Motorola’s Xoom tablet, the first with Google Android 3.0, arrives in stores tomorrow, but our review unit appeared today. Here’s an overview of the hardware, software and first hands on thoughts after just a few hours of use: Xoom has some hits and a few misses. Read more »
Verizon will be subsidizing the Motorola Xoom tablet, bringing the contract price to $599 with a 2-year data plan commitment for the Android 3.0 tablet. But a contract lock-in won’t appeal to many since more than 100 new tablets were introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show. Read more »
Through a series of coincidences I ended up using the iPhone as my primary phone after a two-year gap. Thanks to Verizon’s wireless network, there were no dropped calls and the Internet worked fine. It’s time to switch back. Read more »
Verizon added 872,000 wireless contract customers, and 75 percent bought smartphones and the lucrative plans they use. Data ARPU is up nearly 20 percent, and only one-quarter of Verizon customers have smartphones. That fact, combined with a fast 4G network is priming the pump for Verizon. Read more »
Despite the words of Dan Mead, CEO of Verizon Wireless, there’s bound to be some concerns about Verizon handling the added traffic from iPhone users. One nice way to dispel that could have been if Verizon pushed to have FaceTime run on its 3G network. Read more »
Although LTE networks are appearing around the world, the U.S. will push LTE faster than most others, says HTC CEO Peter Chou. His company plans to bring LTE phones to the U.S. soon because of the perfect storm brewing with smartphones and fast wireless networks. Read more »
Without an iPhone, Verizon has made a good showing in smartphone sales by embracing a wide variety of Google Android smartphones. On the surface, that appears to have paid off, but a closer look at the numbers show that AT&T’s iPhone is outselling them all. Read more »
Google is shipping a surprise with its upcoming Chrome OS notebooks: free cellular data. Google is teaming with Verizon to offer 100 MB of free data every month for two years on the upcoming devices. This should appeal to consumers interested in checking out Chrome OS. Read more »
Now that Verizon Wireless’ 4G data network has a launch date of Dec. 5 and pricing attached, let’s take a look at how it stacks up to the competition. Verizon Wireless joins Sprint and T-Mobile, who are also touting high-performance 4G networks. Read more »
Verizon’s long-awaited LTE network goes live on Sunday, promising 4G speeds at 3G prices. We got a chance to test the network with an LTE USB dongle, and the mobile broadband network feels like a fast, wired network at home in every use case. Read more »
AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile said they are banding together to create a new mobile commerce network called Isis that utilizes near field communications. The new venture raises questions about how well Isis will compete, and whether it will help kick-start the NFC payments market. Read more »
Network operators are once again pushing the idea of a “mobile wallet” in an effort to grab a slice of purchases for both virtual and physical goods. But they’d be wise to view themselves as an extension of existing payment systems — not as a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Two noted analysts are predicting good times for Qualcomm, and not just because the chipmaker provides the processing and connectivity for many of the top-rated Android handsets. Qualcomm is ready to add sales of 10 million more chips per quarter by powering the CDMA Apple iPhone. Read more »
Had someone asked me just six months ago about what data plan to buy, my answer would have been very different than it is today. Here’s what you need to know about new and improved networks coming, more prepaid options and tethering plans, before you buy. Read more »
Verizon Wireless will begin selling Samsung’s Galaxy S tablet for $600 next month. Many are bemoaning the no-contract price for this Android 2.2 slate, but it does offer features that Apple’s iPad doesn’t yet. There’s a market for 7-inch tablets, no matter what Steve Jobs says. Read more »
The third quarter saw the continuation of important trends in mobile, from the astounding growth of Android to soaring sales of Apple’s iPad. Perhaps the biggest trend, though, is the march towards 4G, which will have a tremendous impact on the industry in the coming months. Read more »
Just in time to compete with Verizon’s LTE rollout, Clearwire has announced WiMAX in three major cities before end of 2010. New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, areas where smartphones are stressing 3G data networks, will all gain access to the operators 4G network. Read more »
T-Mobile is making changes to help redefine itself amidst tough competition above from three larger carriers in the U.S. and below from national prepaid providers and smaller regional carriers. It’s not the Saks of cellular, but not a Sears either. So who, then, is T-Mobile? Read more »
Verizon is today enhancing online management functions to give customers a single portal for checking email, managing account information and remotely programming a FiOS DVR from a web-connected computer or mobile phone. The portal brings advanced account functionality to feature phones that don’t support mobile applications. Read more »
A lack of easy discoverability plagues the mobile app world with each new title that comes to market. But operators who can help solve that problem have a chance to regain their relevance in the exploding space — if they keep in mind four useful tips. Read more »
