Let's face it, the cost of paid streaming services add up and in some instances, defeat the whole purpose of cord cutting. If you're considering upgrading your home internet service, Verizon is throwing in a bonus streaming bundle that's hard to refuse.

For a limited time, get 12-months of Netflix and Max for free when you switch to the Verizon Fios Home Internet 1 Gig Plan for $89.99/month. Verizon's 1 Gig Home Internet Plan provides speeds of up to 940 Mbps, a free router, and Whole-Home Wi-Fi at no additional cost.

Browse: Verizon's latest deals

Verizon will take $10 off the monthly cost which drops it $79.99 when you opt for paperless invoices and auto-pay. This pricing is locked in for guaranteed 5 years and Verizon is waving the normally $99 professional installation fee.

Verizon Fios Netflix and Max Bundle

Netflix with ads costs $7.99/month ($95.88/year) whereas the ad-supported Max (formerly HBO Max) plan costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. With Verizon's streaming bundle freebie, that's a combined savings $196/year for entertainment. Tack on the set up fee you no longer have to worry about so you're saving $295 in total.

This is one of the best internet service/streaming deals I've seen outside of the holidays. It's also an excellent value bundle if you smooth, reliable high speed data for streaming and gaming is important to you.

I switched to Verizon Fios from Spectrum last year and never looked back. Connections are strong in every room, games download faster, streams start quicker, and buffering is rare.

Though smart TVs nowadays include pre-installed apps for watching free live TV and movies, a paid subscription opens up a whole new world of exclusive libraries of content.

Have a Verizon phone plan or opening a new line? With any Verizon mobile plan, you can get the 1 Gig Home Internet Plan for just $64.99/month. Again, your first year of Netflix and Max is free and the $99 set up fee is waived.

There's no telling how long Verizon's deal will last so act now to get on Verizon's high speed Fios fiber optic network for less.

January is around the corner and if you plan to step into 2025 with a new phone, chances are the iPhone 16 Pro has caught your eye.

The best end-of-year phone deals are here and I found two ways to get the iPhone 16 Pro for free without having to trade-in a device.

New and existing Verizon customers can score a free iPhone 16 Pro with no-trade-in required. Yes, you read that right.

For a limited time, get the iPhone 16 Pro for free (valued at $999) from Verizon with no-trade in. There's just one small catch.

Browse: Verizon holiday deals

To qualify for Verizon's free iPhone 16 Pro offer, you must open a new line and activate the phone on Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate plan which costs $100 per month. With AutoPay, you'd pay $90 per month.

Your rebate for the price of the phone will appear on your monthly billing statement as credits over the course of 36-months.

Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate plan includes high-speed international data, talk, and text, and 60GB of premium mobile hotspot data. Additionally, save up to 50% on 2 data plans for a watch or tablet and get Verizon Home Internet starting from as low as $35 per month with AutoPay.

Browse: Boost Mobile holiday deals

If you don't mind going with a prepaid carrier, here's an option worth considering. Boost Mobile currently offers the iPhone 16 Pro for free with activation on its Infinite Access plan for $65 a month. You get unlimited talk, text, data, annual upgrades, global talk and text and 30GB of premium data.

Boost Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) like Mint Mobile. It offers 99% of nationwide coverage in the US and runs on multiple 5G networks including its own, T-Mobile's, and AT&T's.

Now free for holidays and shipped to arrive by December 25, the iPhone 16 Pro is a wise choice if you or a family member is due for an upgrade.

Verizon's free iPhone 16 Pro deal

A widespread outage affected Verizon customers across the country on Monday. Reports of cell outages flooded onto social media as Verizon worked to fix the problem and addressed myriad complaints from customers online and in-person, until finally reporting that it was restoring service at 5 p.m. Eastern.

According to Downdetector, reports of issues with cellular connection started to flood in at around 10 a.m. on Monday and have steadily climbed, persisting for more than seven hours for some customers.

Below is Laptop Mag's live blog of reporting and updates as they came in.

A widespread outage is affecting Verizon customers across the country. Reports of disrupted cell service are flooding onto social media as Verizon works to fix the problem.

According to Downdetector, reports of issues with cellular connection started to flood in at around 10 a.m. on Monday and have steadily climbed, persisting well into the afternoon. If your phone is stuck in SOS, don't panic — you're not alone.

Laptop Mag will be covering the outage as updates roll in.

Why is my phone stuck in SOS?

If your phone is stuck in SOS, don't worry, there's probably nothing wrong with your device. There is, however, likely something wrong with your cell provider.

Reports are flooding in on social media about a potential outage affecting Verizon and AT&T customers. It's hard to tell exactly how many people are affected, but according to Downdetector, a website that tracks outages, there were about 100,000 reports from Verizon customers between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday, September 30.

Likewise, there was an uptick of reports from AT&T customers during the same period.

Where are the outage reports coming from?

Again, it's difficult to say how many people are affected and where, but according to Downdetector, lots of the reports are coming from the Northeast U.S.

That could just be a matter of time zones, though. Sorry, denizens of California, you may be waking up to some SOS.

Customers aren't happy

Not having cell service can really throw a wrench in your day, and naturally, some people are not pleased with the disruption.

Outage cause unknown

As of 11:45 a.m. ET, neither Verizon nor AT&T has acknowledged the outage. Laptop Mag is monitoring support pages on X and has reached out to Verizon for comment on the issue.

Verizon is working on it

Verizon issued an official statement on its X support page saying that it is aware of the issue and is currently working on it.

Unfortunately, there's still no answer as to what's causing the outage in the first place.

What do I do about my phone being in SOS?

When it comes to regaining cell service, there's little you can do, but that doesn't mean your phone is still completely bricked right now.

If you're in a place that Wi-Fi is accessible, make sure your phone is connected — you can still make calls and receive texts if you're on a Wi-Fi network.

If you're not home, then you'll have to sit tight and wait until service is restored.

Not the first time

We've seen similar outages in the past. In May, for example, AT&T experienced a widespread outage causing major disruptions.

Those issues also included Cricket Wireless and FirstNet, which are under the AT&T umbrella. It's hard to say if that outage is similar in nature to what customers are experiencing now without any official explanation, but the results are definitely the same.

AT&T says its coverage is not affected

According to an update from AT&T, their service has not been affected. In a statement on Twitter, it claims that reports on Downdetector are a reflection of people trying to connect with another customers using Verizon.

Not good for customer satisfaction

Outages are never good, but some customers are taking it extra hard.

On X, users are threatening to leave Verizon for T-Mobile and asking for reimbursements for the down period.

Verizon still ongoing

Users of Verizon, however, are still reporting outages according to Downdetector.

As of 2:20 p.m. ET, comments about service issues are still rolling in.

It's a bad day to be a Verizon employee

If this post on X is any indication, it's probably a bad day to work at a Verizon store. Some customers seem to be showing up in-person to try and resolve issues with their cell service.

The iPhone's secret weapon

If you're affected by the Verizon outage and have an iPhone, there's some good news.

Thanks to satellite connectivity, you can still send and receive messages and make calls. As Wyze employee Matt Van Swol points out, that satellite feature could literally save lives in this situation.

A marathon

After more than 5 hours, many Verizon customers are still experiencing outages. We've seen quite a few outages in our day, but this one appears to be pretty serious.

Verizon recommends Wi-Fi calling

If you’re in an area with wifi, Verizon recommends enabling wifi calling on your phone so you can still make calls and send texts.

The company shared a "Wi-Fi calling at Verizon FAQ," explaining that voice calling uses 1-5MB of data and a video call uses between 6-30MB of data, depending on resolution.

Wifi calling is a good thing to keep on if you're concerned about data, as it doesn't count toward data limits because those calls don't use Verizon's cellular network — though sometimes there's an access fee to use wifi calling if you're using a public wifi network.

One thing to remember is that wifi calling uses your device's location and wifi network to locate you if you call 911 — though that is less problematic as location precision has improved over the years.

This is why you are asked to add your home address when setting up wifi calling, so first responders have a codified location.

Some people have restored service

At 5:20 p.m. Eastern, reports of disrupted service have declined. Some users on Downdetector have also reported restoration to service, though others are still without.

At 4:44 p.m. Eastern, Downdetector showed more than 35,000 users reporting problems with Verizon, down from a peak of nearly 105,000 at 11:14 a.m. Eastern. A map of outages showed much of the problems being reported on the East Coast and in the South East, affecting cities like Atlanta, New York, and Washington, D.C., though Chicago, Omaha, and Las Vegas also were among the cities with the most reported problems.

It's been a long day for both Verizon and its customers, but the situation could be trending in the right direction. At about 5 p.m. Eastern, Verizon said it's "making progress" on restoring service for customers and issued this update on X:

"Verizon engineers are making progress on our network issue and service has started to be restored. We know how much people rely on Verizon and apologize for any inconvenience some of our customers experienced today. We continue to work around the clock to fully resolve this issue."

Since its September 20, 2024, launch, Apple's iPhone 16 series has earned high ratings and praise from industry experts and satisfied owners alike. In 2025, it's among the best smartphones to buy, and on February 28, Apple welcomed the iPhone 16e into the family.

Pricing for the iPhone 16 Series starts at $799 for the entry model iPhone 16, $899 for the iPhone 16 Plus, $999 for the iPhone 16 Pro, and $1,199 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you're due for an upgrade or switching carriers, you'll want to check out today's iPhone 16 deals.

If you are due for a new daily driver or switching carriers, the best iPhone 16 deals will help you save on Apple's latest flagship device. In some instances, you can snag a free iPhone 16e, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, or iPhone 16 Pro.

Read on to find out how.

iPhone 16 deals at carriers in the U.S. continue to slash up to $1,000 off Apple's new flagship phone when you trade in your old device. Given that this discount is higher than the $ 799 iPhone 16, $899 iPhone 16 Plus, and $999 iPhone 16 Pro, you're getting a free iPhone.

Or you'll pay as little as $199 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That's only if you get the maximum trade-in value for the device you're swapping. Newer phones in good condition typically get the highest trade-in value of $1,000.

To take advantage of these generous iPhone 16 carrier offers, you must trade in an eligible device and activate your iPhone 16 on a specified plan. Select carriers require you to open a new line or switch from a competitor to their network.

Don't have a phone to trade in? If you don't mind jumping to a new carrier, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are known to offer a free iPhone when you switch. This deal is especially tempting if you're a prepaid customer who normally has to purchase your phone outright. Even if you spend $5 to $10 more on a monthly plan, it'll be cheaper than buying an unlocked iPhone 16 at full price.

So, if you're sitting on an older model iPhone or want to switch to the Apple ecosystem, you don't have to spend a fortune or a kidney. Here are the best iPhone 16 deals available this week.

Best iPhone 16 deals — iPhone 16e

Best iPhone 16 deals — iPhone 16 | iPhone 16 Plus

Best iPhone 16 deals — iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max

More from Laptop Mag

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Verizon is rolling out the red carpet for new customers with holiday savings on 5G service. Prices start at just $25 per month with Verizon's Unlimited Welcome plan.

For a limited time, bring your own device (s) to Verizon and pay $25 monthly for 4 lines guaranteed for three years. To see the deal price, toggle on Auto Pay and Bring your phone located at the top of Verizon myPlan page. This is a great option if you want to switch carriers and keep your existing phone (s). At this low monthly price on Verizon's fast and reliable 5G network, now is a great time switch.

Verizon also offers fantastic price breaks on today's popular streaming services. For the first time, Verizon myPlan customers may bundle Netflix (valued at $7) and Max (valued at $10) with their monthly phone plan for an additional $10 per month. That's over 40% less than the cost of paying for each streaming service separately. For another $10, you can add the Disney Bundle which includes Disney+ Premium, Hulu, and ESPN (valued at $15). You'd end up spending just $20 per month for all five streaming services.

And there's more. From now through Jan. 3 when you switch to the 1Gig Verizon Fios Home Internet plan for $65, you'll get a free Xbox Series X (valued at $500, $100 Verizon Gift Card, and $200 Amazon Gift Card or Echo Show 10 (valued at $250). Verizon Fios Internet Plans start at $25 per month with Auto Pay and select 5G Mobile plans. With no data caps or annual contracts and a price guarantee of 5 years, this is a tremendous value. 

If you're shopping around for a new carrier, Verizon is rolling out the red carpet for new customers. Visit Verizon.com to browse more holiday deals

U.S. residents can now preorder for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus for $799 and $899, respectively. However, here's how to get a free iPhone 15 from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon with eligible trade-in. For example, new and existing Verizon customers can get a free iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus with activation. To claim this offer, trade-in any iPhone in any condition and open a new line on Verizon's Unlimited Ultimate plan. In terms of phone deals, this is one of the best available right now. 

Your rebate will appear as credits on your monthly billing statements over 36-months. Another standout trade-in deal, existing Verizon customers get up to $830 off the new iPhone 15 or up to $930 off the iPhone 15 Plus with activation on the Unlimited Plus plan. 

Not to be outdone, T-Mobile takes up to $1,000 off any iPhone 15 series phone with trade-in on T-Mo's Go5G Plus or Go5G Next. If you net the highest trade-in value for your old phone, you'll get a free iPhone 15 (valued at $799) and iPhone 15 Plus ($899) or iPhone 15 Pro ($999). Similarly, you can get a free iPhone 15 via AT&T's preorder trade-in offer. Get up to $830 off and activate your new iPhone 15 on an eligible AT&T Unlimited plan.

If you plan to upgrade to Apple's latest phone release, see today's best free iPhone 15 deals below.

Today's best free iPhone 15 deals

Before you preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $999, here's something you should know. U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon offers a great incentive. For a limited time, new and existing customers can get a free Galaxy Z Flip 5 or save up to $1,000 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (valued at $1,799). On top of that, you get a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB.

We all know that nothing in life is free, so as you probably guessed, there's a catch. To get a free Galaxy Z Flip 5 from Verizon you must trade-in an eligible device in good condition. You must also activate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 phone on a qualifying Verizon Unlimited Plan. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 costs $999, so if you receive the highest trade-in value, the phone is yours for free. Your rebate shows up as credits on your monthly bill over the course of 36-months. 

And to sweeten the deal even more, Verizon is bundling this deal with NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV for free (valued at $449).

This is one of the best phone deals at Verizon, so if you're due for an upgrade, now's a great time to save. Preorder Samsung's new Galaxy Z Series foldables below. 

Verizon has just introduced myPlan — a new kind of phone contract for its 5G network — and it may just be the best option for iPhone users. Let me explain why.

If you’re enamored by the iPhone 14, or stunned by the iPhone 14 Pro Max, chances are you will be paying through the nose for various subscription services to make the most of it. Not only can you get unlimited 5G data, you can also save on these services too.

1. Unlimited, uncapped 5G

You’ve got a choice to make between Unlimited Welcome, and Unlimited Plus. Choose carefully depending on where you are located. If you can take advantage of the super fast 5G Ultra Wideband, then get Plus. If you’re nowhere near a Wideband area, then stick to the standard 5G.

But whichever one you get, there are no smartphone data caps. Verizon won’t slow down your data, nor will the company deprioritize your data.

2. Apple One for just $10 per month

Apple One is lowkey one of the best services packages for any iPhone user — giving you iCloud+, alongside Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade. Normally, you’re paying $16.95 per month for it, but on myPlan, this perk is available for just $10. 

Of course, there are several extra premium security features that make this more than worthwhile, such as Private Relay and Hide My Email too!

3. Disney+ bundle for just $10 per month

But what about your other entertainment needs? Sure, Apple TV+ pumps out plenty of bangers like Ted Lasso, Severance and Swagger, but the Disney+ package gives you all of Disney and Pixar’s content, along with ESPN+ and Hulu for just $10 a month.

That’s a $5 saving, and vastly increases the library available to you on your Verizon myPlan!

4. More blue bubble friends = cheaper prices

With more lines comes lower costs per line, and the Version myPlan is no different. If you want group chats full of blue bubble goodness, you can get a plan for as little as $27 per line.

If you’re flying solo, you’ll have to pay up to $80 per month for the same line. So make sure you hit up your friends and family, and see if you can cut that price down.

5. Apple Music family for just $10 per month

And if you do get myPlan Unlimited for up to six different lines, then the choice of perk is obvious. Grab Apple Music Family for $10 a month (a $6.99 saving), and you can share the wealth of the company’s massive music library for as little as $1.66 per person.

That is insanely good value for you and your family/friends.

Outlook

We didn’t even touch on some of the other big perks coming with this, such as the ability to bolt-on a 100GB mobile hotspot, 3 TravelPass days to use your data wherever you go, and even a Walmart+ membership if you’re a big shopper at that retailer.

And the best bit? You can switch these up at any time, depending on your needs at the time. You don’t need to pick up a bloated phone plan to get everything you need, along with a few that you don’t. It’s flexibility and versatility, and with the Apple-focussed options, this could be the best option for iPhone users yet.

Over the last year, we have seen 5G phones drop dramatically in price with a few notable options (even among our best budget phones). But it has still been hard to recommend that anyone rush out to buy a phone for 5G because, thus far, it offers very few advantages over 4G and, in many areas, is worse. 

Verizon has taken a major step toward solving that problem on its network by winning an FCC auction for a large chunk of C-band spectrum that is optimal for 5G, but only customers on its premium unlimited plans will gain access to the new and improved 5G when it rolls out (via 9to5Mac).

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That means customers on either metered data plans or the Start Unlimited plan will be limited to the current low-band 5G that is probably best known currently as the thing you need to turn off to get better battery life on your phone.

Upgrading to the higher-tier Play More, Do More or Get More Unlimited plans will grant you the ability to access the new C-band spectrum. The greater prevalence of this spectrum should not only deliver better speeds than what you are seeing on the low-band currently, but also diminish the battery life problems that many are encountering as the phones aren't forced to continually search for the network.

Verizon spent $45.4 billion to win this auction and is planning to spend another $10 billion to properly roll out the C-band over the next three years, so it's understandable that the carrier is going to try to recoup that cost. However, it does feel like an acknowledgment that the current 5G network Verizon has been pushing is far from the amazing experience it has been advertising. 

The truth is that we still haven't seen a killer application that justifies the need for 5G, even if it were better than it is right now. So, in that sense, even if you are on a lower-tier Verizon plan, don't worry too much about this news, you'll get more out of your phone by shutting off that 5G for the extra battery life and continuing to use the reliable and pervasive 4G LTE network.

Laptops have lagged behind smartphones when it comes to adopting 5G, but that changes with the Lenovo Flex 5G, the first laptop to harness the budding cellular network. Enabling those blistering data speeds is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, an ARM-based chip built for laptops. 

The Snapdragon 8cx delivers better performance than other ARM-based chips we've tested, but it still doesn't hold a candle to Intel or AMD processors, and app compatibility remains a problem. As such, the Flex 5G isn't a good choice for power users. Instead, with its premium, portable chassis and gorgeous display, the Flex 5G should only be considered by those who travel and need internet access away from their home Wi-Fi. 

Even then, there are better options available. As it stands, the Flex 5G's flagship feature can only be experienced on certain streets in sections of a portion of US cities. And while the Flex 5G's battery life is nothing short of miraculous, it's not enough to justify the high price, especially when you compare the complete package with others in this price range.

Lenovo Flex 5G price and configuration options

Lenovo sells the Flex 5G in a single configuration. For $1,499 you get a 14-inch, 1080p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Lenovo Flex 5G design

As the first laptop with 5G, the Flex 5G is no ordinary notebook. And yet, the rather bland chassis would suggest otherwise. While by no means unattractive, the Flex 5G lacks the flashy design elements that elevate the designs of other laptops in this price range. 

The Flex is a mix between an IdeaPad and a Yoga, flaunting a sleek aluminum chassis with a minimalist aesthetic. A shiny Lenovo tag on the edge of the lid is the only contrast against the Flex's Iron Gray sheen. Open the laptop, and you'll find the same metallic hue on the deck and keyboard keys. 

