Click to Zoom, Image from DroidLife

ThunderBolt™ by HTC Available Beginning March 17

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and HTC today announced that the ThunderBolt™ by HTC, exclusively from Verizon Wireless, is available on March 17 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $249.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
Powered by Android™ 2.2, the ThunderBolt by HTC is the first smartphone to take advantage of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.  The ThunderBolt by HTC features the latest version of the HTC Sense™ experience, which offers enhancements including new personalization options, a consolidated e-mail inbox, and unique camera effects and filters.  The ThunderBolt by HTC is equipped with support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™ and Android Market™ with thousands of free apps.  Additionally, the ThunderBolt by HTC will feature 4G LTE optimized apps such as EA’s Rock Band, Gameloft’s Let’s Golf, Tunewiki and Bitbop.

Additional features:

·       4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area

·       4.3” WVGA display

·       8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording

·       1.3- megapixel front facing camera with video chatting capabilities

·       Newest generation of the 1GHz Snapdragon processor

·       Mobile Hotspot capability – share 4G connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices

·       8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 32 GB microSD card (Actual formatted capacity will be less)

·       Built-in kickstand for easy media viewing

With the ThunderBolt by HTC, customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a 4G LTE data package.  Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access and an Unlimited 4G LTE data plan is $29.99 monthly access.

Mobile Hotspot allows users to connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the nation’s fastest wireless network via an application available on the ThunderBolt by HTC.  Mobile Hotspot will be included through May 15 for no additional charge.  After May 15, customers may choose to activate Mobile Hotspot for $20 for 2 GB of data per month.  Customers can track their data usage by downloading the My Verizon app available in Android Market or by logging on to their My Verizon accounts online at www.verizonwireless.com/myverizon.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless 4G LTE visit www.verizonwireless.com/4glte. For more information about the ThunderBolt by HTC please visit www.verizonwireless.com/thunderbolt.  For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab (center) Img Courtesy of AndroidCentral.com

I supplemented my usual arsenal of technology with a Samsung Galaxy Tab this past week. My usual arsenal of technology consists of two large notebooks measuring in at just over 17″ each, a 10″ netbook and a 3.7″ Droid Incredible. The Galaxy Tab is Samsung and Verizon’s first Android tablet and the screen measures 7″ diagonal. After a week of use, I reached the conclusion that the tablet form is here to stay and the 7″ screen is appropriate, perhaps even ideal, for a tablet.

I was a little skeptical at first that I would like the Tab. Afterall, it’s an oversized touchscreen Android phone minus the actual phone. However, after using it for a few days I realized that the tablet form and 3G connectivity (on Verizon) are really attractive. The tablet form is ideal for information and media consumption. For example, YouTube on the Tab is a great experience. The 7″ screen is also great for reading your latest downloads via the pre-installed Kindle app. Text appears in a comfortable, readable font, unlike the experience on my 3.7″ phone.

While text input on the Tab is decent and Swype improves the experience, I prefer to generate content (which is a fancy way of saying “type”) on a netbook. The problem with most netbooks, however, is that they usually lack 3G connectivity. Being a slave to Wifi can be an inconvenience.

The Galaxy Tab is essentially an oversized Galaxy S smartphone like the Samsung Fascinate. The screen is 1024 x 600. It auto-rotates and does everything else you’d expect from a Samsung Android product. The phone runs Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz 3.0 interface which has some iPhone-like qualities to it. Unlike the Samsung Fascinate, the Galaxy Tab adds a forward facing camera for videocalling.

Not only is it great for commercial breaks during live television, I could also see the Tab having good practical application in the business world. The Tab comes with Android 2.2 Froyo preinstalled so this flap about Samsung not upgrading 2.1 devices to 2.2 is largely irrelevant to Tab owners. However, I hope that Samsung will push the Honeycomb Android 3.0 update to the Galaxy Tab. Honeycomb will not have any required minimum specs to run and it seems to offer, based on what little is known about it, an even better tablet experience.

I found the 3G experience on Verizon Wireless to be excellent. The Tab clearly has a better antenna than the HTC Incredible. This results in better connectivity and faster data speeds. While I’m comparing the two, the Tab offers a solution to the biggest complaint about today’s smartphones. Plain and simple, smartphone battery life usually stinks. I was able to squeeze more than two days of battery life out of the Tab with extremely heavy use. Speaking of battery, one complaint I have is that the Tab doesn’t charge off of micro USB like virtually all smartphones. Instead it uses a 30 pin connector which seems to be interchangeable with Apple iDevice chargers (didn’t want to try this out and risk blowing up the Tab).

Unfortunately, tablet specific apps are few and far between in the Android Market. While I found every Android app I tried to work well on the device, I was really itching for apps that would take advantage of the larger screen. Sure, Angry Birds is fun at 7″ but I was looking for more. Apparently Popular Science makes a tablet-optimized app but it is a paid app. One app I really liked on the Tab was the Pulse news reader/RSS reader app because it really works well on a 7″ screen and integrates with Google Reader, my favorite RSS platform.

Ok, so, you might be weighing the Samsung Galaxy Tab against the ubiquitous Apple iPad. While I can see both sides to the debate, I would choose the Galaxy Tab. First, at least in my neck of the woods (suburban Detroit), Verizon has much better coverage than AT&T. Second, “open” wins over Apple’s “closed” business model. I prefer to control my devices and not to have the device manufacturer dictate the entire user experience. (Disclosure, which is probably unnecessary: I’m long both GOOG and AAPL.) Third, I like the 7″ screen more than the iPad’s 10″ screen. 10″ makes sense for a netbook because it requires a physical keyboard that could not be easily undersized to less than 10″ diagonal. However, 10″ for a touchscreen is a little too big for my liking. The 7″ is more portable and seemed to fit comfortably between phone-size and computer-size.

My initial reaction to the Tab and all tablets was, “Who needs one of these?”  While I can’t truly say I need one, I walked away thinking “I want one of these.”

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As promised. :)

Verizon Wireless & Apple Team Up to Deliver iPhone 4 on Verizon
BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey and CUPERTINO, California—January 11, 2011—Verizon Wireless and Apple® today announced that the iPhone® 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will be given the exclusive opportunity to pre-order iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability.

iPhone 4 is the most innovative phone in the world, featuring Apple’s stunning Retina™ display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone resulting in super crisp text, images and video, and FaceTime®, which makes video calling a reality. iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless will also include new Personal Hotspot capabilities allowing customers to use iPhone 4 to connect up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”

“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”

iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 chip, a 3-axis gyro and a beautiful glass and stainless steel design like no other mobile phone. iPhone 4 also comes with iOS 4, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes multitasking, folders, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint wireless printing.  iPhone 4 customers have access to the world’s most popular App Store℠ with more than 300,000 apps available in an incredible range of 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health and reference.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, February 10 for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two year customer agreement. iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide, online at  www.verizonwireless.com/iphone <http://www.verizonwireless.com/iphone> , at Apple Retail Stores, at the Apple Store® (www.apple.com <http://www.apple.com> ), at Apple Authorized
Resellers, and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

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Tomorrow Apple and Verizon publicly tie the knot in New York City at 11:00 a.m. EST. Yes, the iPhone is coming to Verizon. Here’s the quickest summary of all of the credible rumors about tomorrow’s event with attribution and links.

