Google’s wireless service will only charge you for the data you use. Users will be able to claim a refund for the unused data if they opt for packages. This is a great feature which will imbibe a number of users towards Google’s new services because the current carrier are bad when it comes to user satisfaction.

Initially, Google’s wireless service will only be available for the Vanilla devices—- the Nexus devices which are developed by Google. But the search engine giant has its plans to expand the services across the US.

The best part of Google’s wireless services is that you will be able to switch in-between different carriers. So if you see that the signal strength of Verizon is strong in a specific area, you could quickly tap and switch to Verizon.

The pricing model of the Google’s new wireless service hasn’t been revealed yet. Google has confirmed that it has plans to launch its own wireless service. Google will route your calls and messages via Wifi to reduce your bills.

The strike occurred when Verizon Communications workers could not reach an agreement with Verizon, and as of Saturday night at midnight, 45,000 contracts expired.

Union representatives were unable to reach a compromise with Verizon on issues including heath care costs and pensions.

The strike affects the Verizon wire line divisions which consist of landline phones, cable, and internet services.  This division in Verizon has been declining steadily as more people are using their mobile phones in place of home phone lines.

This strike has no impact, and no disruption of services in Verizon Wireless.

However, this does give more unwanted press toward Verizon.  Just recently, Verizon was getting hammered by the press, and investors, for its lack luster iPhone sales.  Verizon’s response was that it’s actually Apple’s fault because Apple was taking so long to ship the next generation iPhone.

via WWLP.com

News is coming out of China tonight that the Apple iPhone 5 will be released to the market sometime during the second week of September (September 9 – 15), this according to Yahoo China.  Apple is expected to release over 400 million units of the iPhone in the first batch of shipments.  And as in standard for Apple with a new iPhone release, this batch will sell out nearly overnight.

The Apple iPad 3 (or the iPad HD, depending on what rumor you follow), is no longer expected to be released with the iPhone 5 in September.  Shipments for the next generation iPad are now expected to be sometime before Thanksgiving.

The iPhone 5 is gearing up to be one of the hottest iterations of the iPhone to date.  AT&T is already clearing out iPhone 3 inventory to make way for the new iPhone 5, and Verizon (and Verizon investors) are growing VERY impatient with Apple because, according to Verizon CEO, Apple keeps delaying the iPhone 5 release.

The iPad HD coming in Thanksgiving is also a bit of a shock from a shipment standpoint for Apple.  It’s been expected that the iPad 3, or iPad HD, would be released with along side of the new iPhone 5.  But with an estimated release of “before Thanksgiving”, that would no longer be the case.  And the delay of the iPad 3 / iPad HD is something that is sure to not make investors very happy.

Verizon Wireless announced the 4G version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be available for purchase on July 28th (that’s Friday).  The Verizon Galaxy Tab will be available on Verizon’s 4G LTE network and will reportedly push download speeds between 5Mbps to 12Mbps and upload speeds of 2Mbps and 5 Mbps in areas where Verizon 4G is covered.

Here’s a pricing breakdown of the Verizon 4G Samsung Galaxy Tab:

• 16 GB – $529.99
• 32 GB – $629.99
• 16 GB WiFi only – $499.99

Data packages & pricing:

• 2bGB – $30 per month
• 10 GB – $80 per month

Here’s a link to current list of Verizon 4G LTE enabled cities.

My only question is, if you had this much money to spend on a tablet, why wouldn’t you spend the money on an iPad instead?

Just wondering…

via USAToday

According to incoming Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, the iPhone 5 is not expected until the fall, “and I think you will see a significant jump there when we get to that point,” said McAdam, whose promotion from COO to CEO was announced also yesterday (via NYPost).

But if that’s the case, then wouldn’t the same scenario be happening on at AT&T?

You’d think… however, AT&T’s iPhone sales are continue to plow ahead at a much faster rate than Verizon’s.

