According to the report, Sprint’s burgeoning LTE infrastructure will not be supported in the LTE model of the next-gen Apple tablet. Nevertheless, bringing it up to speed on Verizon and AT&T will make the iPad 3 even more attractive, and will lessen the impact of LTE-powered Android tablets in their attempt to differentiate themselves from the industry-dominant iPad brand.

The prospect of an LTE-equipped iPad has been the subject of iPad 3 rumors previously, but as we now have an official date for the tablet’s unveiling and the time continues to clock down, details are sliding into place. The other well-known fact about the iPad 3 is that it will have an incredible high-resolution screen known as a Retina Display, in addition to a quad-core processor. We’ll see the full details when the unveiling event happens on March 7.

[via WSJ]

The late-night sketch showed an exaggerated version of Verizon’s “kitech sink” approach, which is to throw a whole lot of jargon about 4G and LTE, while inundating viewers with a wide selection of phones without trying to focus on a single one. Back when Verizon’s marketing campaign was essentially all about the Droid, it managed to make that device the most popular Android phone in the market. Today, though, what is the equivalent of the ubiquitous Droid?

There isn’t one, as the skit shows. Twitter lit up with comments from tech heads who appreciated the clip. “Verizon SNL skit is so true. They need some serious brand work. Their equity is too fragmented across phone manufacturers,” wrote on euser. “No lie, Verizon IS an old person’s nightmare,” wrote another. The sketch depicts an aged man trying to understand what the overly energetic Verizon salesperson is trying to peddle, but ultimately it ends up with the customer asking what happens if he drops is phone or tablet in the toilet. “It breaks instantly,” the salesman says. Verizon did not comment on the skit.

[via Wall Street Journal]

Hardware

The display here is a massive 540 x 960 pixels on 4-inches of space, putting this device at 275 pixels per inch. That’s quite impressive when it comes down to it, it being not quite as rich with pixels as the Galaxy Nexus (at 316 ppi) but certainly ready to contend with the DROID RAZR whose same resolution sits on a slightly larger display, putting it at just 256 ppi. At this close range you wont notice the difference unless you’re holding these devices up next to one another, but the difference is there.

Other than that you’ve got what’s actually a slightly larger device than the DROID 3, this bulk coming from the additional plastic around the edges, seeming to have been added here for stylistic purposes instead of necessity. The device is almost exactly the same height as the previous DROID QWERTY and the keyboard is similar, but quite a bit nicer when you’ve used it for a bit. While the older DROID keyboards did seem excellent when they were first brought forth on the first couple of units, the age started to show harshly on the DROID 3. Here there’s a new amount of space and a sensor-activated light surrounding the keys.

The processor is the same one that’s in the DROID RAZR and several devices that’ve been released in the past few months, that being the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core 1.2GHz SoC. This chip will get you where you need to go and will allow you to play essentially any game you’re hankering for on the Android Market without a hitch. Consider these Quadrant Advanced results – Total 2747, CPU: 6957, Memory: 2586, I/O: 3046, 2D: 283, 3D: 862, and note the comparatively powerful results when you consider the rest of the Android devices released with this same OMAP processor very recently – looking quite similar.

Software

Inside you’ve got your regular suite of Motorola, Google, and Verizon apps, no real surprises in the mix, and all of it comes complete with Webtop. Motorola devices released inside the last year have all had their proprietary desktop-like software installed aboard, this working through your HDMI-connected display with the device itself acting as an intermediary. If you’ve got any of the suggested docks you can turn your DROID 4 into a standalone computer with your HDTV as your monitor and a USB-connected mouse and keyboard as your controllers. Alternatively you can use the DROID 4 as a trackpad to control your cursor on the display. Check out a demonstration of how this all works in our review of the Motorola Lapdock 100.

Motorola devices are connected with a series of basic cloud-connected services such as My Music which connects you to your computer at home via the web. This and the rest of the cloud suite on the DROID 4 are connected via MotoCast, a service which connects all of your Motorola devices via an interface you download for your desktop machine at MyMotoCast.com. Also prominent in the apps drawer is an instant link to your MOTOACTV, a device which acts as both a music player and a fitness tracker which you can attach to your arm, your wrist, or wherever else you’d like to carry it.

Camera

Motorola is back to having a decent beast of a camera here with 8 megapixels on the back along with 1080p video capabilities. Though it’s not the most perfect setup we’ve seen with such specifications, it certainly out-does its predecessor. Have a peek at some demonstrations of the DROID 4′s back-facing camera here and behold the loveliness.

Phone and Battery

The battery on this beast is a full 1785 mAh placing it right beside the original DROID RAZR in battery rating and capturing just about as much time in the wild as well. When you’re using this device for streaming video you’ll get a few hours out of it – enough time for about a full movie and a half. If you’re using it heavily throughout the day, you’ll get something like 6-8 hours. If you’re using it lightly, for email and web browsing exclusively that is, you’ll be getting 10 hours or more no problem. One charge a night should be good for most users.

