Droid Life

Tag: 4G LTE

  • HTC Rep Confirms Thunderbolt March 17 Launch Date? (Updated)

    Hello, Imran Shahid.  You appear to work for HTC as a regional sales manager and have just tweeted some very sweet words.  March 17 as a launch day for the Thunderbolt?  That is exactly what we wanted to hear from someone who we would assume would have some legitimate knowledge of the situation.  Not that this date is new to anyone who has followed our hypebeasted coverage, but we like hearing additional confirmations.

    Update:  Tweet from Imran has already been removed.  Whoops!

    Seriously…someone make it all stop.

    February 14, 17, 24. March 3, 10, 17, 18, 21.

    Cheers @antroyd!

  • LG Revolution Pops Up at FCC, Can it Beat the Thunderbolt to Stores?

    The LG Revolution (LG-VS910) popped up over at the FCC and the rumors are ready to start flying on when we might see this 4G LTE device from Verizon.  With so many Thunderbolt “delays,” we’re wondering if the Revolution and Samsung’s 4G device might end up hitting stores first?  We generally assume that if a device passes through the FCC, that it will be out soon, but that could mean 2 or 3 months from now.

    Want a recap of this phone? (Our hands-on)  Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz single-core processor, 4.3″ screen (not Super AMOLED Plus or Super LCD), HDMI-out, 16GB internal storage, Android 2.2 (mostly stock), and front/back cameras.  Not overwhelmingly impressive, right?  We really wished they had snuck in a dual-core processor into this phone at the last minute, but that is pretty unlikely.  The good news is that it could be the first Android phone with Netflix support!   (more…)

  • Verizon’s Samsung 4G LTE Device Caught in the Wild, Battery is Not an Issue

    The crew over at Techno Buffalo was fortunate enough to have a friend send in some new pictures of Verizon’s Samsung 4G LTE (SCH-i510) device that we were all introduced to at CES.  The device appears to be the guy’s everyday phone and was definitely up and running on Big Red’s LTE network.  He mentioned that battery life (1500 mAh) was not an issue at all and was easily getting 8-10 hours per day out of it which is exactly what we wanted to hear.  The phone will definitely be loaded up with TouchWiz when it’s released (targeted for mid-April), but you won’t see much of it in the pictures below since he has LauncherPro installed.

    So there you go…no battery issues on a 4G LTE phone! (We’re lookin’ at you HTC.)  Oh, he also mentioned the name “Stealth” again which seems to pop up every time this phone is around.  As far as I know, that name is just a code name.  I’m sort of expecting there to be a surprise when this phone is finally unveiled.

    Pics after the jump!   (more…)

  • Verizon Working Through LTE Issues, First Phones Before “Second Half of the Year”

    Verizon CTO Tony Melone spoke at Credit Suisse’s Convergence conference this week and answered a few questions about the state of their 4G LTE network and the first handset that many were expecting by now, the HTC Thunderbolt.  The responses he gave aren’t going to exactly please the heck out of you, but he did stick to their “first half of 2011” timeline that was set back at CES.  He also mentioned issues which have been rumored time and time again, claiming that they are “working through” them without getting too specific…

    I guess our expectations change, but we had said first half of this year at CES, quite frankly, we think that exceeded people’s expectations. A year ago, people didn’t believe that there would be LTE smartphones in 2011. First half of the year is what we promised, first half of the year is still on track. So we don’t believe there are any new or surprising issues. I think what we’re facing is what you would expect, and that is a new technology, you are working through issues. And we anticipated that, and we are pleased at how we are working through issues. And as I said, you are going to see LTE smartphones on the network as promised, before the first half — before the second half of the year, by the end of the second quarter.

    “Before the second half of the year, by the end of the second quarter.”  Politically correct, I get it.  It’s still painfully obvious that they tried to push up the date of the Thunderbolt, but the technology just wasn’t ready or Best Buy wouldn’t have sent out a press release for pre-orders, included the phone in 3 of their weekly ads, and continued to inform customers of new “rumored” dates.  Clearly, someone up top got a little ahead of themselves, not understanding that something this new was bound to run into issues and now we are a full month into one of the longest running phone jokes of the last few years.

    Maybe the luck of the Irish will bring us a treasure.

    Via:  ZDNet

    Cheers DBEvans!

  • Confirmed: Your Unlocked Motorola XOOM Will Be Eligible for the 4G LTE Upgrade

    Remember all those ridiculous stories from last week about Motorola XOOMs not being 4G LTE upgradeable if unlocked?  You know, the stories that started a firestorm of unwarranted bad press after some random forum member in the Moto support forums that has zero affiliation with Motorola said that rooted devices would not be upgraded?  A forum member who admitted just a few posts later that he was just guessing and that no one should take his word for it?  Remember those?  So silly.

