CRTechnology

Verizon 4G Fact Sheet

2010-10-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little tid bit compliments of Droid Life and a Verizon Wireless insider. The fact sheets show the difference between 4G technologies LTE and WiMax. They also included HSPA+ as an emerging 3G technology that AT&T and T-Mobile are going towards to bridge the gap between 3G and 4G.

Obviously these fact sheets will tell a different story then what Spring or Clearwire are claiming to there own employees. I don't see Verizon sending out a fact sheet that doesn't shed good light on the advantages of LTE over all other technologies.

By Chase Thompson
Source Droid-Life

Verizon Wireless New 3G Data Pricing

2010-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Want more information as to what Verizon Wireless is up to with its 3G data pricing? Look no further! As you can see there is a lot of information but some pretty competitive pricing, with the option for tiered pricing as well as unlimited for you heavy users!

By Chase Thompson
Source Droid Life

New Macbook Air Models By Apple

2010-10-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

No surprise but Apple today announced among other things the new Macbook Air. With slacking sales it was obvious that Apple needed to make a change to its Mabook Air lineup, it also needed to drop prices to make it available to more people. Apple successfully accomplished both objectives, check it out below with specs on both the 13.3 and 11.6 inch model.

MacBook Air 13.3-inch

13.3-inch LED backlit display, 1440 x 900 pixels
1.86GHz Core 2 Duo processor
NVidia GeForce 320M GPU
SD card reader, 2 USB ports, a Mini DisplayPort, a 3.5mm audio jack and a straight MagSafe port
Instant-on
Multitouch glass trackpad
Full aluminum unibody construction
128GB or 256GB SSD
802.11n Wi-Fi
FaceTime camera
0.68-inches thin at its thickest point, 0.11-inches at its thinnest
2.9 lbs
Battery life: 7 hours usage, 30 days standby

MacBook Air 11.6-inch

11.6-inch LED backlit display, 1366 x 768 pixels
1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor
NVidia GeForce 320M GPU
2 USB ports, a Mini DisplayPort and a straight MagSafe port
Instant-on
Multitouch glass trackpad
Full aluminum unibody construction
64GB or 128GB SSD
802.11n Wi-Fi
FaceTime camera
0.68-inches thin at its thickest point, 0.11-inches at its thinnest
2.3 lbs
Battery life: 5 hours usage, 30 days standby

By Chase Thompson
Source Engadget

Samsung Galaxy Tab for Verizon Wireless

2010-10-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today, Verizon Wireless announcned that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will go on sale on November 11th for $600. The $600 price is its full retail price and wont be sold at a discount with a data plan. The data plans will reflect the same data plans that are offered for the iPad + Mi-Fi package.

1GB - $20 a month
3GB - $35 a month
5GB - $50 a month

Also, the data plans will be month to month and thus not requiring a contract.

By Chase Thompson
Source Verizon

Mac Event Happening Now

2010-10-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys!

If your interested the guys over at Engadget are currently at the Mac even today and are doing a live blog with updates and pictures.

Live at The Mac Event

I recommend heading over there now and taking a look at all the new things Mac us doing.

By Chase Thompson

The Rumored CDMA iPhone Hits "AP" Testing

2010-10-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Boy Genius Report today is reporting that the much anticipated and rumored CDMA iPhone is in its final stages of testing. This stage of testing, referred to as the "AP" stage, is the stage after the stage that the Gizmodo iPhone 4 was at, when found. Essentially, the next stage is it being released to the public.

The one hiccup is the fact that the iPhone being tested was found to have a SIM card slot. Which could mean that it will have CDMA + GSM/HSPA for global use and will support almost all carriers in the world. The other option would be that this is just a refresh of the iPhone 4 without the antenna problems and would be referred to as a mid-year refresh.

Here's to hoping that the first assumption is correct and the iPhone will finally be available to everyone and not just the people willing to switch networks.

By Chase Thompson
Source BGR

Verizon and AT&T To Sell iPad's in Stores

2010-10-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today, Verizon and AT&T announced its intentions to sell the iPad in their respective retail stores starting October 28th. Verizon will be selling the iPad with its Mi-Fi broadband in a bundle. Prices will start at $630 for the 16GB, $730 for the 32GB and $830 for the 64GB. Verizon Wireless will only be selling the Wi-Fi model.