Wrap-Up

The DROID 4 is the bulkiest device on the Verizon network here at its launch, yet at the same time it’s got the nicest keyboard Motorola has ever offered on a smartphone. If you’re so in love with the basic QWERTY DROID line that you’ve sworn off all other smartphones, it’s time to upgrade to this model. If you’re looking for the best Motorola device on Verizon, I’d recommend the RAZR MAXX. It doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, but it does have a battery that’ll last you until kingdom come, and you’re working with essentially the same innards as this device otherwise.

This device certainly deserves to have a spot amongst the high-end line of Android devices at its release, but will be forgettable within a few months at the dawn of the quad-core smartphone and the start of the Ice Cream Sandwich having Androids being released in bulk closer to the middle of the year. You’ve got the option of grabbing the Galaxy Nexus from Samsung on Verizon right now as well if you want the newest Android software – DROID 4 is still stuck on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – but that would require you to leave your beloved Motorola and go Samsung’s way, a very different beast indeed.

There’s also an 8-megapixel main camera with LED flash and 1080p Full HD video recording, a front-facing camera for video calls, and WiFi hotspot support for tethering other devices. Motorola has splashed plenty of enterprise-level software at the DROID 4, too, with government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) and the Citrix Receiver app preloaded.

However, even if you’re planning on using the DROID 4 for play rather than work, the 1.2GHz dual-core processor should be easily sufficient. OS is Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, but an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade is in the pipeline.

More on the Verizon DROID 4 by Motorola in our hands-on and unboxing from earlier this week; stay tuned for the full SlashGear review.

The LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be given to each Suns player complete with the team’s playbook, video from team practices and games, and scouting reports on opponents. It will also be easier for the team to manage their master itinerary and other travel plans.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will also be used by the Suns throughout US Airways Center on game-nights such as for showing clients interactive views of game seating, presentations for season ticketholders, and other in-game promotions. The tablets will also be integrated into the Suns’ TV and radio broadcasts as a way to interact with digital fans via social media.

The same goes for the 5GB ($50) and 10GB ($80) plans, which double up to 10GB and 20GB respectively. However the promotion is only valid for new smartphone subscribers or those upgrading for the first time to a 4G smartphone from a 3G model; those buying tablets, modems or mobile hotspots are also left out in the cold.

After two years, if you renew your contract then Verizon will let you keep the doubled data for as long as you keep paying, though who knows what new plans will be on offer by then. The carrier hasn’t said how long the deal will be offered.

The new promotion comes just in time for the release of the Verizon DROID 4 by Motorola, which goes on sale this Friday. It’s priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement and mandatory data plan.

On the back there’s an 8-megapixel camera with Full HD video recording, while a 1.3-megapixel camera is up front for video calls. The 4G connection can be shared out with up to eight WiFi-tethered devices, and there’s WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth along with GPS.

Motorola is also pushing the Lapdock 500, complete with its full-sized keyboard and 14-inch display, for those willing to spend another $299.97 turning their smartphone into a notebook. More details in our full hands-on.

Motorola DROID 4 hands-on:

Verizon is promising an Android Ice Cream Sandwich update for the DROID 4, though there’s no timescale for its release; until then, you’ll be using Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread.

[via Android Community]

Exactly what content will be available to stream is unclear; currently content owners prefer traditional DVD and Blu-ray rentals and sales for newer media, leaving subscription-based streaming to pick up movies and TV shows later on in the lifecycle. Verizon and Redbox describe the IPTV aspect as including “expanded content offerings” suggesting back catalog shows and older films, though that’s not yet confirmed.

Still, with Verizon involved, streaming direct to phones and tablets looks like a given. Whether the carrier will also release mobile apps for devices on other networks is a good question; not doing so might encourage would-be streaming subscribers to also ink an agreement on Verizon’s network for their next phone or tablet, but it could also work to limit its appeal.

Verizon will own 65-percent of the new venture, with Redbox picking up the remaining 35-percent. The two companies say they’ll announce more pricing details, as well as branding, closer to the point of launch, which is in the second half of the year.

The “Droid” name has proven to be really powerful for the Android brand, and the one reaping the rewards is Verizon, which holds the rights to the name. However, after the original Droid came and gone, there were other handsets that made their splash, like the new Evo phones and HTC’s myriad models that have come out over the past couple years.

However, Droid is making a comeback, notably with the Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx, and with the Droid Xyboard tablet. It’s time to revive the name in a big way, and bring the Droid brand into the same path as the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S – numbered phones. We all know something with the number “4″ in its name is good, right? I guess we’ll find out on February 10.

