ThunderBolt), the two sport relatively similar feature sets and designs that somewhat resemble one another. So what's the difference? Well, aside from the Charge being $50 more expensive than the already-pricy ThunderBolt, there really aren't many differentiators - let's take a side-by-side look at their spec sheets:

Spec type	DROID Charge	ThunderBolt
CPU	1GHz Hummingbird	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
Display	4.3" Super AMOLED Plus	4.3" SLCD
OS	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz UI	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Sense UI
Front camera	1.3MP	1.3MP
Rear camera	8MP with 720P HD recording	8MP with 720p HD recording
RAM	512MB	768MB
Internal storage	2GB	8GB (though not all of that storage is usable)
Included SD card	32GB	32GB
DLNA support	Yes	Yes
Buttons	Physical	Capacitive
Size	130 mm x 68 mm x 12 mm	122 mm x 66 mm x 13.2 mm
Weight	143g	177g
Battery capacity	1600 mAh	1400 mAh
Price on contract	$299	$249

As you can see, neither device is anything to scoff at, though - at least in my eyes - the fact that the ThunderBolt runs Sense UI turns the tide in its favor (despite the Charge's superior screen and slightly thinner profile).

Apr

Verizon Releases Explosive New Ad For Samsung's DROID Charge - Prepare To Have Your Mind Blown

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Big Red has always been renowned for its awe-inspiring commercials, but this latest spot for the DROID Charge takes things to a whole new level. Trapdoors, monolithic Microsoft Surface-style touchscreens, mind-boggling explosions - you name it, Verizon's included it. I won't spoil the fun for you, though; go ahead and watch the ad for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz13Ecw9Fr4

Too bad that fulmination didn't rid the phone of its outrageous $300 price tag.

Source: Verizon (YouTube) via Droid Life

Apr

DROID Incredible 2 and Casio G'zOne Commando Join The DROID Charge - All Coming To Verizon On April 28th

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Verizon Wireless

April 28th is going to be a big day at Verizon for Android lovers, as three new phones are scheduled to hit the sales floor, adding even more choices to the already vast lineup of VZW Android powered goodness.

Samsung DROID Charge

First on the list is the Samsung DROID Charge. I realize that we've known the release date for several days, but it's definitely worth mentioning again since it's the first 4G phone to carry the DROID tag and will most likely take its place as the new flagship phone for VZW.

Specs:

4G LTE
4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus display
1GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Mobile Hotspot with support for up to 10 devices
Android 2.2 with Samsung's TouchWiz interface
Price: $299 with a new two-year agreement

It is (unjustly) the most expensive phone on the list, with the fact that it runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network the only thing that it really has going for it.

Apr

DROID Charge Release Date Confirmed: Welcome The Newest Member Of The Family On April 28th... For $299

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Verizon Wireless

We've been hearing rumors about the release date for the Samsung DROID Charge for a few weeks now, but VZW has just announced that the official launch date for Sammy's first 4G LTE smartphone will be April 28th. Considering that Samsung released the source code for the Charge last week, this comes as little surprise.

The Charge will hit the sales floor for the ridiculously high price of $299 with a new two year agreement. What do you get for all of that green, you ask?

4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen
1GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera
1.2MP front camera
Android 2.2
Mobile Hotspot with support of up to 10 devices

To get a better idea of what you can expect out of this device, check out our hands-on at CES this year:

What do you think?

Apr

Samsung Is On A Roll: Two Kernel Source Code Releases In As Many Days (Droid Charge And Fascinate Froyo)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), Development, Fascinate, News

We all know about the update woes that owners of Samsung handsets have faced over the past several months - owners of the VZW Fascinate are still waiting on their update to Froyo. It looks that wait may be coming to an end as the source code has finally shown up on Samsung's Open Source Release Center. Even if the official OTA doesn't hit phones soon, you can rest assured that XDA devs will be hard at work hacking and compiling this source, so you'll be able to enjoy all of the Froyo goodness that you can handle soon enough.

Apr

Samsung Droid Charge's Price Tag Shows Up - Sit Down Before You Read It

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Are you sitting down? Assuming you're reading this on your PC, I would imagine that you are. Unless, of course, you have a standing desk, in which case I urge you to sit down. We've seen it pop up on the web but haven't really heard anything about its price. This time, however, it looks like it made an in-store appearance at Walmart and brought a price tag along with it. Are you ready for this? $298.88 with a two-year agreement. No, that's not a typo.

Releasing a phone that's already somewhat behind the curve at this price is just ridiculous.

Apr

Samsung DROID Charge Launching April 14 At Sears, Incredible 2 To Follow On April 21

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Rumors, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last we heard, Samsung's DROID Charge was scheduled to be released on April 7th - yesterday. Well needless to say, that date has come and gone without so much as a mention of Samsung's LTE handset; however, thanks to Sears, we now have a new timeline: April 14.

The leak also brings news that's bound to make HTC fans smile - the Incredible 2's release date has been rescheduled from April 28th to the 21st, a decidedly welcome change.

Finally, Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY is, apparently, still pegged for a 4/28 release, despite reported supply shortages.

Of course, all this info comes with a disclaimer - in the words of the leaked pamphlet itself, "[these] launch dates [are] subject to change." Still, it's refreshing to at least have a general idea of when these three smartphone behemoths will be available for purchase - that way, you can start preparing yourself and your camping materials for a long night outside your local Verizon store.

Mar

[Updated: Confirmed] Samsung's First Verizon LTE Phone Will Be Called The Droid Charge - Possibly Launching April 7

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: March 23rd, 2011

Today it has been apparently confirmed that the name will be Droid Charge (not that we ever doubted the original sources). Engadget has obtained the following image, which clearly shows the name of the phone from what appears to be an unknown retailer's internal system:

Have you been itching to get onto Verizon's speedy LTE network but just aren't sure that the HTC Thunderbolt is the right phone for you? New options are likely just around the corner, as more details are surfacing for what will be the second or third LTE smartphone on Big Red. The Samsung handset formerly referred to as the Droid Stealth will be released as the Droid Charge - and, if a leaked internal document from Costco is correct, it will be launching on April 7.