"We're thrilled to be working with Verizon Wireless to get iPad into the hands of even more customers this holiday season," said Tim Cook, Apple's COO. "iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before, and together with Verizon Wireless we're offering an easy way to stay connected wherever you go."

AT&T on the other hand will be selling the iPad 3G model for the same price point but obviously wont require an additional piece of hardware, such as the Mi-Fi.

“We look forward to expanding the reach of iPad, allowing even more customers to experience the magic of iPad for themselves,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “As we approach the holiday season, we are very happy that customers will now be able to buy iPad Wi-Fi + 3G at AT&T Stores.”

In its press release Verizon said only one plan will be available; a 1GB plan for $20 but my sources inside Verizon are telling me that 3 plans will be available. There will also be a $35 3GB plan as well as a $50 5GB plan and it was confirmed that the plans will be without a contract.

By Chase Thompson

New Windows Phone 7 Ad

2010-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the better commercials that I have seen in a while. Looks like Microsoft is finally stepping up its game!

Makes me want to get one!

By Chase Thompson

Apple Event Planned For October 20th!

2010-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I wonder what this Apple event is going to be about. It appears as if Apple will finally be introducing the newest Mac OS X, 10.7 and I would guess its name is going to be Lion.

On top of the introduction of Lion, rumor is that we could see new Macbooks as well as an update to iLife (which is reportedly sold out at Apple stores), iWork and possibly Macbook Air. In a week from today we shall find out!

By Chase Thompson
Source BoyGenius

Verizon Nixes Blackberry Storm 3

2010-10-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago when Verizon's roadmap was leaked, we all saw that the Blackberry Storm 3 wasn't on that list and with the previous launches of the Blackberry Storm in November it was assumed that Verizon had either cancelled or postponed the launch.

Well now my sources inside Verizon are telling me that the Blackberry Storm 3 has officially been canceled and to not expect to see another model until later next year if even at all. My source is telling me that Verizon canceled the Blackberry Storm because of declining sales numbers, not just for the Storm models but for Blackberry products as a whole.

Don't be surprised though if later next year we finally see that infamous Storm 3 completely remodeled, inside and out.

By Chase Thompson

HTC: We Love Windows Phone 7 and Android.....Equally

2010-10-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Microsoft introduced the lineup for Windows Phone 7. Of the ten Windows Phone 7 handsets introduced, five were made by HTC, which came as a surprise to some people but not to all people. What you need to remember is that Windows Mobile is what made HTC the company that it is today (at least in the U.S., that is). Then HTC switched to Android when it launched while still producing a small amount of Windows Mobile devices, but they obviously became more of a Android shop. Now it appears as if HTC doesn't want to take a side, which is a good thing!

Also, with Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond and HTC's North American headquarters in Bellevue, these two cities are bordering cities and from office to office it is no more than a 10 minute drive, it should be no surprise that HTC is backing WP7 to the same extend as Android.

By Chase Thompson
Source Engadget

Samsung Galaxy Tab Price Released?

2010-10-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of months we have slowly obtained more information about the first Android Tablet, The Samsung Galaxy Tab and it looks like now we have received the last piece of the puzzle. Word out of T-Mobile, who will be carrying the Tab, there are two price points. One on contract and one without a contract, prices will be $400 and $650 respectively.

I think we can all agree that these price points are not what we were expecting or hoping. With the iPad priced along the same lines as the $650 Tab pricing (without contract) it would seem that the Tab is going to have a difficult time gaining market share. Of you could buy the Tab on contract for $400 then cancel immediately eating the $200 early termination fee and save yourself $50.

By Chase Thompson
Source Engadget

Windows Phone 7 handsets!

2010-10-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the guys over at Engadget for putting together the chart below. If you haven't heard, 10 WP7 handsets were introduced today and they can all be seen here. There is a lot of info to take in, so hopefully the chart will help out. Also, above each brand of phones you will find which countries and carriers will get which phone. Happy Viewing!