[via Wireless Ground]

Verizon isn’t the only company making Super Bowl-watching history this year. NBC, the exclusive telecaster of the big game, will allow users to watch the match on NBCSports.com. It will also be streamed live on NFL.com. For those who want to watch the game on-the-go, you’ll need to download the Verizon Wireless NFL Mobile app, which is available on both the Android Market and the Apple App Store. Customers with a 4G phone get to watch the game for free, but those with a 3G handset must pay $3 on the day of the big game.

MobiTV was beginning to make inroads in the niche market of streaming video to feature phones, but before it could really take off it ended up becoming obsolete in the world of smartphones and apps. The company now works in the enterprise space, striking deals with cable providers and technology companies to offer seamless video integration services. Its name is largely unknown to the general consumer.

[via Multichannel News]

Featured: Hey, iPhone 4S users – be sure to check out our Intoxicase Plus review for the latest Apple phone. And if you want a digestable way to look at the Facebook IPO craziness from yesterday, and a look at other trends, don’t forget to check out Chris Davies’s latest column – Facebook’s IPO, webOS, and the perfect social phone.

Mobile: Hey, here’s a paradox for you. Today, we posted about Verizon getting top customer service honors from JD Power & Associates, and a few hours later we saw a survey from Vocalabs ranking AT&T at the top spot. Maybe it depends on what overseas customer service rep picks up your call. Anyway, in other mobile news, the Lumia 900 is now available for pre-order; good news for you Nokia and/or Windows Phone fans.

Other Stuff: What else made news today? Well if you’re into cloud storage, this is pretty cool: Dropbox offering 4-5 GB of cloud space to desktop bug testers. On a completely separate note, we have some leaked images of Asus’s Eee Pad Transformer 2. Well, that’s it for now. Check back tomorrow for Friday’s evening wrap-up.

The survey found that 69% of AT&T customers surveyed were “Very Satisfied” with their customer service experience. This is an improvement from the 65% ratio the year before. AT&T also dethroned the Now Network, which dropped 12 points to 59%. Tying with AT&T a year ago at 65%, T-Mobile has dropped 17 points to a miserable 48%, while Verizon remains unchanged at 60%.

Apparently, AT&T was able to improve customer service without its proposed T-Mobile acquisition, despite its arguments otherwise. However, T-Mobile’s customer service ratings appear to have collapsed along with the failed merger. Perhaps after some regrouping, T-Mobile will be able to recover this year. It was recently revealed that T-Mobile is offering additional support for unlocked iPhone customers on its network.

This is the second time that Verizon has come out on top in a study like this – the first being done in a similar manner with the same study group. Of course those tested were different, but J.D. Power and Associates conducted the study and reported back in July of 2011 that Verizon was then also the top company in the USA for customer help. As Verizon’s own John Bianchi, vice president of customer service operations notes:

“Our goal is to provide an outstanding overall customer experience, and we’re thrilled that our customers have once again rated Verizon Wireless’ customer care the greatest among national U.S. wireless companies. We prize the industry-leading loyalty of our customers and will continue to develop our people and technology to serve our customers better and make it simpler for them to manage their wireless lives.” – Bianchi

How do you feel about this award being given to Verizon, folks? How has your customer service been at Verizon and/or at other wireless service providers? Do you feel like your own service provider does a better job than anyone else you know? Speak with J.D. Power and Associates and see what you can do! Meanwhile, congratulations Verizon, you did it!

UPDATE: We’ve got a bit of a clarification and update from AT&T, they noting that they certainly don’t deserve to be lumped in with the losers:

“AT&T was again named No. 1 in walk-in customer service by J.D. Power as part of its 2012 Wireless Customer Care Survey – Volume 1, and third overall. We remain dedicated to continuous improvement so we can deliver the industry’s best products and services with exceptional customer care.” – AT&T

If there’s one thing we’re glad to see companies striving to be the best at, it’s customer service – keep up the good work, everyone!

This handset is a Verizon-branded Motorola DROID device, this meaning that it’ll come packed with an official Google-made suite of applications as well as Verizon’s own additions, plus a Motorola custom user interface. This device has a 1.2GHz OMAP4 dual-core processor from Texas Instruments, a 4-inch qHD display, 4G LTE connectivity, and a lovely slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The look of it reminds one very much of the Droid RAZR and the Droid RAZR MAXX, both of which have been released inside the last couple months.

The video above is yours truly checking the device out at CES 2012, it looking ready and willing to be launched inside these first few months of the year. You’ll be able to find all the lovely details on this device that haven’t been listed here at Droid Does or in the timeline of leaks below, and stick around on SlashGear for the full review soon as well! Will this be your next QWERTY superstar, you Motorola lovers, you?