The Wall Street Journal has been spot on with all of its Verizon iPhone articles and ran a piece two days ago with juicy details. Citing “people familiar with the matter” (translation: very reliable, trustworthy sources), WSJ broke the news that Verizon has indeed landed the iPhone and will announce it tomorrow, 1/11/11 at 11 a.m.  Note all the 1′s. Expect a world’s #1 best selling phone on the #1 carrier type of presentation. According to the WSJ piece, a Sanford Bernstein analyst predicts that Verizon could add as many as 10 million customers in the U.S. to its 93 million existing customers.

Fast Company notes that Gizmodo staffers have not been invited to cover the event, which suggests that Apple had some control over the non-transferable invitations. Remember that Gizmodo bloggers are the same folks who bought the lost iPhone 4 prototype, disassembled it and then blogged the hell out of it. FC also notes that well connected sources at AllThingsD believe Steve Jobs will be on stage with Verizon Communication’s President and COO.

Verizon has also been tweeting from Twitter for iPhone recently and presumably not on AT&T’s signal. :) This suggests to me that Verizon wanted this story to leak out ahead of the event in a planned way with leaks going to trustworthy sources like the WSJ and little scraps of evidence to back it up.

Consistent with earlier reports and common sense, the WSJ reported that the phone will indeed be a CDMA phone. This means don’t hop on eBay in the hope of scooping up a used AT&T iPhone and activating it on Verizon’s network. It won’t work.

One AT&T top officer remarked today that Verizon’s CDMA technology will produce lower data speeds than AT&T’s GSM service. Larry Solomon a mucky muck in Communications at AT&T stated: “The iPhone is built for speed, but that’s not what you get with a CDMA phone. I’m not sure iPhone users are ready for life in the slow lane.”  I’ve seen others make remarks that CDMA does not permit simultaneous voice and data traffic. I question whether this is a strong argument in favor of AT&T’s network which is heavily criticized, rightfully so, for dropped calls and weak signals in many markets.

What does this mean for Android? Well, some people who were wedded to Verizon are going to opt for the iPhone over an Android. Will this be enough to significantly slow the adoption of Android? I personally doubt it. If you are considering the iPhone vs. Android, I wrote about that one long ago.

What does this mean for the Verizon network? Verizon has long said that its network has the muscle to handle iPhone traffic. Apple Insider and some other sources are reporting that Verizon will, unlike AT&T, offer unlimited data plans on Verizon, probably priced at $30/mo. This could help land those 10 million new customers that the Sanford Bernstein analyst predicts will come to Big Red. How Verizon handles this surge in data could make or break Verizon in heavy-use markets.

Expect the blogosphere to erupt tomorrow with iPhone postings.

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It’s hard not to get excited about this great looking phone:

VERIZON WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA MOBILITY ANNOUNCE DROID™ BIONIC ON NATION’S FASTEST, MOST ADVANCED 4G NETWORK

New Android Device Combines Dual-core Processor with Fastest 4G Network for Unrivaled Mobile Internet Experience

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today unveiled DROID^™ BIONIC, a powerful new Android^™ smartphone.

Packing a dual core processor with each core running at 1GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 512 MB RAM, the sleekly designed DROID BIONIC smartphone with 4G LTE delivers a mobile Internet experience that’s up to 10 times faster than 3G.  This means consumers can stream their favorite music and the latest TV shows with unparalleled quality experience.  DROID BIONIC also races through loading of complex web pages and media that take advantage of Adobe^® Flash^® Player and HTML5, rendering graphics faster than previous generation single-core devices.

Motorola’s DROID BIONIC gives new meaning to the word “socialize” by delivering multiple ways for customers to stay connected.  With the device’s front-facing VGA camera and See What I See video feature, consumers can share experiences – either via Wi-Fi or 4G – with family, friends and co-workers. A rear-facing 8-megapixel camera also allows consumers to capture their favorite pictures and videos.

DROID BIONIC’s multiplayer gaming capabilities allow consumers to challenge friends to live peer-to-peer gaming, viewed through the device’s 4.3-inch qHD quality screen that delivers console-quality graphics.  DROID BIONIC’s HDMI connectivity also enables consumers to connect the device to their HD televisions to experience their favorite games, as well as purchased HD content, in full 1080p.  And for multi-taskers, DROID 4G’s Mirror Mode function enables simultaneous streaming of video to the TV and on the device.

As a fully featured work device, DROID BIONIC comes equipped with corporate email, remote wipe and data security and encryption capabilities IT departments appreciate.  DROID BIONIC also features productivity tools such as Quickoffice^® for document review and editing, full calendar management, one-click access to conference calling, and a full suite of Google applications and services.

“DROID BIONIC brings to life the speed and power of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, giving consumers an unrivaled mobile experience,” said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Whether downloading movies in minutes, connecting with friends or co-workers through video conferencing, or blazing through the Internet, Motorola’s DROID BIONIC is what the 4G LTE experience is all about.”

“DROID BIONIC is the epitome of speed, providing consumers with instantaneous access to their personal and work content, anytime and anyplace,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of portfolio and device product management, Motorola Mobility.  “By combining such a powerful mobile device with the performance and capabilities of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, we’re empowering consumers to define how they want to live their mobile lifestyles.”

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ 3G network.  Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company’s entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

For more information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, visit www.verizonwrieless.com/lte and for more information about Verizon Wireless at CES please visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/verizonwireless.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images of Motorola DROID BIONIC in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)

# # #

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Android Market, Android, Google, Gmail, Google Calendar are trademarks of Google Inc. DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. Used under license.Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used under license. © 2011 Motorola Mobility, Inc.

