It’s worthy to point out that this isn’t just any normal smartphone with a discount. The DROID DNA is HTC’s flagship device on Verizon, and such a discount like this either means that the phone is selling poorly (which we highly doubt) or Verizon is making room for a new HTC flagship — a.k.a. the HTC One.

Then again, the sale isn’t lasting that long. The deal ends tomorrow, meaning that most customers will miss it if they blink, so it’s certainly not a sale that Verizon is counting on to lower inventory, but it’s possible that they could just be raising awareness for the new-ish phone, since the DNA is HTC’s latest phone on Verizon, and it’s already quite old.

The HTC One isn’t an exclusive phone by any means, as it’s already available on AT&T and T-Mobile, and HTC usually puts most of their phones on Verizon’s network, so we’re a little surprised not to see the One in Big Red’s lineup, but it could only be a matter of time before that eventually happens, unless HTC has other plans.

However, Verizon is hosting their own little even this week at CTIA, which could be the moment where Verizon will announce the HTC One. Then again, HTC has said that if Verizon and HTC announce One availability, it’ll be a “big deal,” and an event at a relatively small tech conference like CTIA doesn’t really sound like the “big deal” that the two companies were talking about, but we’ll see what the companies have brewing and report back with our findings.

Verizon launched LTE in 6 new markets today, including locations in Kentucky, Michigan, and Colorado. This brings the total number of markets that are equipped with Verizon 4G LTE up to 497, which is just three shy of hitting that illustrious 500 mark. AT&T is in second, but they still have work to do in order to catch up, and T-Mobile just launched their LTE network, so they’re still spring training, so to speak.

Verizon plans to cover its 3G network entirely with LTE by the middle of this year, and they carrier said that their 3G network is already 95% covered by their LTE, so they only have a little ways to go at this point. If you’re wondering if you’re city has LTE, it most likely does, but if you’re not sure, Verizon has a full list of LTE-equipped markets in the US.

Last year, Verizon blew past its year-end goals for 2012, covering 417 markets by the middle of October with a year-end goal of covering 400 markets. That’s quite an accomplishment and proves that not only is Verizon willing to casually meet their goals, but they aim to exceed them.

Verizon celebrated the 2nd birthday of its LTE network back in December, and announced that 440 markets had the carrier’s faster LTE speeds. Currently, more than 40% of Verizon’s smartphones run 4G LTE, as well as 63% of all internet devices sold from Verizon. Plus, over half of all of Verizon’s mobile network and data traffic is over LTE speeds. That’s quite impressive to say the least, and while there will be an equilibrium with AT&T eventually, Verizon is making sure they stay on top for as long as possible.

VIA: Android Community

These plans were originally announced back on February 1st and at that time they came with options for either 500MB or 2GB of data. In the data-centric world that we currently live in, 2GB may be low for some and 500MB may even cause you to limit your smartphone usage. With that in mind, Verizon has bumped the allowances to 2GB and 4GB.

Specifically, the $60 plan has 2GB and the $70 plan has 4GB. Each of these plans also offer unlimited talk and text messaging. And for those keeping track, while the data has increased, the price of the plans has remained the same. Customers who are already signed up will see the new data allowance immediately.

Otherwise, new customers choosing these plans will have to wait until June 6th to see the 2GB ($60) and 4GB ($70) limits go in effect. Seems the better option here may be the 4GB plan, after all that is only a $10 per month increase and it offers double the data. Of course, for some 2GB may be enough to feel comfortable and not have to worry about going over.

Aside from Verizon upping the data, AT&T has also recently announced Aio Wireless. While the AT&T offering isn’t available in all markets just yet, it does seem to be one worth watching. For now Aio Wireless is available in Orlando, Tampa and Houston. The Aio smartphone plans begin at $55 per month and offer unlimited calling and messaging as well as 2GB of data. In other words, they seem to be fairly close in price to the Verizon prepaid options.

SOURCE: Verizon Wireless

That means better low-light photos, with Xenons usually far stronger than the LED flashes we’re used to seeing on smartphones. You don’t miss out on a video light, either, with the Lumia 928′s focus-assist LED capable of being repurposed for illuminating during video recording.

Functionally, the new smartphone is much the same as what the Lumia 920 was offering months ago. However, it’s packaged up in a neater design, with the squared-off polycarbonate casing fitting more neatly into the hand, and yet still accommodating the PureView suspended optical system, which helps the high-end Lumia take such solid low-light photos.

There’s also a new display, versus that of the 920, with Nokia slotting in an OLED ClearBlack panel, coincidentally the same screen as on the Lumia 925. That’s topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 2 which forms the entire edge-to-edge fascia of the smartphone.

Interestingly, if you head over to RadioShack, the Lumia 928 is going for half of Verizon’s upfront price, though you’ll still need to commit to a two-year agreement.

There’s more on the Lumia 928 in our hands-on and unboxing. We’ve also got photo samples from the 8.7-megapixel PureView camera.

Nokia Lumia 928 hands-on:

Earlier today, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced that they have joined the “It Can Wait” campaign, which was created by AT&T in 2012 and is slated to begin circulating advertisements on May 20. The carriers aren’t the only ones working towards eradicating texting while driving, however, with in excess of 200 organizations and companies also slated to come on board.

The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving, with it primarily targeting teenage drivers. For this reason, the project is set to run radio, TV, online, and in-store advertisements throughout the summer when teenagers are more likely to engage in the activity. The campaign will run through Labor Day.

As part of the campaign, teenagers and other commuters are being encouraged to make an anti-texting-while-driving pledge, doing so on the official It Can Wait website or via its Facebook account. The campaign is also ramping up on Twitter under the hashtag #itcanwait. Videos are already circulating for the campaign, with everyone being encouraged to share stories for the public on texting while driving.

In addition to the advertisements, It Can Wait’s website also features a texting-while-driving simulation game that demonstrates the difficulties and dangerous in sending a text message while operating a vehicle. While the co-branded aspect of the campaign will end on Labor Day, the project itself will continue beyond it.

SOURCE: PC World

This Lumia device works with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor that powers a 4.5-inch display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution. This display differs ever-so-slightly from the Nokia norm with OLED and PureMotion HD+ technology – we’ll be comparing with the Lumia 920 soon. This device is also slightly thinner than the Lumia 920, otherwise retaining most of its abilities.

You’ll find a 2,000 mAh battery inside, NFC as well as wireless charging right out of the box, and a couple of relatively decent cameras. Up front is a 1.2-megapixel camera while the back employs an 8.7 megapixel camera with Nokia’s PureView camera promise. This doesn’t necessarily mean your photos are going to be PureView 808-quality, but it does mean Nokia means business.

