Verizon Wireless Cell Phone News, Views and Reviews

Gifts for the Cell Phone Lovers and Likers In Your Life

Your local Wireless Zone® store is a one stop
shop for all things wireless! If there isn't a store local to you, you can buy accessories, and even some phones on-line at WirelessZone.com. Our stores have some great accessory bundles or you can buy them al la carte. Here are some ideas for gifts for all the people in your life, after all, do you even know anyone who doesn't have a cell phone? If so, perhaps they have contract phobia, in which case, they'd love a pre-paid phone. Or how about the techie ones? Anybody would love an extra wall charger. This way, they can keep one at home and one at work. Maybe an extended battery would be helpful to those heavy users. Here's a great one, a media card reader. The new HC card require a special reader. There are some nice packages that include the reader with the card. If all else fails, we have Wireless Zone® gift cards so they can pick out their own accessory.

Here are a few scenarios or cruise to the bottom of the scenarios for a list of all the things I think would make a great gift.

Leather Case
Holster
Skin
Soft-Touch Hard Cases
Snap On Covers
Silicone Covers
Display/Screen Protectors
Rugged/Industrial Strength cases/Pouches
Window Mount
Headphones
Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
Car charger
Bluetooth
Extra Wall Charger
Extra Battery
Extended Battery
Media Card
Media Card Reader
Aircard
MiFi (personal Intelligent Mobile Hotspot)
Netbook
A shiny new Pre-paid phone
Pre-Paid Phone Card
Global Warranty Plan
Wireless Zone® Gift Card

If I forgot any, please hit me up with a commment!
Now get out there and shop! Nevermind all that "no buying for yourself" malarchy. Go ahead and get yourself something nice too!
I could use a new HC media card reader if you're feeling generous!

Here we are less than 9 days away from Christmas, 6 days into Hannakuh, 10 days away from Kwanza and that's as worldy as I am right now! What I'm trying to say is that we are still right in the middle of gift-giving-a-palooza! There are lots of great phones out there from Verizon Wireless and still a few more coming. So if you are ready to buy, click here, If you aren't due for an upgrade just yet, read on...

So...the word on the street is that the newest member of the Android family from HTC, that would possibly running Android 2.1 and powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset is due out in early 2010. The HTC Passion is said to have a 3.5-inch multi-touch OLED display, 256MB RAM, 3.5mm jack and a 5MP camera. From what I hear, it'll be capacitive like the Eris and the form factor will be the same (no slide-out keyboard). It was at one time rumored to be out before Christmas but some say this gave HTC time to polish up the software. It is also rumored to be the same device as the Bravo by HTC that would be released oversees to T-Mobile in April.

Bring on the Calgary, or is that the Cavelry? Oh well, either way, if its a Droid, bring it on! The Motorola Calgary or A555 will take advantage of the social user interface called, MOTOBLUR, which pushed your social status' right to your homescreen. It'll have Wi-Fi, GPS and microSDHC slot, 3MP camera, 3.5mm jack and a digital compass round out the specs thus far. The form factor looks to be the same as the Droid with the slide-out keyboard, only this one will have keyboard assist and no D-pad so the keys will be much larger. There's already an accessory listed on Verizon Wireless for it. Won't be long now! Sorry, no EXACT release date yet.

The Casio Brigade is a rugged CDMA clamshell for Verizon Wireless. Circular OLED display, a full 4-row QWERTY keyboard and Push-to-Talk Capabilities. The side opening device reveals another display and a nicely designed keyboard. It also sports a AF 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash and video capture, document viewer, text-to-speech function, large speaker with speakerphone capability, VZ Navigator, V CAST Video, and V CAST Music with Rhapsody, microSD memory card slot. See Video

No release date on the Brigade or the Palm Pre have been announce yet.

Verizon Wireless started pushing an OTA update to all Motorola Droid's. If you haven't seen the notification yet, you should see it anytime within the next 48 hours.

Enjoy improved performance with these OS enhancements.
Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce new software enhancements for your DROID by Motorola smartphone. The Droid by Motorola software version AP:ESD56/BP:C_01.3E.01P update includes numerous improvements.

• OS stability is improved.

• Battery life is improved.

• Camera auto focus functionality is improved, and time between shots is reduced.

• Enhancements for three-way calling.

• Audio for incoming calls is improved.

• When receiving a call on call waiting, the speakerphone now remains on.
  