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Admittedly, it’s been a long, long time since I last updated the Tech Bottle blog. It’s not that I’ve fallen months behind on technology.  I have been reading and interacting with tech enthusiasts but I haven’t been posting here.  A New Years resolution is to keep the blog updated on at least a semi-regular basis. Here’s what I’ve been doing and what’s caught my eye:

• I’m still a big supporter of Google Buzz. I think it is intelligently designed and well executed. I tend to read much more than I write on Buzz but I have been getting back in the swing of things. It’ll hopefully be rolled into the rumored Google Me service which apparently goes by the code name Google +1 now.
• I’m also liking Quora and Diaspora quite a bit. Quora is a Q&A forum of sorts. It’s like Yahoo! Answers, in a way, but Quora is populated with real techies and entrepreneurs.  Diaspora is the “open” alternative to Facebook.  Readers of my blog know that I’m not a big fan of Facebook. Diaspora has better privacy settings and it’s more intuitive to use than Facebook.  Quora is open to all but Diaspora is by invitation only (I think… I tried confirming but they are upgrading their servers… a much needed chore for them).
• I’m still running Ubuntu linux at home.  I am pleased to report that I haven’t had to boot Windows or virtualize Windows even once since converting to Ubuntu nearly six months ago. Oh, in Ubuntu I’ve been toying with MythTV which is pretty darn cool but difficult to set up.  I also revitalized a 333 MHz old Dell machine with 256 megs of RAM by installing Ubuntu. It’s usable but, well, not quite snappy enough for my liking.
• I’ve downloaded the Dell build of Chromium OS but I need to clean up and fix a USB stick to try it out.
• I’m eagerly awaiting the HTC Thunderbolt, which is rumored to be Verizon’s first 4G/LTE phone.Tell me this isn’t a great looking Android phone?  I have an upgrade saved up on my account.  The only thing that would keep me away from the Thunderbolt would be an encrypted bootloader that would make rooting and custom ROMing the phone impossible (or, at the very least, extremely difficult).
• Also in the mobile industry, I see RIM slipping further into irrelevance.  They announced a switch to a completely new OS built from an operating system designed for touchscreen GPS standalone devices. The new OS won’t be available for a long time (my guess, over a years… 2012) yet they’re still selling OUTDATED Blackberry OS devices like the Torch (major flop) to keep revenue going. Goldman Sachs downgraded RIM’s stock not too long ago. Oh, and RIM has a dual core tablet in the works that some are touting but others are already criticizing (mostly re: battery life).
• The CR-48 Chrome netbook looks great to me but I haven’t been able to score one. I’ve been reading about it on Buzz from those lucky few who received them.

That’s all folks.  Expect more in 2011.  Have a happy and healthy new year.

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--Google Plus Ate My Blog, Find Me There… --Google wants to kill your amateur blog… but that’s OK. --Google’s Game Plan: Google is not failing at hardware. It is succeeding at something else. --Google Plus: Stealth Mode to Instant Competitor?

The month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To help victims of domestic violence, I ask you to send in your used cell phones to the HopeLine program sponsored by Verizon Wireless. I sent in a Motorola Razr in April and I’m sending a second one in this month. The HopeLine program collects no-longer used cell phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless provider. Phones are refurbished and distributed through local organizations and law enforcement agencies to victims of domestic violence along with 3,000 minutes of free calls. Phones that cannot be refurbished are recycled in an environmentally safe way.

According to the HopeLine website, nearly one in four women, one in nine men, and over three million children have been affected by domestic violence. Cell phones can serve as a link to emergency services and law enforcement for victims of domestic violence. They also help victims get back on their feet by providing reliable calling to friends, family and employers.  Cell phones on Verizon’s network, including all HopeLine phones, can be connected airtime free to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by dialing #HOPE.

HopeLine now has:

• Collected more than 7 million phones.
• Awarded nearly $8 million dollars in cash grants to domestic violence programs throughout the country.
• Refurbished and distributed more than 90,000 phones with over 300 million minutes of free service to victims of domestic violence.

Donating a no-longer used wireless phone to HopeLine® from Verizon is easy. Follow these four steps:

1. Turn the phone’s power off.
2. Make sure the phone’s batteries are installed in the phone you are returning. Please do not include any loose batteries.
3. Please remove storage cards (microSD, etc.) and SIM cards from phones prior to donation. Also, please return any travel chargers or other accessories that came with the devices.
4. Seal the package and adhere the free postage-paid label (printable PDF) to the box/envelope and drop it in the mail. Please include your return address on the shipping label.

At the end of this month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Verizon Wireless will donate an additional $25,000 to domestic violence programs in my area.

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Like many of you, I quickly scanned the list of Verizon’s LTE (4G) launch regions for the region in which I live. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t find the Detroit metropolitan area on the list. I reached out to Verizon for comment and an ETA and received a hopeful reply:

Detroit would be one of our launch markets, however, there is spectrum
interference with a Canadian TV station across the border.  We’re working
with the station and the appropriate regulatory bodies to resolve the issue
as soon as possible.  As soon as the spectrum is clear, we will be ready to
turn on LTE in Detroit in 2011.

That’s a much better scenario than I initially expected, especially considering Sprint skipped Detroit for the WiMax rollout. If Verizon rolls out LTE prior to the Verizon iPhone launch in early 2011, I’m expecting an LTE-equipped iPhone and Apple fanatics will dance a jig.

As an aside, this border issue reminds of of a problem I used to have with a company-issued Blackberry on T-Mobile. When I was working downtown, it would roam on Rogers, a Canadian provider, and charges would go through the roof.

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--HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon’s first 4G LTE Android Phone (a/k/a “My next phone!”) arrives March 17th [Confirmed]

Click to Zoom

In my ongoing efforts to review all of the top Android phones on Verizon, I schlepped around a Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate for a week. The phone I’m most familiar with is the HTC Droid Incredible, my own phone, but I am also familiar with the Droid X, another phone I reviewed. I found the Fascinate to be a terrific phone (and I’ll address the big Bing issue later) and comparable to the Droid X, which I believe is better than the Incredible.

I like:

1. The screen, the screen, the screen. Wait.  Did I only type that three times? The Fascinate has a screen that is simply mesmerizing. The quality of the screen cannot be overstated. Hold it next to the Droid Incredible or Droid X and you’ll see what I mean. It’s brighter and crisper than anything in the “Droid” line-up.  It’s sufficiently bright that fingerprints aren’t much of an issue on the Fascinate. It’s 4.0″ which puts it comfortably between the 3.7″ Incredible and 4.3″ Droid X.  It supports the same resolution as the others, 800 x 480. (Oddly, the Incredible has a screen manufactured by Samsung too but it’s not Super AMOLED.)
2. The touchwiz UI variant, like the phone’s form factor, is clean and slick. It’s polished like a veteran smartphone (read: iPhone-ish). It comes packed with widgets and the stock icons are very appropriate and differentiated from one another.
3. It runs on a Samsung 1 GHz Hummingbird processor. I didn’t run Quadrant scores but you can Google for results. Although this only comes with Android 2.1, the scores are outrageous. A rooted, overclocked Galaxy S scored over 2,500 in Quadrant’s tests while no other Android handset can break 2,000.
4. It comes with Swype, my favorite keyboard replacement, and a 16 GB MicroSD card.
5. The 5 MP camera also has a flash, unlike the GSM versions of the Samsung Galaxy S.
6. Battery life was good. I didn’t run a scientific stress test but it seems to be slightly below the Droid X and far superior to the stock Incredible. If you root the Incredible and run SkyRaider’s ROM/KingKlick’s kernel, the Incredible can do admirably and compete with the Samsung but most people don’t root their phones.

