And, with the help of V CAST Apps from Verizon Wireless and the ever-expanding selection of games, productivity tools, entertainment and news apps available in Android Market, there’s something to fit every lifestyle:

• Can’t make it to the movies? Busy moms who rarely have time for movies can use Blockbuster On Demand® to find the perfect rental this Mother’s Day.
• Active moms can try a new running route this Mother’s Day using Bones In Motion which uses GPS to track distance, time, pace, calories, heart rate and path traveled on a map, and can treat themselves to a brand new playlist using V CAST Music.
• Jet-setting moms who want to get away over Mother’s Day weekend can use KAYAK Flight and Hotel Search to find and book flights, hotels and rental cars by comparing hundreds of travel sites with just one search. Need reading material for the plane or beach? Kick-back, relax and browse over 750,000 books in the Kindle Store using the Kindle app.
• Love to hike? Nature loving moms can check the weather before heading out with WeatherBug.
• To get the best deals on all the latest trends, ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner allows moms to find the best price for any product.
• Driving comes with the territory of being a soccer mom. Avoid the stress of getting lost with VZ Navigator and skip searching for the car by using Car Locator.

You can also thank your mom with the purchase of a new device; from tablets to mobile hotspots, Verizon Wireless has a device for everyone.

“The 4G Mobile Reporter is an example of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network in action, saving businesses time and resources while getting the job done faster than ever before,” said Mark Bartolomeo, vice president, global enterprise marketing, Verizon Wireless. “We have a long history of working with media technology, and this is the next logical step in our business portfolio as we advance into 4G LTE. Working with LiveCast allows us to further extend our reach to our media customers by offering top-notch wireless products and services.”

With the 4G Mobile Reporter field crews can use existing camera equipment to deliver near real-time video feeds with low-latency transmission to the station without the need for satellite trucks.

Features:

• At the station, the LiveCast SDI application allows low latency monitoring of multiple live streams simultaneously, with the ability to switch between streams in real-time. LiveCast uniquely requires only a single ingest point at the station’s video router to service the multiple streams.
• In the field, reporters can select a live return feed from the station to monitor, while simultaneously streaming. LiveCast Duo supports Live Chat, so producers can cue and prompt talent with directions or questions, a useful feature in noisy environments or when silence is required.

“With Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, we can now provide media companies with the best of all worlds,” said William Mutual, LiveCast Chief Executive Officer. “Our customers are continuously seeking effective strategies to reduce operational costs, while maintaining quality and covering more stories faster. Now, together with Verizon Wireless, we have a dynamic product that meets and exceeds their requirements.”

It also embeds GPS data continuously throughout the stream, tracking locations dynamically and allowing a map display next to the video playback window.

“Metro Detroit: Welcome to the future,” said John Granby, president –Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, Verizon Wireless. “Our advanced technology is changing the way we all work and play. Today, it gives us the ability to move large files faster and soon enjoy smooth mobile video conferencing. But, this is only the beginning. It’s not about what 4G can do for you. Rather, it’s about what do you want or need it to do?”

This expansion of its 4G LTE network means businesses and consumers will enjoy speeds up to 10 times faster than its 3G network. In real-world, fully-loaded network environments, laptop users experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.

Verizon says its 4G LTE network will cover two-thirds of the US population by mid-2012, and nearly everyone by the end of 2013.

The company says this takes VoLTE calling from a lab environment to a commercial network for the first time anywhere in the world.

“Today is another proof point that the LTE ecosystem is alive, healthy and thriving. VoLTE will quickly become the global standard for delivering voice over LTE networks,” said Malone.

Verizon Wireless says the initial call was placed at 9:54 a.m. ET Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011 by Balaji Raghavachari, manager of technology for Verizon Wireless, using a LG Revolution 4G smartphone.

“The GSMA launched a voice over LTE initiative a year ago with the aim of driving a single, industry-wide solution for voice and messaging services via IP,” said Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer at the GSMA. “We commend Verizon Wireless for helping to make this a reality by conducting the world’s first voice call over a commercial LTE network. The progress made by the GSMA, its members, and in particular Verizon Wireless, to enable this functionality will play a crucial role in driving strong momentum and vast economies of scale for LTE all over the world.”

