The handset also packs a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, a 4.0-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080P HD recording, front-facing camera for video chats, 1GB of RAM, 16 GB internal storage, 4G LTE and Android 2.3.5. The handset is on the short list to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream sandwich sometime in the near future. Think of the Droid 4 as a Razr with a gorgeous keyboard.

You can grab the Droid 4 online or in Verizon Wireless stores for $199 with a new, two-year contract. You can also check out a quick hands-on video we snagged of the phone when we were at CES.

[Via Verizon Wireless]

Carriers pay Apple the subsidy that is able to keep the iPhone down to its $199 price point even after cramming in loads of new features in every release. For Apple, this is good. For consumers, this is good. For carriers, this is very bad.

During 2009 and 2010 before Verizon Wireless was selling the iPhone, its EBITDA margin was at an average of 46.4 percent. Right after the Verizon iPhone became a reality, the profit margin dropped to 43.7 percent. Last quarter, which was the first quarter to include iPhone 4S sales, Verizon’s margin was at 42.2 percent.

Fortunately for Verizon, its margins are comparably high to those of AT&T and Sprint. AT&T’s EBITDA service margin last quarter was 28.7 percent, an 8.9 percent decline year-over-year. Sprint’s margin last quarter was even worse at a sad 9.5 percent. The year before that when Sprint wasn’t selling the iPhone, its margin was 16 percent.

The good news is since Apple sells so many iPhones, carriers are still making plenty of money off of them. Don’t ever lose sleep about them not making money — if something doesn’t add to their bottom line, you can bet carriers will not go through with it.

[via CNN Money]

Thanks for your patience @bittersw8regene. Unfortunately the Nokia Astound on T-Mobile will not be updated to Nokia Belle.

— Nokia US (@NokiaUS) February 8, 2012

It would be easy to slam Nokia right now over this, but we know better. It’s not their fault, it’s T-Mobile’s. When Symbian Anna came out it was nothing more than an over the air update that weighed in at around 10 MB. Belle on the other hand requires that you connect your phone to your PC and download a 250 MB software update. We can imagine the thinking within T-Mobile’s office went something like this: “Do you have any idea how much money it’s going to cost to not only tell people about Belle, but also the support costs in case people screw the update up?”

It’s a shame really, and we hope T-Mobile changes their mind.

[Via: Unleash The Phones]

The company has apparently already hired investment bankers to look at options to get as much money as possible for the mobile network. To sweeten the deal, one of the advisors, Deutsche Bank, said it will offer credit lines of up to $1 billion if necessary to the prospective buyer. Partner Communications’ stake is worth around $590 million, though there seem to be an option to bid for the publicly quotes shares as well.

The company had previously tried to sell a minority stake in Orange Israel, but it failed to find interested buyer. We’ll see whether they’ll succeed this time…

[Via: CellularNews]

Other noteworthy specs include:

• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• Support for quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dualband UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA at 900/2100 MHz as well as dualband LTE at 800/2600 MHz
• Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi b/g/n and a GPS
• 4.5-inch qHD touchscreen
• 8 megapixel auto-focus 1080p HD camera on the back
• Front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera
• 1 GB RAM
• 16 GB flash memory expanded with microSD memory cards up to 32 GB
• 1620 mAh battery

There were 2,000 base stations added in Germany that is suppose to power up more than 8.5 million households with LTE service. But a large part of these base stations only reside in rural areas where Vodafone LTE in the 800 MHz frequency space lies, as this provides large areas and many users as possible with a DSL replacement.

So with a 4G network finally ready to go, the HTC Velocity is a pretty good beginning. That said, a price or launch date hasn’t been announced, but Vodafone Germany, HTC and Qualcomm will hold a press conference next week, which will more than likely reveal even more details on the country’s first LTE handset official.

[via Computerwoche]

All of the smartphones or tablets will be “free” with a mail-in rebate and a new, two-year contract on a qualifying Classic plan. T-Mobile is pretty much making every one of its desirable smartphones and tablets available during this sale, as you can pick up a Galaxy S II, Lumia 710, HTC Amaze 4G, BlackBerry Bold 4G, HTC Radar 4G, T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide and more. On the tablet front, you can look forward to picking up the T-Mobile Springboard.