I Dislike:

1. BING… but it’s my opinion that this dislike is being overplayed by some. The phone’s default search and maps are Bing. Ok, what implications does that have if you want Google? Well, I downloaded Google Maps with Navigation from the Market and changed the browsers start page to www.google.com. It took all of five minutes. So, where did this leave me? The search button (which I never use on any Android phone) still binds to Bing and search widgets (which I also don’t use) do the same. Engadget reports that Bing is more deeply integrated in the OS and there are other ways that Bing interferes with the phone but I didn’t have any surprise Bing issues. Finally, all of this may be moot. Some are saying that the Android 2.2 Froyo update will allow users to change the default searches and maps back to Google.  I’d like to comment that Microsoft’s $500 million investment as Verizon’s default search provider seems to be a complete and utter waste of resources given how easy it is to avoid Bing. Finally, the Bingification of this phone makes me dislike Microsoft even more. Android is a product of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which Google was instrumental in founding. Microsoft isn’t even a member of the OHA. It’s business model is antithetical to the principles behind the OHA. (Incidentally, I didn’t care for Bing Maps Navigation. The colors were strange and pinch-zoom was a little choppy.)
2. I would have preferred a granddaddy 4.3″ screen on this phone.
3. They skimped on the camera. Why only 5 MP?
4. Like every phone coming onto Big Red and all other U.S. carriers, the phone is loaded with tons of crapware. Please, give us Swype and dump the rest of the garbage, particularly if it is already available in the Market. Make it optional.

The Fascinate is a terrific phone that significantly exceeded my expectations. Anyone new to Android would absolutely love it. Same if you have an original Droid 1 or an Eris. If you’re already toting an Incredible, X or Droid 2, I would hold out for an LTE 4G phone which should arrive in most major cities early next year. Oh yeah, the screen, the screen, the screen. Visit a Verizon store and check it out. You’ll be impressed.

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--Samsung Galaxy Tab ~ Review and Recommended --HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon’s first 4G LTE Android Phone (a/k/a “My next phone!”) arrives March 17th [Confirmed]

Now, it’s official but we knew this was coming. This evening Verizon issued a press release confirming that the Galaxy Tab is indeed heading to Big Red. The Galaxy Tab features a 7″ 1024 x 600 touchscreen, Android 2.2 a/k/a “Froyo”, front and rear cameras and a 1.2 GHz processor.

This is Androids first formidable competitor to the Apple’s iPad.  It seems to out-spec the iPad in almost every regard (specs below). Assuming Google Books and Google Music launch in time for the Galaxy Tab’s debut and Verizon/Samsung price this right, the Galaxy Tab should sell really, really well.  The Verizon press release states that the Galaxy Tab will be released in the coming weeks. Great news for those looking for a good tablet.

Full press release:

click to enlarge

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--Samsung Galaxy Tab ~ Review and Recommended

Click to Zoom

I have been using a Droid X for the last three days. I’ve read the reviews that are out in the blogosphere and want to take a different approach. I’ll simply compare the Droid X with the HTC Incredible that I’ve used since early May. I’m very satisfied with the Incredible but ultimately I conclude:  While they’re both great phones, the Droid X is the better phone.

I wanted to compare apples to apples as much as possible. I had both phones running LauncherPro Beta for the home screen, instead of Sense UI (Incredible) and some form of blur (Droid X). I prefer LauncherPro Beta to both so this was a “real world” modification to the phones. I used the phones in similar settings to compare antennas and Wifi reception.

Hardware

Form Factor and Ergonomics — Both phones feel solid but the Droid X weighs in at ~5.5 ounces vs. Incredible at ~4.5 ounces. It’s not enough difference that you need to wear suspenders to keep your pants up but the extra weight is noticeable. The Droid X has a massive 4.3″ screen vs. the Incredible’s adequate  3.7″. This makes the Droid X a considerably larger phone overall (basically, Motorola and Verizon’s answer to the HTC Evo). I was asked on Google Buzz whether the phone fits comfortably in a pocket. It does. I found the larger screen easier to type and Swype on. (Swype is preinstalled on Droid X, a nice touch (pun intended).) Droid X has a dedicated camera button and physical Menu, Home, Back and Search keys, oddly in that order. The Incredible lacks a camera button and has virtual or flush Home, Menu, Back and Search keys. I like the feel of the physical keys better for those functions. The Incredible has an unnecessary optical trackpad that I almost forgot about because I use it so infrequently. Winner: Droid X, primarily due to massive screen size. Admittedly, this is a highly subjective assessment and some may prefer the Incredible because it is smaller.

Screen Quality —   Both screens are very responsive and do multitouch well. I couldn’t distinguish the screens based on responsiveness. To compare the displays, I loaded Beautiful Live Weather wallpaper on both phones. Side by side, the blue on the Incredible’s AMOLED was much deeper or richer than the “washed out” powdery blue on the Droid X. I initially concluded that colors on the Droid X were “washed out.” However, I crowdsourced an answer and Bud Gibson and Mark Richards on Google Buzz directed me to PC Mag’s comprehensive screen review. The review found that the Incredible oversaturates colors by 37 percent and the Droid X undersaturates by 6 percent, which means the Droid X has a more accurate display of colors. In fact, the Droid X has the most accurate display of colors of all of the phones tested, including the iPhone 4. Nonetheless, I showed the screens side by side to two tech-savvy people who both preferred the oversaturated Incredible. This whole issue may be somewhat of a red herring because of the shortage of Samsung AMOLED screens that are used in the Incredible; the later batches of Incredibles are rumored to have Sony TFT screens similar to the TFT screen used in the Droid X. Winner: IMO, Droid X for accurately displaying colors vs. AMOLED Incredibles. However, inconclusive because information about future Incredible screens is unconfirmed.

Antennas — The Droid X receives better signals than the Incredible. In the same location where my Incredible regularly drops calls, the Droid X did not. This was not a fluke; the results were repeatable. The Droid X also appeared to obtain stronger Wifi signals. Winner: Droid X.

Sound Quality — Both phones sound good and the ear pieces are loud. I don’t think a good argument can be made that one is better than another. Winner: Tie.