Everyone’s waiting for the iPhone 5 to hit sometime in September.  The name of the game now is, for AT&T and Verizon, figuring out how to clear out previous iPhone version’s inventory.

Lowell explained in a conference call that because Apple has been slow in bringing the iPhone 5, to replace the iPhone 4, that is why AT&T is still leading in iPhone sales.

When Verizon started selling the iPhone in February, all the talk was about how disgruntled AT&T customers were going to jump ship and head over to Verizon.

Well that just hasn’t happened.

In the 2nd quarter, Verizon’s iPhone sales trailed AT&T’s and fell short of Wall Street expectations.

Verizon activated 2.3 million iPhone 4’s compared to AT&T’s 3.6 million iPhones.

The AT&T iPhone sale figure is likely to increase dramatically with the new pricing discounts on refurbished iPhone 3GS’s.

Looks like Verizon needs to step up the game a bit to compete with AT&T in the iPhone market.

via NYPost

I was in a Verizon store today talking to a sales rep about the next generation Phone, presumably called the iPhone 5. After asking him when he thought Verizon would be getting the iPhone 5, he replied with,

Well… it’s rumored that the iPhone 5 will be released sometime in the fall of 2011, and AT&T would be getting it first.  Then, a few months later, Verizon will get it – which puts Verizon getting the iPhone 5 sometime in Q1 2012.

He said that Apple is always VERY tight lipped about any and all of their products, but that from his information so far, this is the schedule Verizon is expecting.

The sales rep didn’t have any comment about their being an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 Pro.

I love the image above of this iPhone.  No idea if it is an actual iPhone 5 or not, but the new iPhone dashboard is pretty cool looking. I like the thumbnail view of the app itself – almost like a Google Chrome most popular page.

The other cool feature I’d love to see with the iPhone 5 is the arrangement of apps according to most popular or most frequently used – again, just like the Chrome browser arranges your most frequented pages first in their dashboard.

Last Friday, Verizon announced 7 more cities / metro areas that have been added to their fast growing list of 4G LTE enabled cities.

7 new cities with Verizon 4G LTE:

1. Charlotte, NC
2. Wilmington, NC
3. Columbia, SC
4. Hilton Head, SC
5. Clarksville, TN
6. Cleveland, TN
7. Greater Lehigh Valley, PA

Current cities with Verizon 4G LTE:

Arizona

• Phoenix

California

• Oakland
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Los Angeles
• San Diego

Colorado

• Denver

District of Columbia

• Washington

Florida

• Jacksonville
• Orlando
• Tampa Bay
• West Palm Beach
• Fort Lauderdale
• Miami

Georgia

• Athens
• Atlanta

Illinois

• Chicago

Indiana

• West Lafayette

Louisiana

• New Orleans

Maryland

• Baltimore

Massachusettes

• Boston

Michigan

• Detroit / metro area

Minnesota

• Minneapolis / St. Paul

Missouri

• St. Louis

Nevada

• Las Vegas

New York

• New York City
• Rochester

North Carolina

• Charlotte
• Wilmington (new)

Ohio

• Cincinnati
• Akron
• Columbus
• Cleveland

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma City

Pennsylvania

• Pittsburgh
• Philadelphia
• Greater Lehigh Valley (New)

South Carolina

• Columbia (new)
• Hilton Head (new)

Tennessee

• Nashville
• Clarksville (new)
• Cleveland (new)

Texas

• Dallas / Fort Worth
• Houston
• San Antonio

Washington

• Seattle / Tacoma

So this is the most up to date list as of today, April 24th, 2011.

I will try to keep this list updated as Verizon expands to more cities and metro areas in the future – which will be a bunch.

