verizon wireless - 28/37 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

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

[Carrier Crackdown] Tethering Apps Are Being Blocked In The Android Market [Updated]

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Carriers, Development

Last Updated: October 28th, 2011

It's a sad, sad day when we can't use the data that we pay for in a manner that we choose - but that day has arrived. It seems that somebody (perhaps carriers?) is blocking the ability to install Wireless Tether in the Android Market. This is what you get if you try to install it:

You can see that while it's still in the Market, it's not available for installation on any carrier-connected device. Most of the well known tethering apps have made the carrier blacklist, such as Wireless Tether and PDAnet, but there are some lesser known ones that are still available.

Apr

[Hands-On Video] DROID Charge: First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

While Verizon has temporarily pushed back the release date of the DROID Charge after a 24-hour 4G LTE network outage yesterday, I did manage to get my hands on a review unit this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how sleek and futuristic this phone looks - it is just plain cool, in a way that no HTC or Motorola device even comes close to. The boot animation is probably the best on any DROID to date. It's shaped like it was designed to thwart radar detection - and it's pretty light to boot, a perception that is reinforced by the Charge's faux-carbon fiber battery cover.

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 Pro Update Is Rolling Out Now, Includes Bug Fixes and UI Improvements

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid Pro, News, Verizon Wireless

It looks like an update for the Blackberry-style DROID Pro has just hit the Verizon update network, which will bring the current software version up to 3.8.7. It's not as exciting as a Gingerbread update would be, but it does bring some welcome bug fixes and UI enhancements.

Also included in this update are several Exchange ActiveSync improvements, like calendar synchronization. The rest of this update consists primarily of bug fixes, a Bluetooth voice recording enhancement, and the addition of Verizon's V CAST Appstore.

According to Motorola's support forums, you should be able to pull this update now by going to Settings>About Phone>System.

Apr

Verizon Expanding Its LTE Market To 6 More Areas Starting Today, For A Total Of 47

Posted by Cameron Summerson in 4G, News, Verizon Wireless

As of today, Verizon Wireless has announced plans to expand its 4G LTE market to 6 more cities, including Clarksville, TN; Hopkinsville, KY; Cleveland, TN; Columbia and Hilton Head, SC; Wilmington, NC; and the Greater Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. These new additions will bring the total list of 4G covered areas to 47:

· Phoenix, Ariz.

· Los Angeles, Calif.

· Oakland, Calif.

· San Diego, Calif.

· San Francisco, Calif.

· San Jose, Calif.

· Denver, Colo.

· Washington, D.C.

· Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

· Jacksonville, Fla.

· Miami, Fla.

· Orlando, Fla.

· Tampa, Fla.

· West Palm Beach, Fla.

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

Wirefly Unboxes HTC DROID Incredible 2, Confirms Global Radio And April 28th Release Date

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, Incredible 2 (Vivow), News, Verizon Wireless

Verizon hasn't officially added the DROID Incredible 2 to its Android army yet, but don't tell Wirefly that - the online smartphone retailer just put up an unboxing video for HTC and Big Red's latest handset.

You won't find much that we didn't already know from past leaks, but the vid does provide a nice recap of the phone's specs:

4-inch WVGA (800x480) TFT display
8MP camera with dual Xenon flash
768MB of RAM
8GB micro SD card out of the box
3G connectivity on Verizon's EVDO Rev. A network (no LTE, unfortunately)
Global (GSM/CDMA) radio with Verizon/Vodafone SIM out of the box
1420mAh battery

As for the box's contents, you'll find a smorgasbord of charging adapters, a microUSB cable, and...

Apr

The Wait Is Finally Over For Samsung Fascinate Owners: Froyo Update Is Ready

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Verizon Wireless

All that time Fascinate owners spent waiting for Froyo has not been in vain - your day is finally coming. Officially announced by VZW via Twitter, all the frozen goodness that you can handle should start rolling your way first thing tomorrow. Assuming that it's handled the same way that past VZW updates have been, this update should drop in stages, so be sure to leave us a comment when you get yours.