Battery — Battery technology really hasn’t kept pace with advances in smartphones. Battery life is probably the chief complaint about smartphones, excluding the highly-publicized complaints about the iPhone 4 dropping its signal. If I can make it through the day without a charge, I’m thrilled. The Incredible usually goes the 8-10 hours with light to moderate use. On my first full day with the Droid X, it went 12 hours with about 1.5  hours of heavy Wifi use and 0.5 hours of talk and still had more than 20 percent of its charge remaining. One reason could be that the Droid X has battery manager software baked into the OS. Also, the battery in the Droid X has more milliamps than the Incredible’s battery (1540 vs. 1300). Winner: Droid X by a large margin. Furthermore, for those requiring even more juice, an extended battery for the Droid X will be available.

Storage — Both phones have 8 GB internal and can support up to 32 GB on a card. The Droid X comes with a 16 GB card, whereas the Incredible ships with a 2 GB card (which I never received but I already owned a 16 GB). Winner: Droid X wins by a hair because the 16 GB card comes with the phone.

Other — The Droid X has microphones up the wazoo… I believe there are three of them. Frankly, I don’t know what they all do (one is noise cancellation but the purpose of the third is unclear to me) but there must be a reason for them. The Droid X has a HDMI output but it requires some type of adapter that doesn’t come with the phone. I have seen videos of the Incredible outputting to a flat screen but it was by standard video cables, not HDMI. Both phones have 8 megapixel cameras with dual stage LED flashes. I’m not a camera guy so I didn’t futz around with the cameras but the Droid X can record in 720P and the Incredible can’t. Some say a software update will enable it in the Incredible. Winner: Droid X because it has slightly more bells and whistles.

Software

Both run Android 2.1, contrary to early rumors that Droid X would launch with 2.2. The Droid X is expected to receive a 2.2 upgrade by late summer. That’s based on official word from Verizon. The best estimate on the Incredible was a statement by HTC that it will receive 2.2 before the end of the year. This may mean tomorrow or it could mean December 31st.

Stock UI — Sense UI might be a little better than Motorola’s blur. In any event, I recommend replacing almost every item that can be replaced on the phone, including the UI. You can read my recommendations here. Winner: They both lose to LauncherPro Beta. :P By the way, I noticed that on the Droid X there is a red indicator that highlights the cursor in text fields. This was helpful in locating the cursor and it continued to display even when I changed the UI. This is a nifty improvement.

3G Hotspots– Droid X can create a 3G hotspot to support up to five Wifi devices. The Incredible may get this feature by a software update. (This optional feature will cost $20 per month.) This feature is easy to use. You simply key in a hotspot password for the other devices and toggle it on. Winner: Droid X.

DLNA– The Droid X supports it and the Incredible doesn’t. This is a fantastic feature and underplayed by other reviewers. Digital Living Network Alliance is a trade organization that has created a protocol of sorts by which various devices can share media. For more information, the Wikipedia page is pretty good or visit DLNA’s page. You can play music from your Droid X on your computer  or vice versa. You can also transfer music wirelessly from one device to another if you are using the same Wifi router. PS3s and many other devices support DLNA (Wikipedia has a list) and I think you’ll be hearing more about this technology. Maybe we’ll have cloud-based music solutions later this year but until then DLNA streaming is great. Winner: Droid X.

Pre-Installed Apps — Both phones come with some bloatware that cannot be removed. Other than Swype, which comes on the Droid X, I would prefer not having any of the other apps on either phone. (You might find the Blockbuster app on the Droid X appealing but I didn’t.) Winner: They both lose because bloatware sucks. :P

Conclusion

I’m a satisfied Incredible owner but, all in all, the Incredible doesn’t seem to do anything better than the Droid X. That said, I’m not paying full retail to upgrade to a Droid X. If I had upgrade eligibility or if I were a new Verizon customer, I would choose the Droid X. Speaking of upgrade eligibility, check out this promotion: if your Verizon contract expires anytime in 2010, you can upgrade to the Droid X at the subsidized price, which is competitive at $199.

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My office building is practically a vacuum for mobile phone signals. Nobody on any carrier can maintain a clear call for more than 30 seconds or so. I eventually gave up using my cell phone at work and relied on a landline. After a few agonizing months of missing cell phone calls and clicking on Google Voice to read voicemail, I decided to try out a Verizon Network Extender.

I won’t pretend to know exactly how this thing works but it takes a cell phone call that is initiated to a tower and turns it into a VOIP call using a standard wireless router. These devices are also known as “femtocells.” The device was easy to connect but it needs to be placed in a location that receives a decent tower signal. My office wouldn’t work but I tried plugging it into a router in an office down the hall and, after waiting about twenty minutes, it locked on to the tower signal. My first phone call was a success. I did more testing and it worked flawlessly for every call I placed or received. Calls were crystal clear with no garbling. I never dropped a call with the Network Extender. More than one Verizon phone can connect to the Network Extender simultaneously. Presumably it saturates the bandwidth at some point but I only tested it with two simultaneous calls.

Verizon Wireless sells the Network Extenders for $199.99 and does not assess a monthly service fee. Other carriers have similar offerings but some assess a monthly service fee (Sprint, for example). Overall, the Network Extender was easier to connect than I expected (quite unlike installing a router) and it performed exactly as promised. For more information, visit Verizon’s website.

P.S. I’ve been using a Droid X for two days and will post up a review on Monday. Will I end up eating my words from a prior review based on specs and reading that compared it to my HTC Droid Incredible?

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Released just in time to prevent some iPhone 4 converts, Verizon posted up a video of the upcoming Droid X. As of the time of this post, the video only has 332 YouTube views so we’re one of the first to get the word out about this video.

I’ve already written that I would opt for the Droid X over my the HTC Incredible. I prefer the larger screen and would use the wireless tethering. That post has generated significant traffic for this blog, more quickly than any other post I have written — approximately 500 views in the first few hours.

Enjoy the show.

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By now, you’ve probably seen that unlimited data plans on U.S. carriers are about to go the way of the dinosaur. Recently, Verizon’s CFO confirmed the inevitable:

We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate.

This spawned a flurry of blog posts and struck fear in the hearts of smartphone users across the country. However, a piece in FastCompany takes a different view. Should someone who uses data casually be required to “buy” as much data as someone who streams movies all day and all night? That’s what flat rate data plans do. Presumably tiering data plans can result in fairer apportionment of the fees the carriers collect.

Dan Nosowitz, author of the article, points out that AT&T and other carriers are trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want to tier data plans which suggests that you pay for what you use, in a general sense. However, if you decide to use the same amount of data but divide it among multiple devices (i.e., tether your computer to your smartphone), you’re hit with additional fees. It is difficult to justify these tethering fees because tethering itself does not drive up the carrier’s expense.

