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Sep

Verizon Announces The Low-End LG Enlighten: 800MHz Processor And QWERTY For $80 On September 22

Posted by Cameron Summerson in LG, News, Verizon Wireless

While the lot of us are looking for the most modern, intense hardware we can get our hands on, there are still those who don't need all of the bells and whistles of powerhouse smartphones like the Droid Bionic or Galaxy S II. For the mid-range crowd, Verizon has just announced the LG Enlighten, a Gingerbread handset with a slide-out QWERTY.

The full specs are far from impressive, but it could be perfect for the tweener of the family, someone new to smartphones, or anyone who wants some Android goodness on a budget:

3.2-inch 320x480 display
800MHz processor
3.2MP rear shooter
Slide-out QWERTY
Android 2.3

The Enlighten will be available online beginning September 22 and in stores on September 29 for $80 with a two-year agreement after a $50 mail-in-rebate.

Sep

Best Buy Verizon Ad Fail: Can You Hear Me Now On That Unactivated/Roaming Device?

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Off-Topic, Verizon Wireless

While watching the latest episode of Breaking Bad today (which I must say is one of the best shows on TV right now), I witnessed the latest ~~Verizon Wireless~~ Best Buy commercial advertising Verizon Wireless phones, boasting VZW's incredible network coverage, ultra speeds, and reliability.

It was going so well until I saw a close-up of the phone that lasted a good number of seconds for everyone to witness... no, not the 4G LTE symbol, and not even the 3G symbol. Nope - the phone is roaming (it has also been pointed out in the comments that on some devices this symbol could also mean it's unactivated, which is even worse).

Sep

Verizon Wireless Adding 21+ New Cities To Its 4G LTE Network On October 20

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

Last Updated: October 10th, 2011

A new month, a new batch of cities all lined up to get the LTE treatment, courtesy of Big Red. This go around, we're hearing that at least 21 new cities will be getting blanketed in VZW's ultra-fast LTE network, a follow up to the 26 that were just activated. The list of cities isn't available in its entirety just yet, but here's what we have so far:

Birmingham, AL
Modesto and Stockton, CA
Fort Myers, FL
Bloomington, Elkhart, Evansville, South Bend and Terre Haute, IN
Sioux City, IA
Hagerstown, MD
Tupelo, MS
Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM
Buffalo, NY
Asheville, NC
Bartlesville, OK
Jackson and Martin, TN
Greater Hampton Roads and Richmond, VA
Green Bay, WI

San Diego and Los Angeles, CA are said to be getting an expanded coverage area, as well.

Sep

HTC Rhyme Shows Up Just In Time, Has All The Ladies Standing In Line

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Rhyme

For all the Android-lovin' ladies in the house, HTC has just announced the Rhyme for Verizon: a mid-range device coated in a metallic plum (read: purple) finish with matching accessories. Previously rumored as the Bliss, the Rhyme was designed with the woman in mind (see what I did there?), complete with "charm indicator" -- an accessory that will glow purple when the phone is ringing, so you never miss another call because you didn't hear your phone beneath... whatever it is that you keep in that bottomless pit of a handbag.

From a hardware standpoint, the Rhyme is a modernized Droid Incredible pimped out with a female twist:

3.7-inch WVGA display
1GHz Snapdragon processor (single core)
768MB RAM
5MP rear camera, VGA front camera
Android 2.3 with Sense 3.5

It also comes matching earbuds and a Bluetooth headset, as well as a sport armband so you can show off your new purple sidekick while workin' on your fitness.

Sep

Verizon Wireless To Begin 'Network Optimization' In September, Will Slow Data Speeds For Top 5% Of Users In 'Congested Areas' After 2GB

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Verizon Wireless

Ah, the data saga continues. Throttling has been a long-time practice of T-Mobile, which drastically slows data speeds for users who go over their set-amount of high-speed access. AT&T recently announced a similar practice, slowing the top 5% of users who were grandfathered in on unlimited data plans.

Verizon also made a drastic change to its smartphone data packages recently, switching from an unlimited-only offering to a tiered setup. Now, even furthering the changes to its data structuring, Big Red will begin implementing "network optimizations" to all existing customers with unlimited plans on 3G devices in September.

What exactly does "network optimizations" mean, you ask?