[via Android Community]

Verizon already offers shared family plans for talk and text, but has yet to extend that to data plans, requiring each device to have its own separately metered data service. Since at least May, the carrier has been hinting at offering family data plans with Verizon CEO Lowell McAdams confirming last month that the shared data plans should arrive in 2012.

However, no other details have been revealed about Verizon’s family data plans and when exactly we can expect to see it launch. But with more and more people requiring data service and having multiple devices that require data service, it will sure be a welcome offering. Not only can all users on one family account share data, but individuals with multiple devices may also be able to sign up for one data account to take care of them all.

[via Engadget]

Hardware

While LG does still have one of my favorite devices ever in the G2X released last year, this device feels a bit large for the average citizen. Certainly consider whether you need all the extra space in this gigantic four and half inch display before you go purchasing it, especially since your thumb wont be able to reach the other end of your screen without assistance of your other hand. When playing games and watching video though, this display is top of class. The camera also has us dazzled and is certainly up there in the top 10 cameras thus produced on a smartphone.

The onboard speaker system is fairly excellent, though still pointing out the back of the device as too many smartphones and tablets these days are, still working perfectly well if you’ve got it up against a wall from whens it can reflect. Plug in some headphones and you’ll have a great time all around. This device has a slightly odd look to it with the three button selection below the display, but therein proves its readiness for Ice Cream Sandwich – that’s not a menu button, it’s a multitasking button.

Software

LG has chosen to continue to use their slightly unintuitive user interface over Android 2.3 Gingerbread here, showing how little it trusts in the original build of Android especially in the apps drawer with row after row of titles for app collections. While it all may appear clunky in comparison to the basic build of Android, it does all move super slick, and even offers a selection of themes at the bottom of the home screen with which you can make profiles for yourself. These aren’t the sort of themes like you get with an HTC device with color changes and backgrounds and all that – instead you can set up which apps you need where for Work, then make another for Home, and etcetera. Functionality here is what’s being pushed, made for people with a need for different environments for their smartphone indeed.

Camera

I can’t say enough about how nice the camera in this device is. Though the interface isn’t my favorite in the world (I’m much preferring the stock Ice Cream Sandwich interface at the moment), this skinned version of the Gingerbread shooter certainly gets the job done right. LG has reminded us why it’s 8 megapixels, not a speedy 5 megapixels, that does it best on Android. Have a peek at some photo and video examples here and in the gallery below to get a good idea of what we’re dealing with.

Phone and Battery

The phone quality is perfectly legitimate, like most smartphones these days running on Verizon’s network coming in and sending out clear voice anywhere I roam inside the Twin Cities here in Minnesota. The battery is surprisingly powerful, lasting at LEAST one day with medium to heavy usage and two days (as you can see here) with light usage. Play some streaming video with your built-in Netflix app and you’ll see considerably degrading excellence at something like 6 hours total.

Wrap-up

This is certainly one of the top five LG smartphones ever to be released, and definitely beats out the LG Revolution released last year with LTE as the best LG device on Verizon right this minute. It’s relatively sleek, light, and has a fabulous camera, all this aside from the fact that if you live in an LTE area, it’s very, very fast data-wise. The decision you must make now is whether you want to sacrifice Ice Cream Sandwich as found on the Galaxy Nexus in exchange for the nicer camera on this device – if that’s not a great tradeoff for you, stick with the former.

“Eliminating the FCC’s authority to establish competitive rules, just as Congress is poised to authorize significant new auctions, could discourage participation by bidders other than the largest carriers, ironically driving down auction revenues and potentially undermining the very economic development Congress hopes to gain through its legislation” Kathleen Ham, VP of Federal Regulatory Affairs, T-Mobile USA

T-Mobile’s need for spectrum has been exacerbated after the collapse of the AT&T acquisition. The carrier will receive a “record high break-up fee” from AT&T, including $3bn in cash and “a large package” of AT&T’s AWS spectrum (plus mandatory roaming agreements), but experts say that’s still not enough to make it competitive today.

In fact, it’s estimated that T-Mobile USA will need to spend around $9bn in order to bring its network up to scratch, and it’s presumably this which has motivated the carrier into speaking out over the FCC’s involvement in upcoming auctions. “The FCC has the experience and expertise to ensure that each auction is structured to promote robust competition, both in bidding and service provision,” Ham concludes, “and results in the most efficient and effective use of the spectrum.”

Maps were released earlier this week showing exactly where T-Mobile will gain coverage from AT&T’s spectrum handover. The exchange is believed to be worth around $bn.

Alternatively you may be able to squeeze almost 16 days standby out of a single charge, though obviously regular users will get some mixture of the two figures. Still, considering one of the key complaints about the original DROID RAZR was its relatively short runtimes, the MAXX should satisfy a lot of users.