Flanking the keyboard are two top-firing speakers; below the right grille is a fingerprint sensor and more Lenovo branding, this time with an irremovable Verizon 5G sticker. I don't mind the simple, uniform appearance of the Flex 5G, but some chrome trim or subtle pattern could have given it the spice its lacking.

Still, the Flex 5G feels more premium than it looks. From afar, you'd expect the Flex 5G to be made entirely of aluminum magnesium but it's not. The bottom half -- the deck and underside -- are coated in a pleasant soft-touch material reminiscent of the plush surface covering the ThinkPad X1 Carbon.   

As a 2-in-1 laptop, the Flex 5G can contort into a tablet or be placed in tent mode when you're presenting or watching a video. Like the rest of the laptop, the dual hinges are sturdy, which I discovered when the screen didn't budge after I tapped on it with some force.

At 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches and 2.9 pounds, the Flex 5G is thinner but heavier than the LG Gram 14 2-in-1 (12.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches, 2.5 pounds). HP's Spectre x360 13 (12.2 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches, 2.8 pounds) is about the same thickness and heft while the Lenovo Yoga C940 is about the same size as the Flex 5G (12.6 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches, 3 pounds). 

Lenovo Flex 5G ports

There are few ports on the Flex 5G, so add some dongles to your cart before you checkout. Actually, there isn't a single input on the right side apart from a headphone jack and a physical switch for toggling between Airplane Mode (cellular and Wi-Fi turned off) and mobile connectivity.

On the left side are two USB 3.2 USB-C ports, one of which is used for charging.

Lenovo Flex 5G display

The Flex 5G's 14-inch, 1080p display is a good one. The panel gets plenty bright and the colors are more vivid than what you'll find on competing notebooks. 

The panel was sharp enough that I could see the pinstriping in the housemaid outfits and in the snazzy suit of Conrad, the new protagonist played by Harris Dickinson in The King's Man. Turquoise blue and peach-orange hues glistened off chandeliers in the grand ballroom scene as radiant greens and reds of gowns and military uniforms stood out against the golden opulence.

Our colorimeter clocked the screen at 115% of the sRGB color gamut, making it brighter than the one on the Gram 14 2-in-1 (108%), the Spectre x360 13 (109%) and the Yoga C940 (104%).  

Peaking at 410 nits of brightness, the Flex 5G's panel gets bright enough for outdoor use. It outshone the Gram 14 2-in-1 (306 nits), the Spectre x360 13 (287 nits), the Yoga C940 (339 nits) and the category average (368 nits). 

Lenovo Flex 5G keyboard and touchpad

Maybe I got used to typing on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, or I forgot what to expect from an ultrathin laptop, but the Flex 5G's keyboard isn't my favorite. 

The keys are very shallow, which caused me to frequently bottom out. They also feel a bit stiff and I'm missing that audible click heard on tactile keyboards that lets you know when you've actuated a key. On the plus side, the scalloped keys are large, properly spaced, and quiet, so the people around you can concentrate as you tap away. 

I typed at 111 words per minute with a 93% accuracy, both of which are below my usual 119-wpm and 95% accuracy averages. 

The touchpad underneath the keyboard works well. It has a pleasant smooth surface and is a decent size, at 4.1 x 2.8 inches. Precision drivers ensured that my wipes and Windows 10 gestures were executed without a fault.

Lenovo Flex 5G audio

The top-firing speakers on the deck of the Flex 5G sound decent. While they don't get crazy loud, my medium-sized bedroom was filled with Brandon Flower's voice when I listened to The Killers' "My Own Soul's Warning" at maximum volume. Then again, you won't want to crank it up too loud because you might hear a distorted hiss in the treble. That grating noise disappeared at 75% when the speakers found their footing; at this volume, the treble sounds were slightly harsh but the vocals were crisp and the midrange sounded smooth.

Lenovo Flex 5G: 5G speeds

The Flex 5G is the first laptop to support 5G mobile connectivity. 5G is the next generation of cellular networks (following LTE) designed to deliver blistering fast internet speeds, among various other benefits. 

The Flex 5G uses Verizon's 5G network exclusively and has antennas for both mmWave and Sub-6Ghz technology, which means you'll get the fastest speeds and widest coverage. Our experience testing 5G in various cities was promising but inconsistent. 

My first test was in Cincinnati, just across from the Reds' baseball stadium on one of the very few strips of 5G coverage available in the city. I ran three speed tests while standing in the same spot and got three very different results. My first attempt was the slowest with the Flex 5G hitting "only" 370 MBps. Subsequent tests reached 455.6 MBps and a blistering 1.3 Gbps -- faster than some of the quickest home Wi-Fi.

The fine folks at our sister site, Tom's Hardware, said the best speeds they hit in New York City were 250 Mbps, lower than the slowest I saw in Cincy. All this proves is that 5G still has a way to go before we consistently get the numbers promised by mobile carriers. 

Verizon has the most established 5G network, now available in more than 30 cities. You can find out whether 5G is live in your area by visiting Verizon's website. I need to emphasize that 5G is still in its infancy; the network will expand to more areas and become faster and more reliable over time. 

Lenovo Flex 5G: ARM compatibility

Before we talk about performance, it's important you know the limitations of the Flex 5G's Snapdragon CPU. Because it's based on ARM, the Flex 5G can't run every program supported by Intel and AMD-powered laptops. 

The Snapdragon 8cx is a 64-bit ARM processor, so it can natively run 64-bit, ARM64 apps and 32-bit, ARM32 apps. It can even run 32-bit x86 apps, but only through an emulator (called WOW64), which can hurt performance. What the Flex 5G can't run are 64-bit, x86 apps. 

With that in mind, if there is a program you need that is only available as a 64-bit app, you can't run it. The good news is that many apps have 32-bit versions (including web browsers like Google Chrome), so most people won't run into problems during day-to-day tasks.

It's those few apps without 64-bit versions that are a deal-breaker for some. The Dropbox desktop app, for example, isn't compatible with ARM processors, so you need to use the watered-down Dropbox for S mode app. Plex won't install but Audacity does natively. Most Adobe programs work via the 32-bit emulator, others, like Adobe XD, don't. The same goes for video games; most will run on an emulator but with varying stability. 

The list goes on and on, so you'll want to really think about which apps you need and determine whether they will run on the Flex 5G. Fortunately, some folks on Reddit put together a useful spreadsheet outlining which apps do and don't run on ARM.

Lenovo Flex 5G performance

Don't expect the Flex 5G to perform as well as other $1,500 laptops. At least, not those with Intel or AMD processors. Armed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx chip and 8GB of RAM, the Flex 5G struggled to load a dozen tabs in Chrome, a browser it runs via emulation. My browsing experience improved once all the tabs had loaded and I was working on one at a time. After learning the Flex 5G's limits, I watched a YouTube video while flipping through a few tabs without any issues.   

There's no way around it, the Flex 5G's price-to-performance ratio is ugly. While an improvement over previous AMD-powered laptops, the Lenovo was decimated by competitors in our benchmark tests. The Flex 5G scored a 2,779 on the Geekbench 5.0 overall performance test, falling well short of the Gram 14 (Core i7-10510U, 3,321), the Yoga C940 (Core i7-1065G7, 4,055) and the average premium laptop (4,061). 

The Flex 5G is equipped with a 256GB UFS 3.0 flash storage drive, not a proper SSD. It showed in our tests when the Flex 5G needed 19 seconds to duplicate a 5GB file for a rate of 270.7MBps. That's slow compared to the Gram 14 2-in-1 (1,454.1 MBps), Spectre x360 (391.5 MBps) and the Yoga C940 (1,017.9 MBps). The average is 681.5 MBps.

Lenovo Flex 5G graphics

Don't try to play games on the Flex 5G. Even if the Qualcomm Adreno 680 supports what you're playing, it probably won't have the power to run it. 

The Flex 5G played Dirt 3 (High, 1080p) at 21 frames per second, stalling before it hit our 30-fps playability threshold. The Gram 14 2-in-1 (34 fps, Intel UHD), Spectre x360 13 (56 fps, Intel UHD) and Yoga C940 (55 fps, Iris Plus) all accelerated past the Flex 5G. 

Lenovo Flex 5G battery life

Congratulations Flex 5G, you now hold the record as the longest-lasting laptop we've ever tested. Aided by the Snapdragon 8cx, the Flex 5G lasted for 17 hours and 28 minutes on our battery test, which consists of browsing the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness.

How impressive is that really? The average premium laptop lasts for 9 hours and 28 minutes on a charge, so any laptop with over 10 hours of runtime earns our praise. 17 hours and 28 minutes of runtime means the Flex 5G will stay powered from liftoff to touchdown on the longest intercontinental flights. 

Even the best of its competitors can't outlast the Flex 5G. The Gram 14 2-in-1 endured for an impressive 14 hours while the Spectre x360 13 and Yoga C940 also breached the 10-hour mark, at 12:07 and 11:46, respectively, but got nowhere near the Flex.

Lenovo Flex 5G webcam

Owning a laptop with a good webcam is more important than ever now that so many people are working from home. The 720p camera on the Flex 5G works in a pinch, but an external webcam will deliver a much better image. My biggest qualm with the selfie I shot in my dimly-lit apartment was the lack of color in my face. 

If my ghostly white face were my actual skin tone, then I'd need to rush to the hospital (although my pale complexion suggests it's already too late). As for details, they're fine; I could see the reflection from a nearby window in my eyes but my beard was a dark blob.

Lenovo Flex 5G heat

Like a well-trained athlete, the Flex 5G didn't even break a sweat after we subjected it to our heat test, which involves playing a 15-minute, 1080p video. The touchpad was a cool 74 degrees Fahrenheit while the center of the keyboard only reached 77 degrees. You can even use the Flex 5G on your lap without any discomfort because the underside warmed to 83 degrees, well below our 95-degree comfort threshold. 

Lenovo Flex 5G software and warranty

Lenovo did a great job condensing the software tools it provides to customers into one tidy app called Lenovo Vantage. In Vantage, you can check your warranty details, backup and restore files, and reset Windows 10. Unfortunately, you don't get the full x86 features, so there is no way to install the latest drivers or get support directly from the app.

Also installed on the Flex 5G is your standard buffet of Windows 10 Home bloatware, including Farm Heroes Saga, Hulu and Netflix.

The Flex 5G ships with a one-year warranty. See how Lenovo did our Best and Worst Brands and Tech Support Showdown special reports.

Bottom line

I like the Flex 5G as an always-connected device for everyday tasks on the go. Along with futureproofing, the 5G antennas in the Flex 5G means you'll never go without internet access, which can't be said about its stuck-at-home Wi-Fi-only rivals. And with record-breaking battery life of more than 17 hours, you don't need to haul around the power brick.

But what makes the Flex 5G such a compelling laptop is also its downfall. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx chip powering this 2-in-1 can't keep up with the top Intel or AMD-powered notebooks, and you still can't run certain programs on ARM. Moreover, the Flex 5G's keyboard is shallow and it has only two USB-C ports. 

The biggest problem, however, is the price. If the Flex 5G were, say, half the price, it'd be a great secondary device to a more powerful, stationary laptop or desktop. But there just aren't a lot of people willing to spend $1,499 on a companion laptop. If you need 5G speeds today, the Flex 5G is the only available option and a good one for basic tasks. If you don't, we recommend buying either a top LTE-enabled laptop, like the Spectre x360 13, or waiting for 5G to reach its full potential because, while the Flex 5G is the first 5G laptop, it certainly won't be the last. 

Instead of striving to be the thinnest, lightest or most powerful phone, the Kyocera Brigadier ($99 on Verizon with two-year contract) offers military-spec toughness that is rugged enough to tackle the everyday battles of modern life -- and then some. While its Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chip can't keep up with more powerful phones, this Android phone will outlast any flagship.

Design

The first thing I thought when I got the Brigadier was, "I got a brick to review." This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the Brigadier possesses the heft and chunky design that immediately identifies it as a smartphone that can withstand the bumpier parts of life.

The Brigadier's Sapphire Shield screen is surrounded by a strong black plastic bezel, accompanied by three physical buttons along the bottom for back, home and menu.

The left side features a large red programmable button and volume rocker, while the right houses a rubber flap covering the microSD and micro SIM ports. On the bottom, the microUSB port is covered by another rubber flap. The top of the smartphone has the headphone jack (covered by a rubber flap), lock button and speaker button.

MORE: Best Smartphones 2014

The back features a heavy, shieldlike back plate surrounded by rubber bumpers along the edge and a rubber inset surrounding the 8-megapixel rear camera and flash. While the Brigadier doesn't look as sleek as other rugged phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, it is significantly more durable.

Aside from the Sapphire display, my favorite thing about the Brigadier is the large, programmable button. It was originally intended as a Push-to-Talk key (coming in the future), but since that feature is not yet supported, you can assign it to do other things such as wake up the phone, show recent apps or launch any app on the phone.

At 6.6 ounces, the heavily armored Brigadier weighs even more than the 6-ounce Galaxy S5 Active. Measuring 5.37 x 2.69 x 0.52 inches, it is also significantly thicker than Samsung's 5.7 x 2.9 x 0.35-inch device.

Durability

Click to EnlargeAll this business with the flaps is not for naught, as the Brigadier lives up to its combat-inspired namesake with a Military Standard 810G rating for protection against dust, shock, heat and water.

There's a sort of sadistic joy that you get from purposely trying to damage a phone, and the Brigadier soaked up every hit and stab while begging for more. Knives to the screen, underwater submersions (it's rated to 6 feet for up to 30 minutes), and even some forceful spikes onto carpet, wood and concrete left the Brigadier largely unscathed. I even exceeded the recommended drop height of 4 feet with several 6-foot plummets; the only blemish was some scuffed plastic on the top-left corner caused by the Brigadier's encounter with concrete.

The only hurdle the Brigadier couldn't clear was full use of its touch screen underwater, so taking photos while it is submerged is very difficult. Unfortunately, unlike the S5 Active, you can't configure the programmable button to serve as a shutter control.

The next most rugged phone is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active, which also features a military-grade 810G rating. This means it has the same resistance to water, shock and humidity, but without the Sapphire Shield screen, the most important part of the phone is still vulnerable. And unlike the S5 Active, whose back plate fell off during drop tests, the Brigadier survived falls without losing any components.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe Brigadier's Sapphire Shield screen is its most impressive feature. With a rating on the Mohs hardness scale second only to diamond, the screen is resistant to almost anything you can throw at it -- literally. I tried scratching the screen with keys, rocks, nails and knives, all to no effect.

Aside from its outstanding resilience, the Sapphire screen also allows you to use the touch controls while wearing gloves up to 3mm thick or while it's raining, although using it while it is fully submerged is not possible.

The 1280 x 720-pixel, 4.5-inch display gets very bright. Using our light meter, the Brigadier registered a stunning 523 nits, which is much greater than the S5 Active's (1920 x 1080) 364 nits, and the category average of 353 nits. This makes the Brigadier easier to view outdoors compared with other phones.

However, the Brigadier recreated just 61.7 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, far below the 154.9 of the S5 Active and the smartphone average of 115.9 percent. Color accuracy was also low, with the Brigadier recording a Delta-E rating of 12 (closer to zero is better). This is far worse than the S5 Active's Delta-E of 1.9 and the smartphone average of 4.89.

When I watched the trailer for Fox's new Gotham TV series, I noticed a slight green tinge to the video, and blacks weren't as deep as I would have liked.

Audio

Kyocera claims the Brigadier can reach a peak volume of 100 decibels. It didn't get quite that high in our testing, but this is one of the loudest smartphones we've ever used. The Brigadier's front-facing stereo speakers produced 91 decibels of sound measured from 13 inches away. This is significantly louder than the 78 dB of the S5 Active and the smartphone average of 80 dB.

When listening to Phoenix's Too Young, I was blown away by the powerful bass -- something which most phones lack. Overall audio quality was quite good, although I noticed some muddiness in the highs.

MORE: 12 Surprising Things Your Android Phone Can Do

Interface and OS

Click to EnlargeThe Brigadier runs Android 4.4.2 with a UI skin that mirrors its rugged exterior. The Dura Grid widget allows you to choose from a six- or nine-position layout that uses large, high-contrast icons for better outdoor visibility. This makes it easy to choose apps even when you're wearing gloves, which the Brigadier accommodates.

Aside from the UI, the Brigadier features the familiar Android KitKat experience with a notifications menu that can be pulled down from the top and an easy-to-find app drawer for keeping your programs out of sight.

Apps

Click to EnlargeAdventurous explorers will appreciate such preloaded apps as the Barometer, Altimeter, Compass and Flashlight. These apps are located by default in the Dura Grid widget, with the Flashlight app providing easy, one-touch access to extra luminance.

I ran into an issue with the Altimeter, which seemed confused. At the time of writing, the Brigadier gave us a reading of -92 feet despite being on the ninth floor of our building. There is a way to manually calibrate the Altimeter, but if I could do that, then I wouldn't need the app in the first place.

The Brigadier is loaded with the usual Verizon app package, including VZ Navigator, VZ Protect, Verizon Tones, Voice Mail and Voice Dialer. Polaris Office 5 is also included for when you're trying to be a little more productive.

Performance

Kyocera equips the Brigadier with a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash memory. While not the most powerful CPU, the phone flipped quickly between pages on the home screen, and I had no problem playing Activision's Wipeout 2 obstacle course game.

However, in our benchmark tests, the Brigadier fell behind the competition. It launched N.O.V.A. 3 in 19 seconds, which is 3 seconds longer the Samsung S5 Active and the smartphone average of 16 seconds.

Using Vidtrim, the Brigadier transcoded a 204MB video clip from 1080p to 480p in 10 minutes and 26 seconds. That's more than twice as long as the Galaxy S5 Active (4:11) and slower than the smartphone average of 7:38 seconds.

MORE: 5 Ways to Speed Up Your Android Phone in Under 5 Minutes

On Geekbench 3, which measures overall performance, the Brigadier scored 1,305, which is less than half of the Galaxy S5 Active's 2,977 and below the category average of 1,981.

On the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited graphics test, the Brigadier scored 4,764, which was less than a quarter of the S5 Active's 18,691 and far below the smartphone average of 13,400.

Camera

Click to EnlargeThe Brigadier comes with two cameras: an 8-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Indoors, shots of our office came out reddish, with the hardwood floor looking too orange. Photos on the street near Union Square were better in terms of color, although images tended to be on the dark side. In addition, some details were lost in the tires of the cab and on the trees in the median.

Click to EnlargeSelfies taken using the front camera were impressively sharp, capturing lots of detail in my hair, dark shirt and track jacket.

The camera includes various shot modes, like portrait, landscape, night photos and action. There's also high-speed shooting, smile detection and various fun filters.

The rear camera can shoot 1080p videos at 30 fps. Movies were sharp, but there was a lot of camera shake, even with the stabilization turned on.

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4G LTE Performance

Using Ookla's Speedtest App, the Brigadier recorded speeds of 20 Mbps for both uploads and downloads in New York's Flatiron District on Verizon's XLTE network. I also experienced similar speeds in East Harlem, and had no trouble streaming live footage on the NFL Mobile app in both locations.

Battery Life and Wireless Charging

Click to EnlargeFor a smartphone with such a strong focus on durability, I was hoping for more endurance. Unfortunately the 3,100-mAh battery in the Brigadier is merely mortal, with a battery life of 7 hours and 38 minutes when surfing the Web over 4G LTE. This is almost an hour less than the category average of 8:30 and 2 hours less than the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active's 9:37.

To help preserve battery life, the Brigadier features an Eco Mode with MaxiMZR that saves power by adjusting or disabling things such as sleep time, touch vibrations and even the wallpaper. The Brigadier also supports Qi wireless charging, although the necessary charging mat is sold separately (for about $20 to $30). Lastly, Kyocera includes a 1,500-mA Quick Charge 1.0 charging cable so you can quickly top off the battery.