Below you’ll see a set of photos taken with the Lumia 928 both inside and outside on a rather bright and sunny day. And dear readers: Let us know if you’re in need of any specific place or setting for additional sample photos and we’ll make it happen for the final review.

The front of this device works with three capacitive buttons, those being a Windows Phone home button, back, and magnifying glass. The magnifying glass can bring you to Bing or it can explore an app that’s had its abilities built into it. Either way, this is the button Android axed.

You’ll be working with this device with a microSIM card from Verizon right out of the box. This device has a small – but telling – change from past Nokia devices. The SIM card slot is not one you need to jam a pin into – instead it’s a drawer – easy!

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Nokia Lumia 928 and stay tuned as we give this device a full run-down in a review coming up soon!

There’s wireless charging, as you’d expect from a device based on the Lumia 920, and NFC. That means the phone can be easily paired with wireless speakers and such, using Bluetooth 3.0 to squirt music across. Other connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz) and microUSB.

Verizon Nokia Lumia 928 demo:

Nokia throws in HERE Maps, HERE Drive+, and HERE City Lens for easier navigation, along with the camera enhancements such as panoramic photos and animated GIFs. Optical image stabilization is included, just as Nokia demonstrated recently by strapping the phone to a remote-control helicopter, as well as a Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics. As for video recording, that’s supported at up to 1080p resolution.

The display, meanwhile, uses Nokia’s ClearBlack technology, and runs at 1280 x 768 resolution. It has a high-brightness outdoors mode, running at 500nits, and the super-sensitive touchscreen which can be used by gloves. The battery is a 2,000 mAh pack, and there’s 1GB of RAM paired with the 1.5GHz dualcore MSM8960 processor, and 32GB of user-storage.

Connectivity is impressive, with the Lumia 928 coming “Global Ready”: that means quadband GSM and UMTS HSPA for when you’re abroad, and EVDO/Rev.A and LTE for when you’re in the US on Verizon’s 4G network. It’s unclear whether Verizon will supply the phone SIM unlocked, however, for international use.

The Nokia Lumia 928 will hit Verizon on May 16, the company says, priced at $99.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate, and assuming a new two-year agreement.

Interestingly, the Lumia 928 had been expected to debut at Nokia’s London event next Tuesday. Exactly what will be the star of that show remains to be seen, though SlashGear will be there to bring you all the details as they’re announced.

The rumor comes from EVLeaks, which we have relied on in the past for many smartphone rumors, and they’ve generally been accurate with their many rumors and leaks. If this discount is to be true, prospective buyers would be able to grab an entry-level 16GB iPhone 5 for just $99, but only after signing a new two-year contract of course.

Sadly, no more details were provided, but if true, the deal will go live sometime in the next week or two, allowing users to grab an iPhone 5 for up to half-off. It’s not said if the promotion will be permanent, or if it’s just a temporary sale that will happen. However, our guess is that it won’t be a permanent discount — at least not until the next iPhone releases.

As for this hinting that the next iPhone is incoming soon, it’s hard to say. Verizon could just be doing this for giggles, without even knowing about a new iPhone coming, but it’s also possible that Big Red needs to quickly clear some of its inventory to make way for something new.

Harlin says that the company’s DROID DNA is still the “HTC hero smartphone at Verizon,” and he claims that the DNA’s features “still compete with products in 2013,” which hints to the possibility that HTC may skip over Verizon this year, since they think that the DNA will last into 2014 before the company will need to release a new phone on Verizon.

The HTC One is been released on all major carriers except for Verizon, which is leading to so many questions and rumors on the Verizon version of the new device. Frankly, we’re not sure why the company isn’t releasing the phone on Verizon, and if they eventually do, it’ll way later than all the other carriers.

The HTC One is one of the newest Android devices to release this year so far, and it comes with an aluminum unibody shell, which is something that we rarely see on an Android device. The Samsung GALAXY S 4, which also was recently released, comes with the traditional plastic shell that Samsung used on its Galaxy S III.

Hardware

This device features a setup that, at the start of 2012, would have seemed like quite the beast. You’ve got a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution resting in a chassis largely made of hard plastic. This device does appear to have a brushed metal back, but don’t be fooled – it’s not quite that hardcore.

Inside you’ve got a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core processor clocked in at 1.5GHz and 1GB of RAM. So you’ve got an SoC that’s basically as powerful as the first wave of dual-core smartphones from the beginning of last year with half the RAM that any of those devices – like the Galaxy S III or DROID RAZR family – had under their hood.

You do have an 8 megapixel camera on the back of this device with a single LED flash bulb as well as a few fun features in the software attached to it. This device has a 2-megapixel camera up front that you’ll be able to use for video chat as well. This device has 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot to add an additional 32GB if you have the need.

Software

Easily the most excellent feature of this device is its set of motion controls. You’ll be able to wave over the display of the Perception to change songs, answer calls, browse through your photo gallery – basically anything you’d normally do with a swipe across the screen with your finger. These controls can also be found – ever-so-slightly different though they may be – in the Samsung GALAXY S 4. Here you’ll find them for a few dollars less, of course.

This device comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. That’s bad news for those of you looking to work with Google Now. Verizon has made it clear in the original announcement of this device that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but haven’t given a timeframe for such an update.

You’ll get a set of odd apps like Document Viewer for your PDFs and Word files, Net Media for controlling your local network media, and Smart Voice. Pantech’s implementation of this command-ready voice app may appear to be similar to systems like Sherpa and Google’s own voice recognition for search, but we’ve found it to be surprisingly finicky and unhelpful. We’re expecting some upgrades to this system before it can be considered ready for any big battle with the top guns.

You’ll find benchmark results for this device to in some cases be beating previous generations of devices and in others failing miserably. While this device appears to win over a device like the HTC One X in Quadrant with overall score, a significant amount of this comes from memory and I/O while basic CPU power lacks in a large way. This device certainly shouldn’t be picked up if you’re looking to best your buddies at the latest shooting games, that’s for sure.

Camera

The photo software being implemented on this device is oddly enticing – while it’s not up to par with HTC’s current offering in the photography user interface department, it does do the trick. Hidden features like quad-photos and the ability to use voice commands (“cheese!”) to take photos are well received. Have a peek at some examples and see what you make of them.

Above you’ll find an HDR photo example from the Pantech Perception while below you’ll find a photo taken in the same position without HDR activated.