Unfortunately, $300 with a new, two-year agreement is a lot to pay for longevity, Motorola seemingly cranking up the price as the battery is non-user-accessible. Whether that’s an acceptable compromise or a slap in the face for consumers is a good question.

But here’s the problem: people purchased that original Droid RAZR, believe it or not, and in the several iterations that have come out since – purple, white, one pumped up by CeeLo in a Twitter campaign of sorts – there’s been no giant lack of interest. But then there’s a new version which costs the same price and has a much larger battery. How could a person who understands what’s happened here after they laid down their $300 on the first version not be a little ticked off?

Then there’s another version of the Droid RAZR out there as well which has a reduced price, $200, and the same set of specifications as the original, but this time with no 16GB microSD built in. So the separation of prices begins. Is this because Motorola and Verizon had this all planned well in advance, or is it because they wanted to see how well the original Droid RAZR did before they split the stock, so to speak, with prices and specifications? This situation doesn’t seem fair to early adopters at all, and there’s a lot of dissatisfied customers out there now as a results of it.

This smartphone is both light and powerful, it rolling out with the most high-clocked dual-core processor on the market and a collection of applications right out of the box that will have your head spinning. There’s ESPN ScoreCenter for your sports needs, it connected to the NFL, the MLB, and NASCAR to name a few. You’ll notice that this and other apps are collected cleanly in the apps drawer which has a unique face, it being part of LG’s own custom user interface over Android.

While you’re watching the hands-on video for this device, please feel free to write down any and all questions you’ve got on its technology or its build. We’ll be giving this smartphone a full review by the end of the week, and we want you to have all the information you need on what’s going on here! Wouldn’t want to buy a phone unless you had the full story, yes? Have a peek at the sharpness for now!

No mention of specific iPhone sales has been given, with Verizon instead content to namecheck its recent LTE device announcements. They included the DROID RAZR and HTC Rezound in Q4 2011, as well as several more LTE devices shown off at CES 2012 earlier this month.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is up 2.6-percent among retail users over the same period last year, while postpaid data ARPU is up 14.3-percent. Elsewhere in the company’s business, 201,000 FiOS Internet and 194,000 FiOS Video net subscribers were added, with FIOS customers each spending $148 on average per month.

The quarter saw Verizon’s highest number of retail wireless net additions in the last three years.

Currently, 4G devices on Verizon’s network use LTE for data, if the service is available, but rely on 3G for voice calls. VoLTE, however, would route voice over the capacious data network, with Verizon demonstrating the technology back in early 2011 on a prototype LG Revolution

A full launch in 2013 wouldn’t, of course, preclude a more limited-scale roll out in 2012 as originally promised, and since the tech requires LTE coverage anyway it would give Verizon a chance to further extend its 4G network.

Verizon has already committed to including LTE support in all its future smartphones, including presumably the next-gen iPhone, and to have nationwide LTE coverage completed in 2013. “We’re continuing to work on VoLTE and the services it brings,” a Verizon spokesperson said on the rumors, “and will share any launch or availability plans in due course.”

[via Android Community]

At the same time, Atlanta, Houston and Spokane, Wash. will all get increased 4G coverage, meaning more room to wirelessly roam without dropping back to a EVDO Rev.A signal. Verizon is quoting average speeds of 5-12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2-5 Mbps on the uplink.

Although AT&T had more new LTE devices at CES 2012 last week, that wasn’t to say Verizon came to the show completely empty-handed of 4G phones. As well as the DROID RAZR MAXX, with its boosted battery, there was the QWERTY-toting DROID 4 and the LG Spectrum. Meanwhile those looking for bigger screens got the promise of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE.

Verizon has committed to LTE support in all of its future smartphones, as well as tablets, mobile hotspots and netbooks. Apple is yet to confirm an LTE iPhone, though the iPhone 5 is widely expected to offer 4G support later in 2012.

Instead, you need to either make do with the 16GB of internal storage, or add your own memory card. Verizon still offers a 32GB SKU, though that’s simply the original iteration with half internal storage and half microSD, priced at $300.

Considering you can pick up a 16GB microSD for under $10, that doesn’t seem like much of a deal. Verizon of course has yet another RAZR variant incoming, the DROID RAZR MAXX revealed at CES last week; packing a larger battery – a whopping 3,300 mAh in fact – it’s expected to go on sale on January 26.

Our hands-on with the DROID RAZR MAXX is here, while our full review of the original DROID RAZR can be found here.

[via Android Community]

With the Galaxy Note set to be the biggest smartphone release of the late winter, literally, if you consider it a phone, Verizon was bound to try to take a chunk, and we’re glad of it, as this means developers will be more apt to create additional ROMs for the device now that it’ll be on at least three different release venues, that being AT&T, Verizon, and its international version. Now we’ve just got to see if Verizon will release a special edition “Verizon Red” version for the masses.