HTC

7 Mozart: Orange (France and UK), Deutsche Telekom, Telstra (Australia)
7 Surround: AT&T
7 Pro: Sprint
7 Trophy: SFR (France), Vodafone (Australia, Germany, Spain and UK)
HD7: T-Mobile (US), O2 (UK and Germany), Movistar (Spain), SingTel (Singapore)

HTC
Front	Back	Model	CPU	Screen	Storage	Camera
		7 Mozart	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8250	3.7" 480 x 800	8GB	8MP, AF, Xenon flash, 720p
		7 Surround (Mondrian / T8788)	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8250	3.8" 480 x 800	8GB	5MP, AF, LED flash, 720p
		7 Pro	1GHz	3.6" 480 x 800	16GB	5MP, AF, LED flash, 720p
		7 Trophy (Spark)	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8250	3.8" 480 x 800	8GB	5MP, AF, LED flash
		HD7 (Schubert)	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8250	4.3" 480 x 800 LCD	8GB / 16GB	5MP, AF, dual- LED flash, 720p

LG

Optimus 7: Telus (Canada), América Móvil (Mexico), Movistar (Spain), Vodafone (Germany, Italy, Spain and UK), SingTel (Singapore)
Quantum / Optimus 7Q: AT&T (US), Telstra (Australia)

LG
Front	Back	Model	CPU	Screen	Storage	Camera
		Optimus 7 (E900)	1GHz	3.8" 480 x 800 LCD	16GB	5MP, LED flash
		Quantum / Optimus 7Q (C900)	1GHz Qualcomm QSD8650	3.5" 480 x 800	16GB	5MP, 720p
		GW910	???	???	???	5MP, flash

Dell

Venue Pro: T-Mobile (US)

Dell
Front	Back	Model	CPU	Screen	Storage	Camera
		Venue Pro (Lightning)	1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250	4.1" 480 x 800 AMOLED	???	5MP

Samsung

Focus: AT&T (US)
Omnia 7: Orange (France and UK), SFR (France), Movistar (Spain), Deutsch Telekom

Samsung
Front	Back	Model	CPU	Screen	Storage	Camera
		Focus (Cetus / i917)	???	4" 480 x 800 Super AMOLED	8GB (microSD expansion up to 16GB)	5MP and VGA front
		Omnia 7 (i8700)	1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250	4" 480 x 800 Super AMOLED	8GB	5MP, 720p at 25fps

Oh, and we haven't forgotten the elusive ASUS handset:

ASUS
Front	Back	Model	CPU	Screen	Storage	Camera
	???	???	???	???	???	???

By Chase Thompson
Source Engadget

Google's Andy Rubin Speaks About Windows Phone 7

2010-10-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today, PC Mag posted an interview with the Vice President of engineering at Google, Andy Rubin. It is a pretty interesting interview that gives a lot of incite into Rubin, Android and Google. You can read the interview here.

What stood out the most in Rubin's interview was his stance on the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7. Heres what he said.....

"I think the screen shots I've seen are interesting, but look, the world doesn't need another platform. Android is free and open; I think the only reason you create another platform is for political reasons."

There are two schools of thought from that statement. The first being that Rubin is being honest and is arrogant enough to truly believe that Android is that much more superior than WP7. Also if you read further into the actual interview you will see Rubin says, "Why doesn't the whole world run with [Android]?" Now, Rubin is just touting the Android platform, which is great and he should do it, he should believe that his product is the best. But he shouldn't be putting down a platform that he knows little about and has only seen screen shots of.

The second train of thought is that Google and Rubin are actually worried about what WP7 will do to its growing market share and by downplaying WP7 they think everyone else will as well. What really distrubed me about Rubins comment was that he is totally off basis. Microsoft has been in the mobile platform business since before Google was even a company and when your in the business as long as Microsoft you somtimes have to reinvent yourselve.

What do you all think?

By Chase Thompson
Source PCMAG

Verizon to Hold "Interactive" launch Party For Blackberry 6

2010-10-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

It looks like Verizon Wireless will be holding an internal "interactive" launch of Blackberry 6. This will be occurring on October 14th and appears to be revolving around the Blackberry Bold, based on it being mentioned in the bottom right hand corner of the invite. Not sure exactly what "interactive" means but expect more news to come and Blackberry 6 to be live real soon.