I really like the FastCompany article but it misses one critical component. Consumers who want to stay in the lower data tiers can rely on Wifi signals to install apps and download massive files. Many home internet providers do not cap bandwidth and public Wifi is becoming widespread.

I tossed a picture of Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G at the top of this post for a reason. Sprint has a $10/mo. data surcharge (on top of the standard data charge) for the Evo. It was assumed that this charge related to the use of the 4G WiMax network. However, Evo owners who live nowhere near a 4G lit area are required to pay the surcharge. Official word eventually came out of Sprint that, basically, the Evo is so cool that Evo owners are more likely to use more data than other Sprint smartphone customers, even on a 3G network. In other words, Sprint is already trying to tier its data without officially saying so.

I wonder if people who have recently signed up for or renewed unlimited data contracts will be offered incentives to dump their existing contracts for tiered data plans. Early equipment upgrades? My pure guess is that we won’t see that but it’s an interesting possibility.

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UPDATE: Now includes full Droid X press release at bottom of post.

UPDATE 2: Replaced by a hands on review of Droid X and comparison.

Soon Verizon customers will have a choice between two top Android devices, the recently released HTC Droid Incredible and the upcoming Motorola Droid X. Here’s my take: if you have pockets or a handbag big enough for the Droid X (4.3″ screen), it’s a better choice. If you want a smaller phone, the Incredible (3.7″ screen) is the way to go.

The Droid X has everything the Incredible has plus some goodies like 720P video recording and HDMI output. The Incredible has long been rumored to support 720P video recording using its 8 MP camera but it would, according to the rumor, require a software update. I don’t put tons of credence in rumors like this because if you look around there were rumors of FM transmitters in phones that never had them and other features that never materialized.

Also, the Droid X runs Android 2.2 while the Incredible has yet to receive an update from 2.1 to 2.2. PocketNow and Engadget have good coverage of the differences between the versions. Two primary advantages to 2.2, in my opinion, are the boost in speed and built in Wifi tethering.
UPDATE: Latest press release indicates that Droid X comes with 2.1 installed, contrary to rumors, but Droid X owners will receive 2.2 OTA in the second half of the summer.

Other than the differences previously mentioned, it would be difficult to distinguish these two phones. They run the same apps (both at 1 GHz) and the overall user experience would be quite similar. I think the bigger screen and Android 2.2 would tip the scales in favor of the Droid X for me. Nonetheless, I have been extremely satisfied with the Incredible.

JULY 2010: DROID X BY MOTOROLA LANDS On the NATION’s LARGEST & MOST RELIABLE 3G Network

DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3” Widescreen

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID X by Motorola.  DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe^® Flash^® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.

“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless.  “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola.  DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”

Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, “Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”

DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand^® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows.  The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer.  With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.

“It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google. “There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications. Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software. For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance. For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality.”

“We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. “Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe’s most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices.”

Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™.  Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.

Pricing and Availability

DROID X by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.  Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan.  Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile Hotspot service to their DROID X for $20 per month.  The 3G Mobile Hotspot allows customers to turn the phone into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi devices.  In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID X, without penalty.

For more information on DROID X by Motorola, go to http://phones.verizonwireless.com/droid/x/.  For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

# # #

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Microsoft, Sharp and Verizon teamed up to deliver the KIN 1 and KIN 2. I briefly mentioned these phones before when they were codenamed “Turtle” and “Pure.” I tried out both of the KINs this past weekend and believe they present a new option to mobile phone customers because they fit somewhere between a top feature phone and below a low-end smartphone. The reason they fit between the two is they blend everything you would expect form a phone like the LG Env3 plus the have native support for social networking.

I’ve read many of the reviews out there of the KINs and I believe that many reviewers haven’t considered the target market. These phones are designed for 13-15 year olds.  If I were in that demographic, I would be delighted to have a phone that offers Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, email, an HTML browser, Zune music features, Wifi, cloud archives of all activity, a camera, decent memory capacity and a solid keyboard.  However, if you’re outside of the young teen demographic or you’re looking to upgrade from your LG, you might want to consider a full blown smartphone, which permits app installations and greater customization.

I offer the caveat that I didn’t try out every feature of the KINs but in my time with the phones I formulated the following opinions:

Likes

The hardware, manufactured by Sharp, is good.  I particularly like the large screen on the KIN 2. Both phones have full QWERTY keyboards that are easy to use. The cameras are 5 MP on the KIN 1 and 8 MP on the KIN 2.

The Windows Phone interface is funky with asymmetry on almost every screen.  I like the “tile” layout which is a nice departure from the mundane world of gridded icons.  In this regard, perhaps the KINs offer a glimpse inside of the core elements that will likely become Windows Phone 7.

The simplicity of the phone makes it a good choice as a youngster’s first phone.

Dislikes

The browser isn’t terrific.  It can display basic pages but it fumbles a bit on more complicated pages like those on many news sites and blogs.

It takes some getting use to because, as I mentioned, it’s not a traditional gridded icon interface.

At this point, I’m a spoiled HTC Incredible user and wouldn’t look back. However, if I were a parent buying a first phone for my kid who is just old enough to object to being called a kid, the KINs would be at or near the top of my list.

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--The Next Social Web

Droid Scorpion? According to MobileCrunch, the rumored HTC Scorpion is heading to Verizon. This mythical beast has a 1.5 mhz processor which bests the 1.0 mhz processor in the HTC Incredible. It also ships with Foyo, Android 2.2. No pictures have surfaced yet.

While this phone will be tops in the Verizon line-up, I’m not sure it’s a real game changer if it comes out as a 3G phone. The Incredible’s processor is plenty fast and perhaps an OTA update of Froyo rolls out for the Incredible soon. I certainly hope this doesn’t become a painful wait like what happened with the Droid Eris.

The Droid Scorpion could be a real game changer if it rolls out as Verizon’s first 4G/LTE Android in 2012. This is within the realm of possibilities considering not a single picture has hit the interwebs and we’d expect that by now if the phone were to launch any time soon. Regarding 4G Androids, reports are funneling in that the Sprint 4G Evo (WiMax, not LTE) is selling like mad and new activations even brought down Sprint’s phone activation system. Apparently, Radio Shack is doing a second round of pre-orders, which could be more aptly called post-orders.

Friends and family keep asking me about whether the iPhone 4G or HD or whatever is heading to Verizon. I have two answers… no clue and don’t care. Many of the most notable tech writers who got ahold of Evos have quickly became iPhone-to-Android converts. I’ve read the first-hand accounts on Buzz from techies like Louis Gray. Unless Apple has some real tricks up its sleeve, the new features that were previewed for the iPhone OS 4.0 are hardly revolutionary. Apple is playing catch up with Android at this point.

