Verizon Bringing Service to 36 NYC subway Stations

It doesn't matter that Verizon has the best 4G network when you are in the subway and have no service. Verizon is joining rival cell carriers AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile by inking a deal with Transit Wireless to bring 3G and LTE voice and data to 36 subway stations later in the year. These stations already have wireless service, it's just a matter of Verizon adding its own hardware. The network will begin to rollout service in the next few weeks in Chelsea and midtown in Manhattan.

Big Red is also participating in phase two of Transit's coverage project. This phase brings coverage to 40 new stations, including Grand Central, Herald Square, and Bryant Park, in early 2014.

HTC One to launch on Verizon on August 22nd

 

The HTC One finally has a launch date on Verizon Wireless, August 22nd. The phone will come on a contract for $199.99. The phone is HTC's flagship, and is a really nice phone in general.

Verizon #4G LTE + HTC One = Aug. 22 online and in stores for $199.99 on contract http://t.co/YQCEbjJMRH @HTCUSA pic.twitter.com/1w1MRO4uJ5

— Verizon Wireless (@VZWnews) August 16, 2013

LG's G2 may come with wireless charging

LG has launched the G2 with no mention of wireless charging, but Verizon seems to be adding that feature to its version of the phone. On its G2 newsletter page, the company mentions that the CDMA version will come with "exclusive wireless charging," and the picture of the rear of the G2 looks slightly different than all of the other models.and the accompanying image also shows a slightly different design to the rear buttons. I'm sure AT&T, T-Mobile, and others have already begun banging down LG's doors over this.

Verizon's Moto X Website is Live

Verizon Wireless has launched its Moto X website today, allowing consumers to sign up for email updates. The carrier has said that the black and white versions will be going on sale in the coming weeks. At the launch of the Moto X, customization options were only available on AT&T. Verizon customers will be allowed to customize their phone via Motorola's MotoMaker later this year.

The Moto X will be going on sale later this month beginning at $199.99 for a 16GB model. Motorola's new flagship will be available on all four major US carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and also US Cellular. T-Mobile will have its own model of the phone. A leaked Verizon release date document is suggesting that the phone will be available on the carrier around August 23.

Despite the fact that the phone is very mid-range, it still does bring something unique to the market. The Moto X can be completely customized via the MotoMaker, which allows consumers to change all aspects of the phone. For the cherry on top of the sundae, the flagship will be assembled here in the US, specifically in Fort Worth, Texas.

Verizon HTC One Launch Reportedly Delayed Until August 15

The HTC's fabulous flagship, the One, will be launching on Verizon Wireless a little later than expected. Early rumors were pointing to an August 1st release date, but a report from Droid-Life is saying the launch has been pushed until August 15th. The blog has posted what seems to be an internal document that talks about the late launch date. There are no confirmed reports from Verizon as of this time. Unfortunately, when the HTC One does come out, the marketplace will be crowded, as the Moto X, LG G2, and possibly Apple's budget iPhone. The leaked document is below:

Verizon Releases Three New Motorola DROID Phones

At a press event today, Verizon Wireless announced it will be updating its DROID line with three new phones, DROID Maxx, DROID Ultra, and DROID Mini. All of these phones are brought to you by Motorola (a unit at Google).

The Ultra sports a five inch screen and is only 7.18mm thick.

[caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The DROID Ultra[/caption]

The Maxx has an enormous 3,500mAH battery which Verizon brags will be able to run for two days solid with only one charge.

[caption id="attachment_759" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The DROID Maxx[/caption]

The Mini has a 4.3 inch display and offers wireless charging. All of the phones are wrapped with Kevlar and will be hitting the market next month.

[caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The DROID Mini[/caption]

The Maxx and Ultra will be available for purchase on August 20, with the Maxx going for $299.99 and the Ultra at $199.99, both on a two-year contract. The Mini will cost $99.99 on a two-year contract, and will be available starting August 29.

 

Zact: The Reinvented Wireless Carrier

Imagine a wireless carrier that allowed you to build your own plan. Zact, an upstart service provider created by Andreessen Horowitz-backed ItsOn that uses Sprint’s network, has an amazing breakthrough on wireless.

Zact has all no contract plans, so there is no commitment. Just a simple plan, 500 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 1 GB of data will cost just short of $40. At the end of the month, Zact's billing style is much different than that of traditional cell providers. Regular carriers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, will charge you for what you paid for, and will send you no notification that you should downgrade or upgrade your plan. Zact automatically goes and looks back at your usage for the past month. It will only charge you for the nearest plan that fits your usage; no extra charges for data/texts/call minutes you didn't use. This is a different business model for cell carriers, actually try and charge the customer as little as possible.

There is only one catch though: Zact only has two Android smartphones (three if you count a color change), and then only one with LTE. None of them are very pretty though. Ting is a slightly more attractive Sprint MVNO, but only because it offers more devices. I am definitely going to be keeping my eye on Zact, they are really onto something.