Here you’ll also find a back-facing video demo recorded with the Perception. We’re going from inside to outside and back in and down into a low-lit area with this one. Note the speed at which the camera reacts.

Battery Life

The battery issues with 4G LTE appear to be a thing of the past here in 2013, this holding true for the Pantech Perception. With Qualcomm’s handling of the situation with its modem making the task of transferring data not quite so painful as it was back when Verizon first brought the network to the public, we’ve seen all-day battery life without an issue. The biggest drain on your battery here will be your display, so if you’re aiming for an 8-hour session, you’ll be best off turning the brightness down somewhat.

Wrap-up

The Pantech Perception is a fine addition to Pantech’s archive of relatively unique devices, and makes one wish they’d continue to push forth in the USA for a more on-time release. This device could have been a really great addition to Verizon’s ranks if it’d been brought to the market right around a year ago. Unfortunately, since it’s being shown here in the Spring of 2013, this release falls flat in the face of its much more robust competitors.

The report ranks the policies of various large companies, and see how each company stacks up based on six privacy criteria, including whether or not the company published transparency reports and if they fight for users’ privacy rights in Congress and in court. Twitter came out on top, meeting all six criteria, along with internet service provider Sonic.net.

As for the low scorers, Verizon and MySpace didn’t meet any of the six criteria, while Apple, AT&T, and Yahoo only met one of the criteria. However, other companies that received high marks include Dropbox, Google, and LinkedIn, all of which require a warrant in order for their content to be handed over to government officials.

One of the trends seen in this year’s report is the constant low marks with wireless carriers, with both Verizon and AT&T scoring lowly, and the EFF is calling for wireless carriers to up their game and join the other big companies in doing their users a favor by publishing law enforcement guidelines and regular transparency reports.

Verizon says the service will be rolled out to its customers in the coming weeks, but those running Android can head over to the Google Play Store and grab the app now. Those with an iPhone will have to wait for the iOS app, which is said to be “following soon,” although a specific date wasn’t provided. Once the Apple-centric app rolls out, those who own devices running both mobile operating systems will be able to upload and access their content using the service from both devices.

The carrier says it plans to have other mobile operating systems supported later this year. A total of 125GB of data can be stored using the service, with customers getting the first paltry 500MB of that data for free. That changes after the limit is hit, with users needing to switch to a for-pay subscription that is charged monthly for the duration in which the data is stored.

For $2.99 a month, users can upload up to 25GB of data, with the price increasing a tad from there to $5.99 monthly for 75GB and $9.99 per month for 125GB. Once the 125GB of data is hit, users will have to look elsewhere for their cloud storage needs. The Verizon Cloud app is available for smartphones running Android 2.2 and higher, and is currently sitting at version 13.2.5.

[via Verizon Wireless]

The HTC fan blog HTCSoku turned up a code associated with an international edition of the HTC DROID DNA recently that showed a new mystery device by this same manufacturer. While the device this code was intended for was the HTC Butterfly X920d, again, the original version of the DROID DNA, here we see the “DLXPLUS_WL”, or the DLX Plus. This code also showed two other HTC Butterfly 2 devices (HTC has made it clear that this device is, indeed, in the works) with U and UL on their tails.

An HTC Butterfly 2 would be an incremental update to the hardware associated with the HTC Butterfly, or DROID DNA, that being the slightly more massive HTC device released at the end of 2012. HTC-loving developer and anonymous insider LLabTooFeR has spoken up several times on the device which will replace the Butterfly, that being the DLX Plus (or DLX+, if you prefer). LLabTooFeR has strongly suggested that this device – not necessarily the HTC One for Verizon, will be announced “Somewhere in between” the second and third quarters of 2013.

The DLXPLUS_WL has also been suggested to be a variant – or upgrade – of the DROID DNA made for non-Verizon carriers in the USA. This device would be released with the following specifications:

Qualcomm S4 Pro APQ8064 quad-core processor at 1.7GHz
4.7-inch display 1080p resolution
13 megapixel camera back-facing
2.1 megapixel camera front-facing
Internal storage: 16GB
RAM 2GB
Bluetooth 4.0
MicroSD card port for memory expansion
Sense 5.0
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Have a peek at our DROID DNA review from back in November of 2012 to see how similar this setup is to the original. According to HTCSoku, The HTC-made DLXPLUS_WL will be released with the Snapdragon 600 processor, the same processor working on the HTC One in each of its already-revealed iterations.

Final assessment (for now): Verizon will get a DROID DNA+, an upgrade to the DROID DNA they revealed at the end of last year, this time coming with some software feature updates and the same processor as the HTC One.

Sound reasonable to you? Or do you believe HTC would rather keep that top-dog processor to their one true hero device?

Says the sources, Verizon has not yet approached Vodafone, but has instead hired advisers and are looking into the possibility. If the proposal is offered, it is said to involve $100 billion in a combination of cash and stocks ($50 billion from financing, the rest in shares), with Verizon being ready to “push aggressively” to have the deal go through.

Back in 2004, Verizon almost scored Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless when the company was trying to purchase AT&T Wireless, something that would have necessitated the sale of its stake. That purchase didn’t go through, however, and as a result Vodafone retained its Verizon Wireless stake. If the proposal is made, some analysts expect that Vodafone will demand more.

One such reason is the large tax bill Vodafone could be faced with if it sells it stake, estimated to come in at about $20 billion, reducing the value of Verizon’s offer. The sources have a different take on that, however, saying that the way the proposal is made would reduce the tax burden to about $5 billion instead, possibly less. Nothing official has been said on the matter.

[via Vodafone]

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, the manufacturer for the first time pushed their hero phone to multiple carriers with the same basic build. Where before that device Samsung revealed a slightly different model for each mobile carrier both inside the United States and abroad each time they had a major smartphone generation release, the Galaxy S III marked a change in plans. Have a peek at a column by the name of The Samsung Galaxy S III

Today it’s been reported that T-Mobile’s launch of the GALAXY S 4 will be delayed until April 29th for online sales. AT&T’s latest word is a confirmation that shipments for pre-order customers have begun to hit the mail while they’ll have the device in stores rather soon. Verizon has let it be known today that they’ll begin pre-orders online for the device tomorrow with the same pricing structure as AT&T (provided you’re willing to send in a $50 mail-in rebate) at $199.99 for the most basic model.

UPDATE: Verizon has now confirmed that their particular model will be in stores on the 30th of May. This places a very possible significant amount of time between in-store availability of each of the other carriers.

