• android,  blackberry,  droid,  skype,  verizon

    Verizon to Bring Skype to Popular Smartphones

    February 17, 2010 /

    At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Verizon Wireless and Skype today announced a strategic relationship that will bring Skype to Verizon Wireless smartphones in March. The new Skype mobile™ product enhances Verizon Wireless’ smartphones for users who have data plans by offering a new way to call around the globe, while also giving hundreds of millions of Skype users around the world the opportunity to communicate with friends, family and business colleagues in the United States using Verizon Wireless.

    The two companies have created an exclusive, easy-to-use Skype mobile offering for 3G smartphones. Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans can use Skype mobile to:

    • make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on America’s most reliable wireless network
    • call international phone numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates
      send and receive instant messages to other Skype users
    • remain always connected with the ability to see friends’ online presence.

    Initially, Skype mobile will be available on millions of best-selling Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones with data plans, including the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530, Storm2™ 9550, Curve™ 8330, Curve™ 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour™ 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS™ by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR™.

    John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless, said, “Skype mobile on Verizon Wireless changes the game. For Verizon Wireless’ more than 90 million customers, Skype mobile adds great value because we’re effectively giving customers with smartphones and data plans the option to extend their unlimited calling community to hundreds of millions of Skype users around the globe. And you’re not limited to using a single type of phone; we’ll have nine smartphones ready right at launch in March.”

    Josh Silverman, chief executive officer of Skype, noted, “People want to take their Skype conversations with them wherever they go, whether it’s on a PC, TV or increasingly mobile phones. Verizon Wireless will give U.S. consumers the best Skype experience on mobile phones and will truly change the way people call their friends and family internationally.”

    Customers interested in learning more about Skype mobile for Verizon Wireless smartphones can visit www.verizonwireless.com/skypemobile. Additional information about the service will be available next month.

    Visit www.verizonwireless.com for more information about Verizon Wireless. Learn more and download Skype at www.skype.com.

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  • android,  google,  motorola,  verizon

    Motorola Devour Coming to Verizon Wireless

    February 5, 2010 /

    Verizon Wireless has announced that their next phone based on Google’s Android OS, the Devour, will be arriving in March.

    Verizon Wireless and Motorola, Inc. have announced the availability of Motorola DEVOUR in March. Motorola DEVOUR will be the first Verizon Wireless phone to feature MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s unique Android-powered content delivery service created to make wireless phones more personal and customizable.

    MOTOBLUR is the first solution to sync contacts from work and personal e-mail services, including Gmail, with posts, messages, photos and more from popular sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. With MOTOBLUR, content is automatically delivered to the home screen and fed into easy-to-manage streams.

    Motorola Devour’s Key Features

    • Touch-sensitive navigation pad
    • 3.1” capacitive touch screen
    • Pre-loaded Google apps: Gmail, Google Talk, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps with Navigation.
    • Android Market application store
    • MOTOBLUR Happenings Widget – automatically receive push status updates updates from popular social networking sites.
    • MOTOBLUR Universal Inbox – gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget.
    • Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.
    • 8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed
    • Supported Bluetooth profiles include: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GAP

    Verizon Service Plans

    To get the most from Motorola DEVOUR, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk or Nationwide Talk & Text plan and a Data Package for smartphones. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access, and Nationwide Talk & Text plans begin at $59.99 monthly access. A Data Package for smartphones is $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

    Analysis

    What I really like about the Devour is the new keyboard layout. For the Devour, Motorola chose to make the keys bigger and spaced them out more on the keyboard. In my opinion, this gives the user a better typing experience than what is available on the Motorola Droid or on screen virtual keyboards.

    The downside is that the Devour is clearly intended to be a consumer device. I’m sure businesses will deploy plenty of the new Android-powered phone, however, without Google’s adding more robust support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support, organizations looking to deploy Devour will continue to need third-party tools such as NitroDesk Touchdown.

    For more details, visit the Verizon Wireless website.

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  • android,  droid,  eris,  google,  verizon

    Android 2.x Coming to Verizon HTC Eris

    February 2, 2010 /


    Now that I have a Verizon HTC Droid Eris attached to my hip, riding shotgun to my Palm Pre, I’m looking for information on when I might be able to get my hands on the latest release of Google Android.

    According to SolSie.com, Verizon has come out and stated that they will provide an Android 2.-something upgrade for the Eris before the end of Q1, 2010. Go Big Red!
    “Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney said, “The Droid Eris currently using Android 1.5, can and will be upgraded to newer a Android operating system software in first quarter 2010. The enhancement will allow customers to continue to enjoy the powerful HTC Sense experience while also gaining the additional benefits of Google Maps Navigation.”
    [Via SolSie.com…]
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  • android,  eris,  google

    HTC Droid Eris

    January 31, 2010 /

    Last week I came back to my office to find a present waiting for my on my desk: an HTC Droid Eris smartphone!

