Verizon Wireless is expanding its cache of expensive smartphones, all of which are priced at $299 with a two- year contract. The company hopes that customers will be drawn to Verizon because of its reputation for high- speed mobile connectivity and network quality. The latest phone to released from Verizon in this price range is Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus. Verizon is to start selling the device before the end of this month for $299.99 with the two-year contract, following the similar releases of the HTC Rezound and the Droid RAZR.
The increased cost of these phones with Verizon is helping the company to create a specific high-cost niche for itself. While most other carriers have slashed prices and even offered phones online at no cost, Verizon continues to offer a variety of smartphones priced significantly higher than phones at most other carriers like AT&T and Sprint Nextel.
“It used to be that $199 was the top of the heap, the most you were going to pay,” said Charles Golvin, a Forrester Research analyst. “Verizon clearly believes that with their 4G network coverage and reputation they can appeal to a segment that will pay a little more for the latest and greatest.”
The strategy allows Verizon to pay a lower subsidy, which is the difference in price that Verizon pays manufacturers from what customers pay for a phone with a contract. Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is extremely anticipated by Verizon customers. Developed in conjunction with Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich Android platform, the Galaxy Nexus is also important for Samsung as it hopes to displace HTC as the US’ top smartphone seller. With Verizon’s 4G LTE service that guarantees high download speeds, customers will be more enticed by phones like the Galaxy Nexus which have more features like larger screens and faster processors. The promise of high-speed connectivity coupled with an advanced smartphone is what Verizon hopes will entice its customers to pay $299 for their mobile devices with contracts.
]]>Sprint Nextel may soon be forced to let go of its highly popular unlimited data services because of its extended LTE upgrade. The company offers unlimited data services for a flat fee, but this generous offer might have to be abandoned as its LTE upgrade will only have half the wireless airwaves that its larger rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T have for their LTE networks. Because Sprint’s data plan is so popular, the large number of users coupled with the shortage of wireless airwaves could put a heavy strain on the network and slow down Web surfing speeds.
Sprint has assigned 10 mHz of spectrum for the LTE lauch in comparison with the 20 mHz that its rivals have for their LTE networks. To expand its capacity, Sprint will most likely have to reassign airwaves being used for other services. Unlike Verizon and AT&T, who cap their data use to prevent overcapacity issues; Sprint remains the only national carrier to offer unlimited data to users for smartphones, including the iPhone on its network. The unlimited data plan is an important part of Sprint’s marketing strategy, as the company has struggled for years to retain customers. A viable option to keep this advantage would be for Sprint to institute higher caps on data usage than those used by its rivals.
Sprint, on the other hand responds to these concerns about the capacity of its LTE network by emphasizing that advanced technology will allow it to make the best use of its spectrum resources. Bob Azzi, a Sprint executive, told reporters that the company plans to retain its unlimited data service throughout the LTE rollout. Azzi also pointed out that Sprint was in the process of concluding an agreement with Clearwire Corp. that would help it to expand its LTE capacity. However, Sprint has already begun shifting away from unlimited offerings. Beginning December, Sprint stated that mobile broadband devices such as tablets, mobile hotspots and netbooks would no longer have access to Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX network. These plans do not yet apply to smartphones and it remains to be seen if Sprint’s LTE rollout will allow it to keep the unlimited data plan for long.
]]>The anticipation for the sales on electronic and mobile devices on Cyber Monday seems to be reaching a fever pitch. With a large number of sites offering shopping deals and discounts, the choices can often seem dizzying. After scouring the web, here is a compilation of the best deals on 4G cell phones from major retailers across the nation. For new customers, the best deal is the Amazon Wireless Penny- Pincher sale. The sale, which lasts from Nov 21st to Nov 28th offers a number of phones from Verizon, Sprint and AT&T for a penny with a new line of service. In addition to the standard two-day free shipping, Amazon is also offering a $100 Amazon.com gift card if a customer purchases a hotspot ready smartphone and activates the hotspot feature. Here are the best phones from the sale:
The Droid RAZR 4G (Verizon Wireless)- This Android powered phone by Motorola is touted as the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone. Costing only a penny, the phone boasts the ultra-fast connectivity of the Verizon 4G LTE broadband network. Designed with a dual core 1.2 GHz processor, the phone has the brilliant optics of the Super AMOLED display, a 8-megapixel camera and full HD 1080p video capabilities. Its multiplayer gaming capabilities and preloaded apps such as QuickOffice make the device perfect for both leisure and business. The Droid RAZR is being offered for a penny on the Amazon Wireless sale.
