To some, the arrival of the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE is even more momentous than the recent announcement of the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Count me as one in this camp.

As a Verizon customer I’ve been waiting for something cool to hit the network which sports a lot of great new features and runs on Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich). This new device from HTC just may fit the bill.

For various reasons, we are not at the CTIA conference in New Orleans right now. However, the folks at Droid Life are and they managed to get some pics and video of the HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE (that’s a mouthful) and have graciously shard it with the world at large.

According the site, their initial reaction to seeing the device in the flesh (so to speak) was: “Smallish device with some great specs that will be a winner if priced right.” That pretty much jives with what we thought.

I would also agree with Droid Life’s assessment that this device isn’t the HTC One X or even the S. It fills a different segment of HTC’s market and will probably do pretty well.

If I didn’t hate AT&T so much I would consider an unlocked HTC One X or, perhaps, even this one with Verizon. However, for the moment, I will stick with the Galaxy Nexus unlocked on T-Mobile and my trusty iPhone 4S. I think that’s a great couple of devices.

Anyone have any other opinions? Also, be sure to check out the video after the break.

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If you follow tech news very much, and Apple in particular, you know one thing is certain: even if you have the “latest thing” from Apple they will be releasing an even better one sooner or later. That’s never been more the case, and more the subject of scrutiny and speculation, than with the iPhone and iPad.

So, it should come as no surprise that pretty much everyone is in the “what will Apple release next” game, including the Wall Street Journal. This time around the Journal is reporting that Apple’s next generation iPad (aka iPad 3) will feature, among other things, 4G LTE wireless connectivity.

In addition, said iPad 3 will be sold at both AT&T and Verizon. That isn’t exactly earth-shattering news, though, as both wireless carriers have had 4G LTE for some time and have hardware that runs on it already.

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Who doesn’t love taking down your friends or those punk teens in an online game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? The worst part has to be when your cheap headset craps out right before you’re able to give your victory chant and put that n00b in their place. Turtle Beach is helping you out with a brand new line of limited edition headsets.

Starting this week, the leading video game accessories company will announce several brand new headsets, each with their own special personality and uniqueness that is a must for any real gamer. Yesterday, the Ear Force FOXTROT hit the web, while the CHARLIE hits today, followed by BRAVO tomorrow and DELTA on Friday.

Here’s the official release, and be sure to check out the full-sized images after the jump.

The Ear Force DELTA headset ships with custom voice prompts by Lt. Col. Hank Keirsey (ret.). Army Ranger, master parachutist and decorated combat veteran, Keirsey served 24 years with the US Army and now serves as the principal military advisor for Call of Duty®. It’s his voice that will lead you into battle, and inform you on your preset choices in the field.

The Ear Force DELTA and Ear Force BRAVO wireless models feature Turtle Beach’s proprietary DSP headset technology that elevates these headsets beyond mere accessories with the inclusion of custom-designed presets.  These settings are specific to Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 and come stored in the headsets right out of the box.

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In what may not be completely surprising news but, at least to some, may be disappointing, your choices of wireless carrier in the U.S. look to be dropping by one. Why? AT&T, the nation’s second largest wireless provider, announced late yesterday that they will acquire T-Mobile USA from parent company Deutsche Telekom in a cash and stock deal worth approximately $39 Billion.

What does that mean for you and me? Well, for me at least, it means nothing. I’m a Verizon Wireless customer. For those of you who are not or who enjoy having as many wireless choices as possible, it means you will now have to pick between AT&T, Verizon or Sprint if you want to go with a national wireless company.

Choice and, more to the point, competition, is one of the best things about pretty much any kind of business. Competition forces companies to constantly innovate and hopefully strive to be better and treat customers well so they will stay. Having fewer choices and thus less competition can allow companies to become complacent and not try their best.

With the lackluster reputation AT&T already has with many customers, I can’t see that the company having fewer competitors is a good thing. What’s their motivation to change and be better if the customer has nowhere else to go? The answer is they won’t have any. And that, friends, is not good.

Click through to check out the full press release from AT&T about this announcement.

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Would have gotten this sooner but was at a Starbucks where, curiously, the AT&T provided WiFi was not working. Conspiracy? Mmmmm.

Anyway, on to the important part. During a media event in New York City today, Verizon Wireless announced what many have reported and what has been rumored for months that it will be carrying Apple’s iPhone and that said Verizon iPhone will be available starting February 10th, with pre-orders beginning on the 3rd.

Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless’ president and CEO, saying “if the press writes about something for long enough and hard enough, eventually it comes true.”

The iPhone 4 will be pretty much the same as it is with AT&T, with the addition of a “CDMA optimized” antenna and mobile hotspot capabilities. The device will be available at the same price as we had for AT&T as well: $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB

It’s a great day for those of us waiting for the iPhone to hit our favorite wireless network. I’ll be getting one as soon as possible. How about you?

Check out the full press release is after the jump.

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Well, this is interesting. Apparently Verizon has decided to hold a big media event in New York City on January 11th to announce. . . well, we don’t know yet. However, that hasn’t stopped the speculation from going to an even higher level once word of the event came out.

Of course, we think this is the long-rumored Verizon iPhone announcement. And don’t try to tell us different. We believe, darn it. Anyway, whatever it is Verizon is doing a great job of building anticipation for pretty much anything it ends up announcing.

