Verizon to Announce Additional 4G LTE Cities This Week

Verizon Wireless earlier this year identified 59 markets that will 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network service by the end of 2011.

These newly named areas, added to the 39 initial markets launched in December 2010 and 49 markets announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011, mean that consumers and businesses in at least 147 U.S. cities will have access to the fastest, most advanced 4G mobile network in America.

We are told to watch for the latest set of cities with service on April 21, 2011. http://twitter.com/VerizonWireless/status/59968063570837504

Verizon Announces Additional 4G LTE Cities for 2011, 145 Markets by the End of the Year

Verizon Employees Training For the Samsung DROID Charge

Verizon employees may be happy or sad right now because it looks like their training for the Samsung DROID Charge right now. Unfortunately, we still don't know when it'll be available but at least we know that it should be in the next few weeks. Furthermore, this handset will reportedly support up to 10 devices with its WiFi hotspot capabilities. Make sure you have about $299 handy though, because that's the rumoured price for this one.

[Droid-Life]

Motorola DROID X 2 To Be $199, LG Revolution At $249?

According to the image that DroidLife snagged above, two new devices for Verizon have been priced. The Motorola DROID X 2 and the LG Revolution could be available soon for $199.99 and $249.99, respectively, on a 2-year contract. It shouldn't be a surprise that the DROID Incredible 2 will be launching for $199, while the DROID Charge will be priced at $299 which seems a bit high. Unfortunately, release dates are still unknown.

[Droid-Life]

Testers Now Getting the LG Revolution, Launch Imminent?

It looks like some testers are now getting their hands on the LG Revolution which is set to be another 4G (LTE) smartphone for Verizon in the US. Coming from Android Central is the photo above which is, sort of, signalling that the release is close. We still don't know exactly when it'll be available but it should be here before the end of Q2.

[Unwired View]

ZTE Unveils 4.3-inch Smartphone and 10-inch "Honeycomb" Tablet With LTE At CTIA

MSI has unveiled two new products that they intend to launch in the future. The one above is a 4.3-inch smartphone while the one below is their upcoming LTE (4G) tablet, of course, both are running Android. First, the one above was just a mockup and it's said to feature a 4.3-inch display, a VGA front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing camera, a 1,350mAh battery, and Android 2.3 "Gingerbread". Those are some pretty good specs so let's hope they can deliver a US launch.

The other device, like I said, is a tablet and it's going to be running Android "Honeycomb" whenever it actually does hit the market. This one reportedly features a 10-inch display with a 1,280 x 800 resolution, a 1.2GHz CPU, dual cameras, LTE (4G) connectivity, and a 6,800mAh battery. I wonder if this one will be hitting Verizon later this year. Unfortunately, launches look like they'll be in the second half of the year.

[Engadget]

Samsung SCH-i510 To Be Verizon's LTE Capable Droid Charge

It looks like the Samsung SCH-i510 smartphone has just gotten a name and it could be the Verizon-bound DROID Charge - rumoured to be the Stealth. This handset should pack 4G (LTE) connectivity as well as an 8MP camera, a front-facing camera, and a Super AMOLED+ display. Other specs are unknown right now but it definitely sounds like a high-end one. Price and release date is still unknown so we'll have to wait for that as well.

[Liliputing]

Back Of the Motorola DROID X 2 Possibly Leaks, Has Verizon 4G

The picture above might be real but it also might be fake. Phandroid posted the image anyway to show that the upcoming DROID X 2 for Verizon might actually be capable of running on the carrier's 4G (LTE) network. The DROID X 2 actually shouldn't launch for a while so by the time it actually launches it should actually run on the faster network. Unfortunately, the image above might not be the real thing. The DROID X 2 will be an upgrade over the last model - that's for sure.

[Phandroid]

Samsung 4G Droid Stealth Pre-Orders Could Start On March 24th, Launch For April 7th; Says Costco

A leak coming from Costco has mentioned that pre-orders for the Samsung 4G Droid Stealth could actually start in just three days - March 24th. Of course, there's no way to confirm this right now so hopefully someone makes it official. The launch date is pegged for April 7th and it'll likely be the carrier's second 4G (LTE) device - after the Thunderbolt from HTC. Price is unknown right now but I'm sure that'll get leaked very soon.

[Android Central]

HTC Thunderbolt Now Available On Verizon For $249; Amazon Has It For $179

Verizon has finally released what a lot of people have been waiting for. They now have the HTC Thunderbolt with LTE (4G) connectivity available on their network for $249.99 on a 2-year contract. Yeah, it's not cheap but it's one of the best smartphones around especially with on a slightly faster LTE (4G) network. If you're willing to pick one up, then check it out on Verizon.

Update: Android Guys has pointed out that it's now available on Amazon for $179.99 on a 2-year contract which is a bit better than what Verizon is offering it for.

[BGR]

HTC Thunderbolt Finally Official and Launching On March 17th For $249.99

Verizon has finally announced the availability of the HTC Thunderbolt. The smartphone will officially be launching on March 17th (2 days away) for $249.99 on a 2-year contract. Of course, this smartphone has LTE (4G) connectivity and it'll cost you $29.99 monthly for unlimited data use. Furthermore, if you pick one up before May 15th, hotspot capabilities will be free. What a deal!


Update: AndroidSPIN has just mentioned that Wirefly is now taking pre-orders for this smartphone. And it's just $199.99!