Airports with Verizon 4G LTE:

Arizona

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
  
• Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA)

California

• Bob Hope, Burbank (BUR)
• John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana (SNA)
• Long Beach/ Daugherty Field, Long Beach (LGB)
• Los Angeles International, Los Angeles (LAX)
• Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland (OAK)
• Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose (SJC)
• Sacramento International, Sacramento (SMF)
• San Diego International, San Diego (SAN)
• San Francisco International, San Francisco (SFO)

Colorado

• Denver International (DEN)

Delaware

• Wilmington / New Castle (ILG)

District of Columbia

• Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport (IAD)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)

Florida

• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Jacksonville International, Jacksonville (JAX)
• Miami International, Miami (MIA)
• Orlando International, Orlando (MCO)
• Orlando Sanford International, Sanford (SFB)
• Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach (PBI)
• St. Augustine, Saint Augustine (SGJ)
• St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater (PIE)
• Tampa International, Tampa (TPA)

Georgia

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)

Hawaii

• Honolulu International (HNL)

Illinois

• Chicago Midway International (MDW)
• Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)

Louisiana

• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie (MSY)

Maryland

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie (BWI)

Massachusettes

• Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford (BED)
  

Michigan

• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)

Minnesota

• Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis (MSP)

Missouri

• Kansas City International, Kansas City (MCI)
• Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis (STL)

Nevada

• McCarran International, Las Vegas (LAS)
• North Las Vegas (VGT)

New Jersey

• Newark Liberty International, Newark (EWR)
• Teterboro, Teterboro (TEB)
• Trenton Mercer, Trenton (TTN)

New York

• Greater Rochester International, Rochester (ROC)
• John F. Kennedy International, New York (JFK)
• La Guardia, New York (LGA)

North Carolina

• Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte (CLT)

Ohio

• Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland (CLE)
• Port Columbus International, Columbus (CMH)
• Rickenbacker International, Columbus (LCK)
• Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International (CVG)

Oklahoma

• Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City (OKC)

Oregon

• Portland International, Portland (PDX)

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia International, Philadelphia (PHL)
• Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh (PIT)

Tennessee

• Memphis International, Memphis (MEM)
• Nashville International, Nashville (BNA)

Texas

• San Antonio International, San Antonio (SAT)
• William P. Hobby, Houston (HOU)
• George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston (IAH)
• Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth (DFW)
• Dallas Love Field, Dallas (DAL)
• Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin (AUS)

Utah

• Salt Lake City International (SLC)

Washington

• Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle (BFI)
• Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle (SEA)

Wisconsin

• General Mitchell International Airport (MKE)

via Verizon.com

Skype just announced their new Android app with 3G capabilities. You can now use Skype for voice to voice calling on any Android device on both WiFi connections and now 3G. The Skype iPhone app has had WiFi and 3G capabilities. But with the release of the new Skype Android app, the mobile phone platforms, at least the ones used in mass, is now complete.

Some of the reviews from the Android store are less than favorable however because there is no video to video calling through Skype. One commenter simply said, “no video, so what’s the point?”

Regardless of the features the Skype Android app might be missing, the fact that you can now place calls from both the Android device and the iPhone via 3G is a huge deal in the world of the mobile phone carriers.

Take this trend a few years down the road, and I have to ask myself, where’s the need for cell phone companies?

Could apps like Skype push the likes of AT&T and Verizon to the point where they are simply providing data for all these devices?

Perhaps Skype won’t have too big of an impact on AT&T and Verizon, but with the web becoming more ubiquitous, and voice to voice apps becoming more prominent, you’d have to think there would be an impact at some level.

Thoughts?

Verizon users are reporting problems with connecting to 3G on the new Apple iPad 2 device. Apple confirmed the issue by saying “We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it,” the company said in a statement to Mobilized.

Apple will supposedly be releasing an update to the fix in the next iteration of iOS.

The issue is isolated specifically to Verizon’s network, and is not affecting WiFi only devices or any devices running on AT&T.

via Mobilized

And this statistic continued it’s run over into the group of iPhone users. Specifically, Verizon iPhone users where compared to AT&T iPhone users, and Verizon iPhone users only had a dropped call rate of 1.8% where AT&T iPhone users had a dropped call rate of 4.8%.