• Bluetooth® functionality is improved; background echo is eliminated.

• Improved Bluetooth phone book transfer of contacts to in-vehicle Bluetooth solutions.

• After closing a GPS application, the GPS icon will now automatically be removed from the notification panel.

• Users can now receive SMS and MMS messages after an EMS message is received.
  

• SMS and MMS may now be sent to seven-digit addresses.

• Google® contact merging has been updated to accommodate seven-digit numbers.
  

• Visual Voice Mail notices now arrive instantaneously.

• The corporate calendar widget user interface is updated.

Reserving Power for System Update

1. The "Install now" and "Restart & install" options will not be available if your device does not have enough power availability. The system update requires 40% or more power availability if not connected to an external power source and 20% power availability if connected to a power source.
   System Update Instructions

1. You will be notified that a system update is available on your device. Press "Install now" and your device will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.

Note: If you choose "Install later" this will delay installation and you will be taken back to the home screen. The system update message will appear every 30 minutes until you install the update.

2. If you press "More Info..." you will receive more information regarding the system update on your device.

3. After you've received first notification of the system update you can manually initiate by going to "Home" > "Menu" > "Settings" > "About phone" > "System updates". Press "Restart & install". Your device will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.

4. The update has begun once your device powers off and back on and you see the following screen:

1. If you are roaming you will not receive a system update notice. You will need to enable Wi-Fi and wait for the update notice to appear or as mentioned above you can manually update by by selecting "Home" > "Menu" > "Settings" > "About phone" > "System updates".

2. To enable Wi-Fi go to "Settings" > "Wireless & networks". Press "Wi-Fi" to enable.
   
   
3. To connect to an available "Wi-Fi network" select "Wi-Fi settings" and select an available an Wi-Fi network or manually add a Wi-Fi network that has had security settings established.
   
   

If the system update fails to install you will get the following error screen. However, this only means the software did not install properly. Remove and re-insert the battery and power the device back on. The device will power back on with original software and will prompt you once again to install the system update.

Happy Hump Day!

My list of upcoming phones is dwindling! Three new devices came out on November 6th.

Motorola Droid

Specs/Reviews
Video

Droid Eris by HTC

Specs/Reviews
Video

Specs/Reviews
Video

So we are still waiting on the following devices and they should all be out before Black Friday
Blackberry Curve 2
Casio Rock
Samsung Convoy u640
Samsung Omnia II Another great device that I hope doesn't get ignored. This is a WinMo device. It will be launched with 6.5 so it will include the Windows Marketplace. 3.7-inch AMOLED (We've seen this on the Omnia II-its a beautiful screen) WVGA resolution touchscreen, TouchWiz 2.0 make it very user friendly compared to using WinMo on the device, 3D cube interface, does it have SWYPE technology? I don't know if I'm allowed to say. Lets just say if it did, it would be very awesome to use, not to mention a very fast and intuitive way to input type. See Swype info

I've heard that there will be two more Android devices out before the end of the year. Whether thats still true or not, I'm not 100% sure. What I'm hearing is there will be the Motorola Calgary which will have a slide-out keyboard like the Droid and another HTC which will be touchscreen only called Passion. This will be a higher version that the current HTC Eris. I'm guessing eclair (which is what the Moto Droid is on; 2.0) Stay tuned on that!

Then of course there's 2010. In the first quarter we'll possibly see 2 Palms, The Pre and the 800W both of which have been out already with different carriers. Another Push to Talk by Casio will be coming out as well. It will be called the Brigade.

That's it for this week. See ya around the web!

Day two on the Motorola Droid. Lovin it! I have plenry of good things to say. Only one or two cons. The word "con" might even be a little strong. Here's the problem.  The delightfully feature filled Droid uses magnet to trigger two of its coolest features. One is Car Home where you put the device is a cradle mounted to either your window or dashboard and a magnet in the cradle will trigger the navigation 
feature. Neat trick. Some people have even figured out how to hack it so you don't need the cradle or the media stand,

 




which will put it in Multimedia Mode. No hacking necessary. Just out it in any leather (or other) case with a magnet to keep the flap closed. Here-in lies the problem. You lock the phone and put it in your case. Locked, right? Not if it has a magnet in it. Depending on which way you insert it into the case, it will either trigger Car Home or Multimedia Mode. The screen is now unlocked inside your case and your battery is just draining as we speak, while the phone is navigating you to Fiji or presenting a nice digital photo show of your family and friends to the inside of your case.

