verizon
Latest
Engadget Podcast 118 - 11.14.2008: Cellphone freakout edition
You knew we'd be back, right? It's that time again, ladies and gents: Engadget Podcast time. This week, thrill to the delectable sounds of your hosts -- Josh, Paul, and Nilay -- as they cover all things smartphone. Excite your senses with discussion of BlackBerry wishes and G1 dreams. Hear insight and outrage on the Fuze, X1a, iPhone 3G, and more. And the best part? It's entirely cholesterol and MSG free!Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay PatelProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Welcome to the Jungle02:02 - RED's Digital Still and Motion Camera System now official04:24 - Verizon schedules Storm for November 21 release, $199.99 on contract13:05 - AT&T BlackBerry Bold hands-on26:40 - HTC Fuze now for sale on AT&T's web site32:53 - Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 review37:00 - HTC MAX 4G officially announced, world's first GSM / WiMAX phone39:53 - Windows Mobile 6.5 confirmed by Steve Ballmer, might solve half your problems49:10 - Apple's new iPod chief ordered to stop working52:17 - Epic Android bug interprets your typing as system commands57:15 - iPhone 3G overtakes the RAZR as best-selling domestic handsetSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
Trent Wolbe11.14.2008
Verizon's Samsung Saga shows its face, as anticipated
Nothing new or unexpected here: just like we said a few days ago, the Samsung Saga, one of the bluest handsets in recent memory, is now available online at Verizon. Also filed under "things we already knew," the globetrotting GSM and CDMA-enabled smartphone with EV-DO is selling for $199.99 (with a 2-year contract and one of those mail-in rebates we all know and love), though apparently you won't be able to walk into a Verizon store and pick one up in person until December 1st. Hit the read link for more granular details should you really, really want them.
Laura June Dziuban11.14.2008
ESPN Fantasy Football widget comes to Verizon's FiOS TV
Anything you can do, I can do better. That's the mantra being carefully executed by Verizon as it launches its own Fantasy Football outlet just months after AT&T did the same. Oddly enough, the decision was made to go live with this well after the 2008 NFL season began, but we know hardcore football fanatics won't be complaining. Available now for free to select FiOS TV users, an ESPN Fantasy Football widget provides "instant on-screen access to personalized points and football statistics, including rosters, box scores, scoring leaders and player information." Check it out now if you're in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, or the Harrisburg / southeastern Pennsylvania areas; otherwise, you'll just have to be patient for an undisclosed amount of time.
Darren Murph11.14.2008
Samsung Renown launching on Verizon November 19, in stores December 1
If you're a Verizon customer, global roaming's up your alley, and the Storm and Saga are both just a little more smartphone than you need, there's another option dropping shortly: the Samsung Renown. There's really not a hell of a lot to the unassuming flip beyond an integrated quadband GSM radio, but hey -- for some frequent travelers (drug runners come immediately to mind), maybe that's all the doctor ordered. The bronze flip musters VZW Navigator support, a QVGA primary display, micro SD expansion to 8GB, and a 2-megapixel camera, and while the $179.99 on-contract price after rebate might sound a smidge steep for such specs, let's not lose sight of that all-powerful globetrotting capability. It'll hit November 19 over the phone and December 1 in-store; in the meantime, follow the break for some views of the thing.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Chris Ziegler11.13.2008
Verizon schedules Storm for November 21 release, $199.99 on contract
It may not be the iPhone-beating pricing we'd been hoping for, but $199.99 on a new two-year contract after $50 mail-in rebate will probably still be enough to sell a Storm or two (or billion), especially considering that it becomes both RIM's first touchscreen set and Verizon's first phone with global 3G when it finally floods the market (a bundled 8GB microSD card doesn't hurt, either). Speaking of flooding the market, it'll be available both online and in-store starting November 21 -- just a week from this Friday -- so get ready to finally say goodnight to that grungy BlackBerry 950 you've been using since 1978.
