Verizon -- Engadget

HTC Hero / Eris mega faceoff on video

by Paul Miller posted Nov 6th 2009 at 5:45PM

Now that we've got the DROID Eris in the mix, we're up to our ears in HTC Hero-derivative devices. We decided to sit the whole crew (GSM, Sprint and Verizon editions) down for a little modeling session, and we're finding ourselves reticent to pick a favorite. There are really plusses and minuses to each of them, but any way you lean it's a pretty good handset with some perhaps overly bulky software, a wonderful pricepoint (on Verizon, anyway) and probably a limited time in the sun with upcoming Android 2.0 devices, faster processors and wild new screens rolling on in. Check the video out after the break and you can make up your own mind.

Continue reading HTC Hero / Eris mega faceoff on video

PSA: Sears charging $50 less for new DROID activations than Verizon

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 6th 2009 at 11:14AM

If you walk into a Verizon store today and pick up a DROID, you'll be out $300 (before tax) out of pocket, then you'll twiddle your thumbs for a few weeks while you wait for some mysterious PO box in Texas to send you your $100 rebate on a debit card. Wouldn't you rather just pay $200 upfront? Or better yet, $150? Sears -- which, we have to admit, we didn't know sold phones -- is charging just $150 without a rebate for the DROID today, a full $50 less than Big Red proper with rebate. We don't know how good these guys are with customer service (Simplexity is running the store on Sears' behalf, it seems), but truth be told, we can deal with a little incompetency for $50.

[Via I4U]

Poll: Will the DROID have you in its clutches?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 6th 2009 at 10:26AM

We've already got some smartphone beasts in the market like the Pre and the iPhone, but Android hasn't really had a supercharged, drool-worthy device yet -- a knight in shining armor ready to sweep the platform off its feet and ride off into the sunset. The DROID could very well be that device, so we're turning the question over to you: are you jumping in?

DROID mania sweeps the nation, so to speak

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 6th 2009 at 9:19AM

It appears that last night's midnight opening in Manhattan went off like gangbusters, but the situation across the country is a little more subdued this morning with seemingly short lines and easy access to DROIDs at every location we've visited. We won't put out a number, but we can confirm that several Engadget editors have taken the plunge today -- and if riffraff like us can waltz into the store and get them, you should certainly be able to. Good luck being assimilated out there today, and be sure to post pictures of your experience in comments (up above we've got San Francisco's first buyer courtesy of Ross Miller, and after the break, you can live it up with the good folks of Albany as they were paid a visit by Tim Stevens).

Continue reading DROID mania sweeps the nation, so to speak

DROID and DROID Eris now cash sentient on Verizon

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 6th 2009 at 1:01AM

After weeks of buildup the day is here: the DROID (and his little HTC buddy, the DROID Eris) is now for sale on Verizon's website. As expected Motorola's new flagship will set you back $200 after $100 online discount and two-year commitment while his underhyped Eris little bro is a penny shy of $100 after the same discount and contractual prostration. If you're looking to shed your contractual duties then you can hand over $560 in non-Android green for the option of going month-to-month.

[Via Gearlog, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read -- Motorola DROID
Read -- HTC DROID Eris

Motorola DROID goes on sale a little early at Best Buy Mobile

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 5th 2009 at 2:14PM

Looks like the DROID invasion is starting a little early -- we were just sent these pics of Motorola's beastly Android slider on sale at an unspecified Best Buy Mobile somewhere deep within America's heartland. Or perhaps it's lurking around the fringe of our nation's coasts. In either case, we're told BBM reps can sell you a DROID as of today, so it might be worth checking out if you're not psyched to hit up your local Verizon store at 7AM tomorrow. And do let us know if the DROID ERIS is available, will you?

P.S.- Just got a tip that Wal-Mart is now selling 'em early too. The DROIDs are loose, people. Gather your valuables.

P.P.S.- Target Mobile Solutions, which operates kiosks in California Target stores, has opened the floodgates too -- but the catch is that you'll be paying $249.99 for a new activation, $50 more than Verizon after rebate. Thanks, Tony! (Update: we're hearing it's back down to $199.87 now -- nice!)