By Chase Thompson
Source BGR

Droid 2 Global Makes Another Appearance

2010-10-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Motorola Droid 2 Global has been spotted on the Motorola website with some extra goodies. Last week pictures of the phone were seen and it was reported that the Droid 2 global was clocked at 1.2 GHz, the fastest reported for any mobile phone. Now we have confirmation that the Droid 2 Global will in fact have a 1.2 GHz processor, Quad band capabilities, a redesigned keyboard, Expandable memory for up 32GB, and improved touch screen technology for great accuracy.

By Chase Thompson
Source Droid-Life

Microsoft and Adobe CEO's Meet

2010-10-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Reports are coming out that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen had a meeting at Adobe's headquarters in San Francisco. It was also reported that both Ballmer and Narayen were accompanied by their entourages. The rumors starting swirling almost immediately after the hour long meeting took place. People with knowledge of the meeting reported that discussions were around two ideas.

The first being a stronger partnership between Microsoft and Adobe when it comes to the mobile phone market. Remember that Adobe and Microsoft have been rivals with competing software and the companies really became combative in 2007 when Microsoft began promoting its Silverlight, a software plugin for the Web that directly competes with Adobe Flash.

The Second and more intriguing is a possible buyout from Microsoft. Now Microsoft in the past has held discussions about a possible purchase of Adobe but always felt that it would be a waste of time because of anti-trust laws, but keep in ind that this was before Google and Apple became major players in the tech world.

This potential partnership smells of desperation as Apple gains more traction in the Mobile Phone Market. Both Adobe and Microsoft have felt the sting from Apple, with Apple ripping apart Adobe because of Flash and Apple converting millions of Windows Mobile users over to iOS. I would definitely say that Microsoft purchasing Adobe would be a waste of money and a partnership would involve the least amount of risk with a very high potential for reward.

By Chase Thompson
Source NYTimes

Video of WSJ Reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane (Verizon iPhone)

2010-10-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Verizon iPhone To Be Ready By End of Year

2010-10-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Word from the Wall Street Journal is that Apple is currently in production for a CDMA based iPhone for Verizon Wireless with chipsets courtesy of Qualcomm. The WSJ is reporting that the iPhone for Verizon would then be available for sale sometime in Q1 of 2011.

It was also reported that the design wouldn't change much and would look almost identical to the iPhone 4 that is currently only available to AT&T users. It was also said that Apple is working on the iPhone 5 but there were no reports as to how Apple would deal with 2 different designs or if the iPhone 5 would be available as well for Verizon users.

Now I know this is all speculation and rumor but it would definitely make sense for Apple to come out with a Pre-LTE iPhone for Verizon. For one, LTE handsets and smartphones wont be available until at least mid 2011. For Apple who receives a profit from each handset sale would benefit dramatically from selling a CDMA iPhone at the beginning of 2011 then later in 2011 or 2012 selling another model that comes equipped with CDMA and LTE.

By Chase Thompson
Source WSJ

Verizon To Launch 4G LTE In 38 U.S. Cities By The End Of The Year

2010-10-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Verizon President and COO Lowell McAdams announced Verizon Wireless's plans for 4G LTE. It was announced that 38 major cities across the United States will receive LTE before the end of this year. A list of cities can be found below or in Verizon Wireless's press release. It was also announced that 60 major commercial airports across the U.S. will be receiving LTE before the end of this year. Verizon is expecting to cover 110 million people by 2011.

McAdam highlighted the metropolitan areas for the initial launch, which include:

Large sections of the Northeast Corridor, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. as well as Rochester, New York
Throughout Miami and south Florida, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and New Orleans as well as Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee
Chicagoland, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh and major cities in Ohio
Major population centers in California as well as Seattle, Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas

Verizon is also expected to carry around half dozen smartphones that are LTE capable in the first half of 2011. Hopefully more news to come as the day goes along and hopefully up next we will get a date as to when LTE will be launching, instead of a generic "before the end of the year".

By Chase Thompson
Source Verizon

Verizon Wireless To Hold 4G LTE News Conference Tomorrow

2010-10-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

At 11:30 AM (Pacific Standard Time) tomorrow Verizon will be announcing its 4G LTE plans for the remainder of the years. Verizon President and COO Lowell McAdams will be announcing the details at CTIA in San Francisco.