Chris Ziegler11.13.2008
Touch Pro launching on Verizon November 24, in stores December 1
And then there was one. Following a November 24 launch of the Touch Pro on Verizon, that'll leave just T-Mobile among the big four US carriers without a version of HTC's top-of-the-line QWERTY set -- though at a staggering $419.99 on a two-year contract, we're not sure that we'd bother anyway. To be fair, that price comes before a $70 mail-in rebate, but that only knocks it down to $350, which still makes the Touch Pro one of Verizon's priciest devices. Following telesales availability, we'll get to see it, touch it, and take it home from retail locations starting on December 1, which gives us a few days to collect soda cans and take 'em to Michigan for the 10-cent deposits.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Chris Ziegler11.12.2008
Samsung Saga launches this Friday on Verizon, but don't bother checking stores
One of the more thoroughly-scooped Samsungs of 2008 is getting ready for a launch this Friday -- sort of. It looks like the GSM-equipped Saga for Verizon will arrive through telesales starting this Friday, but the in-store date doesn't follow on for another two weeks -- December 1. Even then, it'll only be on a direct fulfillment basis, with "full" retail availability to be announced later. With that kind of lackadaisical attitude, we can only guess that Verizon's not expecting terribly much interest in the stark blue QWERTY handset running Windows Mobile with a penchant for global roaming, which'll run a $199.99 on a two-year plan after $70 mail-in rebate. The optical mouse is probably going to be a polarizing feature here, but with the i760 on the way out, how else are you gonna get your Sammy smartphone kicks on Verizon? Follow the break for some Saga eye candy! [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Chris Ziegler11.11.2008
Verizon locks in BlackBerry Storm launch for November 24 at $199.99?
Murphy's Law dictated from the very beginning that Verizon's claim of a November launch for the Storm meant late November (at best), and indeed, it now looks like that's where we're headed. Boy Genius Report has picked up some juicy documentation that seems to suggest that November 24 is the zero day with a $199.99 retail price after rebate; what's more, stores will be opening an hour early to accomodate the throngs of rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth businessmen and businesswomen in Zegna suits looking for their latest BlackBerry fix. It looks like there'll also be a "pre-launch" on the 20th, meaning customers Verizon really cares about -- not us, by any stretch of the imagination -- will have a chance stroll into one of 123 extra-special corporate stores to tool around with a demo unit and place their order in person. Either way, stores are expected to have tons of units available for sale on the 24th, so don't show up at 8pm the night before. Unless you're into that sort of thing.
Chris Ziegler11.11.2008
FiOS HD video on-demand library tops 1,000 title mark
Make room Comcast, Verizon's barged in on Project Infinity territory, staking its own claim of 1,000 high definition video on-demand titles available, two months earlier than it had previously planned. That puts it well ahead in the choices/channels debate, with the latest additions courtesy of Starz, Showtime and Sundance Channel. If you're willing to accept something less than HD for your VOD, there's a total of 11,000 items available every month (8,500 without an additional charge), but we're just settling in as the race to 3,000 high definition watch-anytime choices begins.