That said, we’ve got a review of the original Galaxy Nexus for you down in the timeline as well as hands-on looks of this device in each iteration that’s yet come forth. Do you think this device is going to be as much of a hit here in the United States as its been abroad thus far? It’s certainly going to be BIG, no doubt about that!

[via Android Community]

Motorola was tight lipped during CES and all they had in response to our questions on a launch date was “coming very soon”. Now the details have been revealed by Motorola themselves right on their website. Clearly stating that the new Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX will be available starting Thursday, January 26th.

The new MAXX edition will be exactly the same as the original we reviewed late last year — only it will offer a larger battery. Motorola will be launching the MAXX with a 3,300 mAh battery promising over 21+ hours of solid use. Enough for any hardcore power user, or a busy business-minded individual. The same 4.3″ qHD display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and 8 MP camera will all be present. The original was just over 7mm thick and the new model will still be RAZR thin at just 8.9mm according to Moto. For a comparison that is about the same thickness as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The new Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX will also come with 32GB of storage rather than 16GB, and will set you back an additional $100 over the original.

[via Motorola]

It seems pretty certain that we’ll finally see a 4G LTE iPhone 5 this year and we’ve already seen two LTE-capable Windows Phones. The HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900, both LTE-capable, were just announced for AT&T. Verizon so far carries only one Windows Phone, the HTC Trophy, and had given Microsoft an ultimatum last month demanding LTE devices only.

Despite this, Verizon’s associate director of device marketing Keith Lampron expressed that the company does intend to fully support Windows Phones in the future, suggesting some LTE Windows Phone models for Verizon are in the pipeline.

[via FierceWireless]

With your FiOS TV subscription and your 2012 Samsung Smart TV or Smart Blu-ray player, you’ll get instant access to 26 live TV channels, including HD channels. You’ll also be able to access more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles through Verizon’s Flex View service, which delivers on-demand content to TVs, PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

For the full lineup of Samsung Smart TVs as well as those from competing manufacturers that turned up at this week’s CES show in Las Vegas, make sure to check out our Smart TV Roundup. In particular, Samsung has a 60-inch model packed with Kinect-style motion and voice control. Samsung has also announced integrating DIRECTV, once again eliminating the need for additional set-top boxes.

AT&T‘s cluster of LTE devices was perhaps the biggest single launch of the show, with the carrier hoping to flood our attention with more than a half-dozen 4G handsets. There are some stand-out phones in among the torrent, however: the HTC Titan II, for instance, packs a whopping 16-megapixel camera, while Nokia‘s much-anticipated Lumia 900 brings polycarbonate unibody style to the US and marks the start of the Finn’s North American re-entry.

Otherwise there’s the Pantech Burst and Samsung Exhilarate, both attempting to drag LTE to the entry-level, with a $50 apiece price tag. Sony ditched the Ericsson name and passé hardware with the Xperia ion, toting a 720p HD display and sizable 12-megapixel camera; both it and its European HSPA+ Xperia S pack NFC and the promise of ICS in Q2.

Finally, Samsung‘s Galaxy Note gets a new, AT&T LTE version, offering a compelling – if perhaps tricky to pocket – smartphone/tablet hybrid with useful digital ink input and a beautiful 1280 x 800 display. It’s a phone we’ve coveted in Europe and we’re curious to see how it does in the US.

Verizon had fewer devices than AT&T, but some eagerly awaited ones nonetheless. Motorola brought the DROID 4 to the party, an LTE-toting QWERTY Android slider, along with the DROID RAZR MAXX. The latter answers a common complaint of the original DROID RAZR of last year, meagre battery life on LTE, throwing a huge 3,300 mAh battery at the phone while still measuring just 8.9mm thick. Those looking for superlative displays have the LG Spectrum to look forward to, another LTE device but offering a 1280 x 720 IPS panel with iPhone 4S-besting pixel density.

T-Mobile USA had a much quieter show than either of the big boys, perhaps still licking its wounds and pondering the future now the AT&T acquisition has been ditched. The carrier had just one new device to announce, the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, supporting HSPA+ and – as the name suggests – being another iteration on the Korean company’s familiar Galaxy S II.

Then there are the outliers and oddities. Lenovo opened the show with its S2, headed to China first with an encrypted kernel to keep your data secure and malware-free, while ViewSonic attempted to bridge the work and home worlds with its dual-SIM ViewPhone 3. Beyond their core conceit it proved tough to work up much enthusiasm around either device.

Easier to like has been the Huawei Ascend P1 S and P1, two phones that take dieting very seriously. The “S” prefix device is a mere 6.68mm thick, with what looks to be Galaxy S II “inspired” styling helping it take – for the moment at least – the title of world’s thinnest smartphone. Perhaps more interesting, they both run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, still something of a rarity (all of the previously mentioned handsets are still using Gingerbread).