So regardless of how you cut the pie of mobile phone users, whether it’s iPhone users or regular mobile phone users, Verizon dominates with call stability and connectivity.

Here’s a chart showing the iPhone users on both Verizon and AT&T:

via

According to the survey, AT&T ranked last among the four carriers by 4.6% of users reporting a dropped call, compared to Verizon who ranked number one at only 1.4% users reporting dropped calls.

Here’s the graph:

via ChangeWave

Verizon’s 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is here, and you can now connect up to 5 WiFi devices to your hotspot.

According to Verizon, their 4G LTE network will deliver speeds that are 10x faster than 3G.  Download speeds range between 5-12 Mbps, and upload speeds are between 2-5 Mbps in areas where coverage is adequate. Beginning Thursday (3/31), the hotspot will cost $100 with a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year contract (plans start at $50/month for 5GB of data).

via Verizon

Verizon has a reputation for being the most stable wireless phone carrier in the United States. And although companies like Sprint have been aggressively expanding their 4G coverage, Verizon is quickly becoming the dominant player in this hyper competitive market.

Below is the currently list of Verizon 4G LTE enabled cities in the U.S. along with the list of additional cities that will be turned on by the end of 2011:

• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Oakland, Calif.
• San Diego, Calif.
• San Francisco, Calif.
• San Jose, Calif.
• Denver, Colo.
• Washington, D.C.
• Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Miami, Fla.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Tampa, Fla.
• West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Athens, Ga.
• Atlanta, Ga.
• Chicago, Ill.
• West Lafayette, Ind.
• New Orleans, La.
• Baltimore, Md.
• Boston, Mass.
• Detroit, Mich.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
• St. Louis, Mo.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• New York, N.Y.
• Rochester, N.Y.
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Akron, Ohio
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Columbus, Ohio
• Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Philadelphia, Pa.
• Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Nashville, Tenn.
• Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• Houston, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas
• Seattle/Tacoma, Wash.

Additional areas to be covered by Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network in 2011 include:

• Decatur, Ala.
• Huntsville, Ala.*
• Mobile, Ala.*
• Montgomery, Ala.*
• Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
• Fort Smith, Ark.
• Little Rock, Ark.*
• Tucson, Ariz.
• Bakersfield, Calif.
• Fresno, Calif.
• Modesto, Calif.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Salinas-Monterey, Calif.
• San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Stockton, Calif.
• Colorado Springs, Colo.*
• Fort Collins, Colo.
• Fairfield, Conn.
• Hartford, Conn.
• New Haven, Conn.
• Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Fort Myers, Fla.
• Gainesville, Fla.*
• Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.*
• Pensacola, Fla.*
• Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.*
• Tallahassee, Fla.*
• Augusta, Ga.*
• Hilo, Hawaii
• Honolulu, Hawaii*
• Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii*
• Lahaina, Hawaii*
• Davenport, Iowa
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Boise-Nampa, Idaho*
• Bloomington/Normal, Ill.
• Carbondale, Ill.*
• Champaign, Ill.
• Rockford, Ill.
• Springfield, Ill.
• Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Lafayette, Ind.
• Wichita, Kan.*
• Louisville, Ky.
• Baton Rouge, La.*
• Hammond, La.*
• Springfield, Mass.
• Worcester, Mass.
• Hagerstown, Md.
• Flint, Mich.*
• Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Lansing, Mich.
• Saginaw-Bay City, Mich.
• Starkville, Miss.
• Asheville-Henderson, N.C.
• Fayetteville-Lumberton, N.C.*
• Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, N.C.*
• Raleigh-Durham, N.C.*
• Wilmington, N.C.*
• Fargo, N.D.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Las Cruces, N.M. Santa Fe, N.M.
• Reno, Nev.
• Albany, N.Y.
• Ithaca, N.Y.
• Syracuse, N.Y.
• Dayton-Springfield, Ohio*
• Lima, Ohio
• Toledo, Ohio
• Tulsa, Okla.*
• Portland, Ore.
• Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pa.
• Erie, Pa.*
• Harrisburg, Pa.
• Johnstown, Pa.
• Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa.
• State College, Pa.*
• Charleston, S.C.*
• Columbia, S.C.*
• Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.*
• Hilton Head, S.C.*
• Sioux Falls, S.D.*
• Chattanooga, Tenn.*
• Clarksville, Tenn.*
• Cleveland, Tenn.*
• Dyersburg-Union City, Tenn.
• Jackson, Tenn.
• Kingsport-Johnson City, Tenn.-Bristol, Va.*
• Knoxville, Tenn.*
• Memphis, Tenn.*
• Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas*
• Bryan-College Station, Texas*
• El Paso, Texas
• Temple-Killeen, Texas
• Provo-Orem, Utah*
• Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah*
• Olympia, Wash.*
• Centralia, Wash.*
• Spokane, Wash.
• Charleston, W.Va.*
• Madison, Wis.*
• Milwaukee, Wis.*