The Samsung Galaxy S II 4G (AT&T)- This Android phone with its AMOLED multi- touch display is sale at Amazon Wireless for a penny as well. With AT&T’s 4G network, the phone is perfect for wireless streaming, mobile entertainment and is also equipped with photo and vie capture with a 8- megapixel camera.
The HTC Vivid (AT&T)- Offered at Amazon Wireless for a penny, the HTC Vivid supports AT&T’s new 4G LTE network and is packed with cutting edge technology. With a brilliant display, well made apps and the HTC Sense user experience, the phone allows for super fast connectivity, on the go entertainment and quick access to social media information.
Both the AT&T phones have no activation fees on new lines of service until Nov 28th while Verizon Wireless is still offering its generous data plan that allows for twice the amount of data access for the price of a normal data plan. Renewing customers are offered relatively few discounts from online retailers such as Amazon, so checking the individual carrier sites for sales is wise. Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T have started their individual carrier sales on Thursday and Friday respectively. AT&T specifically is offering some of its most popular smartphones include the Motorola Atrix, Samsung Infuse, BlackBerry 9810, HTC Inspire and LG Thrill—all for one cent with a contract, on Cyber Monday. Amazon sometimes does sell out and puts certain models on back- order, at which point the online retailer Wirefly.com is a good alternative for sales on the phones listed above.
]]>Rumors of the possibility of bringing LTE to the iPhone and the iPad were fanned when Qualcomm’s next- generation mobile device modem chips were released. Qualcomm announced on Wednesday that updated chips with integrated LTE and 3G support will offer greater power efficiency for mobile devices, a specific consideration that has kept Apple from extending compatibility to high speed LTE networks so far. As Qualcomm is the company that produces the baseband chips for Apple in its current designs of the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and the iPad2, the new chip should open an easy upgrade path to LTE for Apple in 2012.
The chip, called the 4G LTE Gobi 4000 chip, is designed to “give customers an uncompromised mobile connectivity experience, both in terms of download speeds and flexibility,” according to Cristiano Amon, the senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm. Apple was not specifically mentioned in the press release, though the company did note that the chip was perfect for personal computing and tablet and e- reader operating systems.
The chip is slated to be available in the first quarter of 2012, which could make Apple’s next generation iPad the first mobile device to incorporate it. Apple’s qualms about incorporating LTE into its devices seem to have been addressed with the new chip. The chip’s improvements in LTE speed without causing additional battery problems are an integrated solution to the problem. Though Apple has not yet released any specifics on the new iPad 3, it is expected that Apple may make the jump to 4G LTE with the iPad 3 next year.
]]>Verizon Wireless’s new 4G data plan promotion for LTE smartphones is meant both to promote 4G hardware as well as to reduce congestion on the company’s 3G EV-DO network. Under the current terms of the offer, customers can pay the regular price for an LTE- friendly data plan and Verizon will give them double the data allotment without any additional charges. Speaking at an investor’s conference on Wednesday, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo said that the promotion, which is set to run through the holidays, is “beneficial from a financial standpoint” particularly to save exorbitant expenditures to add capacity to the EV- DO network. Apple’s iPhone, which is a success for Verizon puts capacity pressure on the company’s EV-DO network. In order to maintain the quality of the network and its experience, some of the pressure from that network has to be relieved. Verizon’s new offer in essence entices customers with a Droid handset on 3G to move onto one on 4G, thus reducing the strain on the 3G network and making it unnecessary to add more capacity to it.