MORE: 10 Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life

Bottom Line

Click to EnlargeWhere other phones falter when dropped or dunked in water, the Kyocera Brigadier soldiers on. While I wish the battery lasted a little bit longer, its Sapphire Shield screen and durable, waterproof construction mean this handset will last longer than most other smartphones. And, at $100, you won't need a defense department-style budget to add the Brigadier to your arsenal.

The $200 Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is faster, has a better-looking display and lasts longer on a charge, but it's nowhere near as durable. If you play hard or you work in a real tough environment, the Brigadier's battle-ready design will have your back when you need it most.

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For whatever reason, Verizon Wireless has always played second fiddle to AT&T for Nokia phone launches. Not anymore. The Nokia Icon is a powerful new Windows Phone for Verizon ($199) that packs a Snapdragon 800 processor, a gorgeous 5-inch OLED screen and 20-megapixel camera with professional-style manual controls, making it a bonafide flagship. The Icon also offers four mics for pristine audio capture while recording video and lots of Nokia apps that add plenty of value. Does the Icon provide enough reasons to switch to a Windows Phone?

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Design

Simple but elegant. Nokia has improved on the design of the Nokia 928, both in terms of materials and weight. For one, the Icon sports a lovely, soft-touch black polycarbonate rear panel with a black aluminum band lining the sides. If black's not your bag, you can also grab the Icon in a lovely matte white finish.

The front of the Icon is all curves, thanks to the 5-inch display that gently wraps itself around the surrounding bezels. The screen is so close to the surface that it seems like the display is floating above the chassis. A 2-MP sits along the top of the screen and a trio of touch capacitive buttons (Back, Home and Search) rest at the bottom.

We love the subtle gray strips surrounding the headphone jack on the top and the microUSB port on the bottom. It's a nice way to add a highlight without being ostentatious. We're also big fans of the redesigned SIM card slot. Instead of fishing around in vain for a paperclip, we used our nail to dislodge the card holder.

The volume rocker, power and camera buttons reside on the right side of the Icon. Aside from the usual Nokia/Verizon branding on the rear panel, there's a 20-MP camera at the top next to the dual LED flash. A small speaker rests in the lower right corner.

MORE: Smartphone Buying Guide: What You Need to Know Before You Buy

Measuring 5.39 x 2.79 x 0.39 inches, the Icon is slightly bigger than the Lumia 928 (5.2 x 2.7 x 0.39 inches). However, the Icon is slightly lighter, weighing 5.86 ounces compared to the 928's even 6 ounces. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is thinner and lighter than both Windows Phones at 4.6 ounces and 5.2 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches, but its made of a chintzier plastic.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe Icon's 5-inch, 1080p OLED screen is one of the best you'll find on any smartphone. The handset gives viewers the deep, luscious blacks and vivid colors they've come to expect from the brand. Made of Gorilla Glass 3, the Icon's screen can also withstand the inevitable nicks and scratches of being jammed in and out of pockets.

In a side-by-side comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S4, a 1080p trailer of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" looked more saturated on the Icon's display. As Bilbo Baggins ran through the hilly Shire, we were treated to rich greens from the various grasses and shrubs. The details were also sharper, allowing us to make out some of the writing on a signpost in the background. Viewing angles were plenty wide, retaining its color at just about every angle.

Speaking of color, the Icon lets you adjust the color profile of the phone in the Settings menu via the Color Saturation and Color Temperature sliders.

MORE: Best Smartphones 2014

Click to EnlargeThe Lumia Icon's screen averaged a dazzling 475 lux on our light meter, sailing past the 408 category average. This is far brighter than the HTC One (375 lux) and the Lumia 1020 (441 lux). However, the panel fell short of the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5S (480 and 525 lux, respectively).

The Lumia Icon's display is more than a pretty face. The panel also has the ability to adjust for outdoor reading, thanks to its Sunlight Readability Enhancements. Adjusted via the Settings menu, the screen automatically became brighter in sunlight, creating greater contrast. Similar to other Windows Phones, the touch screen's sensitivity can also be adjusted, allowing us to operate the phone with gloves.

The device also sports an improved Glance feature. The enhanced function displays notifications on the lockscreen for missed calls, texts, emails and alarms in addition to the large digital clock at the bottom of the display .

Audio

Click to EnlargeOne place where the Icon falls flat is sound quality. We're impressed that the phone's small slit of a speaker filled our small test room, but many of the tracks we played sounded distant and tinny.

The bass guitar on VV Brown's raucous jam "Bottles" was twangy and the violins somewhat grainy. The singer's punchy alto and crisp triangle were the only decent-sounding components of the track. Switching to a more thumptastic track, such as Ghostface Killah's "Cherchez LaGhost," revealed even more weaknesses; the bass was barely there. The Galaxy S4 delivered fuller audio with warmer notes than the Icon.

However, if you plug in a pair of headphones, Nokia allows you to take advantage of the built-in equalizer with its 18 presets including Electronic, Speech and Acoustic. The phone also features a Dolby Headphone enhancement option and audio leveling.

Keyboard

If you've seen one Windows Phone keyboard, you've seen them all. The Icon is saddled with the same keyboard we've seen on the 928, 925, 920, 1020 and 1520 -- large, flat gray keys with white lettering over a black background. We're still waiting for trace typing and haptic feedback. Still, typing on the Icon proved to be an easy, straightforward experience .

Similar to Android and iOS devices, Windows Phone offers word prediction. As we typed, the software served up 4-5 possible word choices that we could tap to expedite the typing process.

Operating System and Interface

Click to EnlargeThe Icon runs the Windows Phone 8 operating system, but it has a few new tricks. In an effort to provide the user with as much information as possible, the Icon features three columns of Live Tiles.

You can pin a myriad of content to your Start screen, including contacts, apps, websites, photo albums, music albums, notes, directions and more. Tiles can be resized via long-pressing to turn one into a small box or a large rectangle that stretches across the screen. This gives users a lot of flexibility.

Click to EnlargeIn addition to the improved Glance Screen, the Icon offers anti-rotation lock, which came in handy when we were reading in bed. You can also customize ringtones and notification alerts. Granted, both of these features have been on Android and iOS devices for years, but they're nice to have.

The biggest about-time feature Windows Phone has added is improved multitasking. After long-pressing the Back button we simply clicked the X in the top right corner of the app we wished to close. Before you had to repeatedly press the Back button.

Click to EnlargeSimilar to previous Windows Phones, the Icon offers People Hub, Groups, Rooms and Kid's Corner. People Hub aggregates updates from social networking sites including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to its corresponding Live Tile. Groups allows users to group-select contacts (say, Family or Favorites); opening that group then shows only updates and photos from those individuals.

Rooms lets users create a virtual network with selected contacts to privately share photos and calendars and send messages. The Kid's Corner feature lets adults select kid-friendly apps, movies, games and music. Simply flick to the left from the lock screen to enter this mode after enabling it in Settings.

Still, there are a few things we wish Microsoft would change. For one, the connection status icons for LTE, Wi-Fi, and the battery level disappear from the top of the screen after a few moments. Why not leave them there permanently? Also, there's no quick settings menu to, say, enter Airplane mode. You're forced to go through the control panel first.

Apps

Click to EnlargeNokia can be accused of many things, but going light on the apps isn't one of them. Thankfully, most of the OEM-branded options are useful. One such app is Nokia Care, which helps first-time Windows Phone users become acquainted with their device through helpful tips, tricks and videos.

Nokia bundled its augmented reality Here City Lens app into its Here Maps app, creating Here Maps with LiveSight. This fairly new app adds an augmented reality overlay over the user's current location, highligthing nearby shops, restaurants and landmarks. The software also offers turn-by-turn walking directions and indoor maps.

The company's Here Drive+ app offers turn-by-turn voice navigation, including street names in online and offline mode. The app can send speed limit warnings and traffic alerts as well as plan routes and list every turn before the trip begins. Drive+ also works in tandem with Here Maps to geotag your car when you park so you can quickly find it using the LiveSight feature.

Screen Beamer allows users to share their phone screen with another device (tablets, smartphone, notebook and video game console) through a web browser. It's a novel way to share images, files or your current location. However, similar to Nokia's Photobeamer app, having to travel to a specific website and scan a QR code is more convoluted than simply beaming it via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. On a NFC-enabled Samsung device, transferring files only takes some quick device contact and a tap on the display.

Music lovers should check out Nokia MixRadio, the rebranded Nokia Music app. MixRadio is a streaming radio service that allows listeners to download up to 12 hours of music to your phone for free. For a monthly $3.99 subscription, Nokia adds unlimited track skips and offline mixes and access to high-quality audio streaming.

Verizon-branded apps include MyVerizonMobile, NFL Mobile, VZ Navigator and Verizon Tones, which lets users purchase popular music to serve as ringback and ringtones. Using DataSense--one of our favorite apps--consumers concerned about their data limit can set up alerts when they hit a specified amount. Rounding out the selection is the Weather Channel app.

The Windows Store continues to gain momentum, recently surpassing the 200,000 mark. In that time, the store has added such popular apps as Instagram, Vine and WhatsApp to its lineup. However, the Windows Store still has a ways to go before it catches up to Apple and Google Play Stores million+ apps . The Flipboard app is still M.I.A. and games like "Angry Birds" are priced at $.99 despite being free in the Android and Apple's app stores for years.

NFC

Nokia has improved several features on Windows Phone, but the NFC sharing is still wanting. Using its built-in NFC chip, the Icon can transfer files and photos between other NFC-enabled devices. However, Nokia still insists on performing the actual transfer via Bluetooth, rather than Wi-Fi.

Sharing a photo requires opening the photo, pressing the three dots to call up the menu, selecting Share and then Tap+Send. It took between 4 to 4 seconds to transfer a photo from the Icon to the 928. Transferring a 30-second 1080p video file took longer than the actual video, close to a minute.

Performance

Just because the Icon is pretty doesn't mean its a pushover. Like the Nokia Lumia 1520, the Icon packs a 2.2-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM. That translates into zippy interface navigation, quick app launches and swift screen rotation.

"Asphalt 7: Heat" ran smoothly on the Icon. We burned up the track and other racers with ease, enjoying the sun's reflection off our car's candy apple red finish.

When we ran WPBench, which measures CPU, memory, storage and GPU performance, the Lumia Icon notched 464.18, obliterating the 244 average. The Nokia Lumia 1020's 1.5-GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU only registered 224. However, the Lumia 1520 edged out the Icon, scoring 468.

On the Sunspider Javascript test, the Icon achieved a time of 542.9 milliseconds, more than twice as fast as the Samsung Galaxy S4's 1.9-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU time of 1214.7ms. However, the 1520 was just a hair faster at 542.3 ms.

The Nokia Lumia Icon comes with 32GB of storage. Unfortunately, like most Windows Phones, it lacks a microSD slot for expansion.

4G LTE and Web Browsing

Click to EnlargeThe Nokia Lumia Icon returned some impressive speeds on Verizon's 4G LTE network. On the Speedtest.net app, we saw an average download speed of 35.4 Mbps. Uploads speeds averaged a serviceable 10.7 Mbps. In the same locations, the Samsung Galaxy S4 download speeds were on a par with the Icon at 35.9 Mbps. However, the S4 delivered much faster upload speeds of 30 Mbps.

The Icon maintained its speed during our web browsing tests, oading the mobile versions of NYTimes.com, ESPN.com and CNN.com in 2.3, 3.5 and 4.1 seconds, respectively. The desktop version of Laptopmag.com only took 6.6 seconds to fully load. The Galaxy S4 was about even with the Nokia, taking 2.5, 3.3 and 4.5 for the same mobile sites. Laptopmag.com loaded in 6 seconds flat.

Camera and Camcorder

The Lumia Icon's 20MP rear-facing camera takes vibrant images with sharp details. However, like most Lumia Windows Phones, some images are plagued with a blueish tint.

A shoot-off against the iPhone 5s revealed similarly fine details. In a floral shot, we could clearly see the little florets of baby's breath in both photos as well as individual crinkles in the petals. The iPhone 5s' images produced warmer colors, particularly the pinks. Another telltale sign were the ivory roses that looked more blue in the Icon's images.

We saw the same results in the Icon's 1080p video. The pervasive blue tint made colors in our test shot of passing NYC traffic look colder. The yellow cabs looked somewhat dull, and the white on the NYPD van had a gray tinge. However, we could easily read the text on the vehicles as they zipped by.

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The 2-MP front camera can take a passable selfie. Despite being able to make out the knit pattern in our sweater, we noticed some fuzziness along the top of our head.

Nokia Pro Camera App

Click to EnlargeThe Nokia Lumia Icon comes with the regular Windows Phone camera app. But where's the fun and the artistry in that? To really take advantage of that 20-MP camera, you've got to use Nokia's Pro Camera app.

There are all sorts of manual controls you can access via a slick radial interface with multiple sliders. You can tweak everything from manual focus, ISO and shutter speed to white balance. Not sure what any of these things do? Nokia provides an in-depth tutorial that lets you try out a lot of the features to see how they'll affect your photos, as well as offers a glossary. Plus, you can preview many of the settings changes in real time when you're taking pictures.

Click to EnlargePro Camera's best feature is the new one-handed zoom. By swiping up on the display when preparing to take a picture or video, we zoomed in 3X. This eliminates the otherwise clumsy pinch-zoom gesture from the equation. Swiping your finger down on the display zooms out. One-handed zoom isn't confined to the rear camera, so selfie artists can adjust on the fly to get the best self-portrait.

The great thing about Nokia Pro Camera is that there's always a chance for a re-do. You can adjust the zoom on an image after fact, allowing choosy photags to crop out unwanted elements out of a photo -- say like an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend.

We wish you could adjust the intensity of the flash, however, since it can be harsh at times. Within the camera app, you can set the Icon to take only 5MP JPEGs, or 5MP and 16MP JPEG files. It would have been nice, however, to have the ability to create RAW files like the 1020.

Camera Features

Click to EnlargeNokia's usual lineup of camera apps make an appearance with some notable additions. Similar to Samsung's Story Album, the company added Nokia Storyteller Beta, which organizes your photos and videos by date and location and places them on a map, so you can retrace your steps throughout the day. You can also zoom out on the map to see where you took photos from other days.

The Icon also features Smart Mode. After snapping 10 images in 4 seconds, Smart Mode processes photos through a series of camera effects (Change Faces, Best Shot, Motion Focus and Action Shot) simultaneously in order to get the best picture.

Change Faces mode lets you pick the best smiles and faces from a series of group shots and combines it into one photo. Action Shot snapped multiple pics of someone moving across the frame and turned them into a single photo with the person appearing in several places at once.

Best Shot snaps multiple images in quick succession, and lets you pick the best ones to keep. Motion Focus freezes moving objects in the foreground while slightly blurring the background, creating a sense of motion.

Like Samsung's Eraser Mode, Remove Moving Objects mode lets you edit out photobombers from a shot.

Similar to Animated Photo Mode on the Galaxy S4, Cinemagraph captures video and converts it into an animated GIF. Panorama is available for those fond of sweeping 180-degree shots.

Nokia also preloaded Creative Studio, which lets shutterbugs gussy up their stills with eight fun filters to trick out their photos. Now that Instagram is in the Windows Store, Creative Studio seems a bit redundant, but it's still nice to have.

Although it's not preloaded on to the Icon, we recommend downloading the Nokia Refocus app. Similar to the Lytro camera, shutterbugs can use the Refocus app to alternate focus between the foreground and background. In a test shot of various knick-knacks on our desk, we successfully shifted the focus between the writing on our Gunnar Optiks glasses and the dollar in the background.

Battery Life

When we ran the Laptop Battery Test (continuous web surfing over 4G LTE), the Nokia Lumia Icon's 2,420 mAh battery lasted 7 hours and 9 minutes. That's enough to beat the 6:53 smartphone average. The Icon also beat the Samsung Galaxy S4 (5:25), HTC One (5:44) and Lumia 1020 (6:33). However, other handsets on Verizon's network last longer, such as the LG G2 (9:14) and Galaxy Note 3 (9:57).

MORE: 10 Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life

Wireless Charging

The Lumia Icon features Qi wireless charging technology that can be used with compatible devices such as the Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy ($39.50), JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker for Nokia ($149.50) and the Nokia Wireless Charging Plate ($24.50). Charging is pretty straightforward; simply rest the Icon face up on the device and leave it be.

Call Quality

Over Verizon's network, calls to smartphones and landlines across the country were nice and clear on both ends in the quiet background of our office. We also took the Icon out on the noisy busy streets of New York to put its four microphones and noise reduction capabilities to the test.

Despite the squeaky breaks, honking horns and general din of Fifth Avenue, our caller said we sounded loud and clear and couldn't hear any of the background noise. We could clearly hear our boyfriend's tenor and our dog's booming bark in the background .

Verdict

The Nokia Icon has everything we're looking for in a Windows Phone. You get a brilliant AMOLED display, a premium (albeit somewhat hefty) design, and fast performance. Plus, the Icon's 20-MP camera lets you get very creative with your photography, both while snapping shots and afterwards. We also appreciate the noise reduction made possible by the four mics.

On the other hand, the Icon's camera (like other Nokia Lumias) doesn't provide the most accurate color, and the speaker could be better. There's also the not-so-small matter of the persistent app gap between Windows Phone and Android and iOS. Overall, though, those looking for a polished user experience and powerful camera features will love the Icon.

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Do you like the design of the HTC One but think its 4.7-inch screen just isn't big enough? Then the HTC One Max ($299 for Verizon Wireless) may be more your style. This phablet sports a roomier, 5.9-inch display while maintaining the aluminum design and BoomSound speakers we praised when reviewing its smaller brother. The Max also includes a fingerprint reader, making this device even more secure. But is this phablet really worth as much as the Galaxy Note?

Design

Calling the HTC One Max big is an understatement. The 5.9-inch smartphone feels more like a miniature tablet than it does a smartphone -- and it's heavier than your average phone, too.

At 7.7 ounces, the One Max is heftier than the 7.26-ounce Nokia Lumia 1520, the 7-ounce 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega and the 5.9-ounce 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3. That's largely because the Max sports an aluminum frame, while Samsung's devices have plastic backs. Measuring 6.5 x 3.2 x 0.41 inches, the HTC One Max is slightly thicker than but not as wide as the 6.5 x 3.5 x 0.3 Galaxy Mega. It's also noticeably longer, wider and thicker than the Galaxy Note 3.

MORE: Smartphone Buyers' Guide: 7 Things You Need to Know

Click to EnlargeIf you can tolerate the One Max's size, you'll appreciate that it has the same aluminum back and polycarbonate edging found on the One Mini. This makes the phablet look less premium than the standard-sized HTC One, but the Max's design is still attractive overall.

There is one feature of the One Max that you won't find on its smaller siblings. HTC placed a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device, just underneath the camera. The scanner itself is barely noticeable when you run your finger along the back of the phone. Still, we find the TouchID fingerprint reader built into the iPhone 5s' home button more convenient.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe One Max's roomy, 5.9-inch, 1920 x 1080 display is just as sharp and vibrant as the 4.7-inch display on the regular-sized HTC One. When showing a trailer for "The Wolf of Wall Street," the One Max's display rendered crisper details than those of the Samsung Galaxy Mega (720p), Nokia Lumia 1520 (1080p) and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (1080p).

However, the Note 3's 5.7-inch display was brighter and bolder than the One Max's screen. In a close up scene of Leonardo DiCaprio's face, we could see the subtle creases more easily on the Max than on the Note 3. While the Note 3 brought out the reds in DiCaprio's cheeks, the Max's colors looked more natural.

At 451 lux, the HTC One Max boasts one of the brightest phablet displays available. It outshone the smartphone category average (401 lux), the Nokia Lumia 1520 (328 lux) and the Samsung Galaxy Mega (427 lux). It trails the 555-lux Galaxy Note 3, though.

Audio

As is the case with the 4.7-inch HTC One, the One Max's front-facing dual BoomSound speakers deliver best-in-class audio. The monstrous handset pumped out cleaner and deeper tunes than its large-screened rivals by a long shot.