When I figure out if there is a work around or find the ideal case to keep it holstered in, I'll keep you posted. But remember, you heard it here first. Cellular Chloe has got your back!

How many times have you printed out directions, just in case your navigation didn't work for some reason? Or how about driving down the street toward your destination and the GPS leaves you off in the middle off the street and you still have no idea where you are supposed to go? My favorite is when it says, "your destination is ahead on the left," and its really on the right.

Google and Droid have put an end to this. And the best part is, it's FREE! Imagine using the power of Google to find your destination, whether it be to a nearby gas station, or a known address, or maybe your favorite hole in the wall. And the other best part is, you don't have to type it in. Just tell your Droid where you want to go! Any kind of search you may have typed into Google before, you can just speak out loud and Google will figure it out.

How about this scenario, you are driving to a meeting in a city and you find a parking space that seems like it might be relatively close to where you need to go but you still don't know where your destination is. You can just uncradle the Droid and take it with you, right down the street to your destination.

Watch this video and be amazed at the technology that you can have in your car, and in your pocket.

WOW! What a day its shaping up to be. I have had enough press releases and announcements and phone specs come through my office, to make your head spin. And people wonder why I'm tired when I get out of work. There is a lot of mental work going on here, folks. I'm going to put a sign on my door that says, "Move along, there's nothing to see here." Unless you have the morbid curiousity to see a whirlwind of blonde, phone chargers, papers, demos phones, monitors, microphones and file folders.

Enough about me and my little flurry, lets talk about Droid. It was announced by both Motorola and Verizon Wireless today. Click here to read the press release. 

Sideways Slider Runs 2.0 (Eclair) Operating System 3.7" WVGA 480x854 pixels Display Full virtual QWERTY 5MP camera w/ dual LED Flash, AF and image stabilization DVD Quality recording & playback 16GB microSD Preloaded Integrated with Google Maps, Google Calender, Google Talk, GMail and YouTube Google Maps will display satellite imagery, street view and live traffic Voice activated Google Searches

It is entirely possible that I will have a Blackberry Storm 2 to show on Friday. I will definitely make a video. You're watching my videos on YouTube, right? Since I haven't done it yet, I don't have a link yet so check in at http://www.youtube.com/wirelesszone on Friday. 

Storm 2 Features:

Global PreInstalled SIM card 256MB Flash, 256 MB RAM 2GB on board Runs Blackberry 5.0 Software Functions with BIS and BES High Res Display 480x360 pixel, 3.23" WiFi ready VZ Navigator and VZ Navigator Global Visual Voice Mail Compatible VCAST Music w/ Rhapsody VCAST Video on Demand

That's the latest & greatest news I want to share with you this Wake Up Wednesday.

Verizon Wireless + Motorola +Google = Droid Does (aka Off the Hook! )

Verizon Wireless Press Release

Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0

10/28/2009

Click to download

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: DROID by Motorola arrives on Nov. 6.

Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android™ 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.

“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google™ on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”

“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”

DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.

With DROID by Motorola, you can:

• Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.
• See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, e-mail, Google Maps™, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7” high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.
• Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market™. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.
• Perform Google Search™ at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.
• Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5 megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, AutoFocus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.
• Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail™ and Exchange e-mail pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.
• Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.

Pre-loaded Applications and Enhancements to Google Mobile Services:

• Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.
• Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.
• YouTube™: One-touch recording and playback from homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.
• Google Talk™: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.
• Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.
• Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.
• Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.
• Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.

To get the most from DROID by Motorola smartphone, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide voice plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide voice plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access for 450 minutes and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan is $29.99 for monthly access.

# # #

Original Storm 9530
Verizon Wireless has made a significant system update available to the BlackBerry Storm 9530. BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.328 will not be pushed over the air, and users are recommended to download the update through BlackBerry Desktop Manager. The update stabilizes and improves the performance of many of the Storm's systems, including faster camera launch time and faster image capture, as well as improvements to the browser and typing software.

 
http://vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry/download.aspx?ct=personal

Storm 2 9550
Its official, It is releasing October 28th. 

It will have WiFi, more memory, enhanced surepress technology, support for a variety of new applications, 16GB MicroSD Pre-installed.

