Samsung’s Galaxy S20 series launched on Verizon Wireless lacking its most affordable and compact model. Now, it seems that the Galaxy S20’s release isn’t too far off, and apparently, it’s coming with an exclusive “Cloud White” color, too.
Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL ship in a little over a week for early adopters, but for some customers, trying the phone in person is the only thing that will actually seal the deal. Thankfully, Google’s carrier partner Verizon is offering just that.
Verizon has confirmed through its official Twitter handle that the BlackBerry PRIV is heading to its store shelves soon. The Portrait-slider doesn’t have a specific release date or price on VZW yet, but you can sign up to register for updates on Verizon’s store page.
[tweet https://twitter.com/VerizonNews/status/662727973351526400 align=’center’]
Verizon is the second big carrier to officially offer the PRIV for sale. It’s biggest competitor, AT&T started selling the device yesterday, getting a jump start on ‘Big Red’. It’s too early to tell how well the launch is going for the once smartphone king from Waterloo, but early reaction from tech fans has been positive.
The PRIV features a large 5.4-inch dual-curved Quad HD AMOLED display, and a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor paired with 3GB RAM. It has 32GB of storage as standard (expandable up to 2TB), 18MP OIS-equipped camera, 4k video recording and a 2MP front facing camera. It also features the trademark physical keyboard and costs a princely $699 from BlackBerry’s online store. It’s hard to imagine that Verizon will offer it any cheaper.
According to a leaked internal Verizon Wireless memo obtained by Derek Ross of Phandroid, Google is preparing to launch its Android Pay mobile payments service on September 16th. This leak comes a couple weeks after another memo from McDonalds leaked, suggesting that the service would launch on August 26th. Clearly that launch date has been missed, but now it looks like we might have more reliable information…
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The service may not be launching until next month, but owners of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are now receiving an over-the-air update which includes support for Samsung Pay. The update, which you’ll need approximately 303MB of free storage to install, includes some other additions as well.
For starters, there’s support for live video broadcasting over YouTube, which has been a highly-requested ability from the video hosting platform ever since the launch of the competing Meerkat and Periscope apps. This is possible thanks to WatchMe, an open-source project by Google that allows app developers to integrate with the YouTube Data and YouTube Live Streaming APIs, among others. There’s also higher quality audio output to Samsung headsets (those new Level On headphones, perhaps?), UI updates, and the usual bug fixes.
Samsung Pay is Samsung’s mobile payments app and service that is different from other solutions from Google and Apple because it includes the ability to pay at nearly any credit card terminal. It does this through the use of MST technology, the same thing used in the magnetic strips on the back of all credit and debit cards.
While Samsung Pay is expected to work in far more places than Android Pay and Apple Pay currently do, Verizon Wireless here in the States is still evaluating whether or not to allow the service onto the Samsung devices it sells, according to a representative from the company speaking to 9to5Google.
The update could take several days to hit devices. You can check manually by visiting Settings > About phone > System updates.
We’ve already learned about beleaguered HTC’s plan to introduce several new mid-range Desire smartphones to North America across every major carrier, and since the announcement a month ago they’ve slowly teased out exactly which variants each participating carrier will get. Now we know Verizon Wireless will begin selling the Desire 526 tomorrow and the 626 sometime soon.
The HTC Desire 526 (top right in the above picture) is exclusive to Verizon and features a 4.7-inch qHD display (so, approximately 540p resolution), 8MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, a Snapdragon 210 processor, and 1.5GB of RAM. It notably has quite a deep-curved bezel. We don’t know much else about the phone except that it will be available tomorrow in-stores and online for a whopping full retail price of $120. It’s available as both a prepaid and postpaid phone.
The Desire 626 is a bit of a step up from the 526, sporting a larger 5-inch, 720p display, 8MP rear-facing and 5MP front-facing cameras, and a quad-core Snapdragon processor. It also has a 2,000mAh battery and the storage can be increased through the microSD card tray. No information on RAM size, though, or availability and pricing for that matter save for an “in the coming weeks” notice. Like the 526, it will be available to both prepaid and postpaid customers.
Those interested in the Desire 626 should check out our unboxing and hands-on with the device. We don’t have a similar video for the 526, but we can’t imagine the 626 would be that much more expensive, and based on spec sheets alone we’d highly recommend choosing it over the 526.