ASUS‘ Padphone – back in its 2012 redux – is a lot chunkier than the Huawei, certainly, but arguably more useful. Like the Ascend phones it’s now running Ice Cream Sandwich, but of course the Padphone also gets a tablet chassis in which it can be docked for big-screen browsing and multimedia playback. ASUS reckons it’ll hit shelves in the spring, though still isn’t talking pricing.

Finally Intel, a company that has been talking about entering the smartphone market for several years, but is only now looking like it’s building any sort of momentum. The freshly announced Atom Z2460 Medfield processor, along with deals with Motorola and Lenovo, should result in some actual handset launches by the end of the year, each running Android, with talk of tablets also making an eventual appearance.

Lenovo stopped by to demonstrate its Racer-A Atom reference design, an impressive 4.5-inch smartphone with a 1280 x 720 display, 8-megapixel camera, HSPA+ and a 1.6GHz dual-core processor. There may be a few tweaks to the aesthetics, but for the moment this is likely to be one of the devices Lenovo brings to market in the second half of this year. We’ll have to wait until then to find out whether Intel’s long-standing battery issues have been ironed out with Medfield.

Tempted by any of these smartphones? Or are you waiting for Mobile World Congress next month, to see what HTC and others have in store for 2012? Let us know in the comments!

The 500GB conventional drive acts as a standard shared drive/file server for up to three active users, just like Seagate’s similar WiFi-only FreeAgent product available today. It comes with a battery as well, so untethered access should be god for a few hours, though excessive use of the hard drive will lower this. The unit is being developed for corporate customers at the moment, with consumers coming some time after initial release.

To that end, the drive also includes remote server access built-in t its software. Connect to your FTP site, and files can be automatically downloaded to the drive’s on board storage. To keep things interesting while you’re waiting for your flight, it connects naively with Netflix and streams it to any computer or mobile device – no app required. The device has no set release date, but a Seagate representative said they’ve been working on it for 18 months, and it would be available soon.

The original RAZR that has only been available a few months is about to get replaced. Sound familiar Bionic/Droid 3 users? The RAZR comes in at 7.1mm thin while being powered by a 1,780 mAh battery. The new RAZR MAXX offers hours and hours of heavy usage with the largest battery of any recent smartphone — coming in at 3,300 mAh. Motorola has managed to keep the size down to keep the RAZR name and the new MAXX is only 8.9mm thick.

MAXX top, RAZR bottom

All the specs are exactly the same with the new MAXX other than the thickness but I’m sure most wont complain as it still holds its own against most current offerings from Moto’s competitors. The specs include the same 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3″ qHD 960 x 540 resolution, Android 2.3 Gingerbread (ICS coming soon) 1GB of RAM and that 8 megapixel camera around back. Once more nothing has changed other than it gaining a few pounds and getting that huge 3,300 mAh battery.

Motorola has confirmed this will NOT replace the current RAZR and only be an additional option for the business or power user that demands more than all day battery life. The RAZR and new MAXX will be available in white, black, and purple in the coming weeks. No official date was given. Enjoy the hands-on video below.

On the back of this device is an 8-megapixel camera, on the front is a camera fully capable of working with you for video chat, and you’ll be able to work with it with all of the Lapdocks in the latest line: the 100, the 500 Pro, and the rest of the HD dock suite. This device is a half-inch thick, works with mobile hotspot out of the box, and is going on sale “in coming weeks.” It’ll be sold on a two-year agreement for more than likely right around $250 USD and in general feels pretty nice to hold.

Have a peek at our hands-on pics and video and let us know: is this everything you’ve been waiting for? When a device has been leaked as much as this one have, we’ve got to expect that it either affects you in a way that has you chomping at the bit to get it or tired to death of hearing about it – this certainly is a wicked qwerty – is it your next?

The most impressive feature of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is its screen, a brilliant 7.7-inch Samsung Super AMOLED panel. The screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800, matching the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9, though it has a vertical orientation. The biggest extra feature is a built-in infrared port to control your home entertainment devices, which the 7.7 model inherits from the 7.0 Plus.

On the inside, the 7.7 gets a 1.4Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8 megapixel camera. Honeycomb is the order of the day, but it should get an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the future. Samsung’s TouchWiz interface covers the operating system for differentiation.

This gives Samsung 4 active tablet models worldwide: the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, 7.7, 8.9 and 10.1. This comprehensive portfolio is complimented by wireless offerings from all four US carriers. There’s no word on a price or date for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 plus ,and perhaps most distressingly, no indication that a WiFi-only (and contract free) model will be coming to the US at all. Check out a few photos below.

