Verizon & Android news

[RCollett]

No LTE (4G) until 2011, not sure when though.

 

[jwinslow]

http://gizmodo.com/5654000/the-verizon-htc-merge-is-a-world-phone-with-a-slider-keyboard

Android Central got their hands on a new Android phone: the HTC Merge, an 800 MHz Android 2.2 phone headed to Verizon. It's a World Phone that uses HTC Sense and has a sliding keyboard similar to the T-Mobile G2.


Truthfully, the Merge isn't anything out of the ordinary. Other than having a decent looking physical keyboard, the Merge's specs—3.7" screen, 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, 720p video—seem to be in line with the average Android phone.



...


It's sort of amazing how many Android devices Verizon has and continues to put out, you'd think they'd be overlapping each other by now. But unlike the other phones, the Merge can be geared towards world travelers since it comes with a rest of the Earth-friendly SIM card slot. As the Merge hasn't even been announced yet, there's no release date or price point set.

 

[3074326]

Got a Droid X a few days ago. Messed with a few other models and liked it the most. Switched over from an iPhone.. which I loved, but Verizon's service has always been much better than AT&T's. And I'm actually a reporter now, so the phone aspect of a phone is now important again.

 

[MD Buckeye]

Picked up the Droid 2 the other day. So far so good......

 

[exhawg]

Rep to anyone that posts details about the Verizon data plan changes. I'm hoping they have a $15 data plan like AT&T for smart phones so my wife can get a BB or a Droid. The $10 3G data plan for 20MB is a joke.

 

[starBUCKS]

Rep to anyone that posts details about the Verizon data plan changes. I'm hoping they have a $15 data plan like AT&T for smart phones so my wife can get a BB or a Droid. The $10 3G data plan for 20MB is a joke.

I pay 29.99 for unlimited on my droid... I believe I paid around 45 for my blackberry's... both Verizon.

 

[MaxBuck]

Rep to anyone that posts details about the Verizon data plan changes. I'm hoping they have a $15 data plan like AT&T for smart phones so my wife can get a BB or a Droid. The $10 3G data plan for 20MB is a joke.

I pay $30 to Verizon for unlimited data and additional $20 for tethering (actually, mobile WiFi hot spot) with a 2GB per month limit on tethered data before a per-MB charge. This for a Samsung Fascinate. Great phone, except trying to sync contacts is more painful than a root canal and more difficult than harnessing nuclear fusion.

 

[CentralMOBuck]

If you've got Froyo on your android phone you should probably download the Adobe Air app, along with Flash if you haven't.

We've been looking forward to this for a while, and now it's here: Adobe AIR runtime for Android. That means developers using Flash Builder or Flash Professional CS5 can publish AIR apps directly to the Android Market, and all users will need is this little runtime from the Market and they're set. AIR's desktop-oriented .air packages aren't compatible, so you can't just go and grab anything, but there are AIR apps already starting to pop up -- AppBrain has a whole list of them in one of the source links below -- since Adobe has been trialling this with developers for a little while now. Check out a video demo of the procedure from the developer end of things after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/08/adobe-air-runtime-for-android-lands-apps-already-starting-to-fo/

 

[jwinslow]

Iron, they have a $10 - 25mb plan. I looked around briefly and don't see details on their tiered plan, but perhaps cmo or someone can clarify.

One nice thing is they are removing the $10 requirement for "feature phones" aka texting phones which can go on the web but not well. That used to be a requirement for activation of everything but the most basic clamshell phones.

I pay 29.99 for unlimited on my droid... I believe I paid around 45 for my blackberry's... both Verizon.

blackberry was 29.99 also. The $45 plans were for business accounts that needed to sync with business servers...