T-Mobile’s Uncarrier Amped moves are still going strong. Just days after announcing its cross-border ‘Mobile Without Borders’ plan, the magenta carrier has unveiled a brand new family plan.
With the new plan, two customers can get 10GB per line for $100 per month. Each additional line is then $20 per person, each with 10GB data allowance. As a special offer, T-Mobile is also giving customers a fourth line for free. Between now and Labor day, customers will be able to sign up to four lines with 10GB data on each, for $120 per month.
Update: Burson-Marsteller, the public relations agency of record in North America for Sony’s mobile division, has emailed us to clarify that “the copy displayed on the microsite is not accurate.” They went on to say that no official announcement regarding the launch date has been made, and that they have no information to provide at this time.
The Sony Xperia Z4v, the United States variant of the Xperia Z4, will be launching as an exclusive to Verizon on August 13th. Verizon hasn’t yet made any public announcement but a keen eye at XperiaBlog.net noticed Sony’s Z4v website now has a bold header at the top which says, “Experience the freedom to play August 13.”
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After some false starts and an accidental reveal, Motorola’s David Schuster posted last night to his Google+ account to confirm a soak test of Android 5.1 has begun for the Verizon DROID Turbo. Here’s what he said:
I know this is going to make some people happy…. we have started the DROID Turbo soak test for the Android 5.1 upgrade this evening with our forum registered users. If all goes well we will open it up later this week.
The full release notes are up on Motorola’s website as well. Aside from the normal stability improvements and 5.1 features like ‘interruptions’ for deciding which apps can make your phone buzz with notifications, there’s some Motorola-specific stuff in there like the Moto Action that turns the flashlight on and off with two chopping motions.
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When the Sony Xperia Z4 was announced earlier this year, we weren’t sure when—if ever—it would be coming to the United States. Now, as has been announced this morning by Verizon, it looks like the Japanese company is bringing the device to North America by way of the Big Red. As we noted before, the device definitely isn’t a drastic departure from what we know of as the Xperia Z3. But the Z4v brings some improvements and features that the Z4 doesn’t have…
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We wouldn’t blame you for thinking the images above are leaks or even mockups of what Android 5.1.1 Lollipop might look like on the DROID Turbo – but you’d be wrong, because these are straight from Verizon’s website.
The LG G Pad 7.0 was released back in July of 2014 alongside its bigger brother, the G Pad 10.1, and while it doesn’t rock the most high-end specifications, Verizon is giving it some love with an update to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop (yes, not 5.1.1). The software version number is VK41022A.
There isn’t much to be said about this update beyond what we wrote for the Verizon G Pad 10.1’s Lollipop update. LG’s custom UI additions have received a fresh coat of paint to fall in line with Google’s Material Design guidelines and all the features and improvements that are included in Android Lollipop are there – Smart Lock for authenticating the device when other trusted devices are nearby, the Interruptions menu which provides granular control over which app notifications light up your device, Floating Action Buttons, and more.
As always this is a carrier OTA update, so don’t be surprised if it’s a week or more before you see it in your system updates.
Pre-orders for the LG G4 have just gone live on Best Buy’s website for the AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint variants. Along with guaranteeing you’ll get the phone the day it launches on your carrier, the big-box store is even throwing in a $100 gift card to sweeten the deal.
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If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on Samsung’s quirky variant on the Note 4, the Note Edge is available today from AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular – as well as through the Samsung experience stores within Best Buy stores. Best Buy pricing starts at $399.99 on a new 2-year contract with AT&T, up to $1,599 for an unlocked model without contract.
While we found the device interesting during our hands-on test, the consensus view seems to be that the novelty of the wrap-around screen probably doesn’t justify the extra $100 over the standard Note 4, which our own Dom Esposito described as “the best phablet on the block.”
The Note Edge is also due to roll out in at least 22 other countries, though probably not until sometime next month.
When you hear the word Droid, you probably think of two things: Star Wars and Android. While both items are a correct association, the latter comes with a bit of a twist. Armed with a licensing agreement with Lucasfilm, Verizon launched the Motorola Droid in the fall of 2009. To make a long story short; the device went on to become one of the first commercially successful Android smartphones, but with one small carryover. Verizon ran a very aggressive, but highly successful marketing campaign for the Motorola Droid and as a result, casual tech consumers started referring to Android phones and tablets as “Droids.”