* Indicates a metro area previously announced in 2011

via Verizon.com

In the wake of AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile, Verizon is set to expand their 4G LTE network aggressively in the United States.  Verizon plans on expand the 4G network to an additional 59 cities by the end of 2011.

Here’s the press release from Verizon yesterday:

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Today, Verizon Wireless unveiled an additional 59 markets that will benefit from the world’s first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network by the end of this year.  These newly named areas, added to the 39 initial markets launched in December 2010 and 49 markets announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, mean that consumers and businesses in at least 147 U.S. cities will have access to the fastest, most advanced 4G mobile network in America.

David Small, chief technical officer for Verizon Wireless, said, “Aggressively expanding this powerful network beyond major metro areas reflects the reality that the 4G LTE ecosystem is growing quickly. Our commitment to reach deep into medium-sized cities and smaller communities by the end of 2011 means the power of 4G LTE can be harnessed and provide advanced services to law enforcement, healthcare workers, educators, and other professionals, as well as to individual consumers, sooner than many thought possible. So whether you spend time in New York and San Francisco, or Harrisburg, Penn., Saginaw/Bay City, Mich., Huntsville, Ala. and Las Cruces, New Mexico, you can connect to the most advanced 4G network in the country.”

via Verizon.com

Save

It’s interesting to me that Verizon is now offering what they call Google Apps for Verizon.

This is basically a bundled package deal for Verizon small and medium size business customers to start leveraging Google Apps.

Verizon will be charging enterprise clients $3.99 per month / per user for those who just want to use the Google Apps suite of products.

Coupled with data plans, and according to the Verizon website, plans are starting at $74.99 per month.

Google Apps is actually something that businesses can get for free. But Verizon’s move to incorporate the Apps suite of products into a bundled solution is, in my opinion, more about generating new data plan customers.

I commend Verizon for finding a creative way to bundle together something that is already free.

And even moreso with their business saviness in bundling it together with the stipulation that you need to subscribe to a bundle consisting of Verizon Internet service and either Verizon voice or TV service or both.

Here’s a list of services you get with the Google Apps for Verizon:

• Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, Google Video
• 3 free user accounts (bundled data plan required
• Additional accounts can be purchased
• “Do it yourself” kit to get started
• Free website for your business
• Online backup (via Google Docs backup)
• Access to the Verizon Small Business Center

This is also a reflection of the influence that Google is having in the overall marketplace of all things data.

Verizon is already the number retailer for Google’s Android OS operated smartphones.

And more than likely will become one of the largest retailers of Android operating tablets.

via Google Enterprise

Verizon announced today that they will start selling the Apple iPhone starting February 10th with both the 16-gigabyte and 32-gigabyte models being available.

The long anticipated wait is finally over – Verizon announced today that it will start selling Apple’s iPhone starting February 10th, 2011.

The price for the Verizon iPhone starts at $199 for the 16GB version and $299 for the 32GB model – both require a 2 year contract for that pricing.