Although, I would bet that people will be far less excited about another 4G LTE device or some announcement other than the iPhone coming to Verizon. If it isn’t the iPhone, I wouldn’t want to be the guy making the announcement that day.

Whatever happens, we’ve only got a few days to wait. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

As the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas this week you can expect many announcement over the next four days. Among the first is Motorola’s announcement late yesterday of a new DROID device featuring a dual-core processor, Android OS and designed for the Verizon network.

Dubbed the DROID BIONIC, the handset features a 4.3-inch qHD display, dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, HDMI-out with mirror mode, 1080p playback, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, front-facing VGA camera, and an LTE radio. With LTE being the forefront of Verizon’s wireless push these days we can expect more announcements like this.

Heck, maybe we’ll finally get that Verizon LTE iPhone we’ve been dreaming of? Could happen. Won’t hold my breath though.

The device will be available “early” in the second quarter of this year. Click through for the full release from Moto.

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I don’t know about you but I never get tired of Verizon iPhone rumors. Maybe because I wish for it to happen almost more than anything. Don’t get me wrong, I do like my Android powered HTC Incredible. I just miss the iPhone but I won’t go back to it as long as it’s only on AT&T’s network.

So, if I could have something that combines the amazingness of the iPhone with the awesomeness of the Verizon network, I would be a happy person and could then go about my life in blissful contentment . . . until then next version comes out of course.

The rumor this week is about Apple’s search for engineers to work on some new projects. The info, dug up by the gang at Fortune, is about a job for a full-time Cellular Systems Performance Engineers who will deal with protocol issues and field test hardware. They are also looking for people with experience in GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and more to the point, CDMA technologies.

In case you don’t know that last one, CDMA, is the kind of network Verizon uses. That bit of info is made all the more significant by the fact that no currently shipping hardware from Apple — including the iPhone 4 — uses that technology. So, just another piece of the puzzle that when finished will hopefully reveal a shiny new iPhone for Verizon users.

I’d wait in line for that if. . . and I bet some of you would too.

On Monday we brought you news of a report from Consumer Reports that according to the publications’ readers AT&T is the worst mobile carrier in the U.S. That wasn’t a surprise to us and neither is AT&T already fighting back and trying to downplay the report with a report of its own.

Late yesterday, AT&T released information that according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), its network is the best in the country — 0r, at least, its subscribers complain the least. Verizon Wireless had 34% more complaints, Sprint had 115% more complaints and T-Mobile had 207% more complaints.

AT&T also says it has an A+ average rating nationally from the BBB, having received 107 A+ ratings, seven A ratings and one A- rating from local BBBs across the country. Our opinion? Sounds like AT&T is grasping at straws here.

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments and check out the full press release from AT&T after the jump.

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. People love the iPhone but hate the AT&T network and are waiting for the day when the iPhone comes to Verizon. Well, as in the past, that rumor is being reported again that the device will indeed be coming to the Verizon network. This time the report is in USA Today.

Although they don’t name any sources due to anonymity, the report does say the iPhone will be hitting Verizon in January. If true, this is great news for those who really want an iPhone but love to have a network where phone calls are possible even sitting in the living room.

Although, with the issues that seem to be plaguing the new iPhone, you have to wonder if a new network is really the answer. Maybe those issues are because the iPhone 4 had to be modified with a new antenna to accommodate AT&T’s poor network performance?

If so, a Verizon iPhone potentially would not have to be designed the same way and any issues with antenna strength, for example, may be removed. Plus, with Verizon potentially rolling out its LTE network in November, perhaps the new Verizon iPhone would even have 4G?  Wouldn’t that be cool?

Of course, it’s all speculation until either Apple or Verizon confirm something is really going to happen. Still, it’s fun to think of the possibilities.

The alliance between Verizon and Google just seems to be getting stronger. First, they partnered to offer several Android powered smartphones like the Moto DROID and the HTC DROID Incredible and now the two companies are reportedly teaming up to being a tablet computer to market to compete directly with Apple’s iPad.

According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, Verizon and Google’s partnership aims to bring the “next big wave of opportunities” to the U.S. wireless industry. The Verizon-Google tablet is intended to “clip the wings of the ever-soaring iPad” Nice.

Sadly there’s no word on who will make the hardware for the tablet or when it may be available. Still, it’s interesting to speculate. What I would love to see is a tablet device made by HTC, featuring Android OS topped with HTC’s Sense UI to make it look cleaner.

Plus, a wireless card from Verizon that did combo 3G/4G. Now that would be a tablet I would be interested in and one that could give the iPad a definite run for its money.

When the iPhone made its debut in 2007 everyone knew it would be an exclusive to AT&T for some time. The exact length of that exclusive agreement was rumored to be five years but it was never possible to get confirmation on the exact terms of the agreement from any of the parties involved, especially Apple. That is, until now.

Based on court papers filed in 2007 as part of an ongoing class-action lawsuit in California which claims Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone’s required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years, there’s now some light to be shed on the deal.

Responding to the lawsuit, Apple’s lawyers argued that no one was ever promised an unlocked iPhone after two years and they repeatedly confirm the existence of the five-year agreement while noting it was publicly reported in USA Today.

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