When listening to "Roar" by Katy Perry at full volume, we appreciated how well balanced the pop tune sounded through the One Max's speakers. The vocals and accompanying instrumentals sounded crisp and clear during the chorus. By comparison, the same song sounded tinny and bland coming out of the Note 3, Galaxy Mega and Nokia Lumia 1520.

The One Max blasted music at 83 decibels during the LAPTOP Audio Test, which is slightly louder than the 80-decibel smartphone category average, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (79 decibels) and the Galaxy Mega (82 decibels).

Keyboard

Click to EnlargeLike the other phones in its family, the One Max features the same HTC keyboard that offers trace-typing, autocorrect and next-word prediction. We found the keyboard to be smooth when we were typing text messages or keying in website URLs, but we only wish HTC included a one-handed mode like the Samsung Galaxy Mega. With the Mega, you can choose to use a virtual keyboard that floats toward one side of the screen.

Interface

Click to EnlargeThe One Max runs a version of Android 4.3 skinned with HTC's Sense 5.5 software. Its most distinguishing feature is BlinkFeed, which displays a customizable mix of news and social media updates in the form of Windows Phone 8-like tiles. HTC offers a selection of publications to choose from, including The Huffington Post, Gawker, the AP and Reuters. Swiping in from the right side will pull up your list of topics, which you can add to by pressing the + icon at the top of the list.

If BlinkFeed isn't your style, you can opt to use it as a secondary home screen. Pressing and holding on any blank area of a home screen will pull up thumbnail views of all of them. From here, you can select which one you want to use as your primary home screen.

MORE: 12 Surprising Things Your Android Phone Can Do

Click to EnlargeHTC Sense has a much cleaner and simpler feel than that of LG's Android skin or Samsung's TouchWiz overlay. The app drawer sports a plain black backdrop with no unnecessary animations or images. Users also have the option of changing the grid size from a 3 x 4 to a 4 x 5 layout.

Pulling down from the top of the display with two fingers reveals the One Max's quick-settings menu, which features shortcuts to settings such as display brightness, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi. HTC offers 12 options in this shortcut menu, while Samsung's TouchWiz UI includes 16.

Fingerprint Reader

Click to EnlargeThe HTC One Max is one of the few smartphones with a built-in fingerprint reader. Using the biometric sensor, we unlocked the device and launched apps without having to type in a PIN or trace a pattern.

Setting up the scanner is simple. The HTC One Max's Settings menu houses a "Fingerprint Scan" option that lets you enroll and assign tasks to each finger. It takes four swipes for the device to successfully save a finger, and from there you can choose to just unlock the device, launch the camera or navigate to the Home screen, among other actions, by swiping your finger.

While you can do more with the One Max's fingerprint scanner than you can with the one on the iPhone 5s, which only lets you unlock the phone, we found its placement to be awkward. Those with smaller hands will have to stretch their fingers up the back of the phone to reach the sensor.

Performance

Click to EnlargeThe HTC One Max may be bigger than its siblings, but it comes with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor with 2GB of RAM that the HTC One has. From launching apps to firing off the camera and multitasking, HTC's phablet offered brisk performance. When playing "N.O.V.A. 3" with six apps open -- including Chrome, the gallery app and Spotify -- the game ran without any hiccups. It only took 1.52 seconds to launch the camera with the same number of apps open, versus 1.39 seconds with no apps running.

The One Max also performed well on synthetic benchmark tests. During the Quadrant benchmark, which tests the CPU, I/O and graphics of a given device, the One Max scored 11,709, which is higher than the 7,884 smartphone category average. The Samsung Galaxy Mega, which runs on a 1.7-GHz dual Qualcomm MSM8930 Pro processor, scored a lower 8,203, while the Snapdragon 800-powered Galaxy Note 3 scored the highest at 22,279.

On Geekbench 3, the One Max's score of 1,867 outperformed the smartphone category average (1,634) and the Galaxy Mega (1,098), but the Note 3 again came out on top (2,883).

It took the One Max 7 minutes and 44 seconds to transcode a 204MB video from 1080p to 480p using Vidtrim. That's faster than the category average (8:15) and the Mega (9:15). Once again, though, the Note 3 proved faster, finishing in 5:15.

The Max scored 10,938 on the 3DMark Unlimited graphics test, which measures mobile chipset graphics and physics performance using OpenGL ES 2.0. This is higher than the 9,940 smartphone category average and the Galaxy Mega's score of 4,552, but the Note 3 scored a monstrous 18,808.

Camera and Camcorder

Click to EnlargeThe One Max's Ultrapixel f/2.0 aperture lens captures clear and vibrant images in daylight. A close-up image of pine needles on a shrub was more detailed than the same photo taken with the Galaxy Mega's 8-MP camera and the Note 3's 13-MP shooter, although images taken with Samsung's phones boasted bolder colors.

The Lumia 1520's 20-megapixel camera remains unmatched, however. Not only did the Windows Phone phablet produce richer greens, but the subject also looked noticeably sharper than in the rest of the bunch.

Click to EnlargeAlthough the One Max takes high-quality photos, we did notice that some images looked too bright. In a photo taken of the Flatiron Building's back, the One Max's image made the top of the building look blown out compared to other what other phablets captured.

The One Max's 1080p camcorder captured clear and colorful footage of a busy New York City street. However, the footage suffers from the same issue as the camera and renders sunlit areas too bright.

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The One Max's front-facing, 2.1-MP camera produced decent images, but white shades looked way too bright. While the red colors in our hair and the pink and green bits of our skirt looked accurate, the wall behind us looked extremely blown out.

Apps

Click to EnlargeLike most Verizon handsets, the HTC One Max comes with an entire folder of Verizon's apps. These include My Verizon Mobile, which helps you keep track of your data usage for the month and manage your plan, and VZ Mobile Security, which protects your phone from malware and blocks potentially dangerous websites. The NFL Mobile app lets you choose the teams you most frequently follow and aggregates news based on your choices.

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In addition to Google's suite of first-party apps, the One Max also comes preloaded with Amazon, Slacker, Audible and IMDb.

LTE and Web Browsing

Verizon boasts the largest LTE network in the United States, with nearly 500 markets, but that doesn't mean its service is always the fastest. We saw mixed results during our testing, with data speeds varying wildly.

Download speeds averaged an exceptional 57.6 Mbps when we used the Speedtest.net app in Old Bridge, N.J. Upload speeds averaged 16.1 Mbps in the same location. However, in our New York City office, the HTC One Max averaged a terrible 350 Kbps for downloads and a worse 100 Kbps for uploads.

We also experienced inconsistent Web surfing speeds in our office over LTE. During our first try, we could barely load websites using Chrome on the One Max. Laptopmag.com took an average of 18.27 seconds, while both The New York Times and ESPN.com failed to load for 25 seconds. The next time we tried visiting these websites, however, they popped up more quickly. Laptopmag.com loaded in 9.3 seconds, while ESPN took 3.4 seconds and NYTimes.com 2.8 seconds.

Battery Life

Click to EnlargeThe HTC One Max lasts much longer than your average smartphone, and it should because it packs a high-capacity, 3,300 mAh battery. HTC's phablet survived for 8 hours and 52 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which consists of continuous Web surfing over 4G LTE with the display brightness set to 40 percent. This is longer than the average smartphone (6:41) and the Samsung Galaxy Mega (7:03), but the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (9:57) and the Nokia Lumia 1520 (11:28 on AT&T) lasted even longer.

MORE: 10 Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life

Verdict

Click to EnlargeThe HTC One Max is a case of too much of a good thing. It comes with everything we loved in the original One, including best-in-class audio, a dynamic BlinkFeed interface and an appealing aluminum design. However, while having such a large screen is great, the software isn't optimized for a screen that size, and the design will be too bulky for many users. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner can also be tough to reach.

The $299 Samsung Galaxy Note 3 makes better use of its display's roomy real estate by providing an S Pen stylus and split-screen multitasking. Plus, it boasts longer battery life and a faster CPU in a lighter design. Ultimately, the One Max is worth a look for those who want a supersized One, but HTC will need to do more to win shoppers away from Samsung.

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Motorola’s newest flagship, the Droid Ultra, boasts the thinnest body of any 4G LTE phone at just 0.28 inches thin. Complete with its traditional Kevlar backing and Motorola’s new  touchless voice controls, does the Verizon exclusive stack up to today’s flagship smartphones?

The Motorola Droid Ultra comes with a 5-inch 720p OLED touch screen display that is larger than that found on the BlackBerry Z10, iPhone 5, Lumia 1020 and HTC One. Like its predecessor, the Droid RAZR Maxx HD, it comes with a 720p display, which is a lower resolution than the 1080p screens you’ll find on competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

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It’s powered by Motorola’s 1.7-GHz dual-core X8 CPU that promises to increase speeds by about 24 percent from previous generations. It’s clocked at the same speed as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip in the HTC One and is slightly faster than the 1.5-GHz processors found in the BlackBerry Z10 and Sony Xperia Z.

As for its camera, the new Droid flagship packs a 10-megapixel shooter that marks a 2-megapixel increase from its previous generation Droid Razr Maxx. That’s a smaller sensor than you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Sony Xperia Z’s cameras, but it still packs more megapixels than the BlackBerry Z10 and iPhone 5.

We certainly wish the Droid Ultra’s 5-inch display supported 1080p, but the standout features here appear to be the handset’s super thin body and hands-free controls. The Droid Ultra will ship on August 20 for $199.99 with a two-year contract with preorders starting today.  

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Casio, the company you may best remember for supplying calculator watches to contestants on a 90's game show, has announced that it's adding 4G LTE to its 4-inch G'zOne Commando rugged smartphone. Priced a $99.99 on Verizon's network, Casio says the Commando has been military tested to withstand everything from drops to drowning. 

Powered by Google's now outdated Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, the G'zOne Commando packs a 1.5-GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. A 4-inch 800 x 480 TFT LCD display sits up front, above which is a 1.2-megapixel camera, that Verizon, unfortunately, says is great for take "selfies." Around back is the handset's 8-megapixel shooter. The internal specs are an improvement over the previous model of the same phone, released 2 years ago, at which time it earned a star rating of 3.5 on our G'zOne Commando review. 

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Casio says the G'zOne Commando meets MIL-STD-810G standards for drops from up to 5 feet, dust, vibration, humidity, salt fog, solar radiation, blowing rain, lower pressure, high temperature and low temperature and water resistance. Of course, that kind of ruggedness adds some bulk to a smartphone. Measuring 5.1 x 2.7 x 0.54 inches and weighing 6.17 ounces, the Commando is a rather hefty handset.

The electronics maker has filled the Commando with a variety of apps that should keep outdoor aficionados happy including a Barometer that can be used to to forecast weather trends, compass, walking counter, tides, thermometer, sun/moon and star gazer. The G'zOne Commando goes on sale on June 27 and we'll be sure to bring your our full impressions when we get our hands on a review unit. 

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The BlackBerry that BlackBerry addicts have been waiting for is finally making its way to the nation's largest carrier. Verizon has announced pre-order pricing for the QWERTY keyboard-equipped BlackBerry Q10, and the carrier is offering a special edition to boot.

The biggest difference you'll notice between the all-black versions of the Q10 and Verizon's iteration is that Big Red has covered the handset's rear panel in a hard plastic coating rather than the soft, rubberized glass weave material in other versions. Beyond that, and two to three Verizon-branded apps, there isn't much difference between the Verizon version of the Q10 and the other carriers'.

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We spent some hands-on time with the Q10 during CTIA 2013 and were relatively impressed with what the smartphone had to offer. Zipping around home screens was fast and we didn't notice a hint of slowdown when opening apps or snapping photos.

The Q10's most important feature is, obviously, its QWERTY keyboard. Bu all that physical button goodness takes up space, leaving only a 3.1-inch display. Naturally, that means you won't be able to view as much onscreen content as someone with a larger smartphone. However, for QWERTY keyboard devotees, the Q10 may be the phone for you.

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 is 2013's hottest phone, selling 10 million units in its first 4 weeks on the market -- and for good reason. Samsung's flagship phone combines a gorgeous 5-inch Super AMOLED screen, a speedy quad-core processor and the most robust camera ever. Plus, you get a slew of features, including gesture controls, a built-in translator and a TV remote. The Verizon version of the Galaxy S4 ($199) offers all of these features, along with blazing-fast 4G LTE and access to the network's high-capacity AWS spectrum, though its battery life could be better.

Editor's Note: Portions of this review were adapted from our review of the Sprint Galaxy S4.

Design

Click to EnlargeDespite its large 5-inch screen, the Samsung Galaxy S4 felt extremely light in our hands. At just 4.6 ounces, this phone is significantly lighter than the 5.1-ounce HTC One. At 5.31 x 2.69 x 0.25 inches, the Galaxy S4 is slightly wider and thinner than the 4.7-inch HTC One (5.31 x 2.63 x 0.28 inches). 

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Like other Samsung handsets, the Galaxy S4 has light-up, capacitive back and menu buttons, and a physical home button below its screen. It's a bit odd that Samsung places the back button on the right, but that's consistent with its other phones. The volume rocker is on the left, the microUSB port sits on the bottom and the power button is on the right. Because the device is so long, it was difficult to reach our thumb over and hit those menu buttons while using the phone one-handed.

Overall, the S4 feels solid, despite its plastic design, and we like that the back cover is removable (for adding storage or replacing the battery). However, the aluminum-and-glass HTC One and the iPhone 5 both offer a more premium look and feel.

Display

Click to EnlargeThe Samsung Galaxy S4's 5-inch, 1080p Super AMOLED screen is one of the most colorful screens we've ever seen on a smartphone. When we played a full-HD trailer for "The Avengers" on a Galaxy S4 and compared it with the video on the HTC One and the iPhone 5, all the colors -- from the green on the Hulk's skin to the glowing blue device in Tony Stark's chest and the red in Thor's cape -- were much more alive on the S4.

Fine details, like the scars on Nick Fury's face, were incredibly detailed but just a little sharper on the HTC One, because its screen packs the same number of pixels into a smaller, 4.7-inch space. It was more than bright enough for indoor viewing, but its 480-lux screen looked washed-out in direct sunlight. Although it was not as bright, the 459-lux HTC One was much easier to read.

Audio

You'll never mistake the Galaxy S4 for a portable boom box. Whether we were playing AC/DC's guitar-centric "Back in Black," Rick James' bass-heavy "Super Freak" or Michael Jackson's drum-focused "Beat It," the single back-facing speaker produced tinny output. By comparison, the HTC One's dual stereo speakers provided rich, pleasing playback on all the same songs. The good news is that the S4's speaker gets plenty loud, so you should be able to hear tracks from across the room, as well as turn-by-turn directions in the car.

Operating system and UI

The Galaxy S4 runs Samsung's TouchWiz UI on top of Android 4.2.2 JellyBean. In addition to its bright, colorful icons and sky-blue default wallpaper, TouchWiz has a few unique features you won't find in stock Android. The notification drawer contains a scrolling list of 19 quick settings buttons, which control everything from the Wi-Fi to the eye and gesture controls. We particularly appreciated having easy access to the brightness slider so we could turn the screen lower and preserve some battery life.

Click to Enlarge We used TouchWiz's Multi Window mode, which allows you to split the screen between two apps at once. When you long-press the Back button, a sidebar appears with a list of about a dozen Multi Window-compatible apps -- including Chrome, Email, Gmail, Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter -- that you can place onto half of the screen. We particularly enjoyed running the email client and browser side by side. We also liked Samsung's pop-up play feature, which allowed us to play clips in a floating, draggable window that appeared on top of our desktop and other apps.

Keyboard

Click to Enlarge Samsung's virtual keyboard is the most accurate, comfortable and intelligent we've used. The QWERTY layout has plenty of space between the keys, which made it easy for us to avoid adjacent-letter errors. The dedicated number row allowed us to enter numerals without switching modes. The keyboard also supports haptic feedback and trace typing (like Swype). Because it's based on the popular Swiftkey predictive keyboard, the Galaxy S4's keyboard learned from our typing patterns. After a short time, the S4 did a great job of guessing the word we might want to use next. 

MORE:  5 Dependable Keyboards for Android

Air View

Samsung's Air View feature allows you to get a preview or other details about an item by simply holding your finger near the screen without touching it. Using Air View, we were able to see a set of thumbnails by hovering over a folder in the gallery, preview email messages by hovering over our inbox, and even view recent headlines in Flipboard. We particularly enjoyed magnifying sections of a Web page by hovering over the browser. 

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Smart Scroll and Smart Pause

Whether your fingers are dirty or touching your phone screen just seems too 2012 for you, you can actually control a few S4 apps with gestures or simply by shifting your gaze. Unfortunately, we had to be very deliberate in both our hand and eye movements.

Using Smart Scroll, we were able to scroll on several Web pages by looking at the bottom of the screen to go down and the top to go up. However, we found that we had to tilt our neck quite a bit, making the process tedious. We found the tilt scrolling mode, which works by moving the phone itself, wasn't always responsive. The Smart Pause feature successfully stopped videos from playing when we were not looking directly at the screen.

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Gesture support

Samsung's Air Gestures enable you to perform a few actions by waving a hand in front of the S4, but they only work if your hand is a few centimeters away from the sensor. Air Call Accept allows you to answer an incoming call by waving in front of the phone, which worked well in our testing. Air Jump, which allows you to scroll up and down Web pages, felt awkward because we had to wave up to scroll down. The most useful gesture control, Air Browser, allowed us to cycle through images in the gallery and tabs in the browser by waving back and forth.

WatchOn and Samsung Hub

Like the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro, the Galaxy S4 comes with an infrared port and software for controlling your TV and cable box. The bundled WatchOn app provides a compelling program guide, which makes it easy to find good stuff to watch. Changing channels was as easy as selecting the thumbnail for the show we wanted. However, unlike on the Galaxy Note 8.0 -- which gives you a universal search that queries the Samsung Media hub, YouTube and TV listings at the same time -- the S4's app annoyingly segregates the content into separate On TV and Video tabs.

S Translator

The Galaxy S4's S Translator app helps you translate foreign-language voices, email messages or signs in 12 different languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The audio translator, which looks almost identical to the Google Translate app, allowed us to speak into the microphone or type in text and have it translated either as audio output or text. In a quick test, we were able to speak a Chinese-language phrase into the microphone and watch as it was accurately translated into English by the app. S Translator also has a list of preset phrases tourists might want to use, such as "Here is my passport."

S Translator functionality is also built into the email client. When we received an email written in simplified Chinese characters, we hit the Menu button, selected Translate and saw the text of our email appear in S Translator. The app failed to autodetect that the characters were Chinese, but correctly translated them after we set the input language.

Using the Optical Reader app, you can also point the camera at foreign-language text and have it translated by hovering over the characters or taking a photo. However, when we pointed the Galaxy S4 at a Chinese-language textbook, it took a very long time to translate each word and sometimes, it gave us the definition of just one character out of a two- character word.

Optical Reader

The Galaxy S4's Optical Reader app can also scan a business card and import the data into your Contacts menu, but it does a poor job of assigning information to the correct fields. When we shot a photo of a contact's business card and tapped the Add to Contact button, the software assigned the contact's name and phone number to the right fields, but confused his email address and Web address.

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S Health

Click to Enlarge Whether you're trying to lose weight or just maintain an active lifestyle, Samsung's preloaded S Health app can help you keep track of your diet and exercise. We found the app's Walking Mate feature the most useful because it acts as a pedometer. For example, the app reported that we'd burned 56 calories just by walking to the deli down the street. The Comfort Level feature uses sensors in the Galaxy S4 to measure the temperature and humidity of the room you're in, but only uses that data to tell you whether you should feel comfortable or not.

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Camera performance

Click to EnlargeThe 13-MP rear-facing camera on the Galaxy S4 produced some of the sharpest and most vibrant photos we've seen from an Android phone. When we shot images of a Manhattan skyline with the Galaxy S4, colors like the green dome on top of a building and the gold in a skyscraper's spire really popped, while the same scenes were much duller and less detailed when we shot them on the HTC One.

