Windows Phone 7 Phones On Verizon Not Coming Anytime Soon

Microsoft is working hard to launch a peppier smartphone OS with the Windows Phone 7 in the next couple of months. However, Verizon may not be joining the party until later. In an interview to Bloomberg, Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney has noted that Verizon Wireless does not have any plans to launch Windows Phone 7 handsets in the near-term. That’s at least till the end of this year. She has said that the relationship with Redmond remains “solid” and so a launch in 2011 cannot be ruled out.

The reasons are not pretty hard to fathom. Microsoft and Verizon burnt their fingers not so long ago with the launch of Kin. Initial reports suggested that not more than 500 hundred handsets were sold in all, though several other reports pointed out that the sale numbers were in the thousands. Either way, the launch was a flop and Microsoft had to halt the Kin project within months of launch.

It is possible that Verizon has chosen to wait and study the consumer reception to Windows Phone 7 and then take a decision on how to go about partnering Microsoft.

Recover Your Lost Verizon Mobile Phone With ‘Mobile Recovery’

Verizon shall be launching a new service called MobileRecovery starting today. The new service, as the name suggests, will let customers track their device’s location using GPS or sound alarms, be able to remotely manage data access to the the phone by either locking the phone or by wiping the phone in its entirety.

The service, which will be based out the www.MobileRecovery.com website will be available to subscribers of Total Equipment Coverage (TEC) that offers complete coverage against loss, theft,  damage due to accidents and defects that arise after the end of the manufacturer warranty. Mobile phone models that are included in the subscription include phones on the Android, WebOS, Blackberry and Windows Mobile platforms.

Users should be able to sign up to the service by either visiting the website or by texting getmr to 6967 for downloading instructions.

Is Android 2.2 For Motorola Droid X Finally Releasing?

It has taken a long time coming. But Android 2.2 aka FroYo for Motorola Droid X may finally be coming soon. Several Droid X users appear to have received a text message pointing them to a page on the official DroidDoes.com website that reads,

“Great news! Verizon Wireless has released the new Android™ 2.2 software update for DROID X by Motorola. The new Android 2.2 software update – also known as “Froyo” – includes many new features for your phone and tons of shortcuts.”

Funnily, this is despite Android 2.2 not being released to any Droid X owner as of now. Considering that Verizon has not pulled this page back so far and that this page was actually created four days back is an indication that the Android 2.2 update for Droid X is not too far away.

HTC Droid Incredible AMOLED Display Becomes SLCD

The extreme short supply of OLED variant screens has been affecting the distribution of quite a few handsets. Just a few weeks back, I had written about HTC deciding to do away with the OLED screens on its Desire smartphone to replace it with what they called Super LCD. Looks like the strategy has worked. The company, it is learned now, has now decided to follow the same trick for the Droid Incredible. The transition to SLCD displays on the Droid Incredible is expected to happen by the end of this month.

The announcement should however not affect existing owners even if they went for a replacement. Such users who will need a replacement after the new production plan goes into effect can request for a Certified Like-New Replacement [CLNR] device that will get them an Incredible with AMOLED displays.

Official Samsung Fascinate Price & Launch Date Announced

The official launch date and price of the Verizon-bound variant of the Samsung Galaxy S handset is finally out. According to a media statement, the Samsung Fascinate will be available in the stores starting September 9th and for those who have pre-ordered the device online, the handset will start being available from September 8th. Price – very much on the expected lines. The new Samsung Fascinate will be available at $199 and that is along with a mandatory two-year Verizon contract and a $100 mail-in rebate.

The announcement finally brings the much touted Android phone from Samsung to the Verizon network. As you are aware, Samsung Galaxy S was already available with AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint under the names Captivate, Vibrant and Epic respectively.

All set for the new phone? Check out the latest Samsung Fascinate commercial from Verizon.

Red/White Droid Incredible Back Casing Now Available As Official Accessories

Last week, some websites reported about having spotted HTC Droid Incredible handsets with a white back plate. While such photoshopped images are not exactly new, these reports noted that these were in fact launching soon. Now from what is reported on Droid Life, the white back casing on HTC Incredible is in fact available as an official accessory from the manufacturers. The official launch of these accessories is expected to happen only a few months down the line. However, users looking to purchase one immediately can make a custom order from one of the Verizon stores anytime now.

