TAG | Verizon Wireless
The HTC Incredible that is destined for Verizon Wireless has been caught in a nice photo shoot showing off the nice bright reds of the interior and subtle, soft-touch black of the exterior. The Incredible looks to be making quite a bit of sneak appearances lately, and the latest comes from Android Forums, where a lucky user has managed to snap a few photos of the Snapdragon powered Incredible with it’s 8MP camera and very large touch screen. On the back, is a silk-screened Verizon Wireless logo and inside are some shiny red plastics. Continue Reading…
Since starting this Android blog, I’ve run across a number of questions from individuals and often times I have to explain a number of different things regarding cell phone network technologies. It usually starts with a question about which Android phone to get, and after I explain that most the time, in the US at least, the phone also dictates the network you can use if you want to take full advantage of the phone’s features. To start with, Android phones are set into a special phone category of “smart phone” and as such the service plans offered are unique to this category and cost more than the typical cell phone contract. The user is bound to a data plan, as these phones are data heavy, and in reality you want the data. That is the point of a smart phone, data. But, the questions often end up going towards, “What is CDMA? What is GSM? Does GSM have 3g, or CDMA 3G?” Well, let’s try and answer a few questions as simply as possible. Continue Reading…
For the past week or so, I have been talking with a friend of mine about the Droid. He is currently on Verizon Wireless and likes their service. He only has a couple months before he can upgrade and he was really looking forward to the Droid. This weekend he went into the store to test out the demo, after which he has decided to pass. He even took the time to write a letter to Motorola about it. Read on. Continue Reading…
This past weekend I took the opportunity to swing by a couple stores, Sprint and Verizon, to check out their latest Android offerings. I checked out the Droid, Droid Eris, Hero and Moment. Read on for the results of my travels. Continue Reading…
Today is the day you can walk into Verizon wireless and pick up the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris. The first will run you $199 after MiR, and the later $99 after MiR. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on the purchasing experience and the phones themselves. You can leave comments below and let everyone else share in your joy.
Boy Genius Report seems to have a rather good connection, as their connect recently passed them some unboxing photos of the HTC Droid Eris coming to Verizon Wireless. They don’t go into alot of detail, as a matter of fact, it’s very short, not a review at all and just a few photos, but they do say it “feels much better in the hand” than the HTC Hero for Sprint. Interesting.
Continue Reading…
Verizon Wireless told gearlog that they will be offering tethering through the “Broadband Access Connect” plan. You can tether your phone as a modem and surf the internet anywhere you get Verizon signal on your laptop if you wish, however there is a catch. You are limited to 5GB/month, so I wouldn’t go and watch Hulu all day long, but for getting a quick email or two out of the way while at the airport using this instead of paying $8 for one day’s service would be nice. Just don’t go over your 5GB limit or your wallet will be sorry. Look for this to be available early in 2010 at around $15/month extra.
We’ve already seen some rumors of the second Droid coming to Verizon Wireless’s whole collection of Droids. It’s to be the HTC built Droid Eris, which seems to be a slightly altered HTC Hero. This one has some softkeys as well as a couple hardkeys and a trackball. The initial photos/images seemed to make it look not so great really. But here is a more official image, albeit with a gazillion watermarks. Thanks to phonearena, we are able to post it up here for your viewing pleasure. It’s reported that this will be available at Verizon on the 6th as well, at a price point of $99. This will make it one of the more affordable Androids on the market in the US. The Droid Eris features the 528Mhz Qualcomm MSM7200 which is very popular in the first generation of Android phones. It comes with a 5MP camera, 3.2″ touchscreen. This is very similar in overall hardware to that of the HTC Hero, and my guess is that it will perform equally. This also means, Android 2.0 will eventually make it’s way onto the device. HTC is working that right now.
Start
Well that didn’t take long today. There are already news reports that it’s official, with the biggest missing piece of the puzzle. Droid will be $199 on a two-year contract after a $100 MiR. Let’s hope stores such as Best Buy continue their tradition of making that a $100 instant discount and skipping the hassle. I’m sure more will come as the day progresses so check back often.
UPDATES:
I have added links to the official press release as well as details found about the accessories for the Droid, notably the Multimedia Station and the Phone Holder.
On the web:
http://www.droiddoes.com now forwards to this address: http://phones.verizonwireless.com/motorola/droid/
Droid’s official page on Motorola is back up as well at: Motorola Droid
Verizon Wireless Official Droid Press Release
For now, here is some interesting features to read through.
The Motorola Droid runs Android 2.0, with EVDO Rev. A on board for super fast 3G. GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0 will help it connect to whatever you can think to connect it to. The whole thing is powered by a Cortex A8 processor. Motorola said that the processor can hit a max of 600MHz, but its variable and will depend on demand for computing tasks.
The screen measures a whopping 3.7 inches, with WVGA (480 x 854 pixels) resolution. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio. Nice. The device measures 2.4 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches, and weighs in at 6 ounces.
The camera rates 5 megapixels and has image stabilization, dual LED flash and autofocus. It can capture DVD-quality video (720 x 480 pixels) at 24 frames per second. The phone will be packed with a 16GB microSD card, which is quite generous.
On the messaging side of the equation, it has support for multiple Exchange, Gmail, and POP3/IMAP email accounts. It also supports SMS, MMS, IM and visual voicemail. All this, and over-the-air syncing. Motorola claims up to 270 hours of standby time and 6 hours, 25 minutes of talk time on the 1400 mAh battery. Not bad, but the Motorola CLIQ didn’t live up to its claimed talk/stand-by times.
Of course, it will integrate with many of Google’s services, such as Maps, Search, Talk, Voice, Contacts, Calendar, Gmail and the Android Market.
Driving Directions
One of the most interesting new features is a beta version of the Google Maps Navigation application which will be preloaded on the device. The Maps navigation app will let users route directions and view them in 3D, and will also offer voice and turn-by-turn directions.
Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device. Engadget has a whole series of screenshots available detailing some of the awesome features of Google’s beta nav app.
Google Maps with Turn by Turn Directions - Beta
Video as well:
MultiMedia Station
Here is some information on what they are calling the Multimedia station:
A. Weather
B. Music
C. Slideshow
D. Brightness
E. Alarms
Notes:
If your phone is locked while on the multimedia station, press the Menu key to see the clock.
When you connect the multimedia station to a computer, you may need to install drivers on your computer.
To download drivers, visit www.motorola.com/support.
The device will be available November 6 for $199.99 with a new contract.
Verizon Wireless said that the partnership between Google and Verizon will be a multiyear partnership and any Android devices launched by Verizon Wireless will run under the Droid moniker. We’ve heard rumors that other devices running Android on Verizon’s network would be Droids as well. So it looks like the rumors are true. Welcome all Droids.
via informationweek
Droid for AT&T
Don’t worry all you on AT&T, you too can have some Droid love. Apparently, the AT&T friendly version of the Droid appeared to get approved from the FCC, with AT&T 3G network bands. My only question now is, where is the T-Mobile love? Seeing as how T-Mobile was Android’s early adopter, you’d think their would be some reciprocity.
via mobilecrunch