Amazon’s rumored Android Store could add confusion and more work to the lives of developers. But in talking to some developers, they see a lot of potential in the store and improved prospects for apps, which says a lot about the state of Android Market. Read more »
Verizon Wireless is forging ahead with plans to change how it prices mobile broadband data, but isn’t yet sharing the details. Unless there are any surprises, however, there are only a few options or combinations of such options that the carrier will likely offer for LTE. Read more »
Mobile carriers have seen their role as content distributors diminish as app stores from Apple, Google and others gain traction. But the emergence of cloud-based content sales could help carriers like Verizon Wireless and others regain their importance in the world of mobile content distribution. Read more »
We’re in middle of a smartphone boom. Dozens of new devices are coming to the market, and that means customers need help buying these complex handsets. This is why where and how you buy a device is now as important as hardware and software. Read more »
Sprint has begun offering femtocells on a case-by-case basis to users who complain about in-home coverage problems. With market expectations huge, that’s a long-overdue move that will further boost carrier revenues and should be mirrored by Sprint’s competitors. Read more »
Microsoft released the Bing for Mobile Android Application today, but the software is exclusive to Verizon Wireless handsets. This follows Skype Mobile as another third-party app that’s limited to a carrier, not a platform, which is a disturbing trend and could bring consumer backlash. Read more »
In a bid to grab new customers, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile USA is now offering prepaid unlimited mobile broadband service for $40 per month with no contract. That compares to Verizon’s new prepaid plan at twice the price with a 5 GB limit over 30 days. Read more »
Can the stimulus money really help to drive down the price of solar electricity by half in the next five years? Yes, according to a White House report on Tuesday touting the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But think again. Read more »
Rumors surfaced last week that T-Mobile USA — not Verizon Wireless — will soon offer the iPhone as AT&T loses its exclusivity. The move makes sense on a number of levels, and it would disrupt the mobile industry in a big way. Read more »
Rumors surfaced last week that T-Mobile USA — not Verizon Wireless — will soon offer the iPhone as AT&T loses its exclusivity. The move makes sense on a number of levels, and it would disrupt the mobile industry in a big ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The second quarter of 2010 was an especially eventful one for the fast-moving mobile space, and amid the rise of LTE and WiMAX, speculation about Palm, and the end of unlimited data plans, the biggest story to emerge was the ever-escalating battle between Apple and Google. Read more »
Thanks to several Droid handsets, Verizon is doing just fine without the coveted iPhone. Droid devices are sold out and those in use are helping to drive wireless data revenues up for the largest U.S. carrier, which added 665,000 net postpaid subscribers in the past quarter. Read more »
The second quarter of 2010 was an especially eventful one for mobile, where the landscape shifted dramatically: Android continued closing the gap with iPhone, AT&T dumped all-you-can-eat data plans in favor of metered billing, HP acquired the beleaguered Palm and the race towards 4G is ramping ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Motorola’s Droid X improves vastly on its predecessor — a larger display in a comfortable package, a faster processor and much improved software. Provided you don’t need a hardware keyboard, Droid X is the Android phone to have if you’re on the Verizon Wireless network. Read more »
Verizon Wireless loaned me a Motorola Droid X, which arrived yesterday. Readers are already asking about this new handset, so here are five reader questions answered. You might be surprised by the most innovative feature offered by Droid X — I wish every phone had it. Read more »
Microsoft was forced last week pulled the plug on the Kin, a two-phone lineup that debuted not long ago on Verizon Wireless. The flop is just the latest knot in a string of evidence suggesting that, when it comes to selling handsets, carriers still hold the key. Read more »
Verizon Wireless today introduces the Droid X, a successor to the popular Droid launched last October. Both Verizon and Motorola need a new Droid, but for different reasons. Verizon has no stock of high-end, new Android handsets and Motorola handset sales are slipping behind its competitors. Read more »
AT&T today restructured its pricing plans for mobile data, killing all-you-can-eat offerings that have long been enjoyed by users with iPhones and other high-end handsets. The move marks the beginning of the era of metered billing — which could significantly impact the world of mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
AT&T and Verizon Wireless have thus far been able to stay far above the brutal battleground that is the prepaid space. That will change, though, as smartphone sales continue to ramp up and mobile data traffic ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A group of two dozen carriers and handset manufacturers are working to deliver a platform that would enable developers to write a single application and sell it through multiple carriers and storefronts. It’s a noble effort that is doomed to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