It is expected that McAdams will be announcing which 30 cities will be receiving LTE service before the end of the year. It is also said that those 30 cities will all include an NFL team. So if you live in a city with the NFL, keep your fingers crossed and hope that it is true.

WHO:
Verizon Wireless, the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network leader and builder of the world’s first large-scale 4G network

WHAT:
Verizon Wireless will hold a news conference during CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010. Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon, will detail the company’s major 4G LTE network launch.

WHERE:
CTIA Press Conference Room: Room 2A – Level 2
Moscone Center West
800 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Via webcast (view/listen-only):
http://www.verizonwebcasts.com/vzw/10825
U.S. toll free: 800-857-1380 / International: +1 773-799-3385
Passcode: 3243400

On Twitter: Follow the news conference and join in live tweeting from the conference by following @VerizonWireless #VZW4G at http://twitter.com/VerizonWireless

WHEN:
11:30 a.m. PDT / 2:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010

BACKGROUND:
Verizon Wireless expects to commercially launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets in 2010, covering 100 million people. To view a video about Verizon Wireless’ 4G network, visit http://bit.ly/vzw4g. For more information about 4G from Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte.

I'll be updating everyone tomorrow as much as possible following any news from CTIA.

By Chase Thompson
Source Verizon

Motorola Droid Pro Specs and Hands On

2010-10-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

The guys over at Engadget were able to get their hands on a Droid Pro and posted tons of pictures as well as listed out specs. It starts with a 1GHz OMAP 3620, to be precise, with an MDM6600 chipset, 512MB of memory and 2GB of onboard storage, plus 802.11n 2.4GHz WIFI, Bluetooth 2.1 and tri-band UMTS. There's a dual LED flash alongside that auto-focus camera, and a programmable key on the side that asks you what you want it to do the first time you press it. There's 3G mobile hotspot support for up to five devices, and an optional 1860mAh extended battery and case, plus a desktop charger dock like those for the Droid and Droid 2. It also just so happens that the Droid Pro has the push functionality of Blur even though it isn't weighed down by the full Blur UI, and supports SD card remote wipes, has spellcheck integrated into the OS and a "multi-headed" VPN client.

That's a pretty long list of specs, so thank you Engadget. No news on a launch date but we expect it to be soon.

By Chase Thompson
Source Engadget

Motorola Droid Pro and Citrus Get Outed By Verizon Wireless

2010-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today, Verizon Wireless announced two new additions to their Android lineup. The Droid Pro and Citrus by Motorola were announced today, with the Droid Pro being talked about constantly over the past month came pictures and specs that surprised us all.

The Droid Pro is a candybar-style, Android 2.2 world-phone (CDMA/GSM) with a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, 3.1-inch display, 1GHz processor. I believe we were all assuming that the Droid Pro would come in the same form factor as the original Droid and Droid 2, but it looks like Motorola pulled a quick one and redesigned the Droid Pro in what appears to be a pretty cool and exciting form factor.

The Citrus is a full-touchscreen Android 2.1 device, complete with MOTOBLUR, and full touchscreen display.

More news to come........

By Chase Thompson
Source Phone Scoop

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: Windows Slate By Christmas

2010-10-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yup, you heard correctly. Today, while speaking to a group of students and journalists at London's School of Economics Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that their will be a Slate running Windows to compete with the iPad in time for Christmas. Now Ballmer wouldn't say exactly what that meant; whether it will be for sale before Christmas or just announced before Christmas.

By Chase Thompson
Source BoyGenius

Netflix for iPhone Gets Video Out Update

2010-10-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

For all of you iPhone and Fourth Generation iPod users out there, a new update courtesy of Netflix is now available. Now if you aren’t streaming Netflix on your TV because you don’t have a video game console or set-top box to support it, now your iPhone and iPod can do that for you. The new Netflix application will now allow you to stream movies via your Netflix account on your iPhone or iPod onto your TV or computer as long as you have the appropriate video wires to do so.

So hop on over to your iTunes account and download this thing!

By Chase Thompson
Source 9to5Mac