The Motorola DROID RAZR in purple will be available in the coming weeks, adding to the existing classic Black and pristine White color options for the device. It will have 16GB of internal storage with the same overall specs and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. It is priced at $199.99 with a new two-year contract.

The DROID RAZR MAXX is a slightly thicker version of the DROID RAZR, carrying a larger and longer-lasting battery. We first heard rumors about the device back in December following reports on DROID RAZR battery life complaints. And it turns out the rumors were true. This DROID RAZR MAXX boasts more than 21 hours of talk time on a single charge. It will come with 32GB of onboard storage and will be priced at $299.99 with a new two-year contract.

There’s also an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, along with Mirror Mode for outputting the display on a TV. Plug in that way, and you can access the full Firefox browser and use the multi-window Webtop app; you can also dock the DROID 4 with the Lapdock 100 or Lapdock 500 Pro.

Despite the specs, the DROID 4 by Motorola is only 1/2-inch thick. It has mobile hotspot support for up to eight WiFi-tethered devices, and MotoCast for streaming multimedia and documents from your home or work computer.

The Verizon DROID 4 by Motorola will go on sale “in the coming weeks”; the carrier is yet to announce pricing, though we’re guessing it’ll be $200-250 with a new, two-year agreement.

Along with LTE there’s also WiFI b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS, along with a 3-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. The main cam can shoot 720p HD video, too. A mobile hotspot app can be used to share the 4G LTE connection with up to 10 WiFi devices or a 3G connection with up to five.

16GB of onboard storage gets a microSD card slot to augment it, and there will be various accessories on offer. A keyboard-dock will have a 3.5mm audio output and charging support, while a multimedia dock will HDMI out, audio out and a charging port. A USB/SD adapter, HDMI adapter and Book Cover Case round out the options.

Verizon isn’t saying how much the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE will be, nor when exactly it might launch, but we imagine we’ll find that out soon enough.

In fact, Verizon reckons you can use the Jetpack in over 205 countries, more than 125 of which will deliver 3G speeds. The display is a low-power OLED panel and the buttons are touch-sensitive, while the WiFi is b/g/n with WEP/WPA/WPA2 and VPN pass-through support.

The whole thing measures in at a bag-friendly 3.49 x 3.49 x 0.70 inches and 4.7 ounces, and receives data allowance updates via SMS message that are then shown on the display. Verizon isn’t saying how long the battery will last, however, which gives us some pause for thought: most mobile hotspot devices average out at around two hours, but LTE does have a reputation for guzzling through power.

We’ll know more when Verizon confirms pricing, full specs and availability over the next few weeks.

The back holds an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus and 1080p Full HD video recording, while a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera does video calls. Standard storage is 4GB, with a microSD card slot to add to that (a 16GB card will be preloaded), plus there’s WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0. The MicroUSB port does HDMI-MHL, and there’s hotspot sharing for up to 10 WiFi-tethered clients.

The Spectrum measures a not-inconsiderable 135.4mm x 68.8mm x 10.4mm and 141.5g, though LG does at least use that heft to accommodate a 1,830 mAh battery. A second, extended battery with 3,000 mAh to play with should hopefully keep up with power-hungry LTE.

The LG Spectrum will go on sale January 19, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement. An Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is promised for the first half of this year.

You’ve got everything in this little monster of a device including multi-data-stream wireless connections to brand locations, high-quality wireless video surveillance, and connections to mobile office applications “for public safety and field service activities.” Sounds alright! The hardware itself, too, is a beast, complying with a big set of industry and wireless requirements you’ve probably never heard of including: Mil-STD 810-F, IEC60068, IP64, Class 1 Div 2, and e-Mark.

Inside you’ve got an ARM 11-class microprocessor architecture with high-capacity DDR memory, security which includes IPsec-compliant VPNs and PCI-compliant solutions, and AirLink management services for your own personal cloud. You can grab your own soon or stick around and see this device at CES 2012. It’s time for some speedy connections!

This handset runs with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot that has a 16GB microSD card pre-installed. This device will contain a massive 1830mAh battery out of the box with an optional 3000mAh extended battery available for purchase separately at launch. Swype will come pre-installed, Bluetooth 3.0, mobile hotspot for up to 10 devices, and an 8 megapixel camera on the back with the capability to film 1080p video is also included. This device is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread with a modified user interface from LG, and it’s not yet confirmed to be using Google search or, like the LG Revolution, Bing.

That’d be kind of nasty, if I do say so myself. That said, the camera app looks decent, and the device looks like it’s certainly an improvement over LG’s last effort on Verizon. Time to trade in your Revolutions, folks, for a much more clean design. No word on Ice Cream Sandwich, of course, and this announcement is, again, not yet official. Seeya next week, LG!

[via Droid Life]