The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is outlined in detail in SlashGear’s full review, this review available to you as of midnight last night. We’ll be continuing to follow Samsung’s push for this device as it begins its battle against the likes of the HTC One and upcoming releases like the LG Optimus G Pro and any iPhone released by Apple this summer.

[via Verizon]

Regarding the expansion of the Innovation Center in San Francisco, Engadget reports that the carrier plans to boost it to something more akin to its New England-based center. In addition, Verizon also wants to roll out more Innovation Centers, cited as saying that it has three or four big cities in mind, but that it’s focusing on its existing centers for now. The possible locations of the new centers weren’t specified.

In addition, the carrier’s Network Support vice president Mike Haberman said that Verizon’s ambitious and rather fast-paced rollout of its LTE network, as well as its plans for HD Voice, are still going strong and as planned. Most of its LTE rollouts will be “substantially done” by the middle of this year. Over half of Verizon’s network traffic – 54-percent – is delivered via 4G.

And that, naturally, leads into questions about the carrier’s HD Voice plans, and when users will be able to take advantage of the technology. Speaking on that, Haberman said that Verizon is testing high-definition voice at the present moment, and that the technology is “working in the network right now.” He says he expects HD Voice-capable handsets to be readied this year, and for it all to go public in early 2014. He also mentions that Verizon is looking at eventually making HD Voice cross-carrier.

[via Engadget]

This Motion Sense technology will be appearing on the Verizon-exclusive smartphone Pantech Perception, this device also including several specifications that push it to the top tier smartphone category. The Pantech Perception includes a 4.8-inch touchscreen with HD Super AMOLED technology, its back features an 8 megapixel camera, and its front uses a 2 megapixel camera. Pantech will be delivering this device with a 16GB bit of internal storage as well.

The 3D sensor technology Motion Sense will allow users to wave their hand over the phone without touching it to activate several features. When the Pantech Perception rings for a phone call, the user will be able to wave their hand over the face (without touching it) to answer said call. Users will also be able to scroll through songs in the smartphone’s basic music app, look through photos, or move through contacts with this new technology.

The Pantech Perception will not be delivered with the most recent version of Google’s mobile operating system Android Jelly Bean. Instead the Perception will be delivered with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a guarantee from Verizon that it will be upgraded to Jelly Bean “soon”. So says Verizon Wireless representative Albert Aydin along with a note on how this device will be sold for 99 dollars and 99 cents just so long as users agree to 2-year mobile contract and send in a 50 dollar mail-in rebate.

This effort will be appearing in the USA this month, starting no earlier than the 25th day of the month. Have a peek at SlashGear’s Pantech tag portal for more information on what this manufacturer is doing to come in full force to the North American mobile device market with smartphones galore.

This report comes from sources speaking with Bloomberg and have asked to remain anonymous as final negotiations will remain secret until next month. The Nokia Lumia 928 is said to be a re-tuning of the Nokia Lumia 920, a device Nokia has claimed as its hero smartphone through the beginning of 2013. This new device would work with a similar 4.5-inch touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera, and the ability to charge wirelessly.

The device that Nokia and Verizon are said to be using to solidify a deal between them will likely follow the metal body rumors reported several times since the international mobile device convention IFA held earlier this year in Barcelona. It was during that convention that Nokia revealed several new smartphones with low price points including the Lumia 520 and 720, both of which use Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more appearances in the recent past of the device at the center of the deal being tipped here today. Will it be Nokia’s time to glow brightly amongst the otherwise midrange Windows Phone 8 devices working with the big red carrier? Or will this deal fizzle before the next wave of Windows Phone 8 devices arrive later this year?

A data breach is self-explanatory, meaning that information of some sort has been compromised, whether it is employee data or a roster of login information. A security incident, however, is something related that doesn’t quite achieve the “breach” threshold, such as a DDOS attack. According to the breakdown, no one was spared from the cyberattcks, with all sorts of businesses and organizations falling victim.

Small, medium, and large businesses, law enforcement agencies, media companies, financial institutions, commercial websites, organizations, and more all suffered from various security breaches and incidents last year. Out of them, it is said that 76-percent were the result of either stolen or weak usernames/passwords, with the the data being harvested using means ranging from skimmers to malware.

According to the New York Times, Wade Baker, a principal author of the Verizon report, said: “The results validate that any business that operates online is at potential risk of suffering a data breach … the report shows that no matter the size of the organization — large, small, government agencies, banks, restaurants, retailers — people are stealing data from a range of different organizations and it’s a problem everyone has to deal with.”

[via New York Times]

Not much else is known about the carrier’s plans, such as how much it will be charging and when exactly buyers can get their hands on it. We can’t help but wonder if the flagship smartphone will be offered under Verizon’s recently announced Device Payment Plan, which will take effect on April 21. Unfortunately, the carrier didn’t state which phones would be available for the payment plan, only saying that it would be a select few.

Pre-orders for the GALAXY S 4 for US Cellular began this past Tuesday, April 16. T-Mobile got a jump on them, announcing back in March that Samsung’s handset would be available “about May 1,” meaning we could see it a tad sooner or later. The announcement was made in New York during the carrier’s Uncarrier event, during which time it launched its LTE network in seven markets.

And, as we noted, AT&T announced that GALAXY S 4 pre-orders can now be placed on the carrier’s website. Shipping is set to start on April 30, which is likely also when we’ll see the handset available on shelves, as well. Buyers will be able to get the 16GB variety of the S 4 for $199, or for a much higher $639 sans contract. We’ll be keeping an eye out for additional details from Verizon, so stay tuned!

[via Twitter]

Verizon is now up to 98.9 million subscribers total, which means it shouldn’t be too long before they reach the 100 million mark. Furthermore, the carrier activated 5.9 million LTE devices out of the 7.2 million total activations. Verizon also claims that 28% of all activations during the quarter were customers who came from other carriers.

As for Verizon’s other services, FiOS internet saw a bump of 188,000 new customers and 169,000 new FiOS Video customers, which rose the revenue of that particular sector of the company up $2.6 billion. And for those who thought that Verizon quit expanding FiOS will be pleased to know that they added fiber optics to 83,000 homes during the past quarter alone, with 217,000 more homes planned for 2013.

Total revenue for the company rang in at $29.4 billion, which is 4.2% increase year-over-year. Operating income grew 19.8% to $6.2 billion in Q1 2013, compared to $5.2 billion during the same time last year. $19.5 billion of that $29.4 billion revenue came from Verizon’s wireless business alone, which is up 6.8% from last year.