Enhanced Multimedia Phones

"Hi. My name is Chloe, I'll be your server today!" Do you ever wonder what to say to that?" Maybe something like, "Hi. I'm Bonnie, I'll be your eater today?" Okay, I digress. This will be a slightly abbreviated version of the regular Wake Up Wednesday column where I serve up the latest dirt on upcoming phones. One reason is because I am at an Inbound Marketing Summit at Gillette Stadium, the home of the N.E. Patriots. As I sit here during the break, they are playing Godfather music and I am surrounded by dorky people like me that blog and tweet nevermind being surrounded by Macs. Yes Macs. These are a creative bunch that love their Macs. So, needless to day, I am in my glory. The only way I'd be happier is if it were a conference about gadgets! Someday...

First and foremost, I saw two new devices yesterday that really woke me up. The HTC Imagio availables to consumers October 20th, and the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 available October 18th. Both are highly anticipated so I was very excited to spend some time with them.

I actually already have an HTC Imagio. Perhaps you were lucky enough to see the video on YouTube before I got the Smackdown. Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding so I had to remove it for now, but I can tell you all about the Imagio since I made 4 videos on it. It's awesome. Taking up the footprint of the iPhone, this thing sets it sights on delivering. It is Windows Mobile, brand new 6.5, released October 6th. That means it also has the new Windows Marketplace so you can OTA (over the air) download apps. Also, while I'm thinking about if, If you have a WinMo device of 6.1 you will be able to upgrade to 6.5 before years' end.

This device is highly contact centric. Once you enter your contacts you have many options to revolve around them. Its all about communicating right? So if you are on Facebook, you can grab their avatar or picture from their status on Facebook for the contact picture in your phone. You don't even need to have their mug in your presence to have their picture. So cool!

Here are the specs:
Network: Digital Dual (CDMA,PCS) /1X, EVDO /Rev.A GSM Quad Band (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) WCDMA / HSDPA / HSUPA
Bluetooth/WiFi: 2.1+EDR, 802.11 b/g
Camera: 5MP
Display: 3.6”, 480 x 800 (wxh), 262K-color TFT LCD, touch screen
GPS/LBS: Standalone
Headset: 3.5 mm
Memory: 512MB / 288MB (256MB Device + 32MB MSM), SD Card supported
Picture Messaging: Yes
USB: Yes
Talktime: 350 minutes
Standby: 324 hours
Platform: Windows Mobile 6.5
Battery: 1500 mAh Lithium-ion
Dimensions: 4.65" (L) x 2.43" (W) x .55" (H)
Weight: 5.3 oz

The thing I  like best about the Imagio is that it is contact centric. Whether you want to check your contacts' latest Facebook or Twitter status or follow a threaded message it takes a simple finger flick to obtain a heck of a lot of communication.

Only 16 to go!

Actually I'm only going to talk about the Chocolate Touch VX8575. Following nicely in the Chocolate line which has produced a device every year for the last four, the Choc Touch is a nice music-centric addition to the line.

So here are my findings about the Chocolate Touch. Its handgernomic, that's ergonomic for your hand! It has a nice rubber coated battery cover, making hanging onto it a whole lot easier! The back/battery cover comes in two colored covers; plum and black.

For you Rockstars, it has some great virtual instruments built-in a preloaded built-in app called "Join the Band."  I tried Piano, and keyboards and cowbell. "More cowbell!" Remember I said this is music-centric? There's more! It has Rhythmic Beat, which enables the phone to vibe along with the beat. The equalizer is redesigned. It has the presets (flat, bass, classical, etc.) and also a new manual option. One of the biggest thing I see on my forums is the desire for multitasking while playing music. This definitely accomodates that

Okay, lets get talking about memory. This device has a 2GB of partitioned  memory. 1GB (about 250 songs) for music only and 1GB for everything else ie: apps, etc. Don't forget, it still supports a microSD card of 16GB.While I'm on the MicroSD subject, you can save your contacts to your miscoSD on this device. That really should be universal.

The headset jack is 3.5mm with Dolby Sound. Man, there are a lot of music features! I almost forgot it has an FM tuner. Complimenting that is a built-in song ID app. so you can determine what the song is right off the tuner. The Chocolate 3 had an FM transmitter. Big difference. 

A few more basic phone features, it has a full html browser, another first for the Chocolate line. The camera is 3.2MP.

More info to follow as I am limited to time while I am at a Marketing Conference.