[via Mobile Crunch]

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I sure picked the wrong week to be busy with non-tech stuff. Much has happened in the past week and my Google Reader is still readlined at 1000+ new articles to read. These are some of the stories from the past week that look the most interesting:

• Android 2.2 “FroYo” debuted at Google I/O. Many people have it up and running on rooted Nexus Ones. It supports the creation of mobile hotspots which basically turns a FroYo device into a wireless router.  IntoMobile has been providing good coverage. It recently reported that the “leaked” version is not the final version, according to Googler Romain Guy, but it is apparently very stable.
• Google I/O attendees found HTC Evo 4Gs in their goodie bags, Oprah style. I’ve written about the Evo 4G before (which should have stayed with the codename “Supersonic” but, anyhow…).  What happens when you give an hot Android phone to hundreds of developers? Well, someone figures out how to gain superuser access by rooting the device (video). Robert Scoble started a high traffic Buzz comparing the Evo to the iPhone platform. Many newly minted Android fans weighed in and dueled with Apple fanatics. The iPhone 4G (or HD or whatever they decide to call it) has a fierce competitor comprised of Google and virtually every major device manufacturer.
• Mark Zuckerberg conceded by email (which he agreed to make public): “I know we’ve made a bunch of mistakes….” Captain Obvious? I wonder, however, whether they did as big a land grab as possible with a slight retreat in mind from the onset. Don’t know.  In any event, it remains to be seen what Facebook intends to do about the mistakes. I suggest that they include a lockdown button in the privacy settings which basically toggles off all information sharing except with friends. In my opinion, that would be a step in the right direction for Facebook.
• Gizmodo found or stole another prototype, depending on your perspective. This one appears to be the Motorola Shadow which runs Android. The story goes that a gym employee found one laying around and Gizmodo got ahold of it (follow link for pics). This phone looks great and it’s almost certainly Verizon bound. It could be branded as the “Droid 2.”
• The Google Orkut experiment is still ongoing. A number of Google Buzz users are playing around with Orkut and enjoying it. If you’re at all interested, check out my post about it.
• Finally, this blog has been getting very heavy traffic lately compared to historical numbers. I attribute that primarily to my posts about the HTC Incredible which is still back ordered at Verizon. I’ve loaded up on apps and if you don’t know where to start, check out my AppBrain page. Also, I redid the TechBottle logo in the header of the blog. Do you like it? Be honest. I’m on the fence about it but I’d rather read and write to the blog than tinker with the logo more.

P.S. I have something brewing with a major carrier. Expect good but very honest hands-on cellphone reviews.  It’s also possible I’ll have some leaked info about upcoming phones soon. Stay tuned!

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--Google’s Game Plan: Google is not failing at hardware. It is succeeding at something else. --Samsung Galaxy Tab ~ Review and Recommended

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has confirmed anecdotal reports that demand for the HTC Incredible is outstripping supply. According to McAdam, there are kinks in HTC’s supply chain and components for the Incredible are scarce, particularly the AMOLED touchscreen manufactured by Samsung. Shipments to stores are selling out within hours and those who order online must wait for more Incredibles to be manufactured. Had supply met demand, the Incredible would have broken initial sales records set by the Motorola Droid. 100,000 Incredibles were sold within the first two days of release.

One takeaway from today’s news is that a phone can be a tremendous hit without a $100 million advertising campaign, which was rumored to be the promotional budget for the Blackberry Storm 1 and the Motorola Droid. In the case of the Incredible, much of the demand was generated by carefully planned “leaks” of photos, videos and specs dating back to December. One particularly nifty trick was leaking that the Incredible’s snapdragon processor would be underclocked to around 75% speed. That rumor was eventually dispelled and the Incredible boasts the fastest processor on the market today, tying it with the Nexus One — a full 1 Ghz.

[via BGR]

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Engadget unearthed court records from 2008 from a class action suit where testimony was given to the effect that the 2007 exclusive agreement with AT&T contained a FIVE year term. Here are the quotes:

“The duration of the exclusive Apple-[AT&T] agreement was not ‘secret’ either. The [plaintiff] quotes a May 21, 2007 USA Today article – published over a month before the iPhone’s release – stating, “AT&T has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for five years-an eternity in the go-go cellphone world.”
…
“[T]here was widespread disclosure of [AT&T's] five-year exclusivity and no suggestion by Apple or anyone else that iPhones would become unlocked after two years… Moreover, it is sheer speculation – and illogical – that failing to disclose the five-year exclusivity term would produce monopoly power…”

So what does all this mean? Well, unless Apple has an “out” for a breach by AT&T or is willing to breach the agreement itself, Verizon will not see an iPhone until 2012.

Well, the Wall Street Journal could have some explaining to do because they ran a piece on March 29 stating:

“With Apple developing a phone with CDMA capability, its exclusive U.S. arrangement with AT&T dating to 2007 appears set to end.”

Now, are there ways to reconcile the WSJ article and the court documents from Engadget? Sure. Perhaps the CDMA variety is not intended for Verizon and will be sold overseas. Maybe “appears” is the operative word in the quote above. Perhaps Apple believes AT&T breached or Apple is prepared to breach. In any event, it seems like every few days an article runs one way or another about the Verizon iPhone. I’m not going to write more about this based on rumors but the court documents are very real. The original deal with AT&T had a five year term expiring in 2012 contrary to everything than ran in the blogosphere and in mainstream media.

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Click to Enlarge

So, I’ve blabbed and blabbed about the HTC Incredible but hardly made a keystroke about the HTC Evo 4G (“Supersonic”) coming to Sprint. Latest rumor is that this device launches on June 6th. It’s going to be sold at, of all places, Radio Shack. Don’t let the venue discourage you. This could win the “Android-of-the-year” award, if there were such a thing.

It’s basically the HTC Incredible plus a forward facing 1.3 MP camera for videoconferencing, an enormous 4.3″ screen, 4G WiMax data speeds and the ability to serve as a Wifi Router (which requires extra bucks per month, most likely). This launch could breathe some serious life into Sprint. Incidentally, if you mention to a Verizon rep that Sprint is launching 4G this summer and Verizon is lagging with a planned 2011 launch, the company line is that 4G technology isn’t ready for prime time yet.

P.S. If you missed all the fuss, Oprah Winfrey had an HTC Evo 4G  in her hand on television the other day.

[via IntoMobile]

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I’ve fiddled with the HTC Incredible a heck of a lot over the past week. Hands down, it’s the best smartphone on the market for me but it’s not flawless. I’ll tell you what I like and what I dislike about the HTC Incredible.