The custom back cases are available in red, besides white. The cost of these cases are noted to be $24.99 and can be ordered by using the following model code numbers

White HTC Back: VZW6300DORW
Red HTC Back: VZW6300DORR

Your Droid Incredible could then look like this

[via Droid Life]

Unlimited Data For Verizon Prepaid Plans Announced

Prepaid data plans are not very popular in developed markets like the United States. This is because of the popularity of the phone contracts that help consumers bring down the price of phones in return for signing a two year contract. This is especially since the modern day handsets are priced as high as $400 or $500 if not more.

However, carriers have recently started targeting customers who are on the move by launching prepaid plans that can be purchased for limited time validity and would still offer all the advantages that come with postpaid plans. Recently, I had written about Virgin Mobile offering similar plans.

Following speculations last month, Verizon Wireless has finally launched attractive prepaid plans that come with unlimited data offering. The new plan will cost $30 for a month’s validity and will let users consume as much data as they would need. That’s pretty much what postpaid plans with contract offer. However, if you are a frugal data consumer, you can instead go for a $10 plan that offers 25MB of data.

This is definitely better than the $80 plan for 5GB that we had heard earlier.

Samsung Fascinate Vs. Motorola Droid 2 – Features Comparison

Rumors are doing the rounds that Samsung Fascinate (from the Galaxy S series) could be launching on Verizon by next week – September 8 to be precise. So, if you are a Verizon customer looking for a nice Android phone, which one should you go for – Droid 2 or Fascinate? After all, these are two hot Android devices in recent times. Here’s a features comparison

Display

Droid 2 features a 3.7″ display with 854×480 pixels. On the other hand, Fascinate carries a 4″ display with 800×480 pixels. Speaking in terms of ppi (pixels-per-inch), Droid 2 is just marginally better than Fascinate.

Winner: Droid 2

Hardware

Both devices come with a 1GHz processor. However, while the Droid 2 carries a 8GB ROM with a 512MB RAM, Samsung Fascinate only comes with a 512MB ROM and 336MB RAM. Not too bad, yet on a relative scale, Droid 2 scores. Besides this, there is not much to pick between the two.  Both devices carry a 5-megapixel camera with flash (Dual-LED on Droid 2) and support for up to 32GB storage. Of course, Fascinate comes with an additional 2GB storage memory, but that I think is not too significant for Fascinate to out-score Droid 2. So, considering the memory specs alone, Droid 2 is slightly ahead.

Winner : Droid 2

Software

Again, nothing much to pick between the two. Droid 2 does have Flash pre-installed, but Fascinate is expected to get the feature by the end of the year – around the same time when it is expected to get an OS upgrade to Android 2.2 (Droid 2 already runs Android 2.2). Other functionalities include video capture (HD on Fascinate, DVD-quality on Droid 2), maps, natively installed applications and 3G hotspot capability. Neither device carries a HDMI Tv output.

Winner : None

Here’s a quick summary of all features. Overall, I would pick Motorola Droid 2 over Fascinate. How about you?

This is a guest post by Vineet Singh, a Mechanical engineering student at Mumbai University

Samsung Fascinate Pre-orders Now Open

Best Buy has announced that the pre-orders for Samsung Fascinate are now open. A caveat here though – the offer is presently available only to the members of Reward Zone. Pre-orders for the general public will be made available starting August 29. The retailer has made no note of either the launch date nor the pricing.

But expect them to be competitive with Samsung Captivate and Vibrant. After all, these devices are all siblings with similar features and specs. Much like the rest of the Galaxy S ilk, the Samsung Fascinate too will feature a 4″ WVGA Super AMOLED screen, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a 5-megapixel camera and will run on Android 2.1 with TouchWiz 3.0 UI. But the Fascinate will flash a metallic body unlike the standard dark frames that have come to characterize Galaxy S.

In all likelihood, the Samsung Fascinate should launch within the first half of September since the device was originally pushed from an August launch to September only to accomodate the launch of Droid 2.

New Verizon Prepaid Mobile Broadband Plan In The Pipeline

Verizon Wireless could be working on a new proposal that will bring large bandwidth data plans to the hands of prepaid customers. According to the latest rumor, the network carrier is prepping up to launch a new $80 prepaid plan that will offer a 5GB bandwidth to customers at one month validity. The plan is noted to be aimed at users who want to consume media over their mobile phones but do not want to commit themselves to long-term carrier contracts.

Though a lot of competition in the mobile broadband space is being fought out by smartphone users – a majority of whom are under contracts – a significant number of users are still getting their devices unlocked or purchased without a contract. With this number getting significant, there is no wonder that Verizon (and Virgin Mobile the other day) are launching newer plans targeting this growing population.