Verizon’s Droid X Ads Mocks iPhone 4’s Woes

July 7th, 2010 by jared No comments »

With Apple’s iPhone 4 suffering from antenna issues Verizon Wireless is trying to capitalize on the glitch with full page ads in the New York Times touting the imminent debut of Motorola’s Droid X, emphasizing the reliability of its double antenna design.

“And most importantly, it comes with a double antenna design,” reads the ad. “The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make calls.”

The antenna issues stem from reports that users have experienced poor signal and dropped calls when holding the iPhone 4 in their left hand, which makes their palm cover a seam that separates the device’s two perimeter radio antennas.

Some have even complained that just touching the seam results in loss of signal.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs didn’t help the matter any by admonishing those with complaints to simply “just avoid holding it that way.”

The next generation of Droid, which some have called “the fastest phone I’ve seen so far” and “easy to use,” arrives on July 15.

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HP Offers Free Palm Pixi Plus and Pre to Verizon Customers

July 5th, 2010 by jared No comments »

HP is getting desperate to unload the Palm Pixi Plus and Pre Plus phones in a crowded marketplace filled with heavyweights like Apple’s iPhone and the Android OS-based line of smartphones like Motorola’s Droid X.

So desperate, in fact, that the price of a Palm Pre Plus dropped from a high of as much as $149.99 back in January before a a $100 discount for activating a new 2yr contract with Verizon Wireless down to FREE – that’s right FREE – after the same discount.

Both Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus come travel-ready with a built-in 3G Mobile Hotspot – a Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared among five Wi-Fi-capable devices. The 3G Mobile Hotspot is the perfect family vacation companion, and at $40 for 5 GB and 5 cents per megabyte overage, it provides an allowance big enough for sharing with the entire family for downloading games, Internet access and more.

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mSpot Radio Debuts on Verizon Wireless

July 2nd, 2010 by jared No comments »

Verizon Wireless has announced the launch of mSpot Radio which will provide subscribers access to a wide selection of music and radio. The service includes branded talk and commercial-free music radio, personal radio, live local stations across the United States, and Clear Channel’s iheartradio.

“When it comes to radio access and music discovery on their phones, people demand variety,” said Ed Ruth, director of business development and partner management at Verizon Wireless. “But customers also want quality. Working with mSpot and others, we’re bringing different and sophisticated new apps to all of our phones, including 3G Multimedia handsets and 3G smartphones.”

The application allows customers to easily browse content, including nationally recognized talk shows, access recently played stations, and bookmark favorite stations. In addition, the Personal Radio function allows customers to create their own stations with music from their favorite artists. Within Personal Radio, customers can skip, ban or heart stations to further customize their stations. Users can also download songs that are available as full songs, ringtones and ringback tones straight to their handsets.

“mSpot is proud to work with Verizon Wireless to power its mobile radio offerings for 3G Multimedia customers. We are combining rich and easy-to-use functionality and premium content – which means the best possible mobile radio experience for customers,” said mSpot chief executive officer Daren Tsui.

mSpot Radio offers more than 70 genre stations that include pop, urban, R&B, hip-hop and Latin, as well as more than 440 local radio stations from major markets, including Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Austin, Texas. Stations are updated weekly to feature new releases and hits.

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Verizon Wireless to Get iPhone January 2011

June 30th, 2010 by jared No comments »

For a while now speculation has abounded about when Verizon Wireless would release an Apple iPhone of its own to challenge AT&T’s monopoly of the popular smartphone. Last month the speculation reached a fever pitch when it was revealed that Verizon would announce a release date at this month’s Apple’s Worldwide developers’ conference. As we all know, that never happened, but according to Bloomberg news the Apple iPhone will be available on Verizon Wireless beginning January 2011.

“Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends,” said UBS AG analyst John Hodulik. “It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.”

Analysts say the move is inevitable for Apple as it tries to spread the load of its ever data hungry smartphones over multiple wireless data networks.

It also means a tougher time for Google Android OS-based smartphone users who currently top billing and discount prices to lure them into choosing an alternative to the Apple iPhone which is currently unavailable on Verizon Wireless.

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Verizon Announces the Samsung Fascinate

June 28th, 2010 by jared 1 comment »

Today Verizon Wireless and Samsung announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Fascinate, a Galaxy S smartphone.

Powered by Android 2.1, the Fascinate is equipped with support for Google Mobile Services, including, Gmail, YouTube, Android Market, and more.  Additionally, the Fascinate boasts a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen display, Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor, and an integrated entertainment, multimedia, messaging and social networking experience.

The Samsung Fascinate will sport a Virtual QWERTY Keyboard, a 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder with Auto-focus and LED flash with HD video recording and playback (720p), Wi-Fi Connectivity, and 2GB of internal memory expandable to 32GB, 16GB microSD included with handset

There’s no word yet on the exact dates of availability or pricing, but stay tuned.