Richard Lawler11.11.2008
MLB Network HD / MLB Extra Innings sliding into FiOS TV in 2009
Way back in February, we heard that Verizon was attempting to cut a deal that would bring MLB Extra Innings to its fiber-based FiOS TV service. Now, it looks as if the Is have been dotted and the Ts crossed. Verizon has formally announced that the baseball lover's most favorite package will be available starting next year, and better still, MLB Network HD will be added on slot 586 (SD version on 86) when the channel debuts on January 1, 2009. For those unaware, the channel will air live games, original programming, highlights, classic games and coverage of baseball events, and it's sure to spark up all sorts of controversy à la NFL Network.[Thanks, Pete]
Darren Murph11.11.2008
BlackBerry 9530 Storm pricing revealed on VZW staging server
Ah, now this is a bit more solid pricing information. Verizon's testman pre-launch site now lists the BlackBerry 9530 Storm for $219.99 under a 2 year contract. Not quite below the $199 threshold set by the iPhone 3G as predicted by some analysts. Then again, the fat lady isn't singing yet so maybe we'll see some kind of mail-in rebate before this gets officially official. Without contract, we're looking at $520 according to the staging server. Pretty close the prices we saw hinted at early last week. See that screen grab and another for the $290 one-year contract after the break.Update: It's worth stressing that these prices could just be leftover placeholders. In fact, much of the describing text refers to the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone which currently sells for pre-rebated price of $219.99.[Via Howard Forums, Thanks Paul]
Thomas Ricker11.11.2008
Verizon's FiOS TV expansions: November 8, 2008
Not only did Verizon pick up nearly a quarter-million new FiOS TV subscribers in Q3, but it's looking to make sure even more Americans have an opportunity to join in during Q4. This week, the carrier has received approval to light up its fiber-based TV service in several more New York communities -- Port Washington North in Nassau County, the Town of Fishkill / City of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, Schuylerville, Throgs Neck and Edgewater Park in the Bronx, and Sheepshead Bay and Gerritsen Beach in Brooklyn. Additionally, it added in 53 new HD channels in Richmond / Hampton Roads, VA, 10 more in Harrisburg, PA and 16 in Rhode Island. We'll see you next week -- here's to hoping your neck of the woods gets covered within the next seven days.Read - New York expansion IRead - New York expansion IIRead - Hampton Roads, VA additionsRead - Richmond, VA additionsRead - Harrisburg, PA additionsRead - Rhode Island additions
Darren Murph11.08.2008
Verizon's Touch Pro caught on video
Any festering belief that Verizon's version of the HTC Touch Pro is nothing more than a figment of our collective imagination can probably be put to bed now that we have it strutting its stuff on video, yeah? It looks pretty much like what you'd expect it to, sporting an interface every bit as crimson as we've come to expect from a carrier lovingly (or not so lovingly) nicknamed "Big Red." It'll have 512MB of ROM, TV-out, microSD support up to a purely theoretical 32GB, and an integrated business card scanner to put the 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam to work -- enough to make the Windows Mobile faithful on Verizon drool and give pause before setting their sights on the Omnia, we figure. It's not clear exactly when it'll hit retail, but November 14 is sounding like a possible date for deliveries to begin; in the meanwhile, follow the break for the full video![Thanks, lwright84]
Chris Ziegler11.07.2008Vodafone sez November 14 for Storm, Verizon offers new global plans for it
As promised, Vodafone has officially announced a November delivery order date for its BlackBerry Storm -- November 14, to be specific. Pre-orders are being taken (as they are in the States), so if you want to be in the first batch of Brits to rock this thing, it might be a good idea to go ahead and get on a list lest the throngs of humanity trying to get one on launch day end up harshing your chances. On a related note, Vodafone's better (or worse) half Verizon has come forward with a surprisingly affordable data plan -- GlobalEmail -- that'll allow unlimited web browsing, MMS, and visual voicemail both in the US and a laundry list of countries around the world for $69.99 (or $64.99 when tied to a voice plan). Speaking of voice, Verizon's also announced a new Global Value Plan that hooks you up with discounted minutes abroad for $4.99 a month. Seeing how the Storm is Verizon's first handset with global 3G, this new action should see some serious play.[Via Phone Scoop]Read - Vodafone release dateRead - Verizon's global plans
Chris Ziegler11.06.2008
Verizon cans ads that batter Sprint's push-to-talk network
Man, what's up with Verizon and its ad department? Just a few months back, the carrier was thrashed by PETA for running a controversial spot involving two pit bulls chained up in a junkyard, and now it's being fingered for making questionable remarks toward Sprint's push-to-talk network. For those unaware, the spots (one hosted after the break) included lines such as "We all upgraded to Verizon Wireless. Got push to talk and the reliability of the network. That old service is useless now." Sprint argued that the subtle drops could wrongfully influence people to believe that Sprint's PTT network was non-functional or that it would soon be discontinued, and eventually, NAD (an ad watchdog agency) recommended that VZW nix the ads. As it stands, the commercials in question have indeed been dropped, but Verizon asserts that it did so as a normal part of business. Ah well, it's the end result that matters, right Sprint?