Likes:

• Hardware Overall: The phone feels very good. It’s like holding a well balanced kitchen knife. It’s a solid build with good weight and shape. The screen is made of Gorilla Glass which resists scratches and allows for a very good touchscreen experience.
• Software Overall: This is my first Android phone and it can do some amazing things. It comes preloaded with Google Maps with Navigation and a few other goodies. However, the beauty of Android is how well the 3rd party apps complement the phone. Also, widgets on the home screens (all 7 of them) spruce up the phone quite a bit and make it much more functional. I have a music screen, a calendar screen, an email screen, etc. With a swipe or two, I’m looking at what I want.
• Screen: AMOLED screen is a piece of beauty. It produces vibrant colors and displays videos well.
• Phone: Sound quality and reception are very good. The speaker in the earpiece is quite loud, perhaps too loud at full volume. The phone gets knocked for its reception. Here’s why: “bars” on a phone are not a standard measure. This phone will show fewer bars with a very strong signal than a competing phone. People have confirmed this by testing the raw numbers. Even at one “bar”, reception can be very good. It has an equivalent signal strength to the Blackberry Tour which had a great antenna.
• Browser: The stock browser is good, roughly comparable to Apple’s Safari iPhone browser. However, the Market has some free browser replacements that really shine. The revised Dolphin HD is the best mobile browser I have ever used. It supports gestures, it can be reskinned, there are many plugins, the app exits properly (more on this later) and it renders pages properly. Both the stock browser and Dolphin HD can display the flash-based category cloud in the right column of this page. I made Dolphin HD my default browser. Another good, free browser alternative is SkyFire which is in beta.
• Music Player: The stock music player is very functional but doesn’t have any pizazz.  Check out Cubed (3) in the Market for a nice 3D navigation system. Other good music players in the market include MixZing and Meridian. Also, one nice thing about Android is that you can make a 3rd party app default for a certain action.
• Video Player: Nothing wrong with the stock video player but some people prefer Meridian.
• Email: The Gmail app (which I prefer to the Sense mail program) is very good if you use Gmail (and why don’t you, I ask?). Some people have problems with some other email systems but, based on my skimming of the Android forums, these problems can be solved.
• User Interface: Sense UI is splendid. I played around with some alternative UIs using the app Home Switcher and Sense UI is the best in show.
• Keyboard: How can I forget this one? The stock keyboard is acceptable. Swype is a keyboard replacement that eats it for lunch. There’s a problem, however. If you want to do voice commands, there’s no button on Swype to listen for a voice command. You need to revert to the stock keyboard and then speak your command. Frankly, I think voice commands are overrated. With Swype (which is not available in the Market, you can find it here), I can type much faster than I did on the Blackberry by dragging my finger key to key until I swiped a word out. After a couple days of practice, this method of input is a breeze.
• App Development: It’s like being a kid in a candy store if you’re coming from a Blackberry. I think when you factor in the quality of the apps, the App Store and the Market are very comparable. And, toss in that the Market is basically wide open for all kinds of apps. On the iPhone, you can’t replace a keyboard, music player, video player, SMS interface, etc.

Dislikes:

Overall

The HTC Incredible is the best smartphone on the market that is available on any carrier. Not perfect. 4.7 out of 5.0. This will be Verizon’s best offering for a very long time because the 4G network won’t be deployed until 2011 and the next gen iPhone won’t be available to 2011 at the earliest, according to credible rumors. If you’re in the market for a new phone, you will probably be very, very happy with the HTC Incredible.

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According to iPhone Footprint, Google’s Nexus One outsold the iPhone worldwide by 16% in February 2010.* This gap is likely to widen very soon when the CDMA version compatible with Verizon Wireless is released.

I see a number of reasons why the Nexus One is globally popular. Google is known as one of the world’s best brands. The Nexus One has industry-leading hardware, including a 3.7″ AMOLED touchscreen. The phone is reasonably priced off-contract, which is very important to non-U.S. markets where the subscription/subsidy mobile model does not exist.

Android is on a tear lately and now accounts for almost as much smartphone traffic as the iPhone.  See below:

I believe that the chart above represents the single biggest reason iPhone exclusivity in the U.S. will end this year. Apple needs market share, plain and simple.

Will the next-generation iPhone close the gap that is likely to develop or is this a case of “openness” winning?

*Update: The iPhone Footprint report does not cite any sources for the proposition that the Nexus One outsold the iPhone by 16% in February. This is unconfirmed. Thank you to my Google Buzz followers for their noteworthy correction.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a CDMA iPhone is heading to Verizon later this year, according to its sources. There is a ton of spin being put on the story but I recommend getting the news straight from the WSJ. (link below)

This is obviously bad news for AT&T which has gained many subscribers due to iPhone exclusivity. It’s great news for Verizon and other carriers who were losing customers to AT&T. In the end, consumers should win out as cellular service and product offerings become decoupled.

This leak comes at an awkward time for Verizon which is expected to launch two solid Android devices in the coming weeks, the Nexus One and the HTC Incredible. I doubt we’ll see a bunch of “iDon’t” advertisements.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304370304575152242601774892.html

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Click to Enlarge

I’ll get the bad news out of the way first. The HTC/Sprint 4G “WiMax” phone will not be marketed as the “Supersonic” afterall. Instead, it will be called the HTC Evo 4G (lame!). It won’t be out until Summer and 4G “WiMax” data pricing has not been revealed. Rumors have it that the all-you-can-eat buffet-style data plans we enjoy on 3G networks will not be offered on 4G networks. Also, 4G “WiMax” will be rolled out to only selected cities (seven new ones announced today). Now, the good news… very good news…

Engadget posted the phone’s specs and, make no mistake about it, this phone is an absolute monster.

• A 1.3 MP forward-facing camera for video calls which complements the 8 MP flash camera on the reverse side which can record in 720p.
• HDMI output which requires some kind of adapter to display on a TV with HDMI inputs.
• Snapdragon 1GHz processor (same as Google’s Nexus One, fastest processor currently in the market).
• 480 x 800 4.3-inch TFT LCD
• 1 GB internal memory with 512 MB RAM (making the HTC Incredible look like a wimpy little kid)
• Android 2.1, the latest flavor, covered by a revised version of HTC’s Sense UI.
• Capable of running on 4G and 3G networks.
• 8 GB MicroSD in the box which presumably could be replaced by a 32 MicroSD, the max currently available.

These specs coupled with 4G speeds may be enough to draw people away from other carriers. Perhaps this explains the hike in other carrier’s early termination fees. This phone will be the granddaddy of Android phones.

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