First up are the two big changes offered by the update: a Remote View Finder and new Smart Modes. The Remote View Finder is self-explanatory, allowing users to use a remote view finder app in conjunction with another device that will serve as the viewer. Not all devices will support the feature, but those that do include the iPhone, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy S. The feature requires a Wi-Fi connection.

And next on the list are the new Smart Modes, of which users will see four additions after updating comprised of: Snow, Food, Dawn, and Party Indoor. This brings the overall Smart Modes count up to nineteen, all of which offer a mode for nearly every shooting situation you may encounter. While these are the two new features, there are also some improvements that concern a Help app and S Memo.

Following the S Memo update, users will find they can create a record with photos that are already saved on the device. And last but not least is the inclusion of a Help app, which is what you’d expect: an app for browing through information on your camera, how to use it, modes, and other such goodies. You can grab the update now from Settings > About device > System updates.

[via Android Community]

The news puts Clearwire’s business back under the microscope, and is timely given the announcement by Dish Networks earlier today that it was bidding on carrier Sprint. Dish already had a standing bid in on Clearwire, though has blamed regulatory red-tape for the deal not going through, though the company’s chairman did confirm today that the offer was still standing and had not been withdrawn.

Clearwire currently offers 4G service in selected areas across the US, covering approximately 130m people by population. Although best known for its WiMAX network, the carrier has been building out an LTE network for the future; most recently, Sprint announced a plan to buy Clearwire in a deal worth $2.2bn.

According to the filing, Clearwire will discuss the proposed deal – exact terms of which have not been revealed – with Verizon (which it identifies only as “Party J”) and Sprint. The $1.5bn tag would be reduced by the current value of what Clearwire itself pays to lease the spectrum, something which the company has warned could be a “substantial” figure.

“On April 8, 2013, the Company received an unsolicited, non-binding written proposal from Party J, a strategic buyer, in which Party J offered to acquire Clearwire spectrum leases generally located in large markets that cover approximately 5 billion MHz-POPs at a gross price of approximately $1.0 to $1.5 billion, less the present value of the spectrum leases which could be substantial. The Special Committee will, consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, evaluate this proposal and any other proposal and engage in discussions with each of Party J and Sprint, as appropriate” Clearwire SEC filing

Adding to the complexity of the spectrum shuffling is the ongoing bid by Japanese carrier SoftBank for Sprint. The purchase is contingent on Sprint acquiring Clearwire, among other things.

According to Verizon, beginning April 21, customers will be able to purchase some smartphones with a Verizon Wireless Device Payment Plan. It didn’t specify which smartphones would be available under the plan, nor if more will be added over time or if the feature will remain available only to a select few. Customers can buy a new handset at its full price whenever they’d like, regardless of whether they’re still under a contract.

This is in addition to the early upgrade, with two-year contract customers no long being able to upgrade early at 20 months, instead having to wait the full 24 months. With the change, the upgrade becomes possible on the day the two-year contract comes to an end. This change applies to Verizon subscribers who contract comes to its end in January 2014; those with a contract end date that is earlier won’t be affected.

There have been a couple other changes as well, including putting an end to the use of New Every Two credits on April 15, which is this coming Monday. Finally, customers can’t toggle a non-cell phone device upgrade to a phone upgrade. This follows the carrier’s rollout of a $35 prepaid plan for feature phones, which was also announced today.

[via Verizon]

This new $35/month plan will be added on to the other prepaid options that Verizon offers, including $60 and $70-per-month plans that give you unlimited voice and texting, as well as 500MB and 2GB of data, respectively. Verizon says its new basic plan is great for those who don’t talk a lot, but would enjoy unlimited texting and data.

Verizon also offers a $50-per-month plan for feature phones that comes with unlimited everything. Of course, not a lot of users need this, and voice calling isn’t as widely used as it used to be thanks to text messaging, so you can now save yourself $15 per month extra by going with the cheaper new plan that Big Red now offers.

Of course, in this day and age, it might just make sense to upgrade to a smartphone and go for the cheap $60 plan, especially since you can get a new smartphone for the price of what a feature phone costs. In any case, if you’re looking to save some money on your mobile phone plan, $35 per month is the cheapest you can go on Verizon.

This brand new device was released on Verizon Wireless earlier this week and we’ve been putting it through the paces. It certainly isn’t a Galaxy S III or iPhone 5, but LG and Verizon are aiming for a more budget friendly crowd. Or someone that is fairly new to smartphones. You’ll be working with a decent mid-sized run of the mill 4.3-inch smartphone with some decent specs, but it’s the price point of free that is important here. Lets take a look.

Hardware

The LG Lucid 2 certainly doesn’t win any design awards, nor does it come with durable aluminum materials like the HTC One, however it does feel nice in the hand. It’s sized right, lightweight, yet still fairly durable. All things a first-time smartphone buyer might want. So what’s under the hood and how does it stack up? Here’s how!

The Lucid 2 comes with an average 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540 resolution IPS display. It doesn’t look bad, but could certainly be better with most mid-range phones lately being at least 720p HD. Screen resolution aside this has all the makings to be a pretty stellar smartphone. Under the hood is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. LG’s added 8GB of internal storage along with a micro SD slot for expanding storage, and we get a pair of decent cameras. On the rear is 5 megapixels, and VGA up front should do okay for the average Skype call or Google+ Hangout.

As you can see from the gallery, it isn’t the thinnest smartphone but then again we did have the wireless charging cover on back which added about 4mm to the thickness. One important aspect to the size is the fact that we still get an impressive 2,460 mAh battery in such a small device. Add that to a smaller screen than most that isn’t HD, and only a dual-core processor and this thing lasts longer than most. In fact we’ve been able to go nearly 30 hours on a single charge with moderate use.

Sadly as far as hardware is concerned the device certainly doesn’t impress. It’s lightweight which is nice, but it also feels extremely cheap. The terrible plastics are not a favorite of ours, and they are even cheaper than most we’ve seen in the mobile space as of late. The bezels around the screen aren’t too big, and the capacitive touch Jelly Bean buttons were nice and responsive. We’d like the backlit keys to stay bright longer, as guessing got old very fast. In closing the hardware certainly isn’t the best around, but for being absolutely free we really can’t argue. Or knock too many points for it being cheap plastic, a lower resolution display, and only a 5 megapixel camera. Check it out in detail below:

Software

As you saw above, we are clearly working with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean but it has been covered with LG’s take on an Android skin. It’s not our favorite, but then it isn’t as intrusive as something like Sense UI. The animations are smooth, neat, and extremely fast – so we can’t really knock it. LG’s made a few tweaks we’ve seen lately and nothing here is really new. They have a few theme options to change the look and feel with ease, and even offer what they call a “starter mode” where the phone will get dumb-down for a first-time smartphone user.

Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is extremely responsive with the dual-core processor, and LG’s software doesn’t seem to slow down performance. We enjoyed using things like Google Now voice search with Jelly Bean, and the expandable notifications are nice. Sadly LG’s pulldown bar is a mess. The WiFi button you see in the screenshots only wastes valuable pulldown bar space and we can’t get rid of it. We don’t need to see a massive box with our WiFi name Okay LG. The quick toggles in the notification bar were customizable, so that was good. And the screen brightness quick option is a nice touch too.

We had a little more bloatware than we’d like but that’s because Verizon has their own, and recently they’ve been adding Amazon’s suite too. Add those to the extra and not all that needed LG apps and we have a full 3 pages of apps out of the box. More than any first time buyer would need, to say the least.

Performance was swift thanks to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and project butter, and the animations were extremely quick making the entire device just feel fast and fluid. LG’s main issue lately has been with somewhat buggy software, and the lack of updates. As long as this continues to get a few updates in the future to Key Lime Pie and beyond we’ll be happy.

Benchmarks

As usual we had to run a few benchmarks just to see how the phone and that dual-core processor handled some daily tasks. As we mentioned above the entire device feels fast and flies during average tasks, so take these as you will. It holds its own quite well thanks to the Snapdragon S4 under the hood and 1GB of RAM. So we’ll take it.

Camera & Phone

The Lucid 2 comes with an average 5 megapixel camera but it was up to the job for those usual Facebook or Google+ photos. Video recording is only 720p, but that was to be expected. Thankfully the shutter speed and camera interface is much better than the original Lucid, and you’ll be snapping Facebook-worthy pictures in seconds. Here’s a few indoors, as well as outdoors for good measure. Good enough right? Hey the phone is free!

As far as a “Phone” is concerned, the Lucid 2 does great. The actual call quality is great thanks to Verizon, and the speakerphone was louder than many devices we’ve used in the past. Sadly 4G LTE seemed to be a little choppy in an otherwise stable locations, but we’ll check with Verizon and get back to you on that. LTE dropped often and would default to 3G, then our data speeds for YouTube and browsing the web suffered. For most this shouldn’t be an issue however.

Battery Life

As we stated above, the LG Lucid 2 happily comes with a larger than average battery given the size of the smartphone. LG paired a quality 2,460 mAh battery under the hood of this mid-range phone and it lasts far longer than many. We managed nearly 30 hours of battery on a single charge with minimal usage, and with heavy gaming and some web-browsing over WiFi it still lasted from morning til night. We didn’t need to plug it in overnight either, that’s the biggie. You won’t be crying if you forget to charge your phone during the wee hours of the night.

LG’s software tweaks really made showing the battery life a task, as the image above shows the battery drain at 21 hours, and that went all the way down to 10% after about 25 hours. Usually stock Android has a great battery stat page, but LG decided to make it a bit complicated. That aside because it doesn’t matter, battery life is stellar on the LG Lucid 2. Certainly the best for a budget phone, considering the RAZR M only has a 2,000 mAh battery and nearly the same specs.

Accessories

With the LG Lucid 2 being free with a new 2-year contract, Verizon has a few accessories they’ll want you to buy while you are in the store. One that is a pretty decent move considering you’re walking out not paying a cent is the wireless charger options. Using what LG calls the “world’s smallest” wireless charger to drop it and go for only $39.99. This charger is made of the same extremely cheap plastic materials, but has a nice durable set of feet so it won’t slide around. Simple drop your Lucid 2 on it smack-dab in the middle and it will instantly start charging. It has a nice notification LED too.

Then LG’s also included in Verizon stores a wireless charging dock and spare battery charger. The dock pictured above sadly doesn’t have audio out or anything of that nature, but will put your Lucid 2 in a nice landscape mode while you sleep. It also doubles as a charger and conveniently comes with a spare battery that will also charge up all night. So basically LG has battery life completely covered with the Lucid 2.

Wrap-Up

LG has done a rather fine job here in terms of what you get with the Lucid 2 for the price. The fact that they are offering a fairly decent mid-range phone (screen aside) completely free with a new 2-year contract is the selling point here. You get a powerful, capable, and up to date Android Jelly Bean smartphone all absolutely free. Then from there you can enjoy some wireless charging and spend that money on apps from the Play Store instead.

So in closing is the Lucid a device we’d recommend to someone who is considering the iPhone 5, Galaxy S III (or S4) or any other high end device? Nope! Nor does the device deserve any such sort of recommendation. What we will say is for a teenager or a first time smartphone buyer the Lucid 2 for free is a pretty good option, and something worth taking a look at in a store near you. Enjoy the rest of the photos below.

CEO Lowell McAdam attended the NAB conference yesterday, taking part in a scheduled discussion with Gordon Smith, the National Association of Broadcasters’ President and CEO. According to Fierce Wireless, not many individuals attended the one-on-one talk event, but those who did were graced with McAdam’s discussion of its LTE network, and in particular, that videos account for a large amount of its traffic.

He also addressed concerns that broadcasters have expressed about the company’s LTE broadcasting technology, following comments he made earlier this year on using that tech to provide its subscribers with certain live broadcasts. The 2014 Super Bowl was used as one example of the type of events Verizon’s CEO would like to see broadcasted, but underscored the reality that the wireless company isn’t interested in replacing standard broadcasting.

Another interesting thing McAdam had to say was in regards to a conversation he had with the late Steve Jobs, with whom he discussed LTE and the iPhone. McAdam went to task to convince Jobs to add LTE support to the iPhone 5, with the CEO saying during the conference: “I was really trying to sell him and he sat there without any reaction. Finally, he said, ‘Enough. You had me at 10 Mbps. I know you can stream video at 10 Mbps.’ And Apple’s next phone was LTE.”

[via Fierce Wireless]

The image isn’t accompanied by much data, except that it is black, destined for Verizon, and will be available this year. According to information that surfaced in March, the Lumia 928, which is an upgraded Lumia 920, will have an aluminum body, a Xenon flash for the rear camera, and its new name. It’ll support 4G LTE, and will be available to Verizon subscribers.

According to that source, the handset was set to launch in April some time, meaning there’s a chance we could see it roll out this month. There’s said to be a “slightly curved back,” with the thinnest part measuring it at a svelte 10.2mm, making it smaller than the Lumia 920. It is also said that the device will have a more squared shape akin to the Lumia 720.