Darren Murph11.06.2008
Verizon promo hints at possible BlackBerry Storm pricing
It's a little absurd that Verizon Wireless still hasn't come out of the woodwork to announce an official price on its BlackBerry Storm, but it seems an approximate sticker has been found in a most unusual place. If you peruse the absolutely enthralling fine print in the carrier's NYC Storm Hunt contest, you'll notice a disclosing line that details the grand prize. 50 individuals will win a BlackBerry Storm 9500 handset and a $50 Verizon Wireless gift card with an approximate retail value of $549. After consulting with our trusty abacus, we're left with a retail Storm price of $499. In other words, the 2-year contract price on this could theoretically be mighty delicious. Care to comment, VZW?[Via Boy Genius Report]
Darren Murph11.06.2008
Best Buy taking BlackBerry Storm pre-orders starting tomorrow?
We're getting mixed results here, but the word on the street is that Best Buys around the colonies will start taking pre-orders for the BlackBerry Storm tomorrow for a stiff $50 deposit -- a pretty good indication that they're expecting elevated (if not outright insane) demand when it finally launches this month. At least one store we've called has corroborated the claim, so you might want to drop by your friendly local big box tomorrow and see what's what if you're keen on being the first kid on your block with one of these monsters.[Thanks, Thomas]
Chris Ziegler11.05.2008
FCC approves Verizon's Alltel buy, deal all but done
Following the DOJ's approval last week, the FCC has voted unanimously today to approve Verizon's acquisition of Alltel, promising to create a CDMA network of insane proportions that'll eclipse AT&T to become the US' largest wireless carrier. Like their fellow feds over at the DOJ, the FCC guys attached some conditions to the approval, including a requirement that Verizon continue to honor Alltel's existing roaming agreements for four years -- presumably in an effort to protect and appease rural carriers who've been solidly against the merger all along. This'll almost certainly lead to some job losses in the Alltel camp, but look on the bright side, guys: you just might have a crack at that wild LG VX9600 now.[Via Phone Scoop]
Chris Ziegler11.04.2008
Mystery Verizon phone features 3-inch touchscreen, attachable function modules
Not long ago we uncovered a VX9600 brought to the FCC's attention courtesy of LG, and naturally, whenever we hear about an LG model that starts with "VX," we think but one thing: Verizon. That's not too interesting -- LGs pass through Verizon's lineup all the frickin' time -- but what caught our eye with this one was the mention of a game pad and a detachable keyboard. Meanwhile, a tipster of ours recently received a survey from Verizon asking what they thought about a purely hypothetical phone with a 3-inch touchscreen and a series of detachable modules, including a keyboard, game pad, stereo speakers, and an "internet module" with integrated WiFi. Coincidence? Doubtful; if we had to guess, the VX9600 is this very device, for which Verizon is apparently considering the names "Phenom," "Clip," and "Versa." We've got to admit, they've managed to stumble across a pretty unique concept here, and we're curious to see how it actually works in practice. We'd seen some intel indicating that Verizon had been targeting a November launch for this thing as recently as September -- but launch windows change insanely fast, so there's really no telling when we'll see this Frankenstein of a phone at this point.[Thanks, Marcus]
Chris Ziegler11.04.2008
Deutsche Telekom found to own too much of T-Mobile USA, paperwork likely in order
Tsk, tsk, Deutsche Telekom -- there you go making trouble again. After the FCC took a good, hard look at the prospective Verizon-Alltel merger, it also took a peek at foreign-controlled assets in other wireless phone companies. What it found was that Deutsche Telekom AG actually owns 10% more than the US legal limit of T-Mobile USA; as it stands, DT has a "30%, non-controlling interest in a common carrier license," while the limit here for such a scenario is 20%. The company has 30 days to respond with how it plans to come into compliance, but reports are suggesting that simple reshuffling / paperwork could probably clear things up. If only life were so easy for the rest of us, huh?[Via phonescoop]
Darren Murph11.04.2008