    Well, guess what?  That’s 100% not the case and never was.  The forum manager reached out to his bosses when that asinine rumor broke out to get the low down on the situation and has returned with information that we assumed was coming.  ALL XOOMs, whether they have been unlocked or not, are eligible.  However, if you’ve unlocked it, you will most likely have to relock it in order for the upgrade to go down smoothly (makes sense).  You also can’t have a custom ROM (not that there are any yet) on your device and will need to have stock software loaded (again, makes sense).

    And it’s sounding like Motorola plans to release instructions on how to get you back to an upgradeable spot, so stay tuned.  Oh, we’ll also have a guide for you in the very near future too.

    Everyone happy?

    Via:  Motorola Forums

    Cheers PaulG1488!

  • Samsung SCH-i510 Appears at FCC, How Soon Will We See it?

    The nameless Samsung SCH-i510 wandered its way through the FCC this week sporting CDMA and LTE radios and leaving us hoping for a sooner-than-later release.  While it might have been our least favorite of Verizon’s 4 LTE devices at CES, we realize we were looking at an unfinished product and are dying to see what they’ve done since then.

    The word “Stealth” is floating around as a possible name, but to my knowledge, that is just the codename and there might be a surprise attached to this when it finally launches.  Other than that, you’ll find a 1GHz single-core processor, HDMI-out, 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus screen, and physical home keys.  No idea when it could see the lining of your pocket, but we’re pretty sure it’ll be just after the Thunderbolt and before the BIONIC.

    And check out our hands-on with the device here.       (more…)

  • Are 4G LTE Versions of the HTC Merge and Incredible 2 in the Works or at Least Being Tested?

    The HTC Merge was re-introduced last week as a 3G CDMA world phone, but after disappearing just as it was supposed to launch in late 2010, rumors popped up that it had been delayed while they dropped a 4G radio into it.  But without a mention in the press release on Friday our hopes were a little crushed.  That was until we looked a little closer at the screenshots of the phone from Verizon’s internal system that snuck out over the weekend.  We’re now starting to think that there is a chance it and the Incredible 2 might be 4G LTE after all.

    If you  check out the mini-description for the listings of the Merge and Dinc2 in the screen shot above, you can clearly see that there are two versions listed of each phone.  There is the standard ADR6325VW/ADR6350VW, but there is also another listing which includes the letters “EHRPD” which just so happens to be the technology used by networks to transition from CDMA to LTE.  You’ll notice that one of the descriptions also mentions “TRIA” which could easily be taken as “TRIAL”, leading us to believe that VZW is at least testing a 4G LTE Merge and Incredible 2.

    While I am by no means an LTE technology expert, I’m almost 100% positive that eHRPD only has to do with handovers between CDMA and LTE networks and nothing else.  So if Verizon is testing the 4G versions of these phones, we have no idea if they’ll ever come close to a store shelf, but we can at least cross our fingers for a couple of weeks.

    To learn all there is to know about  eHRPD, check out this and this.

    Thoughts?  Maybe we can convince our LTE Panda friend to stop by and give his opinion on eHRPD.

    Cheers VZW Tipster!

  • Motorola XOOM 4G LTE Upgrade Instructions from Verizon

    In approximately 90 days (according to our information), the 4G LTE upgrade for the Motorola XOOM will be ready and that means you’ll need to send your device in.  In order to make sure that process goes as smoothly as possible, Verizon has posted up instructions to help you get ready and we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss them.

    Step 1:  Backup your XOOM

    This step is simple, but requires you to connect your XOOM to a computer.  All you need to know here, is how to access your internal storage from a computer, copy all of the files on it, and move them into a safe spot on your computer’s hard drive.  This is the same process you would follow if you were backing up your phone’s SD card, only the XOOM just has internal storage for now.

    Step 2:  Encrypt and reset your XOOM (optional)

    Verizon is recommending that you encrypt and also factory reset your device in case it gets lost or something happens to it throughout the upgrade process. Encrypting will take up to an hour, but performing a factory reset to remove all personal info from your device should take no time at all.

    Step 3:  Pack and ship your XOOM to Motorola

    We received word back at CES that you would have to ship your XOOM back to Motorola in order to be upgraded to 4G, but apparently this was still a surprise to everyone last week.  The good news is, that Verizon or Moto will send you a FedEx package to drop your device in for its return.  This entire process is 100% free.

    Sign up to be notified |  Full preparation instructions

    Cheers Jared!