Some analysts expect Verizon to sell 9 to 13 million iPhones in 2011.

The subsidy that Verizon is paying to Apple is approximately $400 per phone, however, because of the data packages required for the device, Verizon will start making money from the deal in approximately 2 years.

So for all of you who’ve been waiting for the Verizon iPhone, February 10th is your lucky day.

Now we get to really see how many people plan on ejecting from AT&T.

Will you be standing in line at Verizon on February 10th?

via CNBC

The long awaited Verizon iPhone announcement might just be coming this week, according to a recent press conference “invite” select reporters are receiving.

The buzz around a Verizon iPhone has been non-stop this past year, but the long anticipated, and widely discussed arrival may be coming to fruition this coming week.

According to reports, Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile phone company, has been sending out invitations for an “event” (aka, news conference) in New York on January 11th (this coming Tuesday).

Analysts familiar with the situation are predicting that this is the Verizon iPhone announcement we’ve all been waiting for.

This will end the exclusivity reign that AT&T has had on the iPhone since it was released back in 2007.

The Verizon iPhone has also been predicted to put about a $6 billion a year dent in AT&T’s bottom line!

Stay tuned, as more information comes available.

via Bloomberg

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas kicks off on Thursday and Verizon is expected to announce a whole new line up of 4G Android powered smartphones.

Just last month, Verizon said in a Twitter update that “Verizon 4G and Android are like “peanut butter and chocolate.”

The Android phones from Verizon will be the first 4G enabled phones from the carrier, beating out even the iPhone to the new Verizon 4G network.

Other 4G smartphones expected to be announced at CES may come from Samsung, Motorola, and HTC.

There is also wide speculation that a Motorola tablet called Xoom will be unveiled at CES as well.

via WSJ

Is the Verizon iPhone 4 imminent?

If I had to picked one question I’ve been asked by readers of SMSEO more than any other over the past 3 months is, “when do you think Verizon will release an iPhone?”

It’s clear that people are ready to pick up a Verizon iPhone.

In fact, a recent survey shows that nearly half of all AT&T iPhone users would jump ship (bail on AT&T) and switch over to Verizon when / if Verizon did ever release an iPhone – here’s the graph from MacRumors showing the stats:

New Evidence of A Imminent Verizon iPhone

Quoting anonymous sources, Digitimes reports that there is a shipment goal of 5 million to 6 million CDMA iPhones to be shipped to North America and Asia Pacific in the first three months of next year. Unlike AT&T’s GSM cellular network, Verizon’s network is CDMA. (source: Mashable)

Exactly when we’ll see a Verizon iPhone is something that nobody knows, but the evidence is certainly building that Verizon will be launching their CDMA iPhone 4 very soon.

So would you switch your iPhone carrier from AT&T to Verizon?

Would you buy an iPhone from Verizon?

Last night during the Giants vs. Eagles game, I saw for the first time (I think it was the first time anyway…) Verizon’s commercial for their upcoming 4G LTE network (you can see it below). Of course, Verizon is promoting it as lightning fast with a huge budget behind their marketing efforts. But the truth is, Verizon’s 4G LTE network is substantially slower than what’s currently available. T-Mobile’s 4G network can reach download speeds of 21 Mbps and will double to 42 Mbps next year. Verizon 4G LTE network, according to Verizon themselves, will only do 5 Mbps to 12 Mbps. I mean heck, even AT&T’s 4G network is expected to be clocking at least 21 Mbps.

Here’s Verizon’s 4G LTE commercial:

Thoughts?

via IntoMobile

(click map for full version view)

Earlier this month, on October 6th, 2010, Verizon announced their 4G LTE (4G Long Term Evolution) expansion plans. The announcement was made by Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon, and it detailed how Verizon Wireless will launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the 2010.

That’s a pretty aggressive expansion plan for Verizon’s 4G network and literally overnight, Sprint’s 4G coverage is up against serious competition.