    Since this phone is being issued to me as a corporate asset, I’m required to use the phone for business purposes only. That means that the phone can only be used for business phone calls and email only. (If I need to make personal calls or send personal email, I’ll have my Palm Pre for that.)

    So here are some pictures of the Eris being unboxed. The first thing that I noticed when I took the Eris out of the box was how thin and light it felt; something that I will appreciate since I will be required to carry two phones most of the time. The Google Android OS is on par with Apple’s iPhone OS and Palm’s webOS. The Verizon edition of the Eris ships with Android 1.5 installed. If some of the rumors on the Internet are to be believed, HTC and Verizon are working on an Android 2.0 update, however, the ticking point is the porting of HTC’s custom Sense UI to the Android 2.0 platform.

    Unlike the Motorola Droid that I recently reviewed, the HTC Eris lacks a physical keyboard. I’ll have to get used to that, but it is the price you have to pay to get a thin device.

    I’ll have some more thoughts and impressions on the HTC Droid Eris as time goes on.

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  • android,  google,  web os

    Android Users Suffering from App Space Limit

    January 10, 2010 /

    Now where have we seen this issue before? Seems like folks using smartphones powered by Google’s Android operating system are caught up in the same issue that Palm webOS customers where until the release of the 1.3.5 update back on December 28.

    At issue is the fact that when you install an application on your device, the app and potentially all of its data, are stored in the phone’s memory space and not on the microSD card. This issue gets a little tricky as the app and required files can get stored in memory, but data files created by the user can be stored on the microSD card. It seems that the hacker community has some ways of dealing with this issue, however, Joe and Jane Average likely won’t be making any modifications to their phones or the Android OS just to squeeze more apps onto their phone.

    The good news is that Google has acknowledged the issue and says that they are going to address the issue in a future release of the Android OS. The only questions that I have is when will this update be released and for what versions of the Android OS and smartphones will it be released for?

    [Via EngadgetMobile.com…]

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  • android,  google,  t-mobile,  verizon,  vodafone

    Google’s Nexus One Goes Live

    January 6, 2010 /

    Google’s Nexus One smartphone has gone live and the details of the new phone have been posted on the Google website. Some of the key features include:

    • 3.7-inch 800×400 pixel WVGA touchscreen
    • 5MP digital camera with auto-focus and LED flash
    • UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/GSM/EDGE cellular radio
    • 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
    • 1400mAh removable battery
    • Android 2.1 Eclair mobile operating system
    • 512MB of RAM and Flash memory
    • 4GB microSD card included, support for upto 32GB microSD cards
    • Assisted GPS receiver and digital compass

    Pricing and Availability

    The new Google Nexus One is available now as an unlocked phone directly from Google for $529.00. You can also purchase the phone from T-Mobile for as low as $179.00 when you subscribe to a qualifying voice and data plan. Google is also reporting that the Nexus One will be coming to Verizon Wireless and Vodafone during the spring of 2010. No specific dates or pricing has been announced for Verizon or Vodafone at this time.

    For more pricing and availability, visit the Google online store.

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  • android,  google,  motorola,  verizon

    Motorola Enhances Keyboard on New Droid Phone

    January 4, 2010 /

    One of the things that I was complaining about in my recent Motorola Droid review was the way that the keyboard was setup on the Droid. Yes, the Droid has a full Qwerty keyboard, which is still better than an on-screen keyboard in my opinion, but the keyboard was essentially flat and it was hard to feel where one key was from the next.

    In a photo that surfaced on Boy Genius Report over the weekend, it looks like Motorola is aiming to please by changing out and enhancing the keyboard in their next Google Android device, called the Motorola Droid Devour, which is headed to Verizon Wireless at some point this year.

    [Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]

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  • android,  google,  motorola

    Motorola Droid Print Ad

    December 20, 2009 /

    I am flipping through Entertainment Weekly magazine issue 1082/1083 and ran across an ad for the Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless that I thought was a bit off the wall. The ad opens with this line of text:

    “Jump from page to page like a caffeinated cricket in a room full of hungry lizards.”

    O-K, I’m not sure that imagery will make me go out an buy a new phone. Click the graphic to see the ad full size. And if you do decide to buy a Droid after reading the ad, don’t forget to also pick up a good case. No need to have all that “grease-dipped lightning” getting all over that beautiful Droid screen.

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  • android,  google,  sprint

    Sprint: Android 2.0 Coming Hero, Moment in 2010

    December 12, 2009 /

    Sprint recently posted on their Twitter page that the Sprint Hero and Moment smartphones will be getting updates to Google Android 2.0 operating system sometime before the middle of 2010.

    Sprint writes:

    “Happy to announce Android 2.0 is coming to Sprint’s Hero & Moment. Date TBD, but roughly 1H 2010.”

    6 – 7 months is a long time to wait for and update, but owners of the Hero and Moment should be still be excited. At least it isn’t a full year like Microsoft fans will have to wait for Windows Mobile 7.

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