You can see in the image above that the handset is, indeed, rather square shaped, and you can also see the rounded edges on the rear shot. The image shows Verizon branding on the upper-right side of the device’s face. Aside from an 8-megapixel rear camera, there’s not much else currently known about the device, but while we wait for it to be unveiled, you can check out our Lumia 920 review to get an idea of what to expect.

[via @evleaks]

The router is made by Netgear, and it looks to be a rather small and thin router, with two antennae that tower above the device. Verizon says that the router is available for purchase right now, and it’ll cost you $99 after signing a two-year contract and sending in a $50 mail-in rebate. Or you can buy the router outright for $269.

If you’re already on one of Verizon’s Share Everything plans, you can easily add the router to your plan for only $20 per month. Of course, you might want to bump up the amount of geebees that you have, since connecting multiple device to the router is sure to take a hit on your data allotment, especially considering how fast Big Red’s LTE can be.

However, it’s rather odd to see Verizon promoting a router, but we suppose that the company’s mobile hotspot device may not have enough oompf for some users. Considering that the router can support up to 24 devices total at once, we have to say that it’s one device that you don’t see everyday, and it could be great for larger parties or work events where people need to stay connected.

We knew the six-strikes system was coming for quite some time, with it suffering a delay before its targeted roll-out date last year, finally going into effect on February 25 of this year. The system is being utilized by the big-name ISPs – Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision – to curbstomp piracy via education using a variety of punitive methods often decried as draconian in nature.

While leaked memos and such had revealed ahead of time the various punishments subscribers would face under the six-strikes system, they were officially revealed a couple days after the system went live. You can read a detailed write-up of each ISP’s six-strike system here, but the basic idea is that when a copyright alert is triggered, the subscriber will face throttled speeds, an educational session, limited website access, or other similar effects.

Now, a little over a month after the system went into effect, a Verizon subscriber is facing legal action from Malibu Media, producer of adult entertainment, over alleged sharing of copyrighted materials. Malibu Media has subpoenaed Verizon for copies of the six-strike notices the subscriber received under the new system, as well as information on how much bandwidth he used and a list of viewed pay-per-view films he watched.

The twist in the case is that Verizon said “No.” It says that in addition to Malibu having harassed it in the past, the ISP wishes to protect its subscribers from “shakedown tactics against Doe defendants.” The studio has pushed back and is trying to force Verizon’s hand, but that issue aside, there’s a larger one at play: will the six-strikes system, which was designed and intended to serve merely as an educational tool on the realities of copyright and infringement, be used as a weapon against the browsing public?

[via Torrent Freak]

You’ll find this machine humming along nicely with 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. If you’re all about the wireless charging, you’ll have to make sure you pick up the separate removable battery cover – that’ll cost you $40 USD. This will pair nicely with your wireless charging dock, both this and that being bits and pieces we’ll be reviewing for you later this week!

Above you’ll see a bit more of the LG Optimus F5 as we saw it earlier this year at Mobile World Congress 2013. There in Barcelona we saw LG bringing the fight to multiple display sizes with iterations of devices in this Optimus wave all ready to be LG’s 2013 front. You’ll see not only LG’s custom user interface, but another showing of LG’s own Starter Mode – made perfect for those using a smartphone for the first time.

You’ll be able to purchase this device online on the 4th of April while this device’s retail appearance will be at least one or two more weeks away. Let us know what you’d like to know about this device right now!

Formally called the Casio G’z0ne Commando 811, the new handset comes with an all-new look on top of the brand new LTE chip. Of course, it’s not the most beautiful phone to look at, but if it’s protection from rain, dust, drops, etc. that you’re looking for. the Commando 811 may be the phone for you.

It’s very similar to our recently-reviewed Kyocera Torque, only this newer version is getting a bigger screen, a front-facing camera, and possibly an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based on the new navigation-key arrangement at the bottom of the device. And of course, it’s got the black and red color scheme that Verizon is notorious for on its Android handsets.

Nothing is official yet, but we should be hearing from Verizon and Casio with an official announcement sometime soon. It just cleared from the FCC, so it should only be a matter of time before those that need a viable option for a rugged smartphone equipped with LTE will be able to grab the Commando 811 from Big Red.

[via Android Community]

If such a deal would be made, it’d be the single largest M&A value (Mergers & Acquisitions, that is) of all time. The previous holder of said record was the AOL takeover of Time Warner back in 2000, that deal racking up a cool $182 billion USD. The same source speaking with Alphaville has suggested that Barclays US is working out the possibilities for a potential transaction, the current deal being the following.

“Barclays US has been tasked with putting together the potential transaction, the usually reliable people claim. The basic idea would be that Verizon buys Vodafone’s 45 per cent stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture while AT&T takes the non-US assets.” – Alphaville

Other than this basic set of notes and some analysis, it would appear that there’s been no evidence that these companies will actually go through with said deal. We’ll continue to keep our eye on the situation and you’ll know as soon as we know – stay tuned to SlashGear for more!

UPDATE: An update from Dealreporter (through Alphaville) says that Verizon “is not involved in a reported bid for UK telecom company Vodafone.” Of course their note also comes from “a person familiar with the matter” as no representation from any of the three companies supposedly involved has yet come forward with a statement.

Have a peek at the timeline below for additional puzzle pieces leading to today’s oddity and let us know if you have any insight you’d like to lend!

The acquisition will expand Verizon’s coverage in northwest Arizona, a region of the US that doesn’t get much coverage in the first place (because, you know, it’s out in the desert). Mohave’s operations cover a population of just over 200,000. 3G data will be available, with Verizon’s blazingly-fast 4G LTE rolling out sometime in the near future.

For the time being, Mohave customers won’t be affected until the Verizon network transformation is complete in early 2014. At that point, Verizon will begin to transfer Mohave customers over the Verizon’s network. Again, this only affects those in northeast Arizona who are currently with Mohave Wireless.

It turns out that Verizon has already invested over $80 billion since the company began to increase the coverage of its network around the US, and it looks like it’s paying off. Big Red has the largest 4G LTE network in the US right now, with 486 markets that have Verizon’s LTE, and it covers almost 90% of the US population, according to Verizon.

In our original BlackBerry Z10 Review, Chris Davies spoke about both the hardware and the software in great detail. Lucky for you, not a whole lot has changed since that device was ready for action nearly 2 months ago. Here with the Verizon version we’ve only got the addition of big red’s 4G LTE connectivity compatibility and a couple of Verizon account apps.

