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Verizon to drop unlimited data plans in favor of tiered pricing this summer
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News,
Verizon Wireless will likely do away with its unlimited data plan and switch to tiered pricing sometime this summer, Fran Shammo, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Telecom and Business, said Tuesday.
Verizon announced in January that it would ditch its 150MB $15 monthly plan and require new smartphone users to subscribe to its $30 unlimited plan. That move, announced several days before Verizon unveiled its version of the iPhone, was intended to attract new customers to Verizon and the iPhone, Shammo said.
Verizon opted for the $30 plan because "we didn't really want to put up a barrier to anybody who wanted to come over and experience the Verizon Wireless network," Shammo said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco. "So we felt that it was important to go out at the $30."
Everybody knew, however, that that was not a long-term strategy, Shammo said. "We're going to move to a tiered pricing," which will probably happen "in the mid-summer timeframe."
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Unboxing Live 068: Motorola Xoom 4G LTE Android tablet
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Handhelds, Videocasts,
We've got our hands on the Verizon Wireless version of the Motorola Xoom tablet. This Android 3.0 Honeycomb device supports Verizon's 3G and 4G LTE networks. In this video, we open up the Xoom and give you a look at the tablet hardware and accessories. Then, we powering it on to give you a look at the Xoom setup process. After entering in the Google credentials, we are up and running for a quick tour of the Honeycomb interface. This is just the unboxing, though, so stay tuned for a more thorough walkthrough of the device in the next episode of Bleeding Edge TV.
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Motorola Xoom in the house…any questions?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds,
We just got our hands on our Motorola Xoom review unit, and we're about to tear into it to give you a look at everything it offers. If you've got any questions about this Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, feel free to leave them in the comments and we'll be sure to address them. As you can see by the box, we've got the 4G LTE-capable Verizon model here.
Edit: Here's our Motorola Xoom unboxing video, and Xoom unboxing gallery!
HTC Thunderbolt to be first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2011, Handhelds, Rumors,
Verizon Wireless is set to unveil a half-dozen 4G LTE smartphones at next week's Consumer Electronics Show. Will the first device it shows off be the HTC Thunderbolt?
Droid Life on Tuesday posted photos of the HTC Thunderbolt, which it says will be Verizon's first 4G LTE device. The site didn't have any details on specs except to note that it looks a lot like the Desire HD. The device features a kickstand and Google branding.
Verizon said it has no comment.
Click to continue reading HTC Thunderbolt to be first Verizon 4G LTE smartphone?
ITU redefines what 4G means
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Smartphones, Wireless / WiFi,
In the past couple of years, as 3G has become pervasive, cellphone providers haven't been able to rely on the term anymore in marketing ads. So it's no surprise that as soon as newer technologies get introduced, they start touting that they are now offering the next step above that, 4G. The problem is that whether it's Sprint offering WiMax, or Verizon offering LTE, these new technologies simply aren't 4G. The actual definition of 4G is something that none of the wireless companies can define, as that job belongs to the International Communications Union (ITU)--and according to them, none of the carriers met the requirements to really be called 4G. In fact, the ITU hadn't even provided a clear, final decision as to what could and could not be called 4G. This left customers confused as to who had the actual faster networks.
Now, it seems that the ITU has decided to back down, and cave to the various network providers. Over the weekend, the organization released a statement saying "As the most advanced technologies currently defined for global wireless mobile broadband communications, IMT-Advanced is considered as '4G,' although it is recognized that this term, while undefined, may also be applied to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMax, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed." Once again, it seems they do their best to remain unclear and confusing, but what did change is that now when a Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon ad claims their 4G speed, they will actually be accurate. So a few days ago, no one had 4G in North America--now almost everyone does.
Read More 
| ITU
MetroPCS branded Samsung R900 Craft LTE-capable phone spotted
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
Blurry photos of Samsung’s R900 Craft surfaced about a week ago within HowardForums. While the R900 is not running those new fangled operating systems that all the kids are raving for these days, the pics reveal that the phone will run on the MetroPCS’s LTE network making it the first LTE capable phone stateside, so it does breed a bit of excitement. Currently MetroPCS has only confirmed LTE networks to cover metropolitan areas in Las Vegas and Dallas Fort Wort, but states that they will cover several more metropolitan markets as well. Check out more photos of the MetroPCS Samsung R900 after the jump.
Click to continue reading MetroPCS branded Samsung R900 Craft LTE-capable phone spotted
Read More | Howard Forums
AT&T To Upgrade to HSPA 7.2 Soon
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, GPS, Handhelds, Internet, PC / Laptop,
AT&T has announced that they are upgrading their HSPA 7.2Mbps speed to their wireless network later this year, making it compatible with new smartphones and laptop express cards that will also be released around the same time. The company says that the upgrade will allow the faster access before the LTE networks merge in 2011 or 2012. They will be adopting LTE as part of the Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of equipment makers and carriers along with Verizon Wireless and many global GSM carriers.
Read More | Phone Scoop
Verizon Rolling Out 4G LTE Mobile Broadband In 2009
Posted by Patrick Phelps Categories: Broadband, Smartphones, Corporate News, Wireless / WiFi,
Verizon Wireless is taking a stand - in the race to deploy 4G LTE mobile broadband service, they don’t want to come in second to AT&T or Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, the latter of which said it would offer such a network commercially in 2010. According to executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications, Dick Lynch, they plan to begin rolling the enhanced network capabilities out by about this time next year, ahead of the original 2010 timetable.
The original plan called for initial rollouts in 2010, with a wide commercial launch in 2011 and true mass availability coming shortly after. But according to an IDC analyst, Verizon’s new, more aggressive deployment schedule was likely inspired by the threat of launching after another company. Verizon wants to be first! Can you blame them? They don’t have the iPhone...
If you’re wondering what LTE is, it’s a fourth-generation wireless data system expected to be the next step up in speed and capacity for carriers using the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) platform, which is dominant in most of the world. Like Sprint Nextel’s already deployed (in one city) WiMax, it should deliver multiple megabits per second of throughput.
After introducing LTE, Verizon plans to offer subscribers small in-home base stations known as femtocells, which will extend the signal indoors - likely including built-in Wi-Fi, which will allow newer personal electronics such as cameras to automatically exchange information over the air. Imagine getting home from a trip and having your pictures automatically upload to the internet once you walk through the door. This may be a reality sooner than you think.
Read More | Yahoo!
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