The promotion is timed to coincide with the launch of the LTE capable Motorola Mobility Droid RAZR, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Rezound, which are also LTE Android phones. Shammo also stated that the “theory behind this was to entice the users to move to the 4G to free up the capacity for the iPhone.” The offer also possibly is a way to rival AT&T, which just launched its first two LTE smartphones- the HTC Vivid and the Samsung S II Skyrocket. Verizon intends to accelerate its LTE deployment as much as possible so that the customer experience on the new network is at the 4G network and does not continue to fluctuate between the 3G and 4G network as it has so far. The expense benefits, operating benefits and the efficiency of the 4G network make it a much more attractive option for Verizon to continue investing in.
]]>AT&T’s plans to introduce its 4G LTE to 15 markets within the US by the end of the year seems well on track with the addition of five new cities getting LTE coverage on Sunday, binging the total number of markets covered to nine. The cities that got the new coverage are Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Athens, Ga. AT&T had announced on Friday that it plans to launch its 4G LTE network in New York City “soon,” without specifying a definitive time frame. Along with the network expansion, AT&T also launched on Sunday its first two LTE smartphones- the HTC Vivid and the Samsung Skyrocket. The company has not released its 4G LTE network speeds, but it is widely expected to be close to what Verizon Wireless currently offers (5 Mbps- 12 bps downloads, 2 Mbps- 5 Mbps downloads).
The data plans that AT&T offer for its 4G LTE network are surprisingly the same amount as it charges for its HSPA 3G network. The lowest priced option for the LTE network is $15 per month for 200 MB of data. This limited amount of data will not be sufficient for the customer to really utilize the 4G network. The company will charge an extra $15 for every 200 MB used over the set limit. AT&T also offers the more capacious 2 GB plan which costs $25 per month. Customers will be charged an additional $10 for every 1 GB used over the limit. The most expansive option is the DataPro 4 GB plan which allows mobile users to consume 2 GB of data from their smartphones and an additional 2 GB of data when tethering the device or using the mobile hotspot feature.
]]>HTC unveiled its new 4G LTE phone, the Rezound for Verizon, yesterday. It will be HTC’s first smartphone equipped with Beats by Dr. Dre audio technology within the US market. The Beats Audio technique is capable of drastically improving the audio quality by providing improved low and midrange frequencies. The phone also comes equipped with Beats by Dre ear buds that will ship with the Rezound. It is an Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) phone, but is upgradable to Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The upgrade should be available by early 2012.
The Rezound is HTC’s second LTE phone for Verizon. According to HTC’s marketing president Jason Mackenzie, the Rezound is the apt multimedia device that has music as its “heart and soul.” The phone was designed specifically to cater to audio needs such as listening to music, watching video, capturing images/videos and sharing content. Besides its aural capabilities, the Rezound has a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor that enables speedy touchscreen response, multitasking and elevated video performances. In addition, the camera/camcorder within the camera features “action burst” capture of pictures in rapid sequence, the ability to take panoramic pictures and the ability to edit photos and videos on the phone along with added special effects. The phone also has the latest 3.5 version of HTC’s Sense user interface which has a customizable active lockscreen that displays pertinent data like social updates, weather etc. as soon as the display is turned on.
The HTC Rezound is due to hit retail stores on November 14th and will cost $299.99 with a two-year contract with Verizon.
]]>AT&T has introduced two new Android smartphones, which are the first of the company’s devices that are going to be 4G LTE capable. The HTC Vivid and the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket will begin to be distributed in AT&T company owned stores and online on Nov 6th. The company also plans to expand 4G LTE service to 5 additional cities (Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Athens, GA) on Nov 6th. The two new phones launched at that time will be the only smartphones that can utilize both LTE and HSPA+ 4G speeds for consistently fast connections.
The HTC Vivid is powered by a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and a 4.5-qHD display. The phone also features the HTC Sense user experience, which has a customizable active lockscreen that transforms the display into a real time window to necessary content and information such as social networking updates, photos etc that can be viewed instantly simply by waking up the display. The HTC provides an immersive cinematic experience with sharper graphics, animations and new widgets. Functioning on 16 GB of on- board memory, the HTC Vivid will retail for $199.99 with a two year contract with AT&T.
The second phone, the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. It has a SuperAMOLED Plus display that spans 4.5 inches, making it the most vibrant screen on the market. It is also equipped with an 8- megapixel rear camera and a 2- megapixel front- facing one and has 16 GB of on-board memory. The Samsung Galaxy will be sold for $249.99 with a two year commitment.