 

[jwinslow]

http://gizmodo.com/5663702/ipad-coming-to-verizon-on-october-28th?skyline=true&s=i

Apple's AT&T monogamy has officially ended, at least as far as the iPad is concerned. Because at the end of this month, the tablet is coming to Verizon. Well, Wi-Fi anyway. Verizon's iPad is going to be Wi-Fi only, which means that for 3G access you'll have to purchase a bundle with a Verizon MiFi mobile hotspot. That MiFi gives you a roundabout route to Verizon's 3G network, since the Verizon iPad apparently isn't CDMA. Which is disappointing!
Pricing is on par: an 16GB Wi-Fi iPad bundled with MiFi will cost $630, 32GB Wi-Fi iPad + MiFi will be $730, and 64GB Wi-Fi iPad plus MiFi will be $830. The MiFi data plan will apparently offer up to 1GB of data for $20/month, no contract required.
Wi-Fi only models will also be sold, and while pricing for those hasn't been announced yet it's hard to imagine that it'd be appreciably different from AT&T's offering. There's no mention in the release of if or when you can preorder, although you can "sign up for more information" here.
It's not all bad news for AT&T; Apple's incumbent carrier will begin selling their 3G iPad in its own stores on October 28th as well. And the iPad's already infiltrated other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Although this does seems to lend even more credence to those early 2011 Verizon iPhone reports, which should make you as happy as it makes AT&T nervous. Although hopefully you won't need a bundled MiFi for the phone.


...Cont'd

 

[jwinslow]

And now for the latest set of Verizon iPhone rumors (though they hold a little more water with the iPad's arrival and the shift from competing to shared radio technology for 4G phones on AT&T & Verizon).

http://www.intomobile.com/2010/10/14/verizon-iphone/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...ne_on_track_for_March_2011_debut_says_analyst
http://blogs.computerworld.com/16447/no_verizon_iphone_till_late_2011
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and...one-Coming-Early-2011-Says-New-Report-865896/

I'm curious to see how the iphone sells now that Android has established itself. I'm sure it will still sell in big numbers (especially for folks looking to escape AT&T's network, even if that plan is short-sighted), but it has lost a lot of its distinction for mildly advanced users and above.

 

[BrutuStrength]

I just spoke with a family member that works in the wireless industry, and has mostly worked with Verizon in the past. I asked what he's been hearing about when Verizon's 4G phones will be rolling out, if I should wait until then, and which phone I should be considering for my next purchase (mind you I'm currently using an Env2 so I'm anxious to make the jump to a Droid device).

He said that they'll be rolling out the 4G phones around January, and that the phone he is most excited about is the new Windows Phone 7, which will be released in January as well. He said he's already played around with it and he expects it to be the best phone available. He mentioned that it would be more stable than the Android phones and integrate well with MS Office products.

 

[RCollett]

I am not interested in the windows phone at all. The Android OS does have some buggy little issues, but the UI and the ability to customize are worth it. The Windows 7 phones have a horrible UI. The integration with office products seems to be good for business' more than personal use. Microsoft did get alot of good hardware companies behind the product and have had time to really develop the OS. I hope they are good devices.

 

[BrutuStrength]

Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of the Win7 phone myself. I saw a blurb about it on the news or Internet recently, but I remain skeptical. He said he's actually demoed it though and that it's solid. Also, keep in mind he routinely has 4-6 different phones that he uses and keeps most of them for only a few months before selling them on eBay. So it might also be that he just wants to play with it some more, but I got the feeling he was really impressed with it.

Heck, jumping from an Env to just about anything else is going to be a significant upgrade for me. I'm gonna wait and see. I'll probably go with a 4G Droid or the Win7 phone. I was originally going to wait for an iPhone but am not any longer. I prefer devices with more open systems.

 

[h0bb3s]

Looking to get an Android phone and I was looking at both the HTC Incredible and the Samsung Facinate. I have a few friends who have the HTC phone and they seem to like it. I was just curious to see if anyone has any experience with the the Samsung Facinate. I'd be upgrading from an LG Dare so anything will seem like a HUGE upgrade to me. I looked at the Droid X too, but the phone just seems to be almost too big.