[BGR]

HTC Incredible and Trophy Rumoured For March 17th and 24th Launch, Respectively

The leak above states two pretty important dates regarding future Verizon handsets. The first is that the Android powered HTC Thunderbolt could launch on March 17th and that the WP7 based HTC Trophy could be available a week later, on March 24th. Of course, this could be totally wrong at this point. Rumours about the Thunderbolt launching have been untrue so far so we're really just waiting for the official word. We also heard a few weeks ago that the HTC Trophy would be delayed to support Global 3G. Only Verizon knows the real dates.

[WPCentral]

HTC Thunderbolt Could Launch On March 21st; Hopefully, Maybe.

Anytime there's word on Verizon's HTC Thunderbolt being released you can chalk it up as a rumour. BGR's sources have mentioned that said smartphone will be launching on March 21st. There's no way to confirm this right now and if you've been waiting this long then you might as well wait another couple of days. Come on Verizon, announce the release date already!

[BGR]

LG Revolution With 4G (LTE) Hits the FCC, On Its Way To Verizon

Wireless Goodness has just pointed out that an upcoming 4G (LTE) packing smartphone headed to Verizon has just been spotted at the FCC and it's none other than the LG Revolution. This smartphone packs a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 1GHz CPU, a 5MP AF camera with an LED flash and 1080p HD video recording, a front-facing 1.3MP camera, WiFi b/g/n / Bluetooth 3.0 support, and Android 2.2. Check it out at the FCC.

[Phandroid]

Samsung Stealth Gets Spotted On Video, Headed To Verizon With LTE (4G)

Techno Buffalo has just got their hands on an upcoming smartphone that will be hitting Verizon. It's the Samsung Stealth which we've been hearing a bit about. The handset was announced at CES but complete details weren't outlined at the time. It'll feature some high-end specs though as well as LTE (4G) connectivity on Big Red. Anyways, if you're dying to see more then just hit play on the video below.

[Android Central]

Samsung Stealth (SCH-i510) Hits the FCC, On Pace For a Q2 Launch

The Samsung SCH-i510 aka the Stealth smartphone has just been spotted at the FCC. We already know that this smartphone is headed to Verizon with 4G (LTE) connectivity but we just don't know when. It's rumoured to be coming in Q2 which is right around the corner so the wait might not be that long. For the meantime, check it out at the FCC.

[Phandroid]

HTC Thunderbolt Priced At $699 On Their Own Website

We still don't know when Verizon will be launching the HTC Thunderbolt because it's rumoured to be delayed because of battery issues. That aside, the company's own website lists the phone for $699 contract-free. This is cheaper than the 32GB iPhone 4 on the carrier, which is $749.99, and you're definitely getting a lot more with your money. The 2-year contract price is looking like it'll be more than $199 though - possibly $249 or $299. If you want to check it out then go here then go directly to Cart so that you'll be able to see just how much it is.

[Unwired View]

HTC Thunderbolt Could Launch On March 3 Or 4, Unlimited 4G (LTE) Data Could Be Just $30 Monthly

Okay, so the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt clearly didn't launch today but BGR is picking up some new information. The 4G-capable smartphone may actually be launching on either March 3 or 4th which is next week. Verizon did just release the Motorola XOOM earlier today so it's a good idea that they're giving their customers a few more days to rack up a few bills. Their tipster also mentions that unlimited 4G (LTE) data will cost $29.99 monthly which isn't bad at all. Actually, it's pretty awesome.

[BGR]

Ugly Sony Ericsson Prototype Tablet With 4G and 3MP Webcam Leaks

A very ugly prototype leaked today and it's kind of sad that it's actually coming from Sony Ericsson. This prototype tablet is coming from NieuweMobiel and it's said to feature TD-LTE connectivity which is great for China Mobile. The display is said to be a 6 to 7-incher along with a 3MP front-facing webcam and the largest bezel in existence. Let's really hope that their 9.4-inch "Honeycomb" powered tablet looks nothing like this.

[Slash Gear]

ZTE Teases A Bunch Of Devices; 4.3, 7, and 10-Inch Form Factors

ZTE showed off a bunch of devices here but we have no clue if they'll ever hit North American land, but they'll likely be available somewhere in Asia in the future. They announced the 7-inch ZTE Light and Light 2. These are going to be running 1.2GHz dual-core CPUs, while the Light 2 is packing WiMAX and even LTE connectivity which is pretty awesome. The company wasn't big on announcing full spec sheets because all they did was tease their devices.

Moving along they also announced the Light10 which features a 10-inch display a 1.2GHz CPU, and Android "Honeycomb". They also brought the ZTE Skate to their booth which was actually inspired by a skateboard. Interesting. It features a 4.3-inch display, an 800MHz CPU, an Adreno 200 GPU, a 5MP camera, and stock Android 2.3 (at least for now). They also briefly mentioned an "Internet Box" which could be hinting that they're planning to launch Android-based set-top box. That's all guess work right now so we'll just have to see what they company announces. Maybe it's Google TV?

[Phandroid]

RIM Announces BlackBerry Playbook Also Coming In LTE and HSPA+ Models, Coming In H2

Coming straight from RIM is word that their BlackBerry Playbook will be getting WiFi + LTE and WiFi + HSPA+ models - along with the already-announced WiFi + WiMAX model. Unfortunately, these two new models won't be available until the second half of the year which means sometime from July to December. RIM is looking like they're really taking the competition seriously and they know that they're definitely going to do something big if they want to be relevant in the tablet war. With the next iPad and all of these Android powered tablets on the way, they're going to have a tough time.

[Engadget]