However, the iPhone 5's 8-MP camera produced even more vibrant pictures, particularly in low light. When we shot an image of a painting with the flash off on both the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5, the painting was difficult to see in the Samsung photo but bright and colorful in the version we shot with the iPhone 5. With the flash on, the Galaxy S4 image looked bright and colorful, but the iPhone 5 image had richer, deeper hues. 

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Not only were the colors more vibrant and the white balance better on the Samsung Galaxy S4 than on other Android phones, but images were a lot sharper than the ones taken on competitors like the HTC One. When we shot an image of a building facade, some lines in the wall were not visible on the 4-MP HTC One that were shown on the iPhone 5 and were highly detailed on the Galaxy S4.

The Galaxy S4's rear camera captures 1080p video that's as sharp and colorful as its photos. When we filmed a street with cars driving down it, the yellow of cabs and the red in some scaffolding really stood out, and even objects that were blanketed in shadow were clear and detailed. When we shot a video of the same area at the same time with the HTC One, the grilles on the cars seemed hazy and washed-out.

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The 2.0-MP front-facing camera took sharp, colorful images of our face. When we took a picture under the fluorescent lights of our office, our red facial hair appeared vibrant, while fine details -- like the pores on our skin -- were easily visible.

Camera features

Samsung packs the Galaxy S4's camera software with a bevy of powerful features. The most impressive of these is Eraser Mode, which is designed to get rid of all the strangers who accidentally walk across your vacation photos. Eraser Mode works by actually shooting five shots and then replacing moving objects with the background behind them. When we took several photos both on a rooftop and on a crowded Manhattan street, the software almost always accurately identified the errant person and filtered them out automatically.

Click to Enlarge Best Face Mode is great for group photos, as it takes several shots in rapid succession and lets you pick each person's widest smile. Animated Photo Mode is like a party in a box; it captures up to 9 seconds of video and converts it into an animated GIF. When we shot an animation of three co-workers dancing, we then used the editor, which appears to freeze two people while the person in the middle was left moving (to the right).

Click to Enlarge Drama Shot takes multiple pictures of someone moving across the frame and turns them into a single photo with the person appearing in several places at once. Sound & Shot captures 9 seconds of audio to go with your still image, but it just seemed awkward to stare at a still picture of our co-worker singing and hear her voice but not see her lips move.

Click to EnlargeDual Camera Mode captures with both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras at once so you can get yourself in the picture, but this seems more like a gimmick than something you'd want to use every day. When we captured a Dual Camera Mode image and video of ourselves talking to a co-worker, the output was attractive enough, but we had to be careful about how we held the Galaxy S4 to avoid getting our fingers in the frame of either camera.

Performance

With its quad-core 1.9-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU and 2GB of RAM, the Galaxy S4 offers performance that's about on par with that of the best phones in the U.S., including the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro. Whether it was processing complex photo effects or playing a 1080p video in a window while zipping around the track in Riptide GP, using the S4 was a completely smooth experience.

On Quadrant, a synthetic test that measures overall performance, the Galaxy S4 scored a strong 11,962 -- far above the 3,949 smartphone category average, but a little less than the Snapdragon 600-powered HTC One's mark of 12,378 and the LG Optimus G Pro's score of 12,075.

When we ran the AN3DBench graphics test, the Samsung Galaxy S4 scored a solid 7,534 -- much stronger than the 7,127 category average, but slightly behind the HTC One (7,747) and LG Optimus G Pro (7,556).

In side-by-side tests of the Galaxy S4 versus the HTC One, the One was slightly faster than the S4 in loading its camera (1.2 seconds versus 1.7 seconds) and apps like "Angry Birds" (17 seconds versus 18 seconds). We also noticed some lag when returning to the home screen, but disabling the S Voice shortcut for the home button in Settings sped things up.

4G LTE connectivity

Click to EnlargeThe Galaxy S4 is one of the first phones that will be capable of accessing Verizon's upcoming Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) frequencies when they launch later this year. With AWS, the Galaxy S4 should experience less network congestion and faster download speeds overall. When we tested the Galaxy S4 on Verizon's traditional 4G LTE network, the results ranged from blazing fast to painfully slow based on location.

In our apartment on the east side of Manhattan, we saw strong Speedtest results of 37.1 Mbps down and 6.9 Mbps up. However, near our Fifth Avenue office at 20th Street, the phone showed 4 bars of 4G signal but returned sub-3G rates of 390 Kbps down / 380 Kbps up. In front of the Flatiron building, the transfer rates improved to 7.6 Mbps down / 1.3 Mbps up.

Battery life

Below-average battery life is the Samsung Galaxy S4's Achilles' heel on every carrier. The 2,600 mAh battery inside the Verizon version of the S4 lasted just 5 hours and 25 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over 4G on 40 percent brightness. When we enabled Power Saver mode, which is supposed to save juice by lowering CPU frequency and screen energy, the battery life was a nearly identical 5 hours and 26 minutes.

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That runtime is well below the 6-hour smartphone category average but about on par with the AT&T version of the phone, which lasted 5:13. However, the HTC One lasted a noticeably longer 5:55 on AT&T's 4G network, which went up to 6:20 on power-saving mode. The Sprint version lasted 5 hours and 49 minutes on that carrier's nascent 4G LTE network.

On the bright side, the Galaxy S4's 2,600 mAH battery is removable, so you can buy a spare or a third-party replacement that's higher-capacity. For instance, Mugen Power sells a slightly higher 2,750 mAH replacement battery for the phone for $44.50.

Third-party software

Unfortunately, the Verizon Galaxy S4's app drawer feels like a landfill that's overflowing with preloaded bloatware, with over a dozen unnecessary apps. Some of these preloads, such as the Amazon Kindle reader and Flipboard, are apps that you might have wanted to download on your own. However, other apps -- such as Caller Name ID, a service that charges you $2.99 a month to show caller ID info -- are pure crapware. Verizon throws in NFL Mobile and IMDB apps, along with shortcuts to its own services, including the useless VZ Navigator ($9.99 for navigation Google gives for free) and VZ Tunes (ringtones). The only really useful preload is Polaris Office, which allows you to edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

Value and plans

Verizon sells the 16GB version of the Galaxy S4 in black or white for $199 with a two-year contract. The company's plans all include unlimited talk and texts, and range from $40 a month for 300MB of data to $70 a month for 4GB of data. With a smartphone like the Galaxy S4, you'll want to at least get the 2GB plan, which is $60 a month. If you choose that plan, you'll pay $1,640 over the course of two years. AT&T charges $70 a month for 3GB of data and $199 for the phone, which adds up to the same $1,880 you'd pay for 4GB on Verizon. T-Mobile charges $629 for the phone ($150 up front) and $60 for 2GB or $70 for unlimited monthly data, for a two-year total of $2,069 or $2,309, respectively.

MORE: Smartphone Buyers' Guide 2013: 7 Things You Need to Know

Though its LTE network is just getting started, Sprint offers unlimited data starting at $79.99 a month and charges $250 for the phone -- which adds up to $2,170 over two years.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeVerizon customers shopping for a new smartphone should give their highest consideration to the Galaxy S4, which combines an incredible set of custom software with an eye-poppingly colorful 5-inch screen and the most feature-rich camera ever on an Android device. If you want a Galaxy S4 but aren't sure which carrier to go with, Verizon's upcoming AWS network and reasonable data prices make it a strong option. Heavy data users should consider Sprint's or T-Mobile's unlimited plans, assuming you can get 4G LTE in your area.

Users who want a more premium design, better outdoor readability and potentially longer endurance should consider the HTC One, which is available now from other carriers and may arrive on Verizon in the near future. However, that device doesn't offer nearly as many features and lacks a replaceable battery. The bottom line: If you want the best overall smartphone on Verizon today, get the Samsung Galaxy S4.

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Of the Big Four U.S. carriers, Verizon is the only one that hasn't announced it will carry what is arguably the best Android phone on the market, the HTC One. That, however, may soon change, as Android Guys is reporting that an XDA Developers Forum member has spotted an HTC representative carrying a Verizon-branded version of the One.

The report follows Android Authority's story indicating that the HTC One will hit Verizon before July. Further evidence provided by @EVLeaks in the form of a Verizon terminal image also appears to indicate that the HTC One will make it to Verizon some time this summer, though Slashgear's Web page for that piece is no longer loading.

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If the HTC One does in fact land on Verizon's network, it would be a boon for both users and HTC. Verizon users thinking of leaving the carrier for another that carries the HTC One would stay put while HTC's sales would increase. HTC, meanwhile, will be able to bring its flagship smartphone, and potential savior, to the largest carrier in the U.S.

via: Androidguys.com, Androidauthority.com, SlashGear 

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Verizon’s new Advanced Wireless Services network isn’t ready just yet, but the carrier has revealed seven devices that will support its recently acquired AWS frequencies. In addition to the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Nokia Lumia 928 and BlackBerry Q10 will be able to operate on Verizon’s advanced network along with two 10-inch Samsung tablets, two Jetpack mobile hotspots and a USB antenna.

Verizon hasn’t specified which Samsung tablets will be AWS-ready, but the carrier only offers Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Tab 10.1.  Additionally, the carrier only sells two Jetpack mobile hotspots, the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE MHS29IL and the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE MiFi 5510L, making it likely that these devices support AWS. As for the USB antenna, Verizon has not specified whether the Verizon 4G LTE USB Modem UML295, 551L or Pantech 4G LTE Global USB Modem UML290 will be AWS-capable.  

According to a Verizon representative, these seven devices will utilize the carrier’s AWS band when it is activated later this year. Verizon says that the first AWS-enabled device launched in November 2012, but didn’t specify any further details, adding that “most” of the carrier’s 4G LTE devices going forward will be AWS-capable.

Verizon’s LTE network currently operates on Band 13, which is in the 700MHz range, while its AWS system will be based on Band 4 and will help control the booming traffic on Verizon’s LTE network. This upgrade to AWS is expected to more than double Internet speeds. 

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Verizon may be the last major US carrier to get the Galaxy S4, but it’s the first confirmed phone to take advantage of Verizon’s next network upgrade. On Tuesday the carrier confirmed that Samsung’s newest flagship will be able to run on Verizon’s Advance Wireless Service spectrum, which is said to make Internet speeds more than twice as fast.

The Galaxy S4’s hardware comes with components that allow it to run on this next-generation network, Mike Haberman, vice president of network support for Verizon, said to Bloomberg. Current Galaxy S4 owners using Verizon will be able to activate a connection to AWS through a software update. This AWS frequency will help increase the capacity of Verizon’s existing LTE network, potentially allowing supported devices to access faster data speeds and almost certainly alleviating network congestion problems.

Samsung’s newest smartphone is the only Verizon device capable of operating on this network, although the carrier may offer more AWS-ready handsets in the future. The service isn’t available yet but is slated to roll out soon across major markets such as New York City over the next few months.

Verizon isn’t the only carrier prepping its next-generation network. T -Mobile recently touted its own Advanced Wireless Services band capable of 20MHz network speeds, although Verizon remains the largest carrier in the United States. 

via Bloomberg

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It's been roughly five months since BlackBerry debuted the QWERTY keyboard-equipped Q10 during a New York press event, yet word from carriers has been slim to none about release dates or pricing. But that changed a bit today, when BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that U.S. consumers will begin getting the Q10 later this summer.

Each of the Big Four carriers confirmed the announcement by putting up their own coming soon pages for the handset on their individual sites. The Q10 will be the second BB10 device available for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon following the Z10 and the first available for Sprint. The late summer availability isn't exactly the April time frame Heins promised back in January when the phone was debuted, not does it match up with rumors that the handset would land on T-Mobile in May.

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The Q10 will launch with the latest version of BlackBerry's BB10 OS, BB10.1, which includes a new HDR camera shooting mode, improved pointer functionality, new notification settings and custom ringtones. During our review of the Q10, we were more than happy with its physical keyboard, but disappointed by its relatively short battery life. We were similarly bothered by the display's small size. At 3.1-inches, its easily one of the smallest smartphone screens around. 

Expect more news, including exact release dates and pricing, later this summer. 

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PlayPhone, a mobile social gaming platform, has partnered with Verizon Wireless to build an Android-based gaming network called Games Portal. Through Games Portal, Verizon users will be able to connect with their friends, play social games and find new games regardless of the device they're using. With PlayPhone as the structural backbone, the casual games, such as Blackjack Live and Magic Marbles, will work across platforms.

Game developers will be able to connect to Verizon's Games Portal using the existing PlayPhone software development kit, adding their game to the global network and boosting social gameplay capabilities and global distribution. In-app purchases can also be billed directly through Verizon, increasing the ease of use and eliminating third-party billing platforms.

Verizon's Games Portal enters the market alongside services such as Apple's Game Center and GREE, which purchased the popular OpenFeint in 2011. Unlike Game Center, Games Portal will allow both Android and iOS users to play together, and premiere placement on Verizon devices may give this service an advantage over GREE.

Games Portal will start appearing on Verizon Android devices in the second quarter of this year. But the SDK is currently available for developers who want to get a head start and claim their own gaming real estate.

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Even though it seems most people never go anywhere without their cell phones, Verizon's updated Messages App 4.0 ensures you'll never miss a text again. Similar to Apple's Messages app, whenever a message is sent to a Verizon customer's mobile number, it will appear simultaneously on that person's Android phone, tablet (Android or iPad), and PC. 

The app shows messages in a threaded feed, and can incorporate content such as photos and video. A content finder feature also lets you dig up multimedia, as well as URLs. Other features include optional pop-up notifications, previewing Web links, and a spam reporter. 

Messages are stored and synced for up to 90 days, unless the user deletes it. Within the app, a user can also send group messages, their location, and create custom autoreply text. Although there's no iPhone app, you can also access messages through a web portal, just as you would on your PC. You can download the app through the Apple App Store and Google Play stores for free. 

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Verizon fans pining away for a Nokia Lumia phone finally have some good news. According to a report, the Finnish company is set to release an all-aluminum handset dubbed the Lumia 928 as soon as next month.  

The Lumia 928 is said to be both thinner and lighter than AT&T's Lumia 920, slimming down to as little as 10.2mm at certain points while sporting a curved rear panel. It's also said to have a square shape akin to the Nokia Lumia 720. Frontline specs like the CPU, RAM and screen size will be identical to the Lumia 920, with a 1.5-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM and a 4.5-inch OLED display. The Lumia 928 will support 4G LTE as well as SVLTE, which allows a device to connect to voice and data networks simultaneously.

Pricing information is currently unavailable and, assuming the information is accurate, there's no word about this phone coming out on other carriers. Unlike Apple and Samsung, Nokia doesn't usually release the same model phone on multiple U.S. carriers, so if AT&T or T-Mobile are getting aluminum Lumias, they may be slightly different.

via The Verge

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Road warriors need fast Web access on the go, without having to rely on Wi-Fi hotspots. The new Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 5510L offers speedy LTE goodness for up to 10 connected devices at the same time. Add in epic battery life and a low $19.99 price, and this Jetpack is a must-have accessory.

Design

Click to EnlargeThe Jetpack 5510L is rectangular with rounded edges, giving it an almost pill-like appearance when viewed from above. There's a slight flare near the bottom, which gives the device an almost trapezoidal look. Measuring 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches, it's a little smaller than the Verizon Jetpack 890L, which measures 3.5 inches square, but not as small as the 5510L's predecessor, the MiFi 4620LE, which measured 3.7 x 2.3 x 0.5 inches.

Outlining the top of the 5510L is a red ring, which illuminates while the device is charging or when the display is active. It's a nice design touch that sets the Jetpack 5510L apart from other hotspots. A black-and-white, 1.54-inch OLED display sits in the center with three capacitive-touch buttons just below it. The forward, backward and check buttons help users navigate the interface and menu options.

The top edge of the Jetpack 5510L houses the power button and micro-USB charging port. While we appreciate the inclusion of the charging cable and plug, we wish the cable were a little longer. We had trouble getting it to reach from a coveted Starbucks power outlet to the adjacent table. Thankfully, you can also charge the device via your computer's USB port.

Features

Click to EnlargeThe Jetpack 5510L can provide 4G LTE connections to 10 devices at once. This hotspot will definitely keep your data party going, though you'll want to keep an eye on your usage, which you can easily view via an option on the main screen. This MiFi can also connect up to five devices when using a 3G connection.

Have a bad memory? You can easily find that the Jetpack's password in the Menu under Wi-Fi Name/Password. Other menu options include Connected Devices, Messages, Mobile Network, Software Update, About Jetpack and Jetpack Home, which takes you back to the main screen.

If you want to change the Jetpack's password, you'll have to access the device via its website using the address and admin password found in the "About Jetpack" section. While we think it's a bit of pain to have to use another login and password to change the initial password, it would be a nightmare to try to enter a new password on the Jetpack 5510L's small display.

Users will want to check for software updates. Verizon has stated that the Jetpack 5510L will be upgraded to the 4G LTE AWS 1700MHz band in a future update.

Performance

Click to EnlargeVerizon touts that it has the largest 4G LTE network in the United States, covering close to 89 percent of the population in 476 markets. By comparison, AT&T's 4G LTE service is available in only 149 markets, and Sprint's 4G LTE is available in a paltry 67 markets.

The Jetpack 5510L was a speedy performer during most of our tests in the Chicago area.

Using Speedtest.net, the average download speed was 21.75 Mbps, with a top speed of 31.71 Mbps and a low of 14.49 Mbps. For uploads, the Jetpack 5510L averaged 10.02 Mbps, with a top speed of 11.76 Mbps and a low of 8.67 Mbps.

Unfortunately, the Jetpack 5510L was not the fastest hotspot when we downloaded OpenOffice. The device took 6 minutes and 27 seconds to download the free office suite to our notebook. While that's 45 seconds faster than average, we've seen other hotspots take half that time.

While surfing the Web with the Jetpack 5510L, we found ourselves double-checking that we were connected to the hotspot instead of our home Wi-Fi. We found that CNN.com loaded in a speedy 5.6 seconds, Laptopmag.com in 5.7 seconds and NBCNews.com in just 6.1 seconds.

Battery Life

Click to EnlargeThe Jetpack 5510L is rated for 8 hours of battery life and will disconnect after 30 minutes of inactivity to preserve its charge. In our LAPTOP battery test, which involves loading webpages every 30 seconds, the Jetpack 5510L lasted a whopping 14 hours and 43 minutes. Over the course of using the hotspot intermittently over a few days, there was still approximately half a charge left.

The Jetpack 5510L also works while it's plugged into your computer via USB, making it unlikely that the device will die if you have a cable handy.

Value

The Jetpack 5510L costs $19.99 with a two-year contract. The only type of plan available for the hotspot is the company's "Share Everything" pricing scheme. If you are already a Verizon customer, the hotspot is a $20 a month add-on to your plan. Those signing up for a new plan have one of five options: 4GB for $30 per month, 6GB for $40 per month, 8GB for $50 per month, 10GB for $60 per month, or 12GB for $70 per month.

The Jetpack 5510L is $199 without a contract and month-to-month service, which costs the same monthly as contract service.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeThe Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 5510L is an excellent choice. This device offers speedy performance and very long battery life in a compact design. And it can connect up to 10 devices at once. If you don't plan on using this MiFi religiously for two years, you may save money by paying the contract-free price and going with month-to-month service. Either way, this Jetpack will serve you well.

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More than 100,000 people signed a petition to support it. The FCC and White House are behind it. And now there's a push to introduce legislation to reverse the ban on mobile phone unlocking that went into effect in January via the Library of Congress. So it's a foregone conclusion that the carriers will capitulate, right? Not so fast, says one prominent wireless analyst who has been following this controversy closely. And even then, most consumers don't stand to benefit much. At least not yet.

Assuming consumers do get what they want, they likely won't be thrilled with the end result. "Even if you agree with the White House on this issue and even if phone unlocking was implemented in as fully transparent a manner as you could hope for, it still won't do what consumers will think it will do," said Avi Greengart, research director for mobile devices at Current Analysis. 