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Verizon Wireless Offers Blockbuster On Demand

June 25th, 2010 by jared 1 comment »

Verizon Wireless announced today the introduction of Blockbuster On Demand. The app will be first be available for Droid X subscribers, which was just released several days ago, offering them access to hundreds of movie releases to watch when and where they want.

“Movies and other video content look tremendous on Droid X, which has the screen, resolution and size to make it like nothing we’ve ever seen before on smartphones,” said John Stratton, chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. “Right out of the box, Droid X customers will be the first to experience the hundreds of movies that will be available through the Blockbuster app.”

Built to take advantage of the video capabilities and screen size of Droid X, Blockbuster On Demand will offer customers movie downloads the same day they are released on Blu-ray and DVD.

“We are thrilled to expand our digital presence with this new app on Droid X. With our unique multi-channel capability to offer DVDs in store, by mail and via kiosks, and with a world-class digital offering in Blockbuster On Demand that is gaining momentum, our customers have even more convenient ways to access entertainment content from Blockbuster,” said Jim Keyes, chairman and chief executive officer, Blockbuster Inc. “Our customers have come to expect these types of innovations and immediate access to the latest hit movies. As the leading provider of entertainment, Blockbuster is uniquely able to offer customers access to the most popular titles where they are – through smartphones, such as Droid X, at the supermarket on their way home, in one of our neighborhood stores or through DVDs by mail – as only we can.”

Movie purchases will cost $9.99 and and $3.99 each to rent. Rented movies will be available for viewing on one screen within 30 days of rental, with a 24-hour viewing period once the title is first played. Purchases will also be available to watch on multiple devices and screens, including compatible mobile devices and computers.

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Motorola’s Droid X Debuts on Verizon Wireless

June 23rd, 2010 by jared 2 comments »

The highly anticipated Droid X smartphone from Motorola debuted today on Verizon Wireless. The Droid X sports high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; 8GB of memory; 8-megapixel camera; HD camcorder; and DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”

The Droid X can also rent and buy movies from Blockbuster that play at 800-by-480 resolution on the phone’s screen. A newly-updated NFL mobile app on Verizon Wireless will stream live games to the phone, and V CAST Video will provide other TV clips to choose from as well.

“Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”

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Verizon to Give Away FREE Motorola Droid X Phones?

June 21st, 2010 by jared 1 comment »

Eager fans of Motorola’s Droid X have uncovered a secret Twitter account in an ad for their debut on the Verizon Wireless network which they think may just lead to free giveaways of the highly anticipated smartphone.

From @DroidLanding:

REPORT: Droid X units have escaped! Get the stats on them at http://www.droiddoes.com . Forewarned is forearmed.

Motorola and Verizon are preparing for the launch of the Droid X on June 23, the day before the new Apple iPhone goes on sale.

As I mentioned before, the Motorola Droid X will sport an 3.7-inch-sized screen with 854×480 WGVA resolution. The processor will be a fast cortex AE with HW acceleration, and will come stock with 16GB of preinstalled memory that can be bumped out an additional 32GB.

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Motorola’s Droid X Appears on Verizon Wireless

June 18th, 2010 by jared 3 comments »

It appears that Verizon Wireless and Motorola finally decided to admit the presence of the highly anticipated Droid X which I’ve been mentioning for some time now.

“Two powerhouses of communications come together to bring you the Droid,” reads the Droid page on the Verizon Wireless website.

It’ll sport an 3.7-inch-sized screen with 854×480 WGVA resolution. The processor will be a fast cortex AE with HW acceleration, and will come stock with 16GB of preinstalled memory that can be bumped out an additional 32GB.

“This isn’t just another smartphone,” continues the Droid page.”It’s a Droid. And it does fast processing.”

Looks like Motorola and Verizon Wireless are looking to give Apple a run for its money. Now if only I could swap out my myTouch for a Droid.

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Verizon Wireless Customers Flock to Skype Mobile

June 15th, 2010 by jared No comments »

Ever since Skype mobile debuted on Verizon Wireless smartphones back in March more and more of its customers have been using it to make free unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and chats with others around the world.

“Skype mobile from Verizon Wireless not only takes advantage of the reliability and breadth of our wireless network, but it’s also proving to be a great option for military families with loved ones stationed overseas, people with relatives in Asia or South America, and businesses with a global presence,” said Jennifer Byrne, executive director of business development, Verizon Wireless. “And, with the World Cup starting soon, there’s no better way to talk or chat about the action with far-flung fans and family than Skype mobile.”

The real benefit of using Skyp-to-Skype for calls and chats is that they are both unlimited and free when initiated with Skype mobile from a Verizon Wireless 3G Smartphone with a data plan. Skype mobile calls made to domestic landline and wireless numbers use minutes from customers’ voice plans, and Skype mobile calls to international numbers are charged Skype’s low, international rates.

Skype mobile, currently available on 12 different smartphones, will expand to more handsets later this year, including several 3G Multimedia phones. In addition to Spanish, Skype mobile will also be available in Korean and simple Chinese, providing better ability to communicate with people around the world.

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