The initial call was a mere 33 seconds long, but subsequent test calls lasted more than 10 minutes.

Verizon launched its 4G network in December, but it currently only supports data. Until late 2012 Verizon’s LTE phones will make all of their voice calls on Verizon’s 3G network, jumping up to LTE where it’s available for data.

I’ve already mentioned the HTC Thunderbolt, the first 4G LTE smartphone to land on the network since Verizon’s 4G LTE system went live earlier this month, but according to reports in the WSJ it plans to release a whole slew of Android OS smartphones and even one presumably Android OS-based tablet.

The manufacturers include Samsung Electronics Co., Motorola Inc., HTC Corp., and LG Electronics Co..

Some of the phones won’t be available until later this year, but Verizon is likely trying to let consumers know that they’ll have 4G smartphone options in order to boost interest in its month-old 4G LTE system.

With Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network users can expect blazing fast download data rates of 5 to 12Mbps and upload rates of 2 to 5 Mbps, but it doesn’t mean much if consumers don’t have a variety of 4G capable smartphones to choose from that can actually take advantage of it.

According to rumors attributed to a “sole source” believed to be “credible,” Verizon Wireless will formally announce the launch of the iPhone shortly after Christmas, and that iPhones will be immediately available for purchase once this happens. The reason for the post-Xmas timing is that AT&T’s last demand was reportedly the chance to “maximize” holiday sales of the iPhone.

The source said that Verizon Wireless held management training session for iPhone sales last week, and that during the training sessions they used “functioning iPhones (LTE-capable).”

Other reports:

• Steve Jobs is said to be upset that carriers cannot seem to get their LTE act together more quickly
• Apple is “helping” U.S. carriers (money?) to build out LTE more quickly

The new iPhone for Verizon Wireless would become the only 4G LTE version around, and is well timed to follow Verizon Wireless’ recent launch of the 4G LTE network this past December 5th.

Many are eagerly anticpating any news of a Verizon iPhone, especially a 4G version that promises better surfing speeds and data access.

The new iPhone hardware prototype was leaked last week, and the photo up there is just one of the many photos that Gizmodo blogger Jason Chen posted with a video of the new iPhone 4G in action as well. Analysts have estimated a Verizon iPhone for months now, just like they estimated this back in 2008. The Verizon iPhone may be possible in June, and even Verizon’s CEO has expressed interest in getting the iPhone. At the very least there will be a new iPhone 4G in 2010 because Apple likes to launch one each year.

The only drwaback in all of this is that Verizon is still relatively early in the development of its 4G network. The carrier has said it doesn’t expect to reach even a 66-percent coverage level in America until sometime in 2012.

“Our progress is good, and we’re confident that the next generation of wireless network technology will deliver the speed, reliability and bandwidth that businesses, government and consumers have been anticipating,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless. “Our work on 4G LTE underscores our continuing commitment to provide the best wireless experience available today. Building and operating great wireless networks is what we do, and everything we do at Verizon Wireless – from devices to applications to solutions – stems from that foundation of network know-how.”

Verizon Wireless engineers report trials showing peak download speeds of 40 to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and peak upload speeds of 20 to 25 Mbps and expects LTE average data rates of 5 to 12 Mbps on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world environments.

The announcement comes ahead of next week’s As tech watchers prepare for next week’s CTIA WIRELESS 2010 convention in Las Vegas, NV.

“Our network teams have been working extremely long and hard on this giant jewel of wireless network technology,” said Frank Wise, Florida executive network director.  ”This is a big moment for our technicians and a great moment for wireless customers in South Florida.”

The building was designed to accommodate large-scale expansion of the Verizon network as needed and to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The facility also has the capacity to handle tens of millions of daily voice calls and wireless data transmissions such as text, photo and video messages; downloads of games, music and other applications; uploads to social media sites; Web surfing; and more.

“South Florida is one of the most dynamic and demanding markets in the nation, with millions of highly mobile tech-savvy customers squeezed along a coast,” said Pam Tope, Florida region president for Verizon Wireless.  ”We built this switch to ensure our customers have the most reliable, advanced coverage and services today and for decades to come.”

In the past year, the company has spent $240 million in Florida on network enhancements.

Later this year, Verizon Wireless plans to launch its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless services in 25 to 30 markets nationally.