In addition, the company is launching its 4G LTE in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – both the airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities.

** Only July 22nd, Verizon announced 37 more US cities and 11 more US airports – you can see these new 4G enabled locations at the bottom

Initial Verizon 4G LTE network launch (2010):

• 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 4G LTE network launch by 2013:

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Major Metropolitan Area Deployment

Akron, Ohio
Athens, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Houston, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Oakland, California
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rochester, New York
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida
Washington, D.C.
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Palm Beach, Florida

And here are the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Initial Commercial Airport Deployment (Airport Name, City, State)

Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Bob Hope, Burbank, California
Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago O’Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
Denver International, Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
La Guardia, New York, New York
Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
Miami International, Miami, Florida
Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
New Castle, Wilmington, North Carolina
Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
Portland International, Portland, Oregon
Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio International, San Antonio, Texas
San Diego International, San Diego, California
San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
William P. Hobby, Houston, Texas

New Verizon 4G LTE enabled cities and airports that were announced on July 22nd, 2011:

New Verizon 4G LTE cities:

•  Decatur, AL
•  Huntsville, AL
• Phoenix, AZ *
• Los Angeles, CA *
• San Diego, CA *
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Bradenton, FL
• Lakeland, FL
• Sarasota, FL
• Augusta, GA
• Hilo, HI
• Honolulu, HI
• Kahului, Lahaina, Wailuku & Kihei, HI
• Carbondale, IL
• Wichita, KS
• Louisville, KY
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Springfield, MA
• Northern New Jersey, NJ *
• Las Vegas, NV *
• Durham, NC
• Greensboro, NC
• High Point, NC
• Winston-Salem, NC
• Toledo, OH
• Tulsa, OK
• Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA
• Charleston, SC
• Chattanooga, TN
• Knoxville, TN
• Dallas, TX *
• Ft. Worth, TX *
• San Antonio, TX *
• Olympia, WA
• Seattle, WA *
• Tacoma, WA *
• Charleston, WV

* BOLD = EXPANDING COVERAGE IN EXISTING MARKET

New Verizon 4G LTE Airports:

• Charleston, WV – (CRW) Yeager
• Toledo, OH – (TOL) Toledo Express
• Milwaukee, WI – (MKE) General Mitchell International
• Rochester, NY – (ROC) Greater Rochester International
• Wichita, KS – (ICT) Wichita Mid-Continent
• Greensboro, NC – (GSO) Piedmont Triad International
• Greer, SC – (GSP) Greenville-Spartanburg International
• Sarasota/Bradenton, FL – (SRQ) Sarasota/Bradenton International
• Colorado Springs, CO – (COS) City of Colorado Springs Municipal
• Hilo, HI – (ITO) Hilo International
• Kahului, HI – (OGG) Kahului

via Verizon

The Verizon 4G coverage map is set to aggressively expand from now through 2013. Starting today, Verizon Wireless is scheduled to launch their 4G LTE network in Charleston, West Virginia. From there, the Verizon 4G LTE network will expand to 10 other West Virginia metro areas by 2013.

A press conference is scheduled today at an Embassy Suites in W. Va. where Senator Jay Rockefeller, Governor Joe Manchin, and Verizon’s senior vice president and CTO Tony Melone are all scheduled to be in attendance.

According to a Verizon spokesperson, the consumer benefit of the Verizon’s “4G Long Term Evolution” network is faster speeds and more connectivity among multiple devices.