[Thanks, Mike and Jesse]

Continue reading Motorola DROID goes on sale a little early at Best Buy Mobile

Saygus VPhone V1 hits the FCC, headed for Verizon next?

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 5th 2009 at 1:26PM

We had some indication that Verizon would have a third Android device ready by early 2010 in addition to the DROID and ERIS -- one that may be boosted by the carrier's Open Development program -- and it looks like the FCC may have now given us our first real look at it. While it's obviously still unconfirmed as of yet, this Saygus VPhone V1 phone that recently sailed through the agency certainly seems to fit the bill, and the company has even gone so far as to not so subtly feature an article about a Verizon's mysterious third Android device on its own website. As you can see, however, the phone itself doesn't exactly do too much to stand out from the current crop of Android sliders, but it should hold its own when it comes to specs. That includes a 3.5-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, a 5-megapixel camera, a second, front-facing camera for video calls, built-in GPS, WiFi, a microSD card slot and even an FM radio, among other standard fare. Still no indication of that rumored WiFi tethering out of the box, unfortunately, but we're guessing this one could win quite a few fans if that pans out -- and, of course, if it's actually the real thing.

[Via SlashGear]

Verizon's BlackBerry 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch go hands-on

by Paul Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 12:41PM

Rounding out the flurry of interesting Verizon Wireless launches today are the BlackBerry Curve 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch (pictured). The 8530 is pretty much just the Verizon edition of T-Mobile's 8520, but the LG Chocolate Touch bears closer examination. Basically it's just a war on the eyeballs of anyone who's ever seen the BL40, with the front, back, materials and interface of the device all falling incredibly short of aesthetic pleasure. However, the $80 phone does have a relatively responsive and usable touchscreen interface for a "dumbphone," and we've used worse touchscreen keyboards on Windows Mobile. So it's not a complete tragedy, but we really feel sorry for someone who skips over the DROID ERIS for this just handset just to save $20.

Gallery: LG Chocolate Touch

Gallery: BlackBerry Curve 8530

Casio G'zOne Brigade brings whole new level of rugged insanity to the QWERTY clamshell

by Paul Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 11:21AM

We've seen some crazy phones in our day, many of them from Casio, as it turns out, but the G'zOne Brigade really pushes the envelope. It's a ruggedized, weatherproof, Push to Talk QWERTY clamshell, with some of the odder physical protrusions we've seen on a handset this decade. Unfortunately, the QWERTY keyboard, which is populated with large and very clickable keys, is arranged in possibly one of the least sensible layouts conceivable. Software-wise the handset runs the full gamut of V CAST apps and also includes a document viewer for opening Microsoft Office files and PDFs. Price and availability info will be revealed "closer to launch."

Gallery: Casio G'zOne Brigade hands-on

DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!

by Paul Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 10:03AM

Hey look, it's a Hero! We've got the brand new DROID ERIS for Verizon in hand, and it's not hard to see which particular family of phones it hails from. Still, Verizon has its own twist on the form factor, almost scoring a compromise between the "shiny" Sprint Hero and the more angular, matte GSM Hero. Confusingly, the capacitive touch buttons along the bottom of the ERIS' screen are a haphazard twist on the DROID's arrangement (though it's really Motorola that's the non-standard one here), but the phones don't look completely unrelated. In all the rounded, black matte body of the ERIS sort of "fades away" and you're just left with a nice, bright LCD -- it's not making a statement, which is sort of the statement. There's also an iPhone-style face proximity sensor for turning off the display during calls, and HTC has multitouch pinch-to-zoom on here, something Motorola hasn't seemed to manage. Sure it can't stack up to the DROID for aggressiveness or sheer specs, but it's got it's own sort of budget-friendly charm that's not overshadowed by the DROID's bombastic ways, and two out of three Engadget editors agree that the HTC keyboard beats the pants off the stock Android keyboard.

