Verizon’s support page for the Motorola Xoom 4G LTE shows that an update (HLK75H) is coming soon. Unfortunately, this is NOT the Ice Cream Sandwich update most Verizon Xoom owners are waiting for.

According to Verizon’s support page, this update brings these two long-awaited and much-needed-by-everyone fixes:

• The device will now support dual International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSI) to enhance International travel for mobile users.
• Data connectivity will properly restore after disabling Airplane Mode.  

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit. I’m sure the 12 folks who have a Verizon Xoom and constantly travel with it internationally and need dual IMSI’s and have been flooding Verizon’s customer support with complaints about data connectivity after disabling airplane mode will REALLY appreciate this update. Seriously, after the 6+ month wait for the LTE upgrade to appear, it’s hard to believe that Verizon isn’t jumping through hoops to please their disgruntled Xoom customers.

This is exactly why I prefer the Wi-Fi only Xoom. I’m already sporting Ice Cream Sandwich, courtesy of Google. No carriers to get in the way and gum up the works. How long before our Verizon brothers can join us in lapping up the sweet, sweet drippings of creamy goodness?

I guess any update is good, and we thank Verizon for that, but couldn’t they have rolled these two seemingly small updates into the ICS release? Releasing an update now does not give us confidence that ICS is just around the corner. Prove us wrong, Big Red!

source: Verizon Support
via: AndroidPolice

Sprint is planning on initiating a program for customers to buy out their current contract by paying a fee in exchange for an early upgrade. The program effectively resets their early upgrade eligibility and with the applicable Upgrade Now fee, customers will also have to commit to another 2 year contract. The program will run from 2/12/12 to 04/14/12. Details after the break.

Non-eligible customers:

• Customers that have upgraded less than eight (8) months ago
• Corporate Accounts
• Customers in collections
• Airave and tablet accounts
• iDEN devices

The fee will be based upon the remaining term of the customer’s account.

Customers that have upgraded devices between 9-11 months ago would have an early upgrade fee of $165.

Customers that have upgraded between 12-14 months ago will have an early upgrade fee of $125.

Customers that have upgraded between 15-17 months ago will have an early upgrade fee of $95.

Customers that have upgraded between 18-21 months ago will have an early upgrade fee of $55, with anything beyond that period simply incurring the standard $36 upgrade fee.

This is surely good news for Sprint users!

Source: SprintFeed

What better way for Quebec mobile carrier Videotron to step in the world of Android than to begin selling the hottest Android on the planet? Yup you read right folks, Videotron is all set its first Nexus device, the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. That means the lucky French-speaking Canadians will finally be able to enjoy what the rest of Canadians have been able to enjoy for a few months now. Pricing will start at 149.99$ (with a monthly plan of 40$ or more) to a “meager” 599.99$ if you purchase it outright. Of course the price doesn’t quite match up with what the rest of the Canadian carriers have to offer but hey, beggars can’t be choosers at this point. If you’re living out in the Quebec area and have been drooling over the Galaxy Nexus, now’s the time to get it as it’s available in Videotron stores today.

source: Videotron

Good news for Sprint customers in the Baltimore and Kansas City areas, as Sprint announced this morning their intent to bring 4G LTE services and enhanced 3G service to users in these cities. This comes on the heels of Sprint’s announcement that Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio will also be getting the same treatment, with a targeted date around mid-2012. These new services and enhancements will enable faster speeds for data applications, better signal strength, expanded coverage and better in-building signal. Full press release after the break.

Baltimore and Kansas City Sprint Customers to Benefit from 4G LTE and 3G Enhancements in 2012

Sprint adds to the list of cities to benefit from new and improved network technology by mid-year

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), February 08, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced that Baltimore and Kansas City are expected to receive 4G LTE and upgraded 3G service by mid-2012. Sprint recently announced that 4G LTE and enhanced 3G service are also expected by mid-2012 in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Sprint 4G LTE will enable faster speeds for data applications, and the enhanced 3G service promises better signal strength, faster data speeds, expanded coverage and better in-building performance.

The launch of these large metropolitan areas demonstrates the continued commitment by Sprint to invest in its network through Network Vision. Sprint customers in these areas will soon enjoy ultra-fast data speeds and improved 3G voice quality. Whether a Sprint customer is using a smartphone to share a video of a double overtime game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers or a Baltimore chef is checking the Web via a mobile hotspot for a new way to serve crabcakes, Sprint 4G LTE will make it easier. And, when someone makes an important voice call, they can expect to find a clearer connection and a stronger signal in more areas.

