Verizon

The Galaxy Note 4 became an official product two weeks ago at IFA in Berlin and today US carriers are providing pre-order and launch details for Samsung’s new extra-large smartphone. Each carrier appears to be doing things a little differently, with Verizon and AT&T opening its pre-orders tomorrow, and T-Mobile accepting reservations on September 24th.

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Today Verizon announced that it’s now accepting pre-orders for the stainless steel band version of the Moto 360. Available in black or white for $300, Big Red says the metal version of Motorola’s round smartwatch will ship on November 11th. The leather strap variant of the  Moto 360 launched last week and had a strong initial showing, with the timepiece selling out across several vendors.

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After an unsuccessful union with Sprint, T-Mobile is going after its former suitor’s customers, as well as its other competitors’ subcribers in the wireless world. Today, the magenta-colored carrier announced an aggressive promotional campaign that offers a free year of LTE data to castaways from AT&T, Verizon and of course Sprint.

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Update: Verizon tells Re/code it has no plans to create an app store, adding “Been there. Done that.”

According to a new report from The Information, Verizon is looking to launch its own global app store and in the process has held talks regarding building an “industry coalition” of sorts with other carriers to do so. The app store would of course be a direct competitor for Google’s own Play Store that currently controls the majority of app downloads made on Android devices.
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After several rumors, HTC has finally announced the release of a Windows Phone version of its highly successful HTC One M8. With the exception of its Microsoft-made operating system, this revamped handset’s hardware is a complete carbon copy of its Android-powered predecessor.

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Sprint has unveiled its newest family data plans in an attempt to win back customers that have fled to rivals AT&T and Verizon. The new plans offer twice as much data as the competition at about the same prices. It’s the latest move by the floundering carrier following the less-than-stellar reception of its recently-announced “Framily” plans.

The new plans allow up to ten lines with a shared data pool of 20 GB—paired an additional 2 GB per device as part of a limited-time offer—for a grand total of up to $40 GB of shared data through 2015. A pricing chart (below) breaks down how all of the charges in the new plans work, including an additional $10 per tablet and shared data packs of up to 60 GB.

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Verizon announced a new promotion today that offers an additional gigabyte of sharable data when customers activate a new smartphone or upgrade a new smartphone on one of the carrier’s MORE Everything plans. In order to take advantage of this deal, you’ll need to be on a MORE Everything plan that uses at least 1GB of data.

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Verizon Wireless has announced its plans to launch support for Voice over LTE service (or VoLTE) on its cellular network later this year, according to FierceWireless. However, the company says it has moved back its plan to release a VoLTE-only phone until 2016, and will continue releasing CDMA-capable phones until that time. Such a device was originally anticipated for the end of 2014.

The carrier originally announced earlier this year that it would support the new voice service, which provides higher-quality phone calls by utilizing high-speed data connections, but declined at the time to say exactly when it would happen. Other U.S. carriers, including T-Mobile and AT&T, have already started rolling the technology out in select markets.

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Rumors of when we can expect a Moto X successor have been around for a while now, but now Droid Life is reporting that the device will be released on Verizon in late September. The blog claims that its sources are currently hearing that Verizon is planning to launch the device on September 25th.

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Push-to-talk was a big thing about a decade ago, but nowadays Google Play is loaded with apps that simulate the once prominent tech. As a result, most wireless carriers to step away from promoting PTT support, however Verizon doesn’t seem ready to let go. Today, the company announced the availability of push-to-talk support for some of its LTE capable smartphones.

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Galaxy S5 owners on Verizon and T-Mobile are receiving new software that targets a few carrier specific items. Big Red’s over-the-air push for Samsung’s flagship smartphone brings enhancements to the device’s Caller Name ID, Message+ and cloud apps. The phone’s new software also resolves a lengthy list of bugs, such as Visual Voicemail when using an S-View flip cover, improved connectivity when streaming music and several stability fixes.

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While many devices are making the jump to Android 4.4.4 or the lesser 4.4.3, Verizon’s LG G Pad 8.3 is just arriving at software version 4.4.2. Although it’s not Google’s latest and greatest, this is still an upgrade for those who invested in this carrier connected slate. The highlights of this new software push include: Immersive Mode, which automatically places apps in full screen view and LG’s Knock Code security feature that lets users set up screen tap patterns to wake or lock their device.

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There’s been a lot of talk about the next iPhone launching with a highly resilient sapphire display, however phone maker Kyocera has managed to beat the Cupertino-based software giant to market with the release of its rugged Brigadier. Available now on Verizon for $100 on a two year service agreement or $20 a month via the carrier’s Edge service, this durable device targets people who frequently battle the elements.

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After weeks of leaks and tips, the LG G Vista has officially landed on Verizon. Priced at $100 on a two year service agreement, this handset is a case of a big screen and not so big hardware. The G Vista packs a robust 5.7-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter and Android 4.4 KitKat.

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