Verizon Wireless - 34/71 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

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

Verizon Wireless Announces The Pantech Breakout, An Affordable 4G LTE Handset

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Breakout, News, Verizon Wireless

If there's one thing to be said about Verizon's 4G LTE network - aside from the speed, of course - it's that the devices equipped to run on it have been less than economically priced up to this point. Each device released with LTE connectivity has dropped with an initial price of at least $250 (usually more) -- a less than ideal price considering the accompanying two-year agreement.

Enter the Pantech Breakout, VZW's first affordable LTE handset. From a spec standpoint, the Breakout is a solid mid-range device, packing hardware similar to the HTC ThunderBolt and the Samsung Droid Charge:

4-inch 480x800 display
1GHz processor (single-core)
512MB RAM
5MP rear camera, VGA front facing
4G LTE
8GB microSD card included
Android 2.3

The real difference between the Breakout and other LTE-infused handsets is the price: $100 (after $50 mail-in-rebate) with a two-year agreement.

Sep

[Deal Alert] Cementing Their Partnership With Verizon, RadioShack Offers $200 Savings On Select Phones

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Deals, News, Verizon Wireless

RadioShack seems awfully pleased with its new partnership with Verizon, and to express its sentiment it is giving a $100 instant rebate for every Verizon smartphone activated with a 2-year contract. Those averse to arduous rebate policies (i.e. mailing in the form) will be pleased to know that the entire process of activation and rebate approval will be taken care of by an "awesome" RadioShack associate on the spot. The selected handsets include the HTC Thunderbolt, the Samsung Droid Charge, the Motorola Droid X2 and Droid Bionic.

Existing Verizon customers will also receive a $100 gift card in addition to the $100 instant rebate when they upgrade their handset.

Sep

[Deal Alert] AmazonWireless Gives $50 Amazon.com Gift Card With Every Verizon Phone Purchase

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Amazon, Deals, News, Verizon Wireless

If you have not already made the switch to Verizon's 4G LTE network, the deal announced today from AmazonWireless may finally tip the balance. Starting today and running till September 26th, AmazonWireless will give a $50 gift card to Amazon.com with every purchase of a Verizon phone or mobile broadband device (i.e. a MiFi) together with a contract.

This deal is applicable with a purchase of any Verizon device available through AmazonWireless, including popular Android phones such as the Motorola Droid Bionic 4G, the HTC Droid Incredible 2 and the HTC ThunderBolt 4G.

The deal comes at a very opportune moment as AmazonWireless is also offering the HTC ThunderBolt 4G for just $0.01.

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

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

Video: DROID BIONIC First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

I've had the BIONIC just about 24 hours now, and that's enough time to draw a few, basic conclusions about the phone. It's not sufficient for a full review, obviously, but if you're itching to know more about how using the BIONIC is from an Android addict's perspective, you might want to check out my first impressions video.

Basically, I discuss the phone's hand feel, display, performance, and a few other less noteworthy items. It's a bit more than you'll get from walking into a Verizon store and playing with a display model for 5 minutes, but it's a lot less than what you'll see in our full (and extensive) review, which should be coming some time in the next few days.

Sep

[Giant Giveaway #7: Special Edition] No, You Aren't Dreaming - Win A DROID BIONIC From Android Police And Stack Exchange

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Bionic, Contests / Giveaways, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: September 13th, 2011

Yep, you read that right - we're giving away a DROID BIONIC, and it's not even out yet (well, it will be in less than 24 hours), courtesy of the awesome folks over at Stack Exchange. Why? Because we want to help supercharge Stack's amazing Android Q&A site, Android Stack Exchange.

Android Stack Exchange, a child of the StackOverflow family of sites, is sort of like a dedicated Android Q&A Reddit + Wiki + FAQ for answering all your questions about everything Android. It really is pretty amazing, and unlike Stack Overflow, it's not aimed at developers - on the contrary, it's for users like me and you.

Sep

Verizon Wireless Officially Announces The Motorola Droid Bionic, Available On September 8th For $299

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Bionic, News, Verizon Wireless

We can't say that we didn't see this coming, but VZW finally announced the Droid Bionic this morning. As expected, the newest 4G LTE Droid will be available on September 8th for $299. All of the hardware rumors have now been confirmed, as well:

4.3-inch qHD display
1GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
8MP rear shooter, front facing camera
16GB built-in storage, 16GB SD card
MotoPrint app to print via Wi-Fi-enabled printers
HDMI Out (mirror mode)
Webtop
Android 2.3.4

There are also a few accessories set to be available with the launch of the device, including the Lapdock for $299, the HD Docking Station for $99, and the Webtop Adapter for $29.