Sure, the rebates can be a hassle and the up-front costs of a device isn’t really that much when you consider what you’ll be paying over the life of the two-year contract but if you’re planning to pick one up anyways, you may as well save a few bucks on Saturday.Be sure to check out T-Monews and its breakdown of what you’ll actually be paying during this Valentine’s Day sale.

[Via T-Mobile]

These 4G LTE-enabled tablets will be used throughout the Suns’ operation. This will include workers at the game showing perspective clients interactive views of their game seats and you could easily see kiosks or retailers in the arena using these to jazz up displays. It’s not just the business side though, as every player will get a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and this will include the team’s playbook, videos, scouting reports, travel itineraries and the 4G LTE means that these will be able to be updated on the fly.

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new era in the NBA, where I think teams throughout the league will want to integrate a tablet into their operations,” said Suns’ coach Alvin Gentry.

This is another sign that there definitely is a place for mobile technology at sporting events on all sides. We’ve already seen some NFL teams use the iPad to replace playbooks and I wouldn’t be surprised to see every team have this within five years.

While the Suns organization was never really able to surround Steve Nash with a championship cast (they let A’mare and Joe Johnson walk, sold draft picks that could have been Luol Deng and Rajon Rondo) but the team has done a great job of investing in its digital media strategy. Along with the tablet announcement today, this Phoenix team has been miles ahead of nearly any other organization when it comes to social media.

Handset sales are strong and subscriber count is growing, but the company is still bleeding cash. Sprint reported a net loss of $1.3 billion in the quarter and $2.89 billion for the year. Network Vision upgrade costs and both subsidies and sales expenses associated with the iPhone reduced the company’s bottom line.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse remains optimistic about the company’s performance and its immediate future.

“Our strong fourth quarter performance illustrates the power of matching iconic devices like the iPhone with our simple, unlimited plans and industry-leading customer experience. During the past year, Sprint added more than 5 million net new customers and grew wireless service revenue by more than 5 percent, including 17 percent for the Sprint platform. This momentum gives us confidence as we execute our Network Vision upgrade and 4G LTE roll-out.”

Of course, such optimism about the company’s future is the job of the CEO, especially when a company is struggling to make ends meet.

[Via Sprint]

In total, the two companies will give away 91 pairs of tickets to just under 50 of the most highly sought after Olympic Games events, including the Men’s 100 meters Final, Track Cycling at the newly created Velodrome and swimming events at the Aquatics Centre. In order to participate, folks should purchase any Samsung Galaxy smartphone between February 1st and 29th. Moreover, those who bought the phone will also have to download the Samsung 2012 app (it’s free and linked below) to enter the competition. Customers must install the app and enter their details before the March 14th closing date, and the winners will then be notified by mid-April 2012.

Pretty neat, especially for folks who wanted a buy a new phone, nonetheless. You can choose between such models as the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Y, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Ace and Galaxy Mini. All the details and terms are available from this page at Vodafone’s website.

Samsung 2012 (FREE) [Android Market link]

[Via: EuroDroid]

U.S. Cellular announced such service for its users, offering it for $2.99 per month. A free 30-day trial is also available to get you in the mood and only once you realize all the benefits, you can commit your hard earned cash.

Voice Mail to Text relies on Nuance Communications’ Dragon technology, allowing you to respond to voice mail via text or email when calling back isn’t an option. Moreover, because your messages are now text, you can also search through them, which is pretty cool…

The third largest wireless provider plans to shut down push-to-talk service on its iDEN network, in an attempt to move customers to advanced PTT services on its CDMA network. And with the extra 800 MHz iDEN spectrum, the company will use it for advanced voice services as well as for LTE, a process that should be completed in the year 2017. We don’t know exactly when the final transition will occur, but we at least know when the first stage of shutdowns will be taking place.

This is a necessary move Sprint has to take in order to get itself into the 4G market, as the company is not only behind Verizon but AT&T as well. As a customer, I hope this first stage of its “Network Vision” pans out so I don’t have to jump ship.

[via FierceWireless]