Sep

Video: DROID BIONIC Boots Into CyanogenMod 7 For The First Time

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Bionic, Development, Motorola, Verizon Wireless

The Android dev community has a well-deserved reputation for releasing new versions of ROMs at breakneck speeds, and they're not slowing down with the newest kid on the block, the Motorola DROID BIONIC. In fact, @cvpcs has already ported CyanogenMod 7 to the device, and though he isn't ready to release it just yet, he has put out a video to whet our appetites:

Of course, since this is the very first time the BIONIC has successfully booted into CM7, there are plenty of bugs, including:

No radio connectivity
No charging
Issues with battery reporting
No audio
No camera

Regardless, this is certainly a viable first chapter in the BIONIC's ROM development, and we look forward to the continuation of the saga.

Sep

Verizon Wireless Launching 4G LTE In 26 New Markets On September 15th

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

Verizon just keeps pumping out LTE connectivity in new areas across the country -- we saw no less than 15 cities get their piece of the LTE pie last month, and now 26 more are all set to get lit up tomorrow, September 15th. VZW already dropped the names of 15 of those cities last month, but here's the list in its entirety:

Fort Smith and Jonesboro, AR
San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, CA
Daytona, FL
Bloomington, Champaign/Urbana, Rockford and Springfield, IL
the Quad Cities, IL/IA; Iowa City, IA
Shreveport, LA
Kalamazoo and Saginaw, MI
Reno, NV
Las Cruces, NM
Fargo, ND
Canton, Lima and Mansfield, OH
Dyersburg, TN
the Tri-Cities, TN/VA
Austin, Beaumont/Port Arthur, Wichita Falls and El Paso, TX.

VZW customers in San Francisco, CA; Indianapolis, IN; and Cleveland/Akron, OH can also expect an expanded LTE coverage area.

Sep

Motorola Droid R2-D2 Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Now

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid 2, News

Well, what do you know? Looks like Moto hasn't forgotten about the R2-D2 variant of the Droid 2 after all. We've seen the Gingerbread update come and go for the Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global, and now it's time for our little robot themed friend to join the party.

The update brings all of the same features and enhancements of the original Droid 2, and should be hitting devices starting today.

New Download Manager
App and Power Management Details
Multi-touch key-chording
Improved word selection copy functionality
New UI and color scheme
New dock icons
App groups
Improved security
Improved battery life while using Wi-Fi
Fixed issue that caused frequent data connection drops
Mobile Hotspot status is displayed accurately
Improved email application
Correct contact name is displayed when receiving SMS messages
Emoticons are displayed in messages
Forward SMS message conversations accurately
Notification LED will flash when new message is received
Access My Verizon without any force close errors
Compass calibration within Google Maps syncs accurately with your location
Geo-tagging features available for camera applications
Clock widget updates time correctly
Callback numbers now populate in Dialer app
GPS apps and programs no longer cause unnecessary device resets
Google Books is now preloaded
V CAST Apps is now preloaded
V CAST Media Manager is now preloaded
Blockbuster® movie rentals license remains active after download
Keypad backlight turns on in darker settings
Improvements in screen display no longer causes display screen to turn black
Fixed issue that caused factory resets when the device’s mobile number is changed
Fixed issue that caused device reset and a black display screen after over the air upgrades.

Sep

DROID BIONIC Review: This Is The Phone That The DROID X2 Should Have Been

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

The DROID BIONIC has probably been the single most anticipated Android smartphone in the US. Since its unveiling at CES, subsequent total re-design, and sort-of-delayed release, it has been a long and winding road for Motorola's newest flagship handset. Verizon's massive marketing arm hasn't failed to promote this thing, either - walk into any Verizon store and you'll see employees garbed in BIONIC t-shirts, armed with BIONIC accessory display boxes and a tailor-made marketing spiel, ready to meet you with more LTE and dual-core madness than you can shake a stick at.

So, it's safe to say, this phone has spent extensive time in the hype machine.

Sep

And The Winner Of The Droid Bionic In The Giant Special Edition Giveaway #7 Is...

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bionic, Contests / Giveaways

Last Updated: September 21st, 2011

With over 3800 entries from Facebook, Google+, and Twitter (in order of popularity), it's now time to conclude the 7th "special edition" giveaway and announce the winner of the brand new Droid Bionic, the lapdock, the HD docking station, and the Webtop adapter.

Before I move on to the winner, selected at random, I'd like to thank Android Stack Exchange for providing the prizes and an excellent platform for asking and getting quick answers to all your Android questions.

And now - the winner!