With My Verizon Mobile and Backup Plus Contacts you’ll now have the ability to work with your Verizon bill and monitor the data you’ve used during the month. You’ll be able to back up your contact list with Verizon as often as you’d like. And that’s it.

This version of the BlackBerry Z10 uses the same 2 megapixel camera on the front, the same 8 megapixel camera on the back with LED flash, and the same processor under the hood. Inside you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, the same that exists in every version of the Z10 that exists thus far – this same processor is used in such phones as the Samsung Galaxy S III (USA edition), the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, and the HTC One X (USA edition). You’ll also find the first, most updated, and only version of BlackBerry 10 mobile OS on the market.

Up front you’ve got a lovely 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 pixel LCD display, complete with the third-densest pixel arrangement on the market. While the HTC One wins at the moment with 468 Pixels Per Inch, and the HTC DROID DNA is in second (with the Xperia Z and GALAXY S 4) with 441 PPI, the BlackBerry Z10 stands alone as holding the only display on the market with 355 PPI. Of course at that level of density, it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between the lot with the naked eye, but it’s always fun to compare!

Have a peek at our hands-on photos above and below, keep your eye tuned to our BlackBerry Z10 tag portal for more information on this device and see the timeline below for our adventures with BlackBerry 10 up to and including this week!

Based on a survey consisting of the thoughts and recommendations of 84,000 internet/cable/phone bundle subscribers, Verizon FiOS came out on top due to its reliability, great picture and phone call quality, and high service satisfaction. Of course, FiOS is only available in a select number of areas in the US, so some customers are out of luck if they’re looking for the best option.

However, Consumer Reports recommends some alternatives if you’re not looking for a complete “triple-play” bundle. For instance, they recommend DirecTV if you’re just looking for a television package, and they also mention Vonage and Ooma as great phone-only options if you’re already happy with your internet and television packages. Of course, many households are looking to cut the cable cord and just go with internet-only options, which many service providers are happy to do.

The report from Consumer Reports is rather extensive, and it features ratings of internet/TV/phone bundles from 14 different companies, as well as companies that offer individual phone, TV, or internet services. The full report can be found in the May issue of Consumer Reports, which is out now.

The update includes a slew of new features, including Photosphere, which is a camera feature that allows you to take 360-degree panoramic pictures. You can also take advantage of new tools in the camera app in order to add filters, borders, and other photo-customization options. There’s also a new gesture keyboard that comes with the update, allowing for Swype-like typing.

We were first hinted at an Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy Nexus last month, when GSM versions the device were receiving the update over the air, but no official announcement was made yet. Then later on, we were able to snag an unofficial version of the update for Verizon’s model of the device. However, it looks like the carrier is finally pushing out the update to all.

The Galaxy Nexus is one of Google’s many Nexus devices that released in late 2011 as the successor of the Nexus S, but it was eventually succeeded by the Nexus 4, the company’s latest Nexus handset. The Galaxy Nexus was manufactured by Samsung, and while most Nexus devices are branded as Google products, the Galaxy Nexus was one of the few Nexus devices to be branded as a Samsung product.

According to the LA Times there was a tweet (one you can see below) directing users to a page about the DROID DNA in stead of an HTC One showing on the big red network. Another tweet made just a few minutes ago includes talk of no Verizon release for the HTC One with a bit of a disclaimer – “we’ll let you know” if there’s going to be a release in the future.

We’ve heard ourselves that the Verizon HTC One would be a reality in coming months – our source is one we trust, and we’ve seen another trusted source speaking on the matter as well, saying also that Verizon would carry the device. This release is also being tipped to be odd for Verizon in the way it’ll be conducted: without Verizon changes to the name or the hardware.

Normally when a device such as the HTC J Butterfly heads to Verizon, it’s re-named and re-branded. The Butterfly became the DROID DNA (see our full review). With the HTC One series, Verizon brought fourth the DROID Incredible 4G LTE (see our full review). Here with the HTC One, we’re still confident in our source saying the HTC One will be revealed as the HTC One a short period after the rest of the top four networks in the USA have their releases individually.

Have a peek at the hands-on action we’ve got with the HTC One below and be sure to check our full HTC One review for the full run-down. It’s a winner for sure!

It was Verizon chief programming negotiator Terry Denson who spoke up this week with the Wall Street Journal. There he noted that at this very moment, Verizon was in talks with “midtier and smaller” media companies to see if a payment based on audience size model would work for them. Speaking on the model in play today, Denson said: “we are paying for a customer who never goes to the channel.”

The model in play today has Verizon (and other cable and satellite television operators) paying media companies an amount based on the number of homes their service goes to. If the channel is available through their service, Verizon will have to pay based on the amount of homes they push their service to – regardless of how many people actually watch the channel. With new person-tracking technologies in play, Verizon is thinking about using the number of people actually tuning in to create a whole new model.

As Denson notes, the current talk puts viewing time at five minutes minimum to register as having actually visited a television channel. This unique viewing setup would have odd channels that’d otherwise not get a massive amount of cash in a lump-sum deal to really ramp up their earning potential with ad campaigns and must-see-tv pushes across the web.

The same as Spotify artists tell their fans to head to Spotify and give them a listen, so too will media companies tell users to head to Verizon to watch their shows. It won’t be quite so simple as all that until installing a television system is as easy as installing an app – but we can dream!

Meanwhile we’ll keep an eye out for this new television payment model and will let you know if the costs and benefits will ever be passed on to you, the consumer. At the moment it appears that they’ll be keeping your bills the same – the future could very well be knocking some real bills off the top rack.

Verizon boasts a black version of the Blackberry Z10 in addition to the white one offered by AT&T. The handset costs $200 with a two-year contract, a price that many feel is too steep for a phone that the company is hinging so much on. While many handsets have been launched at this price point, including the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III, Blackberry isn’t a major player in the market, leading some to question the wisdom in the pricing. You can read more about this in our write up here.

If you’re a Blackberry faithful, however, or want to give the platform a shot and aren’t afraid to drop $200 and take on a new 2-year contract, you can head over to Verizon and place your order now. Still undecided? Read our review of the Blackberry Z10 to get a better idea of whether it’s the phone for you.

The BB Z10 features a 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 display, as well as a 2-megapixel front camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash. Inside, users will find a Qualcomm MSM8960 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM, as well as 16GB of internal storage. There’s a microSD slot for storage expansion with support for up to 32GB.

[via PC World]