BlackBerry PlayBook coming to Verizon too?

News that the PlayBook would be at least initially available only on Sprint surely elicited some mixed reactions — hooray for WiMAX but locking your tablet to a single carrier is never any fun. Now Skatter Tech has uncovered a curious page that previously allowed people to join a sort of early-access program for a PlayBook on VZW. The page certainly looks official enough, and the ownership of the site — a marketing agency that works for both RIM and Verizon — also makes a compelling case. Of course, it could just be a fantasy dreamed up by this agency of its two clients working together, but we’ll go ahead and hold out hope for a provider-agnostic PlayBook — maybe even one with LTE.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: BlackBerry, LTE, PlayBook, Sprint, Tablet PC's, Verizon, WiMAX

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Verizon: ‘We’re not throttling bandwidth except when we are’

‘Extraordinary’ data hogs beware

Verizon Wireless slipped out a policy on Thursday that kills unlimited data access for customers, just as the Canadian government was squashing a big-telco friendly policy that would sink its country’s net neutrality.

Verizon – which recently slipped to number two among US wireless carriers – updated the terms and conditions of customers’ contracts, giving itself the right to reduce data throughput.

The capping will last for the remainder of a customer’s current and next billing cycles, the document says.

Contacted by The Reg, a Verizon spokesperson did not clarify what “extraordinary” meant but did say the new Ts & Cs applied from Thursday morning.

He went on: “We’re not going to begin throttling – but we’re reserving the right to do so down the road to protect all customers’ experience. We’re the last of the largest four wireless companies to include this type of language in contracts.”

Verizon claims over 94 million wireless subscribers, so 5 per cent means that just under five million people could get their downloads choked.

The new contract is available on the back of Verizon Wireless receipts, new customer contracts, at the point of sale in stores, and online.

Verizon is taking the step, it said, to save its bandwidth at peak times for “the other” 95 per cent of customers not pigging out on too much Netflix or Onion News Network.

“Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren’t negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users,” Verizon said

The carrier is reserving the right to cap as it prepares to roll out Apple’s download luvvin’ iPhone.

North of the border, meanwhile, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement has Tweeted that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) must rethink a decision that will let bulk carriers charge small ISPs different rates for traffic on their networks.

Asked if it was true he’ll overturn the decision, Clement responded: “True. CRTC must go back to the drawing board.”

He has also been reported to have told the Canadian House of Commons that the CRTC’s decision was “unacceptable” and he’d reverse it. “It is important to protect consumers, innovators and creators, as well as small and medium-sized businesses,” he said.

Clement’s statements follow a decision by the CRTC to let the parent company of Bell Canada charge wholesale service providers that are leasing space on its network a rate based on their usage. Around 360,000 Canadians are reported to have signed an online petition calling for the CRTC’s decision to be overturned.

Article: RSS via The Register

Tags: Bandwidth, Data, Throttling, Verizon

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Skype Mobile for BlackBerry Updated To Version 1.4.0.7

If you are using Skype Mobile on your BlackBerry to keep in touch with your friends, family and co-workers, you’ll be glad to find out that the BlackBerry mobile client has just been updated.

You can grab the newest version by heading to http://m.skype.com which will update the software on your smartphone to version 1.4.0.7. There is no changelog to go with the update but users have reported that the refresh brings a couple of bug fixes as well as small UI changes. In order to use Skype Mobile, you have to be on Verizon’s network as the service is not available on other carriers.

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Tags: Apps, BlackBerry, Skype, Verizon, VoIP

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Verizon Wireless to spend up to $5B in subsidies on iPhone

Today is the big day for the Verizon event out in NYC and Vince is there. This is the anticipated event where Verizon Wireless is expected to finally announce that it is getting the iPhone on its network after four years of users clamoring for the announcement. BusinessWeek reports that s source close to Verizon plans has confirmed that the iPhone is the agenda today.

The iPhone will reportedly go on sale later this month and one of the more interesting tidbits is that Verizon plans to spend big time on subsidies. Analysts told BusinessWeek that Verizon would spend as much as $3 billion to $5 billion this year on subsidizes alone for the iPhone.

The huge expenditure on subsidies for the iPhone will cut into profits though. Analyst John Hodulik from UBS AG said that the subsidy would be $400 per user and Verizon is estimated to sell about 13 million phones this year for a total of about $5.2 billion. He said, “You basically write customers a $400 check. We expect margins to be down pretty meaningfully in the first quarter and second quarter.”

