verizon

Verizon and HTC's latest twist: The $199 Droid DNA

Verizon and HTC unveiled a new device that the two hope will appeal to customers during the holiday season, while helping to reverse HTC's floundering fortunes.

The phone, the Droid DNA, sports a 5-inch screen, putting it more in the "phablet" category with Samsung's Galaxy Note. It runs on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean and includes a boatload of powerful features, including a Super LCD 3 display with 440 pixels per inch, capable of playing 1080p HD video.

HTC noted the screen rivals traditional HDTVs, while the pixel density is among the highest available on … Read more

Join CNET's coverage of Verizon, HTC's launch event (live blog)

CNET's live coverage of Verizon and HTC's launch event, 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET.

Verizon and HTC have one more mobile device to unveil for the holidays, and it looks to be a big one.

The companies are widely believed to be releasing the Droid DNA, which Verizon accidentally leaked Monday on its own Web site. (It has since been scrubbed.)

The Droid DNA is said to feature a large, 5-inch display, moving into the tweener category referred to by some as a "phablet." The smartphone is expected to come with 2GB of … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II blasts off to Verizon

Verizon announced today that it'll offer the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II, the sequel to the Samsung Stratosphere, in the "coming weeks."

The handset's equipped with 4G LTE data speeds, a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, and a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch-screen display.

It also natively runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has NFC capabilities.

In addition, just like its predecessor, it has a five-row sliding QWERTY keyboard complete with numeric keys and four directional buttons.

Verizon will carry the device for $129.99 after users sign a carrier agreement and send in a $50 mail-in … Read more

Samsung Ativ Odyssey pictures appear

A pair of likely photos of the Samsung Ativ Odyssey have surfaced online, thanks to reputable Twitter source @evleaks.

First announced last month, the Windows Phone 8 handset is expected to arrive at Verizon's doorstep in December, but the exact timing remains murky.

Details for the Ativ Odyssey have yet to be formally announced; rumors suggest it could feature a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor with an Adreno 225GPU. As indicated by these images, we can see that the handset will support Verizon's 4G LTE network and feature a microSD expansion card slot.

The early photos also … Read more

New Droid DNA accidentally confirmed by Verizon

Over the weekend Verizon briefly called out the Droid DNA as its next Droid handset. The revelation was fleeting, though; the carrier promptly scrubbed all mention of DNA from its Web site. … Read more

Verizon plans to complete its LTE rollout by mid-2013

Verizon Wireless customers still waiting for 4G LTE to hit their town should get their wish by the middle of next year.

Speaking at a Wells Fargo Securities technology conference yesterday, Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo confirmed that the carrier is eyeing mid-2013 as the completion date for its LTE rollout. That timeframe is around six months earlier than the company had previously predicted, according to news site Fierce Wireless.

"I was confident in the first quarter when I said that you'll see an acceleration of our growth through the year, and I think that's proven to … Read more

Verizon won't charge Sandy victims for voice and text usage

As Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast last week, millions of residents were left without power, cell phone service, Internet, and home phone service. In an outpouring of support for people left stranded by the superstorm, several mobile carriers took to the streets offering free device charging stations and access to emergency wireless phones.

Verizon announced this week that it will continue to help Sandy victims by waiving all charges for domestic voice and text usage for its customers in the New York and New Jersey areas between October 29 and November 16.

"Verizon Wireless continues to … Read more

Design of the times: The secret to creating cell phones for seniors

Allen Calvin earned a doctorate in experimental psychology, was a consulting professor at Stanford University, and is currently the president of Palo Alto University, a post he's been holding for 28 years. He's learned a lot during his 84 years of living -- except for how to cut and paste text on a smartphone.

"I just want to copy anything and paste it out of an e-mail," he said with a voice that sounds like sandpaper. "This is obviously harder than it looks."

Calvin and his wife, Dorothy, are inside a brightly lit Verizon … Read more

HTC and Verizon will unveil new device Nov. 13

Judging from an invite that just hit our desks, Verizon and HTC will pull the tarp off a fresh smartphone on Tuesday. The press event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in New York, and we plan to be on hand to find out just what kind of luscious mobile technology will drop from the sky.

I personally hope this event will center around the rumored HTC DLX handset, a 5-inch-screen phone said to be armed to the teeth with a truckload of powerful components and software. These include Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, an 8- or … Read more