The issue, Greengart argued, is that different carriers use different bands and technologies for their networks, which makes taking your unlocked phone from one provider to another a lot less seamless than you might think. In some cases it's just impossible. "You won't be able to take your Samsung Galaxy S III that you bought on Sprint to AT&T," warned Greengart. "It won't work."

Incompatibility Mess

The analyst is referring to the fact that AT&T uses a GSM network, while Sprint relies on a CDMA backbone. In other cases, however, you can easily use an unlocked phone on more than one carrier. For instance, you could take an unlocked T-Mobile phone to AT&T using a SIM Card. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to enjoy AT&T's 4G LTE speeds.

It gets worse. Even though AT&T and Verizon Wireless use the same 700-MHz spectrum, they use different portions of it, making their networks incompatible. You could argue that the carriers don't want interoperability because it would make it easier for consumers to switch carriers while keeping the same phone.

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Meanwhile, Sprint is using the 1900-MHz and 800-MHz spectrums. T-Mobile is trying to free up room in the 1700-MHz band for its LTE network while it "re-farms" its 1900-MHz spectrum for HSPA+. Add up all of these caveats and it's easy to see why phone unlocking may not be the holy grail some are making it out to be.

"Many consumers would need to consult an eye chart to figure out which phone they have, which carrier they're on, which technologies are supported on their phone or their carrier and which technologies will work on the carrier they're thinking of going to," said Greengart.

According to Phil Goldstein, editor of FierceWireless, AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers have the most to benefit from making phone unlocking easier. "When you think of the unlocked phone market, it's basically GSM phones," he said. Both AT&T and T-Mobile are using 1900-MHz for HSPA+ going forward, but a T-Mobile customer won't be able to tap into AT&T's 4G LTE network. 

Why the Resistance?

Given all of these caveats, why is the CTIA-The Wireless Association opposing the reversal of the phone unlocking ban? The industry group, which represents the major carriers, argues that they need to be able to recoup the cost of the subsidy that reduces the initial purchase price of the handset. 

In a statement, CTIA Vice President Michael Altschul said that "the Librarian of Congress concluded that an exemption [on phone unlocking] was not necessary because the largest nationwide carriers have liberal, publicly available unlocking policies, and because unlocked phones are freely available in the marketplace -- many at low prices." Altschul added that carriers will unlock a phone at the customer's request once a the contract terms are satisfied.

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What such senators as Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) want is legislation that will get rid of the ban on unlocking cellphones altogether. That could be a scary proposition for the major carriers, who need to hold on to as many subscribers as they can as the number of new subscribers dries up and the market becomes more oversaturated.

"The carriers don't want to publicize the idea that consumers can have more control over switching between networks," argued Goldstein. "A blanket exception to phone unlocking rubs carriers the wrong way because they see it as one less touch point that they get to control." 

Part of that control includes the ability to charge exorbitant rates of overseas usage. For instance, AT&T charges $120 for 800MB of data in Spain, versus the $21 Vodafone charges for 1GB of data when you buy a local SIM. Getting your phone unlocked can be a real pain, too. One colleague who wanted to plug another SIM into his AT&T iPhone while abroad had to threaten to leave the carrier before he got the green light.

Mid-2014 Could Be Turning Point

In the short term, carriers have plenty of reasons to be nervous about phone unlocking, but perhaps it's not as big of a threat as they're making it out to be. "Verizon is leaving a lot of its phones unlocked to start with, and last time I checked they haven't seen a rise in subscriber defections," said Greengart. The analyst said that making phone unlocking easier for consumers will likely have as little impact as number portability did, which allowed subscribers to take their existing numbers to other carriers.

The impact on consumers will also be minor for the foreseeable future, unless you're someone who travels overseas. Ultimately, in order for unlocked phones in the 4G era to really matter, carriers will need to strike LTE roaming agreements. And that won't happen until the networks are significantly built out, which Goldstein said won't occur until 2014 at the earliest. "Until that happens I don't anticipate the carriers having a fondness for software-defined radios or anything that's going to let you switch seamlessly between the networks."

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The days of LTE-only smartphones may be upon us, at least for Verizon Wireless, anyway. That's according to Verizon's CFO Fran Shammo, who said as much at Deutsche Bank's Media Internet and Telecom conference today. Shammo's statements were made available via a transcript available on Verizon's website. When asked by a Deutsche Bank analyst where he saw subsidized phones heading, Shammo said that he believed the trend will soon see prices heading downward.

The reason for that, Shammo said, is two-fold. The first and most intriguing reason is that Verizon may soon begin cutting out CDMA radios from its smartphones and offering LTE-only handsets. This would be made possible thanks to Verizon's upcoming voice over LTE rollout, which is expected to happen toward the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014.

With voice over LTE smartphone users would no longer have their voice data transmitted over Verizon's 2G or 3G networks, which, in addition to providing improved voice quality, will also allow Verizon to ditch the CDMA radios that use those networks in new phones. The less radios a phone requires, the less they will cost. That savings, Shammo said, will be passed on to consumers.

The second factor that could lower subsidies for Verizon consumers is increased competition in the smartphone space thanks to Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10. "I am a true believer as these operating systems start to really take hold, and I think the Windows one will, I think Blackberry will come back into the market, then you are going to start to see more competition which leads to lower prices," he said.

 via: CNET 

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Making the switch to a smartphone from a feature phone or BlackBerry can be a daunting task if it’s your first time. Fortunately, new users can learn the ropes through classes and workshops. Apple started the trend, first offering its Genius Bars at every Apple Store, then expanding to classes, workshops and one-on-one tutoring. But Android and Windows Phone 8 users can also increase their smartphone IQs, because Verizon Wireless stores are now offering the same treatment.

We checked out Verizon’s workshop offerings, and the number of classes and variety of topics offered varied widely by location. Fortunately, in the New York City area, we had our pick of a large range of classes, including “Android: Getting Started,” “Android: Apps for Everyone” and “Android: Doing More.” We also found workshops that were highly specialized, such as “Google Docs on Android,” “Applications for Small Business” and phone-specific courses for various popular smartphones. In smaller cities, class selections weren’t quite as broad. Classes are generally scheduled for an hour, and are available both during the day and in the evening hours.

We stopped into “Android: Getting Started” with a Motorola Droid RAZR M and a background story of never having used a smartphone before. The class was scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. When we arrived, we were one of three students.

Our classmates were a man and a woman, both of whom were in their mid-50s and held brand-new Samsung Galaxy S IIIs. Coincidentally, both fellow students had upgraded to this Android device after years of owning a BlackBerry. (However, one student admitted he never really understood that phone, either.)

In the back of a Verizon Wireless store, a few foldout chairs sat against the back wall. After a few minutes, a sales associate approached us, holding a printed packet of paper, which, we assumed, was filled with tutorials to cover Android basics. It was not. She started the class by asking each student their skill level and fielding any specific questions.

One student immediately asked how to disable predictive texting. The teacher explained the phone’s settings panel as we used our phones to navigate to the keyboard settings screen. We all disabled this feature, but I’m not sure my classmates could get back to this setting in the future.

The other student asked about composing new emails. We each opened up our respective email clients, as per the teacher’s instruction, and were shown the compose button. She then walked us through the process of typing a contact’s name in the recipient field before moving to the body of the message. The teacher was patient and showed each of us how to perform this function, staying with us until we felt confident.

The next question referred to apps. We each opened the Google Play store, while the teacher explained how both free and paid apps add functionality to your device and that there’s an app for almost anything you could ever want. She explained if we wanted to purchase an app, it would be charged to our credit card, not our Verizon bill. She then walked us through a free app download.

Next up was Google Maps and Navigation. Our instructor correctly told us this would provide us with turn-by-turn navigation and subway directions and would help prevent us from ever being lost. She then asked us to search for a local sushi restaurant.

During our class, one of the students’ batteries died. She was able to plug her phone into the wall and continue following along, but it highlighted a problem that concerned us all: battery life. Our teacher suggested that while we’re out of range of service, such as underground on the subway, to enable Airplane mode. This disables Wi-Fi and cellular data features, which, in turn, saves battery life.

Final Grade

At this point, we had reached the end of our hourlong class. We were encouraged to stop by the store again for future assistance, regardless of class schedule. Everyone went their own way, a little more comfortable with their new smartphones.

While students received answers, there didn't seem to be much structure or curriculum. There was also no formal classroom space. We would have appreciated a handout to reinforce the lessons after we left. If you have specific questions, a Verizon Wireless smartphone class might be right for you, but if you’re looking for a well-rounded class that’s guaranteed to cover all the basics, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

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New year, new Verizon hotspot. Novatel today unveiled the Verizon Jetpack LTE MiFi 5510L, a new 4G hotspot that can connect up to 10 gadgets to Big Red’s speedy network.

The MiFi 5510L will cost $19.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year data plan agreement. Adding a hotspot like the Jetpack to Verizon’s shared data plan adds $20 a month to your bill in addition to any extra Gigabytes you might need. 

Fortunately, the MiFi 5510L comes jacked with cool features. It has a touchscreen interface, a rated battery life of eight hours and software that supports real-time data tracking so users can monitor how many GBs they've used. Business-friendly features include a VPN pass-through for enterprise users and an SPI firewall.

Look for the new MiFi to go on sale this Thursday at Verizon’s website.

Via SlashGear 

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After a months-long wait, Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III users are finally getting an over-the-air update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The update, which will begin being pushed out to users in phases on Dec. 14 includes, among other improvements, Google Now, a new notification panel and improved camera capabilities.

The camera's software improvements in particular look rather extensive, with Verizon promising new live camera filters including warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white, sepia and color highlights. Other updates to the camera include pause and resume functionality for the video recording feature.

Additionally, the update will officially make the Galaxy S III Global Ready, as well as bring ISIS digital wallet support to Samsung's halo phone. Users can get the update by either waiting to receive an update notification or by manually downloading it through the S III's Settings menu within the coming week.

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Samsung's Galaxy Camera appears to be headed to Verizon's 4G LTE network. The device, which we reviewed in November for AT&T's 4G HSPA+ network, combines the functionality of an Android device, with the photo snapping capabilities of a dedicated camera.

Neither Samsung nor Verizon have confirmed the device's existence, but according to The Verge, Samsung posted a product page for Verizon Galaxy Camera before quickly taking it down. The specification page for the device, however, is still live.

Samsung developed the Galaxy Camera as a means to allow users to upload high-quality images to social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram directly from their camera. Powered by Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the camera sports a 1.4-GHz quad-core Exynos processor, making it powerful enough to party with some of the top Android devices around.

AT&T's version of the device cost $499 with data fees added on top, so expect to pay around that for the Verizon model.

via: The Verge

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Got a hankering for local deals, but don't want to be bothered signing up for Groupon or checking in on Foursquare? AT&T and Verizon Wireless are each introducing deals services that send you a message containing a coupon or other "rewards" based on your location and other criteria. Don't worry about receiving a flood of unwanted promotional texts, though: Both offerings are opt-in only and completely free.

AT&T Alerts taps into cell tower signals -- not GPS data -- to identify your location and match it to nearby partners. Once you wander into a retailer's "geo-fence," AT&T Alerts shoots you a free text message with an offer for that store. Gap, Staples, Zales, Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Duracell, Motorola, Discover and more are already on board.

Subscribers just need to text “JOIN” to ATTAlerts -- that's 288253787 -- to sign up for the program. Heading over to the AT&T Alerts website lets you set your offer preferences, so you don't receive texts from stores that, frankly, you don't care about. The program launched today.

Verizon, on the other hand, will start reaching out to some of its customers this week, asking them to opt-in to the new Verizon Selects program. Verizon Selects works a bit differently than the purely location-based AT&T Alerts; it sifts through your location, web browsing history, mobile application usage data and more to "create specific insights" about you. If your profile matches up with a segment Verizon or its partners are targeting, Verizon Selects shoots you a message—either via email, text message, snail mail or online advertising—containing some sort of reward offer.

The idea of Verizon Selects scraping all of your personal data is slightly more Big Brother-ish than AT&T's deals program, but on the other hand, it could results in tailored offers that are much more likely to appeal to you specifically. Of course, the carriers need to convince users to sign up for the services first, which might be easier said than done unless particularly steep discounts are dangled as a carrot.

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There was once a time when smartphone makers were in a race to see who could make the smallest device. Those days, however, are long gone, and nowhere is there a better example of the new "bigger is better" mantra than with HTC's new Droid DNA. 

Announced today during a joint HTC and Verizon event, the Droid DNA sports a massive 5-inch true 1080p display, but that's not all. Inside, the Droid DNA features a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Those stats put it roughly on par with Samsung's 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II. So which device is the top supersize smartphone? The 5.5-inch Note II may have the 5-inch Droid DNA beat on screen size, but the DNA's Super LCD 3 1920 x 1080 resolution display easily beats the Note II's 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED panel. 

On the processor side, the Droid DNA packs a powerful 1.5-GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM. The Note II, meanwhile comes with a 1.4-GHz quad-core Exynos processor and 2GB of RAM, too. Despite their slight clock speed differences, both chips should prove more than capable of handling even your most demanding tasks.

Storage for the Droid DNA is limited to 16GB of space while the Note II is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants and, unlike the DNA, includes a microSD card slot, meaning you'll have more space to save music, photos and movies.

Perhaps the one category where the DNA is at a distinct disadvantage in this battle between smartphone monsters is its battery capacity. With its huge screen and quad-core processor, Samsung stuck the Note II with an equally large 3,100 mAh battery. During our testing, the Note II lasted an impressive 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Conversely, the Droid DNA includes a much smaller 2,020 mAh battery. We haven't been able to test the DNA's battery life, but we are all but certain that it will struggle to come anywhere close to the Note II's time.

From the looks of it the Verizon HTC Droid DNA is a solid challenger to the supersize smartphone throne. Whether it will be able to usurp the Samsung Galaxy Note II, we'll see once we have done our full review.

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You don't have to feel like Mr. Fantastic to enjoy a larger screen on a smartphone. Thanks to some clever contortionism by Motorola, the RAZR HD ($199 with a two-year contract) manages to squeeze a 4.7-inch high-definition display into a design that's nearly identical in size to its 4.3-inch predecessor. Will the newest RAZR cut competing ultrathin phones to ribbons?

Design

Click to EnlargeIn terms of size, the 0.33-inch-thick Droid RAZR HD neatly straddles the line between the ultrasvelte Droid RAZR (0.28 inches thick) and the slightly thicker Droid RAZR Maxx (0.35 inches thick). The Samsung Galaxy S III is a hair thicker at 0.34 inches, while the Apple iPhone 5 measures 0.3 inches.

At 5.3 ounces, the RAZR HD weighs noticeably more than the featherweight iPhone 5 (4 ounces), original Droid RAZR (4.5 ounces) and Galaxy S III (4.7 ounces). Nevertheless, we appreciated the weight of the phone in our hands, which lent the RAZR HD a sturdy feeling.

Like the RAZR and RAZR Maxx, the RAZR HD can withstand a fair amount of abuse, courtesy of its Gorilla Glass display, Kevlar Fiber back and water-repellant coating. The phone retains the same angled corners and soft-touch finish on the back as its predecessors, but ditches the bulge at the top in favor of a uniformly flat backplate. A Motorola logo can be found above the display, along with an LED that pulses green when you have a new notification.

The right side of the phone houses a microUSB and microHDMI port, while the power button and volume rocker can be found on the left. A 3.5mm headphone jack is located on the top. The phone is available in both black and white.

One quibble we have with the design is that there's a small lip surrounding the display, which is a small but slightly annoying barrier. It's almost as if there's a case on this phone.

Another issue is that the microSD Card slot resides behind a slim plastic door that can only be opened via a special tool that Motorola includes in the box.

Display and Audio

Click to EnlargeMotorola's newest RAZR isn't called HD for nothing. The phone's 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD display offers some of crispest, most vivid visuals we've seen on an Android phone. The RAZR HD boasts the same 1280 x 720 resolution as the Galaxy S III's Super AMOLED screen, but - thanks to its 0.1-inch smaller screen - a greater pixel density (331 pixels per inch to the S III's 306 ppi). The iPhone 5's 4-inch LCD display, by contrast, features a resolution of only 1136 x 640 but a pixel density almost as high as on the RAZR HD, at 326 ppi. The RAZR HD also proved much brighter than the Galaxy S III (448 lux versus 213 lux), although it couldn't match the iPhone 5's luminosity (525 lux).

Needless to say, streaming YouTube and Netflix videos on the RAZR HD is a feast for the eyes. Watching a high-definition trailer for the video game "Medal of Honor: Warfighter," billowing red and orange explosions popped off the screen as cars careened through crowded market streets, and we could tilt the phone 45 degrees in any direction without losing clarity.

Click to EnlargeReading articles on sites such as NYTimes.com proved equally pleasant. The extra room allowed us to read text clearly without zooming in, though thanks to the phone's high-pixel density, words and letters appeared smooth even when expanded to their maximum size. The RAZR HD's bright and vivid display made reading in direct sunlight easy as well.

The tiny speaker located on the upper right corner of the RAZR HD delivered impressively loud audio, given its size. Adrian Smith's mournful riffs in Iron Maiden's "Stranger in a Strange Land" filled our room at maximum volume, and though some instruments like cymbals sounded slightly tinny, the audio didn't distort.

Software and Interface

Click to EnlargeThe Droid RAZR HD runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is expected by the end of the year), with the addition of a few widgets and interface tweaks from Motorola. The first difference veteran Ice Cream Sandwich users will notice is the addition of lock screen shortcuts for Phone, Text and Camera. Above the shortcuts, the time is displayed on the right, and a widget on the left lets you toggle your ringtone from audible to vibrate.

By default, the RAZR HD features a single home screen, with the option of creating up to six additional pages. Motorola's Circles Widget, three coin-shaped icons displaying the time, weather and current battery life, sits prominently at the top of the screen. Swiping down on the coins flips them over to reveal further information, such as the weather in other cities of your choice or text notifications.

Click to EnlargeSwiping to the left on the home screen reveals a Quick Settings screen. From here, users can silence the phone's ringtone; change the lock screen security; and enable or disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Mobile Data and Airplane Mode. A shortcut at the bottom of the screen takes you to the main Settings screen. Having all these shortcuts is nice, but we prefer Samsung's approach because you can toggle all sorts of settings right from the notification drawer; you don't have to go back to the home screen first.

Swiping to the right allows you to create a new page, either blank or using a template. Templates include Media, which contains shortcuts to Play Music, Gallery, V Cast Tones and YouTube, as well as a current playlist widget; and Mobile Office, which contains a calendar widget and shortcuts to Mobile Hotspot, Downloads, Quickoffice, and Smart Actions (see below).

As on all Ice Cream Sandwich devices, swiping down from the top brings up a list of notifications. The bottom of the screen contains five "sticky" shortcuts that can be swapped out at your discretion, excluding the shortcut to the Apps menu.

The RAZR HD is also near-field communications-enabled. Using NFC, utilities such as Android Beam allow you to share information such as contacts and maps by tapping the phone against another NFC-enabled device.

Smart Actions

Click to EnlargeA helpful feature called Smart Actions lets your phone automatically perform a number of tasks, such as send a text message or launch an app, when certain triggers are met. It could be a specific time of day, for instance, or when the phone is docked.

Motorola includes a number of sample action/trigger combinations (called rules), including Drive Smart, which puts the RAZR HD in vehicle mode when its paired with Bluetooth device; Nighttime Battery Saver, which turns off syncing when it's nighttime and your phone is motionless; and Sleep Rule, which sets the phone to silent but allows specified callers to reach you. Users can also create their own custom rules using any combination of triggers and actions.

Keyboard

Click to EnlargeThe RAZR HD supports two software keyboards: The stock Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard (square gray keys on a black background) and Swype, which lets you type words by dragging your finger over each letter. We prefer using the stock keyboard, simply because typing words that have two of the same letter side-by-side can be tricky on Swype.