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Tags: iPhone, Smartphones, Verizon, Verizon Wireless

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LTE Galaxy Tab headed to Verizon along with 1.2GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera

While we already anticipated plenty of tablets to be available at CES (and there are millions of them), what most people didn’t expect was the arrival of an updated version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. This latest tablet is a Verizon device, since it touts a built-in LTE modem while maintaining compatibility for Verizon’s existing 3G network. Aside from connectivity, Samsung has bumped the specifications by offering a 1.2GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera in this tablet, a nice improvement over the original 1GHz processor and 3-megapixel camera. No mention of price or a release date, but it does explain the recent price drop of the Verizon Galaxy Tab.

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 4G, Android, CES 2011, Galaxy Tab, LTE, Samsung, Tablet PC's, Verizon

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Jabra Stone2 is out this week — but AT&T and Verizon are carrying different versions

In the off chance that you have your fingers on the pulse of the Bluetooth headset industry, you know darn well that Jabra’s curiously-designed Stone2 went on sale this week. What you may not know, however, is that the version you get depends on where you buy it. Turns out both AT&T and Verizon have decided to carry the units in-store, but AT&T went with a glossy black (pictured left) while Big Red opted for a “sexy, black leather finish” (pictured right). Both versions are the same $129.99 at the counter, so it really comes down to which design you prefer — don’t let any silly carrier preferences or undying brand loyalty get in the way. Just don’t show your AT&T phone in the Verizon store or vice versa, lest you start a melee the likes of which your town has never seen.

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Accessories, AT&T, Bluetooth Headset, Jabra, Jabra Stone 2, Verizon

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Verizon iPad MiFi commercial released [Video]

Apple’s iPad is already available in Verizon Wireless stores, with the carrier offering a MiFi mobile hotspot to help you get online, and now the carrier’s advert for the pairing has been revealed. As you might expect, Verizon is pushing both the simplicity and the convenience of the MiFi and the ubiquity of their data network.

Video after the cut

Obviously, with AT&T inside the 3G version of the iPad, Verizon is only offering the WiFi model. Paired with a MiFi, the 16GB iPad is $629.99, the 32GB iPad is $729.99 and the 64GB iPad is $829.99; meanwhile the data rates are 1GB for $20 per month, 3GB for $35 and 5GB for $50, with $10 extra for each additional 1GB over the included allowance.

Article: RSS via SlashGear

Tags: iPad, MiFi, Mobile Hotspot, Verizon, Video

Posted in 3G, Accessories, iPad | No Comments »

HTC Incredible HD could pack LTE and a very high-res screen

Going High Definition (HD) seems to be the next big thing these days, and smartphones too, are heading in the same direction. The HTC Incredible HD could be arriving on Verizon Wireless in the near future, being one of the first 4G phones on the carrier, with hints of the display surpassing the current standard of 480 x 800 resolution, as an informer mentioned that he could watch Verizon’s NFL Red Zone video in HD. The image from BGR above is most probably the Incredible HD, but with some refinements as some time has passed since then. There is no word on a release date just yet, but the Incredible HD will almost certainly launch on or after the 4G network rolls out sometime next month.

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 4G, Android, HTC, Incredible HD, LTE, Smartphones, Verizon

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First Two 4G LTE Modems From Verizon Appear

With Verizon gearing up to launch its LTE-based 4G network in several cities, two of the USB modems that will be offered have surfaced on the company’s Testman site, which are the LG VL600 and the Pantech UML290. There isn’t much information on these modems but both modems are expected to offer backwards compatibility with existing 3G networks. It’s also worth noting that the prices and pictures on the site appear to be placeholders, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to take them too seriously.

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 3G, 4G, LG VL600, LTE, Pantech UML290, USB Modem, Verizon

Posted in 3G, 4G, Mobile Networks | No Comments »

Verizon Testing Speedy 10Gbps Connection

While your Internet speed at home might be pretty fast, you’ll probably still drool at the fact that Verizon has been performing technical trials that could see bandwidth speeds of up to 10Gbps in each home. This is achievable thanks to the prototype Alcatel Lucent XG-PON2 nodes which are about 200 times faster than FiOS’ regular 50Mbps service. GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) access can theoretically offer download speeds of up to 2.4Gbps or 1.2Gbps upload speeds. With such speedy transfers, you probably won’t have to hear of the word “buffering” for some time and downloading HD videos should be a cinch. Check out a video of Verizon testing the system after the jump, and remember to wipe off the drool.

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 10Gbps, Broadband, FiOS, Verizon, Video, XG-PON2

Posted in Broadband, Videos | No Comments »