“Sprint is investing in its CDMA network and delivering on our commitment to ensure customers experience superior wireless voice and data service at an unbeatable value,” said Bob Azzi, Sprint senior vice president-Network. “We continue to deploy multi-mode base stations across Sprint’s nationwide cell sites and are expecting improvements in voice quality, signal density and data speeds. Today’s good news demonstrates the phenomenal progress that our teams are making toward implementing this new technology.”

The initial devices already announced to run on 4G LTE will be Galaxy Nexus™, boasting a pure Google™ experience, LG Viper™ 4G LTE with eco-friendly features, and Sierra Wireless™ Tri-Network Hotspot, a 3G, 4G and 4G LTE mobile hotspot. More information is available at www.sprint.com/4glte.

Sprint has been a 4G innovator since first launching the technology in 2008. Sprint has launched more than 25 4G-enabled smartphones, USB connection cards, notebook/netbook products, mobile hotspots and routers. Sprint offers a proven, reliable 4G experience for millions of customers compared to other national wireless carriers. Additionally, Sprint is a leader in value, with Sprint Everything plans with Any Mobile, Anytime^SM, including unlimited data, texting and calling to and from any mobile phone in America while on the Sprint network. With Sprint’s unlimited data plans, customers don’t have to worry about throttling or data overage charges on their monthly bill as they might with tiered data plans from other carriers.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

* This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. The statements in this news release regarding network performance, coverage and capabilities, business and network efficiencies, migration of services new technologies, timing of deployment, and products and services, as well as other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The words “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” intend,” “expect,” “believe,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are estimates and projections reflecting management’s judgment based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. With respect to these forward-looking statements, management has made assumptions regarding, among other things, development and deployment of new technologies; efficiencies and cost savings of multimode technologies; customer and network usage; customer growth and retention; service, coverage and quality; availability of devices; the timing of various events and the economic environment. Sprint Nextel believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. Sprint Nextel is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. Sprint Nextel provides a detailed discussion of risk factors in periodic SEC filings, including in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2011.

 

We’ve already heard plans for a white HTC Sensation to launch in parts of Europe next mont, but now it appears that the larger version, the white Sensation XE, will be heading to the UK as well. UK retailer Clove will begin selling the SIM-free, alabaster XE from February 20, for £408 ($640) .

In case you had forgotten, the HTC Sensation XE comes equipped with a faster 1.5GHz dual-core processor (compared to the Sensations 1.2), a larger 1730mAh battery, a 4.3 qHD display, and an 8MP camera capable of recording 1080p video. Beats Audio has been integrated into the device and it comes with a pair of in-ear Beats Audio headphones. HTC has also mentioned that the XE will be getting the Android 4.0 update sometime in the coming months as well. Currently the device is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

If you are in the UK and are looking to purchase a new dual-core Android phone, I must say this device isn’t a bad choice. One thing to keep in mind though, if you’re the type of person who always wants the latest and greatest I suggest waiting to see what HTC has up their sleeves for Mobile World Congress at the end of this month. Stay tuned as we will be giving a full report as the event unfolds.

source: Clove

LightSquared, the company which has spent billions of dollars developing a whole-sale only wireless broadband network, filed a document with the FCC regarding stricter standards of GPS devices. LightSquared believes that signals that are used as part of GPS bands are the culprit of interference on the spectrum that they’ve chose to use for their services. Originally, that spectrum was supposed to be a satellite-only type of deal, but the FCC cleared it for terrestrial use back in 2005. The FCC also granted the company a waiver so LightSquared could run a terrestrial-only network.

Now, due to Sprint delivering an ultimatum, LightSquared is pressed for time in achieving a resolution for all these interference issues. Losing a long-term multi-billion dollar deal like the one struck with Sprint could be potentially catastrophic for LightSquared, especially when you couple it with LightSquared’s largest investor, Harbinger Capital Partners, who last year reported a whopping 46.6 percent value loss. Although the potential of LightSquared can be valued quite high in my opinion, it seems that if it can’t strike a deal with the FCC, we might be seeing a little more sinking than swimming.

Source: CNET

Good news for you Canadian readers who have Telus as their wireless carrier. Telus has just released an app in the Android Market that works in conjunction with thier Optik TV service and allows users the ability to watch select content on their mobile devices. Channel selection is a bit limited at this time but currently you can tune in to HBO, YTV, Baby TV, two Disney stations, and a few more. Whats neat is that the service doesn’t end with mobile devices either, Telus also offers an online portal for any web-enabled device. You can even watch Optik TV with your Xbox Kinect, gestures and voice included.