Gallery: DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!

Verizon launches BlackBerry 8530, LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Convoy, and prepaid data

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 5th 2009 at 9:45AM

HTC's DROID ERIS is arguably the biggest announcement out of Verizon today, but that's not the only thing getting real this morning -- far from it, in fact. If BlackBerrys, music-centric dumbphones, rugged flips, or commitment-free data are your bag, head on over to Engadget Mobile where we've covered the rest of the action!

Read - BlackBerry Curve 8530 brings optical trackpad to Verizon
Read - Verizon's LG Chocolate Touch skips on the BL40 influence
Read - Samsung Convoy is a rugged push-to-talker for Verizon
Read - Verizon broadband data goes prepaid

Verizon's DROID ERIS by HTC does Android and keeps it cheap

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 5th 2009 at 8:45AM

Verizon is making no secret about which Android device it wants to make waves this week -- that'd be the DROID from Motorola -- but there's another model that'll be available the same day with one-tenth the fanfare: HTC's DROID ERIS. Codenamed Desire ahead of launch, the phone is essentially Verizon's custom remix of the venerable Hero as found on Sprint and various GSM carriers around the world, featuring a 5 megapixel camera, 3.2-inch capacitive display, WiFi, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD expansion up to 16GB. Check it out in your local store hiding somewhere in the shadow of the DROID starting Friday for $99.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate, which -- if you can forgo a physical keyboard, faster processor, and high-res display -- works out to a cool hundred less than Moto's entry.

Some more perspective on the DROID and multitouch

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 4th 2009 at 6:00PM

There's been a whirlwind of chatter about Apple's multitouch patents since the Motorola DROID was released to reviewers sans any built-in support for Android 2.0's multitouch APIs -- there's no pinch-to-zoom in the browser or maps app, and the soft keyboard is decidedly a single-touch affair. What's even more curious is that the DROID clearly supports multitouch, as several new apps have demonstrated, and the overseas UMTS variant of the handset, the MILESTONE, has been shown on video with pinch-to-zoom in the browser several times now. That's led to a ton of speculation that Apple's somehow blocking Google from using pinch-to-zoom in the US, so we thought we'd step in with a little refresher on the state of Apple's multitouch patents and some thoughts how they might be affecting the DROID. Read on!

Continue reading Some more perspective on the DROID and multitouch

HTC DROID Eris unboxed and examined: 'feels much better' than Sprint Hero

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 4th 2009 at 4:11PM

If recent leaks are any indication, we should be seeing plenty more HTC DROID Eris unboxings any day now, but right now it looks like the Boy Genius Report has scored one of the first courtesy of one its helpful "connects." Of course, there aren't exactly a ton of surprises with the packaging apart from a bright splash of color upon opening the box, but the unboxer does say that the phone itself is thinner and lighter than the Sprint HTC Hero, and generally "feels much better in the hand." Hit up the link below for a few more shots, and watch this space (well, not literally this space) for what's sure to be more Eris news to come.

Verizon looking to bump early termination fee to $350 on 'advanced' devices

by Darren Murph posted Nov 4th 2009 at 8:42AM

You know what's worse than showing your Bitter Beer Face to the world after you passed on Apple's iPhone and let AT&T enjoy the spoils? Raising your early termination fee to stratospheric heights. Just over a year ago, we honestly though this whole ETF thing was headed in the right direction, as most of the major carriers (VZW included) sought to prorate contracts in order to lessen the charge as one's contract drew closer to an end. Now, however, Big Red is evidently gearing up to pull a 180, with the slide above showing a $350 ETF for "advanced" devices (read: probably anything deemed a smartphone). The newly hiked rate will go into effect on November 15th, and while that $350 will decrease by $10 per month over the life of the agreement, this pretty much guarantees that you won't be adding a line, disconnecting and then flipping that phone on eBay.

Gallery: LG Chocolate Touch

Gallery: BlackBerry Curve 8530

Gallery: Casio G'zOne Brigade hands-on

Gallery: DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!

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