The chief marketing officer of AT&T David Christopher has stated that the company has exceeded their commitment to offer 12 new Android devices this year; the new LTE smartphones bring the total to 21. He added that the company was committed to “delivering an incredible amount of innovation to [its] customers.” As AT&T continues it expansion of its 4G LTE network, it will be the only US carrier providing 4G service using both HSPA+ and LTE. HSPA+ provides customers with 4G speeds, allowing customers to get a faster and consistent 4G experience even when they are outside of AT&T’s LTE covered areas.
]]>Verizon’s 4G LTE roll-out has already surpassed its targets for coverage set for the year. Verizon had stated that its goal was to cover 185 million Americans by the end of the year with the new network, but in figures released recently, Verizon announced on Monday that as of then, the company provided coverage to more than 186 million Americans. Having exceeded its goal before the end of the year, the company does not anticipate slowing down. Verizon Wireless confirmed that it will additionally provide 4G LTE coverage to 13 more markets on November 17th (for a grand total of 178 markets) and it will continue its activation of the 4G network in several new cities in December.
In addition to the new network coverage, Verizon is also dedicated to saturating the market demand for LTE enabled devices. It stated that it looks to offer a total of 15 4G LTE devices not including the newly announced DROID RAZR and Samsung Stratosphere. In its official press release, the company stated that:
“To coincide with the rapid expansion of our 4G LTE network, we’ve steadily introduced an array of 4G LTE-enabled devices, ranging from notebooks and netbooks; to hotspots and modems; and tablets and smartphones…We’re excited to lead the market in the deployment of 4G LTE technology and look forward to continuing to set the pace.”
With such rapid expansion of LTE coverage from Verizon and other companies, market analysts state that competition among handset vendors for shares in the LTE smartphone market will intensify in the coming year. Among smartphone retailers, HTC, Samsung Electronics, Motorola Mobility and LG Electronics have released a number of LTE-enabled models, with HTC currently taking up a 60% share of the 4G segment in the US. The competition is set to increase in 2012 with the anticipated entry of Apple, RIM and Sony Ericsson and Nokia into the LTE club.
]]>Both Motorola and Samsung had debuted new smartphones on Tuesday at their launches in NYC and Hong Kong respectively. Motorola introduced the Droid RAZR, a homage to the company’s most successful line of flip phones. The RAZR, an Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone is one of the most exciting products that Motorola have unveiled recently. At a mere 7.1 mm thickness, the phone is one of the slimmest smartphones ever that has 4G LTE capabilities. Along with a 4.3- inch qHD display (540x 960 pixels), the phone is powered by a 1.2- GHz dual – core processor and 1 GB of RAM. The RAZR is also equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture.
Pertinent other features include the Bluetooth 4.0 Low energy; 16- GB on- board memory, remote wipe, pin lock, government grade encryption and voice and video chat conferencing. The device is due to hit Verizon stores in a matter of weeks and will retail for $299.99.
Samsung, which was to have presented its Samsung Galaxy Nexus last week, but differed the launch in memory of Steve Jobs, finally debuted the new phone on Tuesday as well. The Galaxy is the first LTE enabled smartphone to run on Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of Android (Android 4.0). The Android 4.0 software features things like Face Unlock, Android Beam (enables sharing contact information via NFC), and support for more complex voice actions.
The Galaxy Nexus has a large 4.65- inch Super AMOLED Plus display with 1280 x 720 pixels, dual core 1.2 – GHz processors, a main camera with 1080p video capture and flash and a 1.3- megapixel user- facing camera. The phone also includes support for HSPA+ in global markets and support for Verizon’s 4G LTE within the USA. The device is set to go on sale in the upcoming weeks.
Though both phones boast an array of technological and hardware innovation, the Galaxy Nexus may have the upper hand in sales as it has debuted the newer version of Android. The Android 4.0 may push potential customers to the Galaxy, especially as both phones are being sold by the same carrier – Verizon. Motorola executives of non- US markets have confirmed that the RAZR would get the Android 4.0, but that has yet to be confirmed for the US market.
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