Verizon Wireless plan on expanding their 4G LTE network to 38 cities and more than 60 commercial airports across the nation by 2013.

via DailyMail

Here it is folks – the Droid R2-D2 from Verizon – and here’s the tweet that announced it from the Verizon Twitter profile:

Droid R2-D2 is here! Get it for $249.99. $349.99 2yr price -$100 mail-in rebate debit card, data pkg $29.99 or > req’d http://bit.ly/ahPljE

The Droid R2-D2 is a rendering of the Verizon Droid phone, but packed with Star Wars themes, sounds, and more…

You’ve got to check out the Verizon Droid R2-D2 page to get a full understanding of what this phone offers.

via Verizon tweet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is set to release in the UK on November 1st. However, what is still up in the air is when the Galaxy Tab will hit the US market. However, new rumors are out today speculating that Verizon may be releasing a Galaxy Tab Android tablet on November 1st, right along with their UK counterparts. Along with that rumors comes another stating that Sprint will release the Galaxy Tab on November 14th in the US. So regardless of who releases the Galaxy Tab Android tablet when, suffice it to say that we will more than likely see that it here in the US sometime next month (November).

via Droid-Life

The Wall Street Journal has taken a survey asking if current iPhone users (those with AT&T) would switch to Verizon once the new Verizon iPhone was released. Over 14,000 people responded to the Wall Street Journal survey and the overwhelming response was yes – we will switch to Verizon – the actual number came in at 73% saying “Yes” and 27% saying “No”, the wouldn’t switch. So much for the theory that iPhone users are happy with AT&T. It looks like no sooner will the Verizon iPhone hit (which is expected sometime beginning in 2011), and iPhone users will jump the AT&T boat.

Thoughts?

Sprint just announced the arrival of their 4G network to Minneapolis and Pittsburgh. I believe this now makes 55 markets that Sprint has 4G coverage in, and obviously there are more on the way. Even though I’ve been of the opinion that Verizon and AT&T could easily catch up to Sprint’s 4G coverage area, I’m starting to think that Sprint is doing a great job of positioning themselves for the 4G battle that lays ahead. 55 markets, to include New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, puts Sprint in a pretty good position in the 4G coverage market.

So what do you think about Sprint’s 4G coverage and expansion?

This is not good for Verizon – a news release today from the telecommunications company states they have agreed to pay up to $90 million to customers who did not have data plans but where charged for data usage nevertheless. Over the past three years, Verizon customers have sent a myriad of complaints to the FCC for false charges from Verizon. The complaints state that the customers are ignored every time they try to resolve the issue with Verizon. Basically, Verizon knew they were unrightly charging customers, yet refused to address and fix the problems. The FCC might not be satisfied however with the settlement. FCC lawyers may pursue Verizon more aggressively to make an example of the Verizon and set a precedence to the telecommunications industry that this type of business practice is unacceptable.

Thoughts?

via NYTimes

Now that we have the iPhone 4 antenna drama seemingly behind us, it’s time to start focusing on the next iteration of Apple’s iPhone – the iPhone 5. Tentative release dates for the iPhone 5 is July 2011, and this release could be coming directly from Verizon. What’s great about the next version of the iPhone is that it may no longer be restricted to the AT&T.  Verizon is already testing their CDMA network for both the iPhone. The next version of the iPhone will more than likely be called iPhone 5. Unless, of course, we get an iPhone 4G and an iPhone 4GS first. The most popular feature that people would be looking for on the iPhone 5 would be a 4G wireless connection. Although Sprint has been aggressively pursuing the 4G market, I don’t think it will take long for Verizon to trump Sprint in their expansion efforts, which would then allow a 4G enabled iPhone to dominate the mobile phone market.

Thoughts?

Today, Verizon will be launching a new service called Mobile Recovery. This is a free add on feature for any Verizon customers that already subscribes to the Total Equipment Coverage (TEC) plan. Phones that are able to use Mobile Recovery are Android, Windows Mobile, webOS, or BlackBerry devices.

Among other cool features, Mobile Recovery will allow you to locate your lost (or stolen) phone via GPS!

That’s right… you’ll now be able to see exactly where your mobile phone is on something like Google Maps.

Here’s some other features:

• Device location using GPS
• Sound alarms
• Remote device lock
• Remote device wipe

Verizon customers can visit MyMobileRecovery.com to download the Mobile Recovery application, or text getmr to 6967 for download instructions.

via BGR