Once Telus’ LTE service kicks off, you can bet this app will be a hoot. Imagine watching your favorite HBO shows on the go without the streaming lag-time associated with 3G service. I imagine LTE should hit Telus soon, more than likely alongside the Galaxy Note launch in the middle February.

If you’re a Telus customer and want to go get the download, I’ve included a couple handy links after the break. While you’re there, you might as well check out the promo video for the Optik TV app, too!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Android Market

Mark February 11 on your calendars because T-Mobile is going to have one of those really big sales. This time they are celebrating Valentine’s Day just in case you need to get that special someone a really nice Android phone or tablet. Of course there’s nothing stopping you from taking advantage of this promo for yourself. Notice how I said “get” instead of “buy” because this sale is all about FREE.

T-Mobile is giving you the chance to pickup their latest 4G smartphones and select tablets for free. There is one minor catch, and that it’s free after rebate. You will of course need to sign up with a new 2-year contract with either the Value or Classic plan, and both new and existing customers are eligible. So if you’re in the market for the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S II, The HTC Amaze 4G, or the Huawei Springboard, this Saturday is the day to grab one.

Full press release after the break:

Cupid’s Arrow Hits Mark: T-Mobile Offers Free 4G Phones to Celebrate Valentine’s

For one day only, on Feb.11, all of T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones and select mobile broadband devices are free with the switch to a qualifying two-year plan

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Feb. 7, 2012 — In the spirit of the season, T-Mobile USA, Inc. will show consumers lots of love with another jaw-dropping promotion for its “Valentine’s Day Sale.” For one day only, Saturday, Feb. 11, T-Mobile will give customers the chance to get their hands on the latest 4G smartphones and select tablets for free, making a perfect gift for loved ones or themselves. The promotion includes T-Mobile’s fastest 4G smartphones and select tablets running on America’s Largest 4G Network^® such as the Samsung Galaxy S^™ II¹ and the T-Mobile^® SpringBoard^™ with Google™.

New and existing eligible customers can take advantage of this deal receiving their device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan^™2 or for a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value^™3 Plan.

“T-Mobile has a commitment to make the 4G experience affordable and accessible to everyone, so this sweet deal on smartphones and tablets is our Valentine’s gift to consumers,” said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “No matter where loved ones live, T-Mobile wants to bring them closer with unlimited talking, photo sharing, video chatting, texting, and more.”

A recent online Omnibus survey⁴ with Harris Interactive found that four-in-ten (44%) of first time smartphone buyers in 2012 say the cost of the data plan associated with the smartphone is the most influential reason they have not purchased a smartphone before. The value for customers extends beyond the “Valentine’s Day Sale” as T-Mobile offers the best rate plan pricing on America’s Largest 4G Network.

The following is a sample of the exceptional devices available during the “Valentine’s Day Sale” if customers choose to sign up on a two-year Classic Plan^™:

If customers choose to sign up for an Unlimited Value^™ plan, the following is a sample of device pricing and EIP payments:

The “Valentine’s Day Sale” will be available on Feb.11 at participating T-Mobile retail stores nationwide and T-Mobile will support the promotion with a national television advertising campaign. For more information about T-Mobile’s “Valentine’s Day Sale” and details about qualifying plans, visit http://bit.ly/z36M9c.

¹ Devices must be supported with the following data requirements: voice phones: 200 MB data; most smartphones: 2 GB data; 42 Mbps devices (Amaze and Galaxy S II): 5 GB data.

²Standard upgrade eligibility rules apply for existing Classic customers that stay on a Classic plan; standard migration fees will apply for existing Classic customers that switch to a Value plan and have less than 18 months contract tenure.

³ $0 down payment offer not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL; customers in these regions will be eligible for a different offer. Equipment installment plans: On approved credit and 0 percent APR. Down payment and unfinanced portion required at purchase. Remaining balance paid in 20 monthly installments. Total post-rebate price of each device equals down payment amount plus monthly payment amount times 20.

⁴This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of T-Mobile USA from December 20-22, 2011 among 2,573 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 235 will be first time smartphone buyers in 2012, and 988 are current smartphone users who will remain smartphone users in 2012. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact kmcfadzean@waggeneredstrom.com.

⁵Mail-in rebate not applicable in RI, CT, or Miami-Dade County, FL.