Performance

The Droid RAZR HD isn't all sleek contours and Kevlar fiber. Underneath its svelte chassis, the phone packs a 1.5-GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM - more than enough to make the RAZR HD fly on our synthetic benchmarks and in everyday use.

Click to EnlargeOn the CPU portion of the Benchmark app, for instance, the phone racked a cool 4,685, almost double the average of 2,681. This exceeds the older RAZR and RAZR Maxx (both of which use a 1.2-GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM), which achieved scores of 3,802 and 3,398, respectively. The Samsung Galaxy S III (1.5-GHz Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB of RAM) came close to matching the RAZR HD with its score of 4,214.

When we ran the An3DBench app, which measures graphics performance, the RAZR HD notched a somewhat less impressive score of 7,220. While this beats the smartphone average and the Galaxy S III by a little more than 200 points, it falls behind the RAZR (7,412) and the RAZR Maxx (7,387).

On Geekbench, a benchmark that measures overall performance, the RAZR HD turned in a score of 1,450. While this exceeds the smartphone average by more than 500 points, it falls just behind the score of 1,590 achieved by the iPhone 5 (Apple A6 processor with 1GB of RAM).

Thanks to the RAZR HD's speedy components, using the phone for everyday tasks such as streaming shows on Netflix, browsing the Web and playing games proved a joy. Switching between apps usually took just over a second, and the display transitioned fluidly as we swiped from one screen to the next. We did notice a bit of lag when switching between menus in the more graphically intensive "Real Racing 2," but gameplay itself proved smooth and enjoyable.

Media mavens may be disappointed to discover that the RAZR HD only comes with 16GB of storage, but this can be supplemented up to 32GB via microSD.

4G LTE Speeds

Click to EnlargeVerizon's 4G LTE network continues to impress, especially on the Droid RAZR HD. Using Speedtest.net, the RAZR HD achieved an average download speed of 22.1 Mbps over Verizon's 4G LTE network. Upload speeds were nearly as fast, clocking in at 16.2 Mbps.

When surfing the Web, the RAZR HD loaded the full New York Times desktop site in 9 seconds, ESPN.com in 6 seconds and Laptopmag.com in 8 seconds.

Apps

While Motorola includes virtually none of its own applications on the RAZR HD other than Smart Actions, Verizon more than makes up the difference with a bundle of its own apps. Among the least useful is Verizon's app store, which mimics Google Play and includes classic Android apps such as Fruit Ninja and Advanced Task Killer. Unfortunately, given that many popular apps such as "Angry Birds" and Netflix are missing from the app store, we can't imagine why anyone would choose to use this application rather than Google Play.

More useful is My Verizon Mobile, which lets you track your minutes, SMS and data usage; pay and view your bill; change the features of your plan; and change your voicemail password.

If you're a football fan, the NFL Mobile app serves as a news feed for the latest NFL news, scores and tracking the status of your favorite team. More impressively, the app lets you stream the NFL Network live on your phone - although we would have appreciated HD-quality visuals.

Click to EnlargeFrom the Tones app, you can purchase new ringtones from artists like Nelly Furtado and KISS. Given that you can easily turn any MP3 on your phone into a ringtone, however, it's hard to see this app as little more than a cash-grab by Verizon.

Demos for the first-person shooter "Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation" and "Real Racing 2" are also included, although to access the full content, you'll have to purchase the apps through Google Play ($6.99 and $4.99, respectively).

Ice Cream Sandwich-specific apps include Chrome for Android, YouTube, Google Talk and Google Maps.

Camera and Camcorder

Click to EnlargePhotos taken on the Droid RAZR HD's 8-megapixel rear-facing camera were vivid, although not as sharp as the competition. When we took a picture of a scooter parked on the city street, the bright pink finish popped off the screen compared with a photo taken on the Samsung Galaxy S III's 8-MP camera. Still, the RAZR HD's pics weren't quite as good as the iPhone 5's. Not only did the bike itself appear more colorful and sharp in photos taken by Apple's device, but the surrounding details looked clearer.

We also took an indoor shot using the RAZR HD and compared the results against the iPhone 5 and S III. The iPhone 5's image was brightest but showed more artifacts than the RAZR. The Motorola image was signficantly sharper than the S III, which had a lot more noise.

Click to EnlargeFrom the lock screen, the RAZR HD launched the camera app in just under two seconds, and captured stills in about 0.7 seconds according to our stopwatch. That's good, but not as fast as the S III or iPhone 5. The phone also features a multishot mode that captures six images in about two and a half seconds - although we wish we could more easily select our favorite shot, as on Samsung and HTC phones. The S III also has nifty a Share Shot mode for beaming photos to other folks over Wi-Fi.

Like the photos, 1080p video of Fifth Avenue boasted bright and vivid colors. Crispness of detail also impressed, as we found that we could easily read signs across the street even when viewing the footage on the phone's 4.7-inch screen. Aside from brief moments of lag when video playback transitioned into full-screen mode, video was smooth.

[sc:video id="JsOTRqcTpEMsJgLdNhmanoA2JGc9QNqr" width="640" height="410"]

Click to EnlargeThe 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera captured footage that was a colorful as the rear-facing camera, although unsurprisingly grainier. Fine details, such as individual hairs in our beard, became lost in a blur.

Call Quality and Battery Life

Click to EnlargeWhen we called a friend over Verizon's network, she reported that our voice sounded clear and audible, although it became slightly muffled on occasion. On our end, we didn't notice any distortion or lack of clarity.

The RAZR HD offers remarkably lackluster battery life. When we ran the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous surfing on the Web over Verizon's 4G LTE network), the phone's 2,530-mAh battery expired in a mere 5 hours and 22 minutes. Not only does this fall almost 40 minutes short of the smartphone average, it's far behind the battery life provided by the smaller 2,100-mAh and 1,440-mAh batteries on the Galaxy S III (6:55) and iPhone 5 (7:13). The RAZR Maxx's 3.300-mAh battery, by contrast, lasted an epic 8 hours and 25 minutes.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeNot only does the Droid RAZR HD from Motorola represent a step forward in the evolution of the RAZR series, it gives the Samsung Galaxy S III a run for its money in terms of performance, 4G speeds and certainly display quality. The Motorola also offers a sturdier design. However, the S III has more innovative sharing features and motion gestures, as well as a faster camera. We like the Droid RAZR HD, but if you're going to get a Motorola smartphone on Verizon, you might want to splurge on the $299 RAZR Maxx HD, which promises much longer battery life in a design that's almost as sleek.

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The Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L seeks to repeat the success of the carrier's sickeningly fast $49.99 Jetpack MiFi 4620L. And with the ability to support up to 10 devices, global connectivity and a lower price of just $19.99, it would seem that the Jetpack 890L would be a steal. So is the 890L the best hotspot on Big Red's network? Read on.

Design

Click to EnlargeMeasuring 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.7 inches, Verizon's Jetpack 890L by ZTE has the largest footprint of any hotspot we've tested. And at 4.8 ounces, it's a hair shy of being the heaviest as well. That distinction falls to Sprint's Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot, which weighs 4.9 ounces. The Jetpack is shaped like a flattened square and features a slightly domed top covered in a glossy black paint that easily picks up fingerprints. ZTE gave the Jetpack's sides a slick red paint job to match Verizon's color scheme.

Unlike the AT&T Elevate 4G and the Sprint Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot, the Verizon Jetpack 890L features a green-and-black OLED display, rather than a full color display. Overall, we found the Jetpack's screen exceedingly difficult to see under office lighting and nearly impossible to view outdoors.

Below the display are the Jetpack's capacitive Up, Down and OK buttons. Up top, along the Jetpack's top edge, you'll see its microUSB port and physical On/ Off switch, a novelty on a hotspot.

Overall, we found the Jetpack 890L's capacitive buttons to be a chore to use. The home screen offers only four options, which you have to dive into to reach basic settings. Navigating menus using the Up and Down buttons frequently caused us to accidentally switch menus. By comparison, the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L's home screen provides users with a series of menu options and physical Left and Right buttons, making nagivation a lot easier.

4G LTE Coverage

With 337 markets, Verizon's 4G LTE network dwarfs both AT&T and Sprint's networks, which cover 51 and 15 markets, respectively. Big Red promises download rates of 5 to 12 Mbps. Heading overseas? The Jetpack 890L is CDMA and GSM-enabled so you'll be able to use it in more than 200 countries.

Features

The Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L allows users to connect an impressive 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices when running on Verizon's 4G LTE network and five devices when connected to 3G. We appreciated the fact that you can charge the Jetpack via your laptop's USB port while still broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal. We were, however, disappointed to find that this Jetpack doesn't include a microSD card slot, something both the AT&T Elevate 4G and Sprint Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot include.

The Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L's Web interface provides users with access to the hotspot's WAN, Router, Firewall and Wi-Fi settings, as well as SMS messaging. You can even reset the hotspot or factory restore it using the Web interface's Advanced menu.

Performance

Click to EnlargeThe first Jetpack 4G LTE mobile Hotspot 890L turned in a woefully inconsistent performance. Using Speedtest.net, we measured the hotspot's upload and download speeds at three locations in New York: Madison Square Park, Union Square and Bryant Park. The Jetpack 890L averaged just 3.1 Mbps down, and 3.2 Mbps up. That's well below the 5 to 12 Mbps Verizon claims for its 4G LTE network, but the upload speeds were generally within the carrier's 2 to 5 Mbps range. By comparison, the AT&T Elevate 4G averaged 12.4 Mbps down, and 8.3 Mbps up.

We then tested the Jetpack 890L to see how it would perform under stress conditions by re-running Speedtest.net while streaming a 720p video to a laptop. While throughput was still quite low -- 2.3 Mbps down and 4.8 Mbps up -- at least it wasn't greatly affected by having more demands placed on it.

When we brought the JetPack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L's poor download speeds to the attention of Verizon, the carrier sent us a second unit. That hotspot at first wouldn't let us connect to Verizon's 4G LTE network, but when we took it to Jersey City, N.J., it performed exceedingly well. Download speeds averaged 17 Mbps and uploads averaged an impressive 10.2 Mbps.

We then took the 890L back to New York City to give it another go. Surprisingly, speeds improved drastically, with downloads averaging 7.3 Mbps and uploads averaging 5.7 Mbps. Still, the 890L couldn't match the performance of Verizon's MiFi 4620L, which averaged 10.9 Mbps down and 8.5 Mbps up.

Large File Downloads

On average, it took the first Jetpack 890L we tested a whopping 10 minutes to download the 145MB OpenOffice install file. That's about 7 minutes longer than the both the AT&T Elevate 4G and the Sprint Tri-Fi. At least it was more consistent than the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot, which took anywhere from 3 minutes and 8 seconds to 4 hours to download the same file, depending on the location.

When we tested the second Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L in New York, we downloaded OpenOffice in 2 minutes and 17 seconds, faster than the 4 minutes and 18 seconds it took to download the file using the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L.

Web Surfing

Our first Jetpack 890L's Web-surfing speeds were fairly disappointing. On average, loading CNN.com took 9.2 seconds, NBCNews.com took 13.5 seconds and Laptopmag.com took 13 seconds. By comparison, Sprint's Tri-Fi loaded the same sites in 6.5, 5.8 and 7 seconds, respectively, and that was over WiMax.

The second Jetpack 890L performed slightly worse than the first, with CNN.com taking 12.1 seconds, NBCNews.com taking 17.9 seconds and Laptopmag.com 12.3 seconds. Still, the 890L managed to outperform the Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L, which loaded CNN.com in 15.8 seconds, NBCNews.com in 16.2 seconds and Laptopmag.com in 17.6 seconds.

Battery Life

The Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L's 1700 mAh battery ran for 6 hours and 10 minutes while connected to 4G LTE. That's shorter than the 10 hours and 35 minutes Sprint's Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot managed over WiMax, but better than both the AT&T Elevate 4G's 4 hours and 45 minutes, as well as the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile Hotspot, which lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes.

The MiFi 4620L for Verizon lasted 3:57 using its standard battery but a longer 7:32 with its extended battery.

Value

The Jetpack 890L is available for $19.99 with a two-year contract. Contract options range from a 4GB plan for $30 per month all the way up to a 20GB option for $110 per month. Each plan also requires a $20 access fee, meaning a $30 plan will actually cost you $50 per month. If you opt for the 4GB plan, you'll end up paying $1,119 for the length of your contract.

Verdict

Click to EnlargeAlthough the first Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot 890L we tested was slow and inconsistent, our testing of a second device leads us to believe that we had a bum unit. While the 890L's throughput was slower than the MiFi 4620L, it proved faster in real-world tests. Plus, the $19.99 890L is cheaper than the $49.99 MiFi. The reason why we still prefer the MiFi 4620L is its more intuitive interface, smaller footprint and longer battery life -- if you spring for the extended battery.

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Bring your cameras to work on September 5th, New Yorkers, because you could witness a sight that happens once in a blue moon: a horde of pasty tech journalists jogging en masse down the city streets. Nokia and Microsoft already had a press conference scheduled in NYC that day to talk up the Windows Phone Lumia lineup, and the hub-bub hints that it may be the unveiling of the first Windows Phone 8 device. Exciting! But that's not all that's in store for that fateful fall day.

Not to be outdone, Motorola and Verizon just shipped around a save-the-date of their own. The date: September 5th.  The location: New York City. The purpose: Motorola's not saying… but we have a strong guess.

Since Verizon's the co-sponsor and the tagline of the announcement is "Motorola On Display," it's not going too far out on a limb to guess that September 5th will be the grand unveiling of the so-called Motorola Droid RAZR HD, which has had several details leaked to the web in recent weeks. The Droid RAZR HD reportedly has a 4.5-inch true 720p display -- hence the name -- along with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, world phone capabilities and on-board 4G LTE.

The fifth is just the tip of the iceberg for major September announcements; Samsung's teased us with "Something Big" on the 1st and Apple is widely expected to unveil the iPhone 5 on September 12th.

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Although the exact release date for the iPhone 5 is yet to be known, many are speculating Apple's next best thing will come to stores in September. That gives you about a month to start saving. If you're willing to trade in your iPhone 4 or 4S, though, you could earn back some of the cash you'll need to purchase this new superphone.

In fact, some trade-in sites are offering up to $455 for Apple's iPhone 4S with 32GB. But which sites offer the best deals, what condition does your iPhone have to be in and, most importantly, what's the catch? We did some investigating into such trade-in sites as Gazelle, NextWorth, BuyBackWorld and BuyMyTronics as well as trade-in programs at Amazon, eBay Instant Sale, Verizon, Best Buy and RadioShack to see how much dough you can collect for your iPhone 4 or 4S.

Although most trade-in services can about a week to pay you (usually via your choice of check or PayPal) for your iPhone, BuyBackWorld issues payment within 48 business hours. Some limitations: Amazon, Verizon, Best Buy and RadioShack's trade-in programs will only pay you via gift cards to their stores or sites. Apple's Recycling Program doesn't offer monetary value for your old iPhone, but if you bring it to an Apple store they'll recycle it for you.

Although Amazon offers up to $415 and eBay Instant Sale offers up to $299 for a 16GB iPhone 4S, we imagine that smartphone would have to be in mint condition to get the full amount. The next best bet for that phone is through Gazelle for $277 with BuyBackWorld coming in a close second at $275. For whatever reason, though, you'll earn more cash for this phone at Gazelle if your carrier is AT&T.

If you upgraded to 32GB in your iPhone 4S, Amazon and eBay claim to reward you with up to $455 and 331, respectively. Again, we doubt you'll get that much cash unless your fingers have barely grazed that phone's display. And Gazelle and BuyBackWorld take the prize again, each offering $300 for this model in good condition. BuyBackWorld offers the same amount across all carriers, but AT&T earns more cash at Gazelle.

It's a bit older, but you can still earn a good amount of cash for your iPhone 4. If you have a 16GB model, Amazon and eBay Instant Sale promise up to $290 and $186, respectively. If you want a sure thing, BuyBackWorld offers $203 on Verizon and $180 on AT&T, and NextWorth promises $170 through AT&T (but only $150 on Verizon).

The 32GB iPhone 4 goes for up to $300 on Amazon and up to $219 on eBay Instant Sale, and the next best thing is $208 for a Verizon model through BuyBackWorld (the AT&T model is worth $180). RadioShack offers up to $183, and Gazelle and NextWorth offer $180 for this model.

Although it'd be nice if we could make sense of these prices, it seems to be somewhat of a random draw. And although BuyBackWorld generally offers the most cash for your iPhone 4 or 4S, deals at Gazelle and NextWorth are also worth checking out.

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Motorola and Sprint aren't the only ones who are giving QWERTY keyboard loving smartphone users attention these days. Pantech and Verizon are also getting in on the action with their new Pantech Marauder, a 4G LTE-powered budget smartphone with a slide-out keyboard. Beyond the lure of a physical keys, the Marauder boasts two user modes, Starter and Standard.

Starter mode is designed for first-time smartphone users and includes four home screens, a simple lock screen layout and quick dialer icon. Standard mode provides a normal Android experience complete with seven home screens and customizable lock screen, presumably similar to the lock screen found on Pantech's Burst smartphone.

On the inside, the Marauder is powered by a 1.2-GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. Verizon hasn't given total storage capacity, but Big Red did say that the Marauder would offer a MicroSD card slot expandable up to 32GB. It's unclear exactly what version of Android the Marauder will be running, but based on the look of the phone's soft-touch buttons, it looks like it'll carry Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Marauder is set to go on sale at verizonwireless.com on Aug. 2 for $49.99 on contract after a $50 mail-in rebate.

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Quick, pack your bags -- it's time for a vacation! While Verizon's 4G LTE phones have, up until this point, been confined to CDMA-based networks in foreign lands, this morning the company announced that it is transforming the Droid Razr and Razr Maxx into full-fledged world phones, which makes them compatible with more than 220 voice and data networks around the globe. Tagging along with the new-found global freedom is an update to Android 4.0, commonly referred to as "Ice Cream Sandwich."

The upgrade activated the phones' GSM radios, which were just taking up space until today. The Razr handsets will also be able to access GPRS, EDGE, and HSPA networks, GigaOm reports.

Other Verizon 4G LTE phones are also expected to eventually be unlocked as many also have GSM radios and Verizon's blog post said that the Razr phones "will be the first 4G LTE smartphones on the Verizon Wireless network to be Global Ready," indicating more activations are forthcoming. 

One thing to note: while you may now be able to use your Razr and Razr Maxx in foreign locales, Verizon's internal roaming charges and plans carry hefty charges, often costing multiple dollars per minute for voice calls. Verizon's LTE phones have SIM cards, however, which you may be able to swap out for a local service's SIM in other lands. Verizon's kept mum about whether or not it'll be unlocking that capability.

Meanwhile, the Android 4.0 update adds several tweaks, fixes and new features to the phone, including ICS's Face Unlock and the ability to open apps directly from the lock screen.

• Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx (Verizon Wireless) Review
• Motorola Droid RAZR Smartphone Review
• Carrier Support Showdown: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Tested

Verizon and Color are teaming up to bring video sharing to your next 4G LTE smartphone. According to SFGate.com, Verizon and Color inked a deal that will bring the video app to its 4G LTE smartphones. The app allows users to share 30-second video clips shot using their smartphone cameras.

If the name Color sounds familiar, it's because a previous iPhone-only version of the app, which allowed users to share video and photos with others within a 150-foot radius, famously felt flat after raising $41 million in funding. A revamped version of the app running on Facebook's Open Graph has been slightly more successful, but not a huge hit.

According to VentureBeat, however, the new app will allow users to share 30-second high quality videos. The new version will be available to all Color users, although only Verizon customers will have access to an upgraded version that also allows for audio sharing with videos. In addition to video sharing, SFGate.com says the app will include live video streaming.