Up until now, Verizon has typically released a few Droid-branded phones each year. But here we are at the end of 2014 and its hardware partner Motorola Mobility has been busy working on its own smartphones like the Moto X, which recently launched across multiple wireless carriers, including Verizon. With the exception of a questionable camera and a few small quirks, the former Google company’s flagship handset is truly sublime. So when Big Red and Motorola announced the Droid Turbo, we saw a device that looked to right some of the Moto X’s wrongs, at least on paper. However, is it really enough to lure us away from the phone that made us feel all warm and fuzzy just two short months ago?
Google Voice has been granted a pretty decent update today, bringing the service to support MMS via a new carrier: Verizon Wireless. Additionally, Google has added native MMS support to the service for photo messaging and—if you choose to opt for Google Voice in Hangouts—you’ll be able to send photos as MMS like you would with any other normal attachment.
We already knew that the LG G3 was on its way to Verizon and today the carrier has made it official. Big Red is now accepting pre-orders for LG’s flagship smartphone and will begin selling the device at its retail locations on July 17th for $100 on a two year contract. In addition to orders for the G3, Verizon is now offering the LG G Watch online for $230 and will be bringing the high-tech timepiece to its brick and mortar locations on July 17th as well.
Verizon today announced that it will be exclusively carrying the Sony Xperia Z2 tablet following a leak yesterday. The waterproof and scratch-resistant device will be available for pre-order from Verizon starting tomorrow, July 10th, for $600 off-contract, or $500 with a new two-year agreement.
When the FCC set a voluntary deadline of yesterday for putting in place technology to allow people to text 911, all four of the main national carriers complied. But since most emergency call centres aren’t yet equipped to receive texts, don’t expect to be using it any time soon.
The FCC said that the ability to text 911 could be a life-saver for those with hearing or speech impairments, as well as in situations where it might be dangerous to make a phone call – while a crime is in progress and the perpetrator within earshot, for example.
But the wireless trade association, the CTIA, warned that even where 911 texting is supported, it’s still impossible to guarantee immediate delivery of texts. We’ve all experienced examples of texts that arrive the next day, so the advice remains to make a voice call wherever possible.
The FCC has uploaded a list of emergency call centres accepting 911 texts. If you attempt to text 911 in an area where the service is not supported, you’ll get a text bounce-back. Needless to say, please do not test the service.
The new line-up of Galaxy Tab Pro and Galaxy Note Pro tablets went up for sale in the United States last month, but only in WiFi variants. Today, however, the monstrous 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro has been made available from Verizon Wireless here in the states. The device went up on the carrier’s website this afternoon without any prior warning or even press release, but we’ll take what we can get.
As far as price goes, it isn’t cheap. With a two-year service agreement, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 will cost you a whopping $750. Should you want to go the off-contract route, be prepared to spend $850 for the device. For these high price points, you get 32GB of internal storage. For comparisons sake, a 32GB iPad Air on Verizon would run $729 without a contract.
The big selling point of the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is of course its 2560×1600 12.2-inch display. Other specs include 3GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 800 processor. Note that the processor is different from the WiFi-only model do to issues with the Exynos chip and LTE connectivity.
If you’re looking to drop $850 on Samsung’s latest tablet, head over to Verizon’s website now. If you’d rather get the WiFi only model, it’s available on Amazon for $750.
Hey Verizon customers, keep a special eye out on Big Red’s “end of year” savings as there are a few goodies to be had. First off is a new sale on the Moto X similar to what the carrier ran in November offering the device for $49.99 with a two-year agreement.
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This “new” Verizon video includes Edward Norton and a whole lot of silly situations someone can get into during a 48 hour period. The video, which actually went live at the tail end of November is making the rounds this morning after a teaser earlier in November hinted at something relating to 48 hours.
As Verizon unveiled their shiny new concept store at Mall of America today, the company “accidentally” leaked the upcoming pricing of the HTC One Max. According to Nick Gray at HTC Source who was in attendance at the event, the image was displayed on a “massive interactive touch-screen” that featured both the device and the price.
Motorola’s world may be concentrated on the release of the Moto G this week but Big Red is working to shift some attention back to the Moto X. The carrier is offering a $50 promotion on customized orders through Moto Maker until November 18th.