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG (OTCQX: DTEGY). By the end of the third quarter of 2011, approximately 129 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.7 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS and additionally HSPA+ 21/HSPA+ 42. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visitwww.telekom.com/investor-relations. For more information about T-Mobile’s 4G products, services and network availability, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

It’s hard to believe the 4th version of the original DROID is here. I remember buying the original the day it launched, November 6, 2009, which was the beginning of my love for Android. A little over 2 years later – Motorola and Verizon just made it official that the DROID 4 will indeed launch this Friday, February 10.

The keyboard was the biggest complaint with the original DROID, but it has improved with each version. The DROID 4 is no exception with its laser-cut 5-row QWERTY slider keyboard. I played with it at CES, and trust me it’s beautiful yet functional. As far as the specs go, the DROID 4 comes with a 4-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP rear camera (with 1080p video recording), 1.3MP front camera, 16GB internal storage, microSD for additional 32GB, 1785mAh battery, and Android 2.3.5.  Because of the QWERTY slider, this won’t be the thinnest phone as it comes in at 12.7mm, but feels solid.

Full press release after the break

DROID 4 by Motorola Ready to Work and Play on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network

Power, speed and reliability get the job done

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Feb. 7, 2012 — The award winning DROID 4 by Motorola will be available to handle even the most demanding lifestyles starting Feb. 10 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online atwww.verizonwireless.com. Introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the DROID 4 is the thinnest and most powerful 4G QWERTY smartphone measuring at less than half an inch thin. DROID 4 not only features a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, but also a five-row QWERTY keyboard with a PC-like layout and edge-lit keys for fast, precise typing, even in the dark. Powered by America’s fastest, most reliable 4G network, DROID 4 customers will have access to 4G LTE coverage in 195 markets covering more than 200 million people.

Additional features

• Verizon Wireless 4G LTE – Customers can expect fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas
• Android^™ 2.3.5 Gingerbread, to be upgraded to Android^™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 4.0-inch qHD display with scratch and scrape resistant glass
• Government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) for email, calendar and contacts; preloaded with Citrix^®Receiver^™ for Android (available in webtop) for desktop virtualization and access
• 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture
• Front-facing camera for video chat
• 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot supporting up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices

Business Ready

DROID 4 is designed to help customers get more done. Business professionals can impress their audience by presenting to a conference room full of potential customers in a snap by plugging the DROID 4 into an HDTV and presenting directly from the phone. Professionals can also combine the DROID 4 with the Lapdock 500 and its 14-inch display to create a full-featured mobile office. They can download documents, make edits using Lapdock’s full keyboard and email the updated documents to colleagues or customers. The Lapdock even features a built-in webcam so customers can attend virtual meetings and manage their business face-to-face.

The Smart Actions app on the DROID 4 helps automate everyday tasks and optimizes battery efficiency by letting customers create rules, such as automatically setting the phone to vibrate during work hours or dimming the display at a specific battery level.

Business professionals can leave their laptops behind and use the MotoCast^™ app to remotely stream documents, videos, music and pictures from their work or home computers to their handset. The remote access of MotoCast eliminates the need to store documents on the handset as everything is stored on their office laptop.

Pricing and availability

• DROID 4 by Motorola will be available on Feb. 10 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• The Lapdock 500 is available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online for $299.97.
• Customers that purchase a DROID 4 will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Follow@VZWnews on Twitter for the latest news on Verizon Wireless.

Verizon is set to make February a month of promotions galore beginning Friday, February 10th. The first major story involves the formal availability of Verizon’s most popular unreleased slider phone. Verizon will finally unleash the phone and will sell the phone for $199.99 on a 2-year contract. More big news follows with the MOTO DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX phones. Verizon will be offering both the DROID RAZR/RAZR MAXX as well as the different color combinations at as a BOGO deal. Yup, you read that correctly— two of the hottest phones out there are now available as a Buy One, Get One Free deal starting this Friday.

Verizon isn’t stopping there either. They are set to bring back their popular double data promotion. In case you’ve forgotten, this promotion involves Verizon offering a double amount of monthly data for the price of a standard amount of monthly data for its 4G LTE customers. In this case, Verizon is offering a 4GB data for a mere $30 per month– normally it is 2GB of data for $30 per month. Another promotion involves Verizon giving customers $100 off any 4G LTE tablet with the purchase of any phone and 2-year contract of course. Finally, Verizon is offering a trade-in deal where they will give you a $30 Verizon gift card for your old basic model “dumbphone”.

If you’re in the market for a new phone and/or tablet today, this Friday might be as good a time as any to finally pickup a new device especially with Verizon’s great offerings.

source: BGR