Under the agreement, Color will come preloaded on most new Verizon 4G LTE devices right out of the box, meaning you won't have to download the app separately.

via VentureBeat, SFGate.com

To connect to mobile 4G hotspots, you no longer need teams of road warriors playing musical chairs. Priced at an affordable $49.99 (with a two-year contract), the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L by Novatel Wireless delivers blistering speeds and can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. But with other carriers ramping up their 4G networks, is the 4620L worth the two-year investment?

Design

Click to Enlarge

The MiFi 4620L's rectangular shape is similar to the Verizon 4G LTE MiFi 4510L. However, the MiFi 4620L forgoes the thick chrome band surrounding the top of the 4510L and replaces it with a black soft-touch rubber, which continues on the sides and tapers toward the bottom. We're also fans of the rounded edges that give the 4620L a more elegant look.

Instead of the 4510L's thin display strip, the 4620L has a 1.3 x 0.7-inch OLED display. That extra space comes in handy when cycling through menus and notifications via the dark chrome arrow buttons and the Select button.

We loved the addition of the navigation and select buttons but were annoyed that Novatel Wireless added a long, useless strip of chrome right next to the arrow buttons. However, we appreciate the decision to place the power button along the top right side of the hotspot, eliminating the possibility of accidentally turning the device on or off.

A port for attaching an antenna sits on the front of the hotspot, along with a microUSB port. There's also a status light that flashes purple when the MiFi 4620L has a 1X or 3G signal and green once it's located a 4G LTE signal. Unfortunately, the 4620L lacks a microSD card slot, such as with the AT&T Elevate 4G mobile hotspot, which would make it easy to share files among colleagues.

At 3.3 ounces and 3.7 x 2.3 x 0.5 inches, the 4620L is nice and slim. A chunky extended battery balloons the 4620L to 4.4 ounces and 3.7 x 2.3 x 1 inches, but we still could easily slip the hotspot into our pants pocket.

Interface

The MiFi 4620L's interface is straightforward, showing the network (4G or 3G), battery life, connected users and signal strength. While you can view information such as the network name and password, you can't change any settings on the device through the gadget itself; that can be done only through the hotspot's Web portal. Here users also can create individual Wi-Fi profiles with unique names and security protocols.

Coverage 

Click to Enlarge

Verizon's 4G LTE network is available in 230 markets nationwide. That's almost two-thirds of the country. The 4620L's reach extends far beyond the United States, however. This global-ready device works in more than 200 countries. When not in a 4G LTE coverage area, the 4620L drops back to 3G and HSPA+ speeds.

By comparison, Sprint's 4G network covers 71 markets (it will begin rolling out its LTE coverage later this year), while AT&T's 4G LTE service can be found in 35 markets.

Features

In addition to the larger display, the 4620L has received a few major improvements. Unlike the 4510L, the 4620L can broadcast a Wi-Fi signal and charge simultaneously when plugged into a notebook.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE MiFi 4620L can support up to 10 devices in 4G mode, double the capability of the 4510L. The 4620L also can support five devices in 3G mode. In our apartment we were able to connect the hotspot to the ASUS Zenbook UX31, an HP TouchSmart 600, our Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 without any noticeable drop in speed.

Performance

Click to Enlarge

In its 4G LTE coverage areas, Verizon claims download speeds between 5 and 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2-5 Mbps. The 4620L lived up to those claims, delivering an average download speed of 9.3 Mbps on Speedtest.net near New York City's Madison Square Park. Upload speeds were equally solid at 8.5 Mbps. By comparison, the Sierra Wireless Overdrive Pro 3G/4G hotspot on Sprint's 4G network averaged download speeds of 9.8 Mbps and noticeably slower upload speeds of 1.4 Mbps.

When we moved to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square, the 4620L performed even better: 11.4 Mbps down and 8.9 Mbps up.

Large File Downloads and Uploads

Downloading and uploading large files left much to be desired. In Madison Square Park, the hotspot took a patience-trying 6 minutes and 24 seconds to download a 151MB Open Office file. Uploading the same file to Dropbox took 8:23. The device had a moment of redemption in Union Square, downloading the file in 3:23. Uploading continued to be a point of consternation, taking 9:07 to complete the transfer.

Web Surfing

With the 4620L connected to the ASUS Zenbook UX31, we achieved relatively fast, consistent Web page load times. For example, we loaded CNN.com, NYTimes.com and ESPN.com in 5.2, 4.5 and 9.2 seconds, respectively, in Madison Square Park, and 5.6/5.2/9.1 in Union Square. Loading Laptopmag.com showed the greatest difference, taking 8.2 seconds in Union Square and 10.4 seconds in Madison Square Park.

Battery Life

Novatel Wireless claims the Verizon Wireless Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L will get up to five hours of battery life. During a day of Web surfing, watching video, light word processing and playing "Bastion," the 4620L delivered 4.5 hours of life before shutting down. When we ran the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous web surfing), the 4620L lasted 3:57.

We were able to get 7 hours and 32 minutes out of the optional extended battery. Verizon has yet to announce the battery's price, but we're guessing it will be in the $40-$50 range.

Data Plans and Value

The 4620L is currently available on Verizon Wireless' website for $49.99 with a two-year contract. Consumers can choose between a $50 monthly 5GB data plan and the $80 monthly 10GB plan. Verizon will charge you a $10 fee for each additional GB you go over your limit. Over two years, consumers who go with the $50 plan will pay $1,249, while the 10GB plan will cost a total of $1,969. AT&T offers only a 5GB plan for its mobile hotspots.

Verdict

Verizon Wireless' $49.99 Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4620L delivers strong speeds, the ability to share with 10 devices and the added bonus of global capability for world travelers. We especially like the informative screen. Some may lament the lack of a microSD card slot, but if you're on Verizon, this is the mobile hotspot to get.

Verizon Wireless has announced that starting April 22, customers will be charged a $30 mobile device upgrade fee. The U.S. carrier's reason for implementing the fee is supposedly to "continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever."

It would appear that the new policy would apply to 3G and 4G tablets as well, since the fee covers "all mobile devices."

Prior to this move, Verizon had been the only carrier not to charge its customers with an upgrade fee. Both AT&T and Sprint charge $36 to upgrade to a new device on contract, while T-Mobile charges customers $18 to upgrade.

via GigaOm

• Top 10 Smartphones
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• Nationwide 4G Showdown

The Droid RAZR Maxx from Motorola is already the longest-lasting 4G smartphone currently on the market by a wide margin, enduring 8 hours and 25 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test (continous surfing over 4G at 40 percent brightness). However, by implementing our top 10 battery saving tips for Android phones, we were able to extend that time to a whopping 10 hours and 8 minutes of speedy 4G LTE goodness.

Follow these steps to Maxx out your Droid RAZR Maxx.

1. Dim the Display - Our Android battery saving tips call for dimming the display to 30 percent, but we felt that the RAZR Maxx's screen was still perfectly legible at 0-percent brightness. The lower your screen brightness, the better your battery life will be so try it at 0 percent and see if it looks acceptable to you. 
   
2. Turn off Wi-Fi  - If you're at home or the office, connecting your Maxx to the network via 802.11n will save juice. However, if you're not near an available router, your Wi-Fi radio can significantly drain your phone's battery so disabling it is a great way to extend your phone's battery life. We always disable the Wi-Fi when running our own battery test, however, so this tip didn't factor into the RAZR Maxx's new score.
3. Turn off Location Services - The Maxx's GPS radio gulps battery, routinely pinging satellites to get your current location. Just as bad, location-based services like Foursquare that have auto check-in enabled will ping the Internet with your location, another use of  your power-hungry 4G connection.  
4. Turn off Background Data - Any time your phone checks your email, syncs your calendar, or automatically grabs Facebook updates, it's calling out to the Internet which means that it's taxing the 4G radio. To really save power, turn off background data in the Android control panel.
5. Switch from 4G to 3G - The RAZR Maxx's 3G CDMA radio uses a lot less power than its 4G LTE counterpart so, if you're willing to trade speed for battery life, you can disable 4G in the Wireless and Networks section of the control panel. We first ran the battery test with 4G enabled, to see how long the phone would last with all of the tips implemented but still using Verizon's 4G LTE network. Afterwards we ran it again using only 3G -- with over an hour of additional endurance.
6. Disable Haptic Feedback - That little motor which causes the phone to vibrate when you touch its keyboard or buttons uses a fair amount of juice. Turn it off  in the Sound section of the control panel.
7. Set a Shorter Screen Timeout - Although we suggest shortening your screen timeout time to just 30 seconds, on the LAPTOP battery test we see how how long the phone will last if the screen never times out. We were impressed that the RAZR Maxx lasted more than 10 hours with the screen on the entire time.
8. Use a Plain Black Background - Smartphones using AMOLED displays consume more power than LCD displays when displaying bright colors, particularly white. Switch the RAZR Maxx to an all-black wallpaper to save power.
9. Shut Down Instant Messaging - Nothing sucks juice like Google Talk and other IM programs which have to maintain an active Internet connection all day long, even if you aren't talking to anyone.
10. Disable Automatic Updates for Widgets - To keep widgets like Weather and News Feed from constantly searching for the latest data, remove them entirely from the RAZR Maxx's home screens. 

After implementing all of the battery saving tips (save disabling 4G and setting the screen timeout to 30 seconds), the RAZR Maxx achieved that epic 10 hours and 8 minutes of battery life , which was 4 and a half hours longer than the category average (5:39), and more than 3 hours longer than the second longest-lasting 4G phone, the Samsung Droid Charge (6:42). When we ran the test again using only 3G connectivity, and the Maxx lasted a jaw-dropping 11 hours and 30 minutes -- almost 6 hours longer than the average smartphone!

• Best Battery Saving Tips for Android
• Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx (Verizon Wireless) Review
• Top 10 Smartphones

LAS VEGAS -- Imagine carrying all your photos, videos and important business documents on a WiFi-enabled hard drive that could stream them all wirelessly to any device within range. That's the Seagate GoFlex Wireless Satellite, which has been available since last year. Now picture that same device with Verizon 4G LTE connectivity and the ability to not only serve as hotspot but also to share your files with someone half a world away. That's the unique drive/server, which the company is showing off here at CES.

Though it is only a prototype and not officially scheduled for release, Seagate representatives told us they feel confident about the device's chances of coming to market in the very near future, perhaps even this year. The model we saw did not suffer from any pre-production problems and looked more than polished enough to use today.

Check out our in-depth hands-on with the GoFlex 4G device below.

In an extensive demo today, Seagate's William Clark showed us how the Satellite could be used as both a mobile storage device and a connectivity solution. He started by demonstrating the device's ability to act as a simple hotspot for any Wi-Fi enabled device, pulling up the laptopmag.com home page in just a few seconds on an iPad and then starting a YouTube clip that streamed perfectly.

This level of performance comes as no surprise since Verizon's 4G LTE network remains the fastest in the U.S. and we've gotten great coverage here in Las Vegas. Clark said the drive gets about 4 hours of battery life using LTE and 5 hours plus using Wi-Fi alone.

Clark then showed how the device could give you access to a Verizon storefront where you could buy music or rent movies. Bought music would download directly to the hard drive to save you space, but movies would simply stream wirelessly but with an enhanced buffer on the drive itself. He also showed a clip streaming from the storage on the drive where motion was incredibly smooth.

As intriguing as its media viewing functions are, this device has a ton of potential for business use. On business trips, coworkers could share both a connection and a common group of files with each other. Even better, using a service called Polkcast, the drive can make its files available to coworkers anywhere in the world over the Internet.

So imagine having a coworker back at the office while you're on location and need to get that coworker some video, photos or other materials. That person can download the files directly from your Seagate drive by logging into the drive via Polkcast. The files do not live in the cloud, but only on the Satellite, so there's no need to worry about Polkcast or another third party holding confidential data. In consumer use cases, family members can download photos this way.

Of course, the Seagate drive can also be hooked up to your notebook via microUSB so you can dump a lot of files more quickly or use it when the battery is out of juice.

We think both the consumer and business uses of this product are incredibly compelling and hope to see it come to market in the near future.

• Verizon Showcases Seagate 4G LTE Wireless Storage Drive
• Seagate Momentus XT (750)
• CES 2012: Full Coverage
  

LAS VEGAS--For anyone with a sizable collection of movies and music, the limited storage capacity of smartphones and tablets can be a great disappointment. Verizon and Seagate have teamed up to fix this problem with the 4G LTE Mobile Wireless Storage Drive, the first wireless storage device with integrated 4G LTE technology, showcased at CES.

Taking advantage of the lightning-fast speeds of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, movies, music and photos can be downloaded directly to the Seagate 4G LTE Wireless Storage and then streamed over Wi-Fi to up to three mobile devices, similar to Seagate's GoFlex Satellite. According to Seagate, the drive has enough storage capacity for more than 300 HD movies. It can also provide Internet connectivity for up to three Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices.

The Seagate 4G LTE Wireless Storage looks perfect for anyone who wants access to their entire multimedia library on the go -- the drive boasts up to 5 hours of battery life and is compatible with all Wi-Fi- and browser-enabled iOS and Android phones and tablets via its 802.11b/g/n radio. 

Verizon and Seagate have yet to announce pricing or data plans for the drive, or when it will be released. 

• CES 2012: Full coverage
• Seagate GoFlex Satellite Review
• Top Tech Trends for 2012

LAS VEGAS - Were you a fan of the Motorola Droid RAZR's super-slim design but wished its battery lasted longer? Then you're in luck. Motorola and Verizon today announced the new Droid RAZR Maxx with the promise of 21 hours of talk time, a record for a smartphone. The $299 RAZR Maxx packs the same dual-core 1.2-GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM as the original Droid RAZR and offers 32GB of storage.

So how did Motorola so drastically improve the RAZR Maxx's battery life over the original Droid RAZR? By adding a bit of bulk to it. Motorola says the new device is 0.35 inches thick, a bit more than the 0.27 inches of the original Droid RAZR. There's no mention of the new unit's weight, but it's safe to assume it will be a slight bit heavier than the original Droid RAZR as well.

In addition to the RAZR Maxx, Motorola and Verizon also announced they are releasing a new purple version of the original Droid RAZR, bringing the total amount of colors available to three including the white and block styles already on the market. Like the RAZR Maxx, this new $199 RAZR will feature the a dual-core 1.2-GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM. Internal storage is rated at 16GB.

Both the Droid RAZR Maxx and purple Droid RAZR will run on Verizon's 4G LTE network and are expected to launch in the coming weeks, although a definitive date has yet to be nailed down. At launch the phones will being running Android's Gingerbread OS, but will later be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

• CES 2012: Complete Coverage
• Motorola Droid RAZR Review
• Top 10 Smartphones

Verizon is reporting that its 4G LTE service has been restored following the companies third nationwide network outage. According to company spokesperson Brenda Raney, the 4G issue was resolved overnight. Verizon's 3G network, she explained, operated normally, and calling and texting were unaffected by the outage.

Yesterday's outage marks the third 4G service interruption to hit Verizon customers this month. The first event, which occurred early in the month took roughly a day to be resolved, while the second, which happened just over a week ago was, was fixed in a few hours. Each time the network went down, users took to Verizon's community support forums to their fellow customers updates on the problem.

Following each outage, Verizon confirmed that service had been interrupted and restored following an incident, however, exactly what the incident was in each instance is not mentioned. It's not as though Verizon's 4G problems only started creeping up recently either. In April, the company's LTE network went down for more than a day. That network failure also happened to coincide with the release of Verizon's Motorola Thunderbolt, the company's first 4G LT-enabled phone.

Verizon recently launched its 4G LTE version of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which most assuredly saw many people jumping onto Big Red's network, and could serve as an explanation for yesterday's outage, but without any confirmation from Verizon, that's all merely speculation. Here's hoping that Verizon's network has a better go at it in 2012.

• Nationwide 4G Showdown
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• The Best Smartphones of 2011

For the third time in less than a month, Verizon Wireless customers are reporting that they are experiencing sporadic 4G LTE outages. We haven't noticed any issues with coverage here in our New York office, but several users have taken to Verizon's customer support forums saying that they've either completely lost their 4G signals or have seen it come and go all day.

According to Engadget, Verizon has acknowledged the user complaints and in a statement said they are investigating. According to the company, users are still able to make calls, send text messages, and access data networks. 3G has been unaffected, Verizon said.

This is the third time Verizon has run into problems with its 4G network. At the beginning of the month, the company's network went down for about a day, before being restored. A second outage, which occurred just a week ago, took down the network for several hours.

Verizon has been vague about the reasons for the outages, but each time the company has said that their engineers have repaired the problem. Here's hoping this outage doesn't last too long.

via Engadget

• Verizon 4G LTE Service Restored Following Nationwide Outage
• Nationwide 4G Showdown
• Top 12 Mobile Tech Stories of 2011

Is the fallout from AT&T and T-Mobile's recently broken merger now threatening Verizon? According to recent reports, the U.S. Justice Department is shining a light on the number one U.S. carrier's recent deal to expand its wireless spectrum.

Bloomberg reports that Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona confirmed the antitrust division is examining a deal between Verizon and a joint venture comprised of three major cable companies, Comcast, Time Warner, and Bright House. The deal, inked on December 2, cost Verizon $3.6 billion, and nets the carrier use of wireless spectrum owned by the three communications companies.  Further boosting Verizon's spectrum coffers is a recent deal with Cox Communications for $315 million.

"This agreement is diminishing competition in every way,"  Mark Cooper, director of research at Consumer Federation of America, which opposes the deal, told Bloomberg. "It means the cable companies are no longer trying to do their own thing in wireless, it concentrates ownership of spectrum, and it turns rivals such as Verizon and Comcast into partners."

Though Verizon announced its plans to purchase the wireless spectrum early this month, it only recently filed for approval with the FCC on December 19, according to Bloomberg.  The recent filing explains why the Department of Justice would launch inquiries into the deal's details.

Under the proposed agreement, Verizon would pay $2.3 billion to Comcast, $1.1 billion to Time Warner, $315 million to Cox, and $189 million to Bright House to use wireless spectrum owned by each company to fuel the carrier's phone and data networks. In return, the companies each benefit from shared marketing and sales. 

Given the regulatory officials' scrutiny to AT&T and T-Mobile over wireless networks, a critical look at Verizon's deal is not surprising. However, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the number one mobile carrier in the U.S. expanding its leading position, especially in light of dismantling similar plans from competitor AT&T.

In the wake of the failed merger, AT&T has surfaced as a clear loser. As part of the carriers' pre-merger contract, AT&T must enter a 3G roaming agreement and relinquish an important chunk of its Advanced Wireless Solution (AWS) spectrum to T-Mobile. That's in addition to paying $4 billion in cash and assets to the last-place carrier as well. With that assistance, T-Mobile's coverage will expand from 230 million to 280 million consumers. 

Via Bloomberg

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After a several-hour-long outage, it looks like Verizon's 4G LTE network has started to come back online for most customers. Early this morning, Verizon users across the country began flooding Verizon's community forums with complaints about connectivity problems with Big Red's 4G network, while others said they were experiencing issues with 3G as well.

In a statement released early this afternoon, Verizon said, "4G LTE service is returning to normal this morning after company engineers worked to resolve an issue with the 4G network during the early morning hours today. Throughout this time, 4G LTE customers were able to make voice calls and send and receive text messages. The 3G data network operated normally."  

The complaints started rolling in at about 3:00 a.m. with users from California to New York saying they had lost all data service. It wasn't until 9:30 a.m. that users began reporting that their 4G service had been restored. We're currently seeing full service in our New York offices.

This is the second time Verizon has suffered a data outage in December, and the third time its 4G network has gone down this year. On December 6th through December 7th, users nationwide reported that they had lost all 4G service and were instead being dropped down to 3G. Service was restored on Dec. 8 after Verizon's network operations team "resolved a technical issue."

Verizon, which boasts the fastest 4G network in the country, also saw its 4G service go down in April. That issue, like the outage earlier this month, was also resolved in roughly 24 hours.

• Nationwide 4G Showdown
• Verizon 4G LTE Service Restored Following Nationwide Outage
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